stars | sirius black

36: A Chat with Dumbledore

SEPTEMBER 25, 1993
Dumbledore's office, 7:00 pm

"YOU ASKED FOR ME, Professor?" Arabella asked as she entered Professor Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, yes. Please take a seat. Would you like a lemon drop?" Dumbledore offers, motioning to the bowl of sweets placed on his desk once Arabella had sat down.

"No thank you, Professor." Arabella replies, looking at Dumbledore with a small smile on her face. "What is it that you'd like to talk to be about, Professor?"

"How are you, Arabella?" Dumbledore asked, leaning back into his seat as he looked at Arabella with a small knowing smile.

"Excuse me, sir?" Arabella asked in surprise, that was certainly the last thing he'd want to talk about.

"I was meaning to ask you earlier, but I'm afraid I've been caught up in some tasks and have been extremely busy." Dumbledore said, seemingly ignoring Arabella's shock, as he fixed the glasses that sat atop the bridge of his nose.

"I'm afraid I don't follow, sir." Arabella said, sheepishly looking at Dumbledore.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm okay?" Arabella said in a questioning tone, still unsure of why the professor would ask her such a thing.

"No, I meant with everything that's going on. Like your husband escaping Azkaban." Dumbledore clarified with a small chuckle.

"Oh. Right. Fiance. Sir." Arabella said, correcting him.

"Pardon?"

"We never actually got married." Arabella said, looking down at her hands folded on her lap.

"Oh, yes of course. I was wondering why I never received an invitation." Dumbledore joked, trying to diffuse the slight tension that was beginning to appear.

"With all due respect sir, if you brought me here to try and find out Sirius' whereabouts, I'm afraid I won't be any help. I don't know where he really is." Arabella said quickly, once she started thinking about why Dumbledore would invite her to his office at a time like this.

"Oh you've misread my intentions, Ms Arroway. I just want to know how you are doing. I know that these past few years have been extremely difficult time for you and your daughter. This has also strained your friendship with Mr Lupin. Am I correct?" He said, leaning back into his chair with an eyebrow raised and a knowing look.

"Yes, sir. Absolutely." Arabella said with her mouth agape, surprised at how Dumbledore knew such things and say them so straightforwardly. "To be honest with you sir, I'm terrified."

"Of what?"

"Of what might happen to Sirius if he gets caught. When he was still in Azkaban I was comforted by the notion that he was alive and that someday it'll be revealed that he's innocent and that we could be a family. Me, him, Cass, and maybe even Harry if he wanted to come live with us." Arabella said, tears pricking her eyes and threatening to fall with every word she spoke. "What if he gets caught and is sentenced to get the kiss? I don't think I can handle that."

"And Cass? Poor, sweet Cass. It's not as bad as when she first started attending Hogwarts but she still gets teased by her peers because she's Sirius' daughter. She's been so strong in facing them and she loves Sirius so much, even if she doesn't actually remember him."Arabella said sniffing, reaching out to take the handkerchief that Dumbledore was offering her.

"But she does have friends here, correct?"

"Yes, of course. She's quite close to the Weasley twins. She spends a few days of her summers at the burrows. She's also really close to Harry. Seeing her and Harry together makes me think about the family we could've been."  

"I'm sorry, Ms Arroway." Dumbledore apologized, feeling slightly sorry for her now that he knew everything that she felt.

"It's okay, sir." Arabella replied, wiping the rest of her tears away. "Harry also reminds me so much of James execept with Lily's eyes. I miss them both immensely as well. I just wished that night had gone differently. They deserved so much better than that"

"I do too, Ms Arroway. James and Lily were amazing." Dumbledore said, agreeing with her. "You all deserve so much better than what fate had brought upon you." 

"I do have one question, sir."

Dumbledore nodded and motioned his hand as if to say, go ahead.

"I know that in the first few years of Harry's life you wouldn't let him stay with us because you wanted him to live his life away from magic, which I totally understand. My question is, why can't he stay with us or at least let him know that he still has a family? Technically, Sirius and I are his legal guardians."

"Well, I was planning on letting him live with you and Sirius once he turned 11 and has been made aware of the wizarding world." Dumbledore said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But unfortunately, after I found out Sirius was arrested I thought it would be the best for the boy for him to stay with actual blood relatives. Especially since, please don't take this the wrong way, your household is quite unstable with Sirius being imprisoned and playing a part in his parents deaths. I don't think he's going to take that very lightly."

"Right, of course." Arabella said, nodding wih a sad smile. "Besides, I can watch over him while he's here at Hogwarts."

"Do you think your skill in arithmancy is the only reason I hired you?" Dumbledore asked, looking at her with a knowing smile, his eyes sparkling behind his spectacles.

He and Arabella shared a laugh over this question. 

"I guess not." Arabella said with a smile. "Thank you for this, professor. I really needed this talk. I've been keeping all of this inside for so long. It's nice to let it all out."

"It was no problem, Ms Arroway. Remember, numbing the pain will only make it worse for when you finally feel it. When you feel the need to let your emotions out, my office doors are always open."

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two updates in a day?? seriously who am i??

alternate title for this part: exposition dump

sorry it's kinda boring buuut the next parts will (hopefully) be better.

let me know what you think in the comments and give it a vote if you think it deserves one.

lots of love and ill see yall soon,
arielle