Chapter 25
Ariana sat in Albus's office. After what Harry had said to her she had gone straight to him. She had to know what was going on. She wanted him to tell her he could sort it out. But the longer she was there the less likely she thought that was.
"So he has to compete." she said to him. Her eyes were wide with concern. She just like her brother didn't want this for Harry
"He has no choice." Albus informed her regretfully.
"But your our headmaster." she said to him, as if it made a difference. "Surely you can do something to get him out of this." she petitioned her brother. She had heard how great he was now. He had to be able to do something didn't he?
"If I could don't you think I would have done something by now?" he asked.
"But why not?"
"Because what is binding him to the competition is a magical contract." he tried to explain, knowing she would never be able to grasp the concept and what it meant.
"So break it."
If only it was that simple, thought Albus. Everything was so easy in her eyes. She saw the good and the bad, the white and the back. There was no grey with her.
"Darling…" he said to her. She knew that 'darling'. It was the tone he took when he knew she would never accept what he was saying.
"I know." she said to him. She had to drop it.
Intending to take her mind off of the subject he turned the topic of subject to her lessons. She was beginning to join up her letters now. But even when they got into it, her heart wasn't in her lessons. Not that day.
"Is he going to be ok?" she asked Albus before she left.
"We can hope so." he said to her.
But what Ariana really couldn't stand was the feeling of being so useless.
Not wanting to study Ariana went down to Hagrid's. She didn't think if she had tried she would have been able to concentrate that day,
When she got there she was relieved to find he wasn't teaching. Hagrid was working in the pumpkin patch and greeted her warmly as she came towards him.
"Yer rite?" he asked her and she nodded in reply. "Not often I get a visit off of yer." he said.
"I'm sorry." She shrugged saying it only half heartedly.
"Yer alright?" he replied. "How have yer been?"
"Ok. I did my first piece of actual magic the other day." she said to him proudly. It was nice to give out good news for a change.
"Aye I know."
"You do?" she said to him curiously. She hadn't told him herself.
"Course I do. Yer brother told me. Dead proud he was an all. Couldn't talk for smiling." he informed her.
He was proud of her then. She smiled. She still didn't believe it at times. That he could be proud of her. When she looked back at there past relationship it wasn't a surprise. But all that was over now.
They were ok. Soon as she progressed they were going to be great.
"I just wanted to do something good for a change."
"What do you mean for a change." he said to her. The way he saw it she was very much like he was. They both aimed for good. Only things beyond there control took hold of what they were doing. But she got the job done. "The way I see it you do good a lot of the time" he said to her.
She blushed.
"Sirius and your brothers certainly think so. Me too. And Harry."
She smiled. When he said it like that she had quite a big circle of people about her. Like a strange sort of mismatch family. She only had one compliant about it. There were no other women. She missed having a women she could go to as she had done her mother, she had Hermione to talk to of courses. But it wasn't the same. She was her age.
"I am glad." she said to him. "Can I sit down here with you for a bit Hagrid. I don't have a class and I want to get out of the castle." she explained to him.
"Yer know yer don't have to ask lass." he said to her. His big beetle eyes were warm as he looked at her. He was so friendly, she thought to herself. Just like Harry and herself he knew what it was to be on the outside. To be different. And this gave them empathy for one another. "Why don't you go and put the kettle on?"
She smiled and nodded. That sounded good. "Ok."
For the rest of the morning she sat out with Hagrid enjoying the peace. It was quiet. Like there home had been she thought to herself. Her father had loved there garden. He had used to sit out there on a Sunday reading his paper…
For a moment a really vivid picture of Percival came in to her head. And she could make him out perfectly. As if he was still there. She smiled, as the autumn breeze blow. She still knew him in her heart.
Those who love us never truly leave us…
"Yer rite?" asked Hagrid as he saw the dreamy expression on her face. He had watched her some of the morning. The girl he had met in the summer was visible but fading in to a more beautiful, confident one. When he heard she had had the set back he had been scared she would let it bet her. But she hadn't. She had fought for her sanity. She was still fighting, determined mite that she was.
"Yeah I am fine," she said to him, "do you know what the time is?" she asked.
"It is getting on for twelve." he informed her.
"Then I have to be getting back to the castle." she said as she got up. She had to get some lunch. Then she had to do some work. She could not slack off all day.
"Thanks for this morning Hagrid. It has been nice." she said to him.
"Any time. Yer gonna have ter come down and see me more." he said and she nodded.
"I will." she said to him.
"Good." he replied as she turned to leave.
"Oh Ariana. Can yer do me a favour? Tell Harry I need a word with him." He had to get that message to him. He had to know what he had to fight. He knew about the dragons and he had to tell him. He knew it was against the rules. But Harry was a friend. Friends were more important than rules.
"Alright." She nodded as she run off.
-
"Dragons."
"You have got to be kidding me."
"I wish I were."
Harry and her Hermione stood in the common room. He had just been with Hagrid after Ariana had told him to go and see him. He was going to have to fight a dragon.
They haven't been kidding when they said the contest wasn't for the light of heart.
"Do you have any ideas of how I am going to do this?" he asked her.
"Not off the top of my head. But if they have given this as a task to you then it means somehow there is a way to do it. And I promise you we'll find It." she said to him.
