disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story. I hope you all like this chapter!
Gigantic Problems
Over the next couple days, Fred and George became legends within the walls of Hogwarts. Their escape was retold over and over again to the point where students began toying with the idea of "pulling a Weasley" after a particular nasty lesson. Nobody was going to forget the twins anytime soon and they made sure of it. They left no instruction as to how to get rid of the swamp and no professors were in any rush to help Umbridge and Filch. In fact, they seemed content in watching them struggle. Arabella even witnessed Professor Sprout walk by the swamp with her chest puffed out and a charming smile on her face.
But Umbridge's troubles were far from over. The swamp was the least of her worries. Filch fitted a new door on her office, but that didn't stop students from sneaking in a niffler that tore the room completely apart. Dungbombs and stinkpellets were being regularly dropped in the hallways and Filch was running around the whole castle everyday, desperate to catch troublemakers in the act. The only problem was that there was so much trouble, he had no idea which way to turn. The Inquisitorial Squad tried to help him, but many strange things kept happening to them during their patrols. Parkinson sprouted antlers and missed a whole day's worth of lessons, and Warrington turned up in the hospital wing with a terrible skin rash that looked as though birds had pecked at it. With help dwindling down and Filch unable to catch students in the act, it had become staggeringly clear how many students were following in the twin's lead purchased a box of Skiving Snackboxes. Students began fainting, vomiting, developing fevers and bleeding from the nose whenever Umbridge entered her classroom, claiming that they were developing "Umbridge-itis." She tried putting them in detention, but due to the high number of students that began developing this "disease," Umbridge was forced to give up and let them leave in herds.
Despite all the trouble students were causing Umbridge, none of them came even close to the chaos Peeves the Poltergeist had brought upon the castle. He took Fred's words to heart and unleased pure hell. Arabella thought he was already pretty bad, but the last couple days proved her wrong. He stuffed Mrs. Norris into a knight's armour, pushed over statues and vases, turned over tables, flooded the second-floor bathrooms and a great number of other things that made Umbridge's blood boil. Though Arabella really enjoyed watching Peeves throw a stack of parchment out of the window, what made everything even better was the lack of help the other professors and ghosts were offering Umbridge. The Bloody Baron, who Peeves usually respected out of fear, kept floating through walls every time Umbridge approached him or simply took up residence in the Astronomy Tower, and just the other day, Arabella saw Professor McGonagall walk past Peeves, who was attempting to loosen a crystal chandelier, and whisper out of the corner of her mouth, "It unscrews the other way."
But as much as Fred and George's escape provided them a sense of joy and pleasure, the fifth and seventh years only had one month until their exams. They were constantly reminded that their exams were approaching to the point where Arabella started keeping count in her homework planner. So far, McGonagall was in the lead with mentioning it twice in a lesson with Flitwick right behind her. Every free moment was dedicated to studying either in the library or common room. Arabella spent time with Harry, but it was time spent in the common room late studying. She began losing sleep and found herself waking up in the common room at odd hours.
On the morning of the final Quidditch match, she found Harry on the floor, his textbook being used as a pillow, while she was on the armchair, her back sore from discomfort. Harry had somehow gotten it into his head that if he slept on his textbook, all the knowledge would miraculously be in his head the next morning. Hermione, of course, disputed this ridiculous theory immediately, not before Neville declared that he was going to do it as well.
"Harry," whispered Arabella, slightly shaking his shoulders. "Harry, you have to wake up."
Harry let out a small hum and turned his head away from her. Arabella grinned and tucked a small strand of loose hair behind her ear. She then leaned in and kissed him right under his ear. When he didn't react, she kissed the same spot again, and then his neck, jaw, chin and held her lips above his own. A short moment later, he opened his right eye and quickly stole a kiss from her lips.
"Oh, so you are awake," Arabella commented.
"Well… when you start kissing my neck like that…"
"Like what? Oh, like this…"
She placed a hand on his chest to steady herself as she began peppering more kisses on his neck. Some were quick pecks, while others required more attention. She felt him groaned underneath her and, with a feel of great satisfaction, she continued. She could kiss him for hours and hours and never get tired.
Suddenly, Harry grabbed her leg and shifted them until she was straddling him. He leaned up and caught her lips in another kiss. His hands were in her hair and she could hardly process what was going on. Her body was warm and tingling and she realized that she was wearing too much clothes. A shirt and a sweater? She was foolish. Why was she wearing so many layers? Why was he wearing so many layers? Her hands were on his chest, then his stomach and his hips moved against hers.
Arabella let out a loud gasp and Harry moved his head, alarmed.
"Did I do something wrong? Are you all right?"
"I – I'm fine… I'm okay."
"Did I hurt you?"
"No, no… that's was fine. Well… it was, um… it felt… good."
Arabella felt shy saying those words. Her cheeks turned red as she ducked her head and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Did it?" asked Harry, his eyes shining. His voice was full of mirth. "So, you liked it then?"
Arabella licked her lips and nodded. "'Like' is a bit of an understatement, I would say."
"Then what would you say," whispered Harry, kissing her chin, her jawline, and the curve of her neck.
"I would, um, say that," Arabella was struggling to think, her mind both blank and racing as Harry gripped her hips, his thumb sliding underneath her shirt. "Er… Harry…"
"Arabella," he groaned. His voice was rough and his hand kept sliding up her sides.
"No, Harry – someone's coming!"
They quickly scrambled to their feet as a group of people entered the common room. Ron was flocked by Dean, Seamus and Neville. Ron looked utterly miserable in his Quidditch robes as the other boys tried their best to cheer him up.
"Look at it this way, mate," said Seamus, completely covered in red-and-gold, "can't get any worse, can yeh?"
