Suddenly, It's Magic

Chapter One

                           Three Years After

                                *

                            London, England

  Ariella sat on her bed with her back pressed against a moldy wall, wallpaper peeling and a distinctive smell in the air. The room was lit with a dim light coming from a lantern next to her bed; in her hand was a piece of parchment that brought a smile to her face. It was from her mother. Over the summer, Ariella and her mother have been writing back and forth sending letters to each other, since Ariella’s mother was away in Australia, working. While she was away, Ariella lived with her grandmother but as of two years ago, Ariella has found herself more with her friends than her own family, which consisted of her grandmother and her mother.

  As Ariella stared at the letter and put it on the desk beside her bed, there was a knock on the door; slowly, a figured emerged from the darkness to only reveal Ariella’s boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff in his seventh year at Hogwarts. He smiled at her and leaned against the frame of the door, staring at his girlfriend who was about ready for bed.

   “Still up?” He laughed.

   “I was just about to sleep, actually.”  She replied as she placed the covers over her legs.

  Ariella watched as he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, and picked up the letter that was once in her hand. She watched him study the contents before he looked at her with a smile and placed the letter back where it was. He gave a smile and gave her a gentle kiss on the top of her lips which she happily accepted.

   “You should sleep now.”

   “Shouldn’t you? I mean, don’t you have that order stuff to deal with?” She said bitterly.

   “Are you eavesdropping?” He creased one eyebrow at her.

   “It’s a small house.” She sighed.

  During the summer, apart from spending time with her grandmother, her and Cedric were spending time together along with the Weasley’s, a number of professors and Sirius Black at the Black residence at 12 Grimmauld Place, which was the hideout for the Order of the Phoenix; a team of Aurors who opposed Lord Voldemort. Cedric had apparently taken an interest in becoming an Auror after what he saw last year in the graveyard during the final challenge of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

   “There are a lot of people, why don’t you hang out with them?”

   “What do you think we’re doing?” She laughed.

  Cedric had nothing else to say after that. He sighed and kissed Ariella on the forehead and stood up. Ariella wasn’t keen on the idea of Cedric becoming an Auror; he was one out of the three people close from death that night in the graveyard. She didn’t want him to put his life on the line, despite his intentions of keeping those he love safe.

   “Just don’t worry about it. Everything will be fine.” He said standing next to the door.

   “You mean different.”

  They shared a glance and a silence. They both knew that she was right. The Dark Lord was risen which meant that history would repeat itself in a matter of months or days. Cedric said nothing; he shrugged his shoulders and closed the door, leaving Ariella in the darkness. She moved down the bed and found her pillow to rest her head. The only thing that was able to get her to sleep peacefully at night was the idea that in a few short weeks, she would be back on a crimson red train, heading for her fifth year at Hogwarts.