Secrets, Secrets

"You're right, Sirius, she does look like both of you," James was saying. He looked up, and Ari was startled to see how little he had changed.

"Yes, Sirius, she does have that look," Lily supplied. "I knew she'd be gorgeous, she was such a beautiful baby."

Ari blushed slightly, but smiled a bit and sat down next to her father. There was a crash, and a yelp from the formal dining room. Everyone in the kitchen bolted up the narrow stairs, and the next blast was drowned out by Ari's high-pitched shriek of absolute terror.

Voldemort was out in the square, looking impatient. Ari's eyes were glued to him, but Harry managed to draw her eyes from him. Dumbledore was standing by the front door.

"Everyone stay put," he said evenly. "No one here is ready to face that monster yet, and we certainly will not be facing him on his terms. He doesn't know where we are, and couldn't get in here if he did."

"Why?" Ari's numb brain was jolted back to reality.

"This entire house is protected by a Fidelius Charm, Ari." He smiled serenely. "I happen to be the Order's Secret-Keeper."

Finally, Voldemort Disapparated with a shriek of frustration. The attack instantly ended, and the square quieted. Ari doubled over without warning, sicker than she had ever been. Abby tied her daughter’s hair back, Sirius cleaned the mess, and Taylor slid into a sitting position with Ari in his arms.

"What the-?" James started.

Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing, and his eyes whipped back to Ari, confusion, hurt, anger, and shock warring for control of his emotions. "What-?"

"I told you I was a Secret-Keeper," she moaned miserably. "That's what the secret was."

"Oh," he said meekly, turning back to his parents. Something he had dreamed of, longed for, but never thought possible… he embraced both parents tightly, not fighting the tears streaming down his face.

"If only we hadn't had to hide," Lily whispered for only her son to hear. "I'm so sorry, Harry. Ari had to figure it out herself. I wish… but it won't do any good now."

"You're here now," Harry moaned just as quietly. "That's good enough for me."

Ari's eyes were prickling with tears, and she hid her face in Taylor's t-shirt. Lily's gentle voice drew her eyes, however.

"Thank you, Ari."

"Y-you're welcome."

"Well that's a couple spells for the books," James said, breaking the tension.

Sirius snorted and looked up from massaging Abby's temples. "As if anyone else could ever do those spells."

"What happened to all the research then?" James asked, a small grin creeping across his face.

"I don't- oh."

"Oh what?" Ari said, confused.

"All of the papers, the books, the notes, the spells-everything is still in the workroom where it was left. Where we lived. Both of our houses were protected by the spell."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Well… that's an interesting concept."

"Yeah, it is." Abby finally spoke up, her eyes distant. "Everything would still be exactly how we left it."

Ari looked at Dumbledore, the question in her eyes. He smiled. "It's Christmas Eve. The two houses are safe. I don't see why not."

Half an hour later, Ari walked into the house she had once lived in. Everything was perfectly preserved, even the food that had been left. She softly tiptoed upstairs, leaving her parents talking quietly in the kitchen. A door on her right was open a little, and she pushed it open.

A nursery! Hers, at that, and one that had clearly been shared with Harry. The walls were each painted a different pastel color, with different patterns or shapes on them near the bottom-low enough for small children to be at eye-level with them. Two tiny cribs, soft toys, and several chairs were scattered around the room. Two changing tables were pushed against opposite walls, and when she opened the cabinets, she nearly cried out. Diapers, food, baby clothes, and varying baby potions were carefully placed on each shelf. Closing it, she crept out of the room to finish exploring.

At the very end of the hall was a bathroom. This one was big, but she had the feeling it wasn’t the biggest. Towels were still stacked in the cabinets, and various hair and body products had been left behind when the family fled. She pushed open the door to the room on the left and smiled—this had to have been her parents' room!

