disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story. I'm a little bit nervous about uploading this chapter. I hope you all like it!

Witch Weekly

"I don't… I don't understand," Arabella mumbles as Ted picks her up in a great, big bear hug.

When Ted places her back on her feet, he turns to Harry and says, "I'm Ted, by the way. I didn't really get a chance to properly introduce myself last time we met. I'm Dora's dad."

"I know who you are, Mr. Tonks," said Harry, shaking Ted's hand. "But –"

"What are doing here?" interrupted Arabella.

Ted's eyes shine for a moment as he grins at her. "What? Don't want to see your favourite uncle?"

Arabella rolls her eyes. "Oh, come on, Ted, you know what I mean. What are you doing hanging out with – her –"

She looks over at Rita Skeeter, a frown on her face. Hermione, Luna and Ted turned to look at her as well, and when Skeeter realizes who Arabella's talking about, she looked offended.

"I beg your pardon –"

"Then beg," snapped Arabella.

Rita Skeeter was absolutely furious and clutched her drink tightly before Hermione said, "Why don't we all just settle down for a moment and I'll explain everything? Sounds good, Rita?"

Arabella and Harry look at each other for a moment. They did promise Hermione that they would meet up with her at the Three Broomsticks, but they did not expect to see Ted and they certainly did not expect to see Rita Skeeter of all people. Why was Hermione in contact with that horrible woman?

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting you two to be here so early," Hermione told Arabella and Harry. "We only just got here a while ago and I didn't expect to see you guys for hours."

"We wanted to get out of the rain," said Harry, taking off his coat.

Rita stared at them, her face twisting into a malicious smile. "So… the two of you, eh?"

"It is none of your business," Hermione said at once, a coolness to her tone. "And don't you dare reach for your handbag. What Arabella and Harry do on their own time is none of your concern."

"Then why is she here?" asked Arabella, jerking her head at Rita.

"Hermione was just about to tell us before you arrived," said Ted, nursing his butterbeer. "Why don't you continue, Hermione?"

Just as Hermione was about to open her mouth, Rita took a great gulp of her drink and said, out of the corner of her mouth, "He treat you all right, Black?"

Hermione was positively livid. "One more word about their love life and the deal's off and that's a promise!"

"What deal?" said Rita. "You haven't mentioned a deal yet, Little Miss Perfect. You just told me to turn up. Oh, one of these days…"

"You'll write another horrible article and put someone else to shame?" offered Arabella, scoffing. "Please, no one here's scared of you, Rita."

Rita's eyes glanced over at Harry over the top of her glass. "They've run plenty of horrible articles this year without my help. Plenty aimed at Harry. How does that make you feel, Harry? Betrayed? Distraught? Misunderstood?"

Ted shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable at the mention of 'horrible articles.'

"He feels angry, of course," Hermione said clearly. "Because he's told the Minister of Magic the truth and the Minister's too much of an idiot to believe him?"

"So you actually stick to it, do you, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?" said Rita, lowering her drink. "You stand by all this garbage Dumbledore's been telling everybody about You-Know-Who returning and you being the sole witness –"

"I wasn't the sole witness," snarled Harry. "Arabella was there and so were about a dozen-odd Death Eaters. Want their names?"

"I'd love them," breathed Rita, now fumbling in her bag once more and gazing at Harry as though he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. "A great bold headline: 'Speaking Out At Last…' A subheading: Harry Potter and Arabella Black Names Death Eaters Still Among Us.' And then, beneath a nice big photograph of the two of you: 'Disturbed teenage survivors of You-Know-Who's attack, Harry Potter and Arabella Black, 15, caused outrage yesterday by accusing respectable and prominent members of the Wizarding community of being Death Eaters…'" The quill was actually in her hands and halfway to her mouth when the rapturous expression died out of her face. "But of course, Miss Prissy wouldn't want that story out there, would she?"

She was glaring daggers at Hermione, lowering her quill.

"As a matter of fact," said Hermione sweetly, "that's exactly what Miss Prissy wants."

Arabella stared at her. So did Harry and Rita. Ted was smiling at Hermione while Luna sang, 'Weasley Is Our King' under her breath.

"You want me to report what they say about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Rita asked.

