J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishers
Own the © on Severus and his mates
I do not own, I gather no riches
I'm merely toying with their fates
Andolyn
Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My!
The path Ari had been following, quickly became a mere animal trail, only to disappear a few footsteps ahead. Ari sighed, called out for Lupin, again, and wisely decided it was no use to try to find a man with the cunning of a lone wolf between the trunks of this deep, dark wood and the thick underbrush. The only thing she could hope for was to get herself hopelessly lost, should she leave the path. She still felt sorry for the man- But it was time for her to wise up, give in and return to the castle. But she had thoroughly enjoyed her stroll through the woods.
It was a beautiful place. If Hogwarts was the castle of dreams, the woods beyond invited fairies. Oak, Ash and Birch, whispering leaves, high in the wind, murmuring like the sea. Sunlight broke the semi-twilight with sharp angles, highlighting red hooded mushrooms and small purple forest flowers. A little stream crossed the path and Ari jumped slippery boulders to reach the other side.
"Stay-" the stream seemed to whisper, inviting her to rest on a fallen tree, take of her shoes, wet her toes and forget all she was seeking.
But although the forest was lovely, dark and deep, Ari had her promises to keep. She did not stray from the path to follow the stream, nor the intriguing hoof prints of shoeless horses she found besides it. What horse lived in a wood? They were animals of the planes- not woodlands.
So she sighed, closed her eyes a moment and let the cool breath of the forest kiss her brow, breathed the heavy scent of fallen leaves and hidden flowers with guiltless pleasure and turned to return.
And found he way blocked by three thick, dark trees she could not name.
For a moment Ari just stared. For a second moment Ari tried to peer around the trees to find the path- but the underbrush had turned thick with thorny plants that simply looked too vicious to cross.
The third moment Ari used to fume a few curses that would have paled the angered Black and Snape put together.
"Oz indeed." Ari muttered. In the lovely twilight of the enchanting wood, Ari had forgotten. She had forgotten that a forest belonging to a castle containing moving staircases and mumbling armours, was bound to have an enchanted forest bordering the grounds. Next time, she promised herself, she would heed the warning, even if it came from a cat.
But next time was next time and certainly not right now. Right now, Ari had to rely on a nonexistent sense of direction to get herself back to the castle. So, after deciding it wasn't time to panic quite yet, she turned, keeping the obstruction to her right and walked on for about ten minutes until she found it was hopeless to try and find her way through on this course. She turned, walked in the opposite direction for about twenty minutes more and came no step closer to a way back.
Turning again, back to the three trees, she did something quite rash, considering her experience with the Whomping Willow and the moving trees she faced. She pulled up her skirt, tucked it away in her belt, put the lamp in the large fold she had created and climbed the thickest of the trees. With no way through, she thought it best to simply go over. But she would climb to the top of the tree first, or at least as high as she could get, to see if she could see Hogwarts over the treetops.
To her astonishment, Hogwarts lay not somewhere in the distance behind the three trees, but to her far right. Had the whole forest turned around and against her? Or was it like the castle? Obstructing the wrong way and giving her pointers in the right direction? Ari had no idea.
From here, Ari could see the Quidditch pitch and the gold gleaming goalposts, but no-one flying near them. And no wizard flying over the forest to look for her. Would they miss her already? Did Mrs Norris run off to warn the others Ari had not listened to her? Perhaps, but she could see no sign. So it was best to trust only her own wits in getting out of here. If she could walk in a straight line- and if the forest would let her do so, she would reach the castle in about three hours, if the distance was to be believed. Oddly enough, Ari had only been walking for about one, and the Shrieking shack was not -that- far removed from the school grounds.
Climbing down, Ari suddenly heard a rather odd clicking noise. Instinctively Ari hugged the tree instead of going further down and waited.
Something big and black and bushy passed the tree, followed by at least three others. It was a bit hard to see, especially when one alternated between keeping ones eyes tightly shut in the hope the big scary thing would just go away, and nauseously trying not to throw up with fear.
They were spiders and they were gigantic, belying every mother ever to have told her child that no, there were no monsters and certainly not under the bed!
But there were monsters and they were slowly searching for something it seemed- And they were huge- could tower horses, eight legs, eight eyes- turning, twirling, gleaming-
If you did not move you cannot be seen- to may leaves between you and them, they do not expect you here so just don't move and they won't see you, just don't move and they will not notice you-
Ari kept repeating the mantra inside her mind, hugging the tree so closely she grazed her knees and inner thighs on the rough bark- But she did not move.
The three minutes it took the spiders to come in sight and leave again were the longest Ari had lived and after their departure and the soft clicking noises they made could no longer be heard, it took her an even longer time before she found the courage again to let go of the tree and climb down. It was not so much the time that had passed that brought Ari to her senses- but a chill in the wind and a chorus of birds, joyful in their evensong, that stirred her into motion.
Ari knew she could not stay up the tree, realised it would be dark soon. Slowly, listening for any odd sounds, especially any clicking sounds, Ari lowered herself to the ground and set off in the general direction of Hogwarts.
Once, in some book about boy scouts, Ari had red that moss grows on one side of a tree only. It had something to do with the wind, or something. She could not quite remember. But checking the trees she found that it was true and if she kept the mosses on the left side of the direction she was going, she believed she was walking towards the castle. At least she would be going in one straight line and not walk about in circles- If the trees would be courteous enough to stay in place, thank you very much.
Far too soon for her liking, Ari was obliged to light Filch's lantern. She prayed her light would repel the forest dwellers more than attract them- At least the magical lamp seemed to ward off mosquito's and other nasty little things that flew at her but zoomed away when they came to close- Some magical reverse effect, Ari supposed and she was mightily grateful for it.
Ari was hungry. Tired. And hungry. And thirsty. And tired. She had been walking for hours. At least it -felt- like hours. There had been voices in the dark. A hooting owl, a howling wolf. Eyes regarding her, lighting up red and yellow, leering at her. She threw a stick at them once, frustrated with her progress and scared. As long as nothing came too close, she should be alright.
But she was hungry.
There were bushes with berries- but Ari did not dare eat them. So she prodded on, occasionally checking the trees, hoping the lantern would not burn itself out. There seemed to be enough oil in it.
"Kai gar ai pheugei, taxeos dioxei"
"And now I'm hearing voices too!" Ari muttered. One voice actually. A beautiful, melancholy baritone, accompanied with high, thin notes from some string instrument.
"Ai de dora me deket', alla dosei
ai de me philei, tacheos philesei
kouk etheloisa."
And singing and music meant people! Perhaps a way out of the woods! Carefully Ari made her way trough the bushes, closing in on the music. She came to a moonlit clearing were a lone figure played a primitive looking instrument, made from a turtle shell and a thin wooden frame. So engrossed he was in his music, that he did not seem to notice her. The man had a noble face, red hair and a red beard. His chest was bare and there seemed to lay a large chestnut coloured beast at his feet.
