Chapter 41

By the time that Harry got back to school he found Ariana more than ready to return to lessons. She was getting restless and he rather thought that the rest of their friends were going to be as well. The school holidays were good to start with but there was a stage when they got quite boring.

She was longing to get back into the classroom and start learning again. The previous year had been a challenge but she had enjoyed it in spite of herself and she was equally looking forward to the year that was about to begin.

On the day that school begin she went up to Hogwarts to find her brother. Albus had been understandably busy that summer and he had hardly got to see her which he so regretted. She had grown up again it seemed to her brother who also seemed to have aged. And not in the way she had.

"You looked tired brother mine," she said to him as she walked round his desk and put her arms about his shoulders lovingly.

He kissed her ear as their heads reached an equal level.

"I am sister."

"My poor Albus."

Her sympathy was genuine for him. He had so much on at the moment and she did not want to be a pain or another worry for him but she had to say she was missing him while he was away from her. She had got used to just hour with him every other day at least and that summer they had hardly had that.

Tom's return had made him brake so many promises he had made to her when she had returned to him. He had so wanted to be there for her now.

"Have you got time to have a cup of tea before school starts," she asked. She knew she was being selfish wanting him to herself for a while when there was still so much to be done, but she missed him.

"If I can't give you that then I am no sort of big brother at all." he said. "I think a cup of tea is a very good idea." he said to her.

Once they had gone through to the private areas of his room he sat down and listened to what she and their brother had been doing over the summer. Again a pang of guilt hit him as he released once more he had missed out on so much of the time they had been given together. Yet there was another aspect of their talk. It was just talking. He let his mind wonder away from the Order for a while and away from the ministry's interference. He could just listen to her and see her smile.

"So all in all you had a good summer?" he asked, and she nodded. He was truly delighted that was the case. As ever he thought she deserved to have a bit of fun in her life. And as ever he only wished he could have been a bigger part of it.

"It's been good," she nodded. It was quiet she had to say. But she had got used to it sort of. Her lessons were in the fore front of her mind. Getting focused and keeping it.

"I am glad my dear."

"We are still going to have my reading and writing lessons this year aren't we?" she checked. It was evident from the way in which she asked him that she did indeed want to continue with her lessons. She had thought about it when she had been at home last night and she decided as that was the one time she seemed to have his undivided attention she wanted them to continue.

"Of course we are," he beamed at her. She hadn't been the only one thinking about it obviously. She still had a bit of work to do; she certainly could not read up to the standard that her class mates could. No that might take her years to get to. He just hoped they still had years together.

She smiled a smile that warmed him from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. She was so excited about the new term beginning, he could tell. Unlike him (and most probably unlike every other wizard in their world who believed Harry) he still was not convinced that she truly understood the danger that their world was facing. For now at least, he was happy to leave it like that. There were going to be a lot of pupils of his, he thought to himself, who were rather worried about returning to school this year because of Voldemort. Even if they did not think he had really returned then the rumours were going to be enough for their parents to warn them of the danger that might be on coming but she remained oblivious to the true threat.

For now her ignorance could remain her bliss.

---

Neville, Ginny, the twins and Ariana sat with the trio as they took their positions at the Gryffindor table. Now that they were at the feast it was real that they were back at school. It was so different to the year before. She remembered the way she had been reluctant to leave Aberforth to just go and get sorted. Looking back in seemed silly.

A woman in a pink cardigan had joined the teachers table.

"That has to be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher right?" Fred asked.

"I don't know. When I was with Albus I forget to ask him." They had got so caught up in other stuff that Ariana hadn't thought about it.

By the end of the feast the group had had their questions confirmed. She was indeed going to be teaching them Defence Against the Dark Arts. But she seemed like she was in the ministry's pocket and from the moment that she interrupted her brothers welcome back speech Ariana took against her.

"She is so rude!" said Ariana as they wondered up to the common room that evening. The way she had patronised every student in the hall! How dare she?

"Calm down. Don't think about her." Advised Neville but no one else seemed to be heeding his advice, and neither would she.

Her evening was made worst by the first years, who she knew were only curious as to what the headmaster's sister looked like but did they have to stare? It was like when she had begun school all over again. Maybe that night was not so different from the first of September the year before. Something's were never going to change she grimaced.

"You know Ariana, he was probably right. We should calm down." Said Harry as he wondered over to the fire where she stood hugging herself, looking into the flames.

"And when did you become the voice of reason. You were calling her every name under the sun when we were coming up to the common room." In fact he had added quite a few words to her vocabulary that evening she was not entirely sure her brothers were going to approve of.

"When I realised that we were both up in the tower and this is the first night since He came back that your brothers and Sirius can't find a reason to split us up. That was when." Harry told her. "See, now there is that smile I love so much. I was worried I wasn't going to see it all night there." He said as he wound his arms about her thin waist.

They had both matured over the summer. And Harry found he not only wanted the physical side of their relationship more than he had when they were fourth years but he had begun to need it. Her touch. Her light, cool fingers against his skin.

She laughed bitterly.

"And there we were last year thinking when we got back to school everything was going to be ok. That things were going to be better, less pressure this year. If anything there is more. I don't know how to make it better for you."

"Stay Ariana. That is all you have to do to make things better for me." she nodded as he pulled her close and lay her head on his chest.

She wished that they might stay there for the entire year. But she knew she could not. Time would move on and there were things they both had to do.

"You know how much I love you. Me leaving is not ever going to be an issue."

"And I too."

They were one another's sweet hearts. And they were always going to be.

"I don't want to let you go." He said to her. The weeks they had been apart had only served to intensify everything that had so far gone between them and he knew she felt it or she would not be there.

"Then don't."

--

In her night gown Ariana crept up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. It was midnight. Everyone had gone to bed to get ready for their first day back at Hogwarts of the new term. If anyone knew what the head masters sister was doing, she thought to herself with a mischievous grin.

Going in to the fifth year dormitory, she found five of the four curtains shut just as she had been promised they would be.

Harry beamed at her from the open one.

He observed her for a minute. Her long white night gown looked as if it belonged in a period drama. Her hair she had brushed out and let it hang down. She had changed over the summer. She was no longer a little girl.

Sliding into the bed next to him, she let him pull the cover over them and snuggled down into his arms. She hoped the rest of the year was going to be like this. Just them, in peace holding on to one another.

It was what she wanted. More than anything.

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