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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:
Cryptology: Codes Throughout History: Task 8 - Write a fic set in the Victorian or Dumbledore Era.
Warning for mentions of character death and foreshadowing of future events. Word count is 780 words. I hope you all enjoy Snowy Confessions.
The snow fell in great tufts of white reminding Ariana of the pillow that had been torn apart at the seams in her anger last night. She truly hadn't meant to become that angry at Albus. But Albus was off yet again paying more attention to Gellert than he was to her and Aberforth. Wasn't it bad enough that they'd lost their mother, a fact that Ariana blames herself for. Seeing as it was one of her fits that had killed their mother.
"Ariana, come inside," Albus's voice filtered out to her on the wind. "You'll catch your death of cold if stay out there."
You wouldn't mind if I did catch my death of cold out here, she thought bitterly as she wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and ignored Albus's call. If I weren't here you could go out and be free. Free to travel the world with Gellert and not have to look after me.
The crunch of boots on the snow-laden ground alerted her to the fact that someone was approaching her. She didn't bother to turn and see who it was that had walked up behind her. She knew perfectly well who it was and he knew perfectly well that she was ignoring him.
"Ariana," Albus's voice sounded sadder than she'd ever heard it, "you know I'm not trying to be mean to you, don't you?"
She looked up at him brown eyes filled to brim with all the anger she was feeling. She was angry at the boys who'd attacked her for making her afraid to be who she was. She was angry at their father was going after the boys and leaving them alone in this world. She was angry with her mother for causing the fight with Albus that started her fit the day her mother died. She was angry at Albus for not wanting to spend time with her and Aberforth the way he used. But most of all she was angry at herself for not being able to control her own magic.
"I understand," Albus said, looking into her eyes.
She snorted in derision at his statement. He had no clue how it felt to be so helpless in your own skin. To not know if you were going to hurt one of the people you cared about the most. Let alone….
"Ariana, what happened with mother wasn't your fault," he said, taking her hand in his own. His blue eyes staring into her own brown ones which are stinging with unshed tears of both sorrow and anger. "No one blames you for what happened."
"I do," Ariana says, her voice cracking both from emotion and lack of use.
"No," Albus said, shaking his head and pulling Ariana into a warm hug as he used to when they were younger. "You aren't to blame. I am the one to blame for all of this. It's just that Gellert was so insistent that…."
Ariana looked up at Albus. Those eyes searching through his own to find the truth behind the lies. She could see more clearly than anyone that Gellert although not blameless was not entirely to be blamed for what had happened.
Albus goes on and on about all the things he has planned for them. He tells her that he knows that she won't be able to live on her own. That he will always be there to look after her but that in order to bring about the greater good that they would have to sacrifice. That they would have travel.
Ariana begins to feel one of her attacks coming on at the mention of being away from the only home she knows. It is unsettling for her. A feeling like she's falling through air spreads through her. She doesn't like this plan. She wants to stay here. She wants to stay in Godric's Hollow. This is her home. This is the only home she has ever known and will ever know.
"No," she whispers into her brother's chest.
He can see the attack coming on and heads it off before it has fully started. "We'll discuss this more when Aberforth comes of age to go to school," Albus says, looking at her hopefully. "But for right now why don't we go inside and get warmed up. How does that sound?"
She feels that fit like attack receding. She knows that it will rise up once more from the depths of her. It always does. It always does and it always brings with a high cost for them. But for right now all she wants to do is forget and be happy with her family. And she does.
I hope you all enjoyed Snowy Confessions as much as I enjoyed writing it.
