Friend Since Birth

*****
Pettigrew slunk out of the dilapidated manor, careful to avoid as many of the Death Eaters as possible. Only when he apparated to a shadowy corner of Diagon and slinked into a side entrance of the bank, obstinately going about his Lord’s orders, and was then ensconced beyond the semi-public rooms did he drop the disgusting form of Peter Pettigrew and a head of bright pink hair, slim female form, and instant loss of balance showed Nymphadora Tonks taking his place.

“Lady Tonks,” one of the guards greeted when she finished shifting back with a shudder, somehow managing to not trip again immediately after she was fully herself.

“Guard Acinaces,” she greeted back with a short nod.

“Spying going well, then?”

“As well as can be expected…. Though how the fucker doesn’t realize it’s not that rat just proves how bonkers he is. And if he crucios me again, Eir is gonna have my head, even with that medallion Aiaia gave me to stop it from actually hurting so I don’t go mad myself. Gotta love forgotten artifacts that do what everyone thinks is impossible.”

The guard just grimaced.

“Perhaps it’s time to end the ruse that he escaped custody after his trial and the Ministry is keeping it quiet.”

“Maybe,” she agreed reluctantly, knowing it was just a matter of time before she’d have to make that call herself, even if she was starting to get good information about the madman’s ‘plans’. Especially if he crucioed her too many more times. It was getting hard to keep the form of the rat bastard when he did, especially while trying to look like it was affecting her. “But I’ve got to report. Talk to you later!”

The guard nodded and returned to glaring around him, spear raised and ready for anything.

“Tonks,” Ragnok greeted when she entered Arianna’s Hall.

The goblin king had started doing paperwork in the hall, both to facilitate better access to Arianna whenever she snuck in so he could make progress on her various vaults and as a way to mess with the various magicals that had started rotating through his domain for cleanses. Tonks found it hilarious and was probably more friendly with the ruler of the Goblin Horde than she should be considering he was a king and she was a fairly lowly Auror. And a witch to boot.

But he’d never corrected her and seemed to find her amusing most days.

“King Ragnok,” she greeted with a low bow, ignoring the sputterings of some of the recently cleansed around her. “Can we please speak in private? I have news that’s rather urgent.”

Ragnok raised one stern eyebrow but nodded at Arianna’s private office in response.

Tonks was glad Arianna Potter was not as territorial as some and that her office had the unvoiced invitation for use whenever the needed protections were necessary, no matter if she was in residence or not.

*****
Myrtle wasn’t in when the group of students and adults finally made it to her bathroom and Harry was thankful for that. He was not in the mood to deal with her poor flirting. Nor the crying she always devolved into. Not that he really blamed her, since he knew her history, but he got enough of that with Cho trying to take him up on his invitation from last year’s ball. Despite his original intentions, he had no qualms about turning the Ravenclaw seeker down now. He was many things, but a replacement for a dead hero was not it. Cedric deserved better and Harry had absolutely no intention of disrespecting his memory by allowing Cho anywhere near him in her grief. Or in general, really, after that last attempt. And he was pretty sure he wouldn’t look at a witch or girl with anything but friendship for a long time as soon as he’d made that realization.

Focusing back before Snape could get even more techy, Harry quickly hissed at the opening to the Chamber and didn’t even wait for Snape to conjure the lift. He needed the rush of jumping into the dark.

They’d at least learned to add a cushion at the bottom of the slide so he didn’t crunch onto bones again. Though, now that he looked, the layer of long dead rodents and various other animals the basilisk had fed on were gone. And the tunnels were much cleaner than he could ever remember, the moss and slime of damp stone replaced with the more familiar dry stone the rest of the castle enjoyed even if it was a bit cooler than the fire heated stones above. He’d not been down here much since they’d discovered it second year, too afraid of the memories involved, but even the caved in roof from the backfired spell was gone. Uncle Regulus must have been busy…

“Bloody Gryffindors,” Snape snapped when he exited the lift behind him, Ron held securely by the scruff of his shirt and the twins levitating behind him. Going by their stiff limbs, they’d had the Full-Body bind applied. “You would do well to remember that it is no longer necessary to jump into the black whenever you enter here. As if I’d allow my pregnant mate to do so…”

“As if you could stop me if I’d really wanted to,” Regulus said with a chuckle, coming around the corner from the main Chamber. “What brings you by? I didn’t ask for a day upside.”