"Elthe moi kai nun, chalepon de luson
ek merimnan, ossa de moi telessai"
Ari took a second, good hard look at the animal at the man's feet- it did not have a head. The man did not have feet- they were one and the same and to Ari's utter astonishment, she realised what she was really staring at.
"A Centaur-" she whispered. The creature however had heard her soft words and looked up, straight at her. With a soft smile on his features, he calmly finished his song.
"Thumos imerrei, teleson, su d'auta
summachos esso."
Ari stared. The centaur made no movement, other than lowering his lyre and raising his brow. "Well?" he said, in perfect English. It took Ari a moment before she realised he was asking her how she had liked his singing.
"Lovely-", she answered. "Absolutely lovely."
The Centaur cocked his head, as if taking a bow to his public.
"You are a long way from where one would expect you to be, little witch."
"Actually, I am not a witch- but I am looking for a way to Hogwarts- could you guide me, please? I have been walking for a long time and I don't know if I will make it on my own."
And all that without even a stutter. Oz was growing on Ari- to a point where she could almost take a run in with a Centaur in stride.
The Centaur razed himself from the ground. Ari gulped. He was a magnificent creature and his human half quite handsome- The centaur however seemed oblivious to the effect he was having on Ari. He merely gazed up, to the stars.
"Venus is bright, tonight."
That remark took Ari quite by surprise.
"Yes? And that could help me how?"
The Centaur shook his manes and scraped the soft forest floor with his left front hoof a bit impatiently. A world of sorrow lay in his gentle brown eyes.
"You humans do not see- You humans never see. The forest has many secrets."
"So I gather." Ari answered dryly. "My name is Ariadne Philpot and I would very much like to get out of here."
"Then be like your namesake of old." He turned to leave.
"I'm anything -but- my namesake of old," Ari gave back, desperately. Understanding the reference to a princess from Greek myth, who knew her way trough the Labyrinth of the Minotaur.
"Look- I could really use some help here."
"You humans always can."
"Please!"
"Venus is bright tonight."
He turned and disappeared between a gap in the trees.
Dumbstruck Ari stared at the retreating creature.
"Well, fat lot of help you are! Cheech!"
And with that, the only choice left was to retrace steps an continue through this seemingly endless forest.
So Ari went onward, shivering with the night's chill and the increasingly depressing noises all around. Fog slithered through the trees, milky white in the moonlight. She found the remains of a male peacock, chewed to bits by a fox or other predator, leaving only a few bones and broken tail feathers. She could not see the stars for the trees- and when she found her way blocked with gigantic cobwebs, she had to clasp a hand for her face in order not to scream. Putting out her lamp was no option. The oppressing sound of insect wings followed her, dogging her- she'd be eaten alive by the lithe buggers, sucked dry before she'd had the chance to swat at least one of them.
So she turned again, moved away and found another way through.
Tired and hungry, Ari was noticing less and less where she was going and had to remind herself to constantly check the trees to roughly keep walking in the right direction. The monotony of movement and trunks was wearing her down, making her dizzy- and it was cold, for a night in summer.
Nobody seemed to be looking for her. Not Harry with all his mild kindness and youthful enthusiasm for his sport. What would he care, she could not even fly. Not the animagus Black, who apparently for all his flirtations could not be bothered to use his dog's nose and sniff out her trail. No- pelting the living daylights out of Snape was -far- more enticing than taking notice of those around him. Lupin was probably sulking somewhere in the castle. Ten to one he had never entered the forest in the first place. And Dumbledore? Or McGonagall? For crying out loud, were there no crystal balls or scrying mirrors those people could gaze in to find her?
Apparently not.
Apparently the bright little Muggle was not worth a second glance when in trouble. Useful, funny- but just not worth the bother.
Ari felt hot tears on her cheeks, rubbed them away forcefully, did not see for a moment where she was going and stumbled. She fell to her knees, one hand stretched out, grazing herself on stones and sharp little branches. She nearly dropped the lamp- but could save it and it's gentle light rekindled her hopes when she sighed somewhat relieved that at least she still had that.
Something scuttled away. Ari, still on her knees in the now quite filthy robe, spun round. She saw nothing- but she just -knew- she had heard the patter of feet, the sound dampened by the forest floor. Five shiny rocks ay on the trail behind her, quite close, actually. She had not noticed them before and wondered if she could possibly have tripped over them. She shrugged, cleaned her painful hand on her robe and moved on. She could not stay here.
A cloud moved in front of the moon and the forest turned darker and with that more foreboding still. The forest changed a bit. Firs rose to the sky here. Cones and old needles littered the ground. Usually, Ari would have enjoyed their scent, perhaps picked up a cone or two to playfully throw away or wait until they had dried to put them in a fire. The firesides in Hogwarts were wonderful and an exploding fir-cone within could give such cosy noises-
Her father had always wanted a hearth in his home, but he had never gotten around to have one built. The disease that had claimed his life had put a stop on any dream the man might have had but never found the time to live out. Ari missed him terribly, especially here and now. Dad would have know how to find a way out, or at least a way to cheer her up- And her mum and sister- who now believed she too had gone- well, right now Ari felt if that assumption could come true any minute.
Ari missed her family, missed her little nephews, her nagging down to earth sister who was always scolding her to find herself an nice lawyer-type-of-a-guy and settle down- Instead a nice handsome guy, fate had dealt her, what? Snape?
Tall, lanky, thin even, shiny hared, greasy?, with crooked teeth and a crooked nose. Not a handsome man at all, if you thought about it. Nothing remotely nice about him. Sarcastic, on edge, stupid, childish and dangerous. The only thing he had in common with a lawyer-type was his clever sneakiness.
But wait a minute! Wait one god damn minute- Ari stopped walking to think a moment. This was so unlike her, to think so unkindly about somebody, especially a somebody she-liked-!
Besides, Snape's lanky legs had looked quite appetising in those jeans- not skinny! His nose was big, no doubt, but not crooked. Dumbledore's nose looked crooked, as if broken a few times. And what did she -care- about yellow teeth or crooked ones- it were the full lips I front of them she was really interested in- besides, she had been close enough to the man to know he had no need for breath mints or some such nonsense.
And his eyes- one moment hollow pits devoid of life- the next glittering with his piercing intelligence and lust for challenge. But the velvet voice was his greatest weapon against her- he had to be aware of that.
The only complaint Ari had against her Severus was that he was not -there-.
Despair and loneliness fell like thick blankets over her mind as Ari let the thought sink in.
He was not there.
He had never really promised her to be there for her either, not even before Dumbledore's misguided warnings to the both of them to avoid each other.
She had saved his life, had made him smile, had allowed him to touch and hold her-
But Sev- Severus- Professor Snape could not be bothered with her plight- like any of them.
