Secrets, Secrets

Dumbledore was nearly as unnerved as Remus and Sirius when they recounted the events of the day. Ari was sitting in an armchair with her feet tucked under her, stifling the overwhelming urge to just collapse into her father's arms and cry herself out. Sirius needed to think, so she was content to sit quietly at the edge of it. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Dumbledore watching her quietly, nor did she notice Remus leave.

"Ariana," Dumbledore said gently. She sheepishly looked up, meeting his gaze. With a jolt, she realized what she wanted to do and instantly put up her mental and emotional facades. Dumbledore looked startled, and glanced sideways at Sirius. For the second time that day, Sirius knelt in front of his daughter, massaging her temples with gentle pulses of magic.

"Please, Ari," he said quietly. "Open up to us, we can't end this if you don't open up."

Ari nodded, steeling herself for the invasion, and locked eyes with the headmaster. Ever so kindly, the old wizard poked about in painful memories, causing Ari to grip Sirius' hands tightly without ever realizing she had done so. Just as suddenly as the invasion had began, it ended, with Dumbledore saying "Aaaahhhh..." in a rather satisfied way. "Finite Incantatem."

There was a sudden freedom that Ari couldn't explain. Where she had felt like she was being suffocated under a pillow since breakfast, she now realized she had her thoughts back--all of them. "What was that?!" she gasped, staring at the headmaster.

"A nasty little trick, I must say, and not cast by who you seem to believe. Luckily for us, the wizard who cast it did so very badly, thus making it easy to remove. This particular spell is finicky, and must be cast with intense concentration--and eye contact. Draco Malfoy is our culprit. Ari, I do believe dinner will be starting soon, and I would hate to deprive you of food."

She took that to be her dismissal, and after a one-armed hug to her weary-looking father, she left the office in much better spirits than she had been all day. When she entered the Great Hall, it didn't take long to find her friends, and she sauntered rather saucily up to Taylor, plopping down with one leg hooked over his.

Taylor forced himself to swallow, painfully aware that Ari had deliberately looped her bare thigh over his leg. It took a lot of self-control, but he managed to keep his cool. Ari leaned in and kissed him, but he drew back warily after a moment.

"What's wrong with you? Who hexed you?"

Ari looked rather affronted, and Ginny wasn't the only one that noticed. Harry frowned, as well, and the frown only deepened when Sirius swept by in a clear state of agitation. Following her father with her eyes as he stalked to the staff table, Ari sensed rather than saw who the anger was directed at, and the irony of it nearly took her breath away.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, seeing the look on her face. It took a moment, but when she took a deep, calming breath at last, she nodded.

"I-I'll do. Why is he mad at Remus?"

No one had to ask who she was referring to. There was a definite cold zone between Sirius and Remus, and Remus seemed to be getting more and more irked by the moment. Of course, the patient person he was, he would confront Sirius later, privately, rather than out in view of the entire school. Sirius pointedly ignored everyone and everything around him, making Ari glare at him.

As if stung, Sirius glanced up at his daughter. That cold chill was back in her eyes, but this time it was an anger all her own. In fact, it was frighteningly reminiscent of the chill Abby's eyes usually got. After that, Sirius made a concerted effort to be distantly polite to all at the table but the least likely candidate of his wrath.

Remus had felt the heat of Ari's sting, as well, and wondered if she was learning to control it. The obstinate jaw-set, the terse expression, they all came from Sirius, and Remus was starting to wonder how long they could fool people before the awkward questions began. There was too much at stake, and Remus vowed to seek the headmaster's advice on the matter that very evening.

Ari knew her sting on her father had been a mistake right after it happened. A fog of exhaustion engulfed her, leaving her not even the energy to eat. She stared blankly at Taylor's plate as the food slowly disappeared, then closed her eyes and rested her head on his arm.

Snape frowned as the scene unfolded. At least when Abby had used her... "gift," she had once bragged... at least Abby knew her limits. Ari didn't know hers yet, and the girl was still weak from the summer attacks. Dammit, you and Potter certainly are related, both stubborn and slightly stupid for it. When will either or both of you learn, you can't test the boundaries of your magical strength like this!?

He was sorely tempted to hit Ari and Harry in the back of the head with very large books, but had by and large resisted the urge. To distract himself, he turned his gaze back to the boy who thought of himself as Voldemort's protégé. Protégé, indeed, the little git nearly killed more than one person with the botching of a spell he knew to be far beyond his level, and what was he doing? Laughing. Reenacting Ari's near-collapse earlier that day far too dramatically for the situation.

