THE END OF CARELESSNESS AND THE NEW BEGINNING

Arabella began packing her luggage to go back home. Don't get her wrong, she loved her home and parents but Durmstrang had become warmer and felt safer than her home for the past 3 years.

Her friends were her siblings for 9 months of the year. They joked around together, teased each other and most importantly were menaces.

Packing with that in mind seemed impossible.

She felt the cold air of the girls' dormitory gently pinch her face, making her cheeks slightly pink but it didn't bother her.

The girl was used to the cold weather in Durmstrang and she learned to love it little by little. According to their headmaster, they could always put on a sweater but Dobreva knew very well that he wouldn't allow them to put anything over their oh so precious uniforms.

Arabella looked out the ginormous window next to her that parted her and her friend Anastasiya's beds. The sight always took her breath away. The navy blue waters of the lake beneath her window were contrasting the pale blue sky, full of clouds.

However, a black-haired girl entered the dormitory. "Hi, Ara!" Mari cheered. The Bulgarian didn't have enough time to greet her best friend back since Mari walked to the window. Ara knew she wanted to say something and that she was stopping herself from it.

Out of a sudden, Mari turned her head to face the young girl. A loud sigh escaped her pink lips, saying something in French that Ara wasn't able to hear nor understand. Soon, she spoke up, her melodic voice stained by sadness, dark like the lake they were looking at out their window, yet bright blue like the sky, but it wasn't just like that. Nothing is like what is seems to be.

"Ar...let's not spend our last day together arguing. I know you're transferring so don't lie to me...just don't. I saw what your mother owled you"

That didn't help Arabella feel any better. She had to leave but...she didn't want it. Who would? She had everything most people would ask for, but yet, she had to leave it all behind for a new beginning.

For the past few days, Arabella wasn't herself. She wasn't so cheerful anymore, she didn't help her friends pull pranks and she didn't talk to anyone as much. She thought that not talking to the ones she loved would help her miss them less, but on the inside she knew it wasn't true.

Mari sighed. She knew what was going on in Ara's head. She knew she was trying so hard not to break down in front of her. She knew Arabella better than anyone ever could.

"Let's just pack, we can talk on the ship," Mari said, feeling sadder and sadder by each second. Ara knew that and felt even worse. Sadness wasn't something she wanted near her loved ones.

The girl went back to packing and before even being able to ask where one of their other friends, Anastasiya, is, she burst into the dorm, holding her wand tightly, looking frustrated.

"Why didn't you tell me this was your last year here..." those were Anastasiya's last words before she gave up on speaking. Arabella hated the sight because seeing any of her friends down, it just broke her heart.

The remaining 3 of the squad were in the common room that connected all dorms, where they quietly waited for everyone before they headed to the ship which was going to take them home.

After packing everything in their big brown suitcases, the trio exited their dorm. The young Bulgarian girl has never felt worse in her life. She just wanted the earth to swallow her whole while she was standing there, not wanting to leave the place she thought of as her home.

They met up with the remaining 3 people in their little friend group - Evan, Aaron and Violeta. The 6 friends walked out of their common room without saying anything. They had just finished their third year and they were already saying goodbye to one of them.

Everyone from their little group was amazing. Evan, or as Ara called him Ev, was tall, handsome, funny and smart but he always acted like a total dumbass. He was THE quidditch player of the school since he was offered to play for Sweden after reaching legal age.

Mari was Arabella's closest friend. Their bond began from being pen friends to practice their English, to having the closest friendship one could have in their lives.

Anastasiya was the dumbest one. The two of them grew up together and both of them studying in Durmstrang was the most pleasant thing that could happen, since they could help each other with foreign languages.

Vivi, on the other hand, was the mum of the group. She always made sure everyone was feeling alright and that their pranks were never going too far. A thing that they all appreciated a lot.

Aaron was... Aaron? The weird friend who always made you laugh, no matter what's happening. All loved him. Except for the headmaster.

Once the six of them reunited for the last time they walked together to the gates of the surprisingly small Durmstrang castle, got to the ship that was supposed to take them all home and rushed to their favourite tiny cabin near the mast.

Aaron was playing exploding snap with Violeta and it looked like he was going to win but started saying she was going easy on him over and over.

Mari was reading a book called "Muggles and their inventions" since she had a muggle mania and was interested in their fashion, latest trends and different things they invented.

Anastasiya was writing down prank ideas in a little notebook they used for their prank ideas.

Evan and Arabella were playing wizard chess and Evan was about to win until he just gave Ara a bear hug before making his final move since he knew that she would get bitter if she loses.

