disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story. I'm going to try and update at least once a week. I have more free time now on Fridays and Saturdays, so I'm going to try and post chapters either on those days or Sunday mornings/afternoons. Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter!

Harry's Letters

Arabella was confused. So many things was running through her mind. Harry sent her a small letter. Had he been doing this the entire summer? She had been a little hurt that she never received anything from him, but, then again, she didn't receive anything from any of her friends. She thought it was be best to limit the amount of owls going in and out of Grimmauld Place, and she was told it would be for the best until she could see her friends again. But why was Hedwig coming here? Remus spent most of his time now at Grimmauld Place unless it was the full moon. But the letters must be going somewhere…

Arabella crouched down at Hedwig and said, "Has Harry been sending me letters?"

Hedwig gave a muffled hooting noise and immediately took flight. Arabella was taken back, but quickly followed her upstairs. Hedwig entered Arabella's room and perched herself on the window still. Her old room looked oddly empty. Most of her furniture was still there, but her walls were completely deprived of her posters and the surface of everything didn't have her knick-knacks and pictures. They were now at Grimmauld Place with Sirius.

The only thing, however, that was out of place was the pile of letters now lying on the floor by the window. They were all addressed to Arabella in Harry's writing. Arabella picked them all up, a sense of dread filling her. She then looked up at Hedwig and said, "How did you even get in here?"

Hedwig was a smart owl. She showed Arabella just how easily it was to enter her bedroom. There was a small knob, of course, on the inside and outside of the window. It seemed as though Hedwig was determined to place them somewhere, despite not knowing where she really was.

"Okay, listen, I'm not here anymore, at least for the summer," Arabella told Hedwig firmly. "I'm at Grimmauld Place. Do you know where that is?"

To her surprise, Hedwig nodded and gave her an excitable hoot. Arabella was confused, until it suddenly dawned upon her that Harry must have wrote to Sirius, and in turn, Sirius was writing to Harry. Of course that was happening. Sirius and Remus had told her to limit her contact with the outside world in fear of Death Eaters finding where headquarters were, but Sirius didn't take his own advice. Dread was quickly replaced by anger and her hands began shaking. Hedwig moved closer towards her and rubbed her cheeks against Arabella's hand. Arabella looked down and absentmindedly scratched the top of Hedwig's head.

She began to open Harry's letters. She reached for the last one under the pile.

Dear Arabella,

How are you? Things have been going slow for me. The Dursleys are now on a new diet and it's revolting. The most I've had the last couple of days were olives and a single peach. But it has been amusing to see Dudley and Uncle Vernon swallow it down. Dudley's been out of the house most of the time. It's been really nice actually. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are completely clueless, of course. They think he's with his friends for some tea. I saw him the other day throwing stones at kids and cars.

I've been trying to get some news on Voldemort. The Daily Prophet hasn't reported that he's back. Have you heard anything on your end? I've been trying to listen to the Muggle news, but the Dursleys always throw me out whenever I try to watch the telly with them. They yelled at me, saying that it's not normal for a boy to want to listen to the news, claiming that Dudley was perfectly fine not know what was going on or who the Prime Minister was. I was just trying to figure out if there were any strange disappearances or strange accidents. Let me know if you find anything please.

I miss you. I can't wait to see you again. Being stuck here has been driving me up the wall. I should be used to it by know, being stuck here with the Dursleys, but I can't stay calm knowing that there are things happening outside Privet Drive. I want to see you again. Maybe you can come visit me here. Remus can come too if it would make him feel better. I don't care either way. That's driving me mental too, not being able to see you. I keep replaying the Yule Ball in my head and everything else in between. Let me know if you want to meet up soon. There's a pizza place near Privet Drive. I've never been there before, but I've heard it's good.

Sincerely, Harry.

"God," Arabella whispered under her breath. She felt worse with each sentence. Harry wanted to meet up with her. Take her out on a date for pizza. Everything else made it sound like he needed it. He needed to get away from his horrible family. They needed to get him away from them as soon as possible.

Arabella reached out for another letter.

