Chapter 48
"Blossom, we cannot call her Blossom."
"Well why can't I? She is mine."
"Yes I know she is darling but I am going to be looking after her as well. Let's call her something else, please."
Ariana looked at her puppy proudly she had had her now for five hours. The three of them had returned in side. Ariana had hardly stopped smiling. She had wanted something to do. And now she had it.
"Well then if you won't let me call her blossom then I am going to call her Poppy." She declared.
Aberforth despaired. She was clearly destined to have a very girly name.
"Very well," he grumbled.
Aberforth had never thought his sister to be fickle but what he had done when he had brought Poppy into her life had been for the best he was soon to find out. She was soon back to the girl he had always known. But there was a brittle side to her now and he knew she was always going to regret not being allowed to complete Hogwarts. And yes, maybe she was always going to blame him for that. But he had done it because it was for the best.
Weeks passed as September flew into October. Jumpers reappeared in Hogsmeade village. She was going to miss summer she thought to herself.
"Can I help you tonight?" she asked as she went down the wooden stairs into the bar. Aberforth looked at her. Poppy and reading filled much of her day but not all of it. And he found her more restless than she had once been. He knew why of course. She remained at times bored.
"Don't you want to be reading?" he asked her. Lately she had become as devoted to her books as Albus had been at her age.
She shook her head.
"Alright then. You can't serve but you can collect the empties for me."
She nodded and set to work. It was something to do at least she thought to herself. But what might she be doing if she were still in the Gryffindor tower? Her heart sank as it always did. But she did as she was told. Going on and on about things rarely made them come true – she had learnt that. She had to forget the past and move on.
There was relatively little trade that evening. The pub was never packed but it seemed to her it was particularly quiet that night.
There was however a familiar face she thought with a small giggle. Evie McCardle. She had met her for the first time the previous summer. And she had noticed that she was often in. And when she was she only had eyes for Aberforth.
Unfortunately for poor Evie, Ariana knew that she repulsed poor Aberforth. He hated that she was always in and she was always making eyes at him. And she was making eyes at him even as Ariana collected the empties.
Throwing a smile over her shoulder to her brother that turned in to a giggle, she watched as he scowled.
Oh, her poor big brother.
"She likes you." Ariana whispered as she returned to the bar.
"I am well aware of that fact."
The look on his face was classic Aberforth she thought to herself. That face that was so dear to her that said 'go away or I am not going to like you any more'. He had perfected it when they had been young.
"But I might like a new sister." She teased him.
An even deeper scowl. Knowing her work was down she wondered off round the pub doing what she had been told.
Aberforth risked a look over at Evie. She gave him a wink that made him want to wince.
How long was it till closing again?
-
Harry found Ariana much improved then she had been when she had first got to her brothers. Each day he was that bit happier because she was just a bit better.
He got to bed before her that evening, he had seen her working with her brother when he had snuck in and up the stairs to her room.
"Hello," she said as she bounded into bed with a smile on her face. He remanded the best thing that had ever happened to her she thought to herself happily. There was nothing in the world that could change that.
Harry had had a rough day. He had earned himself a detention with Umbridge finally and he had to say he full intended to wind her up all the way through it. It was going to be fun. So while it was rough it wasn't that bad. And when he saw she was in such a good mood he was delighted. She was as she always had been.
"Hello you," he said as she cuddled up next to him. Cupping her cheek he kissed her. She pressed pack firmly and intensely. She was in a very good mood he thought to herself. Moving his other hand to the small of her back he arched over her as they kissed.
She was indeed heavenly that night he mused.
"Missed you." She muttered between kisses. It had only been that morning when they had seen one another but he knew what she meant. He had missed her too. Possibly he only realized how much he really missed her when they were reunited.
"Oh me too," he nodded as they finally broke apart and laid back into the pillows.
"Your happy." He observed.
"Pretty much." She nodded and he felt more contented than he had in a while for her. He had been worried for a while she was never going to regain her sunny confidence. But she had.
"How was school?" she asked. It hurt less to know what he had been doing now that she had got used to the fact Hogwarts was just not part of her life any longer.
"It wasn't too bad." But when he looked at her he knew he had not been very convincing. "Don't shout at me." He pleaded. "I got a detention with Umbridge today."
She sighed in a manner which told him she had been waiting for this for a while. In no way was she surprised.
"Oh Harry." She said to him but she did not rebuke him. She knew what she was like and Harry had probably done nothing wrong though she did wish he had kept out of her way. But he was a magnet for trouble.
"You are not angry?" he checked.
"It's not your fault." She said to him.
"You don't even know how I got it." He reminded her.
"I know if it is that cow giving out the detention then it is likely not to be your fault." She said to him confidently. She had every faith in him and she knew what that damn women was like.
He nodded glad he had not upset her as he had feared the information might and laid back again so that he could hold her both comfortably and closely.
"I'm never going to stop you know." He whispered to her.
"Stop what?"
"Being thankfully that I found you." Looking up into his eyes she felt herself blush. It was not a habit of her but the rush of blood to her cheeks made her seem sweeter than ever to him. She looked like a rose in full blossom he thought to himself.
"And me neither. I meant what I said to you in the summer you know. You keep me sane. And you're my dearest," she said as she kissed him once again.
Oh kissing her was getting harder he thought to himself. It wasn't that she was not enough for him or that the way that they were together was not enough. But when they were in bed together... And they were practically skin on skin any way he found it hard to control himself. She was so wonderful. He wanted to caress her, every part of her.
Pulling away before he let his thoughts get the better of him he smiled at her.
"What is it?" she questioned him.
"Nothing Ari." He said as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "Nothing."
