disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story. Hope you all like it!
The Whomping Willow
The end of the summer came quickly. On their last evening, Mrs. Weasley made them all a lovely dinner that includes treacle pudding, while Fred and George ended the evening with a display of fireworks. The fireworks filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to war for at least half an hour. Just before bed, they had a mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows.
It took a while for things to get started the next morning. They wore up at dawn, but there was still many things to do. Mrs. Weasley moved around in a bad mood, trying to find some spare socks and quills, Mr. Weasley almost broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's truck to the car, and they all kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with toast in their hands. Their small Ford Anglia held seven large trunks, two owls, one owl cage, a rat, and nine people.
When at last they were all in the ca, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Arabella, Ron, Harry, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, while Ginny rode in the front with her parents. Mrs. Weasley looked impressed about the car and the amount of room they had.
Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they wheeled out of the yard, and Arabella wondered when she was ever going to come back to The Burrow's warmth. She took one last look at the house – but George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks, and fine minutes after that, they skidded to a halt because Fred forgot to grab his broomstick. They were almost to the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she grabbed it and got back to the car, they were running very late, and tempers where running high.
Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife. He then said, "Molly, dear –"
"No, Arthur –"
"No one would see – this little button here in an Invisibility Booster I installed – that'd get us up in the air – then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser –"
"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight –"
They made it to King's Cross with fifteen minutes to spare. They got their trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station. Looking up at the clock inside the station, they only had five minutes to disappear through the barrier.
"Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, nervous.
Percy strode quickly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next with Fred and George right after.
"I'll take Ginny and you three come right after us," said Mrs. Weasley. She grabbed Ginny's hand and setting off.
"You two go first," said Arabella to Harry and Ron. "I'll be right behind."
Both Ron and Harry bent low over the handles of their trolleys and broke into a small run towards the barrier, gaining speed. Arabella waited until they were a few feet ahead of them and followed in suit and –
CRASH.
Arabella skidded to a halt before she could do any real damage. Both Harry and Ron's trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward. Ron's trunk fell off with a loud thump, Harry was knocked off his feet, and Hedwig's cage bounced onto the floor, and she rolled away, shrieking irritably.
"Harry! Ron!" gasped Arabella. She quickly grabbed Hedwig, who was causing a scene. "Are you both all right?"
"What in the blazes d'you think you're doing?" roared a nearby guard.
"Lost control of the trolley," huffed out Harry, clutching his ribs as Arabella helped both him and Ron up. Once the guard had walked away, Harry hissed, "Why can't we get through?"
Ron stared at the barrier. "I dunno –"He looked around wildly. A dozen people were still watching them. He then whispered, "We're going to miss the train. I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself."
"There's no reason why it should seal itself," said Arabella. "We've got some time left…."
Harry wheeled his trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all his might. The metal remained solid. Arabella and Ron watched the giant clock. Five seconds… four seconds… three seconds… two seconds… one second…
"It's gone," said Ron, stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?"
"Mine's all magical," said Arabella.
"The Dursleys haven't give me pocket money for about six years."
Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier. "Can't hear a thing. What're we going to do? I don't know how long it'll take Mum and Dad to get back to us."
They looked around. People were still watching them, mainly because of Hedwig's continuing screeches.
"I think we'd better go and wait by the car," said Harry. "We're attracting too much atten –"
"That's it!" said Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!"
"What about it?"
"We can fly the car to Hogwarts!"
"Have you gone mad?" hissed Arabella. "We can't just fly a car to Hogwarts! The amount of laws we would be breaking again, and we're sure to be caught this –"
"We've got to get to school, haven't we? We're stuck and even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy –"
"Of course!" exclaimed Arabella, slapping her hand to her forehead. "We're going to drive to Hogwarts because of the "Restriction of Thingy'!"
"But your mum and dad…" said Harry, ignoring Arabella as she tried to quieten Hedwig. "How will they get home?"
"They don't need the car!" said Ron impatiently. "They know how to Apparate! You know, just vanish and reappear at home! They only bother with Floo powder and the car because we're all underage and we're not allowed to Apparate yet…."
Arabella was now torn between dread and excitement. Harry turned to her and shrugged, giving her a smile.
"Come on," he urged her. Arabella sighed reluctantly and nodded. "Can you fly it?" he asked Ron.
"No problem," said Ron, wheeling his trolley around to face the exit. "C'mon, let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express –"
"It's got an Invisibility Booster, right?" asked Arabella as she followed beside him.