Taylor knew that this was not the Ari he knew. He wrapped up some food quickly, slipped it into his bag, grabbed both his bag and Ari's, and half-carried his fogged girlfriend to their common room. Taylor conjured a blanket, as much for Ari's protection as warmth, settled on the couch, then threw the blanket over the both of them. She was soon fast asleep, and Taylor felt the familiar lump in his throat as he watched her sleep.

Gently, he brushed a rebellious strand of dark hair away from her face, glad that for once, the features of her face were not guilt- or pain-ridden. Clearly, she was far too exhausted to dream; she had slipped past that state into a deeper point of unconsciousness. As he continued to listen to her even breathing, Taylor felt his own body becoming heavy with grogginess. With a small sigh, he pulled a pillow under his head, closed his eyes, and let himself drop off to sleep.

Days passed, then weeks, and it was clear Ari had regained control over the power she'd found so frightening. Even when she was at her most vulnerable, her most exposed in her late-night sneaks through the castle with Taylor, she didn't lose control like she had. The sneaking, however, was just that. Taylor felt like he hadn't really been around Ari in months, and he missed her sorely. Then all at once, Ari's emotions yet again skyrocketed with no warning.

Quidditch had started up, and thanks to her father's willingness to bend to his daughter's request, Ari was a Chaser on the Gryffindor team. They were to open the season against Ravenclaw right after Halloween. Then there was the Hogsmeade weekend, the first one of the term, scheduled for the day before Halloween (the holiday fell, oddly enough, on a Sunday).

Taylor had long since asked her to Hogsmeade, and Ari had long since accepted. Both were on the Quidditch team, and somehow Ari still had her secret bound up inside of her. She wanted to tell him, she really did, but every time she asked Sirius, he told her the same thing: Not yet. It seemed he and Remus had smoothed over their argument, whatever it was about, and Ari's godfather echoed Sirius' sentiments, not that she had expected anything different.

Ari awoke early on the day of the Hogsmeade weekend, and stayed curled up in the warmth of the weak late-October sunshine. It had a false appeal, but Ari sometimes wondered, were she to become an Animagus, if she would be a cat. Pushing that lazy thought aside, Ari gathered her wits and kicked back her covers. After searching for awhile in her trunk, she finally found the pair of jeans she was looking for, and tugged them on. A grey, faded hoodie made its way from the bottom of the pell-mell mess, and she smiled to see it.

The hoodie had belonged to Taylor, as had the hat Ari pulled over her somewhat-rebellious hair. She smiled and pulled it on her head, successfully completing a rather disheveled look for herself. The t-shirt under the hoodie, the jeans, the hoodie, the hat--they were all too big. Not that that's surprising, she told herself ruefully, I was pretty much starved all summer. It's not possible to just start stuffing your face again instantly after something of that kind of traumatic effect. She tied her shoes tightly, tucked her wand into her bag, and threw the bag's long strap over one shoulder.

"Morning," she said brightly to Taylor. She was surprised to see him in the common room so early, but it was not an unpleasant surprise. After setting her bag on the floor, she cuddled into his lap.

"Damn... if I felt any stronger for you, I-"

"You'd melt?" Ari supplied playfully.

"Hey!" Taylor said indignantly. "I'm having a moment here. I was going to say 'explode' but right now I guess 'melt' covers it pretty effectively too. I miss our alone time, baby," he sighed against her temple, kissing it softly.

"Me, too," she agreed into his t-shirt. "What if I refused to move? I just stayed here all day, trapping you?"

Taylor laughed softly, a thrilling sound Ari relished. "That could eventually evoke some problems," he said rather suggestively, letting Ari's mind wander off in whatever direction it felt compelled to.

"Like the loo?" she giggled. He nodded, but clearly wasn't in need of one now, so she snuggled back up to him. "I love it when you laugh. I love you."

Taylor smiled, as much to himself as anything. Ari used those three words so sparingly, to hear her say them with no hesitation was a treat he never got tired of. "I love you too, Ariana, and don't you dare forget I love to laugh for you."

Ari couldn't really remember how she'd gotten so lucky, but for now, it didn't matter. Today, she could truly be herself, even if Taylor didn't know her last name yet. It didn't take long in the village to break away from the others, and somehow, Ari grew bored with Hogsmeade. She wanted Taylor more than anything else, and let him know on no uncertain terms that she was in charge.

