History of Ari
“What!?” she screeched, ignoring the similar demands from the men in the room.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” he asked softly, staring at the men in the room. She glared at them, wondering just how close they were to her brother if they didn’t know about that. She at least had an excuse.
“Apparently, we will be discussing your life after I’m done. And I will not stand any details left out because of concern for my mental state or because you don’t think I’ll believe you. Since you’re here, alive, I’ll assume the basilisk venom was taken care of and move on until it’s your turn,” she said.
When he blushed, shuffling in his bed self-consciously, she didn’t even flinch.
“Well, the bond worked. I could feel you in Mum’s belly, could feel when you were happy, when you were tired. And I grew to love it. Instead of feeling replaced, I realized you were just more for our parents to love. I was actually looking forward to more siblings after you. And apparently, it was the strongest bond the healers had seen and they theorized it was because it was formed when you were still in the womb. When you were born, that was the happiest day of my life,” she continued. “I finally got to meet the little munchkin I’d be sharing parents with. And you were gorgeous.”
The twins snickered and Harry blushed brilliantly. Moony chuckled at their antics but motioned for her to continue. She did with a smirk at her kid.
“Well, after that, it was only a matter of a few weeks before it was too dangerous for us. Dumbledore had been insisting on a Fidelius for months, with no explanation, but when the Death Eaters almost snatched me from the playground, it was decided to listen to him.”
“Prophesy,” Moony muttered.
She snapped her gaze off her brother to stare at him in shock. “Prophesy?”
“There was a prophesy that You-Know-Who would be defeated by a child born at the end of July. Dumbledore figured it was either Harry or the Longbottom’s boy. He didn’t say anything until a few years later and even then, no one knows the full prophesy,” Moony reported.
She tried very hard not to lash out at the news. Dumbledore had a LOT to explain when she got ahold of the manipulative bastard.
“He had no right to keep that information to himself! We were in danger from the moment Harry was conceived!” she allowed herself to snarl.
“Would you have gotten rid of me?” Harry asked softly.
Arianna looked at him in horror, staring at how he sat, curling in on himself and as if expecting a blow in her obvious anger. Her eyes narrowed in fury, not at her brother, but at the situation that led him to think she’d hit him. Then her eyes snapped to the twins and very obviously conveyed ‘comfort him, now!’. They jumped to the bed, wrapping arms around her brother and easing him back to one of their chests. She smirked when he allowed them to manhandle him gently.
The chin to her shoulder reminded her that their possible brother was cradling her in a similar situation. Instinctively, she switched her mage sight, allowing the skill she’d stumbled upon at ten to flood her vision and allow her to see the magics around her. When the room was practically glowing in different swirls of color, she looked at her brother again, smirking when she saw the glowing golden threads connecting the three brilliant grey cores. Their auras were also merging, the orange and purple of the twins blending with the startling green of Harry to form an actually ridiculous combination.
Soulmates.
Bonding soulmates.
She smirked, thrilled that her brother was blessed with such obviously caring matches. She’d have to do a full scan of their cores and auras later, but for now, with her theory confirmed, she allowed her sight to fade to normal and set to address her brother’s question.
“Harry,” she called, instantly receiving the attention of the three. “I would NEVER abandon, kill, hit, endanger, or in any way harm you, baby brother. We could have taken precautions if we’d know. I may have only been eight by the time you were born, but I knew what was going on. I knew people were disappearing and we were going to a lot of funerals. And I knew it wasn’t normal. I would have done anything to keep you safe and happy. If that meant we had to abandon Britain and move to the States or the other side of the planet, I would have pushed for it.”
“You would have had support,” Moony agreed softly.
“I would have never put my brother in danger, even before the bond. I did feel you would replace me, but that didn’t mean I wanted you gone. I hated you for taking my parents away, but I loved you. The bond just let me see it easier. And I would love you without it.”
Harry had tears in his eyes by the time she had finished and she whimpered.