Them- The others. Wizards of the Magical Community. Not like her.
The are different. And not-like-us!
This time Ari did not rub the tears away and staggered on blindly. She was not like them. Not anything like them. She was all alone in a world alien to her and in love with a man who valuated the dirt under his boots higher than he did her. He could not be bothered- He was not there.
Finally, weariness won out. Tired to the bone Ari was prepared to sleep where she dropped, uncaring for spiders or centaurs or hard-hearted Wizards with their pet werewolves. The whole fucking lot of them could merrily go to hell, for all she cared. Ari sunk to her knees to weep.
A branch snapped.
And another.
Rapid feet came closer, Ari turned. A small creature jumped upon her chest. Listlessly, she stared in gleaming sapphire eyes without mercy looking at her from under a large hooded brow. The little thing was hairy, brown like fallen rotting leaves, naked and obviously male. Ari stared at it without comprehension. The head was way to large for the small body and greyish, shining like a wet stone. It grinned a row of very sharp teeth-
And if Ari would not have brought her arm up in reflex to so many sharp pointy things, it would have torn away her cheeck with his jump to her face.
Ari screamed in terror and pain, as the creature firmly bit down in her lower arm and held on with the strength of a pit-bull. Panicking, Ari whacked it's head, dropping the lantern, crushing the tiny goblin with another strike against a tree. With a loud yelp it released Ari, and she clutched the fiercely bleeding arm with her hand- And found herself surrounded with five bloodthirsty midgets of about a foot tall, only one of them discerningly different from the others for the rubbing of his head and buttocks, and the blood on it's mouth.
Her blood.
Ari backed up against the fir, sticky and smelly with resin sweated out in the daytime heat. The little monstrosities neared her slowly, chattering amongst themselves, showing their uncanny teeth like a shoal of piranhas. With her left arm, her good arm, Ari picked up the lantern.
"Get away from me!" she yelled.
The creatures paid no heed, but nodded at each other. In a flurry of brown movement, one jumped for the arm with the lantern, two crawled up her left leg and bit down, and a fourth jumped the tree to go for her head and face. Ari shrieked, kicked the fifth flying and it yelled with outrage and indignation. The pain in her arm and leg were almost unbearable and Ari knew that if she should stumble and fall, she would be lost. Panicking, she lashed out with the lantern against the creature on the tree behind her, threatening her face, her throat- The lantern hit, broke, sprayed both the tree and the thing with oil and fire- the raisin on the tree got fire and within seconds, the hopelessly lost beast shot away, burning, screeching terribly, desperately and in horrible pain.
Ari staggered away from the tree. The fire went out of control, clawing it's way up over the drenched bark, embracing it's neighbours, yellow and red, fanning up and out, black smoke billowing. The dry fir-cones and old needles on the ground kindling with lightning speed.
The creatures let go of Ari. Two of them ran after their burning mate, screeching, wallowing. The third simply sat on the ground, like a deer caught in headlights, to surprised to move. The fifth was nowhere in sight. Not that Ari paid attention. She was clutching her arm, staggering on her wounded leg, trying to clear her mind from the pain and panic, trying to decide the way of the wind so she could flee in the opposite direction- she had no hope of putting out the forest- or outrunning the fire if she went the wrong way-
Coughing against the smoke, Ari took another step- another, blindly. She staggered, her wounded leg gave way, on her good arm she pushed herself up but it was a futile attempt.
Something fell from the sky- Al large bird with wings that billowed out thinly, wildly. A voice, hoarse with smoke yet certain, yelled.
"Extinctum flammae!"
A blue-green light rained over the burning trees, pushing down the fire, making it crawl back and retreat into the heart of the earth, leaving charred cinders to blink once, and die.
A huff of fresh wind took the smoke and ashes. Ari could breath again- and she felt herself weakening. She was bleeding seriously, and her wounds needed to be seen to -fast-.
"Great Merlin! Where!"
"My arm- my leg-"
That voice- she would -always recognise the voice. Ari lifted her head to the light on the tip of the wand the wizard held. With the light in between, she could not see his face until he was on his knees beside her. Ari was fighting against the unconsciousness of combined exhaustion and shock- and seeing his face helped a lot. Although probably quite unintentionally.
"Severus! You look terrible!"
"Why, thank you Madam! I assure you, you are in far worse shape than I!"
Ari chuckled in spite of herself. The neckline of his robe was torn, his right hand was bandaged over the knuckles, his lip and jaw were bruised and his toilet was completed with a purple shiner.
"I take it this is a case of 'Yeah, but you should have seen the other ten guys'?"
Snape did not smile back. "Hold very still or Poppy will have my hide for a botched up job."
Firstly, Snape took care of Ari's mangled arm with the same kind of gentleness she had seen him use on Harry's feet. The bleeding stopped, but her arm felt far from whole, Snape was only giving her the Wizard's form of first aid, the Mediwitch would have to do the rest of the healing. Then, he quickly rolled up Ari's robe and started to make the same wand movements and whispered the same words over her leg.
He was here! He had come! Bent over her like that, she could hardly see anything of his face- but there was worry in the set of his shoulders and a tired strain in the murmured spells. His hands gently, cautiously stroke her thigh as if mending precious China, careful not to break it again.
Ari rested on her arm when he looked up. Snape was utterly, devastatingly furious with her. The dark eyes burned and he literally spat at her, leaning over her, his face only inches from her own.
"WHAT IN THE DEVIL'S NAME MADE YOU WANDER OFF INTO THIS GOD FORSAKEN PLACE! THERE IS A REASON IT IS CALLED FORBIDDEN! OR IS SUCH A THING JUST TOO COMPLICATED A CONCEPT FOR SUCH A CURIOUS, UNTHINKING CREATURE LIKE YOURSELF! BY GOD- I SWEAR, IF YOU'D BE A WITCH YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN SORTED GRYFFINDOR! IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR YOUR CUTE BONFIRE HERE, I WOULD -NEVER- HAVE FOUND YOU, YOU STUPID WOMAN!"
His hand never left her exposed thigh.
Ari smiled, lifted her wounded arm and gently tapped the bruised lip with one finger.
"Does this hurt?" she asked, innocently.
Snape took her small hand in his, leaving her leg unattended, pushing the hand away from his face.
"Now get up! I have to get you to the hospital wing. And yes it does!"
"Pity," Ari whispered, intertwining her fingers with his, giving up the support of her elbow, pulling herself up and Severus down by his collar and gently brushing her lips against his.
For half a second, the world apparently stopped turning for the trapped wizard, he lost his balance and almost fell over Ari, who felt his belly against hers, his breath in a huff when he tried to stop himself from crushing her and his mouth open over hers with surprise. Quick to take advantage she sneaked in her tongue for a taste.
