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How could I have been so stupid? Ariadne thought. Her spot on the loveseat in the library had not changed. She had spent the last several hours crying alone. Secretly thankful no House-elf or person could see her this way, she rubbed her swollen eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. Rationality told her that she wasn't fat. At five feet two inches and just over one hundred pounds, Ariadne was actually underweight. Regardless of her weight, the words stung worse than any curse or blow would have.
The blonde hated to admit it, but she thoroughly enjoyed the events that transpired the night before. Why couldn't she just own up to that?
Oh, yeah. Because a certain Draco Malfoy popped off with comments like those.
"Ugly cow? Fat?" she growled. I'll show him. Tomorrow she and Narcissa would be going to Diagon Alley to Christmas shopping. She'd send an owl to Wyvern to send her the hair dye. It was almost dinnertime, and dinners at the Malfoy Manor were almost always formal. Zeus meowed at her feet. It was almost his dinnertime, too. Ariadne returned to Draco's room and was relieved to see he wasn't there. After a quick shower she summoned a House-elf. Rosie bustled into the room and bowed at attention.
"Rosie, could you please go to the Estate and get me my little black dress?" Ariadne pulled a brush through her long hair as Rosie bowed deeply.
"The one with only one shoulder, miss?"
"The very same. Thank you, Rosie." With a snap of the elf's long fingers, she was gone. Moments later she returned with a gorgeous black garment in her tiny hands. The dress sheathed her in black spandex and didn't dare go past her mid-thigh. One sleeve wrapped around her shoulder, while the other was bare. Rosie stayed to help Ariadne with her hair. Once the elf was finished, Ariadne stood in the mirror and looked at herself. Her eye makeup was done with striking black lines, dragging out her eye line in a dramatic sweep. Her hair was tied at the nape of her neck, twisted delicately into a knot and fastened with two large white flowers. Gardenias, to be specific. She finished the outfit with gladiator sandals.
"Thank you so much, Rosie!" she hugged her elven friend and scooped Zeus into her arms.
"Don't thank Rosie, Miss Ariadne. It was my pleasure!" Ariadne beamed and dismissed her. She sat at Draco's desk, twirling an eagle-feather quill in her fingers. The door opened behind her and hard footfalls identified the person as Draco. He said nothing to her and walked straight into the shower.
Ariadne took the hint and exited. She arrived downstairs to find House-elves scrambling to put up Christmas decorations. Three elves were currently levitating an enormous pine tree—still dripping with melted snow from outside. Miles of tinsel untangled themselves and were draped around the entrance hall. Narcissa stood with her arms folded at the landing, supervising the decoration process.
"Oh, Ariadne. Dinner's in an hour. I can't believe I didn't get my decorations up before now! And to think tomorrow is Christmas Eve…I'm almost ashamed of myself." The woman waved her wand and conjured a large collection of glass baubles. The ornaments floated in midair and twinkled like stars.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ariadne extended her wand and Narcissa pointed to a large box of tree ornaments.
"Follow the elves into the ball room, please. This tree will need some love!" Ariadne did as she was told and walked into the Malfoy's Grand Ballroom. Countless Christmas Eves, birthdays, Easters, and other holidays she had spent here. The Malfoy family prided themselves on their extravagant holiday parties. They certainly had the accommodations for it. The Grand Ballroom had limitless ceilings and one wall made entirely of windows. These windows looked upon the back terrace of the Manor. The doors below the windows opened out onto an enormous deck.
The room was decorated in a deep purple with brass accents—just as the rest of the house was. Three large chandeliers with hundreds of crystals glittered as the room's main light sources. Along one wall were long buffet tables—soon to be teeming with food and drink. On the opposite side of the room were many circular tables for dining. A group of House-elves polished the mahogany floor she currently stood on.
Like always, the Christmas Tree went in the left corner, right by the wall of windows and near the gargantuan hearth. Twelve feet of Noble Fir tree was erected to symbolize the holiday spirit. Lucius always complained that the tree was far too close to the fire place, but Narcissa wouldn't have it anyplace else. She cast the protective charms on the tree herself.
Ariadne artistically cast streamers and bright tinsel around the tree first, accenting the garland with twinkling lights. Then went the ornaments, one by one. To finish the masterpiece, she put the large star on the very top, just as the Death Eaters filed in.
"Miss Nocturne. I had no idea you were so adept at…artistry." The Dark Lord mused. He floated over to her, footsteps silent. His cold dead hand rested on her shoulder and it took all of Ariadne's willpower not to shrug it off. The evil emanating from just his fingers chilled her to the bone.
"Thank you, M-milord." she squeaked. The Dark Lord raised a brow, or better phrased, the general area where eyebrows should be, and asked, "Are you afraid, Ariadne? You should be happy, first your induction, and now the Holiday. I don't see anything to be complaining about." Ariadne thought she could feel something probing her mind, almost as if long, white fingers were pulling apart her brain and pouring over what was inside. She began panicking and waved her wand wildly at the tree just for something to do. A large glass depiction of Saint Nicholas jumped from the tree and shattered on the wooden floor. The abrupt noise caused around twenty heads to turn.
"I'll get to cleaning that, Milord." she crouched by the glass and Voldemort pulled her up by the crook of her elbow.
"A witch, let alone a Death Eater, should not be doing slave's work. I thought your good-for-nothing parents would have raised a pureblood better." Voldemort demanded a House-elf and Rosie scrambled to find a dustpan and hand broom. Voldemort kicked her hard in the ribs when she wouldn't work fast enough.