Ron nodded as they marched off though the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back onto the side road where the Ford Anglia was parked. Ron unlocked the trunk was a series of taps from his wand. They heaved their luggage back in, and Arabella put Hedwig in the back seat with her while Harry and Ron got in the front.
"Check that no one's watching," said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Arabella looked out of the back window. The street was empty.
"Okay," said Harry.
Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished, and so did they. She could feel the seat underneath her, the engine and her own legs, but could see nothing besides the street full of parked cars.
"Let's go," said Ron's voice from the front.
As they rose from the ground, the street and buildings fell away, dropping out of sight. In seconds, the whole of London lay below them under smoke and clouds.
There was a popping noise and the car, Arabella, Harry and Ron reappeared.
"What happened?" asked Arabella in panic.
Ron jabbed at the Invisibility Booster. "It's faulty –"
Both Ron and Harry pounded at the button. The car vanished, and it instantly flickered back again.
"Hold on!" yelled Ron, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator. They shot straight into the low, puffy clouds and everything tuned dull and foggy.
"Now what?" said Harry.
"We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron.
They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting at the ground.
"There it is!" yelled Arabella, stabbing at the window. "I can see it – right there!"
The Hogwarts Express was flashing along below them. It was bright red and Arabella felt anxious looking at it. They should be on it right now.
"Due north," said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so – hold on –"
And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a glare of sunlight. They skimmed through the fluffy clouds with endless blue under the sun. It was a different world up here, and more so beautiful than the ground. If it wasn't for the rules they were breaking, Arabella would suggest that they do this every September. This was surely the way to travel.
"All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron.
Arabella smiles a little. "Of course that's the only thing we have to worry about.
They all looked at each other and started to laugh. For a while, they couldn't stop.
"Just image Fred and George's faces when they find out!" said Arabella.
Ron laughed harder at this while Harry began to wheeze a little.
They all took of their sweaters and for the next couple of hours, they made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north. Surrounded the train were fields of green, moorland, a great city alive with colours, and a village with tiny churches.
After a couple hours, the fun began to wear off. They had nothing to drink, and their toffees made them extremely thirsty. Arabella's shirt was sticking to the back of her seat, and she longed to be on the train, where she was at least able to grab some cool water, and some sweets from the trolley.
"Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Ron, as they sun started to sink. The sky started to turn pink. "Ready for another check on the train?"
"Oh, look," said Arabella sarcastically, "it's still there."
She then wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. The train was moving past a snowcapped mountain. Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine.
That was certainly not good. Arabella began to breathe heavily as she looked out the window again. If something happened to the car, the fall would be terrible and painful.
"It's probably just tired," said Ron nervously. "It's never been this far before…."
Arabella tried to pretend that the whining was not growing louder and louder as the sky became darker. She put her sweater back on due to the cold of the night, and tried her best to ignore the way the windshields were now waving feebly. She looked at the stars pointedly.
"Not far," said Ron, more to the car than the others, "not far now," and he patted the dashboard nervously.
When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they were squinting through the darkness.
"There!" shouted Harry. Arabella, Ron and Hedwig jumped. "Straight ahead!"
Right on the cliff over the late, silhouetted on the dark horizon stood the many towers of Hogwarts castle. Arabella grinned at the image and felt relaxed knowing that they were so close to the safety of the Feast, their common room, and under their professor's protection. She could feel the food calling to her.
But the ca had begun to shudder and was losing speed.
"Come on," said Ron gently, giving the steering wheel a little shake, "nearly there, come on –"
The engine groaned and jets of stream were issuing from under the hood. Arabella gripped the edge of her seat tightly as they flew toward the lake. The car gave a nasty wobble. The surface of the water was a mile below as the car wobbled again. Ron gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white.
"Come on," muttered Ron.
They were right over the lake and the castle was straight ahead. Ron put his foot down. There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.
Arabella felt her insides go out as Ron said, "Uh-oh," into the silence.
The front of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.
"Nooooo!" yelled Ron, swinging the steering wheel around. Arabella held onto Hedwig as they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time.
Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket –
"STOP! STOP!" he yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground dangerously close to them –
"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" bellowed Harry, lunging for the steering wheel –
CRUNCH
Arabella let out a scream as they hit the thick tree trunk with a bang of metal on wood. They dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Stream was flowing from under the hood. Hedwig was shrieking in Arabella's arms, clearly terrified. Harry's head hit the windshield and Ron let out a low, miserable groan.
"Every – everyone all right?" asked Arabella, her whole body shaking.
"My wand," said Ron in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand –"
It had snapped, almost in two. The tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters. And at that very moment, something hit the left side of the car with the force of a bull. Harry was launched sideways as Arabella was pressed against the window, gripping Hedwig's cage tightly. There was another blow on the roof.