Dear Arabella,

I had a bad dream last night. We were back in the graveyard and this time I couldn't do anything to stop Voldemort. I woke up this morning, drenched and shaking. Are you okay? I haven't heard from you in a couple days. Are you in trouble? I tried contacting Padfoot. He keeps telling me to be patient and keep my head down. But how can I do that when I have no idea what's going on. I'm worried that something happened to you or that you're in trouble or you're hurt and I can't do anything about it. Write back to me as soon as you can.

Harry.

Arabella's breath became shaky as she reached for another letter.

Arabella,

Hedwig caught a dead frog yesterday. She seems proud of herself. Aunt Petunia hates the smell.

I had the same dream again, but this time my parents were there. I asked them to help us, to save you and Cedric, but they couldn't. I tried asking Padfoot if you were all right, but I got nothing from him. I can't shake this feeling that you're somehow in trouble. I haven't heard from you since the end of the term and I'm getting close to jumping on my broom and flying to the Burrow.

Harry.

The letters seemed to be getting shorter and shorter.

Arabella,

I got half an apple for my birthday from the Dursleys and a small card from Hermione and Ron. I think they're together at the Burrow. They said they'll be seeing me soon that that they're busy. What are they busy with? Are you busy? Is that why you haven't been writing to me? Are you still living with Remus or are you somewhere else? Why is everyone so busy that they can't even write to me? Sirius barely tells me anything besides keeping my nose clean and Ron and Hermione's letters are just full of nothing. I need something at this point, Arabella. I'm going crazy not knowing anything. Please just tell me something, I'll take anything at this point.

Harry.

Arabella sighed and opened the next one.

Arabella,

Nothing much happened to me today. I just wanted to see if you remembered me. I remembered you.

Harry.

Arabella clutched the letter tightly before opening the last one.

Arabella,

I miss you.

Harry.

Perhaps the simplest and shortest, but it was the most effective. Her eyes began to sting and Arabella quickly wiped away her tears before they could touch the parchment. Hedwig moved closer to her and rubbed the top of her head under Arabella's chin. Arabella gave her a watery smile and picked everything up. She went downstairs, grabbed a piece of parchment, ink and a quill. She thought about her letter carefully before putting quill to parchment.

Harry,

I miss you so much. I'm so sorry for not writing to you. I never knew that you were writing to me. I know it's no excuse. I'll explain more the next time I see you. If this letter were to get into the wrong hands then who knows what might happen. I'll talk to the others and see when they can get you.

I not where I usually am during the summer and I think that's why Hedwig kept leaving the letters here. I didn't know or else I would have written something to you. I should have either way but this summer has been really crazy and frantic. So many things have happened to me and I haven't been out much lately. Moony tells me that it's dangerous to leave the house and on one hand I agree with him, but on the other hand, I wish I got that pizza with you. I wish I got these letters earlier and I wish I got to see you again. So many things happened and the one person I wanted to talk to was you. I have so much to tell you when I see you again.

I've been having those dreams too. Cedric, Voldemort, you and those Death Eaters. I've had some others but those ones are vivid. I can't get the image of Cedric out of my head sometimes. Other times I can't stop thinking about the summer and everything I've learned. Other times it feels like nothing's right. Do you know what I mean? With everything going on, it just feels like I can't get a hang of it. One moment things seem fine and I think it's going to get better, but then I find something else out that just hits me like a bus.

Don't give up on me, Harry. I'm here for you and I'm going to do my best to see what we can do right now with this dementor and expelled mess. They can't do that to you and I'll make sure they don't. I miss you, Harry, and I can't wait to see you again.

Love, Arabella.

Arabella stuffed her letter into an envelope and tied it to Hedwig's leg.

"I'm at Grimmauld Place with Sirius and the others now," she told the owl. "Ron and Hermione just arrived so be careful. No one is supposed to know we're there. Try not to be seen. Here, have some more toast for the road."

Hedwig happily ate more toast before gently nipping on Arabella's fingers. She took off immediately and Arabella locked up the window. She sighed, watching the snowy owl slowly disappear from her sight. She was filled with a sense of apprehension. She had no idea how Harry was going to react to her letter. She had not written to him for months and she did not expect him to suddenly be kind and friendly with her once again. If this was her, she would have felt betrayed and hurt. She had a feeling that Harry was feeling that, but worse. He was stuck with those poor excuses of a family and he had no idea what was going on in the magical world. She, Arabella, did not know much as well, but at least she was at headquarters and got small titbits of things here and there.