“The Prewetts and Arianna made their debut at the Wizengamot with Sirius,” Snape announced as he finally released Ron. Harry was quick to go to the Twins when Snape reversed the bind, helping George to his feet while Ron took on a very pissed off Fred to prevent him from entering the lift to take it back up before it disappeared.

“They implied Arianna was sleeping with all three of them,” Fred snarled when it proved too difficult to get past his younger brother. Then he brushed past everyone to storm into the Chamber. “Then add in the howlers from this morning and they’re now speculating that Harry’s their sex doll.”

Harry froze, arm around George and horror on his face that had George wrapping his own around Harry’s waist.

“We caught the tail end of a conversation between some of the confirmed Death Eater Slytherins. Warrington was particularly crude,” George offered, pulling Harry along as he made his way after his brother.

Harry lost a bit of time then, horror and disgust warring in his mind.

When he was aware again, he was seated on a surprisingly comfortable sofa in the study Regulus had cleaned first, ensconced between Fred and George, and Snape was kneeling in front of him, holding his hands. There was a fire snapping merrily in the fireplace behind him, warming his back nicely.

“There you are,” his potions professor said, squeezing his hands gently. “You need to breathe, Harry. We’re going to take care of this.”

“Starting with filing charges of false accusations and defamation against that rag and adding in anything Ragnok can come up with now that I’ve set him loose. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t just buy it and fire everyone,” a familiar voice announced and Harry was up before anyone else could react.

He slammed into his sister and didn’t even laugh when she almost fell over from the force. Sobs wracked his body and he couldn’t even tell what hit him the worst. The howler from this morning, the horror of Umbridge, the speculations in the paper, or being away from his first truly safe place for so long.

“Shhhh,” Arianna soothed, running a hand through his long hair and holding him tightly. “It’s alright, little brother.”

“Are you certain you should be here and not dealing with that mess?” Regulus asked. Harry tensed at the thought, but Arianna just hugged him tighter and continued to soothe him as she answered, making her way back to sit on the sofa with him.

“If I deal with it, there will not be much left of that blasted Skeeter woman. Thank the gods Marlene and Remus found it hilarious or I’d be in my own trouble. The wizarding world can learn the hard way not to trust that paper. Ragnok is not happy and he’s already working on the suit, as I said. I’m here to stay for a bit.”

Harry was shocked by that but thrilled at the same time. Then he felt a shift in the magic around them and startled when Arianna tensed.

“Did you feel that, kiddo?” she asked.

He nodded against her shoulder and looked at the confused faces around him.

“Felt like a wave of magic, giggling almost.”

That would be me, a voice whispered in his mind, caressing his thoughts gently. The voice sounded exhausted, as if just waking.

“Hogwarts,” Arianna breathed. Harry noticed Snape startling, his eyes widening minutely. “Peeves said she was waking, but I didn’t think he meant seriously.”

Little trickster is usually honest, the voice said. I have slept a long time, little Lady and Lord, but long has it been since Heirs resided here with the rings. And not since the Founders were the Lords and Ladies in residence.

“Seriously?” Harry asked.

“What?” Ron asked, eyeing the pair of them warily. It didn’t take a genius to realize the rest of the room couldn’t hear the castle speaking, so Harry gave a quick synopsis, explaining about the conversation the twins and Arianna had had with Peeves weeks ago.

“Surprising,” Regulus muttered, running a hand subconsciously over his stomach as he thought. “I don’t think anyone knows any of this. It would have been in some library.”

The castle’s voice growled loudly in his head and it was only after a moment he noticed the soft growling emanating in the Chamber itself as well.

That sorry excuse of a Headmaster has hidden much, Hogwarts snapped, sounding far more awake than before.

Harry resigned himself to being both participant in the discussion and translator as he relayed the news. The wary looks the others sent the Chamber were probably not as funny as he found them, though.

