TᕼE ᑌᑎE᙭ᑭEᑕTEᗪ ᔕᒪᑌᗰᗷEᖇ ᑭᗩᖇTY
Ariana's plan was an elaborate one. But it was not meant to be.
After the feast, which had again been outstanding, hats off to the elves who made it, the group of friends laughed and chatted, assuring Ariana that she hadn't missed much at Hogsmeade and it was just like any other trip last year. They followed the other Gryffindor's up to the Tower as per routine, but when they arrived at the corridor that contained Fat Lady's portrait, they found it completely packed with students.
"What the hell..." Ariana murmured, trying to squish through students to see what was causing all the commotion.
"Excuse me - sorry - excuse me, Prefect coming through," she muttered various apologies to people and stopped to catch a breath in the centre of the corridor near the third years, leaning against her sister.
"Any idea why no one is going in?" Ron asked curiously.
Ariana shook her head and peered over the students. The portrait appeared to be closed.
"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password -- excuse me, I'm Head Boy --"
And then a silence fell over everyone, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick. "
Ariana could no longer take the suspense and she discreetly started to use her powers to subtly slide students out of her path to make it easier for her to reach the front. Finally arriving at her destination, Ariana glanced up at the portrait and let out a horrified gasp, a hand covering her mouth.
A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Harry, Ron, Estella and Hermione moved closer to see what the trouble was, coming to a stop directly behind Ariana.
"Oh, my --" Hermione grabbed Harry's arm as Estella held Ariana's hand tightly.
The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him.
"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady. "
"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice.
It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.
"What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.
"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added unconvincingly.
"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.
"Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see."
Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."
An uproar was caused amongst the students and Ariana inhaled sharply through her nose. It couldn't be...
"Harry," Estella whispered, and the boy turned to look at her, gripping her other hand in reassurance.
"I'm sure everything will be fine," Ariana told them. "We've got Dumbledore."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Professor Dumbledore had sent all the Gryffindors back down to the Great Hall, where Ariana's friend group merged with that of the third years, the two groups sitting together in a nervous silence.
Not ten minutes later, the Gryffindors were all joined by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused. Ariana couldn't help but allow her eyes to search for Cedric Diggory, relieved when she spotted him unharmed with his friends.
"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts. "
Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing. . . "
One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy sleeping bags. At least they looked comfortable. And, hey, they were all purple too.
"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.
The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.
"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"
"C'mon," Ron said to Harry, Estella and Hermione; they seized four sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner.
Ariana looked toward her friends. "I gotta go guard an entrance," she said with a sad smile.
They all muttered half-hearted 'see you laters' and Ariana walked off to where Cedric was standing near a small entrance, chosen so he could remain near his friends. Luckily, Ariana saw her third years not ten feet away from there.
She turned her attention back to Cedric. Now wasn't the time for feelings to get in the way. Diggory was still her partner.
"Hey," she mumbled as she came to stand next to him.
He immediately straightened up when he saw her. "Hi," he breathed.
Ariana bit her lip. She hated this awkward silence.
"Listen, Cedric, about this morning," she began, trusting herself not to stutter or mess up her words. She was Ariana Sagewood for the love of Merlin! She'd give speeches in front of thousands, she was idolized by millions. She could definitely speak to a boy she had a tiny crush on.
"I was just a bit caught off guard and flustered. Snape coming and assuming that we have some internal feud was completely unexpected, and then you appeared, and I messed up a lot of my words."
Cedric was waiting patiently for her to finish before he said, "Hey, it's not any problem, I'm just glad you're my friend. You're too cool a person for me to risk losing friendship with."
She was friend zoned. Twice.
A flash or hurt went across her eyes but it went unnoticed.
"Anyways," Cedric began. "About Sirius Black..."
He and his Hufflepuff friends became quiet as Hermione began speaking from nearby. Ariana got up and motioned to Cedric, so he and his friends dragged their sleeping bags a little closer so they could all hear what was being discussed.
"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.
"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.
"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Estella as they climbed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't in the tower. . ."
"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."
Hermione shuddered.
All around them, people were asking one another the same question: "How did he get in?"
"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away, "Just appear out of thin air, you know. "
"Disguised himself, probably," said Austin Chase, one of Cedric's best friends.
"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas.
"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" said Hermione crossly to everyone surrounding them.
"Probably," said Ron.
"Excuse me," Estella glared. "I think you're forgetting that's the only history book I actually like."
Ariana chuckled from her spot.
"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," said Estella. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered. . . "
"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted, making Ariana jump in surprise. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"
The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the other prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars.
Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the Hall to check that everything was quiet. Cedric had retired to sleeping bag around one, and Ariana, not having been thinking clearly before, had forgotten to save herself a sleeping bag.
She was about to conjure herself one because she could see no unoccupied bag. Some students had doubled theirs to feel extra snug.
By then it was around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep. Ariana was sure that were she to step out of the shadows and be spotted, it certainly would not end well.
Just her luck, Professor Dumbledore came in. Ariana watched him fearfully, looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. Percy was only a short way away from Harry, Ron, Estella and Hermione, who quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore's footsteps drew nearer.