"Well, only Harry, actually," said Hermione. "And yes, I do. The true story. All the facts. Exactly as Harry reports them. He'll give you all the details, he'll tell you the names of the undiscovered Death Eaters he saw there, he'll tell you what Voldemort looks like now – oh, get a grip on yourself –"

Rita jumped at the sound of Voldemort's name and spilled some of her drink on herself. She quickly wiped the front of her raincoat and said, boldly, "The Prophet wouldn't print it. In case you haven't noticed, nobody believes their cock-and-bull story. Everyone thinks he's delusional and her last name's not helping any. Now, if you let me write the story from that angle –"

"I know the Prophet won't write that story," Hermione said coldly. "If it were possible, I would have just brought Mr. Tonks along and not you. He's at least a credible journalist and not some –"

"Credible journalist? Ha!" laughed Rita, leaning against her chair. "You're joking, right?" She then turned to Ted and said, "Covering the traveling section makes you a credible journalist, Ted? Pur-lease."

Arabella reached for her wand, ready to hex that woman, but Ted, with all the grace in the world, merely laughed at Rita Skeeter.

"Oh, come on, Rita, everyone at the Prophet knows you were eyeing that position the moment Robin Passwater retired. You're still jealous that I got it over you and you were stuck with the gossip column."

Rita bristled at his words. "Jealous? Jealous? How on earth could you possibly think – I reported on Death Eaters trials before the Council of Magical Law! I've written numerous books and Kennilworthy Whisp himself asked me to review his book! Why on earth would I be jealous of you, Tonks?"

Ted gave her another smile and said, "I got paid vacations, Rita, and I can go to bed every night knowing I did some good. Can you?"

Rita glared at him before turning back to Hermione. "There's no market for their story," she jabbed her thumb over at Harry and Arabella.

"Because Fudge won't let the Daily Prophet run them?" said Hermione. "We know he's been leaning on the Prophet –"

Rita shot Ted another glare and said, "Nobody's going to print a story that shows Harry Potter and Arabella Black in a good light. Doesn't matter who I'm going to interview, nobody wants to read it. It's against the public mood and after the Azkaban breakout, people don't want a remind of who it could possible be. They don't want to believe that You-Know-Who's back."

"You can't just keep feeding into the lies, Rita," said Ted, exhausted and rubbing his forehead. "We have to eventually tell the truth."

Rita finished off her drink and rolled her eyes. "Easy coming from the man who quit his job. The Prophet exists to sell itself, Tonks. You of all people should know better."

"I do," Ted said simply. "That's why my supervisor has approved me writing an article of my own. An article that tells the truth. People want answers, Rita, and it's our job to tell them."

"And, pray tell, who wants exactly wants to hear the truth, Tonks?"

Ted hesitated for a moment and mumbled something under his breath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," said Rita, leaning over the table towards him. "I'm afraid you're going to have to speak up, Teddy boy."

"Witch Weekly," Ted gritted out.

"Ahh," sighed Rita, leaning against her chair, as though she won some sort of battle.

"Witch Weekly?" repeated Arabella, looking over at Ted. "Since when did you get a new job? And why didn't you tell me?"

Ted shrugged and said, "A couple months ago. Didn't mention it because… well, it wasn't worth mentioning. It's part-time and I'm also doing some freelancing between them and The Quibbler."

Rita snorted so loudly that people at nearby tables began looking around.

"I could manure my garden with the contents of that rag," she said witheringly. "That's the truth, Ted, and I'll give that to you for free."

"Well, this is your chance to raise the tone of it a bit, isn't it?" said Hermione. "Luna's father runs The Quibbler and he's quite happy to take Harry's interview. That's who'll be publishing your article."

Rita stared at Hermione and then began laughing. "The Quibbler! You're joking! You think people are going to take him seriously if he's published in The Quibbler!"

"Some won't," said Hermione in an even voice. "But the Daily Prophet's version of the Azkaban breakout has some gaping holes in it. I think a lot of people will be wondering whether there isn't a better explanation of what happened, and if there's an alternative story available, even if it is published in a – well, an unusual magazine – I think they might be rather keen to read it."

Rita didn't say anything for a while, but eyed Hermione shrewdly, her head a little to the side.

