disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. I hope you all like this chapter!

Returns and Realizations

Within ten minutes, Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione were under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, making their way down the many staircases. They moved slowly and cautiously as Ron had to crouch down to make sure his feet weren't visible. They paused at intervals to check that map for signs of Filch or Mrs. Norris. They were lucky as they crept across the Entrance Hall and then out into the silent, snowy grounds. In the distance, Arabella saw a little square light with smoke coming out from Hagrid's chimney. They set off quickly underneath the cloak, their shoulders bumping into each other, until they reached the wooden front door. Harry raised his fist and knocked three times. A dog began barking frantically inside.

"Hagrid, it's us!"

"Shoulda known!" Hagrid sounded pleased. "Bin home three seconds… Out the way, Fang… Out the way, yeh dozy dog…"

The door creaked open and Hagrid's head appeared in the gap.

"Hagrid!" gasped Arabella and Hermione in horror.

Hagrid's hair seemed to have been set with blood with his left eye reduced to a mass of purple-and-black bruises. There were many bruises on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding. As he ushered them into his house, he was moving strangely, giving Arabella the impression that his ribs were broken. It looked as though he had just gotten back as his travel cloak was still out and so was his haversack.

"What happened to you?" demanded Harry as Hagrid placed a kettle over the fire.

"It's nuthin'," Hagrid said firmly. "Want a cuppa?"

"Come off it," said Ron, "you're in a right state!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine. Blimey, it's good ter see you four again – had good summers, did yeh?"

"Hagrid, you've been attacked!" said Arabella.

"Fer the las' time, it's nuthin'!"

"Would you say it was nothing if one of us turned up with a pound of mince instead of a face?" demanded Ron.

"You ought to go and see Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid," said Hermione. "Some of those cuts look nasty."

"I'm dealin' with it, all righ'?" said Hagrid. He walked towards the wooden table and moved aside a tea towel. Underneath it was a large, raw, bloody steak that smelled odd and poisonous. "It's s'posed ter help. It's dragon meat." He eyed the look of horror on Arabella and Ron's faces. "I ain't gonna eat it!"

He picked up the meat and slapped it over the left side of his face. Greenish blood trickled down his beard as he gave a moan of satisfaction.

"So are you going to tell us what happened to you?" asked Harry.

"Can', Harry. Top secret. More'n me job's worth ter tell yeh that."

"Did the giants beat you up, Hagrid?" Hermione asked quietly.

Hagrid's fingers slipped on the dragon meat, and it slid onto his chest. "Giants? Who said anythin' abou' giants? Who yeh bin talkin' to? Who's told yeh what I've – who's said I've bin – eh?"

"We guessed," said Hermione.

"Oh, yeh did, did yeh?" said Hagrid.

"It's kind of obvious, Hagrid," said Arabella as Ron and Harry nodded. "I mean, look at the state of you!"

Hagrid glared at them before snorting and shaking his head. He threw the steak onto the table and strode towards the whistling cattle. "Never known kids like you four fer knowin' more'n yeh oughta. An' I'm not complementin' yeh, neither. Nosy, some'd call it. Interferin'."

"So you have been to look for giant?" said Harry.

Hagrid set tea in front of each of them, sat down, and slapped the steak back on his face. "Yeah, all righ'. I have."

"And you found them?" Hermione said in a hush voice.

"Well, they're not that difficult ter find, ter be honest. Pretty big, see."

"Where are they?" said Ron.

"Mountains."

"Come on, Hagrid, tell us what you've been up to!" said Ron. "Tell us about being attacked by the giants and Harry can tell you about being attacked by the dementors –"

Hagrid choked in his mug and dropped his steak. Spit, tea and dragon blood sprayed all over the table as Hagrid coughed and spluttered tea while the steak slid on the floor.

"Whadda yeh mean, attacked by dementors?" growled Hagrid.

"You don't know?" asked Arabella.

"I don' know anything that's been happenin' since I left. I was on a secret mission, wasn' I, didn' wan' owls followin' me all over the place – ruddy dementors! Yeh're not serious?"

"Yeah, they turned up in Little Whinging," said Harry, "and attacked my cousin and me, and then the Ministry of Magic expelled me –"

"You were expelled?"

"Tell us about your summer and I'll tell you about mine."

Hagrid glared at him through one open eye and Harry looked right back at him with determination on his face.

"Oh, all righ'."

With a very heavy sigh, Hagrid began telling them what he had been up to after the Triwizard Tournament. As it turns out, Dumbledore told them where to go to relay his message for the giants. He wanted to create some sort of relationship with giants for the upcoming conflict with Voldemort. It took Hagrid and Madame Maxime about a month to reach them without magic and without any contact from the Order of the Phoenix as to not draw attention to themselves. If Dumbledore was going to send envoys to the giants, then Voldemort was surely to do the same. He did so during the First Wizarding War and this was no different apparently.

Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione leaned in as Hagrid began to describe the giants. They were about twenty feet tall and every time they moved, mountains moved. But their living conditions were terrible. They were forced into hiding due to wizards hunting them down for years. There were only about eighty or so of them and it looked as though they were killing each other for sport. Once it was safe for Hagrid and Madame Maxime to do so, they walked right into the giant camp and offered the Grug gifts from Dumbledore. It certainly sounded nerve-wracking. Many of the giants wanted to kill the pair, but they followed Dumbledore's advice, showed the Grug respect as they laid their gifts in front of him. The first gift went over well. It was a branch of Gubraithian fire – everlasting fire – and it impressed nearly all the giants.