"Ariana," Cedric whispered, and her head whipped towards him.
Ariana had a thought. It was rather embarrassing, but she could not risk getting caught by Dumbledore. Quick as a Snitch, she bent down over Cedric, held the end of his sleeping bag open and slid inside, taken him entirely by surprise.
At least the bag was large enough to fit both of without too much touching. Ariana lifted a finger to her lips, a heavy blush dusting her pale cheeks. If she looked more carefully, a blush would be seen on Cedric's face too.
Their legs were tangled together due to how quickly Ariana had rushed inside, Cedric's head was on a pillow he conjured but as Ariana was trying to hide, she had slid further down so her head was against Cedric's chest. She could feel his hands shoving her hair down to conceal it from view and smiled, eternally grateful to him for helping her without a question.
His hands then encircled around Ariana's waist and pushed her a little more down before pulling her closer to his body. Ariana's heart was racing at the speed of light, almost certain that Cedric could feel it. What made her feel a little better was that his heart was beating almost equally fast, which she could hear too as her head was against it.
Calming herself down, she began to eavesdrop on the conversation outside.
"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.
"No. All well here?"
"Everything under control, sir. "
"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow. "
"And the Fat Lady, sir?"
"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr Filch restore her. "
Ariana heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps.
"Headmaster?" It was Snape. She kept quite still, listening hard. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either. "
"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"
"All searched. . . "
"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger. "
"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape.
Ariana raised her head very slightly off her hand to allow her other ear to catch sound. Cedric readjusted his grip on her, bringing a hand down to rest under her cheek so it was easier for her to keep her head elevated.
"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next. "
"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before -- ah -- the start of term?" said Snape, who sounded as if he had barely opened his lips to speak.
"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.
"It seems -- almost impossible -- that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed --"
"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. "I must go down to the Dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete. "
"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy.
"Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster. "
Ariana risked pushing herself forward, to which Cedric reacted by squeezing her hip in warning, which she ignored. Sure that she was still unseen, she glanced upwards and could make out footsteps walking quickly and quietly. Dumbledore. He came to a pause directly in front of her and Cedric, so Ariana's heart went out of control.
Professor McGonagall had joined the headmaster.
"What of the other matter, Albus?" She mumbled. "To do with Ariana?"
Ariana perked up, lifting her head until it was directly under Cedric's chin. She could feel his warm breath fanning over her head as he pretended to be asleep.
Dumbledore sighed. "It could be, but Black's aggression points towards Harry. Or perhaps he came for both."
"She knows that there is something about her that relates to Black, but she has no idea what." McGonagall said.
"Let's hope it stays that way," said Dumbledore. "I wouldn't want her chasing after Black if she finds out, which she most definitely would do, just as Harry would."
"She's almost sixteen, Albus," McGonagall said sadly. "And she doesn't understand so much about her past. When will she finally know the answer?"
Dumbledore sighed. "In time, all will be revealed to her. But it is too soon as of this moment. Sirius Black cannot be trusted with her. She is safer if she doesn't know."
And with that their conversation ended and Dumbledore left the hall, McGonagall following shorty afterwards.
Ariana finally climbed out of the sleeping bag and took a deep breath, face to face with Cedric. She didn't care about the crush, about her heart then. All she could think of was the conversation between Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress.
"What on earth was that-" Cedric whispered breathlessly.
"I don't know, I'm trying to figure it out but-just -ugh!" She groaned.
Cedric subconsciously brought a hand to her hair and began to twirl a strand around his finger. "You'll figure it out. Almost certainly you will."
Ariana finally came to terms with their close proximity and couldn't help but blush, especially when Cedric's gaze wandered a little further down from her eyes to her plump pink lips.
He cleared his throat and averted his eyes from her.
"Um, Cedric, I should get going now," she said. "Thanks for the help."
When she didn't move, Cedric looked at her questioningly.
"You haven't let go of me." Ariana stated.
"Oh!" Cedric retracted his arm from around her waist and blushed intensely as Ariana shuffled her way out and stood up, straightening her skirt before walking off to a relatively empty spot between the Hufflepuffs and third year Gryffindors.
Oh-
The third year Gryffindors. Who were awake. And watching her-
Ariana froze on the spot, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, another blush creeping its way onto her skin. Estella was propped up on an elbow, eyebrow raised with a smirk planted on her smug face.
Hermione had similar expression to Estella's as she bit her lip and tried to suppress her laughter. Harry's ears were red as he awkwardly cleared his throat. After all, he had just seen his best friend's sister crawl out of Cedric Diggory's sleeping bag. Ron was less discreet as he stared at Ariana with his mouth hanging open.
"I-guys no- It's not what you think-"
Ariana's attempts were futile.
Estella erupted into a fit of giggles as Ariana dropped to the floor when she saw Percy's head turn from the other side of the hall. Blushing the whole time, Ariana duplicated Harry's sleeping bag, who was closest, and climbed in.
Mind swirling with thoughts about what Dumbledore and McGonagall said all the while trying to block thoughts about laying with Cedric out, Ariana fell into a restless sleep.