“While I’d like nothing more than to get rid of that man, that’s going to be a long term plan,” Arianna said. She continued her petting of his chaotic hair, allowing him the comfort he needed. “What can we do in the immediate to help you, great lady? I’ve cleared a few weeks to stay out of the media lest I do something stupid per Siri’s orders and am hiding from more dratted paperwork, so I’m all yours. It would also have nothing to do with Sirius banishing me from public view and out of Gringotts after finding me asleep at my desk too much. Not at all.”

Harry hugged her tighter at that, smiling into her shirt. Weeks with her in the castle and easily in reach. He liked that. He didn’t even care that Snape saw how relieved he was. At least the glamor on his hand was holding up and no one was questioning it. The last thing he needed was Arianna finding out about the new scars and going to Azkaban for killing his DADA professor.

Helga’s room requires cleaning out, to be honest, Hogwarts was saying. It has not been since its creation and I spend much time and energy maintaining the expansion needed for it to remain usable.

“Helga’s room?” Arianna mused. But Harry realized at the same time Ron did.

“Room of Requirement,” they said in unison, looking to each other in shock.

Dobby had suggested it months ago when the study hall got a bit tight in one of the larger classrooms they liked to use. But they’d never needed to use it before. Granted, they planned to now, but that was because they needed someplace secure.

“Helga Hufflepuff made that room?” Ron asked.

“It makes sense, though, if the rumors surrounding what it can do are true,” Regulus said with a smirk. “Loyal badger creating a room to help anyone?”

They had to agree with that logic. Then Arianna gave a pained smile. “Yay, more organizing…”

Harry laughed.

“Anything else while we’re on the subject?” she said after a bit of grumbling.

When Hogwarts just gave the impression of a denial, already quiet again and somehow conveying how tired she was still, Arianna turned to the others.

“Well, the Basilisk is almost completely harvested and I’ve cleaned as much as I can,” Regulus offered. “I did find a fantastic library in this study, though, hidden behind that painting and only accessible with parseltongue, unsurprisingly,” he said, pointing to a bland painting of the very same study they resided in. Harry wondered if it was meant to house a person, to act as a portrait. The flash of magic from Hogwarts hummed in agreement and he wondered why the person was missing. He’d have to ask later.

“And what are you finding in said library?” Arianna asked.

“A lot of books on parselmagic and I think I found Slytherin’s personal journals. It’s difficult to work through, since he wrote a lot in parseltongue and I didn’t realize it had a written version, but I’m making some progress.”

Arianna seemed interested and Harry allowed himself to be lulled into sleep to the sounds of his sister talking excitedly with their uncle, content for the first time all day. And truly relaxed for the first time in weeks.

*****
There was no other scenario that could possibly make Charlie happier. Well, he could think of one, but he was working on that one. After all, he had to actually see Arianna to properly court her and Sirius had made it abundantly clear just how much he expected Charlie to follow protocols with his pup. There were few things that scared the dragon handler, since he had such a dangerous job, but an overprotective Sirius Black was hands down the worst.

It had nothing to do with the series of pranks the man had instigated in preparation for the ‘shovel talk’. Or the details included in said shovel talk if his precious pup so much as sniffled because of Charlie’s actions.

But courting was on hold for now. Now he was focused on finalizing the numbers and species of creatures he and Newt were cataloguing. And the fact that he could call the legend by his first name was mindboggling.

He often woke up in his new apartment, secured in the expanded trunk Arianna had dropped off on one of her visits, and couldn’t help the smile that he had. Dragons were his specialty, his work at the reserve in Romania important to the wizarding world’s continued efforts to understanding of the various species and the conservation of the creatures, but this endeavor was going to put that to shame. There were species here that they could literally find no record of in any modern books. And despite the goblins caring for them, the names for a few had been lost to time until one of their goblin coworkers had discovered the creature section of the library portion of the vault. There were scores of books on the various creatures, detailing in tight, neat writing each creature that had been included in the vault, the care of the creatures, and the typical habitats they enjoyed. However, many were in a forgotten language and the goblins were having difficulties translating some of them. But the magicals that had joined them over the months were helping and the whole group was making good progress.