"No-" Snape muttered in a strangled voice. Ari held her hand in his neck, but he could easily shake her, severely weakened as she was. However, he did not. With their hands still intertwined, he let his head droop to her breastbone, placing his chin and mouth against the top of her breasts.
"I should not- I cannot- You do not know!"
"Severus."
He lifted his head, but the mischief Ari expected was not in them. Loneliness, desperation. The misery of a drowning man who unexpectedly sees land, just out of reach.
Ari wanted to crush him against her, to show him how deeply she felt for him- But such a connection, even if he clung to her like a child, would later prove not to have been a service.
Hold him gently and he slips away, hold him tight and he is lost forever.
So in spite of all she felt she needed to tell him, in spite of how she burned, Ari took refuge in mockery.
"I've had a -bad- day, Severus. I've been babysitting brats and failed to make them play nice. I've been out wised by a cat, outwitted by a Centaur, tricked by trees, scared shitless by gigantic spiders and almost eaten alive by carnivorous midgets!"
"You cannot stay here!"
"Oh, shut up and kiss me!"
Finally, Severus fully met Ari's eyes, and almost shyly he smiled. Ari knew that shy look. It was the same shyness of the boy in the picture and it took his battered face tumbling back all those years. Gently, Severus untangled their hands, moved to support Ari's head on his arm instead of the forest floor, plucked the glasses of her face and finally touched his lips to hers for a kiss that if it had not burned already, would have set the woods on fire.
But far too quickly he raised himself. He touched his forehead to hers and whispered.
"We must go."
"But-"
Ari moved her hips and she felt him cringe-
"No Ari!" He chuckled. "Your condition does not allow for- exploration."
Ari sniggered. "Your condition does not allow for neglect."
His soft laugh rumbled low through her body. Gods, it felt good to simply be able to -joke- with the man!
"I'll live. Besides, any moment now we may find ourselves surrounded with canines and witches."
"So this position of ours could become rather awkward-"
"To say the least."
Severus pushed himself from the ground, helping Ari up and allowing her to lean on him quite a bit more than absolutely necessary.
"Now I understand why you wizards wear robes."
Severus nodded "They -do- hide a multitude of sins. Ari-"
In the light of his still shining wand, the desperation came back to his face.
"Back in the castle, we cannot-"
Ari reached up and softly toughed his lips with her fingertips, again silencing him in mid sentence.
"Back in the castle lives a very wise wizard who should not have been so naive as to think he could keep us apart, if he judged the situation between us serious enough to warn us to stay away in the first place."
Snape cocked his head.
"You have a point."
"I also have a few allies who would very much like to see you happy and will keep our little secret a secret."
Severus frowned, and suddenly snapped his fingers. "The armours and the doors! But for the life of me I cannot fathom -how- you in this short a time were able to do that!"
"Well, -you- seem to have a friend in a certain house ghost who doesn't exactly mind playing matchmaker."
Snape narrowed his eyes at that, but the smile did not leave them. He looked around.
"Accio broom!"
The broomstick flew to his hand and on command it hovered two feet above the ground. In the distance, a dog was barking.
"Is that Sirius?"
Snape rubbed his jaw. "Most certainly. Have you ever flown?"
"Not on a broom!"
"Then may I suggest you sit in front of me with both legs to one side so I can hold you? Do not worry, it will be a tame flight."
"A long one?"
Snape made a face. "A straight one, Milady- Quickly now!"
"Don't wish the doggy to claim any of your gallant rescue?"
Snape's lips twisted into something that might have been a smile. He sat Ari in front of him, put one arm around her, hand firmly around the broom and his free arm even firmer around her middle. Ari put both her arms around Snape's chest and nuzzled herself close. He kicked off and they drifted skywards.
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Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My!
Title taken from the old movie 'The Wizard of Oz'. Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Man are repeating this sentence over and over when walking through a really scary forest, just before teaming up with the Cowardly Lion.
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The centaur is making a song of a love poem by Sappo, and Ari is catching the last two verses.
And if she flees, soon will she follow,
And if she does not take gifts, she will give,
If she does not love, she will love
Despite herself
Come to me now, the harsh worry
Let loose, what my heart wants to be
Done, do it! , and you yourself be
My battle-ally.
Full text of this poem and a explanation can be found here:
http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/Texts/sappho.1.html
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In the legend of the Minotaur, ancient Crete has been cursed. Her queen has been made to love a bull by the gods and gave birth to a monstrosity, half man, half bull, devouring human flesh fur lunch. Athens is under some obligation to sent ten young men and ten young women to Crete to be sacrificed, every seven years. Until the hero and son of the king, Theseus, decides to kill the beast. He comes to Crete under the guise of being one of the sacrifices. Ariadne, princess of Crete, half sister to the Minotaur, falls in love with Theseus and helps him to defeat the monster and guide the Athens out of the Labyrinth. She might even have done this out of pity, for the monster by now was the captive of the Labyrinth, forced to live in the dark and devoid of any company, save for the people he was about to eat and the occasional visit of Ariadne herself. She was the only one who knew the way through the maze.
After taking her virginity in mock lovemaking, Theseus breaks all his promises to the princess and leaves her on some island, for a woman of the enemy Crete, even a princess, would only be a bother to the heir of Athens.
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And again enormous big hug, bow and thank you! to all my readers and especially to the people who do review!
Lataradk, how about 'Snape the builder aka Bob the builder? And you are very right, I truly adore all the reactions (huge grin that won't leave for days -327!). Besides, I very much like the contact I have with the people who review.
So drum roll and thanks to: Sianna, Yadda, Aliera, Cissy, Slytherin Sister, A-N-N-A, Bellemaine Chercoeur (lovely name!), Mediterranean Queen (thanks for the tip!), MejaimieMe (starts blushing and wiggling with feet), Lala (Thanks!), Redone (made it up, I've red way to much legends and fairy tales- Who am I kidding! Strike that, no one can read to many fairy tales!), Madam Arianna, mae Noelle, Slytherin girl (hi slytherin girl!), Lila Mae, Chipie36 (Don't worry, I'm of the let's-pet-Remus-couse-he's-juch-a-nice-wolfie- tribe), Ozma, Llarian, Elspeth (true, but don't forget, Sirius started the Lily-thing himself!), lunarmouse (according to Remus yes, according to Sirius, well, who knows?), Rosmerta (those two -boys- really should have to stand in the corner for an hour or so, with a donkey cap on their heads and a burning bottom!), Saint Fool (next stop, certainly!), Xara, Leila C. Snape, broken glass (we'll see, just expect the unexpected (grin)), Sophie W (unfortunately in the good old days I was on holiday- now I'm just another nine-to-fiver with too little time on my hands for the nicer things of life… BOEHAA! Sorry… (goes away to get cleaning rag to wipe tears from computer), Strega Brava and Meiousei.
