Chapter Three: The Incident on the Train
The other Slytherins were surprisingly quite good fun once we'd settled into the train journey, Pansy was still shooting glowering looks at me every five or ten minutes, but that didn't really bother me. If anything it was a source of amusement for the whole compartment, although the others were subtle in their enjoyment. I could see them sharing looks between them as if to say, this is certainly going to be an interesting year with the two of them... I couldn't decide whether to smirk and agree with them, or to take offence at being lumped together with Pansy Parkinson. It was clearly only my personal dilemma. Soon enough the lunch trolley lady came down the train passage and Draco asked me what I would like before he and Blaise left to collect it from outside our compartment. It was when they had been gone only a few minutes that Nott, Pansy and I heard Draco's cutting voice and a rather angry chocking sound coming from further down the carriage. I saw Pansy and Nott share evil looks, telling me they obviously knew what was going on, and I followed them out of the compartment. It was quite quickly evident what the disruption was.
"Well, Weasel. I know your parents probably taught you themselves before you started at Hogwarts, but I had thought you at least knew how to make whole and complete sentences." Blaise sneered at a redheaded boy who I assumed was a Weasley, while a dark haired boy next to him focused a look of pure, unadulterated hatred at Draco. Quickly putting the two together with the information Draco had provided me with over the years I came to the conclusion this must be the infamous Boy-Who- Lived, and his companion the second youngest Weasley. As I looked on I could see very clearly what was going on in the mind of the Wizarding World's Saviour. The explosion that came was neither unexpected nor eloquent, though it certainly got his views across in a manner not to be confused. Pure Gryffindor bluntness, in all its red and gold glory, and by this stage Pansy and Nott were getting ready to join in with the hunt as well. I decided it was time we moved this confrontation along and got them out of the Slytherin compartment, as Draco clearly couldn't do it with all of Potter's loathing centred on him. I stepped up next to Draco's shoulder, through Nott and Pansy who looked at me with sudden interest as if I was the one who had the potential to make this situation the most interesting. They were right in a way, though they had no idea what way that was. By now I was close enough to Draco's shoulder for Potter to notice me and take his aim away from Draco; it was amazing the amount of hatred that filled his eyes that I hadn't noticed fully until his gaze was suddenly, unwillingly diverted to me. How Draco could stand that much hatred being directed at him all year I had no idea, but I looked at the Boy–Who–Lived straight in the eyes and it changed to confusion almost instantly.
"You must be Harry Potter. I don't believe we've had the fortune to meet, I'm Sirius' daughter."
He stared at me with bright green, calculating eyes like a cat, before a scoffing was heard to the left of him. Still I didn't redirect my gaze. I heard Weasley say something about Sirius never having had a daughter, and even if he did he would never have given her to the Malfoy's. Harry still just looked at me, all traces of his previous anger forgotten. The thought flicked across my mind that what everyone said was true, Gryffindor's only had room for one emotion at a time in their bodies.
Evidently anger wasn't strong enough to outweigh confusion, or doubt in this particular case. Still he just looked at me, as though connecting similarities between me and Sirius. I knew what he would be looking at, my jet black hair contrasting brilliantly with my alabaster skin. The angular jaw-line and sharp eyes that people had always noted about the Black's. The things that had cut him an impressive and charismatic figure before he went to Azkaban, and the things that had emphasized his decline when he had broken out. Pale skin only contrasted nicely, effectively when you were healthy and well looked after, and strong angular facial features hollowed out quickly when you didn't eat enough. It was one of the reasons none of my friends at Beauxbatons had connected me with him after he had broken out, these same features looked completely different on him than on me, and only someone who had seen him the way Potter had would be able to see the resemblances.
Which was what I was counting on really, that he would be able to see the resemblances between me and my long-lost father, where most others wouldn't. That way he would be easier to convince.
"Sirius never told me he had a daughter." Harry was looking at me with a clear look of suspicion in his eyes now, although he was obviously talking to Weasley. "Ron, did you know Sirius had a daughter?"
"'Course not, Harry. 'Cause he didn't mate. She's lying, brought up by the Malfoy's mate. It's just some trick to get in your head, don't believe her." The Weasel was looking at me in disgust I saw now out of the corners of my eyes. Of course he wouldn't recognise me though, he'd barely known Sirius.
"If you don't believe me ask Dumbledore. My name's Ariella Black, by the way. I guess I'll see you around!" I shot back at him before looking at Harry again and turning around to head back to the compartment we had taken over, not looking back while the others all followed leaving two very confused Gryffindors in our wake.
