Chapter Four
No More Apologies
Ariel looked out nervously at her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class and shuffled her papers. Seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors her first class... if she didn't know any better, she would have guessed Snape had scheduled that.
"I'm Ariel Soliel, Ariel will do just fine though," she said, trying not to speak too quickly, "before it becomes an issue, yes, my father was a wizard, but my mother was a faerie. I lived in Tir Na Nog until I was eleven, when I shipped off to school just like the rest of you." She smiled softly at the looks of wonder on the students' faces. "I--yes?" She was about to continue when a hand sprung up from amidst the students.
"Do you have wings?" One of the Slytherin girls snickered, the question was accompanied by a chorus of giggles from her friends.
"I do, but it'll cost you a sickle to see them," she smirked faintly at the Slytherin girls, whose laughter immediately died away.
"What's it like in Tir Na Nog?" One of the Gryffindors asked, eyes wide with awe.
"Perhaps I can convince Headmaster Dumbledore to allow me to take you all on a field trip there." Ariel smiled pleasantly at the enthusiastic murmurs this elicited.
"Yes, frolicking under toadstools, what fun," Snape snorted as he appeared in the doorway. "I might have known that the concept of teaching the children something useful would be far beyond your grasp."
"Why don't you come up to the front, Severus, and I can teach the children how to defend themselves against overbearing nitwits, with only a passable right hook?" She quirked an amused brow at him as his eyes narrowed dangerously. She was sure he wished he hadn't been complaining quite so audibly about his bruise now.
"I would be careful, if I were you, professor," Snape hissed icily, "you are on very thin ice now."
"I shall take that under advisement, Severus. Now if you don't mind, I do have a class to teach." She smiled pleasantly and turned towards the chalkboard, feeling infintely better about teaching that day's classes...
"Draco... Draco, please don't be like this," Laetitia Rose whispered as the students slowly filed out of Professor Soliel's first class. "Please Draco, I really need--"
"What exactly do you really need, Laetitia?" He snapped, turning to look at her angerly.
"Draco, why are you being like this?" Laetitia asked, a hurt look in her eyes.
"I wonder if your father knows you're a Gryffindor." Draco mused coldly, packing his books into his bag. "I don't think he'll take it as well as I have."
"Draco, I don't want this to come between us," Laetitia pleaded, staring at him imploringly.
"Perhaps you should have thought about that before betraying your true friends." He glared at her before pushing past her, but found Harry in his path before he could get to the door. "You seem to have gotten yourself lost again, Potter. You're in my path, remove yourself." Draco sneered at the Gryffindor, his voice tense with hatred.
"I see your manners haven't improved any over the summer," Harry snorted, pushing Draco back a few steps.
"Resorting to physical violence, Potter? Your kind really is pathetic," Draco spat, pushing Harry back a few steps.
"Oh, my kind, Malfoy? What KIND would that be?" Harry demanded, glaring hatefully at the bleach-blonde boy before him.
"Charity cases with martyr complexes," Draco sneered and was on the ground a moment later with a bloody nose, courtesy of Mr Potter.
"That will be quite enough," Ariel sounded somewhat less than impressed with the two boys as she made her way over to them, pulling her wand from her robes. "Get to your next class, boys. You've both got more sense then to beat each other black and blue, I should hope." She gave them a pointed look and ushered them out of the class, leaving Laetitia Rose staring helplessly after them.
"I'm sorry Professor Soliel, that was all my fault," Laetitia said when Ariel returned.
"Oh, Miss Riddle," Ariel sighed a little and put a hand on her shoulder, "you can't blame yourself for every stupid thing boys get into. You'll spend entirely too much time feeling sorry for yourself." She smiled a little sadly.
"I'm sorry... I just..." Laetitia looked helplessly at Ariel, once again at a loss for words, but this time she couldn't keep the tears from coming. Ariel immediately enfolded the girl in a warm hug as she sobbed quietly into the professor's shoulder. "I don't know what to do, professor..."
"I know, dear, I know," Ariel said softly, patting the girl's back comfortingly. "Give yourself time to understand exactly what it is you want to say to them."
Laetitia tried to control her crying, if her father could see her now... She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, professor."
"Please don't be sorry, Miss Riddle," Ariel sighed faintly, taking the girl by the shoulders to look her in the eye. "Laetitia... you don't have to apologize for your father anymore. Don't apologize for where you come from, just make sure you don't follow the same path, alright?"
Laetitia stared at Professor Soliel, at the sincereity in her eyes... maybe... maybe she really believed her... "I... I don't think I'm strong enough."
"Then I'll be strong for you, until you find your own strength." Ariel tried to blink back her own tears as she nodded to the girl.
"Thank you Professor Soliel... thank you..."