Their day drew to a lazy close as Ari lay in a strip of sun across the couch with Taylor as a willing pillow. "I love you," she sighed for the second time that day. "I love you so much."

"I can feel it, Ari," Taylor replied, "welling up in you when you look me in the eyes. I love you more than I can tell you."

"You show me quite frequently," she laughed suggestively, but just then, students burst in from Hogsmeade. Ari groaned and buried her head under Taylor's arm for noise protection. In fact, it was rather unnecessary; Ginny and Harry had come up to see if they were coming down to the feast.

At the mention of food, Ari sat up slowly. She still hadn't regained her usual stomach and it was wearing on her both physically and emotionally. Ginny sincerely hoped the day would pass when her friend could barely keep on her jeans and looked like a small kid in an oversized tshirt when she woke up in the mornings. Harry noticed her look of concern, and shared her fears. So did Taylor; it didn't pass over him when Ari openly and shamelessly flirted while they ate.

The good thing, even Ron had to admit, was that Ari's strong emotions and her power were in check, and she was eating. Sirius glanced up from a deep conversation with Remus and Dumbledore to see Ari tugging on Ginny's hair gently as Harry "braided" it, though all he was doing in the process was tangling the long red mane. At long last, at least to Ari, the first few traces of food disappeared, to be replaced by an assortment of cakes, cookies, and candy. Sirius shook his head, then scanned the rest of the House tables. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, except Malfoy. Then again, Sirius reasoned, it would be out of the ordinary if that slimy coward wasn't out of line.

That night, Ari slept fitfully. She tossed and turned restlessly, more than once waking a disgruntled roommate. Only Clair seemed sympathetic, and stayed up reading by wandlight until the sun slipped over the horizon.

Ari's dreams were unsettling, but not quite nightmarish. Again she dreamed of the odd, blinding flash of light, but the dream changed from scene to scene seamlessly. Her parents arguing... her mom on the couch holding her head... laying on the carpet...

With a start, Ari woke and sat bolt upright. Hermione and Ginny had just come in to wake her, and jumped back with startled squeals. "Sorry," Ari said breathlessly. "I just realized something." Without another word, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a pair of socks, and a t-shirt, changing quickly and pulling on her favorite, beat-up Nikes. She grabbed her bag and a brush, taking her hair down and pulling the brush through the tangles as she rushed down the stairs.

"Ari!" Ginny finally cried as they reached the common room. "What is going on? You just realized what?"

"It was just a memory," Ari replied, her face almost unsettled. "I have to tell someone now, before I forget."

With that, she turned and climbed out of the portrait hole into the corridor. She knew exactly where she was going, even if no one else did. In fact, she didn't even care if Sirius was up or not. This was a much more important issue than sleep.

She banged on the door to his quarters, probably much harder than necessary, but thankfully he was awake. "Hi, Ari," he said, looking to the right and left in the hallway before letting her in. Ari settled cross-legged in a squashy armchair as he reset the charms on the room. Sirius leaned against the door for a moment, studying her.

"I remembered something last night, in one of my dreams," she said quietly without meeting his gaze. "I know why I recognized the carpeting at Grimmauld now, it's exactly like--"

"What we had," he finished heavily, causing her to look up. "I know. I didn't even think about it for awhile." After taking a deep breath, he decided to push her for more. "Do you remember anything else?"

Ari shook her head. "No, at least nothing that would be strange, why?"

"No reason," Sirius replied, mentally shaking himself. "Thanks for coming to find me."

She took that to be a gentle dismissal, and stood. "No problem. See you later." As she walked away, Sirius shut the door and leaned against it, resisting the urge to punch the brick wall. Breaking his hand in frustration wouldn't do anyone any good whatsoever, so he settled for letting the memories wash back over him.

Ari walked away with the distinct feeling something was being hidden from her. She was shaking herself mentally, saying she was just expecting there to be a secret. The longer you think there is one, the more you convince yourself that every odd detail is that secret. When she walked into the Great Hall, Taylor swept her away to the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were talking in low voices about something, and it sounded serious.

"What's going on?" Ari asked quietly, reaching for food as she looked around casually.

Harry pointed to the front page of the Daily Prophet in front of Hermione, and Ari choked. Staring up at her belligerently and defiantly was Bellatrix Lestrange. The headline over the picture blared "Another Breakout: Out-of-Control Dementors or Inside Source?"