"All right, let's say for a moment I'll do it," she said abruptly. "What kind of fee am I going to get?"

"I don't think Daddy exactly pays people to write for the magazine," Luna Lovegood said dreamily. "They do it because it's an honour, and, of course, to see their names in print."

Rita looked as though she had swallowed something foul as she rounded on Hermione. "You expect me to do this for free?"

"Well, yes," said Hermione calmly. "Otherwise, as you very well know, I will inform the authorities that you are an unregistered Animagus. Of course, the Prophet might give you a rather a lot for an insider's account of life in Azkaban…"

Rita then turned to Ted and said, "And how much is Witch Weekly going to give you for printing my article, Tonks?"

Ted raised his eyebrows. "And who said you were going to write for them? I'm writing the article, Rita. Me."

"Oh, I'm not working with you," said Rita, sounding disgusted. "I remember collaborating on that Schneider article with you and you were a complete nightmare. You can have Harry after I'm done with him."

Hermione groaned and said, "He's not going to be writing the same article as you, Rita. He'll be writing a different one for Witch Weekly. You'll still get Harry all to yourself, don't worry about that."

Rita's eyebrows scrunched together. "What are you talking about, little girl?"

Hermione did not look pleased at being called 'little girl.' But nevertheless, maintained her composure and explained, as slowly as she could, "While you will be writing an article for The Quibbler, Mr. Tonks will be writing an article for Witch Weekly. You will be interviewing Harry and Mr. Tonks will be interviewing Arabella. Does that make enough sense for you, Rita?"

"So it's the same article, just told from her point of view?" Rita said bluntly. "Why not just make it the same thing? They're an item. People would love to read about Harry's heroic attempt in rescuing Black or how she prayed for him to save her from the Death Eaters or –"

"People will be hearing the truth, Rita, the truth," stressed Hermione, rolling her eyes. "And the article in Witch Weekly won't just cover that night –"

"It won't?" asked Arabella, looking up from the table. "And… what exactly will that article cover, Hermione?"

Hermione shifted in her seat and Rita Skeeter smiled widely at her discomfort.

"Oh, you haven't told her, have you?" Rita said in a hushed voice.

"Shut up," hissed Hermione. She then turned to Arabella and said, "Well, um, Arabella, I've been thinking about this for sometime now… Ever since the summer holidays actually and I think – now, hear me out – I think it's time you told everyone the truth."

Arabella raised her eyebrows. She stared at her best friend for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, have I been lying about something I didn't know about? What on earth are you talking about, Hermione?"

Hermione looked over at Ted and took in a deep breath.

"Remember the Witch Weekly article published last year? The one about you and –"

"How I was painted as a violent harlot," seethed Arabella, shooting a glare at Rita Skeeter. "Yeah… I remember."

"And then there was the article over the summer –"

"Where's this going, Hermione?"

"Well, I was thinking – again, here me out – that you, um, might be willing to give an exclusive interview to Witch Weekly explaining your side of… everything really."

Arabella looked over at Ted for a second before returning back to Hermione. "And what exactly does everything mean?"

Hermione continued to look uncomfortable and Ted finally took pity on her.

"She means everything, Arabella," he said softly. "From the night those Death Eaters broke into your house to living with Remus to coming to Hogwarts to the night You-Know-Who returned. It's everything that's ever happened in your life."

Arabella closed her eyes and let out a weak chuckle.

"You – you want me to talk about everything and why – why – why did you think this was a good idea?"

She let out another chuckle and took a couple deep breaths in.

"Well – er – quite honestly," began Hermione, trying to find the right words, "you are famous in the wizarding community and some people will find strength in your story and see you as this sort of figure that could –"

Rita let out a loud groan and rolled her eyes. "You've got to do better than that, Little Miss Perfect. I'll tell you the truth, Black."

She turned towards Arabella and leaned in. Arabella looked unimpressed at Rita and truly took in her appearance. Unemployment did not suit her. Her hair was unkempt and her red nails were chipped. Her teeth were slightly yellow and some of the jewels in her glasses were missing.

