Chapter 23

Ariana walked in to Albus office. She had got a message by owl from him when she had been in the library trying to get more work done. She felt she wasn't going to catch up with the rest of her year group completely though she didn't seem to be doing too badly at the practical side of Herbology. There was some hope there she supposed. That kept her strong. And Hagrid was always praising the effort she was putting in his class. He gave her confidence. But with Transfiguration and Potions, which were her two hardest classes she felt as if she was falling even further behind. Which wasn't helpful when exams were just already eight months away as Hermione had kindly reminded Ron and Harry that morning at breakfast. It hadn't been what she wanted to hear.

Walking in to the office she saw he was not on his own though. He was with Pompfrey and Snape as well as Aberforth who had come up. This could only mean one thing. The new potion was ready. And she was more than willing to have it. A smile spread over her face.

"Ariana." said Albus to her smiling.

"I came as soon as I could." she nodded to him, putting her bag down eagerly. .

"Thank you darling. I guess you know why I have called you here."

"Is it the potion is it ready?" she asked impatiently.

"Yes it is." said Albus to her.

"This one is a lot stronger than the last Ariana." said Pompfrey to her. "I don't know how long it is going to sustain you for. We can hope for longer than the last once. But I think what we can be sure about is it is going to work very differently to the last one. How ever if everything goes well then you might be able to go back to the dorm room. Your brother has told me how much you want to. So lets see if we can get you back there shall we." she asked her kindly.

"Yes please." She nodded.

"The potion is going to taste quiet bitter, Ariana, so be ready for that ok," she said to her.

"Ok," Ariana smiled and looked over at Aba to give her self a bit of confidence. He was there with her. Then he couldn't still be annoyed with her for returning to school. He must have forgiven her.

Madam Pompfrey was right. The potion said taste far fouler than the first one had. She got no pleasure out of it what so ever. But the result was what she was after.

"Can I have some water?" she said after she had had the first sip.

"I am afraid not till you are finished." said Snape to her. She looked at the sound of his voice, her eyes leaving the floor. His eyes were as ever unreadable. No malice was there she was sure, but he was not a compassion ate man either. She couldn't work him out. But at least he had acknowledged her. He had had too.

"It might interfere with the potion." Madame Pompfrey put in. Her tone was far more gentle than the one the potions master had used.

"You can take your time drinking it."

She nodded.

Aberforth came over to her side. Sitting by her side, he gave her gently encouragement, not that she needed much.

"You just take your time sweet heart." he said stroking her hair. She nodded and did as he said.

It took a while.

"It is just so bitter." she said to him. "I know it is good for me though." she smiled and he nodded.
"You just keep going lass." he agreed.

The five of them sat in the office watching her face periodically change between relaxing and screwing up every time she took another sip.

Albus watched her with pride. At the beginning of summer he wasn't sure she was going to cope. And yet she was proving them all wrong. Everyone who had been sceptical.

-

Ariana felt quite sleepy after she had had it. It had drained her.

As well as that she felt sick. Pompfrey had been right. This potion did make her feel different from the one before. It made her feel worse.

"I think I am going to sit down for a bit," she said as she returned to her brother's living room with Aberforth and Albus.

"You just take your time love." Aberforth said to her.

She nodded.

"Do you want anything Ariana. You can have a drink to take the taste away now if you would like one." Albus said to her.

She nodded gratefully. A drink would be very nice.

"A cocoa would be good," she said to him.

"I think we can stretch to one of them." he said as he kissed her fore head. His brave girl.

Aberforth who had been standing moved over to sit by her. She looked very tired. He was reminded of how she had been at summer. How she had fallen asleep so much. She was still ill, he was reminded, not that he ever forgot. He wondered if it would ever leave her.

"One more night up here I think." he said to her. There was going to be nodorm room that night. There might not be again. After the attack last time. …well they were going to have to see how things went with her before they made any big decisions about her rejoining the rest of the year properly.

She nodded.

