Chapter 6:

Warning: This chapter along with many more throughout the story will involve the discussion of PTSD, child abuse and many more potentially traumatic encounters.

Ariana shot up out of bed with a start, trying to catch her breath. Just a moment ago, she was deep beneath Malfoy Manor once again at the clutches of Lucius. Now she was on an old bed in a foreign room. Or perhaps ... not so foreign? She took a deep breath as memories of yesterday began to flood her mind. It was insane to think that she had escaped the manor that had held her prisoner for so long, and to arrive in a foreign house with a stranger. Even crazier was the fact that this stranger was none other than Sirius Black, the alleged mass murderer and Azkaban escapee.

She sank back into the covers and relished in the bed's softness. How much life had changed in just a matter of a day and a half. She couldn't recall ever being outside of Malfoy territory before. Part of her wanted to endlessly thank the man who had succeeded in busting her out, but could she really trust him? He had claimed that he didn't do what he was accused of, but wasn't that what all criminals would say? Ariana did not consider herself to be a fool. She had learned not to trust people from an early age for she had experienced first hand how it hurt to get that trust broken. She had felt it with Draco, her private tutor, Mrs. Malfoy and Lucius. She need not try again.

However, something about this man was oddly familiar. Aside from the grimy looks and malnourished frame - not that she was any better - the man looked at her like she was important, like she mattered. Yesterday, he had even appeared concerned for her and offered her food, to which the starving girl could not deny. Yet bigger questions remained with this Black. He hadn't fully answered how he knew her or why he saved her, providing half truths instead.

On one side, Ariana could respect that. She had grown up shrouded in secrets and was more than comfortable with other people minding theirs. On the other, she was so overwhelmed by the sudden changes and the air of mystery surrounding the entire situation that she desperately wanted to know more. Not to mention, who knew what this man was capable of? He had single handedly escaped the wrath of Lucius, apart from her underage magic getting the best of her and blowing up the area between them and her captors. Still, he had proven to be a skilled duelist and... and a dog.

Ariana wracked her brain for a couple minutes, trying to pull information from her many previous textbooks. Never had she witnessed someone being able to transform into an animal at will. Unfortunately, her books only consisted of potions, dark magic and the most basic of spells. There was next to no knowledge at her disposal regarding human transfiguration. Sighing with slight irritation at herself, she made a mental note to discover just what kind of magic that was. She then wondered if the next best decision was to escape. After all, she didn't know this man, not really. For all she knew, he could murder her without a second to spare. Even worse, he could become another Lucius. She bit her lip at the thought. No, that simply wouldn't do. While she was certainly grateful for his rescue, the fear of being back in a cage was too strong for her to think about anything else.

She pulled the covers off and planted her feet on the ground, groaning a little as she remembered her injuries from only a couple of nights ago. Her back still ached a decent bit and her arms stung as they rubbed against her sleeves. All in all however, she was alright. Nothing broken at least. She noted that Sirius Black was not in the room. After another late snack yesterday, he had departed and wished her a good night. It seemed that the man had remained true to his word for he had not re-entered.

She wanted to trust him, but there were too many unknowns right now. No, she thought. The only person she could trust at the moment was herself.

Taking soft, quiet steps, she made her way out the bedroom. The door squeaked ever so slightly, but gave way as the girl exited through it. She hadn't had much time to map out the house when the other man had apparated them all here. Fear and the desire for a hiding place were her main focal points at the time, which lead her to seek refuge in the bedroom. She did recall the house not being very big. The bedroom was attached to the loo, both of which connected to the main hallway that she was currently in.

That was when the smell of cooking hit her. Something most definitely smelled burnt, but the idea of food at all made her stomach growl and she found her feet pulling her forward. As she peeked into the kitchen, Ariana was surprised to find Sirius Black cooking.

Never before had she seen a witch or wizard cook for themselves. The idea of Narcissa Malfoy preparing a meal was so outrageous, she was sure the lady of the house would track her down and have her punished for even entertaining the thought. Yet here stood the escaped criminal, slaving away over the stove with an intense focus and a couple occasional curses.

However, he whipped his head to her direction with a speed that nearly caused her to jump away, shocked at being caught so quickly. It dawned on her now that perhaps he had wanted her to stay in the bedroom. Was he angry? Was she to be punished?

"Ah Ariana, you surprised me." the former prisoner chuckled, turning off the burner to the stove. "I've made breakfast. It's far more burnt than intended thanks to this bloody stove, but I suppose it will do for now."

He set down two plates at the small kitchen table and sat down. It took Ariana more than a few seconds to get over the absurdity of the situation and realize that he wanted her to have breakfast with him. She sat down across from him, averting her gaze as she slowly inspected the food that he had apparently made for her. True to his word, the bacon was definitely overcooked and the eggs were a touch crispy, but it was fresh and plentiful. She took small bites, remembering her many lessons in etiquette so many years ago, but savored every bite like a dying man.