Ron looked completely horrid at this while Dean shook his head.
"Thanks," choked Ron.
When they spotted Arabella and Harry, they didn't seem to notice how flustered they were or how disgruntled they were by their appearance. Arabella knew they were oblivious to it, rather than merely ignoring it. If all four boys knew what she and Harry were doing in the common room, she would never hear the end of it.
After putting their books away, Arabella and Harry joined them and headed own to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was the final match of the season and Gryffindor was going up against Ravenclaw. None of the Gryffindors dared to hope for the cup, but that did not stop them from encouraging the team. The Slytherins did not take a side in the match, but they were wearing their "Weasley Is Our King" badges, while the Hufflepuffs were completely divided. Zacharias Smith was wearing a Ravenclaw scarf and Alfred Clemens was frantically waving a Gryffindor flag when he saw Ron enter the Hall.
"Charming," commented Arabella as she settled next to Hermione.
Once they were done with breakfast, they headed down to the Quidditch pitch with the rest of the crowd. Arabella's mind kept wandering off to the common room. She loved the boys, but she truly and completely resented them at the moment. Every time her and Harry were alone or getting close, someone came along and ruined the mood. Arabella didn't think she could take it anymore. It was completely frustrating and she was frustrated. If something between her and Harry didn't happen soon, she was going to scre –
"You know," said Hermione, "I think Ron might do better without Fred and George around. They never exactly gave him a lot of confidence…"
"Oh, um, yeah," said Arabella, nodding her head. "Yeah, you're right."
She was definitely going to scream if Hermione interrupted her thoughts again.
It was a fine, clear day with hardly any clouds and a soft breeze. The team could not have asked for a better day and Arabella quickly found herself yearning to join them again as she settled into the stands. It was the final match and she was stuck in the stands while her Firebolt was being guarded in the dungeon by some trolls. Soon enough, after the teams began zooming on the pitch, Lee began doing commentary with less gusto than usual. He missed his best friends and approached the end of the school year with dull resignation.
"And they're off! And Davis takes the Quaffle immediately, Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle, he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Spinnet as well… He's going straight for goal! He's going to shoot – and – and – and he's scored."
Lee swore very loudly as the Gryffindors groaned.
Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring…
"Hey, you three…"
Arabella, Harry and Hermione looked around and saw Hagrid's enormous face sticking between the seats. He was bent over, as though trying to hide, and was looking around anxiously. He was about five feet taller than everyone else there, it was impossible not to miss him.
"Listen," he whispered, "can yeh come with me? Now? While ev'ryone's watchin' the match?"
"Er… can't it wait, Hagrid?" asked Harry. "Till the match is over?"
"Oh my god!" yelled Arabella, throwing her hands in the air. "Come on, Katie! You're better than that!"
Katie had missed a wide-open shot on the right goal post. Gryffindors around them groaned once more and hope was completely destroyed.
"Just take me away, Hagrid," moaned Arabella. "Take me away from this stadium. I don't care where. Any where's better than here."
Hagrid gave her a shocking smile and Arabella saw that his lips were cut with dried blood on his beard. Arabella, Harry and Hermione edged their way along their row of seats and met Hagrid at the stairs. After looking around carefully to make sure they weren't being watched, they hurried their way across the lawn and towards the Forbidden Forest. Arabella looked over her shoulders as a great roar erupted from the stands. Her mind was telling her that Ravenclaw must have scored, they were the better team, but her heart hoped that somehow Gryffindor, her beloved team, managed to pull off the upset.
Arabella, Harry and Hermione were having trouble keeping up with Hagrid's long strides. Hermione nearly entered his cabin out of habit before Hagrid steered her away, walking straight into the forest. He shouldered a crossbow leaning against a tree and marched into the forest. Arabella, Harry and Hermione looked at each other before running to catch up with him.
"Hagrid, why are you armed?" said Harry.
"Jus' a precaution," muttered Hagrid.
"Since when did you need a crossbow?" asked Arabella.
"We're goin' in far into ter forest," said Hagrid. "Never know wha' we migh' come across. And yer know Firenze left the forest."
"Why does Firenze leaving the forest make a difference?" Hermione asked cautiously.
"'Cause the other centaurs are good an' riled at me, tha' what," said Hagrid quietly, glancing around. "They used ter be – well, yeh couldn' call 'em friendly – but we got on all righ'. Kept 'emselves to 'emselves, bu' always turned up if I wanted a word. Not anymore…"
Hagrid mentioned something about saving Firenze from being trampled to death by the other centaurs, but Arabella began preoccupied by the path they were following. It was something out of a horror story. They were moving closer towards the heart of the forest and the trees were growing in all different directions. Some were growing together, becoming one at some point in their growth, twisting around each other and then branching out. Arabella half-expected some sort of fairy-tale witch to be lurking in the darkness, waiting to attack them. The ground became uneven and she felt a shiver run up her spine. It was as dark as dusk with little light emitting through the trees. She felt no sense of ease as Hagrid stepped off the path and began moving in and out of the trees, marching through a thick knot of tree root as though it were nothing.
"Hagrid?" said Harry as his robes caught on the same root. "Where are we going?"
"Bit further," Hagrid said over his shoulder. "C'mon, Harry… We need ter keep together now…"
It was a struggle for Arabella, Hermione and Harry to keep up with Hagrid, who walked through branches and thorns as though he was taking a nice evening stroll, while the three of them had to stop for minutes to free themselves.
"Hagrid," grunted Arabella, nearly twisting herself from a thick tree root, "what do you even have to show us? Especially out here?"
Hagrid stopped suddenly and a twig snapped loudly. Hermione walked right into him and fell backwards. Arabella caught her just before she hit the forest floor.