"They will never believe him – "She jerked her head at Harry "– if he continues to associate with you. Now, I know you two are in love and are practically blind when it comes to real life issues, so I'll be as quick and blunt as I can be. You want everyone to believe all the stories he and Dumbledore have been sprouting? Then you need to tell the truth to everyone, and by the truth, I mean absolutely everything you can remember. Tell them about how Bellatrix broke into your house and how she made you witness your own mother's death. Tell them about living with that werewolf of yours and how he was the only thing keeping you from going insane and how he is your father and how much he protects you. Tell the whole world that you fell in love with a boy on the train to Hogwarts and how when You-Know-Who came back, you were scared but you stood up and fought because at least fighting was better than doing nothing and I can bet all the money left in my safe that werewolf of yours thought you how to fight before you even picked up a wand."

She then leaned back against her chair and smirked. "So… how close was I?"

Arabella gapped at Rita Skeeter and she was… actually impressed.

"Startlingly close," she whispered.

Rita's smirk grew as she turned towards Ted and said, triumphantly, "That's credible journalism."

Harry stared at Rita, as though seeing her for the first time, while Hermione's eyes widened slightly. Ted shook his head, a small smile on his face, while Arabella pondered her words for a moment.

"How – how did you do that?" asked Hermione, looking slightly disgusted and shocked.

"Oh, for Merlin's – I was the reporter on Death Eater trials during the First Wizarding War. What did you think I was doing in there? Doodling? I analyzed everything they said during their trials and reported it the very next day. Black over here is no more harder to analyze than any of those Death Eaters."

"Hey, wait a moment –" began Harry, slightly irritated now.

"Oh, that's not what I meant," said Rita, brushing it off. "I just mean I know what I'm talking about and I know what people what to hear or read. They want to read that your girlfriend is sane and that she's nothing like the rest of her family. They need to hear that The Boy Who Lived gave his heart to someone worthy, not another Bellatrix."

"That's – that's besides the point – what the hell do you mean by worthy?"

Harry looked annoyed and confused. His hands were now clenched in a fist and he rubbed his eye roughly.

"It's not a knock on either of you," Rita said innocently. She then added, rather hastily, "Though she did destroy my notes during the tournament…"

"Oh, don't act as though you didn't deserve that," snapped Hermione.

"Listen here, Missy –"

Arabella stared at Rita for a couple moments, letting her words sink in as she continued to argue with Hermione and Harry. Harry will never be credible with someone like Arabella next to him. Her name will always be tainted by Bellatrix and other members of her family who proved that they had more hate in their heart than love. Doing an interview with Ted would be much better than doing an interview with Rita Skeeter. Everything will be in her words. It would be the complete truth with no embellishments or rhymes. But would that guarantee that people will believe in Harry?

" – at least I know what sells, sweetheart," sneered Rita. "I know what the people want to hear –"

"If I do this," interrupted Arabella as Hermione's face turned red, "will I actually become credible or do you just want me to be likable?"

Rita raised her eyebrows. "Likable? Do you honestly think you'll become likable in our community?"

Arabella's cheeks turned red at the thought.

"I want you to become human, Black," Rita said quickly, slapping her hand on the table. "Human, ever heard of the word? Show the people what the last descendent of House Black is doing with her life and that you're not like the rest of your family. Show everyone what Harry sees in you, child, and I promise you they'll fawn all over hero boy over here before you know it."

"I don't want people to fawn over me," snapped Harry. "It's the last thing I want."

Rita smiled at him for a brief moment before turning back to Arabella.

"You're the only thing holding him back, girly. The only other person that was there that night that can back up his story is you. You want people to believe in him, right? I thought you would do anything for him?"

Arabella gazed at Rita Skeeter for a moment, the corners of her mouth twitching. Rita Skeeter was truly something else.

"All right, then," she said slowly. "I'll do it."

"Excellent," said Rita.

"No," Harry said quickly. He then leaned in closely towards Arabella and said, "You don't have to do this. You don't own me anything. You don't owe anyone the truth. It's yours, not anybody else's."

"I know, Harry… But I want to. I'll be fine." Arabella gave him a small smile and then turned to Ted, "want to grab another table, Ted?"

"Hold on a second," Rita injected swiftly. "How much will I get?"

"You are doing this article for free, for god's sake!" said Hermione.

"I got the girl to do the article," said Rita, matching Hermione's tone. "Without me, Tonks would not have an article to write." She turned back to Ted and said, "I want a cut."