"Dumbledore wanted us ter take it very slow," said Hagrid. "Let 'em see we kept out promises. We'll come back tomorrow with another present, an' then we do come back with another present – gives a good impression,see? An' gives them time ter test out the firs' present an' find out it'sa good one, and' get 'em eager fer more. In any case, giants like Karkus – overload 'em with information an' they'll kill yeh jus' to simplify things. So we bowed outta the way an' went off an' found ourselves a nice little cave ter spend that night in, an' the followin' mornin' we went back an' this time we found Karkus sittin' up waitin' fer us lookin' all eager."

"So you asked him to join Dumbledore?" asked Hermione.

It seemed as though the Grug was actually interested in listening to them. The giants had heard of Dumbledore, someone who argued against killing giants in Britain, and were interested in what he had to say. Hagrid and Madame Maxime were pleased and promised to return the next day with more gifts. They were both pleased with their progress and were hopeful. But that hope was short-lived. There was a fight between the giants that raged on the whole night and when they returned to the camp, there was a new Gurg with the old one's head lying in the bottom of a lake. Hagrid and Madame Maxime gave the new Gurg a go, but it was pointless. He was not a fan of Dumbledore but welcomed Death Eaters with open arms. Macnair brought him gifts every night. Hagrid and Madame Maxime had to think of a plan, but it was pointless in the end.

They sat in silence once Hagrid was done. Arabella couldn't believe all the things Hagrid had done over the summer. It was terrifying and dangerous and she couldn't believe he came out of it alive.

"So there aren't any giants coming?" Ron asked quietly.

"Nope," said Hagrid, sighing deeply. "But we did wha' we meant ter do, we gave 'em Dumbledore's message an' some o' them heard it an' I 'spect some o' them'll remember it. Jus' maybe, them that don' want ter stay around Golgomath'll move outta the mountains, an' there's gotta be a chance they'll remember Dumbledore's friendly to 'em… Could be they'll come…"

"But, then, how did you end up like this, Hagrid?" said Ron, gesturing at Hagrid's face. "Who attacked you?"

"I haven't bin attacked! I –"

Hagrid words were cut off by a rapid knocking on the door. Hermione gasped as the five of them stared at the window. Arabella's stomach dropped at the sight of a small and squat shadow across the curtain.

"It's her!" whispered Ron.

Harry quickly seized the Invisibility Cloak and whirled it over the four of them. They huddled together and backed themselves into a corner. Fang was barking madly at the door while Hagrid looked thoroughly muddled. Hagrid seized their mugs and shoved them under the cushion in Fang's basket and then pulled the door open. Umbridge was standing in the doorway wearing a green cloak and matching hat. She barely reached Hagrid's navel as she leaned back to get a good look at him. She was not pleased with what she was seeing and Arabella wished Fang would attack her instead of being a wimp.

"So, you're Hagrid, are you?"

Arabella scowled. She was talking to Hagrid as though he was a deaf, idiot. Umbridge strolled into the room without waiting for permission. Her eyes scanned the whole room, displeasure utterly clear on her face.

"Er – I don' want ter be rude, but who the ruddy hell are you?"

"My name is Dolores Umbridge. I was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and now I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Hogwarts Inquisitor. I heard voices."

"Er – I was talkin' ter Fang," Hagrid said heavily.

"And he was talking back to you?" Umbridge said sleekly. "There are four sets of footprints in the snow leaning from the castle doors to your cabin."

Hermione gasped and Arabella clapped a hand over her mouth. Thankfully Fang was sniffing around Umbridge's robes and appeared not to have heard.

"Well, I on'y jus' got back. Maybe someone came ter call earlier an' I missed 'em."

"There are not footsteps leading away from your cabin."

"Well… I don't know why that'd be…"

Hagrid was glancing toward the corner nervously, as though asking for help. Umbridge, meanwhile, was striding the length of the cabin, inspecting each surface. She looked underneath Hagrid's bed, inside his cupboard and nearly walked into Arabella, Hermione, Ron and Harry in the corner. Once she was done looking at the cauldron Hagrid used for cooking, she said, "What has happened to you? How did you sustain those injuries?"

"Oh… I had a bit of an accident," Hagrid said lamely.

"What sort of accident?"

"I – I tripped. Over… over a friend's broomstick. I don' fly, meself. Well, look at the size o' me, I don' reckon there's a broomstick that'd hold me. Friend o' mine breeds Abraxan horses, I dunno if you've ever seen 'em – "

"Where have you been?" Umbridge said coldly. "Term started more than two months ago. Another teacher has had to cover your classes. None of your colleagues has been able to give me any information as to your whereabouts. You left no address."

Hagrid stared at her as though he was seeing her for the first time. Perhaps he has discovered who she truly was by now. "I – I've been away for me health."

"For your health. I see."

"Yeah, bit o' – o' fresh air, yeh know –"

"Yes, as a gamekeeper fresh air must be so difficult to come by," Umbridge said plainly.