Aiaia’s Sanctuary was on track to open for public visits and new creature rescues early next year. Charlie knew the name wasn’t very creative, but by the time they’d selected the island chain and broke ground on the first few habitats, for the creatures at critical capacity, no one had really gotten much sleep and had no creative juices to speak of.... And they’d been calling it that so long the name had stuck, despite a few half-hearted attempts to change it.

Not that Arianna cared much. She was much more concerned with getting the creatures out of their too small enclosures and into some fresh air. Something Tharos was trying to communicate to some of the more wary species. Newt’s little Bowtruckle friend was helping too. It had shocked Charlie to hear that the little creature was almost as old as Newt. They normally didn’t live that long but he suspected the little one was Newt’s familiar, sharing in his expected life expectancy, and therefore knew far more than normal Bowtruckles usually did. And since Newt seemed to have been designated the little one’s Home Tree, the creatures seemed to trust the magizoologist more than most humans.

It was helping too. Many species had already been moved, with the copious use of calming draught and goblin tunnel travel, to their new enclosures and he was currently overseeing the move of a few griffins.

“Quiet, aren’t they?” Newt asked with a chuckle, coming to stand by his side.

Charlie’s little dragon was perched on his shoulder and had quietly announced the man’s arrival. She was the only thing that prevented him from jumping, but it was near thing. Newt was surprisingly light on his feet still. Granted, it had prevented a few tragedies, but it still unnerved Charlie sometimes.

“I think the news is finally spreading that we’re not hurting the ones that get taken out,” Charlie said with a smile.

“Tis true,” Tharos said as he landed behind them, dragon form fully realized except for the vocal cords. None of them had proven able to pick up Dragontongue quick enough for the ancient dragon to continue their lessons…. So he’d improvised and shifted his vocal cords when necessary without giving up his dragon form. Though Charlie was determined to get him to keep teaching him if it was the last thing he did. He was pretty sure Tharos was mostly amused by his attempts to speak the few words Charlie had managed in the lessons.

“The large species are already moved, Charlie,” Newt pointed out. “At this point, we’re focused on the smaller species that have more room to roam now. We can take a break for a bit, if you want.”

Charlie smirked, keeping his eyes on the group of young apprentice magicals helping the goblins with a particularly feisty female griffin. He knew what Newt was doing. He’d not exactly been subtle lately with how much he felt the absence of Arianna. As happy as he was doing what they were doing and helping the goblins with some of the other projects they were undertaking in the massive vault, it was not enough with her gone. And he wasn’t used to spending so much time without real sunlight. He was going pale, for Merlin’s sake! First time since he’d been a little firstie and hadn’t spent every second on a broom or with the creatures on Hogwarts grounds, his Weasley skin was pale.

“Perhaps you’re right,” he agreed.

“Just remember, Charlie Weasley,” Newt commented offhandedly, “You break her heart and you’ll have a line of people waiting to punch or hex you. I’ll just find a more creative way to deal with you.”

Charlie gulped and took a hesitant step away from the magizoologist. He’d forgotten the man was an adopted uncle of his desired partner and had been married to one of the most feared heads of MCUSA’s Security division for decades…

“Then I’ll eat you,” Tharos threw in.

Charlie wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. This was going to be a nightmare, whether he won her or not…

“Noted,” he squeaked.

He’d deny that sound till he died.

*****
“Are you serious?” Arianna hissed to the herself when she entered the Room of Lost and Hidden Things after a long and harrowing journey from the Chamber. She forgot the close calls with a very familiar cat with rather unusual markings around her eyes in the overwhelming sight before her.

The huge room was positively packed and if she squinted, she could see arched windows that showed the mess continuing for quite a ways past this first room. There were trunks and books and broken furniture and weapons and wands and what looked like dozens of owl cages. The cages had her panicking and she darted to the nearest one. She breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of an actual owl in it, but she knew she’d not feel better until she’d checked them all.

To her surprise, the room shifted, as if in answer to her thought, until there was a large area cleared by the door and all the owl cages were lined up neatly.

She was horrified by the three that had actual owls still in them. She darted to them quickly, unlocking the cages and gently pulling the poor creatures out to rest on the floor. One was so weak it just slumped in her arms and she cursed.