The first task was coming up far to fast for Harry's liking.
There was something else he had to think of for the task to though. It was just like getting past the dragons. He and Ariana had to find a way about the Dumbledore brothers. He hated deceiving the head master but she had told him she wanted to be there. She felt fine and she had been for days. This potion seem to be doing its job. Why shouldn't she join in?
He had come up with a plan for that one though. He was going to lead her the inevitability cloak. That was going to be no good when he was fighting dragons. If they shot fire at him then they were going to destroy it. It was one of the only things of James's that he had. He wasn't going to allow it to be destroyed. It was precious to him.
But it could get her to the tournament. All she had to do was sneak out.
Initially when she was told of his plan she was opposed. Sneaking out was far too much deception. It was deception. And she didn't want to deceive Aberforth.
But then she didn't see any way out, it was the only way she could get to the task. And she wasn't going to miss it for anything.
So when she headed to the pub on Friday night after having been back in the dorm with the girl's for a couple of weeks, she had the clock in her bag.
She would return to the castle the next day.
"Do you know how your getting past the dragon?" she checked with Harry before going to met Aberforth. She wanted to know he had it all under control and on task day he was going to be fine
"Don't worry it, me, Hermione and Sirius have it covered." he said to her. "I'll be fine."
He didn't believe that in side for one minute. But he didn't want to worry her. Giving her a smile he nodded. He had to make her at least think he was confident about the task.
He would be fine.
"Just be there Ari."
-
On Saturday morning when Ariana woke up, for a minute it was just another weekend at the pub. She was going to collect any glasses her brother needed her too, she was going to get her homework done and then she was going to feed the goats.
Then she remembered what day it really was.
The day of the first task.
She had to try and sneak out of the pub.
Sitting up in bed she felt her stomach drop. She felt guilty before she had even done it. Surely that told her what she was going to do was wrong. And yet she wanted to go to the school so much.
She had to do it. For Harry she had too.
Besides, morning was going to be normal she didn't have to go out till twelve. She had to relax.
Getting up she dressed quickly in a blouse and a blue skirt that came down just below her knees. Brushing her hair she put it back in a pony tail before going out for breakfast.
It was obvious to her just how oblivious Aberforth was to what she was doing.
To him it really was just another day. He walked about with his work apron on, already ready to go down to the bar.
"I am going to be down there most of today. David flued me, he is sick. Are you going to be ok on your own?" he asked.
She nodded. At least that meant she didn't have to talk to him all morning. She was sure had she had too she would have let it slip out.
"I'll be fine." she said to him with a bright smile.
"That's my girl." he said as he headed towards the steps, but before he went down he turned back to her. "Listen Ari… I know today cant be much fun for you, with all your friends at the school going to the tournament, especially with Harry being so - involved in it. But I promise I'll make it up to you ok? We'll do something special tonight. Dunno what yet. You can pick." he said to her.
She nodded. She felt even guiltier.
"Its fine really."
"Ok, well I'll come check on you in a bit."
"Ok."
She felt sick. Maybe she should just tell Harry on Monday she hadn't managed to do it. That she had tried but she had failed. But then she wanted to be there for him. No, she had to do this.
Sitting down at the table she looked about and her eyes landed on a picture of her mother and father. They seemed to be looking disapprovingly at her.
"Oh come on," she said to the picture. "He's my friend."
At twelve she snuck down the stairs in the clock. She had to get to the door so that she could walk out of it when some one came in.
Standing by the door she looked at Aberforth. He was stocking up from the cellar. He was working hard and his mind was peaceful, she thought to herself. And it was all because he thought she was safely upstairs.
The guilt hit again.
There were a few times when he looked over in her direction and she was sure he saw her. But how could he? She was covered, she thought to herself. She was safe.
She was being paranoid. She stood there waiting, wanting to be any where else in the world.
There were few others in the bar. Only a few of the morning drinkers as her brother called them. And those who had become dependent of it. Aberforth didn't like fuelling there addition he said but it wasn't his place to preach. Live and let live he had said to her. It wasn't his place to deny them.
The door opened!
At last she was going to get out she thought.
The man came into the Hogshead, gave her brother a smile and held the door open. Ariana in her hurry to get out went for the door...
And bashed straight in to the next costumer coming in.
"What was that?" the women asked.
Put her hands out in front of her, she felt something and pulled in. Ariana knew the cloak had come off.
"Darling?" asked her brother from behind the bar.
For a minute time seemed to stop. Ariana hoped she had imagined it. But she knew she hadn't. She had gone too soon and she had been caught out. Her brother was going to figure out what she had been trying to do and he would be displeased. She'd never get to the tournament.
"Sorry." said Ariana as she took the cloak back from the women, the apology being to both her brother and the women. She felt the tears in her eyes begin to well. She had let him down so much.
Aberforth looked from the garment to the girl.
The cogs in his mind turned. He figured out what she had been doing. It wasn't hard to do.
"Get upstairs." he growled.
Shaking Ariana did as she was told. "Aba I'm sorry." she said to him.
"NOW!" he yelled at her, understandably cross.
Every one was looking at them. Ariana rushed to the stairs and begun climbing them
Before she got to the flat, the last thing she heard her brother say was an apology to the customers. He was shutting up. He had a personal matter to attend to.