Arielle's legs were heavier than the grandfather clock weights that hung in the Great Hall. The walk to Dumbledore's office was a weary one. The first week back at Hogwarts after the wedding flew by and Arielle felt as if she was in a fever dream. Her mind was lost in a fog of un-lived scenarios as she imagined what Dumbledore could possibly have meant when he said "unless otherwise told by myself, Albus Dumbledore…." Why would Dumbledore ask Arielle to get involved with or interact with the Dark Lord in any way? Was she to spy on her brother and report his activities with the Dark Lord to Dumbledore? Would the old wizard ask her to join the ranks of the Dark Lord's army and reveal Voldermort's plots? Or worse…what if the old bat request that she take the dark mark, her skin forever branded with a treacherous marker?
"Your mind seems heavy tonight child." Dumbledore remarked as he stroked the red feathers of the phoenix who sat preached on a golden rod.
"It's nothing. Just feeling the weight of my responsibilities I suppose." Arielle rebutted.
"You do have a finger in many cauldrons here at Hogwarts."
Arielle snorted. Sure that was one way of putting it. Between Quidditch, Slug Club, secret meeting with Dumbledore and her prefect duties, Arielle had managed to spread herself pretty thin this past school year. Her mind wandered to the Angels and Devils party this Friday night. Perhaps, she would put her devil hat on for a try. She could sure use a night to cut loose from the crushing weight of the boulder she had managed to place upon her shoulders this school year.
"Sir, you suggested during the Unbreakable Vow that I was not to use my magical powers to further Voldermort's cause unless it was to your suggestion. I can't help but wonder why exactly you would suggest that I get involved with the Dark Lord in any manner?"
"Ah, the boggart reveals itself."
Arielle lashes fluttered in annoyance. "What I mean is, getting involved with the Dark Lord would obviously be dangerous….I do think that I have the right to know what could be lurking around the corner?"
"Yes, you are right of course. I cannot say what lies ahead, but for now, I would request that you continue to maintain your relationships with your Slytherin friends here at Hogwarts as well as remain cordial with your family after discovering their recent alignment in the coming war."
"Coming WAR?" Arielle's breath hitched in her chest. So the old man believed there was a conflict brewing.
"Pardon sir, but are you suggesting that there is a battle on the horizon?"
"You are very keen Ms. Malfoy. I cannot presume a timeline but Tom Riddle…Voldermort…he will be planning something horrendous I am afraid. Many innocent people, creatures, witches and wizards will suffer at his hand. I have only shared this information with a few but I do trust our vow that bonds us….it was I who discovered a young miserable misunderstood boy at a gloomy lightless orphanage many years ago. It was I who brought this boy to Hogwarts in the hopes that he would flourish under the tutelage of kind mentors, establish meaningful friendships with his peers, perhaps even blossom into a magnificent wizard….Tom had a gift for magic that fascinated me …" Dumbledore motioned for Arielle to step forward as he stepped aside revealing a bowl of silvery blue liquid.
Arielle's eyes widened as she peered down at the strange pool in front of her. He nodded towards the liquid and Arielle followed a gnawing instinct to place her face in the liquid. The moment she felt the lukewarm substance touch the tip of her nose, she felt herself being pulled into another world that seemed strange, almost like a dream.
There were people all around. Arielle immediately began to recognize these people as students due to their Hogwarts robes. Arielle had a photographic memory and never forgot a face. However, she did not recognize a single one of the students here at Hogwarts. An uneasy feeling crept up in her stomach…where was she? Or rather… when was she? In the middle of the classroom stood a young boy who seemed to be queued to do a demonstration of some sort.
"Students gather round… gather round…here….the most efficient way to surprise an opponent that you meet is to disarm them without uttering a word."
Arielle's jaw felt agape. A young Albus Dumbledore spun across the room in a long magenta robe that glittered with golden moons and stars. The headmaster's beard had just begun to gray and the wrinkles around his eyes were less pronounced.
"WIthout uttering a word? Sir, don't you have to say the spell as you cast it?" A witch called out from the crowd of students.
"Precisely Agatha! However, with practice and powerful magic, a witch or wizard may find the element of surprise readily at their fingertips. Tom! Come here my good boy."
A dark haired boy emerged from the crowd of students. His skin was pale and his eyes rolled around like black marbles in his skull.