"What's happen –?"
Ron gasped and Arabella looked as a thick branch smashed into the windshield. Arabella screamed once again as the tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost into two, and the branch was smashing every inch of the car it could reach. Another branch punched a large dent into the right side of the car and the windshield was caving in.
"Run for it!" shouted Ron, throwing his full weight against his door, but he had been knocked backward into Harry's lap by a blow from another branch.
Arabella grip on Hedwig's cage tightened, and Ron moaned, "We're done for!" The ceiling began to sag, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating, and the engine had been restored.
"Reverse!" yelled Harry.
The car shot backwards. The tree was still trying to hit them. Arabella could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach onto the grass. Arabella let out a small scream and breathed heavily as she leaned her head back against the seat.
"That," panted Ron, "was close. Well, done, car –"
However, the car seemed to have reached the end of its rope. With four loud clunks, the doors flew open and Arabella felt her seat tip sideways. Hedwig flew out of her hands as she was dumped onto the damp ground. Their trunks had been thrown from the trunk. Hedwig landed on the ground and the cage flew open. She rose out of it with an angry screech and sped off toward the castle.
The car's rear lights were blazing angrily, and it rumbled off into the darkness.
"Come back!" yelled Ron. "Dad'll kill me!"
But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.
"Can you believe our luck?" said Ron miserably, picking up Scabbers. "Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get the one that hits back –"
Arabella doubled over the grass. Within seconds, she spilled the contents of her stomach and her voice becoming rough. When it was done, she wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve and rubbed her sleeve on the grass.
"You all right?" asked Harry.
"Yeah," said Arabella faintly. "My stomach couldn't handle it anymore, I suppose."
"Come on," said Harry wearily, "we'd better get up to the school…."
Arabella felt cold, bruised, stiff and weak as she seized her trunk, owl cage, and began dragging them up the grassy slope, towards the great oak front doors.
"I think the feast's already started," said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. "Hey – come and look – it's the Sorting!"
Arabella and Harry hurried over, and, together, they peered in at the Great Hall. Arabella was at the bottom, Harry on top, and Ron over them. They watched carefully and made sure they didn't open the door any further.
The candles were hovering midair over the house tables, and the ceiling had dark clouds and sparkling stars. They could see the first years filing into the Hall as Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on a stool before them.
A small little boy was first called forward and for some reason, she felt a shiver overcome her. It felt as though someone had been watching her, spying on her. She looked around the Hall and no one was looking at them, they were focused on the Sorting. She then looked behind her, past Harry and Ron, and saw Professor Snape standing there, staring at them with the smallest hint of a smile.
Arabella froze with shock. Her arms felt as though she was losing control of them as Snape held a finger up to his lips. She didn't do anything, she just stared at him with fear and uncertainty. They had been caught, by Snape nonetheless.
"Hang on…" muttered Harry. "There's an empty chair at the staff table…. Where's Snape?"
"Maybe he's ill!" said Ron. Arabella grimaced at the hopefulness in his tone.
"Guys," she whispered. They didn't hear her.
"Maybe he's left," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defense Against the Dark Arts job again!"
"Or he might have been sacked!" said Ron enthustically. "I mean, everyone hates him –"
"Ron!" hissed Arabella. "Harry!"
"What?" they both said.
They then turned around to see Snape smiling at them.
"Or maybe," said Snape in a cold voice, "he's waiting to hear why the three of you didn't arrive on the school train." His smile widened. "Follow me."
Arabella, Harry and Ron followed Snape up their steps into the Entrance Hall. The smell from the Great Hall was taunting them. The three of them barely looked at each other as Snape led them down a narrow staircase into the dungeons.
"In!" he said, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing. They entered Snape's office, shivering. The dark walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated things that Arabella did not want to look at. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.
"So," he said softly, "the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter, his faithful sidekick, Weasley, and his girlfriend, Black. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we?"
"No, sir, it was the barrier at King's Cross, it –"
"Silence!" said Snape coldly. "What have you done with the car?"
Ron gulped and Arabella blinked. How could he know? But a moment later, Snape unrolled today's issue of the Evening Prophet.
"You were seen," he hissed, showing them the headline:
FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES
He then began to read out aloud: "Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower… at noon in Norfolk, Mrs. Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing… Mr. Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police… Six or seven Muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?" he said, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. "Dear dear… his own son…"
Arabella clenched her fingers and winced. If someone had found out that Mr. Weasley bewitched he car…. He did not deserve this….