“Nifty!” she called, hoping the little elf that had some creature care experience could hear her so far away and could get through the wards.

“Missy be calling for Nifty?” the elf asked as soon as she popped in.

“Could you please go get me some broth for these poor things? I can get the water, but I think we’ll need to ease them back to their normal diet. This one looks to have been here a long time.”

Nifty took a look at the owl hooting meekly in Arianna’s arms and narrowed her eyes in anger.

“Missy be dealing with bad wizzys that did this, right?” Nifty demanded, hands on her hips and glaring around her.

“Yes, Nifty, but I fear they are simply children that had no training in how to handle an owl and just had one shoved at them…”

Nifty glared a bit harder but nodded and popped away.

Milady, there is one close to death in the cage on the end, Hogwarts pointed out and Arianna quickly laid the owl she had down to go to the indicated cage.

The poor thing was tiny and laying in the bottom of the cage, feathers missing in clumps. It was so skinny it could almost have squeezed between the bars of the cage itself it had the energy. She quickly unlocked the cage and gently picked up the little screech owl. It couldn’t even hoot at her and she sighed. This one probably wouldn’t make it, but she still brought it over to the other three, all of which hooted a greeting, even if it was weak. She conjured a bowl for each of the three in relatively good shape, then murmured a quick Aquamenti to fill them. When the other three were drinking gratefully, she conjured another even smaller bowl, filled it, then gently held the small owl so it could try to drink. Even if the little one didn’t make it, it would die with a full belly and in comfort.

Nifty popped in just as the other owls were finishing their drinks and they fell on her as soon as they realized the bowl of warm broth she carried was for them. She simply glared at them until they backed up and she snapped her fingers, magicking a small portion into their now empty water bowls.

“Owlsies need to have better manners,” Nifty said. “Hungry not excuse for rude.”

Arianna frowned at that but let it go. She may excuse the behavior of starving creatures, but she knew house elves knew of starvation too. She still didn’t know the full extent to which her own elves had suffered without a master for so long and she was hesitant to ask. They all seemed happy now, many visiting her over the last few months to thank her for taking them on, but that didn’t mean they didn’t know of deadly hunger.

She made sure to thank the little elf for the bowl of soup when she handed over the rest. She then set to work spelling small portions into the two weakest owls when the one she’d originally been most concerned for was unable to swallow the warm broth.

“Nifty, could you go ask Charlie to join me?” she said softly. “I have a feeling these poor things are going to need more attention and I’m not comfortable trying to heal them.”

Nifty nodded before popping away.

“Hogwarts, are there any other creatures here, alive or dead?”

Instead of speaking, the room shifted again, until the obviously empty cages were replaced by hundreds of cages and tanks. Arianna sighed at the dozens of snakes staring at her, the bones of mice hidden in their cages, the few cats blinking at her from inside carrying cases, and a few other assorted creatures. There were also quite a few that they were too late for and she wanted to cry at the injustice of it all. How did this happen? Were the parents that bought these poor creatures really so stupid as to give a living creature to a child that either had no intention of caring for it or no knowledge to do so appropriately?

As she was working her way along, freeing those creatures she could trust not to eat one of the others and assessing the rest, Nifty popped back in, Charlie holding her hand and cradling something on his shoulder at the same time. A pair of other elves popped in right after.

“You have some wicked timing,” Charlie started with a smile before falling silent at the scene in front of him.

Arianna didn’t even have to explain before he was casting diagnostic spells on every creature he could see breathing, the results parchments forming a small pile next to him as he worked. Each creature was apparently left a small tag on a foot or collar that corresponded to a page and Arianna was a bit shocked by how fluidly he was casting the spells. She could barely see the pair of spells hitting each creature he was casting so fast. Only the flutter of a new page or the protesting noise of the newest creature even told her what he was actually accomplishing. By the time she’d freed the last Kneazle, with a pointed order to leave the other creatures alone, Charlie was already casting some healing spells at the weakest owl.

“The little one going to make it?” she asked worriedly.

“Might,” he said shortly. “Some bastard broke his wing and it’s not set right.”

