vi. dumbledore's office

Ariel's mind has been roaming with thoughts in the past few minutes that took her attention from Dumbledore's and Mad eyes moody's imposter contact. She felt hot at her place, her mind was in a mini fight that caused her to rub her head and close her eyes.

"— After much deliberation the ministry has concluded that for their own safety no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the tri-wizard tournament. This decision is final."

The crowd burst into booing. They are not happy with the rule he cast on them. Ariel who sighed in relief didn't think much about what would happen next to her chosen one. The guardian angel looked around the great hall at the student and got stunned at how angry everyone is.

"Why is everyone so against this rule? I think it's very right for him to do it. Dumbledore said that the tasks are not for faint-hearted. Imagine if a third-year got selected. A big hell no."

Ariel rambled to Harry who somehow agreed with her. "I completely agree with you, but not when it comes to Fred and George."

She saw one of the Weasley twins stood up from his place and yelled making Ariel giggle. "That's rubbish! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Silence!" Dumbledore's authorize voice echoed the great hall as everyone silenced themselves when he cast magic over a box that integrates into a goblet encompassing a blue flame that clouded over Ariel's brown eyes. She watched I'm deep thought as the ocean blue flame danced through the air. 

"The goblet of fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely writes their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the tri-wizard tournament has begun."

That was dumbledore's last announcement, not before Professor McGonagall hands them the schedule as everyone started to head to their common room. Ariel who kept following the rest of her colleagues noticed someone's eyes bare into her back. She looked both her right and left and see nobody's looking at her.

"Are you looking for somebody?" A wondering voice asked the lost girl. Ariel turned to meet Harry's figure.

"No." She shook her head. "I was just looking around. So harry, tell me, how can get to Dumbledore's office?"

"It's on the third floor. Just take the stone staircase in this way." Harry pointed at the moving stairs and looked back at her. "but how are you going to the common room? You don't know the way."

"Don't worry about me, Harry. I'll be just fine."

Walking to the seventh floor, while looking for Dumbledore's office, she accidentally found a gargoyle statue that completely took her attention. Ariel immediately knew it was his. Walking steps towards it, the guarding angel began to spill words to open up the door.

"Strawberry shortcake." She guessed. "Seriously, Ariel, Why would that be the password? Um, Hogwarts' headmaster." Wrong. "Hamster." Wrong. "Lord of beards." Wrong. "Guardian angel." Wrong, again.

Ariel huffed and rolled her eyes. She tried but failed miserably each time. Squeezing her mind she blurted out. "Dumbledore?"

To her luck the gargoyle steps aside in response to the password as Ariel burst into laughter, she never guessed the easiest password ever, yet she has the hardest time guessing it. Taking the staircase up to the classic wooden door. Ariel knocked one it and heard a calm 'come in'

Coming inside the office, Ariel was blown away with how stunning the circular room is. It is the most interesting thing she saw in Hogwarts this far. With the funny little noises that made her smile a bit, the walls are what caught her attention the most, as it was covered with portraits of former headmasters and headmistress of Hogwarts. Looking around her she saw the sorting hat sitting on a shelf behind an enormous, claw-footed desk.

Dumbledore whose eyes were following her as she touched a few of his value stuff, coughed to her attention. "Now, now, Miss Ariel, if it isn't my new favorite guardian angel. You just look like your mother."

Ariel's face lit up at the mention of her mother. "Thank you, sir, for the compliment. I really appreciate it. I really hope that one day you would tell me stories about my mother when she here."

"It would be my pleasure, Miss Ariel. Take a seat." Dumbledore smiled down at her. "You probably wondering why you're here, don't you?"

"You got that right, Headmaster, but before you tell me anything, I have a question. Am I the only Guardian Angel here or . . . ?"

"No, you are not." He told her. "There is Delphine, she is Cedric Diggory's Guardian angel. And also Jamal, who happens to Draco Malfoy's. Indeed they are many students and Professors here their own Guardian Angels but none showed up except you three."

"Oh cool. Um, Sir, I know I'm asking so many questions and interrupted our conversation that we should have but there is something that I really want to know and I tried so hard to know it but my mother, my adopted mother, Eloa don't know much about it, and when I try to get to know it, I can't. It's very secretive and—"

"Tell me what been bothering, Miss Ariel." He calmly asked her. With a sigh, Dumbledore knew that Ariel is just a smaller version of her mother, Esperanza. Everything reminds him of her, the way she talks, the way her eyes glimpse of happiness, how curious she is, with many questions to be asked. Ariel is her mother's daughter.

"Umm," She hesitates but gave up on that. "It's about my father. There isn't much that I know about him, but I just need his name. I don't want to meet him, I don't want him to know that I exist. I just want his name."

The headmaster of Hogwarts froze at his place. He is speechless. He knows that this subject was going to be brought up soon but not at this point, the way she suddenly spoke of this topic made him a bit of concern. "You father Miss Ariel—"

She interrupted him. "Ariel, please. Just Ariel without the Miss."

He smiled at him. "Ariel. Your father is a subject that you and I need an entire day to talk to. And that's why I brought you here, in my office. I want to start out discussion about your father . . . But in the beginning, I just want you to tell me everything you know about him."

         "He was in Gryffindor, she told me that he has grey eyes, and he is the older of his family. My mother also told me that he is problematic and he did crazy stuff that caused his life to turn upside down and not the life that my mom planned for. She told me that I shouldn't be looking for him and I should stay away from him."

         "Do you believe in that, Ariel? What your mother told you. Do you have the feeling that what your mother told you is nothing but lies?"

         "Wait what? Why would she lie to me? And no, I didn't feel anything wrong about it, because I know that my mother would never lie to me about something important such as this!!" Ariel snapped at him. She leaned backward and sighed while closing her eyes. "I'm sorry."

         He nodded at her. "I understand you. Your father has been charged with a crime he didn't commit. Within our circle, nobody knows that except a few of us, and that is why he has a very bad reputation among people. I want you to know, Ariel that your father is as good as you should imagine."

         "Where is he now?" She whispered as tears rolled down her stained cheeks. She feels completely different from the knowledge of her father's false accusation. She feels happy and optimism knowing that there someone who is related to her alive.

         "He is a better and safer place at this moment. Ariel, I don't want you to think much about it. Your father will know about you as soon as you approve it."

         "No." She protests. "I don't think I'm ready yet. Professor Dumbledore, one last question, can you tell me his name?"

         Just as Dumbledore opened his mouth to tell her his father's name, the wooden door opened without a knocking as two students entered the office and stopped at their place when Dumbledore raised his hands at them. Ariel looked at the two and sighed.

         "Jamal, Delphine, meet Ariel. Ariel these are the Guardian Angels that I mentioned earlier." He introduced them to her. "And Ariel it getting late, why don't you go to sleep and tomorrow we will talk about it? Jamal and Delphine will take you to your common room."

         Ariel whose face stimulated with disappointment stood up from her place and placed a warm smile on her face at the Guardian angels before her very eyes. "We sure will, Goodnight Professor Dumbledore."

         "Goodnight Ariel, Jamal, and Delphine. Have a great sleep."

         With one last nod at him, Ariel walked outside the room following Jamal and Delphine while her head roamed with thoughts. She just has a feeling that her life wouldn't be the same anymore, and she knows that no matter what she did or tried to do, she won't have the life she always dreamt of . . . and it's concern her.