-
Every other Saturday. That was it. That was all he got with her now thought Albus miserably. It wasn't nearly enough time. They were still building a bond that they had never had before he reminded himself. It just was not enough. But between everything else, it was all they had.
And so his time with her became the high light of his fought night. It was the reason that he stuck up with Umbridge, the reason he kept the order going, why he kept working, because he had to keep her safe if he did nothing else.
When she came into the office to see him that week she had a smile on her face. She was still reminiscing about the kisses she had shared with Harry the night before which she had begun to think about on the way up to see him. She had to say she felt satisfied and loved. It was all she ever wanted.
Well, Aberforth he had to admit had been right about one thing. Now she did not have to contend with the added pressure of going to class she was a lot more relaxed and as a result they did not have to worry about her magic half as much. When she was calm she could control it. He was still trying to figure out a way to get her to control when she was not without distressing her unnecessarily.
He couldn't help but feel in some way her had let her down again.
She stood in his office looking put of the window.
"You must be looking forward to the Hogsmeade visit next weekend." He said as he poured her tea. "I expect you have missed your friends." It went unsaid that he meant Harry.
"Yes I have," she said to him. She had missed Neville, Ron, Hermione and the twins. It didn't matter that hadn't taken the question as it was meant she thought to herself. But she could not tell her brother she had been having Harry in her room every night either.
"How's Aberforth?" he asked.
"His well, looking after me well too. Very protective, but I suppose that is just the way he is – the way you both are." She shrugged.
"We're your big brothers. We have every right to be." He chuckled.
"I know." She nodded, but there was something sad about her suddenly. As she raised her eyes to his he knew what it was. The same thing that made him sad.
"I miss teaching you Ariana." He agreed.
"I never get to see you anymore." She complained.
"I am sorry. And I do try to make all the time I can for us. But there is not enough time in the day." She knew that. And she also knew that she should not complain. But she couldn't help it.
"I know. And I shouldn't moan. But – your one of the most important people in my life and worry about you. You didn't look well at the end of the summer and I want to look after you, like you do for me."
Touched by her words, the sentimental old man walked about the table and took her hands.
"When you talk like that, Ariana fades away intro Kendra, you know that don't you?" he said knowing she thought that was the greatest compliment someone could give to another person. Their mother had turned into the untouchable saint in her eyes.
Looking at him she felt her heart swell. One day she was going to be like she had been – beautiful and wise.
Kissing her forehead he knew he loved her more than he ever had before. More than he had the day before, but not quite as much he was going to love her tomorrow.
-
"I missed you so, so much!" said Ariana as she came down the stairs. She hated putting on this show for Aberforth. But it had to be done.
Harry had known this was coming turned to the stairs where she run down to met him. They had to make it seem to her brother as if they had been apart for weeks even if they had not been.
Sweeping her up into his arms, he turned her about as she embraced him lovingly.
"I missed you as well!" he said as he put her down.
"Aba we are going to go out for a bit is that ok?" she asked over her shoulder, though she already had her bag and coat on. She was eager for them to get out. It wasn't Harry who she felt she had to talk to that day but someone they were going to met.
"Go on then, I'll watch Poppy for you." He nodded. The little dog had come out after her mistress and Ariana stroked her affectionately before turning, taking Harry's hand and exiting the pub with him.
"All I ever seem to do is lie to Aberforth these days." She said miserably.
"I know but it is the only way we get to see one another on a daily basis, isn't it?" he said wrapping his arm protectively about her.
"I know but I still don't like it." She shrugged.
They walked into the Three Broomsticks together and by that time she had put her guilt to the back of her mind, she had a happy reunion to have.
She may still get to see Harry every day but she didn't see any of her other friends anymore and when she met up with them all it struck her once again what a blow it had been to her when she had left school. It was the people she missed desperately, not the building.
Hermione took up the stall next to her which she was grateful for as she had a few questions for her. There had been playing on her mind for a few days and she felt Hermione was the only one who could help her. It wasn't as if she could go to her brothers.
Not over something like this.
"Hermione you know what has come to pass between me and Harry in the past few weeks I think." She began once the others had become engaged in their own conversation.
"That he comes to you, yes I do." she nodded, not seeing where this was going.
"Well he has become so dear to me that I cannot tell you how I feel for him. But when we are in bed together at times I feel like he wants more from me than kissing. I know there is more to the physical side between a man and a woman than just kissing. Can you explain? I hate to ask but there is no one else I can go to."
She looked at her for a moment as if unsure what to make of this request. Up until this point Hermione had always seen Ariana as a good Victorian girl. But she supposed between her love for Harry and her new life in a new time frame she had become a different girl from who she might have been had she been allowed to develop normally in her own time. And she seemed so in control of what she was saying and doing."Why don't we go somewhere a bit more private?" suggested Hermione and the two got up. Harry looked at her curiously.
"A bit of a girly chat is needed, we won't be long."
Ariana nodded. She had to hear this. She had to know.
-
Ariana looked at Harry as he slept. She was normally the first to sleep out of the two of them but she couldn't that night. She had too much on her mind.
She had sex on her mind.
It was an odd concept to get her head round but the more she thought about it the more she thought it was just how Hermione had described it to her. A natural act between a man and a woman who loved one another, for that was what they were.
Caressing his beloved face with her hand she swept a piece of his unruly hair out of his face. Sex, was that what he craved from her?
Was that what she wanted from him?
She knew she didn't have to answer any of the questions she was asking herself that evening. They had all the time in the world together.
But one day soon, she thought maybe they were going to be ready for, sex, dare she think it.
"I love you dearly my darling," she said kissing his forehead. Then, rolling around she turned into the moonlight and considered all that she had heard that day.
She only hoped that she might make the right choice.
A/n: Please Review!