"Righ'," said Hagrid, turning around. "Well… see… the thing is… there's a good chance I'm goin' ter be gettin' the sack any day now."
"But you've lasted this long," Hermione said carefully. "What makes you think –"
"Umbridge reckons it was me that put tha' niffler in her office."
"And was it?" asked Harry.
"No, it ruddy well wasn'!" said Hagrid indignantly. "On'y anything' ter do with magical creatures and' she thinks it's got somethin' ter do with me. Yeh know she's bin lookin' fer a chance ter got rid of me ever since I got back. I don' wan' ter go, o' course, but it wasn' fer… well… the special circumstance I'm abou' ter explain to yeh, I'd leave righ' now, before she's go' the chance ter of it in front o' the whole school, like she did with Trelawney."
Arabella, Harry and Hermione made noises of protest, but Hagrid overrode them with a wave of his hands.
"It's not the end o' the world, I'll be able ter help Dumbledore once I'm outta here, I can be useful ter the Order. An' you lot'll have Grubbly-Plank, yeh'll – yeh'll get through yer exams fine… Don' worry abou' me," he added hastily, as Hermione made to pat his arm. Hagrid pulled an enormous handkerchief from the pocket of his waistcoat and mopped his eyes with it. "Look, I wouldn' be tellin' yer this at all if I didn' have ter. See, if I go… well, I can' leave withou'… withou' tellin' someone… because I'll – I'll need you three ter help me. An' Ron, if he's willin'."
"Of course," Harry said at once. "What do you want us to do?"
Hagrid patted Harry on the shoulder and Harry was knocked sideways into a tree.
"I knew yeh'd say yes," said Hagrid, "but I won'… never…forget… Well… c'mon… jus' a little bit further through here… Watch yerselves, now, there's nettles…"
They walked on in silence for another ten minutes until Hagrid threw out his right arm. Arabella walked straight into it and choked on the air for a moment.
"Shh!" Hagrid said softly. "Very quiet now… Really easy…"
Arabella tried to muffle her coughs as they crept forward. They were now facing a bank that was completely smooth and as tall as Hagrid. Trees around the bank were completely ripped from the roots and were surrounding the bank like a barrier.
"Sleepin'," breathed Hagrid.
"Sleeping?" Arabella said at once.
Her eyes widened as a ripple cut through the air. The ground shook for a moment and she could hear the distant sound of an enormous pair of lungs working. That was no bank… it couldn't be… that was… oh, Hagrid didn't…
"Hagrid," Arabella whispered, her heart pounding against her ribcage, "did you… did you bring one back?"
"He – he didn' want ter come," Hagrid said desperately, twisting his huge fingers, "but I had ter bring him, Arabella, I had ter! I've – I've taught him a few manners and – and – he's harmless!"
"Harmless!" echoed Arabella. "Do you have any idea how you look right now?"
"Shh!" Hagrid said frantically as the enormous creature grunted loudly and shifted in his sleep. "He don' know his own strength! An' he's getting' better, he's not fightin' so much anymore – I couldn' leave him –" tears were now trickling down his face " – he's my brother!"
"Brother?" Harry repeated slowly. "Hagrid, what – what do you mean –?"
"Well – half-brother," corrected Hagrid. "Me mother took up with another giant when she left me dad, an' she went an' had Grawp here –"
"Grawp?"
"Tha's what it sounds like when he says his name. He don' speak a lot of English an' I've bin tryin' ter teach him… Anyway, she don' seem ter have liked him much more'n she liked me. See, with giantesses, what counts is producin' good big kids, and he's always been a bit on the runty side fer a giant – on'y sixteen foot –"
"Oh yes, look how tiny he is!" Hermione said hysterically. "Absolutely minuscule!"
"He was bein' kicked around by all o' them – I jus' couldn' leave him –"
"How on earth did you get him back without anyone noticing?" asked Harry.
"Well, tha' why it took so long, see," said Hagrid. "Could on'y travel by nigh an' though wild country an' stuff. 'Course, he covers the ground pretty well, when he wants ter, but he kep' wantin' ter go back…"
"You should have let him!" hissed Arabella. "He's a bloody giant, Hagrid! A violent giant who doesn't even want to be here! What were you thinking?"
"Well, now – 'violent' – tha's a bit harsh," said Hagrid. "I'll admit he mighta taken a couple o' swings at me –"
"Couple," scoffed Arabella, rolling her eyes.
" – but he'd gettin' better, loads better, settlin' down well –"
"What are those ropes for then?" said Harry.
Harry was pointing at a large nearby tree with thick ropes wrapped around the trunk and curled near where Grawp was laying on the ground.
"He don' know his own strength," Hagrid said anxiously.
"So you keep him tied up?" Hermione said faintly. "Hagrid, what is it you want us to do?"
"Look after him. After I'm gone."
Arabella blinked up at him. Surely, she heard him wrong. "I'm sorry – what? You want us to – to – to take care of your giant brother?"
"Yeah, well, he can get his own food, no problem!" said Hagrid eagerly. "Birds an' deer an' stuff… No, it's company he needs. If I jus' knew someone was carryin' on tryin' ter help him a bit… teachin' him yeh know…"
"You want us to teach him," Harry said carefully.
"Yeah – even if yeh jus' talk ter him a bit," said Hagrid hopefully. "'Cause I reckon, if he can talk ter people, he'll understand more that we all like him really, an' want him to stay… So yeh'll do it then?"
"We'll… we'll try, Hagrid," said Harry, his voice full of defeat.