"Inside source?" she frowned, glancing up at the staff table. Neither her father nor Remus were there. Also missing was Snape. She shook herself; the rattled feeling she had couldn't be coming from that particular slimeball then. "Like who?"

"There's a lot of names listed there, each more unlikely than the one before it," Ron scoffed. "This paper's gone to the dogs, to be sure; it should be tossed in the bin every day."

Harry gave him a quelling look, then pointed out a smaller headline farther down the page. This one struck a chord of panic deep within Ari. "Speculation About Supposed End of Black Family Tree Continues: Where Is the Daughter Sirius Black Claimed 17 Years Ago?" Hermione took Ari's silence as permission to read the suspicious article aloud.

"Seventeen years ago, Harry Potter was born. The entire Wizarding world

knows that. What many people don't know is that Sirius Black has a daughter

almost exactly the same age as Potter. The only problem is, the child in question

disappeared when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked Godric's Hollow when

both children would have been just over one year old. Was there really a child?

Many sources, including some who were close to both families, say yes. But

before anyone goes any farther believing these claims, let's review the facts that

are for sure about both families.

If there is another Black child, she is not only related to Sirius Black, she is pureblood.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the very person who pushed away pureblood

administrations would have a pureblood daughter. Not only is she pureblood,

she is related to Harry Potter. They would be cousins, should the

rumor mill be correct this time. Can you imagine the danger this would place

the child in? Of course, no proof that the general public can see exists.

There is one place, one solitary place, that the records of every

magical child born can be found, and that is at Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Ari had gone pale. She wondered just how many people in the room were now speculating it was her. Taylor briefly glanced at her, but knew that if this was her secret, it was hers to share, so he pulled her close. Harry's head was spinning. Cousin? How on earth was that even possible? Cousins couldn't be this close in age, unless...

The entire castle suddenly shook, and the candles went out. The Great Hall was thrown into complete darkness. A hand was on Ari's shoulder, and she jumped. "Hush," Sirius hissed. "Get the others and come on."

Somehow, all six students plus Sirius managed to get out without being seen, heard, or run over. McGonagall was occupied calming the students and preparing to release them in an orderly fashion. By the time the school was clamoring through the corridors, Ari was standing in Dumbledore's office in shock. The headmaster lifted a jewel-encrusted sword from a case, ran it along a tiny space between portraits, and pushed open a door in the wall.

"Go on to the study chamber. Sirius, go ahead and explain what you can to them. Remus is down there as well. I'll come get you when it's clear." With that, the door re-sealed. Ari watched as her father lit a few candles, which magically lit the rest in the small space.

"Come on," Sirius urged them, walking through the tight enclosure. A huge room opened up in front of them, and Ari could hardly believe her eyes. She was, however, exceedingly tired and sank onto one of the soft sofas beside Taylor. Ron sprawled across one, Harry laid his head in Ginny's lap on another, and Sirius sank into a chair facing Ari. Remus appeared from around a shelf as Hermione scanned the shelves.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked quietly.

"This is what was once Godric Gryffindor's own chamber," Sirius explained. "It's perfect for studying, hiding, working on spells," he motioned through another door to the left, "and anything else you might imagine. We're far underground."

"Why, exactly, are we hiding here? I mean other than the fact that it's so safe," Ron blurted.

"We have two Gryffindor heirs in here," Sirius responded quietly. "Harry, naturally, is one."

"The Daily Prophet... was right?" Ron yelped.

Ari looked at Harry apologetically, who stared back at her. How long had Ari known they were related? Why hadn't she said something!?

"I only just found out about a week ago," Ari supplied quietly. Taylor hadn't stiffened at her side as she had expected, and his relaxed state was encouraging to her. "I didn't even know the memory for what it was, how was I supposed to tell you?"

With her eyes, she was begging her friends to understand. Harry hadn't needed her apologies, he completely understood; it's just that this piece of information caught him off-guard. He closed his eyes as Ginny continued running her hands gently through his hair.

Hermione suddenly let out an exclamation (what it was or what the emotion it it was, Ari couldn't tell) and rushed over to the table. "I've never actually seen this book before, but it could answer a lot of questions."

She flipped through it until she found the now-familiar names, and couldn't hide a smile. There it was, the undeniable truth of Ari's identity.