Hold My Hand - Harry Potter (Book One)

Spinning Around

Saturday, 24th of June 1995

There was a buzz around the castle that Saturday morning that was palpable throughout every single corridor you walked down. Almost every student was looking forward to watching the Champions compete, and dreaming of what the party that evening might look like for whichever Champion happened to win the Tournament.

There were a few select students who could not be more anxious, and had never felt less excited. And nobody felt more stressed than Ariana Dumbledore, who had spent the entire evening before writing letters to both Cedric and Harry, who were both putting on a brave facade that Ariana didn't believe for a single second.

It felt surreal, to be surrounded by so much happiness and excitement, and to feel nothing but dread, and that was why Ariana was grateful to find herself in the comfort of her level-headed Grandfather that morning, a man she knew never got ahead of himself, unless he happened to be in a sweet shop. As they walked from the Great Hall that morning outside to the courtyard, ready to greet the families who had arrived to watch the Third Task, she knew he would tell her exactly what she needed to hear from him.

"Why didn't you see Aunt Poppy?" He was currently busy scolding his Granddaughter for not taking any action when the sleepless nights had began weeks before, and she attempted to slyly roll her eyes, though she was aware it was futile, as he saw every little thing.

"I just didn't want to bother her, I suppose," She shrugged, and he frowned deeply.

"Bother her? You have never worried about bothering her before," He reasoned, and that fact made Ariana wonder about herself. Is this what developing maturity felt like?

"It doesn't matter anyway, I know it's only temporary," She explained, and he frowned once more.

"How do you know that?" He questioned.

"I won't have anything to be anxious about when the tournament is finished, will I?" Ariana stated, though it came out more like a question, showing that she didn't completely believe what she was saying.

"You can't be certain, not in this world. You are, after all, friends with Harry Potter," There was a twinkle in his eye as he said this, but Ariana didn't really notice it, too consumed by the anxiety she was now flooded with once again.

"Was that supposed to help, Grandpa?" She asked, though there was a chuckle within her voice.

"No, it was supposed to keep you feeling realistic. Life is never going to be straightforward," It felt ominous, but she knew deep down that he was right, and although she may have preferred for him to lie and try to make her feel better, knowing the truth and being prepared for it was far better for her.

"I'm going to go and see if Harry's okay, he looks as though he's going to vomit," They had reached the courtyard, which was slowly filling up with families of the students, and she had immediately spotted the raven-haired boy, leaning against the fountain, a grey complexion on his face.

She bade her Grandfather farewell, and walked towards her friend, who didn't seem to notice she was approaching, as he was so engrossed in his own thoughts.

"Something on your mind?" She asked, and he finally looked up to meet her eyes. She had suspected for a while that the boy was just as anxious as she was about the task, but he would never admit to it, too busy making sure she was okay.

"I feel like shit, Ana," He confessed, and she felt something in her heart break as she looked into his eyes and saw nothing but fear.

"What are you scared about?" She whispered, and he softened slightly as he looked at her.