"I knew I could count on yeh, Harry," Hagrid said, beaming in a very watery way and dabbing at his face with his handkerchief again. "An' I don' wan' yeh ter put yourself out too much, like… I know yeh've got exams… If yeh could jus' nip down here in yer Invisibility Cloak maybe once a week an' have a little chat with him… I'll wake him up, then – introduce you –"
"No!" Arabella said at once.
"Hagrid, please, don't wake him," urged Hermione, "we don't need –"
But Hagrid was already making his way over to his brother. He picked up a long, broken branch from the ground, smiled over his shoulder at them, and then poked Grawp hard in between his shoulders. The giant gave a deafening roar. Bird soared overhead and the giant rose from the ground. Arabella felt lightheaded and began moving backward, her heart pounding faster and harder than before. Grawp pushed himself onto his knees and turned to see who disturbed his sleep. He looked as though his features had been sewed onto his face. His skin was a strange grey-green colour and his nose was bumpy, mouth lopsided, and his teeth completely yellow. His eyes were small compared to the rest of his face and his eyelids drooping down. He raised his dirty knuckles, rubbed his eyes hard and pushed himself to his feet.
"Grawpy!" shouted Hagrid. "I've brought some friends ter meet ueh. Remember, I told yeh I might? Remember, when I said I might have ter go on a little trip an' leave them ter look after yeh fer a bit? Remember that, Grawpy?"
Grawp gave a low roar. Arabella had no idea of Grawp even understood what Hagrid was telling him. He seized the top of a tree and pulled it towards him. He released it and laughed as it sprang back. The earth roots began to crack and Arabella was sure that if he did it again, the tree would rip from the ground.
"I got company fer yeh!" Hagrid shouted. "Company, see! Look down, yeh big buffoon, I brought yeh some friends!"
"Hagrid, don't!" moaned Hermione.
But Hagrid raised his branch again and gave a sharp poke on Grawp's knee. Grawp let go of the tree and looked down.
"This," said Hagrid, gesturing to where Harry, Hermione and Arabella stood, "is Harry, Grawp! Harry Potter! He migh' be comin' ter visit yeh if I have ter go away, understand? An' this is Arabella, see? Arabel –" Hagrid stopped for a moment and then turned to Arabella. "Would you mind if he called yeh Ara, Arabella? And Hermy, Hermione? On'y it's a difficult name fer him ter remember…"
Arabella nodded slowly as Hermione squeaked, "No, not at all."
"This is Ara and Hermy, Grawp! An' they're gonna be comin' an' all! Is'n tha' nice Eh? Three friends fer yeh ter – GRAWP, NO!"
Grawp's head shot out of nowhere towards Hermione. Arabella seized the back of her robes as Harry pulled them behind the closest tree. Hermione clung onto Arabella, shaking and whimpering, while Hagrid reprimanded Grawp.
"BAD BOY, GRAWPY! VERY BAD BOY! YEH DON' GRAB – OUCH!"
Arabella poked her head around the trunk. Hagrid was now lying on his back, hand over nose, and Grawp went back to pulling on the tree, looking rather grump. She didn't have to guess what he did to Hagrid. The proof was the blood on his nose.
"Righ'," said Hagrid thickly. "Well… there yeh are… Yeh've met him an' – an' now he'll know yeh when yeh come back. Yeah… well… I reckon tha' enough fer one day. We'll – er – we'll go back now, shall we?"
Arabella, Hermione and Harry nodded. Hagrid shouldered his crossbow and led the back into the trees.
"We're not doing this," said Arabella. "This is unbelievable. He's unbelievable."
"Calm down," said Harry.
"Calm down!" said Arabella, agitated. "We're talking about a giant, Harry, a giant! And we're supposed to go down there once a week and teach him English!"
They were making their way back to the castle. The sky was clear blue and, in the distance, they could head the definite sounds of cheering and shouting. People were coming out of the stadium and they joined the stream of Hufflepuffs to the castle.
"We haven't got to do anything yet," Harry said in a reassuring voice. "He's not asking us to do anything unless he gets chucked out and that might not even happen –"
"Oh come off it, Harry!" said Hermione angrily, stopping dead in her tracks so that the people behind her had to swerve to avoid her. "Of course he's going to be chucked out and to be perfectly honest, after what we've just seen, who can blame Umbridge?"
Uncomfortable silence followed her statement and none of them said anything for a while. Despite all the love she had for Hagrid, Arabella agreed with Hermione. He was going to get chucked and it was a matter of time. Umbridge's been looking for any excuse to sack him and Hagrid just made his life more difficult for all of them.
Weasley is our King,
Weasley is our King,
He didn't let the Quaffle in,
Weasley is our King…
"What?" said Arabella, turning her head towards the sloping lawns.
"I wish they'd stop singing that stupid song," Hermione said miserably. "Haven't they gloated enough?"
"I don't… I don't think they're singing the same song," said Arabella slowly.
Weasley can save anything,
He never leaves a single ring,
That's why Gryffindors all sing:
Weasley is our King.
The song was growing louder and louder. It did not come from a crowd of green-and-silver Slytherins, but rather from red-and-gold Gryffindors who were all carrying a single figure upon its shoulders.
"No!" Hermione said in a hushed voice.
"YES!" Arabella and Harry said loudly.
"Harry! Hermione! Arabella!" yelled Ron, waving the Quidditch Cup in the air. "We did it! WE WON!"
The three of them cheered and clapped as the Gryffindors carried him away. They didn't seem to want to let him go as they squeezed into the Entrance Hall and out of sight. "Weasley Is Our King" was still echoing around the halls and the three of them ran ahead, determined to catch up and join in the fun.
"He's lost his mind," said Ron, his mouth ajar. "He's absolutely insane."
