disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story. Hope you guys like it!
Valentine's Day
A week later during breakfast, a beautiful eagle swooping down beside Arabella and dropped off an envelope. The eagle nibbled on some toast and eggs before flying away.
Arabella picked up the envelope and stared at the bold, black ink on the front.
Miss Arabella Black, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In the back was a seal bear the arms of the Ministry. She ripped the letter open and read:
Miss Black,
I want to thank you for your cooperation in our investigation on December 26th in regards to Remus Lupin and your living condition. As we have told you, we have recently spoken to the Tonks and Alastor Moody to further understand and evaluate what sort of guardian Mr. Lupin is in the eyes of others. They spoke highly on Mr. Lupin, his treatment of you, and the flourishment of your character under his care.
With their responses, and yours as well, we have found no reason to separate you from Mr. Lupin. I have informed Mr. Lupin and Professor M. McGonagall of the results. Your testimony has been recorded and filed in the Department of Children and Family Services and Mr. Lupin will continue to visit the Beast Division every month.
Thank you for your time and patience.
Happy Holidays,
Madam A.S. Bones
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Arabella sighed and closed her eyes. It was over. Hopefully, they will not bother her for a while.
Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There were rumors going on about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holiday. Everyone thought she had been attacked and would come around the hospital wing to catch a glimpse of her. Madam Pomfrey placed curtains around her bed to spare her from the preying eyes.
Arabella, Harry and Ron visited her every evening and brought each day's homework when the new term started.
"I don't suppose you've got any leads?" Hermione whispered to them.
"Nothing," said Harry gloomily.
"I was so sure it was Malfoy," said Ron for the hundredth time.
"And I was so sure it wasn't," said Arabella for the hundredth time.
"What's that?" asked Harry, pointing to something gold sticking out from under Hermione's pillow.
"Just a get well card," said Hermione hastily, trying to poke it out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her. He pulled it out, flicked it open and read aloud:
"To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award."
Ron looked up at Hermione, disgusted. "You sleep with this under your pillow?"
But Hermione was spared answering by Madam Pomfrey sweeping over her evening dose of medicine.
"Is Lockhart the creepiest bloke you've ever met, or what?" said Ron as they left the infirmary and started up the stairs towards Gryffindor Tower.
Then there was a sudden angry from the floor above.
"That's Filch," muttered Harry.
They hurried up the stairs and paused, listening hard.
"You don't think somebody else has been attacked?" said Ron tensely.
They stood still, their heads inclined toward Filch's voice, which sounded quite hysterical.
"– even more work for me! Mopping all night like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore –"
His footsteps retreated along an out of sight corridor and they heard a distant door slam. They poked their heads around the corner. It seemed as though Filch was manning his lockout post where Mrs. Norris had been attacked. A great flood of water stretched over half the corridor and it looked as though it was coming from Myrtle's bathroom.
Once Filch had stopped yelling, they could hear Myrtle's wails echoing off the bathroom walls.
"Now what's up with her?" said Ron.
"A number of things," said Arabella. "Let's go find out."
Holding their robes over their ankles, they stepped through the water to the door and entered. Myrtle was crying louder and harder than ever before. She seemed to be hiding in her usual toilet. The candles were extinguished as the walls and floor were soaking wet.
"What's up, Myrtle?" said Harry.
"Who's that?" glugged Myrtle miserably. "Come to throw something else at me?"
Harry waded across to her stall and said, "Why would I throw something at you?"
"Don't ask me," shouted Myrtle, emerging with a wave of more water. "Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me…."
"But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you," said Harry. "I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?"
Arabella groaned and said, "Harry."
It was the wrong thing to say as Myrtle puffed herself up and shrieked, "Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because she can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha, ha, ha! What a lovely game, I don't think!"
"Who threw it at you, anyway?" asked Harry
"I don't know…. I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and t fell right through the top of my head," said Myrtle, glaring at them. "It's over there, it got washed out…."
They looked under the sink where Myrtle was pointing. A small, thin book lay there. It had a shabby black cover and was as wet as everything else in the bathroom. Harry stepped forward to pick it up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back.
"What?" said Harry.
"Are you crazy?" said Ron. "It could be dangerous."
"Dangerous?" said Harry, laughing. "Come off it, how could it be dangerous?"
"He's right, Harry," said Arabella. "There could be something wrong with it.
"Some of the books at the Ministry's confiscated – Dad's told me – there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who read Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some – "
"All right, I've got the point," said Harry.
The book lay on the floor, unremarkable and soggy.
"Well, we won't find out unless we look at it," he said, and he ducked around Ron and picked it up off the floor.