"Well – change o' scene, yeh know –"

"Mountain scenery?" Umbridge said swiftly.

"Mountains? Nope, South of France fer me. Bit o' sun an'… an' sea."

"Really? You don't have much of a tan."

"Yeah, well, sensitive skin," said Hagrid, giving her a strained smile.

Umbridge looked at him coldly. She then hoisted her handbag up her arm and said, "I shall, of course, be informing the Minister of your late return. You ought to know too that as High Inquisitor it is my unfortunate but necessary duty to inspect my fellow teacher. So I daresay we shall meet again soon enough."

"You're inspectin' us?" Hagrid repeated.

"Oh yes," Umbridge said softly as she marched toward the door. "The Ministry is determined to weed out unsatisfactory teachers, Hagrid. Good night."

She left the cabin and closed the door behind her with a snap. Hagrid stumped across the room and pulled back the curtain an inch or so.

"She's goin' back ter the castle. Blimey… inspectin' people, is she?"

"Yeah," said Harry, pulling the Cloak off. "Trelawney's on probation already…"

"Um… what sort of things are you planning to do with us in class, Hagrid?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, don' you worry abou' that, I've got a great load o' lessons planned," Hagrid said enthusiastically. "I've bin keepin' a couple o' creatures saved fer yer O.W.L. year, you wait, they're somethin' really special."

Arabella and Ron glanced at each other, both clearly worried about what Hagrid was going to have during class. They remembered Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts and Buckbeak.

"Hagrid, please," said Hermione, anxious and desperate, "Umbridge is looking for any excuse to get rid of teachers she thinks are too close to Dumbledore. Please, Hagrid, teach us something dull that's bound to come up in our O.W.L…."

Hagrid yawned widely and said, "Lis'en, it's bin a long day an' it's late. Don' you go worryin' abou' me, I promise yeh I've got really good stuff planned fer yeh lessons now I'm back… Now you let better get back up to the castle, an' don' forget ter wipe yer footprints out behind yeh!"

A short while later, they began walking back up the castle once the coast was clear.

"I dunno if you got through to him," said Ron.

"Then I'll go back again tomorrow," Hermione said determinedly. "I'll plan his lessons for him if I have to. I don't care if she throws out Trelawney but she's not taking Hagrid!"

On Sunday morning Hermione, with all the determination of the world, plowed her way back to Hagrid's cabin through two feet of snow. Arabella wanted to go with her, but her pile of homework was so high that she feared it would topple over. So, she remained in the common room with Harry and Ron while the rest of the Gryffindors were outside, enjoying themselves. The Great Lake was frozen over and some students – Arabella knew it was Fred and George, bewitched snowballs to splatter on the Gryffindor Tower window. Hermione returned back to common room just before lunch, looking defeated. Hagrid was planning a surprise lesson in the Forbidden Forest despite Hermione's many attempts to get him to follow Grubbly-Plank's lesson plan.

The next morning, Hagrid was not greeted with enthusiasm from all students. Some students like Fred, George and Lee roared with delight and shook his enormous hand. Many Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs followed in suit. Alfred Clemens got a small tap on the head that nearly brought him down to his knees while the Cleevey brothers clapped loudly for his return. Others, however, were not as pleased to see Hagrid back. They preferred Grubbly-Plank's lesson and a small part of Arabella agreed with that. Grubbly-Plank's lessons did not end up with someone severely injured.

On Tuesday morning, Arabella and the others headed down to Hagrid's with a serious amount of anxiety. She was a little worried about what he might teach them, but she was more worried about how the class was going to behave, especially Malfoy and his little gang.

Hagrid was standing on the edge of the forest and Umbridge was nowhere to be seen. His bruises now had a green and yellow ting to them and some of his cuts were still bleeding. He was carrying some sort of cut meat over his shoulders.

"We're workin' in here today!" he called happily, jerking his head towards the forest. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark…"

"What prefers the dark?" came Malfoy's voice, panic laced in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark – did you hear?"

"Nice face, you got there, Malfoy," said Arabella, smirking.

Malfoy turned to glare at her. He was sporting a black eye with a small line of dried blood on the bridge of his nose. He had been in discomfort since the Quidditch match and she was completely fine with that.

"Ready?" said Hagrid. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em –"

"And you're sire they're trained, are you?" asked Malfoy, more unsure than before. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

"'Course they're trained," said Hagrid, scowling.

"So what happened to your face, then?"

"Mind yer own business! Now if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!"

He turned and strode straight into the forest. Arabella and Hermione looked at each other and set off into the forest, determined to make this a good class for Hagrid. The rest of the class followed in suit, though none looked very happy at the thought. They walked for about ten minutes until there was no snow on the ground anymore. Hagrid dropped his dead meat on the ground and turned to face the class. Most of them were peering around nervously, as though waiting for something to creep up on them at any moment.

"Gather roun', gather roun'. Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the mean but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me…"

He turned and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees. It wasn't soft or chipper like a bird, but like a monstrous hawk. Nobody made a noise. They were all too scared to do anything. After a couple seconds, Hagrid gave another cry and everyone continued to peer around their shoulders nervously for a glimpse of whatever was coming. And then, as Hagrid was expanding his chest, Arabella let out a small gasp.