It was another warm day and they were studying under the beech tree on the edge of the lake. Ron was not particularly keen on the idea at first. He wanted to stay in the common room where Gryffindors could pat him on the back, make him recall the game again, and occasionally start singing "Weasley Is Our King." He did agree, after a while, that fresh air would do him some good. Arabella was glad. It was very difficult to find a way to mention Grawp without being overheard. Not that she didn't mind. She wasn't very interested in revisiting the subject and didn't want to stop Ron's happiness either. But after a couple days, it was unavoidable.
"He brought one back and hid it in the forest," whispered Ron, staring at the Great Lake.
"Yep," said Harry, grim.
"And he wants us to teach a sixteen-foot-tall giant English?"
"Yeah."
"Yes," said Hermione irritated. "But unfortunately, we did promise him."
"Well, we're just going to have to break the promise, that's all," said Ron. "I mean, come on… We've got exams and we're getting closer and closer to getting chucked out as it is. And remember Norbert?"
"I rather forget him, actually," mumbled Arabella, staring at her Charms notes.
"Have we ever come off better for mixing with any of Hagrid's monster mates?" Ron sighed. "Well, Hagrid hasn't been sacked yet, has he? He's hung on this long, maybe he'll hang on till the end of term and we won't have to go near Grawp at all."
The O.W.L.s were finally upon them. June arrived with sunlight gleaming on the grounds, cloudless skies and a sparkling lake. The professors were no longer giving them homework. Instead, lessons were now devoted to reviewing topics they were sure would come up in the exams. The atmosphere shifted dramatically overnight. Everyone was now purposeful, determined and feverish. Arabella thought of nothing but the exams. Every time her mind wandered from her studies, she thought of McGonagall standing over Umbridge, declaring to Umbridge that she, Arabella, would become the next Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. As much as this motivated her, it caused her a great deal of stress. What if she didn't achieve high marks? What if she failed and made Professor McGonagall look foolish in front of Umbridge? The thought of failing was bad enough, but proving Umbridge right made her down right disgusted.
Hermione occupied herself by muttering spells under her breath every chance she got, Ernie Macmillian interrogated people about their study habits, Susan Bones needed medical attention after fainting in Herbology, and Malfoy found other ways to induce panic.
"Of course, it's not what you know, its who you know," he told Crabbe and Goyle outside Potions. "Now, Father's been friendly with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for years – old Griselda Marchbanks – we've had her round for dinner and everything…"
"Do you think that's true?" whispered Hermione, looking frightened.
"Nothing we can do if it is," Ron said gloomily.
"I don't think it's true," Neville said quietly from behind them. "Because Griselda Marchbanks is a friend of my gran's, and she's never mentioned the Malfoys."
"What's she like, Neville?" asked Hermione. "Is she strict?"
"Bit like gran, really," said Neville.
"Knowing her won't hurt your chances though, will it?" Ron said encouragingly.
"Oh, I don't think it'll make a difference," said Neville. "Gran's always telling Professor Marchbanks I'm not as good as my dad… Well… you saw what she's like at St. Mungo's…"
This was the first time he acknowledged that they met at St. Mungo's and none of them knew what to do. Snape opened the dungeon door and Neville marched forward, determinedly avoiding their gaze.
Meanwhile, black-market trade was flourishing within the castle and feebleminded, foolish students immediately bought into it. Even Harry and Ron were tempted by a bottle of Baruffio's Brian Elixir offered by a Ravenclaw before Hermione confiscated the bottle and threw it down the toilet. Harry and Ron were not pleased, the latter more so, before they found out it was actually dried doxy droppings. Their chests deflated as Hermione told them they had to study the old-fashioned way.
During their next Transfiguration lesson, they received their examination schedules.
"As you can see," said Professor McGonagall, "your O.W.L.s are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory exams in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night. Now, I must warn you that the most Anti-Cheating Charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto-Answer Quillas are banned from the examination hall, as are Remembralls, Detachable Cribbing Cuffs, and Self-Correcting Ink. Every year, I am afraid to say, seems to harbor at least one student who thinks that he or she can get around the Wizarding Examinations Authority's rules. I can only hope that it is nobody in Gryffindor. Our new headmistress has asked the Heads of House to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely because, of course, your examination results will reflect upon the headmistress's new regime at the school…" McGonagall gave a tiny sigh and continued. "However, that is no reason not to do your very best. You have your own futures to think about."
"Please, Professor," said Hermione, "when will we find out our results?"
"An owl will be sent to you sometime in July."
Their first exam was scheduled for Monday morning. Every fifth year seemed to turn it up a notch, studying years worth of Charms notes every chance they got and testing each other. Arabella agreed to test Hermione Sunday afternoon and immediately regretted. Hermione kept snatching the book from her hands every time Arabella corrected her and even once hit Arabella hard on the nose. Harry and Ron were looking over two years of Charms notes and practicing spells in the corner. Seamus was lying on the floor, reciting definitions, Dean kept checking The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, and Parvati and Lavender were practicing basic locomotion charms. Dinner was a subdued affair and Arabella was back in the common room within an hour, determined to do some last-minute studying before passing out in front of the fireplace with her friends.
At breakfast on Monday morning, none of the fifth years talked to each other, as if they were even capable of speaking at this point. Arabella was rereading her Charms notes and practicing spells with her empty goblet. When breakfast ended, the fifth and seventh years were forced out of the Great Hall and milled around in the Entrance Hall testing and calming each other down. Within half an hour, they were called back into the Great Hall. It looked exactly as it had been the night of Umbridge's mass detention. The four House tables were gone and replaced with many tables for one. When they all took their seats and settled down, Professor McGonagall faced them.