Arabella looked over Harry's shoulder. It was a diary with a faded year on the cover that was about fifty years old. Harry opened it and on the first page read the name 'T.M. Riddle' in smudged ink.
"Hang on," said Ron. "I know that name…. T.M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago."
"How do you know that?" said Arabella, amazed.
"Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention," said Ron resentfully. "That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too."
Harry then peeled the wet pages apart, but they were completely blank.
"He never wrote in it," said Harry, disappointed.
"I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?" said Ron curiously.
"Probably thought that it might hit Myrtle on the way down," whispered Arabella.
Harry then turned the book cover over and said, "He must've been Muggle-born to have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road…."
"Well, it's not much use to you," said Ron. He dropped his voice. "Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose."
But Harry pocketed it.
Hermione left the hospital wing at the beginning of February and she seemed to find the diary interesting. Harry showed it to her on her first evening back at the Gryffindor common room and told her how they came across it.
"Oooh, it might have hidden powers," said Hermione, looking at it every closely.
"If it has, it's hiding them very well," said Ron. "Maybe it's shy. I don't know why you don't chuck it, Harry."
"'I wish I knew why someone did try to chuck it," said Harry.
"They probably didn't want it anymore and wanted to get rid of it," said Arabella.
"Down a toilet?" said Harry.
Arabella shrugged.
"I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special service to Hogwarts either," said Harry.
"Could've been anything," said Ron. "Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher for the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle; that would have done everybody a favour…."
Arabella looked at Hermione and then at Harry.
"What?" said Ron.
"Well, the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn't it?" said Harry. "That's what Malfoy said."
"Yeah…."
"And this diary is fifty years old," said Hermione, tapping it excitedly.
"So?"
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Ron," snapped Arabella. "The person who opened the Chamber last was expelled fifty years ago and this Riddle bloke got an award for special services fifty years ago. He or she probably got the away for catching the Heir of Slytherin."
"His diary would probably tell us everything," said Hermione. "Where the Chamber is, and how to open it, and what sort of creature live in it – the person who's behind the attacks this time wouldn't want that lying around, would they?"
"That's a brilliant theory," said Ron, "with just one tiny little flaw. There's nothing written in his diary."
But Hermione was pulling her wand out of her bag.
"It might be invisible ink!" she whispered. She tapped the diary three times and said, "Aparecium!"
Nothing happened. Hermione then pulled out what appeared to be a bright red eraser. "It's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley."
She rubbed hard on January first. Nothing happened.
"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there," said Ron. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in."
Due to Harry's curiosity the next couple days with him flickering through the diary ever so often, they headed to the trophy room to examine Riddle's special award. Hermione was interested and Ron less so. Arabella did want to know what Riddle did, but the diary seemed like bad news to her.
Riddle's gold shield was tucked away in the corner cabinet and it had no details about why it was given to him. However, they did find Riddle's name on an old Medal for Magical Merit, and on a list of old Head Boys. But that still didn't help them finding out who Riddle was.
The mood at Hogwarts began more hopeful than before. The sun began to shine more daily heading into February and there had been no more attacks since Justin and Nick. Madam Pomfrey was pleased to announce that the Mandrakes were soon leaving childhood and will be ready for repotting. After that, they will be cutting up the Mandrakes and stewing them. Filch seemed pleased at the news of having Mrs. Norris back.
Ernie Macmillan, however, was not as he was still convinced that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin and Peeves did not seem to help matters. He kept popping up in the corridors singing, "Oh, Potter, you rotter…" now with a dance routine.
Lockhart seemed to believe that he made the attacks stop and could be overheard boasting about this to McGonagall as the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration. Arabella rolled her eyes so many times she was sure her eyeballs were about to fall off her head completely. Ron seemed to take her stance in the matter while Hermione shot her a glare.
"You know," continued Lockhart, "what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing…."
Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster was made clear on the breakfast of February fourteenth. Arabella entered the Great Hall and Arabella was sure she was dreaming.
The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Heart-shaped confetti was falling from the blue ceiling. She looked at the teacher's table and saw Lockhart wearing pink robes, waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were stony-faced. The muscles on McGonagall's cheeks were twitching and Snape looked as though he would have rather have taken some Polyjuice Potion instead of sitting through this.
Arabella went over to the Gryffindor table, where Harry was stunned, Ron was sickened and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles.
"He can't be serious," whispered Arabella, taking a seat next to Ron.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all – and it doesn't end here!"
He clapped his hands and through the doors to the Entrance Hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs who were all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.
"Oh my god," whispered Arabella, her mouth ajar.
"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"
Flitwick buried his face in his hands in utter embarrassment and Snape looked at everyone with utter distaste. Arabella was sure that whoever asked him for a Love Potion was going to be fed poison instead.
