The morning of September first dawned crisp and clear. Ariana, having spent a quiet night at a magically discreet inn near the Leaky Cauldron, arrived at King's Cross Station well ahead of schedule. There was a peacefulness to the station in the early hours, a sense of coiled potential before the great rush began. Her trunk, containing her new books, her perfectly organized supplies, and one very dangerous diary, glided silently beside her. Midnight was a quiet, living shadow in her carrier, observing the world with her unnerving violet eyes.
She found Hermione waiting near the entrance to platforms nine and ten, looking anxious but excited. The two girls greeted each other with the easy familiarity of old friends, their bond forged in the fires of their first year and solidified over a summer of missed correspondence.
"Have you seen the others?" Hermione asked, scanning the growing crowds.
"Not yet," Ariana replied. "But the Weasleys are a large family. A prompt and orderly departure is a statistical improbability."
They waited. The great clock on the station wall ticked past ten-thirty, then ten-forty-five. The platform was now a throng of people rushing to their mundane destinations. The time for the Hogwarts Express to depart was drawing perilously close. There was still no sign of Harry or the Weasleys.
Hermione was beginning to fidget, her anxiety mounting. "Where could they be? They're going to miss the train!"
Ariana, however, was running a different set of calculations. Her mind, now filled with a wealth of knowledge from her summer with the Flamels, sifted through possibilities. The Weasleys were late, yes, but it was the complete absence of Harry that pinged her internal warning systems. She thought back to the stories, to the narrative she knew so well. A house-elf. Dobby. An elf determined to "save" Harry Potter by preventing him from returning to Hogwarts. The most likely point of interference was here, at the gateway.
"I suspect there may be a magical impediment," Ariana said calmly. "It is possible the barrier is being tampered with."
"Tampered with?" Hermione gasped. "But who would do that?"
"Someone with a misguided sense of protection," Ariana answered cryptically. She looked at the solid brick pillar between platforms nine and ten. A direct confrontation with a house-elf's desperate, powerful magic would be messy and unpredictable. A proactive, indirect approach was far more logical.
Her eyes scanned the bustling platform. Most of the witches and wizards had already passed through to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. However, stationed discreetly near a pillar was a man in plain, slightly shabby robes, his eyes constantly moving, alert and watchful. He had the unmistakable air of an off-duty Ministry wizard, likely assigned to crowd control and observation.
An Auror.
"Wait here, Hermione," Ariana instructed.
She walked over to the Auror, her expression one of polite, youthful concern. The man
straightened up as she approached, his gaze softening slightly at the sight of a young, wellmannered student.
"Excuse me, sir," Ariana began, her voice perfectly pitched to sound respectful and slightly worried.
"Can I help you, miss?" he asked.
"My name is Ariana Dumbledore," she said, using her name deliberately to lend her words an immediate weight. "My friends and I are on our way to the Hogwarts Express, but we've noticed something… odd." She gestured towards the magical barrier. "The portal seems to be… flickering. A few of the older students who passed through just ahead of us mentioned it felt unstable. We're a bit concerned that some of the younger students, who might be arriving late, could have trouble getting through. It might seal up entirely."
She looked at him with wide, sincere periwinkle eyes. "Professor Dumbledore always says that student safety is the highest priority. I was wondering… would it be too much trouble for you to stand on this side of the barrier? Just for the next few minutes, until eleven o'clock strikes. That way, if any students do get stuck, there will be an official Ministry representative right here to assist them. It would make us all feel much safer."
Her request was a masterpiece of subtle manipulation. She had invoked Dumbledore's name, framed her concern around the safety of younger students, and presented her suggestion as a simple, responsible precaution. She wasn't reporting a crime or making a scene; she was being a model student.
The Auror was completely won over. "Flickering, you say? Unstable? Can't have that. You're absolutely right, miss. A very responsible young witch. Don't you worry, I'll stand guard right here until the train leaves. If anyone has any trouble, I'll sort it out immediately."
"Thank you so much, sir," Ariana said with a grateful smile. "That's a great relief."
She returned to Hermione. "The problem is being managed," she said simply.
"What did you do?" Hermione asked, impressed.
"I delegated," Ariana replied. "Now, let's go. We don't want to be late ourselves."
Without a backward glance, the two girls pushed their trolleys forward. They walked at a steady, confident pace directly at the brick wall and passed through without incident. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was bustling, the magnificent scarlet engine hissing steam, ready for its journey.
They found an empty compartment, loaded their trunks, and settled in. Midnight emerged from her carrier, stretched her sleek black form, and curled up on the seat beside Ariana, a picture of contentment.
"But what about Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked, still peering anxiously out the window. "If the barrier was indeed tampered with, the Auror I spoke to will notice and override the enchantment," Ariana explained patiently. "He will then ensure they get through. If, for some other reason, they do not make it, the auror will drop them at hogsmeade or atleast contact a professor about the barrier. In either scenario, they will arrive at Hogwarts. Panicking will not alter the outcome, so it is an unnecessary expenditure of our own energy."
The train whistle blew its final, shrill warning. The train lurched and began to move, pulling slowly out of the station. Hermione looked crestfallen, disappointed that their friends had missed the journey.
Ariana, however, felt a quiet sense of satisfaction. She had foreseen a problem. She had analyzed the variables. And she had put a system in place to resolve it with minimal fuss and without her direct involvement. She had not prevented Dobby's interference, but she had mitigated its consequences, ensuring that the Auror on duty would be the one to deal with the magical anomaly of a sealed portal, rather than leaving two panicked boys to resort to grand theft auto.
She had altered the narrative, not by force, but by a simple, logical, and well-placed request. She leaned back against the plush seat, opened a book on advanced transfiguration theory, and prepared for a peaceful, productive journey north. The boys would arrive when they arrived. Her own academic year had already begun.