Chapter 24
Ariana walked into McGonagall's room. She had got transfiguration lessons. She didn't want to go into it but she had to. She was going to be using magic today. She told herself she was using her mother's wand to try and make it better for herself. But it didn't work.
She just felt nervous. In fact, she was petrified.
"Hello," she said as she crept in quietly, hoping she wasn't there. No such luck.
"Miss Dumbledore," the stern teacher said to her.
"Are you ready for your lesson?"
"As ready as I am ever going to be." she said to her.
"Try to say it a bit more positively."
She knew she was nervous but she had to try and over come it if their lesson was to be a success. She gave her an encouraging smile.
"Today you are going to try and turn a needle in to a match."
Ariana nodded to her.
She understood.
She had been told this last lesson. She knew what she had to do.
"What you have to try and do more than anything is not to panic."
She knew that. "I'll try not to. I will do my best"
But she knew at times her best wasn't enough.
She had to do as she was told.
McGonagall nodded. That was all she had ever wanted from her students. The best they could give her.
"Take your time, don't rush It." she said as she put the needle on to the desk.
Ariana nodded and took her wand out. Her mother's wand. She felt as if in that moment she was being watched by her mother and her father. She felt as if the wand gave her some connection to her. It almost felt as if Kendra had never been gone. She wasn't there physically, but spiritually she had never left Ariana. They were together still.
She shut her eyes. She had to do this. For her mother she had to do this.
She had been practicing the wand movements. She knew she could do this.
Repeating the word she had been she kept calm and she tried to do the spell. In her heart she knew it.
With all her might she wished it would work and that everything was going to go her way. For once she may be might have some luck.
She opened her eyes.
Before her lay a match stick. She had had her eyes shut and she had missed the first time she had done magic. But it hadn't hurt. She had used her natural ability. In a good way. She'd done it! She really had!
"I did it." she said quietly. She said it quietly, for she was in disbelief. She had actually performed magic. She had taken her first step towards being a witch.
"Yes Miss Dumbledore." said McGonagall equally quietly. They were both in shock. She had done as she had been told. And she had done it well. She had used magic. In a good way. "Oh miss Dumbledore! You did it!"
She felt as if she could cuddle her. She was delighted for her.
Ariana felt tears well in her eyes. Only this time they were tears of joy – and sadness. Her family had missed it.
"I did, didn't I?" she said.
"I was there with her and I just could not believe what had happened." said Ariana. It was the weekend. She had been told next week she might be allowed to go back to the dorm next week.
But before she had gone back to the pub one last time. She had wanted to tell Aberforth how she had got on in transfiguration. He was so proud of her. But it didn't subside his fears for her.
"Well I am proud of you and I am happy for you my little one, but I still want you to just take your time and to be careful."
"I am going to be, you didn't have to worry about this." she said to him.
Kissing his cheek she kept a smile on her face.
She was doing what every other kid her age was doing for the first time in her life. And she was loving it.
Giving her a cuddle, he smelt her hair. Was she a more comfort to him now than he was to her he wondered? She was growing up so fast in his eyes. He shook his head. He knew he saw her more as a daughter than a sister now. His love had turned paternal. Maybe it was his age. But he didn't want to see her grow now. He wanted her to be small, safe forever.
She snuggled in to him though like she always had. Some things he hoped would never change.
She was also quite glad she had gone home. She knew she wasn't going to be allowed to get involved with the tournament, and they had a feast tonight to tell the school who were going to be the champions. It was best for her to be out the way. Had she been in the tower she would have gone mad she felt. She didn't want to be left out.
"I think I am going to do some homework." she said to him. She had plenty to do. McGonagall didn't wasn't to slow down the pace now they were making progress. Quite the opposite she wanted to speed it up.
"It's Saturday night!" Aberforth told her. When he had been at Hogwarts the thought of working on a Saturday was unbearable, he just wouldn't have done it. He had always made sure he had it as a day of rest. Most had it on a Sunday he knew but he preferred to chill on a Saturday.
"And." she shrugged.
"Wouldn't you rather be playing games or chatting?" he asked. Surely there was something more enjoyable they could be doing.
"I 'spose so." she muttered as she went over to the arm chairs and collapsed in to the one nearest the fire in her brothers small but cozy living room.
"Have you had a butter beer yet sis?" he asked. He didn't remember giving her one over the summer. He didn't know what made him think of that, apart from when he had been her age it was his favourite drink.
"No, what's that?" she asked.
"It is a sort of right of passage for every Hogwarts student." He chuckled.
He thought back to when he had begun Hogwarts and he had been allowed into Hogsmeade for the first time. It had been in his third year. He hadn't known it at the time but that village was to be his home for the rest of his days. He had seen the Hogshead for the first time. It had been an old run down building even then. It had been Albus who he had gone in to town with for the first time. It was on one of those rare occasions when the boys had been getting on. Ariana had been going through a good spell at home so the boys didn't feel too bad about going out to have some fun. They had gone up to the Old Snitch, which had been a pub. Of course it was long out of business now. It was a shame he thought. He had liked that bar.
It had been in there where he had his first Butterbeer. He remembered the first time the liquid had run down his threat and warmed him through. He didn't think he had ever enjoyed a drink so much. Of course it wasn't strong. Not like the stuff he had today if he wanted to get away for a while. But for the thirteen year old Aberforth it had been more than enough.