Before she could dwell on the matter anymore, the door to the basement slammed open. Remus, pale and sweaty, leaned against the doorframe. He was panting heavily while still trying to keep his blanket from falling and exposing his body. He then spotted Arabella by the window and tread heavily towards her, leaning on various surfaces.

"That was stupid!" he spat out, still panting. "You shouldn't have done that! You could have gotten hurt! You could – you could have died – I can't control myself like that – who the – who even brought you here?"

"Nymph," Arabella said simply. "Here, have some toast before you go back to yelling at me."

Remus tried to push her away, but Arabella firmly planted him down at the kitchen table and stuffed a piece of toast in his mouth. He was clearly angry and fuming at the display, but at least he finished his toast before continuing to yell at her.

"Nymphadora shouldn't have done that," he said shortly. "She shouldn't have agreed to whatever it is she agreed to. You were both foolish, especially you. You could have gotten seriously injured. I could have done so many terrible things to you without even knowing it. You could have lost an arm or broken a bone or even died! Do you – did you even realize that? Do you care about yourself? If anything happened to you, I would – I would have been devastated, Arabella."

He fell quiet and looked down at the table. He gingerly picked up his fork and slowly nibbled one his eggs, trying to steady his hands. Arabella looked down and smiled a little. She took a seat next to him and brought his hand into hers.

"I care about you, Remus," she said warmly. "You can't just expect me not to or to turn it off whenever there's a full moon. I told Nymph and Sirius what I was doing and they both agreed with me, though Nymph did want me to tell you beforehand, and admittedly, she might be right, but what's done is done at this point –"

"You're rambling," Remus commented softly.

"Yeah, I suppose I am," said Arabella, chuckling a little. "Look, if it helps, I think Moony likes me… or at the very least tolerates me. You don't have to do this alone anymore, Remus. Honestly, I can come over during the full moons or you can even transform in Grimmauld Place and have Sirius keep you company. You shouldn't be alone anymore. It's not right. You're not alone in this. You've got me and Sirius and Nymph and so many other people. Besides… I think Moony liked the company, and I think… I think you realize that too."

Remus pursed his lips together and sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I… I sort of had that feeling that… that the other guy was a little happy. And… it was nice having someone else around."

If she could, Arabella would jump up and down in joy. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

"However," interrupted Remus, crushing her joy momentarily, "if we were to continue this, and it's a big if, then we will need to take precautions and make sure you don't get hurt, and if you do, we stop it immediately. Understood?"

"Crystal," Arabella said instantly. "Now, eat up because we have to head back as soon as possible."

"Why? Tired?"

"No. Harry got attacked by dementors and expelled from Hogwarts last night. He's needs us right now."

Remus choked on his egg as Arabella pushed some water towards him. It was certainly going to be a long day.

Nymph arrived an hour later, looking tired and slightly pale. She gave them a warm smile and immediately Apparated them to the doorsteps of number twelve Grimmauld Place. Arabella pushed the door open as Nymph helped Remus cross over the threshold. The moment she closed the door behind them, she could hear footsteps coming from everywhere.

"Harry?"

"Harry!"

"Are you all right, mate?"

"Go back upstairs, all of you!"

Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George all came tumbling from upstairs while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Bill, Mad-Eye and Kingsley Shacklebolt ran up from the kitchen. Or in Mad-Eye's case, limped slowly.

"Upstairs, now!" commanded Mrs. Weasley.

"But what about Harry?" demanded Ginny, her face turned red as she matched her mother's fury. "He's been expelled! We need to do something about it!"

"We are not doing anything," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "You will be heading upstairs and we, the adults, will deal with this matter. Now go!"

"You can't just expect us to wait around while Harry's in trouble," Ron said, his voice full of steel. "The Ministry could be taking him right now, we have to get him!"

"Do not raise your voice at your mother," Mr. Weasley said sternly, wagging his finger. "We're handling the matter as we speak."

Just as Ron opened his mouth to say something, Hermione turned to Arabella and said, "What do you think about this?"

"This is not some sort of debate," Sirius said, clearly annoyed. "We're working on a plan –"

"A plan?" asked Arabella, huffing in disbelief. "What plan? The plan where you all just wait around until something happens or the one where you don't do anything unless Dumbledore says so?"