Between two trees stood a pair of blank, white, shining eyes. A moment later, a black, large, winged horses emerged from the darkness. It looked around the class for a moment, it's long tail swishing, and then began to tear apart the flesh on the ground. Arabella took a half step forward before pausing and looked around the class. Hagrid knew about them, did anyone else? Most of them were confused and nervous. They were gazing everyone but at the winged creature standing a few feet away from them. There were only three other people who seemed to realize that the horse was there. A Slytherin boy behind Goyle, Neville, and Harry.

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" Hagrid said proudly.

A second black horse appeared out of the trees. It folded its leathery wings closer to its body and dipped to munch on the meat.

"Now… put yer hands up, who can see 'em? Yeah… yeah, I knew you two be able ter," Hagrid added as Arabella and Harry raised their hands. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An' –"

"Excuse me," Malfoy snarled, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

Hagrid pointed at the meat on the ground. The whole class stared at it for a few seconds. The creatures were ripping it apart and the whole class gasped. Arabella could imagine how odd it would look if they could not see it properly.

"What's doing it?" demanded Parvati, terrified. "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals," Hagrid said proudly. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows –?"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" interrupted Parvati. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once –"

"No, no, no," said Hagrid, chuckling, "tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! 'Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate – an' here's another couple, look –"

Two more horses came quietly out of the trees, one of them passing very closely to Parvati, who shivered and pressed herself closer to the tree.

"Don' worry, it won't hurt yeh," said Hagrid patiently. "Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them an' some can't?"

One of the small ones came closer to Arabella. She smiled and held out her hand. The little horse edged closer towards her and smelled her hand cautiously. Once it realized that she meant no harm, it began rubbing its cheek against the palm of her hand. She gently stroked the side of its face and she felt a soft purr erupt from the horse. It seemed to like her touch.

"The only people who can see thestrals are people who have seen death."

Hermione's answer cut through her unexpectedly. Her smile vanished and the horse went towards the meat.

"Tha's exactly right," Hagrid said gravely. "Ten points ter Gryffindor. Now, thestrals –"

"Hem, hem."

"Oh, hello!" Hagrid said with a smile.

Umbridge had arrived. She was standing a few feet away from Harry with her clipboard ready. She was gazing around the forest, unimpressed, before addressing Hagrid, as though he was slow and foreign. "You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning? Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"

"Oh yeah," Hagrid said brightly. "Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see – or, I dunno – can you? We're doin' thestrals today –"

"I'm sorry?" Umbridge said loudly, cupping her hand around her ear and frowning. What did you say?"

Hagrid looked a little confused. "Er – thestrals! Big – er – winged horses, yeh know!"

He flapped his gigantic arms hopefully. Umbridge raised her eyebrows at him and muttered as she made a note on her clipboard, "has… to… resort… to… crude… sign… language…"

"Well… anyway…" said Hagrid, turning back to the class and looking slightly flustered. "Erm… what was I sayin'?"

"Appears… to… have… poor… short… term… memory…"

Umbridge was no longer muttering. She was making sure everyone heard her. Malfoy looked pleased. His face brightened up while Hermione turned red with rage. The class was painful to watch. Hagrid was doing his best to teach them about thestrals, but Umbridge kept interrupting him with her little notes, throwing him off. Umbridge began walking around the class, asking the students her usual questions. Hermione as though she was torn between crying and cursing Umbridge.

"You hag, you evil hag!" she whispered. "I know what you're doing, you awful, twisted, vicious –"

"Do you find," Umbridge said loudly to Parkinson, "that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he talks?"

Parkinson had tears in her eyes, but they were tears of laughter. "No… because… well… it… sounds… like grunting a lot of the time…"

Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard while Hagrid tried to act as though he did not hear her answer. He looked crestfallen as he tried to regain control of the class.

"Er… yeah… good stuff abou' thestrals. Well, once they're tamed, like this lot, yeh'lll never be lost again. 'Mazin' senses o' direction, jus' tell 'em where yeh want ter go –"

"Assuming they can understand you, of course," said Malfoy loudly.

Parkinson collapsed in a fit of renewed giggles while Umbridge smiled indulgently at them. Arabella clenched her fists tightly and took in some deep breaths. They were vile and foul and she couldn't wait to get those two alone in a dark hallway and teach them a lesson.

Umbridge then turned to Neville and said, "You can see the thestrals, Longbottom, can you?"

Neville nodded.

"Whom did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

"My… my granddad."

"And what do you think of them?"

"Erm," said Neville nervously, with a glance at Hagrid. "Well, they're… er… okay…"

"Students… are… too… intimidated… to… admit… they… are… frightened…'"

"No!" said Neville, looking upset, "no, I'm not scared of them –!"

"It' quite all right," said Umbridge, patting Neville on the shoulder with an understanding smile that looked more like a sneer.

She then turned and walked towards Arabella. Ron moved closer to her, as though trying to shield Arabella away from Umbridge, who looked bored.

"And you, Black, you can see thestrals, too?"

"Yeah," Arabella said shortly.

"Whom did you see die?" asked Umbridge, looking at her cupboard, ready to make any note.