"I'll go get you one so you can see." he said to her, kissing her forehead before he left.
Clearly the way he had said it amused her because she had a smile on her face and she looked as if she was going to burst out laughing.
He loved it when she smiled.
It was like the sun to him. His sunshine.
There mama had sung that to them he remembered.
"You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine,
You make me happy when sky's are grey,
You'll never know dear,
How much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away."
Kendra's voice sung to her son in his head. She had been so beautiful and so young. When he had been a boy of seven she ad seemed like a goddess to him. As firm as she was kind, strict and yet good fun for her children. She had valued nothing more than him and his siblings, except there father. It had been a time of happiness. Yet it had all changed. And there mother had too. She had had to. There was no way for her to go on being who she had before everything had come to pass. So she had stopped singing.
Yet the mere thought of her ass she had been made her son smile. And comforted him.
He didn't know how possible it was but one day he hoped to see his sister like that. As a mother in a loving home, with a good husband. Maybe it was too much to hope for. They were not in an ideal world after all.
He walked into the bar and he grabbed one of the bottles. It was time for him to accept she was growing up.
Walking back in to the living room once he had trekked back up the stairs he looked at her for a moment. Her hair was let down so it fell down on to her shoulders. Her eyes were glazed with happiness mixed with tiredness, but she had a soft smile that reflected peace. She was peaceful.
He slumped down in the chair next to her and gave her the bottle.
"Are you not having one?" she asked.
"I think I am going to have some fire whisky instead." he said to her. Just the one mind Aberforth, he thought to himself.
She nodded and took the open bottle from him with a smile of gratitude.
"Well bottoms up." she said to him and begun drinking.
It succeeded it realizing her further. She found she liked the taste, and the feeling it gave her.
"Its good." she said to him.
"I am glad you think so." he said as a he looked in to the fire.
He still didn't believe she was back with him at times. He thought back to the days when she had first gone missing. He awoke with his sick feeling in his stomach. He forgot why for a moment. And then he remembered, and it was as if he had lost her all over again. For the rest of his life he had that. Even when he woke up that day he had felt despair. Till he realized he had no reason too. Not any more.
"But I didn't think people from our year could be a champion even if they wanted to be." said Ariana to Ron. She had just got back to school. It was Monday morning. And this was the news she begun he week with. That Harry. Her best friend Harry was the Gryffindor champion. There were two champions for Hogwarts
Yet even she knew that was against the rules.
"So did I." said Ron.
Ariana could tell by the tone of his voice he wasn't happy. This was getting to him.
But for another reason than it was to her. Something wasn't fitting in. Harry wouldn't put his name in. He had said as much to her over the summer. He wanted a peaceful year in which he could get to know his godfather.
He did not want to go in for a Tri Wizard tournament. That'd be the last thing he'd want.
"Where is he?" she asked. She had to get to him before the bell went. She had reading and writing first. If she was late maybe she would be able to explain to her brother…he'd understand…
"What?" asked Ron. "Aren't you annoyed with him?"
"No why on earth would I be." she asked.
"Because you are meant to be his friend and he didn't tell you he was putting his name in to the goblet." he said to her. She hadn't even thought of it like that.
Now she did, even then she was annoyed. Everyone was entitled to secrecy and privacy if they wanted it.
"No." she said to him. "Besides, not even I'm mad enough to believe that."
Ron looked at her as if she really was mad. Turning, she walked into the great hall. She guessed Ron and Harry weren't talking.
As soon as Harry saw her he got up. He wanted to tell her everything. She was unbiased in a way. She would give him her advice on how to handle it. If not, at least she'd be a sympathetic ear. He only had one choice though. he had to go through with the tasks.
"What's going on?" she said to him.
"Come on I'll explain everything to you." he said taking her by the arm.
They marched up to the common room where they sat down together and he told her the events of the weekend. How some how his name had got into the goblet of fire? He didn't know how. It just had. And then, worst luck it had come out. It was no coincidence, he was sure. He was going to have to compete. Suddenly Ariana wished she was allowed to be involved. She wanted to be there for him. She would badger her brothers. Even if she was just in the crowd she was going to be therefore him. As he had been for her.
But there was so much about it all that didn't make sense. No sense at all to her. It didn't to the others either, she was sure. It wasn't because she was mad.
"Ariana you do believe me don't you." he asked her desperately. "When I say it wasn't me who put my name in the goblet." He looked at her pleadingly. As if all that mattered for that single moment was her answer though she was shocked he doubted what it would be.
"Of course I do. I haven't known you that long but I know you are not a liar. Why would you lie about this?" he shrugged. It'd make no sense. Not to her.
"If only everyone saw this as you do." he said to her.
"If only Ron did. I saw him in the corridor before I got to you." she said to him. "He seemed pretty wound up about the whole thing." she said to him.
"And that is why I didn't want anything like this to go on this year," he said to her. He had wanted to go through it quietly getting on with everyone. "What do you think I should do." he asked.
"The only thing you can. You have to go thought with the competition." she said. "What has Sirius said about the whole thing?"
"He is torn between delight and anger." he said to her. "He wanted me in ever since he heard there was going to be a Triwizard tournament. But then he wants to know who put my name in the goblet. I don't think he wanted it to happen like this."
"I don't think any of us did." she said to him, taking his hand.. "In the mean time. What d o we do." she asked.
The bell went.
There had to be some way of getting him out this, surely?
"Go to class."