InsaneJournal

Jairissa: Playground (Dumbledores, R)
Title: Playground
Author: jairissa
Rating: R
Prompt Set: 50.1
Prompt: Tomorrow
Word Count: 1406
Summary: Ariana disobeys her mother
Warnings: DH Spoilers! Potentially triggering implications.



Ariana had a precious secret, one only she and Aberforth knew. She was magical, she could do magical things, which meant she wasn't a Squib and would be able to be as smart and as silly as Albus when she was older. Ariana had decided that she would work as hard as he did now, so that when she got to Hogwarts, she would do better than he ever could, then he would never be able to make fun of her or Aberforth again, because Ariana would be there to protect him like he protected her. That would teach Lord Stuffy-Pants not to make fun of people just because they were younger and not allowed to do magic yet.

It was hard to make her magic do anything, Ariana had quickly learned. She guessed that was what a wand was for, to make it behave. So far, after the first time, Ariana had not been able to do anything at all, unless she was really frightened or upset. She had almost started to believe that she didn't have magic at all, until she got really angry and broke her father's wine glass at dinner. She had been about to own up and take her punishment when Aberforth had done it for her; he'd said later that he wanted to keep their secret for a while so that they could surprise Lord Stuffy-Pants at the best possible time. Ariana had liked that idea, she liked surprising people.

The fact that it was a secret made it much harder to try and practice, though. With all the home lessons that her mother made her do, Ariana had hardly had any time to play. Sometimes she begged really hard and her mother would let her go and play in the park down the road, the new Muggle one that had all sorts of fun toys and people to play with. That was why she had decided to brave her mother's anger at being interrupted - Ariana wanted to see if she could make the see-saw go up and down without pushing it.

"Park, Mummy?" She asked hopefully, poking her head around the door of her mother's study. Mummy and Daddy both had their own studies where they did their paperwork for the Ministry. Ariana didn't know why her father needed to do paperwork at home when he was at the Ministry all day - her mother was easier to understand as she did all her work from home so that she could see to the children.

Kendra sighed, looking up at Ariana in frustration. "Not now, child," she said, irritation obvious in her voice. Ariana wondered sometimes whether her mother called her 'child' because she could not be bothered to learn her name. "I have to work and you are meant to be doing your lessons."

"But I can go by myself," Ariana protested stubbornly, pouting as she realised it would be harder than usual to get her way. "I want to go play, Mummy. I've done all my lessons." It was true, too. Ariana never had any trouble with her lessons, they were easy. She had a habit of finishing even before Aberforth, which gave her plenty of time to play with her toys or invent new games that she and her brother could play.

Kendra gave an audible sigh, her frustrated eyes rising to meet her daughter's widely innocent ones. "Go," Kendra said, annoyance making her voice heavy. "But if you get in trouble, Ariana, on your own head be it."

Ariana grinned, skipping down the hallway before her mother had a chance to change her mind. It was a freedom, one she hadn't been granted before. An entire afternoon where she could be entirely by herself, to play whichever of her favourite games she could think of. Or, more enticingly, practice her magic, finding some way to make it work for her. If she concentrated really hard maybe it would work again, even without a wand of her own. If she could, it would make even more powerful than Albus, a thought that was endlessly appealing to Ariana.

Trotting down the street to the park, Ariana started hopping in excitement as she saw the playground. The see-saw was her favourite thing in the world, the up and down motion making her feel as though she could fly if she chose to close her eyes. Ariana liked to fly. She never felt more alive than when she stole Albus' broom and went flying in their small backyard. She couldn't wait until she got to Hogwarts and would be allowed to fly whenever she wanted to.

SEE-SAW! Pulling herself into it with an almost effortless grace, Ariana bounced in excitement. Normally this toy only worked when Aberforth was there to play with her, but this time was going to be different. This time as going to be special. Tugging on a stray lock of troublesome red hair, Ariana screwed her face in concentration as she imagined the see-saw starting to move on it's own. She stayed motionless, her face scrunching up more as she bounced on the seat. "Move, move, move," she chanted, her fingers turning white with the force she was using to grip the handle. "Please move, please move, please, please, please move..."

As she forced a disappointed breath into her lungs, the see-saw jerked under her, raising her softly through the air as though there were another child, equal in her weight, on the other end. Grinning in triumph, Ariana remained as still as she could manage, lest she stop the miracle she was creating. It was perfect, she could feel it tingling through her, the feeling of magic making her blood sing. Breath catching, Ariana tilted her head back in the sheer joy of magic.

"Oi! 'Ow you doin' tha'?" A voice cut through Ariana's thoughts, causing her to freeze in fear. Muggles! Muggles who were never supposed to know what she could do because they were primitive and dangerous and if they knew what she was doing..."I'm talkin'to ya, girlie! How ya doin' tha'?"

Ariana pulled herself off the see-saw, backing away from the four boys confronting her. Tugging on her hair, her eyes darted frantically for any possible exit. They were just Muggles, right? If she really needed to get by them she could, that's why Wizards were superior to Muggles. Isn't that what Albus was always saying? "How am I doing what?" She asked, stepping back. "I'm just standing here."

"How were ya makin' tha' see-saw move?" The tallest demanded. Ariana flinched at his determined tone, stepping back involuntarily. Ariana flinched at his tone.

"I...I don't..." Ariana stammered, falling back.

"How were ya makin' tha' thing move?" One of the smaller ones repeated, stamping his foot. "Wha' were ya doin'?"

Ariana whimpered, fingers tugging through her hair with enough force to hurt.

"Show us," a particularly squat one said, the four moving to surround her. "Show us ya trick."

Ariana shook her head, see-saw pressing into the small of her back painfully. "I din'...I mean...I didn't..." She broke off as the tallest one stepped in front of her, foul breath blowing over her face. Recoiling, Ariana pressed herself more firmly against the see-saw, trying not to breathe in the scent of the boys. They stepped closer, moving in unison and Ariana gave a small shriek, trying to escape the four of them surrounding her. She went to duck under the errant piece of wood, finding herself trapped against a fifth boy, one that she had not seen.

"You're a witch," one of them announced and Ariana nodded unconsciously in agreement. It took her a second to remember that she wasn't meant to tell that to a Muggle. The boy closest to her slapped her across the face. Ariana screamed, not to the brother who had been her best friend as long as she had been alive, but to the older brother who was smart and talented and always knew what to do.

"Albus!" Her cry was cut off by a kick to her kneecap, causing her to fall to the ground. She felt her clothes being torn at, cold wind against her skin. Closing her eyes, Ariana tried to hold her breath, mind dancing in agony. Tomorrow. She just had to make it until tomorrow. Tomorrow would be better.