Arabella was confused. Most, if not all, the Ministry employees should know about the murder of Kassandra Anastas. She was an Auror and a damn good one. Umbridge was some sort of Senior Undersecretary. She had been working there long enough to know the details. So why is she asking Arabella this ridiculous question?

"My mother," Arabella said coolly.

She had seen Cedric Diggory's murder last term, but Kassandra's death was the reason why those thestrals appeared to her all those years ago.

Umbridge looked up at Arabella and said, "Are you sure?"

Arabella raised her eyebrows. "Of course, I'm sure! I think I would remember seeing my mother die in front of me!"

"Let me rephrase my question," said Umbridge, her tone laced with fake sincerity. "Did you see anyone ever, let's say, get ripped apart or, perhaps, die with blood coming out of their body in a gruesome manner?"

Arabella felt her blood run cold at those words. She paused for a moment, staring at Umbridge, and then said, simply, "No."

"No?" Umbridge inquired with a small smile.

Ron grabbed Arabella's arm as she took a step closer towards Umbridge. Arabella looked the woman straight in the eye and said, in a low voice, "I saw my mother die in front of me. If you want to know every grueling, disgusting and terrible detail, I will be more than happy to tell you right now. I have never seen a person have their flesh ripped apart and I have never seen someone died a slow painful death. You're asking the wrong person, professor."

Umbridge smiled at her and said, "We'll see about that." She then turned to Hagrid and said, loudly, "Well, Hagrid, I think I've got enough to be getting along with… You will receive the results of your inspection in ten days' time."

She was acting out her words to the delight of Malfoy and Parkinson, both of them going into a fit of laughter. Hermione was shaking with fury while Arabella glared at Umbridge until she disappeared from sight.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" said Ron, staring at Umbridge's wake with an ugly scowl.

Arabella took a deep breath and said, "She wanted to know whether or not I saw someone die because of Remus. She was looking for anything to tell Fudge probably… or even Theodore Guthrie, the bastard, so that he could make it even harder for Remus to find a proper job."

The rest of the class went by quickly. Hagrid left them to their own devices, his spirts crushed by Umbridge. Once the bell rang, Arabella, Hermione, Ron and Harry were making their way back to the castle in the snow.

"That foul, lying, twisting, old gargoyle!" Hermione said roughly. "You see what she's up to? It's her thing about half-breeds all over again – she's trying to make out Hagrid's some kind of dim-witted troll, just because he had a giantess for a mother – and oh, it's not fair, that really wasn't a bad lesson at all – I mean, all right, if it had been Blast-Ended Skrewts again, but thestrals are fine – in fact, for Hagrid, they're really good! I suppose a teacher like Grubbly-Plank wouldn't usually show them to us before N.E.W.T. level, but, well, they are very interesting, aren't they? The way some people can see them and some can't! I wish I could."

"Do you?" Harry asked quietly.

Hermione looked horrified as she turned to face Harry and Arabella. "Oh – I'm sorry – no, of course I don't – that was a really stupid thing to say –"

"It's okay," Harry said quickly, "don't worry…"

"I'm surprised so many people could see them," said Ron. "Four in a class –"

"Yeah, Weasley, we were just wondering," said a spiteful voice nearby. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were walking right behind them. "D'you reckon if you saw someone snuff it you'd be able to see the Quaffle better?"

He, Crabbe and Goyle roared with laughter as they pushed past on their way to the castle and broke into a chorus of 'Weasley Is Our King.' Ron's ears turned scarlet.

"Ignore them, just ignore them," crooned Hermione, pulling out her wand and performing the charm to produce hot air again, so that she could melt them an easier path through the untouched snow between them and the greenhouses.

"Hermione," Arabella asked carefully as they were getting close to the greenhouse, "how did you know about the thestrals?"

Hermione turned red with embarrassment and avoided Arabella's eye.

"Hermione?"

"Oh… well, remember our third yeah? You asked us if we" – she pointed at herself, Ron and Harry – "could see the horse pulling the carriage. Well, I asked Professor McGonagall what they were called and then I searched them up in the library. Once I found out, I… oh, I didn't have the heart to tell you."

"The heart to tell me?" repeated Arabella.

"Well," said Hermione, looking at Harry and Ron desperately for some help, but they were both of no help at all. "It was when Snuffles broke out of Azkaban and… I just didn't want to worry you or make you out to be some sort of freak just because you – you know –"

"Saw my mother died, I know," Arabella said quickly as they reached the greenhouse and Professor Sprout let them in early due to the snow.

December came with more snow and extra loads of homework for the fifth years. Ron and Hermione's prefect duties increased as Christmas approached while Arabella's mind kept swaying towards the break. She wasn't going to be spending it at Hogwarts and was looking forward to leaving the castle for a while. She had developed some sort of resentment towards the place since the arrival of Umbridge, whose detention was terrible, who took away Quidditch from her, and who was trying to sack Hagrid at any given opportunity. The only thing that kept her spirits high was D.A. meetings and the thought of spending Christmas with Remus, Sirius, Harry and hopefully the Tonks. She told Harry that he could just come over to Grimmauld Place right after they got off the train if he wanted too. His mood increased at the thought of spending Christmas with Sirius, Remus and her. Ron was going home to the Burrow, while Hermione was going skiing with her parents, a thought that amused Arabella and Ron.

