A Lion's Honor & Pride (Harry Potter) (Under Editing)

Chapter Nine: A Twin's Reunion

Ariana had heard the Muggle reference "life flashing before your eyes," it was exactly what it had felt to Ariana when her petrified form had been given the antidote from Madam Pomfrey. Ariana suddenly felt as if she had been blinded by a blindfold that has been taken off all of the sudden.
Ariana sat in the cot and had started coughing for air, she rubbed her eyes from the startling light that had temporarily blinded her and had started looking around in alarm. All around her, Jaxon and the other petrified kids had all started moving around in their cots. Ariana started her rubbing her sore head, but she smiled at Jaxon, who was smiling joyfully and hugged Ariana, tears overwhelmed his eyes.
"Thank you Ariana," whispered Jaxon. "For helping me."
"Sure thing Jaxon," Ariana whispered back before Jaxon was forced to go back to his cot.
A few students moaning from nasty headaches or sore aching muscles. Ariana was surprised to see Penelope was in a cot across from her and Hermione was Ariana's other side. Hermione seemed surprised to see her too in the Hospital Wing too.
"Ariana?" Hermione looked at Ariana with surprise. "How did you ended up here?"
"Gotten petrified like the rest of you," Ariana replied sarcastically as she stretched her muscles.
Penelope looked at her with slight amusement before she asked, "I think she meant how did you gotten petrified?"
"Oh, me and a few Slytherin friends of mine were escorting some first-years when we caught sense of the monster being nearby, and so I separated from them to give them some time to escape." Ariana rubbed the soreness in her head as she thought about it.
"What happened to the others?" Hermione asked.
Ariana and Jaxon both exchanged swift looks before looking back at Hermione, who had narrowed her brown eyes at Ariana and Jaxon.
"Do you two know something?" Hermione asked.
"After Ariana had gotten petrified, we had entered the Chamber of Secrets and found the Basilisk there," explained Jaxon.
"What?!" Hermione's shriek caught everyone's attention.
"We both followed Harry, Ron, and Elijah into the Chamber of Secrets after Ginny had been taken down there against her will," Ariana continued the explanation. "But unfortunately, they had taken Professor Lockhart with them and he tried to Obliviate their memories of the Chamber, like he had done so many times."
"That guy is the most cowardly chicken that I had ever seen of him," scoffed Jaxon. "Including his time here at Hogwarts when he started shrieking about a rat following him around as a fourth-year."
Ariana tried to keep herself from laughing, but she bursted out laughing. It wasn't long till the others had started to join in her laughter, mainly the boys and Penelope had started laughing just as well.
"Anyways, me and Ariana had followed them," added Jaxon. "We soon tried to help Harry fight against the oversized serpent and he had killed the dang thing with Godric's sword."
"Only a true Gryffindor at heart can pull out the sword from the Shorting Hat," Ariana confirmed with a smile.
Ernie, a Hufflepuff, had suddenly looked ashamed and started staring up at the ceiling for who knows what. Ariana frowned as she looked at Ernie, but she soon jumped in place when she heard the door opened again.
"Ariana?" whispered a familiar voice.
Ariana struggled to get up and turned to see Draco coming towards her. His eyes were slightly red from his weariness and early crying. He was leaner and wearier than the last time she had saw him. Ariana almost done an inward curse as she remembered that Draco was probably worried sick about her. Ariana tensed nervously as he begun walking towards her, she wasn't sure if he was going to do scold her harshly or hex her for scaring him.
"D-Draco?" Ariana whimpered softly.
Before she could do or say anything else, Draco had launched a hug on her. His arms tightened around her and he leaned his forehead against Ariana's neck. Ariana had managed to get up and had started embracing her brother. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Draco shook as he quietly sobbed and Ariana had gently rubbed his back on Draco as he cried softly.
"I'm sorry for scaring you Draco." Ariana tightened her grip as well as he did. She felt him buried his face into her hair and he also took a deep breath too, probably to calm down and catch a whiff of her scent.