“Harry,” she whined. “Don’t cry. Please? I can’t snuggle you right now.”
He gave a watery chuckle at that but tried valiantly to swallow the tears.
“More?” she asked when he smiled weakly.
He nodded. She ignored the nods of the rest of the men in the room. If Harry wasn’t ready, they could shove it.
“So, when you were born and Mum and Da decided to listen to Dumbledore about the Fidelius, the decision was made to send me away as a precaution. With the Lordship, they couldn’t risk the whole family dying and leaving the vaults and Wizengamot seats vacant. There were already too many by then. So they sent me away. I was old enough to care for myself if absolutely necessary, but Sirius had connections in the States. They didn’t tell Dumbledore where I was going, though.”
“They didn’t tell any of us,” Moony whined. “My pup was so far away! And Padfoot wouldn’t tell me.”
“The Unbreakable Vow he took keboshed that, Moony,” Arianna said with a smirk.
Moony just grumbled, unhappy.
She continued with a smirk. “So, I had to leave my new brother, that I loved with all my heart, my parents and uncles that I adored, and travel oversees to strange people that I’d never met. Granted, Aunt Queenie and Uncle Jacob are amazing but even they admit they are strange. But I was safe. And then the Fidelius was cast and I never heard from them again. When the post arrived with the news, Aunt Queenie had to basically pour calming draught down my throat to prevent me from storming Britain and demanding my brother join us. After all, I was still a Potter and my little brother had just taken out the all-powerful Dark Lord.”
Harry groaned at the reminder and Arianna narrowed her eyes at the reaction. Obviously, the British wizarding community was not being respectful of the fact that her brother had lost all his known family in the same night. That was going to stop just as soon as she could make it so.
“Anyway, they convinced me it was too dangerous and to wait. I did, under protest. News reached us a few days later that you’d disappeared, Dumbledore secreting you away for your protection.”
“Some protection,” Harry muttered, and Arianna stiffened. She wasn’t the only one. Harry seemed to realize what he’d said and paled.
So, so much was on the list to discuss. But she decided to press on and let her brother relax. Their bond was screaming discomfort and shame and she didn’t want to push him since it was obvious both that he was uncomfortable with the topic and that he barely remembered her. After all, the sibling bond was usually stronger for the elder sibling.
“I agreed to stay hidden until I came into my majority and could demand access to you. Aunt Queenie started teaching me defensive magics and occlumency, since she’s a natural Legitimens. Uncle Jacob taught me muggle stuff and baking. And then my letter for Hogwarts came.”
“Oh, the poor owl,” Charlie said with a wince.
Arianna chuckled.
“Yeah, but it came. The poor thing had to rest three days before he could go back with my response. But it was easy to accept. Aunt Queenie was cautious, since the letter was addressed to Arianna Evans, the name I’d taken when going into hiding. Not very creative, I know, but I couldn’t stand giving up the connection with my mum and da. Which meant the Record of Names in Hogwarts recognized the shift enough to address the letter correctly. I’m not sure if McGonagall addresses the letters, but it should have thrown up red flags all over the place, a witch in America with an unknown name so soon after a major war. Especially since I was living with a witch and a muggle. And we hadn’t done a blood adoption. If anyone was paying attention, it should have made them question the distance, even if none of Mum’s professors saw the name. Some of them knew Mum pretty well when she was in school and should have been able to put two and two together.”
“We’ll have to look into that,” Charlie muttered. “I’ve never known the Records to be able to make those changes, but you couldn’t register as a muggleborn. It would have warranted a visit from a professor to explain the wizarding world and take you to get your supplies. I’m told the letter also comes with an automatic warning notice sent to the Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster of the specialized letter.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Arianna agreed. “Since Mum and Da weren’t sure how I would register with the Records, with him being a pureblood and Mum from a confirmed squib line, they wanted to prepare me for however I was labeled, though muggleborn was more for my information instead of any concern I’d show as that, even with a concealment spell. Also, Aunt Queenie prepared me as much as she could. Still doesn’t explain why no one thought to question the name or location, but I think the letters are addressed with a spelled quill instead of a person. At that time, anyone worth their gold should have questioned a kid from the States qualifying as a halfblood or pureblood in Britain.”