The last D.A. meeting before the holiday saw Arabella arrive early in the Room of Requirements with Harry by her side. She almost resented him from taking her away from a warm and cozy fire in the Gryffindor common room, but her mood was immediately lifted. When the arrived inside the room and the lamps burst into light, it looked as though Dobby had taken it upon himself to decorate the room for the holidays. It was very clear that it was Dobby's idea as nobody else would think of decorating a hundred golden glass globes with Harry's face and the words, HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS! on them.

Arabella burst out laughing at the sight while Harry began taking them down immediately. He threw a nasty glare at her as she began leaning on the wall, tears in her eyes.

"Oh… I… am… so… keeping… one…" gasped Arabella.

In a couple minutes, once she had regained her breath and composure, she helped him take down the rest of the decorations. They managed to get the last of them down before the door creaked open. Luna Lovegood poked her head in before walking in, looking dreamy as always.

"Hello," she said vaguely. "These are nice, did you put them up?"

"Yes," said Arabella.

"No," Harry said quickly. "It was Dobby the house-elf."

"Mistletoe," said Luna, pointing at a large clump of white berries over Arabella and Harry. "It's often infested with nargles," she said seriously.

Arabella was about to ask what nargles were, but was stopped by the arrival of Angelina, Katie and Alicia. All three of them were breathless and shaking.

"Well," Angelina said dully, "we're replaced the both of you."

"Replaced us?" Harry said blankly.

"Yes," Angelina said impatiently. "Alicia will be rejoining the team and Ginny will be the new Seeker! She's pretty good, actually. Nothing on you, of course, but as we can't have you…"

Arabella pursed her lips. Did she imagine that Arabella and Harry wanted to be banned from Quidditch?

"And what about the Beaters?" asked Harry.

"Andrew Kirke," Alicia said without any enthusiasm, "and Jack Sloper. Neither of them are brilliant, but compared with the rest of the idiots who turned up…"

Thankfully, Ron, Hermione and Neville arrived and the discussion was brought to an end. Arabella tried to smile as many other members arrived in the Room of Requirements, but a frown appeared on her face instead. It should have been her. She should still be on the team with Harry and Fred and George. The thought infuriated her, Umbridge taking her broom away and banning them with a smile. Her foul mood didn't burn out even as Harry called the meeting to order.

"I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break –"

"We're not doing anything new?" asked Smith in a disgruntled whisper. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come…"

"How about you just shut up already?" Arabella said loudly. "Tired of hearing your insufferable voice."

Several people sniggered at her comment. Neville, who was standing beside her, covered his mouth with his cheeks red. He was trying his best not to laugh out loud.

"We can practice in pairs," said Harry, smiling. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

They all divided up with Harry and Arabella watched the others to make sure they had mastered the spell. Alfred stunned Luna three times in a row while Ginny bested both Michael Corner and Terry Boot. Neville improved beyond all recognition, his spells never once faltering. After ten minutes, they laid out cushions all over the floor and started practicing Stunning again. Due to the space, half of them practiced while the other half observed. Though Neville was supposed to Stun Dean rather than Parvati, he still did a good job and everyone made great progressive since their first meeting. Ernie Macmillan made better wand movements, Katie was more confident, both Creevey brothers were less erratic and more focused, and Angelina's aim got better.

At the end of the hour, Harry called a halt and said, beaming, "You're getting really good. When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff – maybe even Patronuses."

There was a murmur of excitement. Even Smith didn't have anything back to say about this. The room began to clear in twos and threes with Arabella checking the map as they left. She wished them all a good holiday as they left. Once everyone was gone, she and Harry stacked the cushions away and cleaned up the room a bit.

"Fantastic lesson, Harry," Arabella said happily once they were done. "We've coming around very nicely – did you see the way Dennis Stunned Smith?"

Harry gave her a smile and looked up. Arabella glanced at the ceiling as well.

"Mistletoe," Harry said quietly.

"I suppose," said Arabella, shrugging. "But, Harry… I don't want to get infested with nargles."

Harry rolled his eyes and brought her in for a quick kiss. Arabella smiled, feeling her insides warm up at the touch. The last couple of weeks had been hard on them with their Quidditch ban and the possibility of Hagrid getting sacked. But this kiss, this kiss that warmed her body and made her feel light, was exactly what she needed. She lightly placed her hand on his cheek while he wrapped his arms around her, bring her closer to him. The need for air proved too great for them to ignore and they broke apart at the same time. Arabella's eyes were still closed as she tried to regain her breath. When she opened her eyes, she saw Harry staring at her so intently that she began to pull away, unsure of the feeling building up in her chest.

Harry looked confused and was just about to ask her something when someone knocked on the door. Arabella sighed and looked over her shoulder. Cho Chang poked her head through the door, looking surprised as she saw them standing close to each other.

"Oh, I'm – I'm so sorry," she said hastily. "I didn't think – I'm sorry, I just – I just wanted to talk to Harry – I'm –"

"It's okay," said Arabella. "It's getting late. I should go back to the common room."

"Arabella –" began Harry.

"It's fine," Arabella said quickly. She headed over to the pile of decorations and quickly grabbed once.