Ted seemed more amused at this than insulted or taken back. He looked at his notepad and considered her words for a moment. He then nodded and said, "I'll send you two percent later, Rita."

"Two percent?" said Rita, insulted. "You're joking! If it wasn't for me –"

"Arabella would not have gotten hate mail last year for something she did not do," Ted said calmly, no longer amused. "So consider two percent a generous gift for the friendship we once had or you will continue to see your Gringotts account drain of its life. How does that sound, Rita?"

Rita's lips became very thin. She then sneered, "Two is perfect."

"Good," said Ted happily. He turned towards Arabella and said, "Let's grab another table then. Leave these guys to it."

"Fire away, Rita," Hermione said serenely as Arabella and Ted walked away.

They found an empty table on the other side of the pub. Ted got them some butterbeer before they settled down. They didn't get into the interview right away. Arabella probed him for some answers – when did you get your new job, why didn't you tell me, how's Andy, how's her business, what have you been writing lately…

"The new job is… interesting to say the least," said Ted, chuckling. "The people are nice, but work is a little slow being part-time and all. That's why I starting doing some work on the side for The Quibbler. It keeps me busy and Xenophilius lets me do whatever I want. Dromeda's good. She keeps herself busy while worrying about you and Dora and everything else in the world."

"She worries too much," muttered Arabella, taking a sip of her drink.

"She doesn't think I worry enough."

Arabella shrugged and took another sip of her drink.

"Maybe that's why you two work out so well," she said quietly. "Even each other out, I suppose."

Ted scrunched his eyebrows together before shaking his head. "All right, then."

"What?" asked Arabella, confused.

"I know what you're trying to do," said Ted, as though he was talking to a toddler. "You agreed to this interview. Might as well get it out of the way."

Arabella bite her lips and nodded.

"Now, you can stop this interview at anytime," continued Ted, his voice full of concern as he leaned forward against the table. "If you ever feel uncomfortable or just need a break, let me know. This is your interview, this is your story, and it won't hurt my feelings if you want to stop it. Does that sound good to you?"

Arabella nodded as Ted opened his notepad.

"All right, then, let's start from the beginning…"

Ted said that as long as his editor liked the article, it will most likely be in the next issue of Witch Weekly. Arabella nodded vaguely before following Harry, Hermione and Luna up the path towards the castle, her mind back in the Three Broomsticks Inn. Though Ted did occasionally press her for details, she found herself choking and stumbling over words multiple times. She spoke on the Death Eaters breaking into her house, moving in with Remus, part of her childhood where she felt isolated from the other kids, her time at Hogwarts and finally, the return of Voldemort. There were many times throughout the interview where she wanted to stop and walk out of the Inn. Who was going to believe her? Who would be crazy enough to do it? But after the breakout of the Death Eaters, she had to do it, no matter how uncomfortable she was. People had to believe her and Harry, and they had to realize the severity of the Death Eater's crimes. The Ministry did not take it very seriously, but she was going to make sure they heard her loud and clear.

"Can't wait to see what Umbridge thinks of you two going public," said Dean.

He sounded awestruck during dinner while Seamus was shoveling large amounts of chicken-and-ham pie down his throat. Arabella knew he was listening and wished he would just acknowledge them.

"It's the right thing to do," said Neville, looking rather pale. "It must have been tough… talking about it… right?"

Arabella nodded as Harry said, "People have got to know what Voldemort's capable of, haven't they?"

"And his Death Eaters too… People should know…"

Arabella looked down at her food and pushed bits of her potato around.

"Do you remember what she looks like?"

Arabella didn't look up for a couple seconds before realizing that someone was watching at her. She looked up and saw Neville staring at her, expecting something from her.

"What?" asked Arabella, lifting her shoulders slightly.

"Do you remember what she looks like?" Neville repeated. "You know… Bellatrix..."

Arabella gripped her fork tightly, feeling her arms shake ever so slightly.

"Yeah, I do," she said roughly. "I'll never forget her face, Neville. You wouldn't either."