"You may begin," she said quietly and turned over an enormous hourglass.
Arabella took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. She turned over her paper and lowered her eyes to the first question: a) Give the incantation, and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly. She immediately thought of Ron, the club that cracked over the troll's head, and began writing the answer with a smile.
After the written portion of her exam, Arabella felt more confident for the practical aspect. The fifth years were trooped off into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, where they were to wait until they were called forward. It wasn't too bad at all. Hermione was insistent on going over the exam again, determined to make sure she did everything right, before Ron put a stop to it.
"It's bad enough doing them once, we're not going to go through –"
"Black, Arabella – Bones, Susan – Boot, Terry – Brown, Lavender."
Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice echoed through the chamber. Arabella slowly stood up as her friends gave her encouraging smiles, though Hermione's was trembling. Arabella walked into the Great Hall with Lavender, Susan and Terry. Lavender and Susan looked very pale and Terry looked as though he was going to be sick.
"Professor Marchbanks is free, Black," squeaked Flitwick.
He pointed to a short, ancient looking witch whose face was heavily lined with wrinkles. Her hair was completely white and she stood on a chair to see over the table. When Arabella approached, Professor Marchbanks peered over her glasses at her.
"Black, is it?" she said, her voice rough.
"Um, yeah," said Arabella, nervous.
Marchbanks made a humming noise and then said, "Hopefully you'll do better than your grandmother. Dreadful student, that one. Now… there's no need to be nervous. Change the colour of this eggcup for me."
All in all, Arabella thought she did rather well. She changed the colour of the silver eggcup to a bright red and made it levitate halfway through the Great Hall. She almost forgot the Growth Charm, but Professor Marchbanks waited patiently before Arabella finally got it and then made the eggcup do some cartwheels.
The next day was their Transfiguration exam and Arabella felt as though she got full marks on the Animagi section. She was a whole lot nervous for her practical, but certainly did better than Hannah Abbott, who completely lost her head and managed to multiply her ferret into a flock of flamingos that covered the entire Hall. Herbology was on Wednesday and the written portion was much harder than she had anticipated. She wasn't able to correctly define various plants, but the practical was a lot easier. They had to replant Fanged Geranium without getting a bite
On Thursday was Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was the one she was most looking forward to and when she left the Great Hall, she was confident that she had achieved an O. She didn't have a problem with any of the written questions. She gave five signs to identify a werewolf, gave the correct affects of a Dementor and even described the effects of the Unforgivable Curses on the back page. When it came time for the practical, Arabella enjoyed it immensely. She faced off against Professor Marchbanks, properly disarming and Stunning her, before demonstrating how to banish a boggart properly.
"Very good, Black, very good," said Marchbanks, scribbling something down on her clipboard as Arabella performed a Full Body-Bind Curse on a ferret. "I think that will be it, but…"
"But?" asked Arabella.
A small smile appeared on Marchbank's face as she leaned in and whispered, "I have it on very good authority that you can produce a Patronus?"
Arabella blinked at her. "Where did you hear that?"
"My friend Tiberius Odgen was there for Harry Potter's hearing and he happened to mention that the both of you got lessons from one of your professors."
"Yeah, Remus Lupin," said Arabella. "He thought us in our third year."
"Remus Lupin?" repeated Marchbanks, looking impressed. "I remember him. Teach you everything he knew, I suppose. Now, if you wish for any, let's say, bonus points, a Patronus would do that trick."
Arabella chucked and raised her wand. She imagined the morning of the final Quidditch match, kissing Harry beside the fireplace, and bellowed, "Expecto Patronum!"
All the examiners looked around as a silver dog erupted from the end of her wand. The dog ran the length of the hall before bumping into Professor Marchbanks, as though asking to be petted. Marchbanks smiled heartily and Arabella knew she achieved an 'Outstanding.'
Arabella had the day off on Friday and spent most of her time preparing for the Potions exam. She gingerly looked over her Potions notes, determined to do well. In classic Snape fashion, he only allowed students who achieved 'Outstanding' in his class. So, if she wanted to fulfill her career ambitions, she needed to ace the whole thing. The written portion was difficult and she only realized afterwards that she switched the definitions for the Sleeping Draught and the Draught of Peace. The afternoon practical was not as terrible as she thought it might be. It was definitely more relaxing to have Professor Tofty watch over them than Snape. When it was time to hand in her flask, she felt confident that she, at the very least, passed.
Tuesday was Care of Magical Creatures and she was determined to perform well for Hagrid. The practical exam took place in the afternoon on the lawn on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where students were required to correctly identify the knarl hidden among a dozen hedgehogs, then demonstrate the correct handling of a bowtruckle, feed and clean a fire-crab without sustaining serious burns and choose the diet they would give a sick unicorn from a wide selection of food. Astronomy and Divination were on Wednesday and Arabella began to relax a little. They took their Astronomy theory in the morning and Divination in the afternoon. Arabella did not bother to study for Divinations and the exam, as expected, went extremely badly. She was sure she failed the whole thing and did not particularly mind, especially when she told Professor Tofty that, according to his palm reading, should have died last year.
"Well, we were always going to fail that one," said Ron as they headed down for dinner.
"We shouldn't have taken it in the first place," said Arabella.
"Still, at least we can give it up now."
"Yeah," said Harry. "No more pretending to care when happens when Jupiter and Uranus get too friendly…"
"And from now on, I don't care if my tea leaves spell die, Ron, die – I'm just chucking them in the bin where they belong."
Arabella and Harry laughed just as Hermione came running up behind them.