"I'm so –" started Cho.

"Sorry, I know," said Arabella, giving her a smile. "It's fine. I'll see you in the common room," she told Harry. "Have a Harry Christmas," she added to Cho as she held up the ornament and walked out the door.

Arabella began making her way back to Gryffindor Tower, her heart beating wilding in her chest. Her body felt strange. Her heart racing, but her mind in a daze. She followed the usual routine back to the common room while her mind was back in the Room of Requirement, thinking about that kiss and the way Harry looked at her. The more she thought about that kiss, the more she felt as though as though her heart was going to burst out of her chest. The sensation was strong and the kiss stronger. But the thing that got her was Harry's gaze. She couldn't quite pinpoint the look on his face, but it scared her nonetheless.

She could not deny the feelings she had for him. But everyday, those feelings became stronger and stronger to the point where she didn't even understand what it was. She liked him, but did she… The word she thought felt foreign but right in her mind and she couldn't say it. If she did have those feelings, what would happen to them? Nearly everyone she loved was in danger. Kassandra gone years ago, Sirius on the run, Remus constantly living in the shadows due to his condition, Nymph putting her career on the line and the left of her family in dust… She didn't want the same thing to happen to Harry, but she couldn't deny the feeling in her heart, the feeling she refused to give a name to. God, I'm in trouble.

"Ballerina Orchid," breathed Arabella.

Hermione and Ron were in the best seats by the fire. Nearly everybody else had gone to bed. Hermione was writing a very long letter while Ron was lying on the rug, trying to finish his Transfiguration homework.

"Are you all right?" asked Ron, looking up, confused. "You look a little funny."

"Thanks, Ron," said Arabella. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be back."

She hurried up the girls' dormitory and safely packed the ornament away in her truck. She then went to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. Ron was right, she was looking a little pale when she inspected herself in the mirror. She readjusted herself and headed back to the common room.

"Where's Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Talking to Cho Chang," Arabella said quietly.

Hermione looked up from her letter and didn't say anything. She looked at Arabella for a short minute and continued on with her letter as Arabella gazed into the fireplace.

Harry returned to the common room twenty minutes later and sat beside Arabella.

"What kept you?" asked Ron.

Harry didn't answer. He looked as though he was in a state of shock.

"Are you all right, Harry?" said Hermione, peering at him.

Harry gave a half-shrug.

"What did Cho want?" inquired Arabella.

"She –" began Harry. He cleared his throat and said, "She wanted to talk about Cedric and she just – er – cried."

"Yes, well, she does that a lot these days," Hermione said vaguely. "She does it at mealtimes, in the loos, all over the place."

"Yes, but what kind of a person pulls someone aside to talk but cries instead," said Ron.

"Ron," said Hermione in a dignified voice, "you are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

"Well, she didn't just cry," said Harry, trying to defend Cho. "She did talk about Cedric for a while before, um, yeah…"

Hermione looked at the pair of them with an almost pitying expression on her face that made Arabella smile.

"Don't you understand how Cho's feeling at the moment?" Hermione asked.

"No," said Harry and Ron together.

"Fantastic," Arabella said dully as Hermione sighed.

"Well," Hermione began, "obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she likes Roger Davies –"

"She does?" asked Arabella, shocked. Hermione closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"Yes, according to Lavender and Parvati who also heard that he likes her too," said Hermione, annoyed at Arabella for interrupting her. "So, she's confused now because of that and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she's probably feeling guilty because she's thinking that it would be an insult to Cedric's memory if anything happens between the two of them and she'll be worrying about what people say of something does. And she probably was feeling all mixed up and painful since she didn't get to see Cedric before he died, unlike Harry, and that's why she went and talked to him. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly."

A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode."

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," said Hermione nastily, getting back to her letter.

"She was the one who started it," said Harry. "She interrupted us –"

"Interrupted us?" asked Ron.

Arabella turned scarlet at the question.

"Yes – well – er –"

"They were snogging, Ron," Hermione said as a matter-of-fact.

"Right," said Ron, nodding. "Forgot," he offered lamely.

"And I sort of patted her on the back a bit," said Harry, ignoring the interruption.

Arabella groaned while Hermione was resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well," said Hermione, "I suppose it could have been worse."

"You still could have done better," added Arabella.

Harry didn't say anything, clearly lost in his thoughts. Ron was now looking over the roll of parchment Hermione was writing on.

"Who're you writing the novel to anyway?" he asked.

"Viktor."

"Krum?"

"How many other Viktors do we know?"

Ron looked extremely disgruntled and Arabella just wished he would say something to Hermione for once. The irony did not pass her. Here she sat, wanting Ron and Hermione to finally admit their feelings when she couldn't do the same to Harry. None of them said for a while until Hermione was done with her letter and headed up to the girls' dormitory.

"What does she see in Krum?" Ron demanded immediately once Hermione was gone. "Arabella, you're a girl, what's so great about Krum?"

"Thanks for noticing, Ron," muttered Arabella, rolling her eyes. "Let's see… he's a famous Quidditch player, he's a bit older, got an accent, not too bad on the eyes, tall with broad shoulders –"

"I think that's enough for now," Harry said icily.

