Severus awoke on Christmas morning to a parcel on his desk. He knew almost immediately who it was from. The only other person who would have bothered to give him a gift was Dumbledore, and Severus had an entire closet dedicated to unopened gifts from him. This was, of course, unrelated to the fact that Severus was currently furious with him.

There was a note attached to it in familiar handwriting. The girl's penmanship was remarkably like Lily's, looping and dancing its way to the end of each sentence.

Merry Christmas — from a total stranger

Severus massaged his temple forcefully as he let the parcel fall back to the desk with a dull thud. He could picture her writing it, with that maddening smile that wasn't Lily at all — it always held more in it, more intensity, more thought, like she was thinking of every muscle in her face when she did. Her eyes sparkled in a way his never had — never would.

Glancing at the photo frame on his desk, Severus noticed Lily watching curiously, her green eyes flickering between him and the package. The baby seemed to be preoccupied with the buttons on her shirt.

"Your daughter is a little fool," he said to her.

Her expression darkened significantly.

"Our daughter," Severus amended, and her face softened. "She gets this sort of frivolity from you, though."

Lily smiled sadly and shook her head. Well spotted, Scrooge. she would have said. Are you going to open it or not?

He eyed the package warily. The girl hadn't come to see him for some time now. It had been his own fault — after Dumbledore had confessed his suspicions, Severus had been working like mad to finish the potion for her. She wouldn't be able to ingest it if she was under any sort of influence — not without making her violently ill. He kept telling himself that she couldn't possibly be the one to have opened the Chamber, but doubt was a dangerous thing, burrowing its way deeper into Severus' psyche as the days passed.

Severus ignored the gift and lit a cigarette instead, inhaling deeply. Lily scowled in fierce disapproval, and he ignored her. He'd quit smoking after she'd died — it hadn't been a conscious decision, but after months of barely existing as a hollow, emotionless husk, he'd awoken one day to realize he hadn't touched one in months. Since the girl had been poisoned, he'd started up again, needing something to distract him in those spaces between time where he would find himself thinking too much about the future.

Taking another long drag, Severus picked up the parcel and ripped off the note. A total stranger — at least she'd had the sense not to sign it with her damn name.

"Cheeky brat," he muttered, but his heart wasn't in it.

Severus finished the cigarette and put it out in the fireplace, glaring at the parcel before tearing the paper off. He recognized immediately what it was — the volume she'd noted he'd been missing a few weeks prior. What the girl hadn't known was that he'd had it — he'd destroyed it by accident in his rage, the night she'd shown him the letter.

He picked up the book and turned it over in his hands, sighing as he levitated it towards the bookshelf absentmindedly. Lily stared at him with a look of mild worry. The baby fussed in her arms, and she swung her on her hip. Severus wanted to light another cigarette but was quickly deterred when the alarm he'd set on the potion for Miss Evans whizzed into view, a pulsing ball of crimson that nearly hit him in the face.

Vanishing it with an annoyed wave, Severus grimaced. The potion had come before Dumbledore's doubts but giving it to her now almost seemed… like a betrayal.

Nothing new, then. Conscience whispered. Nothing new at all…

Ariel catapulted out of bed at some ridiculously early hour Christmas morning to find Hermione already awake, too.

She would've considered having Hermione here at all the best and only gift she could ever need, but just like last year, she was both shocked and touched to find a pile of presents at the end of her bed. Hagrid had sent her a treacle tart while Mrs Weasley had sent her not one, but two handmade sweaters and fingerless gloves. Ariel felt a pang of guilt creep through her as she opened them, wondering if everything with Mr Weasley had worked out at the Ministry. Ron hadn't mentioned it once and Ariel didn't want to ask, especially if Percy was in earshot.

"Look at this," Hermione tossed her a little, diamond shaped pendant, about the size of her palm. She had one, too, but it seemed they'd both come from the same box. "It's from Ron."

Ariel turned it over. There was some clear liquid inside that was floating, suspended in the air, between the silver bands of metal binding it together. "What is it?"

"It's called a Pensive Pendant," Hermione replied, excitement in her voice. "You can put your memories in it, and they'll stay there until you want to retrieve them."

"Neat," Ariel murmured, tracing the carvings in the silver casing. "Where'd he get something like this?"

Hermione shrugged. "I have no idea, but it's very pretty. I wonder if Ginny helped him pick it out."