“Wait, Mum was from a squib line?” Harry asked, wonderingly.
Arianna looked at him in consideration for almost a full minute, assessing.
“You really know nothing of our family, do you?” she asked bluntly.
“Hey!” he squawked. “You try being raised by Aunt Petunia and then being thrust into a world you’ve never heard of but where everyone knows your name for something you can barely remember, let alone is the same day your parents died, with no idea you had a sister. When no one had any idea you had a sister,” he snapped.
She paled. “Petunia?!” she demanded, her voice edging to screech. “You lived with Petunia?!”
He gave a sharp jerking nod in confirmation.
She devolved into cursing and it wasn’t long before the twins were staring at her in awe. But it was when she hit the parsel words that anyone did anything. Everyone froze but Harry.
“You’re a parseltongue?” Charlie asked, his arms around her waist loosening ever so slightly.
“Parselmouth speaking parseltongue and of course, I am!” she broke her rant off mid-word to snap. “It’s a Potter gift. Harry should be as well.”
The look on Harry’s face could only be described as conflicted. Arianna noticed hope, dread, fear, and wonder before he settled on curious.
“Potter gift?” he asked. “Not a transfer from Voldemort?”
The men all flinched, but Arianna smiled when her brother said his name. She’d missed it earlier, but she knew it was not common anymore. Everyone seemed terrified of it and she just couldn’t understand why. So she nodded at him, smiling wider when her nod warranted a blinding smile from Harry.
“We’ll delve into the family lineage at some point in your obviously desperately needed lessons,” she said with a soft smile. “But unfortunately, Potter history is not something those outside the family get to know just yet. And as much as you find them family, until you take the lordship through the goblins, we can’t change the family magic to recognize them as honorary members. Right now, only you, me, and Moony are Potters.”
Moony’s yip of surprise was enough for Arianna to look at her uncle strangely.
“If you think for one second Prongs didn’t add you as soon as he could, you’re barmy, Moony,” she said bluntly.
“I swear to the gods, Moony, that bastard made a mess of my accounts,” a familiar voice snapped as he barged into the room, effectively cutting off any response Remus could make.
Sirius Black froze as soon as he looked up. Which is why he didn’t deflect the hex sent his way.
“You utter bastard!” Arianna snarled, on her feet and another hex already heading to the man before he had a chance to undo the first.
It took everyone a few seconds to realize she had no wand. And it wasn’t the first time she’d cast a spell.
Then chaos erupted as Charlie sprang from the bed and stood by her side, wand raised to defend her while the twins and Remus darted between the pair, shouting. The twins threw up a surprisingly strong shield that had Arianna stumped long enough for their words to process.
“What do you mean, he’s innocent?” she demanded, pausing in her barrage of the shield. Her concentration was broken enough for Remus to undo the hex she’d thrown first and allow Sirius to detangle the robes that had started attacking their wearer.
“It wasn’t him,” Harry said emphatically, attempting to get out of bed only to fall back weakly. “It was Wormtail. Sirius was set up, but we haven’t been able to find Wormtail again to prove his innocence.”
Arianna narrowed her eyes at Sirius, ignoring his own shocked expression to really study him. Then she switched to her mage sight, attempting to understand if any of them were spelled to defend him. She gave a cursory glance at the twins again, noting a few dark threads but with no connection to the man she once snuggled into as easily as her father. Then startled when she focused on Remus and Sirius. Familiar golden threads twisted between their cores, though they were muted in color, and the pairs’ auras weren’t mixing like Harry and his Twins.
“You’re soulmates,” she said in shock.