"I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow," Snape went on.
"That tree did more damage to us than we –"Ron blurted out. Arabella stomped on his foot, hard. It was not a good move for him to speak now.
"Silence!" snapped Snape. "Most unfortunately, you are not in my House and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who do have that power. You will wait here."
Arabella, Harry and Ron looked at each other, paled. She did not think that…. Remus would be so disappointed in her. He expected better from her, as did Andromeda and Ted. She let them all down now. It hurt to think about Remus's disappointment, even as a child she never wanted to fail him, but now…. Now they waited for Professor McGonagall.
Ten minutes later, Snape returned with Professor McGonagall, thin mouth and utterly furious. When she raised her wand, the three of them flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted, lighting the chamber.
"Sit," she said, and they backed into chairs by the fire. "Explain."
Ron launched into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let them through.
"– so we had no choice, Professor, we couldn't get on the train."
"Why didn't you send us a letter by owl? I believe you have an owl?" Professor McGonagall said coldly to Harry.
Arabella swore under her breath. It was the most obvious thing they should have done.
"I – I didn't think –"
"That," said Professor McGonagall, "is obvious."
There was a knock on the office door and Snape, now looking happier than ever, opened it. There stood Professor Dumbledore. He stared down at them gravely, and Arabella longed for the Whomping Willow. There was a long pause and then he said, "Please explain why you did this."
Arabella would have preferred if Dumbledore shouted at them instead of hearing the disappointment in his voice. She was unable to look at Dumbledore or McGonagall as she retold the story. She trained her eyes to see only the wall pass them and left out the part where Mr. Weasley owned the bewitched car. Dumbledore asked no questions about the car and merely continued to peer at them though his glasses.
"We'll go and get our stuff," said Ron in a hopeless sort of voice.
"What are you talking about, Weasley?" barked Professor McGonagall.
"Well, you're expelling us, aren't you?" said Ron.
"Not today, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But I must impress upon the three of you the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to your families tonight. I must also warn you that if you do anything like this again, I will have no choice but to expel you."
Snape, shocked and clearly upset at what occurred, cleared his throat and said, "Professor Dumbledore, these boys and girl have flouted the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry, cause serious damage to an old and valuable tree – surly acts of this nature –"
"It will be for Professor McGonagall to decide on their punishments, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "They are in her House and are therefore her responsibility." He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I must go back to the feast, Minerva, I've got to give out a few notices. Come, Severus, there's a delicious-looking custard tart I want to sample —"
Snape shot them a look as he swept out of his office, leaving them alone with Professor McGonagall.
"You'd better get along to the hospital wing, Weasley, you're bleeding."
"Not much," said Ron, hastily wiping the cut over his eye with his sleeve. "Professor, I wanted to watch my sister being Sorted –"
"The Sorting Ceremony is over," said Professor McGonagall. "Your sister is also in Gryffindor."
"Oh, good," said Ron.
"And speaking of Gryffindor —" Professor McGonagall said sharply, but Arabella interrupted her and said, "But Professor – we took the car when term did not start yet. So… Gryffindor shouldn't really lose points, should it?"
Professor McGonagall gave her a look and her mouth seemed less thin. If Arabella squinted, she could have sworn that McGonagall was smiling at her.
"I will not take any points away from Gryffindor," she said. "But all of you will be getting detention."
Arabella sighed. Now the only thing she really had to worry about was Remus's letter, and if Andromeda's if he told her. She felt her chest tighten at the thought of Remus and Andromeda either writing to her, or coming up to Hogwarts, or worse – sending her a Howler.
McGonagall then raised her wand again and pointed it at Snape's desk. A large plate of sandwiches, three silver goblets, and a jug of iced pumpkin juice appeared with a pop.
"You'll eat in here and then go straight up to your dormitory," she said. "I must return to the feast."
When the door had closed behind her, Ron let out a long, low whistle. Arabella took in a shaky breath as she took a seat, staring at her goblet of juice.
"I thought we'd had it," said Ron, grabbing a sandwich.
"So did I," said Harry, taking one, too. "You all right, Arabella?"
Arabella nodded her head slowly. "Yeah…. Just not exactly excited at the thought of Dumbledore writing to Remus or Andy." She shook her head. "Honestly, could be worse than a detention."
"Fred and George must've flown that car five or six times and no Muggle ever saw them," said Ron. "Why couldn't we get through the barrier?"
They spent some time thinking about that and said that they would watch their step from then on – though Arabella and Ron liked the idea of squashing sandwiches in Snape's desk. Once they had eaten as many sandwiches as they could, they rose and left the office, walking towards the Gryffindor Tower. The castle was quiet and the feast was over it.
