Chapter 26
"I didn't mean to let you down," said Ariana as Aberforth came in to the flat.
She didn't believe she had been caught so soon. She hadn't even made it out the bar. But now she had been she felt awful. She had lied to him or as good as. She knew he was angry. And that he had every right to be. She had done wrong.
"Sit down." he ordered her. There was no warmth to his voice. Only anger. There was nothing familiar there.
She did not move. She was too afraid of him. Suddenly in his rage he seemed terrible. She had never before seen him like that.
"SIT DOWN!" he roared.
She sat as she had been told. She didn't want him to yell at her. She couldn't stand people shouting.
"I told you how much I love, respect and how proud of you I am. Yet it seems you have no love or respect for me."
"You know I do." she said to him. Tears well up in her eyes. She felt so emotional. She knew she had being doing wrong. But she had wanted to be there for a friend. She had had the best of intentions. It wasn't as if she had been doing it for ill.
"No baby not any more. How could you try to sneak out Ariana. You are not a lying, stupid young girl. You are my good little one." he said to her.
He thought he didn't need to tell her about love and loyalty in the family. He was trying to hold together what was left of it. He thought she had been there with him.
"I am." she whispered. He knew she was in his heart. She was his sister who loved him above all others. But he was fuming.
"I am so angry with your right now." he said as he put his hand on the kitchen table.
"Right go to your room." he said to her. He didn't want to see her for the first time. Why hadn't she thought of the danger she had put herself in when she had tried to sneak out? All he had ever tried to do was protect her. "Go now please, I don't want to see you." he said to her.
She did as she was told as tears streamed on to her cheeks. She didn't want to be told that. It hurt he didn't want her. She run all the way and when she got there shut the door, sinking against it in floods of tears.
This time she could not say she hadn't meant to be bad because she had. She had meant to go about and betray his trust. She had been wrong and she had known it. She had no excuse.
So she sat there on the floor and cried. All she could do was wait for him to calm down. And she had no idea how long that was going to take because he had not been angry with her like this before.
"Aba…" she whispered softly.
But he didn't come.
-
Harry looked about the common room. She hadn't made it.
"Did you see her at all today Hermione." he asked though in his heart he knew the answer.
"No. I don't think she got away from her brother, do you." she said to him.
He shook his head. Somehow that out a downer on the day for him. He had got past a dragon and yet she wasn't there with him to celebrate. She hadn't seen him.
He wished she had. It was at that moment that the common room portrait opened and he thought for a glorious split second it was her. She had got out, only late. And she had heard how well he had done and she had come to him.
The illusion was broken.
It was Sirius.
He had seen him in the tent after he had faced the dragon. He had told him to go and have a good night with his friends after he had checked he was ok.
So why had he come to see him so soon?
"Harry," said Sirius as he came over. "Can I have a word?" he asked
"Yeah of course." he nodded.
"I have something to do tonight. But I don't want the world and his aunt knowing, so would it be ok if I used your dads cloak?" he asked.
Harry felt tongue tied and Sirius felt his heart sink. So what Aberforth had said to him in the fire was right.
"Idiot." said Sirius as he figured out he really had tried to get her back to the castle.
He had put her in so much danger. God, if she had got out he dreaded to think what might happen.
"I want to see you in my office tomorrow Harry. We'll talk about this then." He couldn't take him out the common room. He was his houses champion. But the next day they would be having words.
-
Aberforth breathed deeply. It was evening. He had not spoken to his sister for most of the day. But he didn't want to go to bed with this hanging over them. So he made her some soup and bread, for she had not eaten that day and took it through to her room.
He had calmed down.
He found her sitting up on her bed in her night gown. She had put her hair in plaits as she had been taught to be there her before bed. She looked just as she did every other night before she went to sleep.
And yet it hadn't been just any other day.
She said nothing when he came in and he knew he was going to have to make the first move.
"I thought you might be a bit hungry." he said to her as he nodded to the tray.
She looked up at him gratefully.
She would make sure she ate it all. She didn't want to upset him anymore than she already had.
"Do you want to tell me what today was all about?" he asked as he sat down and perched by her side on the bed. That was what his mother had asked him when he had been in t4roublw.
"Harry's my best friend." she said to him.
"I know he is."
"He was in danger. He had to face a dragon. I wanted to be there for him. If it was the other way about I know he would be there for Me." she said to him.
"And I suppose that makes it ok? Honey when would you ever face a dragon?"
"I don t know, but you take my point."
"You know what? I don't think I so." he said to her honestly. Just because she had lied to him didn't mean he was going to do the same. "If he was a real friend he would not encouraged you to lie to your family. He would want to protect you."
"Maybe that's why I like him. Because he isn't forever trying to protect Me." she shrugged. She was setting sick of being told she needed protection from the outside world all of the time. She knew it was true but she was still sick of it.
She didn't want the protection. She didn't want reminding.
"Stop being silly Ariana." He snapped at her. It wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"I am not being silly. I am trying to tell you how I feel."
"You know why I try to protect you. I lost you once and I am not going to let it happen again." So many emotions swamped his body. He didn't know what one to go with.
"No. I don't want you too. But you have to believe I am not going anywhere for it to be true. Otherwise we are never going to have peace." she said to him.
He looked her. Ever since she had been a baby he had seen her so fragile, precious. His baby sister. It wasn't just after the attack he had loved her dearly. It had been before. She had always since the day she had been born been his be all and end all.
He shook his head.
Reaching out to him she took his hand.
"I didn't mean to hurt you today. It wasn't what I meant." she said to him. "Only to be a good friend."
"You have to start thinking through your actions though. What if you had got out - what if you had then had an attack while you had been covered up by the clock. No one would have been able to find you." he said to her.
"I know."
"I couldn't have found you." He insisted.
"Aberforth I know." she said to him seriously. That had been a risk she had taken. And it had been a stupid one to take. She didn't need telling that.
"You scared me." he admitted to her. That had been why he had got so angry. Because he had been afraid.
"I didn't mean too." she whispered to him. A tear rolled on to her cheek.
"If you got hurt again I would never forgive myself."
"But it wouldn't have been your fault." she said to him.
"I think it would have." He was responsible for her. She obviously couldn't be for herself. She had been through so much. Why had she tried to put herself through more?
"Well we don't have to place blame. Nothing happened."
He looked at her. She was right. She was fine. Nothing ha happened and it had all worked out ok. He had been shocked at her behavior. But he thought to himself, she was a teenager. And if anyone had a reason to rebel it was her.
"Come here," he said to her.
Wrapping his arms about her he kissed her forehead.
"I am sorry if I scared you earlier. It is only because I love you." He promised her. He shut his eyes and tried to forget the events of that day. He didn't want to remember.
"I know." she said as she held on to him.
She made a vow at that moment she would never try o deceive him again.
It really wasn't worth it. The bond they had was special and she didn't want to break it.