Liberty- A Harry Potter Fan Fiction.

Chapter Thirteen-Change in Fate.

A/n; Another chapter! I was at a loss at the beginning of it but suddenly I got inspired and it ended up quite long. I'm pretty happy with it to be honest! I set all the chapters out today and there should be 27 Chapters plus an Epilogue in total, all going as planned. Hope you're enjoying it so far; almost 600 reads! Not a lot compared to some others, but I am still pleased with it. Enjoy and please let me know what you think!

Chapter Thirteen-A Change in Fate.

There was only one way to describe the next month or so of Arianna’s life; muddled. In a flash, she had gone from having nothing but Devon and George to rely on, to regaining the relationship with her sister and entire friendship group once more.  If somebody had told the girl before that this was going to happen, that she would be on speaking terms with Calista and the rest again, then Ari would have been elated. What she didn’t count on however was this gloomy cloud of negativity that still hung over her every single day. Yes, she had regained many of her relationships back, but she had lost something just as important in the process; George.

They had not spoken since that night in the Hospital Wing. Not for lack of trying on Arianna’s part; in the first week alone, the girl had called him to the mirror countless times, waiting for his face to pop up, his cheeky smile to grace the lips she so longed to kiss. It never came. After being discharged two weeks after she awoke, Ari had slowly mingled back into school life. The Carrows were worst than ever, punishing anyone who even attempted to disrespect them.  Classes went from one extreme to another; either being extremely dull, or awfully barbaric. Lessons with the Carrows were spent learning dark spells- the Unforgivable Curses among them.  December came, bringing with it the usual flurry of snow that settled upon the castle. The usual air of excitement this brought about was gone; the school was covered in an atmospheric gloom.

With Christmas fast approaching, it suddenly occurred to Arianna that she had no plans regarding where she would spent the holidays. For obvious reasons, she was not going home. Even if she did still live there, the girl would choose otherwise; the last time she had spent Christmas with her family was in her first year, a disaster that the girl had vowed then and there would never be repeated. Initially, it had been discussed that it may be possible for her to stay with the Weasley’s over the holidays, but with the war climate worse than anyone could have foreseen and the small fact that George could very possibly hate her, it was no longer an option.  It seemed that this year, staying at Hogwarts was not just a choice; it was a necessity.

*

“Going home for the holidays, Devon?” Luna’s dreamy voice broke Ari out of her daydream. They were sat in the Transfiguration Courtyard, huddled together on a small bench in the corner of the yard. It was freezing; snow having only just eased off enough for them to venture outside. It was the last day of term before the holidays started-tomorrow, most would go their separate ways. Since Arianna had been discharged, her friends had done their upmost to keep the tension at a minimum. Even De had been included; much to her distaste. The relationship between Ascadelia and Devon was still rather strained, but it seemed they had come to a mutual agreement. They agreed to disagree; simply being in each other’s company with little in the way of communication.

Luna’s question was clearly an attempt at clearing the air, trying to create conversation with the outcast of the group. Either that or she was just completely oblivious to any tension going on. Ari bit her lip, resisting the urge to smile. If there was one subject bound to trigger what she and Tyler liked to call a ‘De mood’, then it was her family. To the girl’s upmost surprise however, Devon merely shrugged. “I’m supposed to be. I mean, Mum wants me home with them. “ She frowned slightly. “Apparently they’ve something to tell me. I’d rather be with Tyler, though.”  Arianna met her friend’s murky grey eyes with a frown. Why was she agreeing to go home? The place where she didn’t even live? The place she hated just as much as Ari had hated her own? The place where, just like Ari, she had often been subject to abuse from her Death Eater of a Father? It just didn’t add up. Devon met her deep brown eyes with a fierce look that clearly said ‘don’t even go there’, shaking her head very slightly. Arianna made a mental note to question the blond later, without the audience.