"What we do is of no concern –" began Sirius.

"No concern?" Arabella exclaimed bewilderment. "Oh, yeah, completely – it's not like he's my best friend or that I've known him for years or anything. It's not like we don't care about him or anything," she indicated towards her, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George. "It's not like we haven't been through so much and gone to the Yule Ball and kissed and made –"

"That's enough," Remus said at once. Though he was weak and pale and sweaty, his voice was strong. Most were shocked to see him, as though they had completely forgotten that last night was a full moon. "Arabella, we all care about Harry, don't – don't even deny it. But we have to be careful. The Ministry is watching him and Dumbledore, and there are people in the Ministry that are not our friends."

"I don't care," Arabella gritted out. "He should have been with us since the start of the summer. Ever since Voldemort" – wince –"came back and Harry told the truth, he should have been with us. He's clearly safer here than at Privet Drive with his Muggle family and without any sort of protection –"

"We are protecting him," Sirius said shortly.

"And look what good that's done," snapped Arabella. "Attacked by dementors and expelled from Hogwarts. Yeah, all of you are doing great, fan-tas-tic even!"

Arabella began to clap for them and she could tell they were not clearly amused at her display. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other, slightly ashamed, while Kingsley sighed, clearly tired by the bags under his eyes. Mad-Eye rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath, no doubt cursing her. Remus closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, exhausted, while Nymph groaned. But it was Sirius who was fuming. His nostrils were flared and his lips were in a thin line. Normally, she would have hated to see him like this. She would hate herself for making the people she care about feel low, but after everything that's happened today, she didn't care anymore. Harry needed someone to fight for him and that's exactly what she was doing.

"That's enough!" exploded Sirius.

Mrs. Weasley jumped back as Hermione covered a gasp. Ron's eyes widened while Fred and George took a step back. Kingsley sighed deeply once more while Bill was clearly taken back. Remus groaned and Nymph inhaled sharply.

Arabella stopped at once, the conviction of his tone startling her for a moment. He was beyond angry. He was frustrated and pissed and full of rage. For a moment, she was sure he was going to hex someone or punch them in the face. Perhaps she went a little too far…

"Go to your rooms," he said quickly, the rage never leaving his voice. He shot a glare at the others before turning back to Arabella. "Go to bed and leave the rest to us. You have no idea what you're talking about."

Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George began retreating backwards, although a bit slow. Hermione and Ron were a step behind, waiting for Arabella to join them. Arabella, however, stayed rooted to her spot. She glared at Sirius with all her might and energy. She was not some sort of child for him to boss around.

"Just go," Remus whispered behind her. "Get some rest. I'll be up to see you soon."

Nymph gave her a little nudge and Arabella half-turned her head to look back at them. Slowly, Arabella began making her way towards the staircase, never once looking away from Sirius, whose angry was not subdued. As she began making her way upstairs with her friends, Arabella stopped and turned around. Hermione and Ron were in front of her while Ginny, Fred and George were at the top of the landing, waiting for them. Sirius, Remus, Nymph, Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Bill, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were all watching her.

Arabella glanced around the room before landing once more on Sirius. His eyes were like hers – full of steel and fury.

"If you cared about me, you would go get Harry."

Sirius clenched his jaws and said, "We will. Give it some time."

"Time? Like fifteen years for you to finally start acting like a father?"

She didn't bother looking at the others. In the end, it wasn't their reaction she was looking for. She heard the gasps and the sounds of disapproval. But all she could see was Sirius and the way his face wasn't full of rage or steal or thunder or any of those things. All she could see was the way his eyes widened slightly, his jaw went slack, his shoulders tense up and his fists no longer clenched. He was hurt… he was wounded.

Now Arabella went too far.

Arabella had now been stuck in her room for three hours. The others were in their own rooms and she didn't want to see them. They didn't make the effort to see her either. She had felt bad for what she said to Sirius earlier, but she felt as though some things needed to be said. The Order of the Phoenix was doing nothing to bring Harry here and that made her blood boil. It was Dumbledore's own organization and she thought he cared about Harry.