Arianna sighed and then set to work on the ones they were too late for. Each was gently placed in a conjured box and labelled with species at least. Then she had Nifty and a few other elves take them to the Den to be buried in the familiars section of the little family cemetery they’d found. Nifty had seemed surprised but arranged it quickly, smiling gently at the names Arianna had added as Hogwarts relayed them.

“We’ll need to get some of these guys to the Den and more healing, but I want to keep the owls with us,” Charlie said, now working on a pair of snakes twined together.

“Nifty?” Arianna called. Nifty looked up from where she was scolding one of the others for startling one of the Kneazles into trying to claw him.

“I’s arrange for a few more elvsies with Zoe elf, shall I, Missy?” Nifty asked.

Arianna smiled and nodded. The elf popped away, holding the other elf by the ear to the little one’s protests.

“Anyone actually at the Den to look after them?” she asked after a minute. “Other than the elves, who already have too much to do getting all the properties cleaned, updated, and repaired while helping with Recalls and the rescues from St. Mungos?”

“Narcissa,” Charlie muttered, looking closely at what Arianna had to assume was a Knarl but could have just been a mundane hedgehog.

“I thought she and Lucius were going back to their manor,” she said.

“Lucius wants to update the wards to make sure Voldemort can’t get in and he said it would be better if it was just him in residence while he did so,” Charlie muttered. “I only just got there this morning for a break from the vaults but Narcissa is apparently starved for company since it’s taking him so long. She’s been talking my ear off all morning and I sincerely thought she hated Weasleys.”

“So having dozens of injured creatures to look after will be a welcomed distraction while Lucius works,” Arianna surmised.

“She also has healer training and I’m sure she’d like to ease back into using it, even if she didn’t train for creatures,” Charlie pointed out. “She’s always said it wasn’t proper for a highborn lady to work but with the removal of her compulsions and potions, she finds she doesn’t care as much what is proper. Sirius laughed for a good ten minute at that.”

Arianna chuckled herself, easily imagining the barking laugh Sirius would have given to his prim and proper cousin saying such a thing.

“The rest of these little ones are not in too bad of shape,” Charlie finally said, standing and making his way back to the small pair of owls.

The other two were perched on the top of their cages and were eying the chaos of creatures warily. One even swooped quickly to snap claws at a Kneazle eyeing a poor toad before swooping back to its companion.

“So, are you actually on break or were you looking to just take a short break from the vault?” Arianna asked curiously as the elves started popping in to take the creatures away.

“Depends,” Charlie said with a chuckle.

“Would it depend on whether or not I asked you to help with this nightmare?” she asked with her own laugh.

“Nah,” Charlie said, surprising her. “Depends on if you’ll accompany me to the village when it’s time for dinner.”

Arianna studied him a moment, judging how serious he was, but she could only see sincerity in his gorgeous eyes and relaxed stance.

“That’s not what people normally say,” she commented.

“I’m not normal,” Charlie snarked back instantly, surprising a laugh out of her. “But you didn’t answer the question.”

“It wasn’t a question,” Arianna said before she could think. Then she flinched, worried he’d reconsider.

“Arianna Potter, would you do the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight?” Charlie instantly asked instead.

She blushed but didn’t even have to think about it. She nodded and allowed Charlie to pull her into him in celebration. She didn’t even really have to look with her mage sight to realize why she felt so comfortable in his arms. Seeing how Harry reacted to the Twins and Sirius to Remus and Severus to Regulus, she already knew this was her soulmate.

They did end up going to dinner that night, sneaking out of the castle with the help of Harry’s invisibility cloak and knowledge of a certain secret passage to Honeydukes. The Three Broomsticks was familiar and yet foreign at the same time and Arianna could almost imagine she was back in school, sharing Hogsmeade weekend with her current suitor, but for the missed opportunity to do so when she was actually attending and the stares they garnered. She may not be fully decked out in her now normal dueling robes and she may be wearing a glamor, but she couldn’t hide her graceful movements, indicative of noble instruction. And there really was no way to hide Charlie’s distinctive hair or dragonhide armor. Or the few scars he had from burns too deep to fully heal.

