Chapter 6

The week which Harry spent with his aunt and his uncle went quickly. Sirius had been staying with Remus for the week, and he picked Harry up from his relatives in early August. The reunion was a happy one. Harry wanted to ask him again as to why he had to go back to the Dursleys every year, but that was going to have to wait for another day.

The day was hot and sunny when they got back to the only place either of them had been able to call home. The green seemed greener and the lake bluer than usual as Harry looked out the window of the North Tower. He was glad to be home.

They were installed into the Gryffindor tower, having all of it to

themselves (happily) for the entire summer. Sirius had chosen the dorm room that had once belonged to the Marauders to sleep in to be their bedroom for the summer period.

Sirius entertained Harry with tales of when the Marauders roamed at Hogwarts for most of the day.

"Your dad, he was the brains of the operation," he said to Harry, as they walked down to the lake that night. "Remus and I were just there to help see it through. More me then Remus though. He was such a goody-goody!"

"But the four - three, I mean, the three of you," Harry corrected

himself, cutting Peter out of the equation. As far as Sirius and Remus were concerned now, Wormtail had never existed. Wormtail was in Azkaban now, doing the time he deserved. That was the end of it. "But the three of you, your friendship-"

Harry was fascinated by the friendship that the Marauders had had before. He knew he was close with Hermione and Ron, but he wasn't sure if it was ever going to be anything like what the Marauders had. He wasn't sure why. Maybe because his father's past was so refreshingly new to him. Maybe he just wanted to believe his dad and his friends and still was more amazing than anything in the world.

"We were all like brothers. More so than me and Reggie ever were," Sirius confided in him.

"Reggie?" Harry asked.

"My real brother. He was a nasty bit of work, really. A Slytherin."

"Odd one out?" Harry guessed.

"What, Golden Boy Reggie? My mother's pride and joy?" Sirius scoffed. "No, not at all, You've got it wrong - I was the odd one out. I grew up with him and my three cousins, Andy, Bella and Cissy. They were all in Slytherin, though Andy didn't turn out too bad. She was always my favourite cousin, although Cissy was sweet when we were young." Sirius scowled. "I don't know what she's like now. Her marriage was not the one I wanted for her. But anyways, my entire family

was Slytherin, 'cept me."

Harry opened his mouth to ask where 'Reggie' now and why he disapproved of Cissy's (who ever she was) marriage when a giggle

interrupted him. Harry looked up - they'd reached the lake, but it seemed they weren't the only ones out on the school grounds, enjoying the evening peace. Six other people were having a picnic supper - Professor McGonagall, Hagrid (who took up much of the picnic blanket), Madame Pomfrey, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, whose eyes twinkled upon seeing them, and two others, a man who had more than a passing resemblance to Dumbledore, and a little girl, who, he

realized with a start, had been the one to capture Wormtail!

"I see you're both back," Dumbledore beamed.

"Hello," Harry said politely. "We got here about an hour ago."

"You must both be hungry," said Professor McGonagall. "Would you like to join us for supper?"

Harry looked at Sirius, who shrugged, so Harry sat down on the edge of the blanket, joining the group of people who had remained at Hogwarts for the summer break. 'This view is stunning,' Harry thought as he looked into the sunset. It was so breathtaking. He hadn't seen anything like it. Clearly, neither had Sirius in a long time. He thought his god father must have missed simple things like watching the sun go down.

"Harry, Sirius," said the headmaster, bringing the boy wizard out of his daydream, "I think you've both met Ariana, haven't you?" He gestured to his little sister.

"You were there, that night in the forest," Sirius said to her, smiling. "Hello, Ariana."

She was clearly startled. Someone unfamiliar had spoken to her. Moving closer to Aberforth, she said nothing but looked at the ground.

"Come on Ari," Aberforth reassured her. "Why are you going all shy Darlin'?"

She shrugged and opened his arms with her hands, lifting them so she could sit in between them and shutting them back round herself as if they could protect her from anything in the world.

Harry would soon learn that his first impression of the girl was correct - she was mentally unbalanced.

"Hello," Ariana muttered to them both.

Her brothers thought it odd that she got so quiet suddenly. When she had met Poppy and Minerva she had been confident, for her at least. Hagrid had been a bit different (he was rather large), but she had gotten used to him during the past week. Maybe that was all she needed to do here again - get to know them.

Sirius smiled at her gently, obviously not sure what to say to a girl he thought was a seeker short of a Quidditch team, and turned to strike up a conversation with Hagrid.

"It's good to see you," Sirius said cheerfully. Hagrid had been a friend of the Marauders when they'd been in school. He favoured the Gryffindors and due to their wit and charm, the four friends had been close to Hagrid.

As the night fell, Harry examined the girl. He didn't know why, but he felt as if there was something more to her. Some thing deeper. As if the person he was seeing, (Ariana, did the headmaster call her?), was not the real Ariana.

She looked young, and at a guess he would say she was just about to go into her first year. In her hand, she had a thread-bear old toy, and the man whom she had run to when she'd seen him and Sirius was smiling at her with great love and affection. 'Most likely her grandfather,' Harry thought to himself.

"So," Hagrid said, "Yeh plannin' ter go ter the Quidditch World Cup this summer?"

Harry perked up. Quidditch?

"I expect so," said Sirius. "You'd like to go, would you Harry?" he asked, turning around to see Harry's eager face.

"That'd be great!" Harry said, grinning.

Sirius smiled. His godson seemed to have inherited his father's love of the sport.

---

Ariana once again fell asleep in Aberforth's arms later that night. She found such security in him, in a world she did not understand. Aberforth didn't know how much clearer he made things for his little sister, but sometimes, Albus saw it. Aberforth was the probably the person that kept at least half of her in focus and sane.

Soon, maybe he could help her bring the other half of herself back to her original state, so that she might be healed.

After Sirius and Harry returned to their dorm room, Poppy went to the Headmaster.

She and Snape, at the headmaster's requests, had looked in to remedies that might help Ariana regain her right mind.

Enchantments could nothing for her. Potions on the other hand...

"Headmaster," said the prim nurse as she entered the room, "we think we've created the potion that Ariana - that Ariana needs,"

Albus saw on the ingredients list many components that were also used in common Calming Draughts and Memory potions.

"It should allow her to control and to remember," she explained.

"What," he asked slowly, "do you suppose the side effects will be?" He didn't wish her to go through any unnecessary pain. She'd suffered enough.

"We're not completely sure," the nurse said quietly.

"We won't know until she takes it, will we?" he sighed.

She shook her head. Albus put his head in his hands, a rare display of frustration playing out on his face. He wanted his sister back, more than anything - he remembered how sweet, loving and gentle she'd been before the attack...

"Headmaster, the potion isn't fully completed yet," Madame Pomfrey said hesitantly. "Severus and I agree that the potion can be improved. I just thought you would like to know of our progress."

"And I thank you, Poppy. You don't know how appreciated the work you both are doing is."

An: thank you to 30Kyu for betaing!

Review please!!!!