Ever since she slammed her door and kicked it behind her, Arabella has done nothing but stare at the ceiling. Her mind was racing and she needed to do something. It was killing her, not doing anything. The silence was killing her as well. Neither Remus nor Sirius had come to see her since the incident at the staircase. She even half-expected Nymph to pop her head in, but nothing. Through the door she could hear people coming in and out of the house through her grandmother's screams. But no one had come to see her.

Just as Arabella was about to leave her room, there was a small tap on her window. Harry's familiar snowy owl was flying in front of her window with another letter. Arabella sighed and opened the window. Hedwig dropped the letter on top of the bed and went to Shay's sleeping side, eating the food he had forgotten about.

Arabella tentatively reached out for the envelope that was addressed to her. It was Harry's handwriting.

Arabella,

Where have you been? I thought something happened to you, I was worried and scared. What's been going on? Is Dumbledore going to get me or not because if he isn't I have to figure out what I'm going to do with this whole hearing mess. Just let me know what's going on or if there's a plan.

Harry.

Arabella sighed. She shouldn't have expected Harry to be completely friendly in his letter. He was frustrated and probably angry being stuck in that house with his relatives. She shouldn't have expected a long letter about how much he missed her or how he thought of her often or anything of the sort. But that still didn't stop the small ache in her chest or the way her breath shuddered for a moment. She should have done better. She should be better than this.

She could hear footsteps from the other side of her door. Arabella turned and stood up. They were heavy footsteps and they were getting louder and louder with each passing second. Arabella quickly grabbed her wand as the door to her room burst open. It was Sirius, red faced and slumped against the doorframe. He was breathing heavily and she could practically feel the anger radiating off of him.

"You've – you've got a lot of nerve," he gritted out. Even from across the room she could smell the alcohol coming from his breath. "You – you stand there and accu – accuse me of – and you're – you're the one who can't even – can't even tell us about the grave – the graveyard –"

Arabella inhaled sharply, the picture of Cedric quickly rushing through her mind. She tried to push it away quickly.

"Go to your room, Dad," Arabella said quietly. "You're drunk."

"No," snapped Sirius, pushing himself off the doorframe. "This is the most clear my mind has ever been in years."

Arabella raised her eyebrows. Though she could smell the firewhiskey coming off of him. He didn't seem completely drunk. Perhaps a little tipsy at best. But his mind was working hard at the moment and part of her didn't want him to leave. Part of her really wanted a fight. A good fight.

"You – you can't just stand here and accuse me of things and then turn around and act like you're bloody innocent," Sirius said quickly, a hand on her dresser. "Harry's safety is of everyone's concern and we're doing the best –"

"The best we can, right?" Arabella said with a small laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure you are. But if you're doing the best you can, then how did the dementors find him? How could they have attacked him if you guys were doing the best you can? How could you let that happen, Sirius, if you were doing the best you can?"

"He is safe where he is!" yelled Sirius. "Dumbledore is doing everything he can to ensure that Harry is safe and that when we bring him here, he will be safe! These things take time –"

"Too much time!" snapped Arabella. "These things take too much time. God, if you guys went any slower you would be going backwards to the start of summer. What – what does it honestly take to get things done in the Order at this point? What, ask for a secret mission? Wait for someone to die before anything get done around here?"

If possible, Sirius became even more furious. He grinded his teeth and craned his neck. "Your mother –"

"You mean your wife," Arabella said swiftly. She crossed her arms and then said, "And don't start acting like you care about her now, because you clearly don't or you would have remembered her –"

"I do!" roared Sirius. "How could I forget her? She was my wife! I love her –"

"No, you don't," said Arabella, her mind unable to catch up with her words. Why was she saying this? "Because if you ever loved her, you would never have forgotten her. You would have talked to me about her or said something about her, but ever since the letters you never talked about her. You barely bring her up –"

"You're one to talk," snarled Sirius. "You can't even talk about what happened at the graveyard."

Arabella took a small step back. Cedric's dead body was in front of her once more and she could feel Macnair's hand on her skin and his breath on her neck. Her body tensed up and she had to quietly remember that she wasn't there. She was here, in Grimmauld Place. She was far away from those Death Eaters. She was far away from Macnair and Avery and Voldemort.