This seemed to satisfy Sirius, who much less gracefully tore into his plate. The pair ate in silence, once again observing the other. The man was far cleaner than she had seen him last, now freshly showered and clean shaven. Though his features were still sunken in from starvation and neglect, he looked more normal and significantly less murderous than their previous encounters. He had also changed into a different pair of clothes, though they looked a little large on him.

"We'll need to leave soon," Black told her, keeping a nervous eye on the window. "Dementors will no doubt be combing through this area looking for me. You're welcome to wash up while I finish packing though. I've left out some clothes and towels for you."

The idea of leaving so quickly put Ariana at unease, almost as much as the idea of being in the presence of real dementors. Yet, she said nothing as she nodded and headed off to the loo, the idea of a shower too enticing to decline.

The hot water may have stung her cuts, but much like the food, she savored getting clean. As she dried off and put on the clothes that had been laid out for her, she soon noted that they must have been the same size as Black's borrowed attire. While they looked large on him, they were downright gigantic on her. She resorted to rolling up the sleeves of her newfound pants and cutting the sleeves to fit her with a pair of scissors from the loo.

A few minutes of finger combing worked wonders for her hair, which was now relatively tangle free for the first time in far longer than she dared to admit. The oversized clothes also managed to hid any cuts and scars along her forearms. Satisfied, she exited the loo in search for her captor...savior? Whatever he was.

She found him in the backyard with several bags freshly packed. When he saw her, he offered her a friendly smile. She was hesitant to return it, but he didn't seem to mind and returned to stuffing various items into a backpack. However, a small inhuman screech erupted to her right, ripping her attention away from Black and towards what a appeared to be a half bird half horse beast.

The creature's hind legs resembled a horse while its front talon-like feet, beak and wings gave it a far more avian appearance. The beast glared at her with its large eagle like orange eyes, as if it wasn't sure whether to greet her or kill her. She shivered in response.

"Right, sorry for the shock. This is Buckbeak." Sirius introduced, nodding slightly at the giant creature before them as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "We'll be riding on him to put some more distance between us and Britain. The dementors are still out there you see."

But Ariana was hardly listening. She remembered the word hippogriff quite clearly. It had sent Lucius into a violent rage when the news that Draco had been attacked by one of these beasts arrived last year. Upon hearing that Draco was hurt, Ariana's heart lurched. Though he had been far less caring towards her in recent years, the thought of him being savagely attacked at school had greatly worried her. Of course, Lucius taking his frustration out on her had also made the matter rather difficult to forget.

Now, she was currently standing within ten feet of said beast, eyeing its razor sharp talons with trepidation. Sirius Black expected her to ride this creature?

"There's no need to be scared. Buckbeak's entirely safe, so long as you don't disrespect him." He told her, giving the creature a slight bow before approaching. To her astonishment, Buckbeak bent his head down in a clear bow back and proceeded to tolerate Sirius petting his beak. This did little to ease Ariana's apprehension though and she remained rooted where she was. Sirius frowned, not quite pleased with her lack of trust in the situation. He slid the straps of the pack over his shoulders and walked back over to her.

"Ariana, we do need to get going." He was trying to be polite, but the urgency was evident in his voice. "We've spent enough time here as it is and there's no telling when-"

He was cut off by the sparkle of something off in the distance. To Ariana, it almost looked like a fragmented shield charm far off in the distance. Sirius's face paled drastically.

"Shit, we need to go." he muttered, untying Buckbeak at once. He glanced back at Ariana, but she remained where she was, not moving an inch. How could she? He wanted her to ride the very beast that had attacked Draco only last year? And travel where exactly?

Her thoughts were broken away when she felt Sirius grab her. She yelped in surprise and tried to fight him, her skin recoiling from the touch. This did little to stop Black and he hoisted her up on Buckbeak with surprising strength before the creature leapt off into the sky. They climbed higher and higher, winds picking up as the hippogriff increased his speed. Ariana held on for all she was worth, grabbing whatever part of Buckbeak she could in order to not fall hundreds of feet to her death.

Sirius held onto the chains of Buckbeak's leather collar behind her, using them as reins to direct the hippogriff soaring through the skies. She couldn't look at him though. Apart form holding on for dear life, her mind was reeling with memories. The quick grab had pulled her back to Malfoy Manor with an angry Lucius yanking her this way and that way. Slamming her against the wall. Pulling her up again.

Ariana shivered, fighting back tears as she endured the onslaught of nightmares flourishing in her head. It seemed that despite being physically out of Manor, her mind was still firmly trapped in the cage of Lucius Malfoy.