"Useless elf. Lucius, how do you go about choosing these mongrels?" He let Nagini slither from his robes and coil on the floor at his feet. "Kill it, Nagini. Get this purposeless creature out of my sight." The snake obliged enthusiastically by sinking her enormous fangs into Rosie's stomach. The elf shrieked in agony and became even more delirious when she noticed her blood spurting everywhere. To end her struggle, Nagini swallowed the elf whole.
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Ariadne strangled the scream that was about to escape her throat. The last living thing that truly tied her to her family was now gone (apart from Zeus). The Slytherin busied herself by dismissing the rest of the glass and blood with a flick of her wand.
"Might I ask what you all are gawking at?" she asked the other guests angrily. "Don't you have Muggles to slay? Or wine to get drunk off of or something?" Ariadne bustled over to the buffet table and began shoveling food onto a plate. She skipped the roasted duck and went straight for the turkey, pairing it with yams, salad, and cranberry casserole. Feeling devious, she dumped three flutes of champagne into a larger cup and took that as well. The girl yanked back a chair with her foot and plopped down alone.
Eventually Narcissa and Lucius joined her, along with Fenrir Greyback and Severus Snape. Draco sat at a table far from Ariadne with Bellatrix Lestrange, Dolohov, and the Carrow siblings. Snape was left-handed, and throughout the meal his and Ariadne's elbows bumped often. It was awkward, to say the least, given that Ariadne wasn't all that great at Potions and Snape was just Snape in general.
"So, Ariadne. How did you fare during the little Amortentia experiment?" Snape asked her. Ariadne choked on her champagne and sputtered, "If you could even call that daft cruelty an experiment, sure. I mean no offense, Professor, but getting Blaise Zabini's vial wasn't the highlight of my night, to put it simply." Snape combed his fingers through his greasy hair and smirked slightly.
"Who took my vial anyway, Professor?" Snape responded by looking in Draco's general direction. Ariadne blushed deeply.
"Did you tell him which one it was, then?" The older man shrugged with another smirk.
Ariadne groaned loudly and got up to refill her champagne.
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After her fifth triple-glass of champagne, Ariadne's world was spinning. By some miracle she made it back to her seat and sat in a drunken bliss. For the moment, the horrors of Rosie's death, the loss of her parents, and her half-broken heart from Draco were forgotten. All she concentrated on was the shape of Snape's nose.
"Professurrrrrr." she tugged on his sleeve and hissed in his ear. Snape raised an annoyed brow and took Ariadne by the wrist.
"Miss Nocturne, I must speak with you privately." Lucky for the both of them, the party was in full swing and they could slip from the scene unnoticed. Snape dragged the inebriated girl down a dark hallway until he was satisfied that they were secluded. Ariadne was staring intently at a portrait of Sirius Black.
"Ariadne!" he snarled. He pointed his wand at her stomach and a nauseous feeling struck her swift and hard. He was magically siphoning the alcohol from her body. An enormous pool of champagne floated in the space between them until Severus dumped it in a nearby vase. Her mind cleared instantly.
"Stop messing around and wasting the booze, Miss Nocturne. This is important." Snape hastily cast the Muffliato charm to prevent any eavesdroppers and cleared his throat.
"Ariadne, I need you to know that I'm not on the Dark Lord's side." Ariadne felt her mouth drop open in disbelief. He reached with a long finger to close it for her.
"B-but you're Voldemort's right hand man!" she said incredulously.
"So it would seem." he idly touched the Dark Mark on his forearm. "You see, my interests in other areas exceed the benefits of an alliance with the Dark Lord. And you and I both know you'd give anything to not have that brand on your arm." Ariadne's hand flew to the throbbing tattoo involuntarily.
"How did you—"
"How did I know? Miss Ariadne, your mind is as unguarded as a floosy's 'trapdoor'. And believe it or not, I see a lot of myself in you—don't give me that disgusted look." Ariadne smiled sheepishly at her superior.
"Why are you telling me this, Professor?"
"Draco needs someone to drag him from the darkness. His character is far too vulnerable for this job. He is enticed by Voldemort's loyalty to blood purity and power, but what he does not realize is that he is not cut out for murder. He needs you, Ariadne. You are the only person in this entire coven with a rational mind and a kind heart. You have the ability to see beyond the power and the allure of the darkness. You are immune to its draw, as am I."
"I thought you once were Voldemort's real right hand man."
"I was at one time or another. But someone I loved was in danger, and her tragic death awakened the light within me. Do not ever lose sight of what you love, Ariadne. For then all will be lost." He extended his hand to her and Ariadne took it. His grip was rough and authoritative.
"Are we at a truce then, Professor? Possibly even an alliance?"
"I would say an alliance is a better term for it." Ariadne clapped her hands excitedly and beamed.
"Oh, goody! Can I call you Uncle Severus now?" Snape rolled his eyes and glared at her definitively.
"Do not push your luck, youngling. Who knows, Miss Nocturne? Perhaps some day I'll adopt you in some way or another, if we survive all of this." Snape's monotone tenor made it difficult for Ariadne to decide whether or not he was serious.
"You mean I'd live with you from now on? Until the term ends?" Snape shrugged and broke the Muffliato's protective boundary. He stalked back to the party without answering her question. Ariadne was now more confused than ever. Snape had just revealed to her, a mere seventeen year old girl, his darkest and most dangerous secret. Somewhere in her mind this told her that Snape trusted her. Looking back on her experiences with the Professor, she resolved that she didn't hate him. She actually enjoyed his classes when she did well, and he always seemed warm to her (by Snape's definition, at least).
"Living with him would certainly beat staying here with ferret-prick." Once she entered the party, she made a beeline for the drink table, to replenish the alcohol that Snape took from her.
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