"You want to talk about what happened?" Arabella whispered softly, yet her voice cruel. She then let out a small laugh. "Fine, but you brought this on yourself. Let's see… well, you already know the gist of it. Cedric dying in front of me, Wormtail being there, Voldemort coming back and those Death Eaters coming back, but here's what you don't know – Voldemort told Macnair and Avery to grab me. He said – he said that he was going to crush Harry's heart, he was going to make Harry suffer. He told them to put me in my place…" Her voice began to crack, but this was what Sirius wanted. He wanted to know the truth. "So they dragged me and threw me against this headstone. I thought I was going to lose feeling on my back. I wished I did… because Macnair moved closer towards me. He put his hand on my arm and then my shoulders –"

"That's enough," choked Sirius. His voice broke for a second and he turned away, unable to look her in the eye.

Arabella let out another chortle. It took her a second to realize that there were tears streaming down her face. Her throat starting closing up on her, but she continued.

"No, no, no, you wanted to know, didn't you? You wanted to know and you don't – you don't get to back out now just because… just because I could feel Macnair's breathe on my neck and so close to my face and I couldn't do anything about it because my brain shut down."

Arabella let out a shudder and buried her face in her hands, realizing that this was the first time she said those words out loud. She almost didn't believe it. She never wanted to tell anyone this, but it was almost a relief that someone else in the world knew. She couldn't keep it in anymore.

"I called for you," Arabella choked out. "In the… in the graveyard, I called for you and Remus and Mum and Andy and Mad-Eye and Dumbledore and Harry… I was so scared and wanted to be as far away from that place as possible… I wanted to be with Mum that night and I can't shake that feeling anymore. I felt like… shit. Complete and utter shit because I couldn't do anything. I wasn't able to do anything and I hated myself for it. I… I still do… I just… I just watched Wormtail murder Cedric and I couldn't do anything to help Harry and I didn't do anything to stop Macnair and I hated myself so much…"

Arabella turned around and covered her face with her hand. "Stop crying," she whispered to herself. "Stop… crying… stop, just stop…. You're so pathetic…"

Someone put their hand on her shoulder and Arabella instantly turned around and slapped their hand away. She then shoved them towards the dresser. Sirius's face turned from hurt to confusion quickly as Arabella stood in front of him, red faced and furious.

"Don't you dare touch me!" she snarled. "Don't you – don't you – don't!"

Realizing that it was Sirius and he would never hurt made her feel ashamed. She turned away and wiped her face dry. She sat on the edge of the bed, the farthest away from Sirius and stared out the window. After a couple silent minutes, Sirius took a seat next to her on the bed. There was some distance between them and Arabella closed her eyes, the stinging in her eyes not going away.

"You're not pathetic," Sirius mumbled. He seemed to have sobered up really quickly. "You're the complete opposite of that. In fact, you're one of the strongest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and knowing that you're my daughter is possible one of the best feelings in the world. I knew you were destined for great things, that you were going to be the best of me and your mother… but you have somehow surpassed even that. You have a kind heart and you love so fiercely that I feel a little bit left behind whenever you talk of Remus or Harry, but… but every time I look at you, I feel so proud and so blissfully happy to know that you were the one thing in my life that I didn't mess up. You are so… resilient and so brave that I wonder if I truly I am your father."

"You are," Arabella said quietly, her voice slightly hoarse. She then gestured towards her face and said, "We have the same eye colour."

Sirius gave her a lopsided smile and said, "Yes, I suppose we do."

There was a small silence that followed his words. It was uncomfortable. It was almost understanding. They had somehow come to an understanding that Arabella couldn't explain. But she was grateful because she didn't think she could go on anymore after her confession.

"I understand that you're worried about Harry," Sirius said after a while, "but we do have to be careful with him. The Order, and especially Dumbledore, are not going to make any rash decisions about Harry or anything else. The last time that happened, we lost many people, including your aunt and Kassandra. We don't – I don't want that to happen again."

Arabella nodded, her throat too thick for her to say anything at the moment. She then moved closer to her father and laid her head on his shoulder. He carefully kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes, her body relaxing.

After Arabella's first letter, Hedwig didn't return the next morning. Harry spent the day in his bedroom, leaving it only to go to the bathroom. Three times that day Aunt Petunia shoved food into his room through the cat flap Uncle Vernon had installed three summers ago. Every time Harry heard her approaching he tried to question her about the Howler, but he might as well have interrogated the doorknob for all the answers he got. Otherwise the Dursleys kept well clear of his bedroom. Harry couldn't see the point of forcing his company on them. Another row would achieve nothing except perhaps making him so angry he'd perform more illegal magic.

