All rights to J.K. Rowling.
"When I first met young Mr. Riddle, he was a quiet albeit brilliant boy, committed to becoming a first grate wizard. Not unlike others I've known. Not unlike yourself. If the monster existed it was buried deep within." – Horace Slughorn to Harry Potter.
Somewhere deep down in history, back when the greatest evil was just an idea.
The rain was falling down heavily outside, yet she was safe and secure within the castle walls. Her arms were tightly hugging her rather scrawny body. With eyes closed, hiding the blues in colour and emotions she exhaled; feeling how the warmth clashed with the slight cold that crept from the windows.
It was late autumn; October, to be more precise. The castle was decorated in Halloween style, yet she didn't care for it at the moment. Her thick, woollen stockings and knee length skirt brought her some femininity, so did her white shirt; but she didn't really feel like a lady. She was eighteen; actually, she turned eighteen last night. She had gotten a few letters, most from her closest family, but some also from distant relatives. They had wished her all the best, told her to be happy on this festive day! Well, her mother had told her that it was festive because now she could be married off.
Was that really their plan – to rob her of all her future hope and plans? She huffed, feeling disappointed. Her eyes opened slowly, taking in the black landscape. What was she going to marry for? Money? No, that wasn't quite it. It was for more status; her mother wanted her to climb even further up in the hierarchy. Her mother had her agenda; it might be with good intention, but somehow she didn't feel that way herself.
Little Arianne – wanting to rebel.
She untwined her arms, stretched them carefully and turned away from the window; facing the dark area of the library. Her hair was impeccably pulled back into a ponytail, letting her soft, brown hair cascade down to her shoulders. Her hair was rather long for the 1940's, but she wasn't exactly raised to keep within those stupid, muggle'ish rules of style. Her eyes were piercing blue, seemingly burning through everything she looked at. Her facial features were a good combination between sharp professionalism and soft feminism. She had high cheekbones which one almost could cut paper on, pouty, pink lips, and a straight, yet femininely soft nose. She had a few freckles on her nose, bringing some childish features to someone who hadn't really experienced a real childhood.
Her rather thick indoors jacket covered her arms, which quite honestly were awfully cold. She felt so frozen, as if the warmth in the castle couldn't penetrate her sphere. She knew that she had this eerie thing around her, this thing that made many students careful about her. Not just students really, just people in general. She didn't care though, she had her friends; people that could greet her without feeling like she was above them.
Yes, because she was so called above very many people. Arianne was born into supremacy; to a life of wealth and power. She was a Rosier – so that's obvious…
"Arianne?" A timid voice behind her said, hushed – one didn't want to wake the wrath of the librarian. Turning to her right she saw the delicate face of her best friend in this world – Mirabelle Greengrass. This timid mouse of a short girl with chestnut curls, chocolate fudge eyes and blushing cheeks had been her best friend since the first day at Hogwarts. They had been the perfect friend match – her mother's words. Yet, she couldn't agree more.
"Hi, Mira!" A smile came to her lips, yet she didn't really feel like smiling. Mira, which was her nickname, offered her arm, which Arianne took willingly. "What are you doing out of the Slytherin house? I thought you were studying tonight."
"Yes, I was. Yet I was under the impression that you were going to study with me? Or am I just on a wild goose chase right now?" A smile lurked its way out from Mira, bringing some of that seldom joy in her face. Mira was a very strict girl, yet she rarely dared to raise her voice for long enough to tell people to get their act together and start studying for the N.E.W.T.s.
"Well, you know… I was out taking my afternoon stroll, and then all of a sudden I ended up bewitched by a window." Shrugging, yet not quite apologetic in her rather ridiculous explanation.
"Ah, so nothing new then?" Tilting her head so that her chestnut curls shook a little, her expression – so much like an insulted kitten – made her laugh a little. "You know, you should really – "
"Yes, I know. I should really study up. Or else I'll just end up being married off to the richest bachelor with the lowest IQ! Oh, darling – I'll call you when none of us can brew a potion to save our goldfish from drowning." Arianne's dramatic tirade made her friend pout, yet this was exactly the reaction she wanted.
"Stop it, you big bully! I did not say that! I just mean… You must brew good potions to lure a good man in." Angelic in her eyes – trying so hard to affect her friend.
"Yes, of course! He'll choose me for my potion skills – not the ridiculous amount of galleons my mother is willing to give him to just touch me with his pinkie – after marriage, of course." Shaking her head righteously she made the end of her little speech into a conclusion.
"You are terribly negative, Arianne Emeline Rosier. You should be ashamed of yourself sometimes!" Scolding her best friend as good as she could, yet avoiding the looks of other students as they walked down the hallways.
"And I keep imagining that you're luring me down to do homework…"
It seemed like that girl could take her mood and spin it 180 degrees around – and that was probably why they were such good friends. You always need someone there, someone who will make you smile.
Yet there is absolutely no reason to smile while you're up to your neck in potions homework… Yeah, professor Slughorn was an awfully nice man to her; mostly because he thought there could become something good of her – as if, her future husband maybe? Whoever he would be.