Yet no one approached them beyond Rosmerta to wait on them and they spent hours just talking. About anything and everything they could think of. They even spent a good hour discussing the dragons Charlie missed in the preserve in Romania. And his friends’ increasing owls asking how his holiday was going. Arianna would be the first to admit that she truly enjoyed the meal and not just for the food.

And it became a regular occurrence over the next few weeks. They’d figured out that first night that Hogwarts was able to make a separated set of bedrooms for them inside the Room of Lost and Hidden Things for them, adamant that they not share a room yet. The not so subtle moving of Charlie to his own bed after they attempted to just sleep next to each other had Arianna laughing hard enough for Charlie to hear through the stone separating them and Charlie grumbling about overprotective castles loud enough for Arianna to hear over her own laughter.

But they were making progress. As had happened with the creatures, Arianna found she could request certain types of objects at a time and they were working their way through the various detritus of hundreds of years of students and professors alike losing and hiding things, organizing as they went. Sometimes, Harry or the school aged Weasleys or Hermione joined them, but Arianna put restrictions on how often they could join. After all, the teens were all still in school and needed to study. But she forbid Hermione completely when they started uncovering books.

Hundreds of books. Many of which were not salvageable and needed to be thrown out. The one and only time Hermione had seen Arianna cast a vanishing charm at one book that was so moldy it was a hazard, she’d exited the room with parchment hair and had to lie to Pomfrey that she’d run afoul of one of the twin’s experimental prank products. Needless to say, the girl didn’t protest the ban from Arianna. Though she did like the promise that any books they could save would become an anonymous donation to the school library when they were done.

So they worked hard during the day and when Hogwarts deemed they’d worked long enough, she kicked them out of the room and told Arianna in no uncertain terms to go outside and eat something. She and Charlie would wander the castle and grounds disillusioned or hidden in the Cloak whenever Harry didn’t need it. Occasionally, Severus and Regulus would join them and the four of them would wander through topics as they pleased. Severus and Charlie even spent one memorable evening debating the merits of different types of ingredients collected from creatures and if wild versus captive made any difference in their use and potency.

Arianna had a feeling the castle was kicking them out more than necessary so Harry could host his new training sessions with their now fully illegal defense study group in the Room but she was never going to protest that. She just made sure not to need the cloak on nights she knew Theseus or Graves would need it, even if Harry never asked. They were more like guest lecturers, really, and occasionally, even Tina made an appearance, but for the most part the teens were handling everything. The pair of ex-Aurors were keeping her updated on the progress of the group, though, and Arianna tried often to contain her pride in her little brother’s progress. It sounded like they were getting through a lot of material in a short amount of time, mostly in thanks to how Harry and Ron were organizing things. Hermione was in charge of research for new spells, but it seemed they were able to provide a lot of instruction just on the spells they knew that weren’t taught in class. Like Harry’s two favorites, Expelliarmus and the Patronus charm. Apparently, those were not standard…

Gods the DADA class needed help.

*****
“Sirius, she won’t thank you when she realizes just why we sent her there,” Ragnok commented dryly to the pacing Black lord.

“I know,” came the barked response. “But I am not chancing anything and, even with Dumb-as-a-door there, she controls the wards and can activate the war wards. If she has time to remove some rubbish, all the better, but she’s more protected there than anywhere. And it was already on the schedule. I just pushed to have it moved up.”

“Yes, but perhaps it would have been better to advise her that Riddle is looking for her. She would be more on guard.”

“I think she suspects, which is why she didn’t protest too much. And it isn’t like I wouldn’t do something like this. How many times has she fallen asleep at that desk now? Or in meetings with you?”

The goblin king chuckled fondly. “Probably more than she realizes, but I would be remiss in my duties to my mate to deny her favorite patient the sleep she has been ordered to have.”
Sirius barked a laugh at that but kept pacing.

“Enough, now, Lord Black, there are matters to discuss and not all of them revolve around the Lady. You have your own messes to deal with still. Shall we discuss the Black properties in America? You had said you want one to be brought up to modern standards so you can visit when things settle down.”

Sirius grumbled but sulked over and flopped in a chair.

“Distracting me may not work,” he pouted.

“And yet…”