Chapter Three
Reunions and Revelations
"Aren't you supposed to be in the Great Hall?" a familiar voice asked as Ariel stormed down the hallway.
Ariel stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to find Remus Lupin standing at the other end of the hallway, looking much worse for the wear than the last time she had seen him. "Remus!" She called and jogged down the hallway to embrace her old friend.
"Ariel, you look well," Remus smiled and Ariel couldn't help but notice the crow's feet digging deeper into the corners of his eyes.
"You look positively dreadful," Ariel told him quite honestly, ruffling his hair affectionately.
"I could always count on you for an honest opinion," Remus smiled tiredly and nodded a bit. "I've been... better."
"You're such an awful liar, Remus," Ariel sighed a little and looped her arm through his as they began down the hallway.
"I still miss him," Remus sighed, his voice breaking. He closed his eyes and tried to compose himself. "I'm sorry."
"Remus, don't be sorry. Feel whatever you feel." Ariel frowned and gave Remus another hug, wishing there were more she could do. "I wish I could have met him."
"He would have liked you," Remus smiled suddenly, looking down at her, "Sirius was always very straightforward as well."
"I suspect that's a very polite way of saying that neither of us have any tact," she grinned at him and he laughed appreciatively.
"I have to be polite with friends like you," he grinned faintly at her, "one of us has to be able to get us out of all the messes you get us into."
"I've no idea what you're talking about," Ariel said, feigning innocence, when at the worst possible moment, Snape appeared to make a nuisance of himself.
"That was entirely unprofessional," he said, picking string-beans out of his hair. He paused as he looked between Lupin and Ariel and snorted. "You two know each other? How typical."
"Yes, you never get yourself into any trouble," Remus continued to grin, completely ignoring Snape, which did not sit especially well with the Potion's Master.
"I'd ask you to teach her a few manners, but a few years in your company never did anything for Black, so why should she be any different?" Snape asked, and a moment later found himself laid out on the floor with a very sore jaw.
"Ariel!" Remus exclaimed as the petite professor rubbed her now rather sore knuckles.
"I should have known you'd have a thick head," Ariel spat, ignoring Remus as she glared visciously at Snape.
"Found yourself a new bodyguard, have you Remus?" Snape asked as he picked himself up, rubbing his jaw. "You'll be pleased to hear she's got a much better right hook than your late bodyguard." Snape smirked and would have found himself on the floor again if it hadn't been for Remus holding Ariel back.
"Don't you know when to bloody-well quit?!" Ariel demanded, livid with anger.
"Ariel, leave it be," Remus said quietly, not daring to look at Snape himself.
Snape snorted. "You really are quite pathetic, Remus." With that he turned and stalked off, still rubbing at his jaw.
"That bastard! He's got no right!" Ariel yelled, still struggling in Remus's arms.
"Really Ariel, I feel more sorry for him than anything else." Lupin sighed faintly.
Ariel sighed and closed her eyes, composing herself, before looking up at Remus with a soft smile. "You're too soft, Remus. One of these days I'm going to get you to lay him out like he deserves."
"I'm sure you will," Lupin mused and started back down the hallway with her. "Now we have a lot of catching up to do..."
The Gryffindor common room was all but empty a few hours later, the only people still awake were Harry and Laetitia Rose, both sitting in front of the fire, both wondering what the other was thinking. Harry glanced over at Laetitia, his eyes trailing over her long, raven black hair, her dusky violet eyes, her small pursed mouth, the soft curve of her throat... Harry closed his eyes. He was not thinking what he was thinking. She was the daughter of his worst enemy... she was everything he hated, wasn't she? But it didn't mean she couldn't also be... beautiful...
"Harry..." Harry opened his eyes and looked at her, watching the reflected firelight dance in her eyes. "I... I need to explain it... to you." She paused. No need to ask what 'it' was. He nodded noncommitally, it was all he could think to do. "I feel like I owe you an explanation." He nodded again, encouragingly this time. "I don't know the whole story... I mean... about my mother and father. My mother died when I was very young, I know it must be hard to picture, but it hurt my father very much. He has so much... so much pain in him." She frowned deeply, and looked up at Harry, whose face was twisted with rage. "I'm not saying what he's done is right. But... but whatever he's become... there's still something in him... some spark of humanity... that part is my father." She paused again, trying to remind herself to breathe... but she had to finish this now that she had started. She had to explain it to Harry. "But what he's done... the horrible things he's done... I can't forgive him that. I l
ove him because he's my father, but I hate the monster that's slowly destroying my father from the inside. I've come to Hogwarts to prove... to prove that I'm NOT my father. That I can be something more... something more than a MURDERER." She looked up... she didn't remember standing up, but there she was, in front of the fire, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. "I... I'm sorry Harry... I just... I needed to tell you this. I needed you to know..." She didn't say anything more, she just turned towards the girl's dormitories and started off.