The six were happy. A feeling they wouldn't feel together as 6 in a long time, or maybe never again. Who knows? Only fate does. Or maybe it doesn't either. Maybe no one and nothing does.

The ship, unfortunately, arrived at the mini-port which was secure from muggles, of course. There everyone was usually picked up by their family or friends and had their emotional goodbyes with their buddies.

"Evan..." Ara turned to him first. "I'm gonna miss you so much... Please owl me at least once a week and please please please take care of Yourself" Ara spoke "I will Bell, I'll miss you a lot," the boy replied and gave her a big hug.

Evan's hugs always felt the warmest. They had this homey feeling in them that made Arabella want to drown. She gripped tighter onto his uniform and gave him a quiet 'I'll miss you the most'

Next up she turned to Anastasiya and Aaron, "Any, I'm gonna miss you...Aaron, couldn't say the same" and with that, she turned to the last person.

"Via...Mar... I'll- oh gosh I'm gonna cry"

They said goodbye to each other and let a few (or a lot of) tears escape their eyes - their best friend was going away and it hurt them a lot. It was hard to let go but they let go.

Arabella went to her parents and they quickly magiported to her grandparents' house where she was going to spend her entire summer but before she even knew it, it had already passed and she had to finally start her 4th year at Hogwarts.

Her summers were usually filled with going all around the village and its nearby fields with her friends but other than the amazing memories she made, Ara wanted to see what Hogwarts was like. And it was finally time to be forcefully apparated to England.

The disgusting feeling of apparation hit Ara like a boulder hitting a calm lake's surface. She held her head, feeling as if she ware going to vomit. When she finally looked up, she saw the house they were standing in front of. The walls white, almost grey-ish which and made it feel more like home.

The next thing she noticed was their yard. Not much but just right. Since they were practically next to the woods, they didn't need a really big yard. It didn't seem logical so it was perfect.

Arabella ran into the beautiful house, leaving her parents chuckling quietly behind. She opened and went through the already unlocked front door and walked in.

"Let me just- " Ara said to herself without bothering to finish her sentence. It was a common thing for her to do. She made her way through the corridor and peeked through one of the doors on the first floor.

She walked into the living room. On top of the coffee table she saw a newspaper called 'Daily Prophet' and some big Weasley family smiling on the moving headline picture.

She also saw a big muggle telly and magical paintings that were whispering to one another and looking at her curiously and some even judgmental. Probably because it was 5 am and her hair was all messy.

The second floor still did not have a room for her. The bedrooms there were also too ugly for her so she just hoped she didn't have to sleep there.

Only one floor was left. She rushed up the smaller than the other stairs and saw the corridor continue into a spiral staircase. She decided to put her suitcase on the ground and take it with her since it was too heavy.

Arabella went up the spiral stairs after what felt like an eternity and she saw another door! She opened it, feeling annoyed, and saw a room that looked as if it had come out of her dreams.

It was beautiful. It had tons of books and bookshelves with both muggle and magical novels, and poetry books, a double bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a nightstand. The walls were covered with some posters she used to have in her old room and it felt magical, but not only because she's a witch.

Her room felt like home, having a warm cinnamon scent which was mixed with wood that she adored more than anything in his house so far. Maybe only after herself.

The girl began unpacking her things. She put the snacks she bought in a small drawer on her desk, all her clothes in the closet and last but not least, she put up her favourite picture of her friends.

Arabella looked around her room and thought 'It's a pity I'll be staying here for just two days. Why on Earth did I even unpack' so she just collapsed on her bed and started overthinking everything.

Before she knew it, she had already fallen asleep and woke up later that day. The girl just got up and threw on some muggle clothes, then headed downstairs where she was greeted by her mum who was cooking breakfast.

"How can I help you, mum?" Ara asked just to be polite, secretly hoping her mother wouldn't make her do anything but- "Can you please put the bacon in the pan and watch it while I wake up your dad?" her mum didn't even wait for an answer before just walking out of the kitchen.

She put in new slices and before she could even check up on them, her mum entered the room with her sleepy and also grumpy father trailing behind her.

"Thank you so much, Ara. You can just sit next to your dad if you'd like to" her mum said, smiling kindly at her.

Ara took a seat and looked over at her dad. The only thing they said to each other was "Mornin' dad" and "Mornin' Ara"

"So.." her dad yawned "I won't be able to take you to Diagon Alley so your mother will. I'm sure you'll both have fun" her father said and smiled sleepily at her. "...what's Diagon Alley?" Ara asked.

Her father faintly laughed. "That's where British wizards get their school supplies and stuff" her dad explained. Now, you can go take a look at your Hogwarts letter that the owl just dropped." Arabella rushed out from the kitchen and saw the letter on the coffee table next to their sofa. It was sitting next to the Daily Prophet from earlier with the ginger family.