Neville returned back to his food, squashing it with his fork before shoving it into his mouth. After a while, Dean, Seamus, and Neville departed for the library while Arabella and Harry waited for Hermione and Ron at the Gryffindor table. At that moment, Cho Chang and Roger Davis entered the Great Hall. They were not holding hands, but the look on their faces were familiar. They were smitten and shy. Arabella felt a pang in her chest. Two articles about Cedric's death was going to come out soon and it would surely sully their newfound relationship. Cho deserved happiness after what happened last year. She didn't deserve this.

"Arabella, are you okay?" asked Harry, leaning forward. "You're looking a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Arabella, shaking her head. "Just a little tired, that's all."

It looked as though Harry wanted to say something else, but Arabella was saved as Ron and Ginny came stumping into the Hall with mud. They both looked grump as they both slumped down and pulled dishes towards themselves.

"So, how was practice?" asked Harry.

"It was a nightmare," Ron said surly.

"Oh come on," said Harry, looking at Ginny. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad –"

"It was," cut Ginny. "It was appalling. Angelina was nearly in tears by the end of it."

Arabella and Harry glanced at each other and didn't say another word. Arabella got the feeling that neither Ron nor Ginny wanted to talk about practice. When Ron and Ginny went off for baths, Arabella and Harry returned to the busy Gryffindor Tower. Hermione was already there in a secluded corner waiting for them. Arabella took out her homework and began working on Snape's new essay when Fred and George turned up.

"Ron and Ginny not here?" asked Fred. When Harry shook his head, he pulled up a chair and said, "Good. We were watching their practice. They're going to be slaughtered. They're complete rubbish without us."

"Come on, Ginny's not bad," George said fairly. "Actually, I dunno how she got so good, seeing how we never let her play with us…"

"She's been breaking into your broom shed in the garden since the age of six and taking each of your brooms out in turn when you weren't looking," said Hermione from behind her tottering pile of Ancient Rune books.

"You should let her play with you sometimes," Arabella said simply, nodding her head.

"Has Ron saved a goal yet?" asked Hermione over the top of her book.

"Well, he can do it if he doesn't think anyone's watching him," said Fred, rolling his eyes. "So all we have to do is ask the crowd to turn their backs and talk among themselves every time the Quaffle goes up his end on Saturday."

He got up again and moved restlessly to the window, staring out across the dark grounds.

"You know, Quidditch was about the only thing in this place worth staying for."

Hermione cast him a stern look. "You've got exams coming!"

"Told you already, we're not fussed about N.E.W.T.s. The Snackboxes are ready to roll, we found out how to get rid of those boils, just a couple of drops of murtlap essence sorts them, Lee put us onto it…"

George yawned widely and looked out disconsolately at the cloudy night sky. "I dunno if I even want to watch this match. If Zacharias Smith beats us I might have to kill myself."

"Kill him, more like," said Fred.

"That's the trouble with Quidditch," said Hermione absentmindedly, once again bent over her Rune translation, "it creates all this bad feeling and tension between the Houses."

She looked up to find her copy of Spellman's Syllabary and caught Arabella, Fred, George, and Harry looking at her with expressions of mingled disgust and incredulity on their faces.

"Well, it does! It's only a game, isn't it?"

"Hermione," said Harry, shaking his head, "you're good with homework and stuff, but you just don't understand Quidditch."

"Maybe not," she said darkly, returning to her translation again, "but at least my happiness doesn't depend on Ron's goalkeeping ability."

Though Arabella would not dare agree with Hermione on the matter in front of the others, she actually did. Umbridge took Quidditch away from her and the game on Saturday was a complete disaster. She would give anything up not to care about Quidditch anymore. The best thing about the match was Ginny and the fact that it was short. Ginny managed to snatch the Snitch from under Summerby's nose, but there was Ron's fourteen failed saves, Sloper hitting Angelina in the mouth with his bat, and Kirke falling backward on his broom as Smith zoomed past him with the Quaffle. At least Gryffindor only lost by ten points, but it was not deserved and everyone was ashamed of the match. Ron left the pitch to another chorus of "Weasley Is Our King" by the new contenders for the Cup, the Slytherins. Angelina refused to let Ron resign, saying that she knows he's got it in him. Arabella appreciated Angelina's faith in Ron, but it would have been better if she would just put him out of his misery.