"Are you doing okay?" The slightest stress revealed in Mira's voice brought a strained smile to her face.
"I've got two inches left, so I guess I'm doing just dandy. What about you?" Sneaking a peak at her friend, she saw that she was already done; but it looked like she was going to rewrite the thing.
"I want it perfect, so I don't know yet…" Mumbling, trying to find out if there was any word she should replace.
"You know what you need, Mira? A bad boy! You need someone who can bring your mind of these scrolls." Earning an honestly shocked face, she snickered – enjoying how put off Mirabelle looked.
"A bad boy? To put me off these scrolls?" It genuinely looked like she was going to whack her with her quill, yet the thought of spilling ink on her precious homework.
"Yes, a man! You need to loosen up a little, darling." Sweetly her voice tried to talk her shaken friend down – showing her that she wanted the best for her.
"Says the white maiden…" Mira huffed, shooting a pointed look at her best friend.
"Hey, my mother is a fire breathing dragon – men don't want to hang around me. Besides… My brother doesn't really make them want me more. Who will want to woo a woman who has a two meter long brother with a twitchy wand-hand?" And that was actually kind of true. Her mother was a dreadful woman – making her strict, yet loving, father seem like a pussycat. And about her brother… Ah, what could be said about Alick Chauncey, which the whole school didn't yet know of? He was rather brutal, being put to detention more than a rebellious fourteen year old boy. Actually – he had dumped down a year. He was nineteen years old. He was her half-brother, the product of a former marriage her father had been in.
"That might be so, Arianne – but they sure throw longing glances at you." Mira smirked – as if she had a secret nobody else knew about. "Men want what they can't have – at least that's what my mother tells me." Shrugging, she looked back at her homework.
"Then I must be a ice cream Sunday with a cherry on top." Arianne said sarcastically.
"Don't forget the chocolate sprinkles, darling."
"Can't you just shut your gap and go back to being more geeky and less of a matchmaker?" Okay, maybe she got grumpy a little easy. But being ignored by the other sex as long as she'd been attractive wasn't really a thing that mad you love boys.
"I'll do that. But besides; I think they prefer being referred to as men now."
That little talk with Mirabelle had gotten to her, making her think about why she didn't get any attention. Was it because she was so damned stiff, or could she just blame her brother? She was sitting alone at the library, in one of the secluded areas. There was nobody around her, which was what she preferred, actually. She had brought forth a book, "Men who love dragons too much" it was actually quite interesting.
"What are you doing here, sis?" A dark, yet cheerful voice commented as a tall, dark haired man sat down at one of the chairs around the table she was sitting by. It was Alick, her half-brother, yet she preferred to just call him her brother. He had dark hair that was perfectly combed back, eyes black as the night and this distinctive look on his face; as if he was constantly up to something dangerously stupid.
"Reading, though I should ask you the same; you're not exactly the book kind." Gazing up from her book, she smiled at her brother. She had nothing but warm feelings for the young lad; they had grown up with a mere year between them. He had always been there for her; a little bit of a rascal since he was young – but his care for her and her devotion for him had made that into something that didn't really matter.
"Are you calling me stupid?" He looked almost a little offended for a second, but it seemed like he was letting that go quite quickly. "I just wanted to spend some time with my little sister; mostly because you've refused to hang around me for quite a while." Yeah, that was that…
"That might have to do with the fact that some of your friends freak me out a little." And not just a little… It seemed like this lad, Tom Riddle was his name, had gotten quite a gang; her brother was one of them. Tom was creepy, but it was mostly the other lads that made her escape and run away.
"I can't say that I'm unhappy with the fact that you're avoiding lads; but don't avoid me, lil' sis." Okay, now he looked hurt. She pouted her lips and looked up at him with an apologetic look.
"Sorry, you big brute."
"And what the hell are you reading, by the way?" Picking up her book and reading the title he raised his eyebrows.
"Men who love dragons too much? Oh, just a little something to understand why our father loves our mother." There was the slightest malice in her smile, yet there wasn't really any harm in her words. Her mother might be a fire breathing bitch of a dragon; but she was still mom.
"Yeah, that thing might be able to explain our childhood." He was in on the joke, which was one of those things that made Arianne love her brother. He didn't mock her much and they shared the same humour. "But you should really meet Tom once, I think you'd get along." He was obviously rooting for his friend here, trying to put him in a better light.
"Honestly, Alick? He seems like a nice lad, but I've heard that he's weird." She shrugged, not really sure what to think. She wasn't going to judge someone she didn't knew without at least meeting him, but when the Hufflepuffs started crying more than usual; it was never good.
She'd heard that he was the usual pureblood racist guy – and by that like any other Slytherin guy. There was nothing wrong with disliking muggles in their society – but there was always a line you did not cross.
"They say things like that about me too, sis."
There will be more, at least if you guys like it this far! Give me a head up about your opinions!