So it went on for three whole days. Harry was filled with restless energy that made him unable to settle to anything, during which he paced his bedroom again, furious at the whole lot of them for leaving him to stew in this mess. What was the point of sending him one letter this whole summer if Arabella was going to ignore him again? At least the last couple times was reasonable. But this was just cruel. She didn't bother to write to him again, leaving him alone and even more confused. Other times, he was filled with a weariness so complete that he could lie on his bed for an hour at a time, staring dazedly into space, aching with dread at the thought of the Ministry hearing.

What if they ruled against him? What if he was expelled and his wand was snapped in half? What would he do, where would he go? He could not return to live with the Dursleys full-time, not now when he knows there's another world that he belongs to…. He could live with Sirius at his house, but would be able to live there alone, given that he was still underage? Could he live with Arabella and Remus? Remus might not be too keen with that idea at all… Or would the matter be decided for him with the International Statute of Secrecy deciding that Harry should be locked up in Azkaban?

Whenever this thought occurred, Harry slid off his bed and began pacing his room once again, occasionally checking to see if Arabella had written him back.

On the fourth day after Hedwig's departure, Harry was lying in one of his indifferent phases, staring at the ceiling, his exhausted mind quite blank, when his uncle entered his bedroom. Harry looked slowly around at him. Uncle Vernon was wearing his best suit and an expression of enormous smugness.

"We're going out."

"Sorry?"

"We – that is to say, your aunt, Dudley, and I – are going out."

"Fine," Harry said dully, looking back at the ceiling.

"You are not to leave your bedroom when we are away."

"Okay."

"You are not to touch the television, the stereo, or any of our possessions."

"Right."

"You are not to not steal food from the fridge."

"Okay."

"I am going to lock your door."

"You do that."

Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, clearly suspicious of this lack of argument, then stomped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Harry heard the key turn in the lock and Uncle Vernon's footsteps walking heavily down the stairs. A few minutes later he heard the slamming of car doors, the rumble of an engine, and the unmistakable sound of the car sweeping out of the drive.

Harry had no particular feeling about the Dursleys leaving. It made no difference to him whether they were in the house or not. He could not even summon the energy to get up and turn on his bedroom light. The room grew steadily darker around him as he lay listening to the night sounds through the window he kept open all the time, waiting for the blessed moment when Hedwig returned.

And then, quite distinctly, he heard a crash in the kitchen below.

He sat bolt upright, listening intently. The Dursleys couldn't be back, it was much too soon, and in any case he hadn't heard their car. There was silence for a few seconds, and then he heard voices.

Burglars, he thought, sliding off the bed onto his feet – but a split second later it occurred to him that burglar would keep their voices down, and whoever was moving around in the kitchen was certainly not troubling to do so. He snatched up his wand from his bedside table and stood facing his bedroom door, listening with all his might. Next moment he jumped as the lock gave a loud click and his door swung open.

Harry stood motionless, staring through the open door at the dark upstairs landing, straining his ears for further sounds, but none came. He hesitated for a moment and then moved swiftly and silently out of his room to the head of the stairs. His heart shot upward into his throat. There were people standing in the shadowy hall below, silhouetted against the streetlight glowing through the glass door. Eight or nine of them, all, as far as he could see, looking up at him.

"Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone's eye out."

"Professor Moody?"

Arabella couldn't write back to Harry. It was Dumbledore's order, but that didn't stop Hedwig from pestering her endlessly until she shoved the owl into Ron's room. She could her the screams and the slamming of doors as he tried to run away. She felt a little bad, especially seeing the way his hand bled, but she didn't want that either.

For the next couple days there were meetings every night. Members of the Order kept filing into Grimmauld Place and the left very late at night. Arabella, Hermione and the Weasley children were supposed to just stay upstairs and mind their own business, but that wasn't happening anytime soon. Fred and George had tried to sit in on a couple meetings, but Mrs. Weasley's face turned so red that Arabella and Hermione quickly ran out of the kitchen with Ron right behind them. It was pointless, arguing with Mrs. Weasley on the matter. But that still didn't stop Fred and George from using their Extendable Ears to listen in. After a while, Mrs. Weasley caught on and put some charms on the door. All of them sat at the top of the stairs every night, hoping to hear something – anything really. They had hoped one of the members would have slipped up and mentioned something outside of the kitchen, but they were in no luck.