"I haven't got the heart to take the mickey out of him, even," said Fred in the common room. "Mind you… when he missed the fourteenth… Well, I'll save it for parties, eh?"

The next morning, Arabella entered the Great Hall a couple steps behind everyone. She woke up a little late and the post owls began arriving. She could hear Hermione's delightful laugh from the Ravenclaw table as she approached her friends. Hermione was clutching something in her hands, a look of pure delight on her face, while Ron looked dumbfounded at the front of another magazine.

"You've got to see this," Harry said breathlessly as Arabella took a seat next to him.

He then thrusted the March edition of The Quibbler into her hands. The front cover was a picture of Harry smiling sheepishly with large red letters that read:

HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST: THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN

"You're joking!" said Arabella, chuckling. "This is fantastic!"

"That's not all," Hermione said quickly, showing her a copy of Witch Weekly. "Ted sent a note with this."

The front page was a picture Ted snapped in the Three Broomsticks. Arabella had an uncomfortable smile on her face with a bottle of butterbeer in front of her and the background blurry. The letters were white with the words reading:

UNHINGED AND UNCENSORED: THE LIFE OF A MASS MURDERER'S DAUGHTER

"Charming," Arabella said dryly. "Though, I will admit, I expected better."

"This picture of you is nice," Harry said earnestly. "Doesn't fit the whole 'unhinged' character they're going for."

"Everything inside is your words," said Hermione, worried. "That's what Ted said. Here."

Arabella took Ted's note in her hands and smiled.

Arabella, Hermione – I know the title is not ideal, but that was the only argument I lost with my boss. Everything else is in your words, Arabella. I didn't let them change anything and made sure last night that it was the same article I initially submitted. I wanted the both of you to have the first copy. Love, Ted.

Arabella sighed and nodded. She then looked at her friends and said, "Have you guys read it yet?"

Harry and Ron shook their head, but the look on Hermione's face was a sufficient enough answer.

"A little," she said quietly.

Arabella shook her head and opened the magazine. Ted was right. Everything was in her words. No added embellishments, no lie, no rhymes – just the truth and all of it. The beginning of the article covered the pain she felt when Bellatrix crouched over her, blade in hand, while the other Death Eaters took their turns torturing her mother in the other room. It then went on to Remus taking her in, her isolation from the wizarding world, and not having any friends growing up. She blamed it all on her last name. Her life at Hogwarts covered meeting her friends, her adventures every year, and finding a place where she truly belonged. The last section was the freshest in her mind. She told Ted everything that happened in the graveyard – realizing that Barty Crouch Jr. kidnapped her, Voldemort telling Wormtail to "kill the spare", his rebirth, Death Eaters coming back to his side like it was nothing, his story as to how he was able to come back, offering Arabella a place amongst his ranks and offering her to Bellatrix as a prize when she refused. She told Ted about Voldemort torturing her because of Kassandra and untying Harry to inflict more pain on him. She choked over describing Avery and Macnair dragging her body and "putting her in her place." She couldn't even look Ted in the eyes when she told him how close Macnair was to her body, how he touched her because Voldemort told them to, how Voldemort stopped them because he got what he wanted and how Harry said a last goodbye to her before the duel. Cedric asking her to bring his body to his parents, Barty Crouch Jr. revealing how he managed to escape Azkaban, kill his father and step up the whole tournament. Finally, Arabella spoke about feeling isolated once again in the wizarding community, as though her last name will continue to be a curse for her no matter what.

It was all in her words. Nothing was altered for the sake of creating more drama or a juicier story. It was just… her, as plain as day for everyone to bear witness. The only thing that was out of order was the little editor's note at the end of her interview. She gripped the magazine tightly and brought it closer to her face.

EDITOR'S NOTE: When I, Nicolette Monteux, was first approached with this little project, I was quite excited. I had once tried to get an interview with Miss Black years ago when her father, mass-murderer Sirius Black, escaped from Azkaban, but I had been refused several times by her guardian and the professors at Hogwarts. I and many others were expecting a piece filled with drama and unexpected turns at every corner. I was expecting to read a piece on a wild child that believed she was intitled to fame and fortune. What we got instead was a sad story. A sad story of a little girl that stopped being a little girl the moment Bellatrix Lestrange set her eyes on Miss Black.