"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," said Ron as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer.
All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers. They were not graceful and certainly not romantic. They would disrupt classes, deliver their message in front of everyone and leave without an apology to the fuming teachers. Sitting through the songs and sonnets, Arabella became embarrassed for her fellow Gryffindor second-years, especially the girls who would turn red at the sight of a dwarf singing to them in front of everyone. When lunch occurred, Arabella was grateful that none of the dwarfs approached her, but perhaps she thought too soon.
The Great Hall was packed and a dwarf with a sour face and a long nose came running over to the Gryffindor table and stopped in front of the Gryffindor table.
"Got a valentine for A'bella Black," grunted the dwarf.
It was Fred who spoke. "Over there, next to the red-haired boy."
She was so sure she was going to die of embarrassment when the dwarf his sour face towards her. Fred and George watched with glee as the dwarf trotted over to her. The rest of the Gryffindors were watching with anticipation, at least most of the boys were, and some of the Slytherins turned their heads as well.
Arabella wished and prayed for an asteroid to hit Hogwarts right now or for a troll to burst through the doors. Anything was better than this and she wanted nothing more than to curse Lockhart for single-handedly embarrassing the majority of the students all in one day.
The dwarf stopped in front of her, took out a card from its messenger bag, opened it and read it out loud in a clear voice in front of everyone.
"To A'bella. With hair as brown as a tree's bark and eyes that twinkle like the stars above. You are as pretty as a red peony and you haven't cursed me. Love, Neville."
Yet. I haven't cursed you yet thought Arabella. There was a laugh going around the Great Hall when the dwarf passed Arabella the card. Fred and George were clutching their sides, Dean and Seamus were banging their fists on the table, Parvati and Lavender were giggling and Neville looked as though he would quite much like to drop dead at that moment.
Ron couldn't help himself when he began laughing and Harry soon joined him after a small effort in trying to keep it in. Hermione at least had the good intention of hiding behind a book for Arabella's sake.
"Kill me," whispered Arabella to Hermione. "Just kill me. Stab me with his fork, I'm begging you."
The laughs got worse when George managed to swipe the card from Arabella and began reciting it once again. Ron and Harry laughed worse than before and Arabella's cheeks turned more red than before.
"You two just wait!" she shouted. "Someone's going to send you a valentine and then we'll see how you're going to like it!"
She snatched her card away from Fred and stalked to her next class. Transfiguration had not started and Arabella leaned against the wall and waited for McGonagall. There was no one else there and Neville soon joined her with a guilty look on his face.
"Sorry about the valentine," mumbled Neville. "I asked him to do it in private, but, well, you know."
Arabella sighed and glared at him. "It was horrible, Neville, and it was done in front of the whole school! Everyone heard what you wrote!"
"I didn't mean for them to hear!" said Neville, looking quite scared. "I thought he was either going to say it in private or just give you the card. I didn't know that he was going to do that!"
Arabella huffed and gripped the card harder in her hands. "And since when did you like me?"
"I don't know, probably during the time at the forest," said Neville miserably. He looked completely defeated. "Malfoy was being a git and you stood up for me against him in the forest and it was nice..."
He ended in a small note and her anger for him began to slowly disappear.
"You don't like me, Neville," said Arabella, sighing. "You just like the fact that I don't make fun of you or laugh at you or curse you." She sighed once again when Neville's face fell. "Listen, Neville, the gesture was nice and sweet, and we are certainly going to be hearing about it for a while, but I don't feel the same way, Neville, I'm sorry."
Neville said nothing and Arabella hated that. She wanted him to say something and not have that miserable look on his face.
"Look, I'm going to tell you something I haven't told anyone," Arabella continued. Perhaps if she told him something personal, they could end on a happy note. "I… I like someone and that… feeling nauseates me to no extent and it's horrible."
"Why?" asked Neville, confused.
"Because I've never liked someone before," stated Arabella quickly. "It's a strange feeling and, well, given my past history, it just feels like it's doomed, you know?"
"With Bellatrix Lestrange," whispered Neville.
Arabella turned her face sharply towards him. She had almost forgot about Neville losing his parents that night as well. It happened earlier than her losing Kassandra, but it was the same day.
"How are your parents, Neville?" she whispered.
"No progress," said Neville, turning his face away from hers. She suspected that he was close to crying.
"Do you visit them?"
Neville nodded.
"I'm sorry, Neville."
Neville shrugged and turned back towards her. "Me too. For your mum and for the dwarf. It was a bit ridiculous. Lockhart's sort of an idiot, isn't he?"