"Password," said the fat lady.
"Er –" said Harry.
They did not know the new password, but help came almost immediately in the form of a very small and bushy haired second year dashing towards them.
"There you are!" said Hermione, her feet hurrying fast towards them. "Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors – someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flaying car –"
"We're not expelled," said Arabella.
"You're telling me you did fly here?" said Hermione, sounding severe.
"Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently, "and tell us the new password."
"It's 'wattlebird," said Hermione impatiently, "but that's not the point –"
Her words were cut short as the portrait of the fat lady swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the common room – standing on tables, armchairs, jumping over each other – waiting for them to arrive. Arms reached through the portrait hole to pull Arabella, Harry and Ron inside, leaving Hermione to scramble in after them.
"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow –"
"Good for you," said a fifth year they never spoke to.
" – people'll be talking about that one for years –"
Fred and George then pushed their way to the front of the crowd and said together, "Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?"
Arabella smiled at the pain. "You clearly weren't invited."
Ron was scarlet in the face, grinning embarrassedly while Harry seemed amused.
"And why is that?" asked George.
"You holding back on us, Arabella," said Fred, looking high and falsely insulted. "You wound me, my lady, and after all we've been through."
Arabella laughed softly as Harry nudged Ron and nodded in Percy's direction. They both slipped out of the common room and headed up the spiral staircase into their dorm room. Arabella looked and saw Percy scowling at her direction and seemed to be getting closer to her. She didn't know if he saw that Harry and Ron left, or if he was coming towards her. Either way, she was not happy.
Someone slapped her on the back and gave her the thumbs up just as Percy reached her. Fred and George stood to the side of her, trying to act as though they were not listening.
"I don't know what you were thinking, Black," snapped Percy. He looked utterly furious. "Driving a car to Hogwarts? Have you gone mad?"
Arabella was thankful that the common room was loud enough for nobody to hear him.
"And to bring my brother into his," continued Percy, "and Harry. They could have died or been severely injured, especially after hitting that Whomping Willow. Do you understand what you have done? Do you understand the damage you have caused to not only my brother, but to the whole wizarding community as well? Wizards have tried hard to keep our existence from Muggles a secret for centuries and you were caught –"
"Come on, Perce," said George, putting his hand on Percy's should. He shrugged it off immediately. "I doubt it was all Arabella's fault."
"Ron and Harry were there too," said Fred. "
Arabella gave them both a small lopsided grin, but it certainly did not help. Percy was right. She endangered the lives of Ron and Harry, and the wizarding community as a whole. She was a fool to have done their elaborate plan.
Percy glared at her with his nosed flared. He then looked at his brothers and then back to her. "Good night, Sirius."
Arabella inhaled sharply as Hermione gasped behind her. Percy turned on his heal and walked briskly up the stairs to the dormitories. Fred's lips tightened, almost McGonagall-like, while George made a rude gesture behind Percy's back.
"That was uncalled for," said Fred, grimly. "He knows better than that. Mr. Lupin has been over for dinner and Mum never says a word against you or your own mum. She's told him so many times to not judge –"
"Me by my last name," finished Arabella quietly. "I suppose she is right, but so is Percy. Ron could have been hurt, as well as Harry. I should have stopped us, but I did not. Percy's only angry and scared that he almost lost Ron. It's my fault."
"No –"began Hermione.
"Don't be –"said George.
Arabella shrugged. "It's fine, honestly. If you think Percy calling me, 'Sirius,' is going to hurt me, then you should hear the other things people tell me." She laughed a little, but no one else joined her. Her face sobered. "Just… forget about it, all right? Got to go upstairs – tired from that joy ride." She then gave them a tight smile and hurried up the spiral staircase, right to the top of her old dormitory with a sign that now said, SECOND YEARS. She entered the room and found her old bed.
She began to change out of her clothes and into her nightgown when the door opened and in came Hermione.
"What Percy said – it was uncalled for – well, you did do something completely stupid and irresponsible, but to call you Sirius of all things – and I thought he was smarter than that – Fred and George did not look too happy when I left them – seems as though they wanted to fight him but –"
Arabella smiled at her and then laughed.
"– honestly, you could have been seen –"
Arabella did not bother to tell Hermione that they were. She preferred to say nothing the whole night as Hermione kept rambling, mostly to herself.
But as she tried her best to sleep, she couldn't help but replay how Percy said, Sirius, over and over in her head the whole night.
Thank you all for reading! Tell me what you think!