"Well, I think I've done all right in Arithmancy," she said. "Just time for a quick look over our star charts before dinner, then…"
At eleven o'clock they reached the top of the Astronomy Tower. It was the perfect night – the sky was cloudless and the grounds were covered with silvery moonlight. Each student had their own telescope and blank star chart. When they were all set up, Professor Tofty gave the word and the next hour was filled with then filling in their chart. The exam seemed to go by smoothly. They were all very quiet, the occasional noise coming from the scratching of their parchment. Arabella repositioned her telescope to complete the constellation of Orion when she checked her watch.
An hour passed and gold lights began flickering on the ground below. The lights in the castle began vanishing and Arabella rubbed her eyes. She leaned against a pillar and the front doors of the castle opened directly under where she stood. Arabella glanced down and saw about six figures moving over the brightly lit grass before the doors swung shut and the grounds became a sea of darkness.
Arabella wanted to return back to her telescope and chart, but when she looked down at the shadowy grounds, the figures were walking over the lawn with a purpose. Had it not been for the moonlight, they would have indistinguishable from the dark grounds. From the distance, Arabella couldn't shake the feeling that she knew who was leading the charge. But, if that was Umbridge, why was she out past midnight? Why was she accompanied by five other people? What could they possibly be doing?
She looked ahead and her heart plummeted. The light was on in Hagrid's hut. Surely… surely, Umbridge wouldn't be doing this now? Surely, she wanted an audience to witness her banishing Hagrid from Hogwarts. But that did not turn out so well for her with Professor Trelawney. There was a distant knock that echoed through the grounds and a muffled bark of a large dog. Professor Tofty gave a soft cough, but Arabella couldn't help it. She watched the six tiny figures walk inside Hagrid's house and close the door behind them. Arabella looked around to see if anybody else noticed, but Professor Tofty came walking behind her and she didn't want to appear as though she was cheating. She hastily turned back to her chart but kept looking over at Hagrid's cabin.
She made a small adjustment to her chart when a roar echoed through the silent grounds. Student looked from their telescopes and towards the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Arabella looked towards Hermione and saw the same look of shock and panic on her face.
Professor Tofty gave another soft cough and said, "Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls. Only twenty minutes left to go."
Hermione jumped and returned back to her chart at once. Arabella looked around again. Ron reluctantly turned back to his chart and Harry was staring transfixed at Hagrid's house.
There was a loud BANG from the grounds and Hagrid's door was thrown open. Light was flowing out of the cabin and they see Hagrid, roaring and brandishing his fists with six people surrounding him, who seemed to be attempting to Stun him.
"No!" cried Hermione.
"My dear!" reprimanded Tofty. "This is an examination!"
Tofty's comment was pointless. They were no longer paying attention to their charts. Jets of red light were flying beside Hagrid's cabin, but they were bouncing off him. He was still upright, still, and fighting. People were crying and yelling at each other, some easier to make out ("Be reasonable, Hagrid!"), but others harder to hear. Fang was attempting to defend Hagrid, leaping at the wizards that were attacking him, until a Stunning Spell caught him in midair and he fell to the ground. Hagrid gave a deafening howl of fury, lifted the offender and threw him like it was nothing. The man fell ten feet away and did not get up again. Hermione gasped before covering her mouth and Ron paled. Arabella and Harry looked at each other. They had never seen Hagrid in a real temper before and they were lucky they were not down there right now.
"Look!" squeaked Parvati.
She was leaning over the parapet and pointing to the foot of the castle. The front doors were open and a single long black shadow was now marching across the lawn.
"Now, really!" said Tofty anxiously. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!"
But his voice was drowned out by the single person now sprinting towards Hagrid's cabin.
"How dare you!" the voice screeched. "How dare you!"
"It's McGonagall!" whispered Hermione.
"Leave him alone! Alone, I say! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such –"
Four Stunners shot at Professor McGonagall, and Arabella, Hermione, Parvati and Lavender screamed. For a moment, McGonagall looked luminous with an unnerving red glow around her silhouette. Then she was lifted off her feet, landed on her back was a loud thud, and did not move anymore.
"Galloping gargoyles!" shouted Tofty. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behaviour!"
"COWARDS!" bellowed Hagrid. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT – AN' THAT –"
Hagrid knocked out two of his closest attackers. They immediately collapsed to the ground. Hagrid then picked up something from the ground and threw it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. It took Arabella a moment to realize that it was Fang's limp body.
"Get him, get him!" screamed Umbridge.
But her remaining helper seemed reluctant. In fact, they backed away so fast that they tripped over one of their unconscious colleagues and fell over. Hagrid turned and began to run with Fang still around his neck. Umbridge sent one last Stunning Spell, but missed him completely. Hagrid ran full speed towards the distant gates and disappeared into the darkness, leaving them all in stunned silence. Everyone at the top of the tower were gazing at the grounds with their mouths open.
"Um… five minutes to go, everyone…" came Tofty's feeble voice.
Arabella quickly filled out the rest of her chart. Her heart was racing as she forced her telescope back into its holder and dashed back down the spiral staircase. Every student was talking loudly and excitedly at the foot of the stairs about what they had witnessed.
"That evil woman!" gasped Hermione, trying to form coherent words through her rage. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"
"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," said Ernie Macmillan, squeezing to join them.
"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" said Ron, looking more alarmed than impressed. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"
"It's because of his giant blood," said Arabella, her voice quivering. "It's hard to Stun a giant, but Professor McGonagall… Four straight to the chest… They're lucky they didn't kill her given her age and all."
"Dreadful, dreadful," said Ernie, shaking his head. "Well, I'm off to bed… 'Night, all…"
People around them were drifting away and they began making their way towards the full Gryffindor common room. It seemed as thought the commotion out on the grounds woke several people and those that witnessed it at the top of the Astronomy Tower were now telling everyone what happened.
