I won't bore you with the excuses of why this took so long. Just know I am sorry and I hope you are still with me. Leave me some love.
This chapter is dedicated to highlander348 for being an amazing reviewer and for the messages that keep reminding me at least someone is reading this. Thank you.

ARI'S POV of Chapter 4

I was starting to get nervous. I was in a cart alone and it felt like the walls were closing in on me. I clenched and unclenched my hands…a nervous habit I had picked up from my father. NO Ari do not think of them right now. I begged my brain. I don't think I could handle a trip down memory lane right now. It was all still to raw and painful. I took a deep breathe in and out. It felt weird to be here. To be on the train my father once travelled as a boy himself. Perhaps this is where he sat and thought of my mother? Or perhaps he hadn't found her yet…stop Ari! I shook my head and straightened up. This is why I hated to be alone. Although it was funny, I hated it but I had spent most of my life alone. My thoughts turned towards a certain black haired man. I blushed slightly as I thought of him…Harry Potter. He was so nice and caring. I don't understand why I can hear him so loudly…more so than others. And I don't even have to touch him. Pushing aside the thoughts of touching Harry, I concentrated on the answer to my question. Truth be told I shouldn't be able to do that with him. I had only ever gotten as far as hearing our neighbour before…before my world shattered. I shook my head again. I will not think of the past. This is a new start and a new life. This is now. Think only on the now. My neighbour I had known for over five years though so it wasn't a real shock I could listen to her, but even then she was nowhere near as clear as Harry was. I frowned and nibbled my lip, a habit from my mother this time. I have never met Harry. I have heard of him but have never come in contact with him so why? Even Mamma wasn't as clear and I spent my whole life with her. Unless….I sat up suddenly.

"Projecting." I mumbled out loud. I tried to think back to my lessons with Agonia, my grandmother…well not technically. She was my mother's old nurse and knew the stories and legends of old well enough. She also had a small bit of fire magic which was so fun to learn.

FLASHBACK:

"Ariella!" I cringed and burrowed my head deeper in my knees, trying to hide my face. I knew they wouldn't find me here. This was my haven, my secret spot. No one has found me yet. I sniffed quietly and wiped my streaming eyes on the back of my hand. Stupid boys. I lifted my head out of my knees and rested it on my arms which were folded over the top of my knees. I hate boys! They are mean and cruel and gross and have no idea on how to treat anyone right! Mamma always told me I should never think badly about anyone. But I couldn't help it! Karn Ronald was the worst! How dare he tell me I couldn't swim in the lake! And I don't have cooties! I stopped having cooties when I was five years old! I'm seven now, I am a big girl with no cooties! Why does he have to be so mean?! We were friends before that Tommy Hallenburg came to town! Now I never get to see Karn! I started to sob again and buried my head back in my arms. Life was so unfair! Stupid Tommy stupid Karn stupid tears! Stupid boys!
"There you are Ariella! Did you not hear me calling?" I looked up stunned at the voice. I saw Agonia's kind wrinkled face looking down at me.
"H…how did y…you find me?" I mumbled wiping my running nose on my sleeve. She smiled and held out her hanker chief. I smiled softly and blew my nose.
"I could hear you." She answered my question.
"Oh. I thought I was crying pretty quietly." I mumbled somehow more upset that she had found me. Agonia chuckled.
"No dear one, I could hear your thoughts." I looked at her with wide eyes.
"But I have been practicing I swear! I can hold a brick wall in place and I haven't…"
"It is different when you are upset." I stopped ranting and frowned.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well when someone is upset and in reach of those of us with the Old Magic, we can hear them as if they are next to us." She explained sitting next to me on the hay and stroking my hair.
"How?" I asked.
"Well, we are filled with emotions always. But when certain events, like stupid boys…" I blushed at that and she smiled before continuing. "Make our emotions stronger. We feel more and those emotions, when left untrained over spill and thus become loud enough for people like us to hear. Even if we are not connected to them, although that certainly makes it louder but the release of an up build of emotions cause it to spill over and release into the wave lengths for anyone with our talents to gather. You wait til you find your mate. Than my child, the projecting gets a whole lot more difficult."
I pulled away and looked at her. My mama had taught me of mates last year when I asked how her and papa met. A mate is the person who calls to you loudest. You can feel them the most and know when and where they are without even seeing or asking them. Your heart fills at the whisper of them and it feels like you could explode. You would die for them in an instant and with hesitation. They set your body on fire and make you feel things you have only read about in fairy tales and stories. There is no one else in the world, just you and them and nothing else matters. Well at least that's what my mama said. Honestly it all sounds a little frightening and painful to me.
"Can we stop emotions? Can you teach me not to have them?" I asked in all my wisdom. Agonia chuckled and smoothed my hair.
"No child, without emotions we are nothing. Emotions are what makes us human and alive. We need them to feel alive." She softly kissed my temple. "I will however teach you how to block others."
"Can you teach me how to block out boys?" I mumbled. She laughed and patted my head.
"You wouldn't want that. Not when you're older at least. Come child." She stood up and shook out her skirts. "We have much to learn."

I was brought out of my memories with a hard jolt. I looked around and saw I was still alone. What on earth was that? I wondered. Suddenly and without warning I got another jolt as the train slowed down. I took a deep breath. Anyone else would put it down to the train's movement…or lack of. But me? I was trained to be in tune with my body and my over heightened emotional range. These jolts had nothing to do with the train.
Harry.

The single word that screamed in my mind seemed to answer every question. I stood and all but run out of the compartment. The train was emptying but still hard a few stragglers, I easily made my way through them and down to the end few carriages. I had no idea why and I had no idea how but I knew something had happened to Harry. Call it a gut feeling or women's intuition but I knew I knew it with everything I had something was wrong. I stopped short and tried to catch my breath. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, lowering my walls trying to hear him. It worked close range so I prayed to Hecate that it worked without seeing or touching him. A few seconds passed before I heard him.
Great. I'm stuck and no one knows where I am or even if they find me, they won't be able to see me! Bloody Malfoy, the stupid slimy snake.

I smiled and shook my head before opening the door directly in front of me. There was no one there. I frowned. My projection had never been off before so where the hell was he?
Don't stand on me don't stand on me don't stand on me!

I waved my hand and suddenly there was Harry lying on the floor covered in blood and not moving. I waved it again muttering the spell in my mind before he sat up. \
"Are you alright?" I asked. He trailed of his thank you when he noticed it was me.
"'Ey stranger." I said smiling. Turns out I don't need to see or touch Harry in order to hear him. Either he is projecting louder than I first believed or there is something else happening here.
"HI" he muttered. He looked so embarrassed I almost couldn't hold back a giggle.
"Would you like me to fix your nose?" I asked hoping to ease the tension. HE looked up and grinned. I waved my wand at his yes and his nose was fixed. There was still blood splattering on his shirt and around his mouth but at least his nose looked well.
"After assuring him he looked as handsome as ever, I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the door. I smiled wickedly at him. I lived for danger and the adrenaline!
"Ready to jump?" I asked, still holding his warm hand in mine. It felt…nice. Sweet. Simple. Perhaps there was more to this projecting stuff... at least that was what the butterflies flying like crazy in my stomach were telling me. Without really giving him a chance to reply I jumped, taking him with me.