I, Nicolette Monteux, believe in Arabella Black and Harry Potter. I do not like the idea of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named being back, but I believe in them. After all, why would a bunch of kids lie about such a thing? Good luck, Miss Black and Mr. Potter. The staff here at Witch Weekly stands firmly behind you both.

Arabella looked up just in time to see five owls flutter down in front of them. She didn't recognize any of the owls as they knocked over juice jugs and began picking at the toast.

"Who are they after?" asked Ron.

The whole Gryffindor table leaned forward to watch as another seven owls landed amongst the first ones, screeching, hooting and flapping their wings.

"It must be letters from readers!" Hermione said eagerly. "Harry, do you mind if we –?"

"Help yourself," said Harry, sounding bemused.

The four of them started ripping open envelopes.

"This one's from a bloke who thinks you're off your rocker, mate," said Ron. "Ah well…"

"This one recommends that me and Arabella find a pair of matching beds in St. Mungo's," said Harry, crumpling up the letter. "Load of rubbish…"

"Arabella, listen to this!" said Hermione excitedly. "She says she believe in you and cried when she read your story!"

"I didn't read her story and I knew I would have cried," Ron said dryly. "This one thinks you're barking mad, but this other one seems convinced you're a real hero, Harry, and she's put in a photograph too – wow –"

"This one's confused," said Arabella. "Not sure who to believe and needs some time to figure out what to do before figuring out whether or not Voldemort's really back– then why bother writing to us?"

"Here's another one convinced!" said Hermione. "'Having read both your sides of the story I am forced to the conclusion that the Daily Prophet has treated you both unfairly… Little thought I want to think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned, I am forced to accept that you both are telling the truth…' Oh this is wonderful!"

"This one's in two minds," said Fred, joining in the letter-opening with enthusiasm. "Says you don't come across as a mad person, but doesn't want to believe You-Know-Who's back so he doesn't know what to think now…"

"What's going on here?"

Arabella knew who it was before she even looked up. There was only one person who had a false sweet, girlish voice like that. Umbridge was standing behind Fred, her toad-like eyes scanning the mess of owls and letters on the table. Many students behind her were watching them avidly. Arabella saw a number of The Quibbler and Witch Weekly in their hands. Hermione's plan worked.

"Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter?" Umbridge asked slowly.

"Is that a crime now?" said Fred loudly. "Getting mail?"

"Be careful, Mr. Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention. Well, Mr. Potter?"

There was no point trying to keep it a secret. It was going to be a matter of time before a copy of The Quibbler and Witch Weekly came across Umbridge's attention.

"People have been sending me mail too," Arabella said quickly. "We've both done interviews lately."

"Interviews?" repeated Umbridge, her voice suddenly high. "What do you mean?"

"She means a reporter asked us questions and we answered them," said Harry. "Here –"

He threw her the copies of The Quibbler and Witch Weekly. She caught them and stared down at the covers. She looked positively livid and Arabella dug her nails into her thighs. Umbridge turned a violet purple, the magazines in her hands shaking with rage, and it absolutely made her day.

"When did you both do this?" asked Umbridge, her voice trembling slightly.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," said Harry.

"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for the both of you," whispered Umbridge. "How dare you… how could you…" She took a deep breath and then said, "Mr. Potter, I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lie, and I expected you to obey authority, Miss Black. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. A hundred points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions for the both of you."

She stalked away, clutching the magazines to her chest, the eyes of many students following her.

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you guys think of this chapter. I wasn't quite sure with it. I really wanted to go in this direction, but not sure what the reaction this chapter would generate with Witch Weekly coming into play.

I went in this direction with Witch Weekly because Arabella's story is not that well known in the wizarding community. It is in the Ministry because of the trial, but not so much for people that don't work in the Ministry. So having this interview would actually help Harry and Arabella, especially hearing it from her POV in the article. It would really help Harry in the long run as well with people believing in him, believing in their relationship, and believing that Arabella is not going to just turn out like Bellatrix or anything like that. It would, as Rita said, humanize her and make her more sympathetic to people that only know her by name and nothing else.

Hopefully that made sense. Let me know if it doesn't and I'll try to explain my thought process further.