During the day, they spent most of their time trying to clean up the rest of the house. Not much was done. Some of the dust or mold has been there for years and Mrs. Weasley was getting more and more frustrated when nothing seemed to be getting done. Arabella opted out of helping. She ended spending most of her time in the drawing room with the family tapestry. She studied the members of her family, slightly fascinated by them. Half of them were crazy and the other half believed in the whole pureblood mania that got them killed in the end. Some, however, were disowned for being completely normal people. Isla and Andromeda Black both married Muggles, Phineas supported Muggle rights, Marius was a Squid, Cedrella married a Weasley, and Alphard gave money to Sirius, who in turn, ran away from home.

The first time Arabella saw this, she was actually surprised to see her name there. There was a single line connecting her to Sirius's burnt mark. Walburga confused her to no end. One on hand, Walburga clearly felt something towards Arabella, something enough to add her name to the family tree, and she once did want to know Arabella. But she was displeased when Arabella didn't want to visit her anymore. Arabella didn't believe in blood supremacy or that Muggles were lowborn or anything of the sort. And yet, Walburga did not blast her off the family tree. It was slightly puzzling, the whole matter.

Filthy half-bloods! Vermin! How dare you step foot into the House of Blacks! How dare you –"

"Tonks!"

"Sorry! I'm so –"

Arabella quickly changed into her Animagus form and ran towards the portrait. She stood on the stairs and gave a low, chilling growl. Walburga stopped midsentence and stared at her. Arabella bared her teeth and snapped her jaws. The curtains closed very quickly.

Arabella turned back into her human form and glared at Nymph, who let out a small chuckle under the scrutiny of both Arabella and Mrs. Weasley.

"Ha, er, well, at least we'll always have Arabella to keep that old bat in line."

Arabella and Mrs. Weasley shared a look before Nymph entered the kitchen, her head down.

Today was the day they were finally going to get Harry. Nymph, Remus, Mad-Eye, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Emmeline Vance, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones and Sturgis Podmore were all part of the plan. Sirius told her last night, although there was a bit of bitterness in his tone. He had started telling her things here in there that she was sure Remus would not approve of. But he was waiting to tell her more once Harry got here.

Besides the prospect of learning more, Arabella was beyond excited to finally see Harry after what seemed like years. Every time someone mentioned his name, she tried her best to contain her excitement. She kept checking herself in the mirror, slightly embarrassed since she's never done anything like it before. Over the years, she's grown a couple inches, but wasn't as tall as Ron. Her hair was the same length it was last year, ending just a little past her shoulders. It was still dark brown with knots everywhere. She tried combing it that morning, but she ended up just pulling at her own scalp in the end. Her skin was still her mother's olive tone and, for some reason, she felt as though her shoulders looked awkward in the mirror.

"Checking yourself out?"

Arabella jumped a little, not noticing Nymph standing at the doorframe. She then rolled her eyes and said, "Piss off, Nymph."

Nymph's cheeky smile widened. "I'm actually looking forward to meeting young Mr. Potter. Besides the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing, I'm interested in meeting this young man who's captured your heart."

Arabella couldn't tell if Nymph was being genuine or cheeky.

"The guarded heart of Arabella Black," stated Nymph dramatically, coming behind Arabella and hugging her. They both then stared at the mirror as Nymph said, "Distant and cold, she only opened it for a scrawny boy with glasses and messy hair – who knew it was going to be this kid who was going to be the one? The boy who will one day steal you away."

Arabella tried to shove Nymph away, but Nymph's grip was tight as she gave Arabella a big smooch on her head.

"Piss off," Arabella gritted out, pushing Nymph away. "I'm not that guarded."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Nymph said idly. "Whatever you say, dear-y."

Before Arabella could say anything else, Nymph quickly made her way downstairs towards the door. Arabella leaned across the railings and yelled, "Yeah, yeah, you run away, Tonks!"

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you guys think of this chapter! Next chapter will be a reunion!