No More Apologies
Ariel looked out nervously at her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class and shuffled her papers. Seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors her first class... if she didn't know any better, she would have guessed Snape had scheduled that.
"I'm Ariel Soliel, Ariel will do just fine though," she said, trying not to speak too quickly, "before it becomes an issue, yes, my father was a wizard, but my mother was a faerie. I lived in Tir Na Nog until I was eleven, when I shipped off to school just like the rest of you." She smiled softly at the looks of wonder on the students' faces. "I--yes?" She was about to continue when a hand sprung up from amidst the students.
"Do you have wings?" One of the Slytherin girls snickered, the question was accompanied by a chorus of giggles from her friends.
"I do, but it'll cost you a sickle to see them," she smirked faintly at the Slytherin girls, whose laughter immediately died away.
"What's it like in Tir Na Nog?" One of the Gryffindors asked, eyes wide with awe.
"Perhaps I can convince Headmaster Dumbledore to allow me to take you all on a field trip there." Ariel smiled pleasantly at the enthusiastic murmurs this elicited.
"Yes, frolicking under toadstools, what fun," Snape snorted as he appeared in the doorway. "I might have known that the concept of teaching the children something useful would be far beyond your grasp."
"Why don't you come up to the front, Severus, and I can teach the children how to defend themselves against overbearing nitwits, with only a passable right hook?" She quirked an amused brow at him as his eyes narrowed dangerously. She was sure he wished he hadn't been complaining quite so audibly about his bruise now.
"I would be careful, if I were you, professor," Snape hissed icily, "you are on very thin ice now."
"I shall take that under advisement, Severus. Now if you don't mind, I do have a class to teach." She smiled pleasantly and turned towards the chalkboard, feeling infintely better about teaching that day's classes...
"Draco... Draco, please don't be like this," Laetitia Rose whispered as the students slowly filed out of Professor Soliel's first class. "Please Draco, I really need--"
"What exactly do you really need, Laetitia?" He snapped, turning to look at her angerly.
"Draco, why are you being like this?" Laetitia asked, a hurt look in her eyes.
"I wonder if your father knows you're a Gryffindor." Draco mused coldly, packing his books into his bag. "I don't think he'll take it as well as I have."
"Draco, I don't want this to come between us," Laetitia pleaded, staring at him imploringly.
"Perhaps you should have thought about that before betraying your true friends." He glared at her before pushing past her, but found Harry in his path before he could get to the door. "You seem to have gotten yourself lost again, Potter. You're in my path, remove yourself." Draco sneered at the Gryffindor, his voice tense with hatred.
"I see your manners haven't improved any over the summer," Harry snorted, pushing Draco back a few steps.
"Resorting to physical violence, Potter? Your kind really is pathetic," Draco spat, pushing Harry back a few steps.
"Oh, my kind, Malfoy? What KIND would that be?" Harry demanded, glaring hatefully at the bleach-blonde boy before him.
"Charity cases with martyr complexes," Draco sneered and was on the ground a moment later with a bloody nose, courtesy of Mr Potter.
"That will be quite enough," Ariel sounded somewhat less than impressed with the two boys as she made her way over to them, pulling her wand from her robes. "Get to your next class, boys. You've both got more sense then to beat each other black and blue, I should hope." She gave them a pointed look and ushered them out of the class, leaving Laetitia Rose staring helplessly after them.
"I'm sorry Professor Soliel, that was all my fault," Laetitia said when Ariel returned.
"Oh, Miss Riddle," Ariel sighed a little and put a hand on her shoulder, "you can't blame yourself for every stupid thing boys get into. You'll spend entirely too much time feeling sorry for yourself." She smiled a little sadly.
"I'm sorry... I just..." Laetitia looked helplessly at Ariel, once again at a loss for words, but this time she couldn't keep the tears from coming. Ariel immediately enfolded the girl in a warm hug as she sobbed quietly into the professor's shoulder. "I don't know what to do, professor..."
"I know, dear, I know," Ariel said softly, patting the girl's back comfortingly. "Give yourself time to understand exactly what it is you want to say to them."
Laetitia tried to control her crying, if her father could see her now... She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, professor."
"Please don't be sorry, Miss Riddle," Ariel sighed faintly, taking the girl by the shoulders to look her in the eye. "Laetitia... you don't have to apologize for your father anymore. Don't apologize for where you come from, just make sure you don't follow the same path, alright?"
Laetitia stared at Professor Soliel, at the sincereity in her eyes... maybe... maybe she really believed her... "I... I don't think I'm strong enough."
"Then I'll be strong for you, until you find your own strength." Ariel tried to blink back her own tears as she nodded to the girl.
"Thank you Professor Soliel... thank you..."