Own the © on Severus and his mates
I do not own, I gather no riches
I'm merely toying with their fates
Andolyn
Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My!
The path Ari had been following, quickly became a mere animal trail, only to disappear a few footsteps ahead. Ari sighed, called out for Lupin, again, and wisely decided it was no use to try to find a man with the cunning of a lone wolf between the trunks of this deep, dark wood and the thick underbrush. The only thing she could hope for was to get herself hopelessly lost, should she leave the path. She still felt sorry for the man- But it was time for her to wise up, give in and return to the castle. But she had thoroughly enjoyed her stroll through the woods.
It was a beautiful place. If Hogwarts was the castle of dreams, the woods beyond invited fairies. Oak, Ash and Birch, whispering leaves, high in the wind, murmuring like the sea. Sunlight broke the semi-twilight with sharp angles, highlighting red hooded mushrooms and small purple forest flowers. A little stream crossed the path and Ari jumped slippery boulders to reach the other side.
"Stay-" the stream seemed to whisper, inviting her to rest on a fallen tree, take of her shoes, wet her toes and forget all she was seeking.
But although the forest was lovely, dark and deep, Ari had her promises to keep. She did not stray from the path to follow the stream, nor the intriguing hoof prints of shoeless horses she found besides it. What horse lived in a wood? They were animals of the planes- not woodlands.
So she sighed, closed her eyes a moment and let the cool breath of the forest kiss her brow, breathed the heavy scent of fallen leaves and hidden flowers with guiltless pleasure and turned to return.
And found he way blocked by three thick, dark trees she could not name.
For a moment Ari just stared. For a second moment Ari tried to peer around the trees to find the path- but the underbrush had turned thick with thorny plants that simply looked too vicious to cross.
The third moment Ari used to fume a few curses that would have paled the angered Black and Snape put together.
"Oz indeed." Ari muttered. In the lovely twilight of the enchanting wood, Ari had forgotten. She had forgotten that a forest belonging to a castle containing moving staircases and mumbling armours, was bound to have an enchanted forest bordering the grounds. Next time, she promised herself, she would heed the warning, even if it came from a cat.
But next time was next time and certainly not right now. Right now, Ari had to rely on a nonexistent sense of direction to get herself back to the castle. So, after deciding it wasn't time to panic quite yet, she turned, keeping the obstruction to her right and walked on for about ten minutes until she found it was hopeless to try and find her way through on this course. She turned, walked in the opposite direction for about twenty minutes more and came no step closer to a way back.
Turning again, back to the three trees, she did something quite rash, considering her experience with the Whomping Willow and the moving trees she faced. She pulled up her skirt, tucked it away in her belt, put the lamp in the large fold she had created and climbed the thickest of the trees. With no way through, she thought it best to simply go over. But she would climb to the top of the tree first, or at least as high as she could get, to see if she could see Hogwarts over the treetops.
To her astonishment, Hogwarts lay not somewhere in the distance behind the three trees, but to her far right. Had the whole forest turned around and against her? Or was it like the castle? Obstructing the wrong way and giving her pointers in the right direction? Ari had no idea.
From here, Ari could see the Quidditch pitch and the gold gleaming goalposts, but no-one flying near them. And no wizard flying over the forest to look for her. Would they miss her already? Did Mrs Norris run off to warn the others Ari had not listened to her? Perhaps, but she could see no sign. So it was best to trust only her own wits in getting out of here. If she could walk in a straight line- and if the forest would let her do so, she would reach the castle in about three hours, if the distance was to be believed. Oddly enough, Ari had only been walking for about one, and the Shrieking shack was not -that- far removed from the school grounds.
Climbing down, Ari suddenly heard a rather odd clicking noise. Instinctively Ari hugged the tree instead of going further down and waited.
Something big and black and bushy passed the tree, followed by at least three others. It was a bit hard to see, especially when one alternated between keeping ones eyes tightly shut in the hope the big scary thing would just go away, and nauseously trying not to throw up with fear.
They were spiders and they were gigantic, belying every mother ever to have told her child that no, there were no monsters and certainly not under the bed!
But there were monsters and they were slowly searching for something it seemed- And they were huge- could tower horses, eight legs, eight eyes- turning, twirling, gleaming-
If you did not move you cannot be seen- to may leaves between you and them, they do not expect you here so just don't move and they won't see you, just don't move and they will not notice you-
Ari kept repeating the mantra inside her mind, hugging the tree so closely she grazed her knees and inner thighs on the rough bark- But she did not move.
The three minutes it took the spiders to come in sight and leave again were the longest Ari had lived and after their departure and the soft clicking noises they made could no longer be heard, it took her an even longer time before she found the courage again to let go of the tree and climb down. It was not so much the time that had passed that brought Ari to her senses- but a chill in the wind and a chorus of birds, joyful in their evensong, that stirred her into motion.
Ari knew she could not stay up the tree, realised it would be dark soon. Slowly, listening for any odd sounds, especially any clicking sounds, Ari lowered herself to the ground and set off in the general direction of Hogwarts.
Once, in some book about boy scouts, Ari had red that moss grows on one side of a tree only. It had something to do with the wind, or something. She could not quite remember. But checking the trees she found that it was true and if she kept the mosses on the left side of the direction she was going, she believed she was walking towards the castle. At least she would be going in one straight line and not walk about in circles- If the trees would be courteous enough to stay in place, thank you very much.
Far too soon for her liking, Ari was obliged to light Filch's lantern. She prayed her light would repel the forest dwellers more than attract them- At least the magical lamp seemed to ward off mosquito's and other nasty little things that flew at her but zoomed away when they came to close- Some magical reverse effect, Ari supposed and she was mightily grateful for it.
Ari was hungry. Tired. And hungry. And thirsty. And tired. She had been walking for hours. At least it -felt- like hours. There had been voices in the dark. A hooting owl, a howling wolf. Eyes regarding her, lighting up red and yellow, leering at her. She threw a stick at them once, frustrated with her progress and scared. As long as nothing came too close, she should be alright.
But she was hungry.
There were bushes with berries- but Ari did not dare eat them. So she prodded on, occasionally checking the trees, hoping the lantern would not burn itself out. There seemed to be enough oil in it.
"Kai gar ai pheugei, taxeos dioxei"
"And now I'm hearing voices too!" Ari muttered. One voice actually. A beautiful, melancholy baritone, accompanied with high, thin notes from some string instrument.
"Ai de dora me deket', alla dosei
ai de me philei, tacheos philesei
kouk etheloisa."
And singing and music meant people! Perhaps a way out of the woods! Carefully Ari made her way trough the bushes, closing in on the music. She came to a moonlit clearing were a lone figure played a primitive looking instrument, made from a turtle shell and a thin wooden frame. So engrossed he was in his music, that he did not seem to notice her. The man had a noble face, red hair and a red beard. His chest was bare and there seemed to lay a large chestnut coloured beast at his feet.