"I don't think I mind that." she smiled as they cuddled up as if it was the olds days. She remembered when they had lived at home with both their parents and she had had a nightmare or there was a thunder storm she had done into his room for a cuddle. He never minded her waking him up. She knew she had been distance from him of late but in that moment she was over come with affection for the brother who had always been there for her no matter what.,

"Your tired my sweetheart." he asked her and she nodded. "You have had quite a day once again haven't you?" he said.

She was always so busy now it seemed. And when she did get time to rest it was always because she had something to recover from.

She nodded.

"Will you stay with me tonight." she asked. She didn't want him to go. Having him there made her feel warm and loved. As if the fiercest storm could not hurt her because he was her protector.

Albus watching this exchanged was over come by the feeling off being left out. He had been the smart one when they had been small. But it hadn't always been fun. When they had been playing and he had wanted to join in…

"Of course I will sweetheart."

She nodded, comforted by the fact he wouldn't leave her and by the time her cocoa was ready she had already fallen in to a deep sleep.

-

It seemed to Ariana sometimes she had all the hard work and got to join in with none of the fun stuff. Her brothers and she had been talking the night before and they had come to the conclusion she wasn't going to be going to the feast on Halloween to reveal who was going to be the champions of the three schools.

She wanted to go though.

"But I have had the potion now I am going to be ok." She insisted.

"But we have to be sure about that. We thought you were last time and you weren't." said Aberforth to her. He did feel sorry for her they had to be quite confusing for her as brothers at times. They were telling her to be a normal kid and then they were not allowing it to happen. . "Ariana I know you don't like this but it is just the way it has to be." he shrugged. "And besides with all the free time you are going to have you can get on with your studies." he said to her.

"What do you mean all of my free time? It is going to be for one night." she said to him. But then she begun to understand. It wasn't. "You are thinking about not allowing me to go to any thing to do with the tournament aren't you?" She asked her brothers.

This was so unfair.

"We don't know yet. We are just going to have to see how you go." Albus said to her and she signed.

"I know you are finding this all a lot to take in. But it is going to get easier." said Aberforth to her.

"When? You have been saying that to me for what feels like months sand then it never does." she said to him.

"Baby," he said to her. She shook her head. She didn't want him to brush her off any more. She felt they were tormenting her. As if they were dangling food in front of her and then taking it away. And she was so hungry to be part of the school. So hungry to be like all the other students.

"Don't." she replied to him.

"Ariana." he sighed as he put his hands on her shoulder.

"I just want to be normal and do what I have too." she sighed. To make them happy. And to make them free from worrying over her.

"That is all any of us want for you as well. But sweetheart this is all going to take - "

"Time. I know." she said in her frustration.

He put his head in his hands.

"I need you to be patience Ariana. Can you do that for us?"

"I am going to have to, aren't I?"

But she had been doing so for months. She felt tears well in her eyes and she let them tumble down her cheeks. She felt lost, alone. Backed into a corner by those she loved the most. The old familiar longing for her mother came over her heart. She let a sob out. When was it going to end?

-

"Ariana?" asked Harry.

They were in the library. It was getting on for eight o'clock. He knew she didn't often stay up much later than that. Dumbledore was going to be worrying if she didn't get back soon. He had been watching her study and he knew she had been so immersed in what she had been doing she hadn't thought to check on the time.

"Yeah?" she said not taking her head out the book.

Knowing she was going to object to him telling her what to do, as so many others seem to think that was there job at the moment, he sat down by her side.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to be a bit more positive like we said I was going to be." she said to him.

Showing him the transfiguration text book.

"Do you have McGonagall tomorrow then?" he asked.

She nodded. "I think she is getting annoyed at me. She knows I had the set back of the attack and she had been really cool about it all but I have not done any magic all term. She wanted to get me doing some in September and I had such trouble with the reading we had to get through the theory first and I still don't get it. But Harry - I am trying."

"I know you are." he said to her. They could all of them see she was. He took her hand and she shut her eyes. "I just want it all to be done." she said to him.

"I know. And one day in the future you are going to look back at what your doing and be proud."