The walls were a deep scarlet, trimmed in gold. A crib was pushed into the corner near the window-no doubt where Ari had slept when she was ill or having nightmares. The bed was a king-sized bed, with a beautiful golden silk comforter. Clearly the family had not fled after going to bed—the bed was perfectly made. Books were neatly placed on a shelf by the door, and she ran her finger down the spines curiously. With a smile, she realized these had to have been her mother’s-there were many more romances and other fiction novels than research-type books. The master bathroom was, as Ari expected, huge. The walls were also painted that deep, rich scarlet, and trimmed in gold. A huge tub was set near a glass-encased shower, and more hair products littered the cabinets- Ari noticed that almost all of these had been used several times.

Shaking her head, she walked across the hall and smiled. This must have been where Lily and James stayed when they were over. The walls were a golden yellow, with scarlet at the trim. The bed was covered by a scarlet silk comforter, and more books lined another shelf near the closet. These must have been Lily’s, but no repeat titles appeared from the shelf in the other room- they must have shared books a lot. A crib was angled in the corner by the shelf, and a small stuffed Snitch had been abandoned.

Memories began to bubble to the surface with such intensity that by the time Ari made it to the living room, she was staggering. This room, though, triggered both the best and most painful memories Ari had.

A rich cobalt blue was the chosen color this time, and natural light streamed into the room, reflecting off the piles of snow outside. A gold-and-scarlet blanket was spread across the floor, and Ari slid into a sitting position when she glanced out the front window. Memories, painful memories, of the last night she had spent here came flooding back, and Ari couldn’t stop them.

When she finally broke out of the memories, she realized she was crying. Sirius was kneeling on one side and her mother on the other, concern in their eyes. She grabbed at both of them, hugging them more tightly than ever.

"I was remembering things," she choked, "and when I came in here… it triggered everything. Looking out that window-" she gestured in the general direction- "made me remember that Halloween night."

"Oh Ari," Sirius sighed, pulling back and sitting back on his heels. "We need to go. Did you see anything, books or anything, you want to bring back?"

"No," she said quietly, calmer now. "I don't want to change anything just yet. I haven't seen everything."

Abby glanced at Sirius, who nodded his agreement. "Let's go, then," she said quietly. They activated the Portkey Dumbledore had given them, and were soon back at Headquarters for supper.

Lily, James, and Harry looked up, as did Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Taylor, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Remus, and Tonks.

"Well?" Remus asked quietly.

"Nothing has changed," Sirius said in awe, dropping into a chair. "Not a damn thing. The spell even preserved the food in the house. No dust, no cracks, no spiders, no cobwebs. It was exactly like we left it." He glanced at Ari, who had been watching him sadly. "She remembered a lot more than I really expected she would ever remember."

Ari was sitting quietly now, tracing patterns in the worn wooden table with her eyes. Taylor had taken one of her hands in his and was gently rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. She looked up at her parents finally, her eyes clear but sad.

"Thank you for taking me," she said softly. "I really needed that."

"So did we," Abby replied, getting up to help Mrs. Weasley with supper. Another meeting of the Order was being held that evening, to reveal that the note had been real and not forged. Ari drew strength from Taylor’s embrace, and didn’t even notice when Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Madam Bones, and Flitwick joined the crowded table. When she did look up, she had strength and determination shining in her eyes, the kind that only could have come from her parents. Her long hair fell behind her shoulders, and she smiled at her mother when she sat back down. Abby managed to return the smile, and Ari fell back into her quiet thoughts.

The meeting went smoothly, even the part revealing James and Lily (before supper could even be served). Snape glared coldly at James, who glared coldly back until Dumbledore said something. They weren't going to be friends, clearly, but a lack of open hostility would satisfy Dumbledore.

After supper and the meeting, Ari was dead on her feet. She, Taylor, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry made their way upstairs.

Ari was asleep before she could even change clothes or get under her covers. Taylor frowned as he passed her open door, and slipped in unnoticed. Quietly, he Transfigured her clothes into a pair of PJ bottoms and a t-shirt. "Sleep well," he whispered after tucking her in. He softly kissed her forehead, then pulled the door shut and left her to what were clearly peaceful dreams.