"Elthe moi kai nun, chalepon de luson
ek merimnan, ossa de moi telessai"
Ari took a second, good hard look at the animal at the man's feet- it did not have a head. The man did not have feet- they were one and the same and to Ari's utter astonishment, she realised what she was really staring at.
"A Centaur-" she whispered. The creature however had heard her soft words and looked up, straight at her. With a soft smile on his features, he calmly finished his song.
"Thumos imerrei, teleson, su d'auta
summachos esso."
Ari stared. The centaur made no movement, other than lowering his lyre and raising his brow. "Well?" he said, in perfect English. It took Ari a moment before she realised he was asking her how she had liked his singing.
"Lovely-", she answered. "Absolutely lovely."
The Centaur cocked his head, as if taking a bow to his public.
"You are a long way from where one would expect you to be, little witch."
"Actually, I am not a witch- but I am looking for a way to Hogwarts- could you guide me, please? I have been walking for a long time and I don't know if I will make it on my own."
And all that without even a stutter. Oz was growing on Ari- to a point where she could almost take a run in with a Centaur in stride.
The Centaur razed himself from the ground. Ari gulped. He was a magnificent creature and his human half quite handsome- The centaur however seemed oblivious to the effect he was having on Ari. He merely gazed up, to the stars.
"Venus is bright, tonight."
That remark took Ari quite by surprise.
"Yes? And that could help me how?"
The Centaur shook his manes and scraped the soft forest floor with his left front hoof a bit impatiently. A world of sorrow lay in his gentle brown eyes.
"You humans do not see- You humans never see. The forest has many secrets."
"So I gather." Ari answered dryly. "My name is Ariadne Philpot and I would very much like to get out of here."
"Then be like your namesake of old." He turned to leave.
"I'm anything -but- my namesake of old," Ari gave back, desperately. Understanding the reference to a princess from Greek myth, who knew her way trough the Labyrinth of the Minotaur.
"Look- I could really use some help here."
"You humans always can."
"Please!"
"Venus is bright tonight."
He turned and disappeared between a gap in the trees.
Dumbstruck Ari stared at the retreating creature.
"Well, fat lot of help you are! Cheech!"
And with that, the only choice left was to retrace steps an continue through this seemingly endless forest.
So Ari went onward, shivering with the night's chill and the increasingly depressing noises all around. Fog slithered through the trees, milky white in the moonlight. She found the remains of a male peacock, chewed to bits by a fox or other predator, leaving only a few bones and broken tail feathers. She could not see the stars for the trees- and when she found her way blocked with gigantic cobwebs, she had to clasp a hand for her face in order not to scream. Putting out her lamp was no option. The oppressing sound of insect wings followed her, dogging her- she'd be eaten alive by the lithe buggers, sucked dry before she'd had the chance to swat at least one of them.
So she turned again, moved away and found another way through.
Tired and hungry, Ari was noticing less and less where she was going and had to remind herself to constantly check the trees to roughly keep walking in the right direction. The monotony of movement and trunks was wearing her down, making her dizzy- and it was cold, for a night in summer.
Nobody seemed to be looking for her. Not Harry with all his mild kindness and youthful enthusiasm for his sport. What would he care, she could not even fly. Not the animagus Black, who apparently for all his flirtations could not be bothered to use his dog's nose and sniff out her trail. No- pelting the living daylights out of Snape was -far- more enticing than taking notice of those around him. Lupin was probably sulking somewhere in the castle. Ten to one he had never entered the forest in the first place. And Dumbledore? Or McGonagall? For crying out loud, were there no crystal balls or scrying mirrors those people could gaze in to find her?
Apparently not.
Apparently the bright little Muggle was not worth a second glance when in trouble. Useful, funny- but just not worth the bother.
Ari felt hot tears on her cheeks, rubbed them away forcefully, did not see for a moment where she was going and stumbled. She fell to her knees, one hand stretched out, grazing herself on stones and sharp little branches. She nearly dropped the lamp- but could save it and it's gentle light rekindled her hopes when she sighed somewhat relieved that at least she still had that.
Something scuttled away. Ari, still on her knees in the now quite filthy robe, spun round. She saw nothing- but she just -knew- she had heard the patter of feet, the sound dampened by the forest floor. Five shiny rocks ay on the trail behind her, quite close, actually. She had not noticed them before and wondered if she could possibly have tripped over them. She shrugged, cleaned her painful hand on her robe and moved on. She could not stay here.
A cloud moved in front of the moon and the forest turned darker and with that more foreboding still. The forest changed a bit. Firs rose to the sky here. Cones and old needles littered the ground. Usually, Ari would have enjoyed their scent, perhaps picked up a cone or two to playfully throw away or wait until they had dried to put them in a fire. The firesides in Hogwarts were wonderful and an exploding fir-cone within could give such cosy noises-
Her father had always wanted a hearth in his home, but he had never gotten around to have one built. The disease that had claimed his life had put a stop on any dream the man might have had but never found the time to live out. Ari missed him terribly, especially here and now. Dad would have know how to find a way out, or at least a way to cheer her up- And her mum and sister- who now believed she too had gone- well, right now Ari felt if that assumption could come true any minute.
Ari missed her family, missed her little nephews, her nagging down to earth sister who was always scolding her to find herself an nice lawyer-type-of-a-guy and settle down- Instead a nice handsome guy, fate had dealt her, what? Snape?
Tall, lanky, thin even, shiny hared, greasy?, with crooked teeth and a crooked nose. Not a handsome man at all, if you thought about it. Nothing remotely nice about him. Sarcastic, on edge, stupid, childish and dangerous. The only thing he had in common with a lawyer-type was his clever sneakiness.
But wait a minute! Wait one god damn minute- Ari stopped walking to think a moment. This was so unlike her, to think so unkindly about somebody, especially a somebody she-liked-!
Besides, Snape's lanky legs had looked quite appetising in those jeans- not skinny! His nose was big, no doubt, but not crooked. Dumbledore's nose looked crooked, as if broken a few times. And what did she -care- about yellow teeth or crooked ones- it were the full lips I front of them she was really interested in- besides, she had been close enough to the man to know he had no need for breath mints or some such nonsense.
And his eyes- one moment hollow pits devoid of life- the next glittering with his piercing intelligence and lust for challenge. But the velvet voice was his greatest weapon against her- he had to be aware of that.
The only complaint Ari had against her Severus was that he was not -there-.
Despair and loneliness fell like thick blankets over her mind as Ari let the thought sink in.
He was not there.
He had never really promised her to be there for her either, not even before Dumbledore's misguided warnings to the both of them to avoid each other.
She had saved his life, had made him smile, had allowed him to touch and hold her-
But Sev- Severus- Professor Snape could not be bothered with her plight- like any of them.
