Chapter 34

Since the second task came and went the time seemed to quicker and Harry knew he was going to have to start restricting the time he spent with Ariana.

There was a very simple reason for that.

The exams were lurking just about the cornor.

All the work she had put in that year had to count for something didn't it? She had made such great progress. He knew it was only a little at a time but it was progress none the less. She had put a lot of effort into where she had got too. And she was a Dumbledore. A young powerful witch with the rest of her life ahead of her.

She had to pass into her second year in his eyes.

There was no other option.

And so he tried to keep her it of his problems as much as he could. He knew he should be honest with her. Her quirky ways were just what he needed to help him at times. What she saw gave him a different perspective and helped him so much. But she had to focus on herself. And helping herself. He hadn't even told her about the egg.

He was not going to tell her all the trouble he was having getting ready for the third task.

That wouldn't be fair.

The tasks he was going to face were just as hard as the exams were going to be for her.

So he cooled things with her so she went home to Aberforth at the weekends and so that she went to found Albus when she needed help studying, or even Sirius.

He didn't realise he was hurting her in the process though.

After being so close to him for so long she felt as if they had become suddenly so estranged from each other.

It was weird.

Going down to the goat pen on her break from studying, she sighed, it wasn't fair. But then life rarely was.

"What a heavy heart you look as if you have today precious." Aba said as he came down to watch her.

She tried to give him a smiled.

It was no good.

"I am just stressing." she shrugged to him. It would be too weird to tell him about Harry she thought to herself. She would tell Hermione tomorrow though. She would understand more than her brother.

"Don't work yourself up sweetheart, stay calm there not worth getting upset over."

"But they are everything I have been working for this past year."

"I know they are but they are not going to be the be all and end all for you. If you don't get them then it is going to be the end of the world."

He hadn't got his exams. But by the time he was ready to pass out of Hogwarts they just had not seemed what was important any longer. His family were.

And they had all been gone from him. He had missed them so much that he had stopped caring about everything else.

She nodded, understanding why he said what he said. But the feeling she had to get her exams only intensified. She wasn't in the same situation as he had been.

Albus was the one she really wanted to do proud. Over the pass months in their lessons together she felt she had built a new relationship with her eldest brother. She didn't want that to be taken from her now. With Aberforth it was different. He was sturdy and safe and reliable. She knew he was always going to be proud of her if she had done her best. With Albus it was different. She knew he had reached great heights and she wanted to match him in some ways. The old siblings rivalries from their youth weren't always gone.

Sitting at the bar later on she tried as hard as she could to recall her early child good when she had been sane and they had all been together and more than that they had happy.

She tried to picture what had once been so familiar to her. Bu it just was not there any more.

She feared her new life had pushed her old one out. A life of learning new things had destroyed what had once been so strong and so present in her life.

"I am going to go up to bed." she said to her brother. She to get some sleep.

Then she would feel better by the morning.

-

"I don't know how you do it." Ariana said to Harry as they sat out buy the lake together.

"What?"

"Study and get ready for the third task," he said and he gave her a soft smile as she praised him. "You know, I know you are going to win this tournament. You are already champion to me though." she said to him.

Closing his book he smiled and crawled over to her on a smile on his face. She always made him feel so much better.

"I am sorry if I have been cold with you lately because of it." he said to her acknowledging there had been a shift in their relationship. "Tere is just so much going on all of the time now."

"Don't even worry about it. Its like you said. Next year, when we are both under less pressure things are going to be better. We are going to have so much more time for each other."

She was right. And he knew it. He had said it himself. When she had got through her first year at Hogwarts. When he had finished the trail. Things were going to be easier. And they were not going to end, they were only just going to get going. Things were going to intensify for them. Their love.

"Ariana?"

"Mmm?"

"Kiss me."

Cupping his face she pulled him closer. A few months ago thee physical side of their relationship would have terrified her. But he had taught her how to love another in a new way. With kissing and touching. It wasn't horrible. It was loving and compassionate.

"I adore you. You know that, don't you?" she said to him and he nodded.

I adore you.

What other girl in the world would say that to him? The times she was born - he knew she was scared of forgetting them. But subconsciously they were written all over her.

He nodded. "And I you."

When the last task was over things were going to be so good, he told himself. Better than they had ever been.

"Things are going to be so much easier for us. So soon…" she nodded. "We just have to wait a little while."

The long wait for their troubles to be over was soon to be over

But already when they were alone together seemed so much easier. Simpler. When he was with her he didn't have to think about crouch or Bagman. He didn't have to think about the articles that were in the papers about Hermione and Krum. He didn't have to think about Ron, or Neville, or anything he didn't want too.

It was just them. And they were alone. Their mutual understanding made things uniquely easy with her. He didn't waver want that to end.

Harry found his mind turning to the summer. He and Sirius were going to be at Hogwarts. Ariana was no doubt going to alternate between the school and the pub as she always did. However, they were going to have no classes what so ever to get in the way of things. It was going to be wonderful.

Life before Ariana and Sirius had fading away in to a bad dream. Life had never seemed so wonderful.

It was at that moment, Harry should have realised it was the calm before the storm. But he didn't.

An: Chapter 29 is in place properly now. (Accidentally posted 19 twice! Opps! Thanks to the-dreamer4 for pointing that out).

Anyway, merry Christmas every one! Hope your enjoying the story.

Please review!