"But why sack Hagrid now?" asked Angelina. "It's not like Trelawney, he's been teaching much better than usual this year!"
"Umbridge hates part-humans," Hermione said bitterly. "She was always going to try and get Hagrid out."
"And she thought Hagrid was putting nifflers in her office," piped Katie.
"Oh blimey," said Lee, covering his mouth. "It's me that's been putting the nifflers in her office. Fred and George left me a couple and I've been levitating them in through her window…"
"She'd have sacked him anyways," said Dean. "He was too close to Dumbledore."
"She would have found another way," mumbled Arabella, sinking into an armchair.
"I just hope Professor McGonagall's all right," said Lavender tearfully.
"They carried her back up to the castle," said Colin. "We watched though the dormitory window. She didn't look very well…"
"Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," said Alicia. "She's never failed yet."
It was nearly four in the morning before Arabella headed up to the girls' dormitory with Hermione, Lavender and Parvati. It was difficult to fall asleep without tossing and turning. She felt anger towards Umbridge, but more than that, she felt sorrow. Hagrid was officially gone and hopefully he was going to join up with Dumbledore. But there was less hope for McGonagall, the only professor that was determined to undermine Umbridge at every turn. Umbridge expected to get rid of Hagrid tonight and got both her foes instead. Arabella could just imagine it – Umbridge sitting alone in her office, drinking tea with a smug smile on her tasty face. Arabella buried her head underneath her pillow, but sleep still did not come easy.
The next morning, Arabella went down to breakfast with Hermione, Harry and Ron. Once they were done, they did some last-minute studying in the common room until the afternoon. Arabella wanted nothing more than to just take a nap after breakfast, but was now in an armchair near the fireplace, trying not to doze off on her textbook. Two o'clock came faster than expected and Arabella was grateful. She had given up on her notes, accepted the fact that she might not do well, and made a mental note to write to Remus after the exam to explain herself before the results came out. The fifth years entered the Great Hall, took their places and turned over their examination papers.
Arabella stared at the first question before realizing her vision was blurry. She rubbed her eyes roughly and reread the question: In your opinion, did wand legislation contribute to, or lead to better control of, goblin riots of the eighteenth century? Arabella wanted to write down I don't know, but felt as though she wouldn't get any points for that. She doubted that Remus would be amused with her answer. Nymph, on the other hand, would definitely laugh.
Arabella went to the next question: Describe the circumstances that led to the Formation of the International Confederation of Wizards and explain why the warlocks of Liechtenstein refused to join.
Did this have something to do with trolls or vampires? They wanted to stop the hunting of either trolls or vampires, but Liechtenstein had problems with a tribe of vicious mountain… vampires? Trolls? It must be trolls. It had to be! Arabella set her quill on her parchment and wrote: The first Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation was Bonaccord, but his appointment was challenged by the Wizarding community of Leichtenstein because of his problems with a tribe of vicious mountain trolls. They met for the first time in France and the goblins were unable to attend because they were exiled by the humans and –
Her mind went completely blank. All the names and dates were out of her mind. How could she just forget five years worth of lessons in minutes? Professor Binns, Arabella thought venomously. Of all the ghosts at Hogwarts, they had the most boring ghost teach them History of Magic. Everyday he just drifted in, read everything off his book, and got their names wrong. If they had someone more competent, if they had someone more lively, she would be answering more questions on during her O.W.L.
Arabella sighed and returned back to her exam, determined to do more. As she flipped over her page, a scream echoed around the Hall. Arabella turned around on her seat and saw Harry on the floor, his right hand over his forehead, panting and sweating.
"Harry!" said Arabella.
Just as she got up from her chair, Professor Marchbanks said, sharply, "Sit down, Miss Black, before you fail."
Professor Marchbanks hurried towards Harry as Arabella fell back on her seat, feeling uneasy. Harry was on the ground, being checked by Marchbanks, and she couldn't do anything about it. Everyone was looking over at Harry and all she wanted to do was make sure he was fine. How was she supposed to do that from here? She glanced over at Hermione, who was already look at her.
"He's going to be fine," mouthed Hermione.
Arabella tried to give her reassuring smile, but it came out as a grimace instead. Marchbanks took Harry out of the Great Hall and Professor Tofty came in to supervise them a minute later.
"All right, everyone, you still have fifteen minutes left. Get back to your papers."
Arabella glanced down at her exam. She wasn't going to finish it and accepted it a long time ago. But what happened to Harry? Did he have another dream with Voldemort? Arabella's thumb was jumping on her desk. The last fifteen minutes wasn't going by quick enough. Arabella stared at the hourglass, waiting for the moment when the last sand –
"Quills down, everyone!" said Professor Tofty. "Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"
The moment her examination paper was out of her sight, Arabella jumped out of her seat and left the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione. They ran up the marble staircase, thinking that he headed towards the hospital wing, but they didn't have to go far to find him. He was already at the top of the staircase, skidding to a halt in front of them.
"Harry!" Hermione said at once. "What happened? Are you all right? Are you ill?"
"What happened?" asked Arabella.
"Come with me," Harry said quickly, grabbing Arabella's arm. "Come on, I've got to tell you something..."
He led them along the corridor, peering through the doorways until he found an empty classroom. He dove right into it and closed the door behind them the moment they were inside. Arabella had no idea what was going on and was getting anxious with each passing second. She braced herself for whatever he was going to tell them, trying to steady her hands, but she was caught off guard. She didn't expect Harry to turn to her and she certainly did not expect him to say, "Voldemort's got Sirius."
Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you guys think. We're almost there, everyone! Only a couple more chapters left!