Them- The others. Wizards of the Magical Community. Not like her.
The are different. And not-like-us!
This time Ari did not rub the tears away and staggered on blindly. She was not like them. Not anything like them. She was all alone in a world alien to her and in love with a man who valuated the dirt under his boots higher than he did her. He could not be bothered- He was not there.
Finally, weariness won out. Tired to the bone Ari was prepared to sleep where she dropped, uncaring for spiders or centaurs or hard-hearted Wizards with their pet werewolves. The whole fucking lot of them could merrily go to hell, for all she cared. Ari sunk to her knees to weep.
A branch snapped.
And another.
Rapid feet came closer, Ari turned. A small creature jumped upon her chest. Listlessly, she stared in gleaming sapphire eyes without mercy looking at her from under a large hooded brow. The little thing was hairy, brown like fallen rotting leaves, naked and obviously male. Ari stared at it without comprehension. The head was way to large for the small body and greyish, shining like a wet stone. It grinned a row of very sharp teeth-
And if Ari would not have brought her arm up in reflex to so many sharp pointy things, it would have torn away her cheeck with his jump to her face.
Ari screamed in terror and pain, as the creature firmly bit down in her lower arm and held on with the strength of a pit-bull. Panicking, Ari whacked it's head, dropping the lantern, crushing the tiny goblin with another strike against a tree. With a loud yelp it released Ari, and she clutched the fiercely bleeding arm with her hand- And found herself surrounded with five bloodthirsty midgets of about a foot tall, only one of them discerningly different from the others for the rubbing of his head and buttocks, and the blood on it's mouth.
Her blood.
Ari backed up against the fir, sticky and smelly with resin sweated out in the daytime heat. The little monstrosities neared her slowly, chattering amongst themselves, showing their uncanny teeth like a shoal of piranhas. With her left arm, her good arm, Ari picked up the lantern.
"Get away from me!" she yelled.
The creatures paid no heed, but nodded at each other. In a flurry of brown movement, one jumped for the arm with the lantern, two crawled up her left leg and bit down, and a fourth jumped the tree to go for her head and face. Ari shrieked, kicked the fifth flying and it yelled with outrage and indignation. The pain in her arm and leg were almost unbearable and Ari knew that if she should stumble and fall, she would be lost. Panicking, she lashed out with the lantern against the creature on the tree behind her, threatening her face, her throat- The lantern hit, broke, sprayed both the tree and the thing with oil and fire- the raisin on the tree got fire and within seconds, the hopelessly lost beast shot away, burning, screeching terribly, desperately and in horrible pain.
Ari staggered away from the tree. The fire went out of control, clawing it's way up over the drenched bark, embracing it's neighbours, yellow and red, fanning up and out, black smoke billowing. The dry fir-cones and old needles on the ground kindling with lightning speed.
The creatures let go of Ari. Two of them ran after their burning mate, screeching, wallowing. The third simply sat on the ground, like a deer caught in headlights, to surprised to move. The fifth was nowhere in sight. Not that Ari paid attention. She was clutching her arm, staggering on her wounded leg, trying to clear her mind from the pain and panic, trying to decide the way of the wind so she could flee in the opposite direction- she had no hope of putting out the forest- or outrunning the fire if she went the wrong way-
Coughing against the smoke, Ari took another step- another, blindly. She staggered, her wounded leg gave way, on her good arm she pushed herself up but it was a futile attempt.
Something fell from the sky- Al large bird with wings that billowed out thinly, wildly. A voice, hoarse with smoke yet certain, yelled.
"Extinctum flammae!"
A blue-green light rained over the burning trees, pushing down the fire, making it crawl back and retreat into the heart of the earth, leaving charred cinders to blink once, and die.
A huff of fresh wind took the smoke and ashes. Ari could breath again- and she felt herself weakening. She was bleeding seriously, and her wounds needed to be seen to -fast-.
"Great Merlin! Where!"
"My arm- my leg-"
That voice- she would -always recognise the voice. Ari lifted her head to the light on the tip of the wand the wizard held. With the light in between, she could not see his face until he was on his knees beside her. Ari was fighting against the unconsciousness of combined exhaustion and shock- and seeing his face helped a lot. Although probably quite unintentionally.
"Severus! You look terrible!"
"Why, thank you Madam! I assure you, you are in far worse shape than I!"
Ari chuckled in spite of herself. The neckline of his robe was torn, his right hand was bandaged over the knuckles, his lip and jaw were bruised and his toilet was completed with a purple shiner.
"I take it this is a case of 'Yeah, but you should have seen the other ten guys'?"
Snape did not smile back. "Hold very still or Poppy will have my hide for a botched up job."
Firstly, Snape took care of Ari's mangled arm with the same kind of gentleness she had seen him use on Harry's feet. The bleeding stopped, but her arm felt far from whole, Snape was only giving her the Wizard's form of first aid, the Mediwitch would have to do the rest of the healing. Then, he quickly rolled up Ari's robe and started to make the same wand movements and whispered the same words over her leg.
He was here! He had come! Bent over her like that, she could hardly see anything of his face- but there was worry in the set of his shoulders and a tired strain in the murmured spells. His hands gently, cautiously stroke her thigh as if mending precious China, careful not to break it again.
Ari rested on her arm when he looked up. Snape was utterly, devastatingly furious with her. The dark eyes burned and he literally spat at her, leaning over her, his face only inches from her own.
"WHAT IN THE DEVIL'S NAME MADE YOU WANDER OFF INTO THIS GOD FORSAKEN PLACE! THERE IS A REASON IT IS CALLED FORBIDDEN! OR IS SUCH A THING JUST TOO COMPLICATED A CONCEPT FOR SUCH A CURIOUS, UNTHINKING CREATURE LIKE YOURSELF! BY GOD- I SWEAR, IF YOU'D BE A WITCH YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN SORTED GRYFFINDOR! IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR YOUR CUTE BONFIRE HERE, I WOULD -NEVER- HAVE FOUND YOU, YOU STUPID WOMAN!"
His hand never left her exposed thigh.
Ari smiled, lifted her wounded arm and gently tapped the bruised lip with one finger.
"Does this hurt?" she asked, innocently.
Snape took her small hand in his, leaving her leg unattended, pushing the hand away from his face.
"Now get up! I have to get you to the hospital wing. And yes it does!"
"Pity," Ari whispered, intertwining her fingers with his, giving up the support of her elbow, pulling herself up and Severus down by his collar and gently brushing her lips against his.
For half a second, the world apparently stopped turning for the trapped wizard, he lost his balance and almost fell over Ari, who felt his belly against hers, his breath in a huff when he tried to stop himself from crushing her and his mouth open over hers with surprise. Quick to take advantage she sneaked in her tongue for a taste.