"Apart from that," said Ron, sounding aggravated. "I mean he's a grouchy git, isn't he?"

"You know you don't know him that well, right?" asked Arabella.

Ron shot her a glare before packing up his things and heading towards the boys' dormitory. She heard the door slam in his wake and almost regretted her words.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked softly. "You seem a little off."

Arabella sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah… guess I'm just a little tired."

"Why don't you head up to bed, then?"

"And lose time with you?" said Arabella, giving Harry a tired smile. "Never."

Within a couple minutes, Arabella and Harry were somehow closer. Her legs were over his lap and she rested her head on her shoulders. They were still sitting by the fire and the warmth made her very drowsy. She felt a soft kiss on her forehead and she moved closer towards him, wrapping her arms around his and pulling him closer. Within seconds her eyes closed and she was fast asleep, dreaming of another world, another time passed.

She was in Remus's house, their house, and the Tonks were there. Ted was checking over the oven, the better cook of the family, while Andy was commenting on Nymph's strange hair. Remus and Sirius were in the living room, watching something on the telly, while the radio blared some distant song. She could hear Remus and Sirius arguing over something fruitless while Arabella and Harry were dancing. He spun her around, laughing, while Nymph tore them apart, wanting to dance with her instead. Arabella was laughing, laughing so much that her cheeks began to hurt. She only stopped once she saw that someone was coming down the stairs.

A little boy came tear down the staircase, acting as though his feet were on fire, while a woman carried another boy in her arms. Arabella picked up the running boy and pinched his cheeks, while the one in Kassandra's arms were soon transferred to Sirius's. She didn't know them, but there was an ache in her chest at the sight.

"Isaak… Regulus…" whispered a distant voice, as though it were miles away.

The dream ended abruptly. Arabella opened her eyes, shocked to find herself on the floor. She quickly sat up and saw Harry thrashing around on the crouch. He was twisting and turning madly with sweat covering his face.

"Harry! HARRY!" yelled Arabella, trying to get a hold of him. "HARRY!"

He opened his eyes and he stared at Arabella fearfully. He was breathing loudly, his body contorted bizarrely on the couch. Harry shoved Arabella away before vomiting over the edge of the couch.

"Harry, what happened?" asked Arabella, alarmed. "What's wrong? You were –"

"Mr. Weasley," panted Harry, his hands shaking. "I've got… tell Ron…"

"What?"

Harry got up, his knees shaking, and began walking towards the boys' dormitory.

"Harry, you're not making any sense! You were dream, you can't go and wake up – Harry!"

Completely ignoring her, Harry rushed up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. He was as pale as a ghost and she was worried that he was going to somehow hurt himself. Arabella quickly followed him up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Whatever tiredness she felt earlier was now completely gone. She entered the boys' fifth year dormitory see Harry shaking Ron awake while Neville, Dean and Seamus were stirring.

"Ron!" gasped Harry. "Ron, wake up!"

"What's going –?"

"Your dad," Harry rushed on, his chest heaving. He was holding Ron's shoulders firmly. "Your dad's… been attacked…"

"What?" said Ron, confused. He was now awake and looking alarmed at his friend.

"Your dad! He's been bitten, it's serious, there was blood everywhere…"

"Neville, can you please go and get Professor McGonagall," Arabella said quickly. She needed a member of the Order of the Phoenix here for this. "Now, Neville, please!"

Neville looked scared but nodded all the same. He jumped out of bed and ran out of the dormitory. Dean and Seamus were awake as well, but they were less helpful. They kept muttering to each other.

"Harry, mate," Ron said uncertainly "Were… were you having a dream?"

"No!" Harry said furiously. "It wasn't a dream… not an ordinary dream… I was there, I saw it… I did it…"

Harry was breathing so heavily that he doubled over and vomited again on the floor.

"Harry, you're not well," said Ron, getting out of bed as he and Arabella pulled Harry up. "Neville's gone to get help…"

"I'm fine!" Harry choked, pushing them away and wiping his mouth. He was shaking uncontrollably. "There's nothing wrong with me, it's your dad you're got to worry about – we need to find out where he is – he's bleeding like mad – I was – it was a huge snake…"

Arabella and Ron exchanged alarming looks while Dean and Seamus were still whispering to each other. Arabella did not know how much time had passes until she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She turned around to see Neville and Professor McGonagall hurrying through the door. McGonagall was wearing a plaid nightgown with her glasses lopsided on her nose.

"What is it, Potter? Where does it hurt?"

"It's Ron's dead," said Harry. "He's been attacked by a snake and it's serous, I saw it happen."

"What do you mean, you saw it happen?"

"I don't know… I was asleep and then I was there…"

"You mean you dreamed this?" said McGonagall.

"No!" Harry said angrily. "I was having a dream at first about something completely different, something very… and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didn't imagine it, Mr. Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someone's got to find out where he is…"

McGonagall was gazing at him through her lopsided spectacles as though horrified at what she was seeing.

"I'm not lying, and I'm not mad!" Harry told her, his voice rising to a shout. "I tell you, I saw it happen!"

"I believe you, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly. "We're going to see the headmaster. Weasley, Black, you ought to come too."

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all liked this chapter, let me know what you think of the story so far. Until next time, my friends!