That froze the room, even as Arianna tried to reconcile everything. She’d been crushed when news had hit that her favorite uncle Sirius Black had betrayed the Potters. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but there had been no alternative, especially when the Prophet had confirmed the trial proved him guilty, that he’d confessed. Aunt Queenie had to hold her for days when she finally accepted the betrayal and cried. To find out they’d lied, that she’d spend years hating her uncle for no reason instead of trying to prove his innocence? It hurt. She still had to verify, but she hadn’t spotted any lies on the pair. Even if the discovered bond had distracted her from checking the others, the fact that Remus supported the man put some of her doubts aside. But to learn he was soulmates to the man? It didn’t compute. And it almost made her question the support he provided.
“No, we’re not,” both men finally denied.
“Yes, you are,” she snapped, trying to wrestle control of her emotions and not hex the pair outright. “I can see the bond. It’s weird, but it’s there.”
That announcement had Charlie looking at her contemplatively for a moment before his face cleared in realization.
“You have mage sight,” he exclaimed before anyone else could speak.
“Yeah,” she agreed, glaring at the astonished looks around her.
“Ari,” Moony said gently, “that ability hasn’t been seen in centuries. Are you sure?”
“The goblins confirmed it,” she snapped. “It’s probably a good thing no one knew or it would have been bound like most of my gifts.”
“What do you mean, bound?” Sirius snapped, suddenly switching from wary of her to concerned and furious for her in an instant.
When he moved to hug her, she stepped back, staring at him with suspicion.
“I still don’t trust you yet, Padfoot,” she said. “Why do you think it was Wormtail?”
“He was their secret keeper,” Harry offered softly, flinching when he earned the gaze of the room.
Sirius studied him for a second before explaining. “Prongs said it would be too obvious if I was the secret keeper and for some reason, Dumbledore wouldn’t let James be the keeper. He also wouldn’t let the goblins perform the Fidelius, like they usually do, afraid they’d turn to Voldemort’s side if given enough incentive and would then hand them over. Wormtail was chosen as a backup and was then supposed to be in hiding himself, with another Fidelius keeping him safe with an unconnected secreted keeper. Obviously, that didn’t happen.”
“Keep going, Pads,” she ordered, trying to control her temper.
“He betrayed them,” Sirius said, his voice breaking. “He gave them up and then, when I went to warn them, I was too late. I confirmed Harry was ok, gave him to Hagrid to take to St Mungos, and went after the rat. I only wanted to bring him in! I was pissed, yeah, but he’d been our friend! I wanted to know why! But he set me up, killed all those muggles, and staged his own death so he could hide. Then I never got a chance to tell anyone otherwise.”
Her eyes flashed angrily at that, latching on to the phrasing. “Never got the chance?”
“He was sent to Azkaban with no trial,” Harry said.
“What?!” she shouted in horror. “But the paper said-“
“The paper lied,” Remus snapped. “We’ve been trying to track down the rat since we found out last year. Obviously, we’ve not had much luck, but he’s been busy.”
“He’s back,” Harry said. It was the first thing in a while that he said with any sort of volume or conviction and Arianna winced.
“Gods, we have so much shite to do…” she muttered.
She hadn’t wanted it to be true when she’d found out and she’d hoped for the longest time that he was the man she idolized. To have some sliver of possibility that it was? She’d take it and run with it. And worse comes to worse, she could pull in Aunt Queenie to confirm. If Aunt Queenie still wanted to talk to her. Gah, she still didn’t know for sure how long she’d been hidden away.
“So, not gonna hex me anymore?” Sirius asked, edging towards her warily.
“Depends,” Arianna said with a sudden smirk. “Do pranks count?” she asked before tossing a color change hex at him and dodging his sudden lunge with a laugh.
The hex hit him square in the face, changing his still long hair a brilliant electric blue, including his eyebrows, before he lunged again, shifted, and tackled her. The room erupted into hysterical laughter when his fur was the same shade.