Harry stared into the fire, wanting to say something, but afraid what it would mean if he did. What... what did she want from him? He frowned deeply then, what did she mean, telling him all this? What was he supposed to do about it? She was still Lord Voldemort's daughter. She was still a Riddle. And she always would be.
"Oh bloody hell," Ariel muttered as Snape walked towards the breakfast table the next morning sporting a rather large black and blue bruise on his jaw.
Snape sat down at the table and stared disdainfully at the food as he poured himself a glass of juice.
"Can't you do something about that?" Ariel asked, sounding rather unimpressed. "I'm sure Madam Pomfrey could fix that up in only a moment."
"I'm afraid I've been gravely injured," Snape sniffed, staring pitiously into his juice. "I'm in quite a lot pain."
"Really," Ariel snorted.
"I don't believe I can bring myself to eat, it really is excrutiating." He said pitifully, smirking nastilly when he finally looked at her.
"Oh, it would be such a pity if you starved to death," Ariel said without much conviction.
"You're lucky I don't report this to the Headmaster," Snape told her with a nasty look.
"You haven't already?" Ariel looked somewhat surprised. "I was under the impression you were milking this for all it was worth. I heard you moaning and complaining all the way down the corridor."
"I have been known to find myself in a charitable mood every now and again," Snape told her with a slight smirk.
"When the earth tilts off it's axis and birds fall from the sky?" Ariel asked politely. She frowned a little when Snape glared at her. "I'm sorry, Severus. I quite appreciate living on your charity. It must be a rare honor indeed."
"I hope sometime during the course of the next year you learn the remarkably useful skill of holding one's tongue." Snape snarled, standing up, apparently having lost his appetite.
"Perhaps you would be so kind as to hold it for me?" She asked cheekily, watching with some amusement as Snape's cool facade dropped for a moment and he looked positively flustered.
He regained his composure quickly enough, however, and sneered darkly at her, "I make it a habit not to touch vile things. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some leeches to filet." He turned and stormed out of the Great Hall, already plotting how to get back at Ariel for knowing exactly how to fluster him.
Reunions and Revelations
"Aren't you supposed to be in the Great Hall?" a familiar voice asked as Ariel stormed down the hallway.
Ariel stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to find Remus Lupin standing at the other end of the hallway, looking much worse for the wear than the last time she had seen him. "Remus!" She called and jogged down the hallway to embrace her old friend.
"Ariel, you look well," Remus smiled and Ariel couldn't help but notice the crow's feet digging deeper into the corners of his eyes.
"You look positively dreadful," Ariel told him quite honestly, ruffling his hair affectionately.
"I could always count on you for an honest opinion," Remus smiled tiredly and nodded a bit. "I've been... better."
"You're such an awful liar, Remus," Ariel sighed a little and looped her arm through his as they began down the hallway.
"I still miss him," Remus sighed, his voice breaking. He closed his eyes and tried to compose himself. "I'm sorry."
"Remus, don't be sorry. Feel whatever you feel." Ariel frowned and gave Remus another hug, wishing there were more she could do. "I wish I could have met him."
"He would have liked you," Remus smiled suddenly, looking down at her, "Sirius was always very straightforward as well."
"I suspect that's a very polite way of saying that neither of us have any tact," she grinned at him and he laughed appreciatively.
"I have to be polite with friends like you," he grinned faintly at her, "one of us has to be able to get us out of all the messes you get us into."
"I've no idea what you're talking about," Ariel said, feigning innocence, when at the worst possible moment, Snape appeared to make a nuisance of himself.
"That was entirely unprofessional," he said, picking string-beans out of his hair. He paused as he looked between Lupin and Ariel and snorted. "You two know each other? How typical."
"Yes, you never get yourself into any trouble," Remus continued to grin, completely ignoring Snape, which did not sit especially well with the Potion's Master.
"I'd ask you to teach her a few manners, but a few years in your company never did anything for Black, so why should she be any different?" Snape asked, and a moment later found himself laid out on the floor with a very sore jaw.
"Ariel!" Remus exclaimed as the petite professor rubbed her now rather sore knuckles.
"I should have known you'd have a thick head," Ariel spat, ignoring Remus as she glared visciously at Snape.
"Found yourself a new bodyguard, have you Remus?" Snape asked as he picked himself up, rubbing his jaw. "You'll be pleased to hear she's got a much better right hook than your late bodyguard." Snape smirked and would have found himself on the floor again if it hadn't been for Remus holding Ariel back.