A shiver shot down Arielle's spin at the sight of him.
"Now, Tom, I want you to disarm me as you did at our private lesson this morning." The boy raised a skeptical brow.
"Come Tom, this will be a valuable lesson for your classmates here." The professor said while nodding to the doorway. Arielle followed Tom's eyes which landed on the silhouette of a tall man. She immediately recognized the man as Headmaster Dippet whose portrait hung in Dumbledore's office.
Arielle and Tom took a succinct deep breath. The young Albus Dumbledore positioned himself across the room opposite of Tom's slinking frame.
"Now, Tom." Albus commanded. Before Arielle could blink, Dumbledore's wand fell across the room into Tom's hand and the professor's body slammed into the stone wall at the end of the classroom.
Some students gasped and others stood frozen in silence.
"No need to fear." Huffed the professor as he caught his breath. Was that a hint of surprise, Arielle just caught in Dumbledore's eyes? "What a magnificent display of magic we have just witnessed from the young Tom Riddle!"
"Magnificent or bloody nefarious?" Arielle heard one of the wizards nearby whisper to another student.
Arielle felt an odd sensation in her stomach and her vision began to blur. She stumbled back and fell on her bum. Blinking rapidly the familiar scent of mugwort filled her nostrils as she stood up slowly.
"What the bloody hell…." She muttered.
"The pensieve is a useful tool that reminds me of prior memories." A coarser voice croaked.
"Why did you want me to see this memory?" Arielle inquired, rubbing her bum.
"Perhaps to enlighten you on how invested I am in correcting a mistake."
Arielle's thoughts drifted back to her meeting with Dumbledore as she walked to Potions. She couldn't shake the bewildered look she caught in Dumbledore's eyes after Tom, or rather Voldermort, disarmed the powerful wizard and sent his body flying into the classroom wall. She was beginning to understand why Dumbledore was so invested in stopping the Dark Lord from raising an army and was keen on tracking Voldermort's movements in the wizarding world. The old man felt in some capacity that he played a role in the type of wizard that Tom Riddle had become.
Arielle was awakened from her thoughts by a grisly sight. Her fists balled up the material of her black dress robes as she suppressed the hollowness that filled her stomach. Lucienda's tongue slithered down Regulus's throat. The blond haired witch snogged him passionately on the bench adjacent to the dungeon doorway. Arielle raised her chin a little higher and walked straight past the two Slytherians quickly. She slammed her books down on the front desk of the classroom and took her seat in a huff.
After a few minutes of uncomfortable silent fury, Slughorn gracefully chimed for the other students lingering outside to come into the classroom, and Arielle felt her heart beat wildly in her chest. I am not jealous. I am not jealous. Students began taking their seats filling up the room which Arielle felt shrinking rapidly with each passing second.
"Feeling on edge this morning?" Regulus sneered as he plopped down on the seat beside the fuming Gryffindor.
Arielle felt her once hollow stomach bubble with resentment.
"Jealous, perhaps?" He jived, unknowingly fanning an uncontrollable flame.
Crack. The sound startled the classroom into complete silence. The large beaker on Slughorn's desk shattered into thousands of small pieces that glistened in the candle light.
The humor drained from Regulus' brow as he looked attentively at the dark haired witch at his side. Arielle kept her eyes focused on the shine that bounced off the small shards, refusing to give the Slytherin boy the satisfaction of seeing her distraught facial expression.
"Oh Merlin's beard!" Slughorn shouted as he examined the broken beaker. "I am not quite sure what has happened here."
"I've got a few ideas." Tobias Gorgon whispered from behind the jaded lovers. "That freakshow lioness decided to show us her claws. I wonder what else she is willing to show…"
Swift as a flash of lightning, Regulus flew out of his seat, grabbed Tobias by the neck of his robes, and threw the astonished Ravenclaw square on the table top.
"What did you just say?" Regulus growled so menacingly that it sent a chill down Arielle's spine. She turned around to face the boy who teased her with the same stunned expression that befell the other students in the classroom.
"I…I…I didn't mean….I swear Regulus… I was just joking around…" Tobias stuttered. Lucienda came running over and placed a firm hand on Regulus' shoulder.
"Don't you ever say anything about Ari–" Regulus began to growl.