"I'm just glad you're alright," whispered Draco as he pulled back from the embrace to gain a better look at her, but he soon looked down. "I'm so sorry little sister. I had no idea you had overheard the discussion between me and Father."
"It's okay," Ariana whispered.
"No, it's not," Draco murmured. "I'll find a way to fix this mess."
"I sure hope so," Jaxon said curtly and offered him his hand. "I'm Jaxon Black."
"Draco Malfoy," said Draco.
The two boys shook hands before they separated, Ariana placed a hand on top of Draco's hand and he did the same. Ariana soon felt Draco trembling again and didn't look at her in the eye. She sat up as her brother sat down on the bed, more than a few tears had started streak down his pale face. Ariana soon jumped into Draco's arms, and they started hugging each other again.
"It's okay," Ariana whispered.
"No, it's not." Draco's voice was hoarse with tears. "I—I should of known. I came so close into loosing my sister that... that we only spent a full minute together was when we were in the Dueling Club."
"I'm sorry if I had taken it out on you, Draco," whispered Ariana.
Draco's shoulders shagged, but his grip on remained firm as he spoke, "I deserved it." Ariana pulled back and rested her head on Draco's shoulder, while Draco continued hugging her.
Ariana, Jaxon, and the muggle-borns had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving them their checkups, before they were allowed to head towards the already filled-up Great Hall. Ariana, Jaxon, and Draco had started walking a little behind the confused, worried, and excited muggle-borns.
"What happened to you?" asked Draco.
It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Ariana told him everything: Blaise and Elijah with the first-year Slytherins; Blaise using a signature detection charm; the Basilisk; and Harry's standoff with a teenager Voldemort. Draco was a very good audience; he gasped in all the right places, and when Ariana told them what was the curse in Riddle's enchanted diary, Draco looked ready to curse their father.
The rest of the summer term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal, with only a few, small differences: Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("But we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione). Their father had been sacked as a school governor. Ariana and Draco weren't sure what to make of it, but Draco was a bit angry and disappointed with their father and his actions that had almost shut down Hogwarts and had put Ariana in danger.
On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was back to normal again. Though, Ariana could sense that Ginny was still shaken up from the Chamber incident. Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Ariana, Draco, Elijah, Jaxon, Devin, Conor, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays.
They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and Goerge's Filibuster Fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it, compared to Ariana's game skills.
"Ginny — what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?" asked Harry as they started to arrive to King's Cross.
"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well — Percy's got a girlfriend."
Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head, while Ariana and Draco laughed at George's expression.
"What?" Fred gasped.
"It's that Ravenclaw Prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny. "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was — you know — attacked. You won't tease him, will you?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking as if his birthday had come early.
"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.
Ariana looked at the redheaded twins with a knowing look mixed in amusement.
The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.
While Draco was making amends with the others, Ariana was gathering her things. Harry soon told them about how to use a muggle device called a telephone.
"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione, as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging towards the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?"
But the next thing that Harry had said made Ariana flinched back in horror. "Proud? Are you mad? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious..."
As the others had walked away from the station, Ariana had pulled Harry back to talk to him.
"You deserve to live in a place where you are both loved and cared for," said Ariana fiercely. "In case we can't take it anymore, we should meet up at the Leaky Cauldron."
"Anywhere is better than the Dursleys," Harry said with a sad smile. "You'll be better company than those blasted relatives of mine. Besides, it's just a place I've been forced to stay at. It's not my actual home."
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But unknowingly to anyone, the office of the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was empty. It was unfortunate that it was because, with no warning, the devices monitoring the residence of the Dursley family had stopped working.
Two glass balls shattered.
A spinning disk stopped spinning.
An oddly shaped kettle stopped puffing smoke.
For the first time since November 1st, 1981, the office was silent.
The wards at 4 Privet Drive were no more.