"No-" Snape muttered in a strangled voice. Ari held her hand in his neck, but he could easily shake her, severely weakened as she was. However, he did not. With their hands still intertwined, he let his head droop to her breastbone, placing his chin and mouth against the top of her breasts.
"I should not- I cannot- You do not know!"
"Severus."
He lifted his head, but the mischief Ari expected was not in them. Loneliness, desperation. The misery of a drowning man who unexpectedly sees land, just out of reach.
Ari wanted to crush him against her, to show him how deeply she felt for him- But such a connection, even if he clung to her like a child, would later prove not to have been a service.
Hold him gently and he slips away, hold him tight and he is lost forever.
So in spite of all she felt she needed to tell him, in spite of how she burned, Ari took refuge in mockery.
"I've had a -bad- day, Severus. I've been babysitting brats and failed to make them play nice. I've been out wised by a cat, outwitted by a Centaur, tricked by trees, scared shitless by gigantic spiders and almost eaten alive by carnivorous midgets!"
"You cannot stay here!"
"Oh, shut up and kiss me!"
Finally, Severus fully met Ari's eyes, and almost shyly he smiled. Ari knew that shy look. It was the same shyness of the boy in the picture and it took his battered face tumbling back all those years. Gently, Severus untangled their hands, moved to support Ari's head on his arm instead of the forest floor, plucked the glasses of her face and finally touched his lips to hers for a kiss that if it had not burned already, would have set the woods on fire.
But far too quickly he raised himself. He touched his forehead to hers and whispered.
"We must go."
"But-"
Ari moved her hips and she felt him cringe-
"No Ari!" He chuckled. "Your condition does not allow for- exploration."
Ari sniggered. "Your condition does not allow for neglect."
His soft laugh rumbled low through her body. Gods, it felt good to simply be able to -joke- with the man!
"I'll live. Besides, any moment now we may find ourselves surrounded with canines and witches."
"So this position of ours could become rather awkward-"
"To say the least."
Severus pushed himself from the ground, helping Ari up and allowing her to lean on him quite a bit more than absolutely necessary.
"Now I understand why you wizards wear robes."
Severus nodded "They -do- hide a multitude of sins. Ari-"
In the light of his still shining wand, the desperation came back to his face.
"Back in the castle, we cannot-"
Ari reached up and softly toughed his lips with her fingertips, again silencing him in mid sentence.
"Back in the castle lives a very wise wizard who should not have been so naive as to think he could keep us apart, if he judged the situation between us serious enough to warn us to stay away in the first place."
Snape cocked his head.
"You have a point."
"I also have a few allies who would very much like to see you happy and will keep our little secret a secret."
Severus frowned, and suddenly snapped his fingers. "The armours and the doors! But for the life of me I cannot fathom -how- you in this short a time were able to do that!"
"Well, -you- seem to have a friend in a certain house ghost who doesn't exactly mind playing matchmaker."
Snape narrowed his eyes at that, but the smile did not leave them. He looked around.
"Accio broom!"
The broomstick flew to his hand and on command it hovered two feet above the ground. In the distance, a dog was barking.
"Is that Sirius?"
Snape rubbed his jaw. "Most certainly. Have you ever flown?"
"Not on a broom!"
"Then may I suggest you sit in front of me with both legs to one side so I can hold you? Do not worry, it will be a tame flight."
"A long one?"
Snape made a face. "A straight one, Milady- Quickly now!"
"Don't wish the doggy to claim any of your gallant rescue?"
Snape's lips twisted into something that might have been a smile. He sat Ari in front of him, put one arm around her, hand firmly around the broom and his free arm even firmer around her middle. Ari put both her arms around Snape's chest and nuzzled herself close. He kicked off and they drifted skywards.
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Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My!
Title taken from the old movie 'The Wizard of Oz'. Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Man are repeating this sentence over and over when walking through a really scary forest, just before teaming up with the Cowardly Lion.
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The centaur is making a song of a love poem by Sappo, and Ari is catching the last two verses.
And if she flees, soon will she follow,
And if she does not take gifts, she will give,
If she does not love, she will love
Despite herself
Come to me now, the harsh worry
Let loose, what my heart wants to be
Done, do it! , and you yourself be
My battle-ally.
Full text of this poem and a explanation can be found here:
http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/Texts/sappho.1.html
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In the legend of the Minotaur, ancient Crete has been cursed. Her queen has been made to love a bull by the gods and gave birth to a monstrosity, half man, half bull, devouring human flesh fur lunch. Athens is under some obligation to sent ten young men and ten young women to Crete to be sacrificed, every seven years. Until the hero and son of the king, Theseus, decides to kill the beast. He comes to Crete under the guise of being one of the sacrifices. Ariadne, princess of Crete, half sister to the Minotaur, falls in love with Theseus and helps him to defeat the monster and guide the Athens out of the Labyrinth. She might even have done this out of pity, for the monster by now was the captive of the Labyrinth, forced to live in the dark and devoid of any company, save for the people he was about to eat and the occasional visit of Ariadne herself. She was the only one who knew the way through the maze.
After taking her virginity in mock lovemaking, Theseus breaks all his promises to the princess and leaves her on some island, for a woman of the enemy Crete, even a princess, would only be a bother to the heir of Athens.
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And again enormous big hug, bow and thank you! to all my readers and especially to the people who do review!
Lataradk, how about 'Snape the builder aka Bob the builder? And you are very right, I truly adore all the reactions (huge grin that won't leave for days -327!). Besides, I very much like the contact I have with the people who review.
So drum roll and thanks to: Sianna, Yadda, Aliera, Cissy, Slytherin Sister, A-N-N-A, Bellemaine Chercoeur (lovely name!), Mediterranean Queen (thanks for the tip!), MejaimieMe (starts blushing and wiggling with feet), Lala (Thanks!), Redone (made it up, I've red way to much legends and fairy tales- Who am I kidding! Strike that, no one can read to many fairy tales!), Madam Arianna, mae Noelle, Slytherin girl (hi slytherin girl!), Lila Mae, Chipie36 (Don't worry, I'm of the let's-pet-Remus-couse-he's-juch-a-nice-wolfie- tribe), Ozma, Llarian, Elspeth (true, but don't forget, Sirius started the Lily-thing himself!), lunarmouse (according to Remus yes, according to Sirius, well, who knows?), Rosmerta (those two -boys- really should have to stand in the corner for an hour or so, with a donkey cap on their heads and a burning bottom!), Saint Fool (next stop, certainly!), Xara, Leila C. Snape, broken glass (we'll see, just expect the unexpected (grin)), Sophie W (unfortunately in the good old days I was on holiday- now I'm just another nine-to-fiver with too little time on my hands for the nicer things of life… BOEHAA! Sorry… (goes away to get cleaning rag to wipe tears from computer), Strega Brava and Meiousei.