"Mr. Black! What is the meaning of such an outburst?" Slughorn demanded. "Release this young man at once!"
"Allow me to take out this rubbish for you sir. I'd be elated to incinerate–" Regulus continued coldly with a deadly stare.
"Regulus." Lucienda gasped.
"MR. BLACK. I must insist you release Mr. Gorgon at once!" Slughorn yelled. Arielle could hardly breathe the noxious air that filled the room. Slughorn never yelled but the murderous look in the Regulus' eyes demanded it.
Regulus gripped Tobias for a few more moments before forcefully letting go of the Ravenclaw's robes. The other students immediately began to flood around Tobias with consolation and curiosity as Regulus batted a concerned Lucienda's hands away in annoyance.
"Mr. Black you will stay after class to receive your punishment." Slughorn stated as he started shooing the other students back to their desks.
Arielle did not dare to look at Regulus. She could feel his stare boring into her.
After reassuring the class that he would give a demonstration of advanced potion making next week, Slughorn decided to give a lecture on Antidote to Uncommon Poisons due the beaker incident. The lecture dragged on and Arielle could not bring herself to even take notes. She kept her eyes glued onto Slughorn pleading with herself not to squirm under Regulus' unrelenting stare. What did he want from her? A thank you? It was his fault the beaker broke in the first place! Wasn't it? She was the one who told him that he was toxic, that he disgusted her, that she regretted being with him in any capacity. Yet for some reason when she saw him caressing Lucienda, she couldn't help but feel devastated at their connection. What did she have to do to rid this disease that was Regulus Black from her heart? Merlin, she despised him so, yet she felt drawn to him like a moth to a flame. One word….kept coming back to her…toxic. These feelings were toxic.
When the class ended Arielle remained seated while the other students filed out of the classroom. Regulus eyed her curiously. Once everyone was gone, Arielle stood up. "Mr. Slughorn, sir, forgive me for overstepping. I feel compelled to tell you that Mr. Black, as boorish as his behavior was….was defending me sir as Tobias saw it fit to bring my character under fierce attack. Although, I don't agree with Mr. Black's methods. I must say I am grateful for his intervention on my behalf."
Slughorn raised his eyebrows. "Is this true Regulus?"
Regulus cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes sir, I felt compelled to step in."
"That does put a new light on things….although I must admit Regulus, I was deeply concerned that you were about to curse the poor bugger. You mustn't let such powerful emotions cloud your better judgment. Alas, I was young once too and I remember the impassioned urgency to defend the one you love."
Arielle's heart skipped a beat and Regulus' breath hitched. Looking back and forth between the two young students' stewing in embarrassment, Slughorn sighed. "Oh Merlin, I fear I have overstepped the mark but it is rather obvious what's going on here. I can't help but…"
"Sir, I must object–" Arielle began.
"No. You will listen, Arielle. As a professor of many years, I admit at times I tend to play matchmaker. Hence, why I sat my two most prized students in the front of the class and together no less. A fiery, brilliant, powerful young witch from a famous wizarding family and intelligent, handsome, well-bred wizard from an elite line of magic…well it's quite written in the stars isn't it? It's surely written on the pair of faces before me. But, I fear your passions are interfering with your coursework and so I must separate you two and find you new potion partners. Next week, see me before class for your new seating assignments. You may go now."
Love. Love. Love? Why would Slughorn say such a thing? The man had no tact! Arielle thought as she raced back to the Gryffindor common room without daring to look back to see where the Slytherin prince had slithered off to. Probably right into Lucienda's lanky arms. Ugh! Arielle sighed. She cursed herself over and over for ever coming to the twat's defense!
Regulus watched Arielle flee down the corridor. Had Slughorn just said the words that Regulus has buried deep within his soul for the past four years? Was his love for the Gryffindor queen really as obvious as Slughorn suggested? It didn't matter whether he loved Arielle or not. He disgusted her. She regretted being intimate with him. She regretted kissing him, touching him. Regulus tried to push the intrusive thoughts away.
"Regulus. What happened?" Lucienda cooed as she placed a gentle hand on his cheek.
"Bugger off will you? I can't give you what you want. You do know that don't you?" Regulus huffed before storming off down the corridor in the opposite direction of the woman he loved.
My love for this story is renewed. As the characters get older, I will be changing the rating of this story to M.