Arabella smiled and snorted. "I think that's the understatement of the century."
Many Gryffindors began to approach them for their next class. They looked at Neville and Arabella, and sniggered to themselves. Arabella rolled her eyes as Parvati and Lavender whispered something about her eyes twinkling.
"Ignore them, Neville," said Arabella as Neville turned red.
Professor McGonagall came tottering towards them, looking furious at the sight of the dwarfs and ushered them into her class. Before Neville entered the room, Arabella grabbed onto his arm.
"No more valentine cards, all right?" she said.
Neville smiled. "All right, then." He was about to enter the class when he turned around and asked, "You like Harry, don't you?"
Arabella's eyes widened and wondered how he found out.
"Longbottom! Black!" yelled McGonagall from the front of the classroom. "Class has begun. Black, close the door behind you or it will be five points from Gryffindor."
Once Arabella closed the door and took a seat at the back of the class, Neville sat down beside her. Professor McGonagall began her lesson when the door burst open with a dwarf stalking in.
"I'll keep your secret," Neville whispered to her.
Arabella smiled at him, leaned closer and whispered, "In a couple years, there is a good chance I'll give you shit for that card."
For a moment Neville looked worried, but he then looked at her smiling face and noticed that she wouldn't bully him about it, but jest him in a friendly way. In the end, that's what they were: friends. He gave her a small smile and they turned their heads to the front of the class to watch Dean get embarrassed in front of everyone by a poem from some first-year they did not catch the name of.
Late that afternoon, as the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry.
"Oy, you! 'Arry Potter!" shouted a grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way.
Arabella was ecstatic. All afternoon Harry and Ron were teasing her about Neville's card and now Harry was going to get his comeuppance. They were standing in front of a group of first-years that included Ginny. Harry looked at the dwarf in utter horror and tried to escape, but the dwarf was quick to reach him.
"I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.
"Not here," hissed Harry, trying to escape.
"Stay still!" grunted the dwarf grapping hold of Harry's bag and pulling him back.
"Let me go!" snarled Harry, tugging.
Arabella began to laugh quietly before Harry's bag split in two. Everything spilled out onto the floor and his ink bottle covered everything. Arabella pursed her lips and helped Harry try to pick everything up before the dwarf started singing. She did not like him teasing her earlier, but she certainly did not want this for him. This caused a holdup in the corridor.
"What's going on here?" came the cold voice of Malfoy. Harry and Arabella just started to stuff things into his ripped bag, desperate to get away before Malfoy could hear his musical.
"What's all this commotion?" said another familiar voice as Percy arrived.
Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor.
"Right," he said, sitting on Harry's ankles. "Here's your singing valentine:
His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."
Arabella snorted in laughter for a moment before quietening. Though she did pity Harry at the moment, the poem was certainly something else and certainly worse than what Neville did. Arabella helped him to the feet as Harry tried to laugh valiantly with everyone else.
"Off you go, off you go," cried Percy, shooing some of the younger students away. "The bell rang five minutes ago, off to class now. And you, Malfoy –"
Malfoy bent down and snatched something from the floor. Sneering, he showed it to Crabbe and Goyle, and Arabella realized he got Riddle's diary.
"Give that back," said Harry quietly.
"Wonder what Potter's written in this?" said Malfoy.
A hush fell over the onlookers. Ginny was staring from the diary to Harry, looking terrified. She paled considerably even when Percy tried to get the diary from Malfoy.
Arabella went over towards her and whispered, "You all right, Ginny?"
Ginny looked at her for a moment then turned her eyes back to Malfoy, who was still holding the diary. She then shook her head.
"Are you sure?" asked Arabella. "You can talk to me whenever you want, you know that right? I won't tell your brothers or your parents if you don't want me to."
Ginny shook her head once more.
"Do you want me to take you to the hospital wing?" persisted Arabella. "You're looking a little sick."
"Expelliarmus!"
Arabella turned to see Riddle's diary flying in the air. Harry's wand was out, pointing at Malfoy, and Ron caught the diary. Percy was not pleased one bit and Malfoy was furious. Arabella turned to see Ginny walking away, looking shaken.
"Harry!" Percy said loudly. "No magic in the corridors. I'll have to report this, you know!"
As Ginny passed Malfoy in the corridor, he yelled spitefully after her, "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much!"
Ginny turned bright red and covered her face. She ran into class and Ron began to pull out his wand, but Harry pulled him away.
"Leave it," Arabella whispered to Ron. "You don't need to be puking slugs anymore."
That night in the dormitory, Fred and George were alternating between singing, "You are as pretty as a red peony" and "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad."
Thank you so much for reading! Tell me what you guys think!