The letter itself was beautifully written, each letter was detailed and perfect looking as if it was enchanted to look so good. It was pretty boring until she got to what she'll need for the school year. She noticed most books were by Gilderoy Lockhart which she thought of as a dumb prick who was too full of himself but she had no other choice than buying them since she was forced to.

She then heard her mum's voice calling her. "Ara! Hurry up, we gotta leave to Diagon Alley soon!" So she stood up, grabbed her list, and her mother quickly grabbed the floor powder. Off to Diagon Alley they were.

After they arrived her mother and she decided to split up, as her mum was going to get her potions ingredients and a new cauldron, while Ara was gonna get her books for the year.

After asking a few people, she eventually found where she had to get them from. She stepped into the busy shop and asked a clerk for her books. While waiting, she saw the ginger family from the Daily Prophet.

They were fewer but still pretty noticeable with their ginger hair and the loud voices of the kids and their dad trying to calm them down. "FRED, GEORGE! I TOLD YOU TO NOT PUT ANYTHING IN THIS POLITE CLERK'S TROUSERS AND NOT TO EXPLODE ANYTHING!" a woman who looked like their mother yelled at some tall ginger twins who she assumed were, in fact, Fred and George.

Ara silently chuckled to herself. Before she knew it tho, the boys had made their way to the girl and one of them suddenly said "Hello... I'm Gred and this is Forge" one of them began. "Would you like to test one of our products?" the other one continued, taking out candy from his pocket.

"FRED GIDEON WEASLEY! GEORGE FABIAN WEASLEY" the same short woman who scolded them earlier yelled. She was short with the same ginger hair as them. She had a serious look on her face but it softened once she saw the puzzled girl in front of her.

"So sorry for this dear" The woman politely said while gently smiling and then continued "WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT GIVING YOUR PRANK SWEETS TO STRANGERS?" the short woman began yelling fiercely again. The ginger woman was about to introduce herself but they heard a loud 'OUCH' so she turned around "GINNY WEASLEY! STOP HITTING YOUR BROTHER WITH YOUR CHARMS BOOK"

"How come you always say our full names but nuh-uh, not Ginny's" one of the boys began "Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother" Arabella was bewildered. She always wished she had a big loud family because being an only child was depressing at times. Soon enough a clerk came with her books, Ara paid and left but before that she said a small goodbye.

Just after walking out of the shop, she saw her mum looking around for her so she quickly went to her and told her all about her little experience with the ginger family named Weasley.

Last but not least, the two went to buy an owl for Ara since Hogwarts allowed students to have their own ones. They walked into a pet shop and a beautiful white owl caught Ara's eyes.

It had big strong wings, piercing brown eyes, and a warm stare which made Arabella fall in love with it from first sight. Ara pointed at it and her mum was quick to buy it. Arabella and Katherine apparated back to their house where they were greeted by Ara's father. "How was shopping, my dears? Did you get everything you need, Ara?"

"Yes, dad" Ara replied dryly. She sometimes did that without knowing it but everyone around her was used to it so her dad didn't take it personally at all. "Amazing!" Her dad said. A bit too enthusiatic.

"Ara, can you take everything to your room by yourself? I have to make some food and your dad will be signing some paperwork and stuff" Katherine asked, smiling gently at Arabella. "Of course I can, mum! Wait- what's that owl doing here?"

"Hmm, can you get the letter and give the owl a treat? It must be tired. Give it some water too" her dad responded.

Ara gave some fresh water and treats to the owl and got the letter that was standing on its leg. She went back to her mum and gave her the letter.

After opening it, and begging to read it, Katherine's face lit up. "What is it, darling?" her father asked curiously. His right eyebrow was slightly up while smiling. "It's from an old friend of mine. She'd like us to attend a family dinner so our kids could get to know each other before school starts" the last part was said with a small smile.

Ara decided to take everything upstairs, including her new owl who turned out to be male, unlike what she had thought initially.

After thinking of names, she decided to use Evan because of how much she missed one of her closest male friends and her first-ever serious crush on someone.

Ara went up to her room, collapsed on the bed and tried to fall asleep. And yet, that task seemed to be impossible, as she began recalling what had happened earlier.

And like always, time kept slipping through her fingers until it was late.

Her mother entered the room "Ara.. It's time to go to sleep. Don't forget tomorrow we're having some of our friends and their children over and you need rest. Good night, Ara". After wishing her mother good night Ara just sat down on her bed and began thinking, which slowly lulled her to sleep before she even realised.