"Don't you know when to bloody-well quit?!" Ariel demanded, livid with anger.
"Ariel, leave it be," Remus said quietly, not daring to look at Snape himself.
Snape snorted. "You really are quite pathetic, Remus." With that he turned and stalked off, still rubbing at his jaw.
"That bastard! He's got no right!" Ariel yelled, still struggling in Remus's arms.
"Really Ariel, I feel more sorry for him than anything else." Lupin sighed faintly.
Ariel sighed and closed her eyes, composing herself, before looking up at Remus with a soft smile. "You're too soft, Remus. One of these days I'm going to get you to lay him out like he deserves."
"I'm sure you will," Lupin mused and started back down the hallway with her. "Now we have a lot of catching up to do..."
The Gryffindor common room was all but empty a few hours later, the only people still awake were Harry and Laetitia Rose, both sitting in front of the fire, both wondering what the other was thinking. Harry glanced over at Laetitia, his eyes trailing over her long, raven black hair, her dusky violet eyes, her small pursed mouth, the soft curve of her throat... Harry closed his eyes. He was not thinking what he was thinking. She was the daughter of his worst enemy... she was everything he hated, wasn't she? But it didn't mean she couldn't also be... beautiful...
"Harry..." Harry opened his eyes and looked at her, watching the reflected firelight dance in her eyes. "I... I need to explain it... to you." She paused. No need to ask what 'it' was. He nodded noncommitally, it was all he could think to do. "I feel like I owe you an explanation." He nodded again, encouragingly this time. "I don't know the whole story... I mean... about my mother and father. My mother died when I was very young, I know it must be hard to picture, but it hurt my father very much. He has so much... so much pain in him." She frowned deeply, and looked up at Harry, whose face was twisted with rage. "I'm not saying what he's done is right. But... but whatever he's become... there's still something in him... some spark of humanity... that part is my father." She paused again, trying to remind herself to breathe... but she had to finish this now that she had started. She had to explain it to Harry. "But what he's done... the horrible things he's done... I can't forgive him that. I l
ove him because he's my father, but I hate the monster that's slowly destroying my father from the inside. I've come to Hogwarts to prove... to prove that I'm NOT my father. That I can be something more... something more than a MURDERER." She looked up... she didn't remember standing up, but there she was, in front of the fire, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. "I... I'm sorry Harry... I just... I needed to tell you this. I needed you to know..." She didn't say anything more, she just turned towards the girl's dormitories and started off.
Harry stared into the fire, wanting to say something, but afraid what it would mean if he did. What... what did she want from him? He frowned deeply then, what did she mean, telling him all this? What was he supposed to do about it? She was still Lord Voldemort's daughter. She was still a Riddle. And she always would be.
"Oh bloody hell," Ariel muttered as Snape walked towards the breakfast table the next morning sporting a rather large black and blue bruise on his jaw.
Snape sat down at the table and stared disdainfully at the food as he poured himself a glass of juice.
"Can't you do something about that?" Ariel asked, sounding rather unimpressed. "I'm sure Madam Pomfrey could fix that up in only a moment."
"I'm afraid I've been gravely injured," Snape sniffed, staring pitiously into his juice. "I'm in quite a lot pain."
"Really," Ariel snorted.
"I don't believe I can bring myself to eat, it really is excrutiating." He said pitifully, smirking nastilly when he finally looked at her.
"Oh, it would be such a pity if you starved to death," Ariel said without much conviction.
"You're lucky I don't report this to the Headmaster," Snape told her with a nasty look.
"You haven't already?" Ariel looked somewhat surprised. "I was under the impression you were milking this for all it was worth. I heard you moaning and complaining all the way down the corridor."
"I have been known to find myself in a charitable mood every now and again," Snape told her with a slight smirk.
"When the earth tilts off it's axis and birds fall from the sky?" Ariel asked politely. She frowned a little when Snape glared at her. "I'm sorry, Severus. I quite appreciate living on your charity. It must be a rare honor indeed."
"I hope sometime during the course of the next year you learn the remarkably useful skill of holding one's tongue." Snape snarled, standing up, apparently having lost his appetite.
"Perhaps you would be so kind as to hold it for me?" She asked cheekily, watching with some amusement as Snape's cool facade dropped for a moment and he looked positively flustered.
He regained his composure quickly enough, however, and sneered darkly at her, "I make it a habit not to touch vile things. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some leeches to filet." He turned and stormed out of the Great Hall, already plotting how to get back at Ariel for knowing exactly how to fluster him.