Ariel agreed, admiring it. Her mind wandered to Ginny, and she bit her lip in guilt. She hadn't really seen her, but she wondered if she should've invited her to open gifts with them. She hoped Ron and the twins had at least asked — Percy, for all his haughtiness — would've at least made sure Ginny wasn't all alone on Christmas morning.

She rummaged through the pile of gifts one last time — nothing from Snape. She hadn't known what she'd expected. The idea of him sending her a Christmas gift was almost laughable, but she'd hoped for something. She'd had Hedwig deliver Snape's this morning, but there hadn't been anything in return, not even a note.

Instead of wallowing, Ariel reached into her nightstand and grabbed her gift for Hermione. As she handed it to her with a semi-forced smile, Ariel couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Hermione had a loving family that cared for her and showered her with gifts. Ariel, on the other hand, had a father whose mood was about as predictable as the weather. A father who told her he wanted her to hope, only to shatter it time and time again. She hadn't even known what she'd done this time, other than Justin being Petrified, but he'd insisted –

She banished the feeling as Hermione carefully unwrapped the gift, revealing a beautiful necklace. It was a delicate silver chain with a small rainbow crystal pendant. "Oh, Ariel, it's gorgeous," Hermione exclaimed, holding it up to the light.

"It's Charmed to help you focus," she explained. "I thought it could be useful for tests and stuff… not that you need the help, but you never know."

"It's perfect," she hugged her tightly. "Alright, my turn."

She pushed the wrapping paper and boxes out of the way, sliding over to Ariel. She dropped a small box into Ariel's lap, and gave an uncharacteristically shy, hesitant smile.

"It's not the Polyjuice, is it?" Ariel teased. "I told you to wait for me."

Hermione shook her head, but nervousness had crept further into her face. "I just hope you like it."

Intrigued now, Ariel pulled back the wrapping to reveal a velvet box. She opened it and her heart swelled.

It was a pair of small, diamond earrings. They sparkled like the snow just outside their window. Droplets of each gemstone glittered in the morning light — simple but beautiful.

"Oh," was all Ariel managed to say in a wobbly voice. "Oh —"

Hermione bit her lip. "Do you like them?"

"I love them." Ariel threw her arms around her neck. "How did you —"

"They're from Mum, Dad, and I." Hermione let out a relieved breath of air. "Mum's idea, really."

"They're perfect," she said, admiring them. She'd never had anything this nice before. "I think my mum had some jewelry in her trunk. Some pendants and stuff, but there was a whole box of earrings."

"You'll have to get them, now that you can wear them."

A realization struck her then, like a bolt of lightning. "Wait a minute — my ears aren't pierced!"

"I asked Lavender to show me that Charm to pierce your ears — there was no way I was letting her use it on you." Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's quite simple, but you'll need to keep them in for a few weeks, so the holes don't close up."

Ariel grinned. "You really do think of everything, don't you?"

"Someone's got to," Hermione replied loftily. Just then, they heard ruckus coming down the hall. From the sound of it, it seemed like Ron had successfully managed to round up everyone else for their own Christmas morning gift exchange session.

"Well, we'd better join them," Hermione said, standing up. "After all – we've got a big night ahead of us."

The Polyjuice was ready. It had been ready for a few days now, but Ron had insisted that Christmas would be the safest day to try and get a confession out of Malfoy.

Ariel had resignedly agreed that it was best if she stayed behind and stuck to Snape Patrol, if she could. It was too much of a risk, the coin being a dead giveaway if he happened to check it while they were interrogating Malfoy and leaving it behind wasn't an option. Even if she left it in Gryffindor Tower, if Snape tried to contact her and she didn't reply, he'd know they were breaking the rules instantly. It was like a sixth sense he had, and Ariel didn't know if she had it in her to lie to him about this. It was nothing short of a miracle he hadn't found the Polyjuice.

"You're all set?" Ariel asked in a hush voice. They were heading out of the Common Room just after dinner.

They both nodded jerkily. "Crabbe and Goyle will be out soon," Hermione said, a slyness in her voice Ariel had never heard before. "Once we know for sure, we'll stop by the bathroom, grab the Polyjuice, and find Malfoy."

Ariel sighed, wringing her hands in her rucksack. She hated that she couldn't be with them, wanting to hear for herself Malfoy's confession, but it was just too risky. "Just… just be careful, okay? If anything seems off —"

"We'll be alright, mate." Ron reassured her. "He already knows we're onto him — I bet all he does is complain to those two blockheads about how he can't take credit. It'll be easy."

"I wouldn't be that sure," Hermione said, but she gave Ariel's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You should be careful, too. If you hear anything…"

"I have the Cloak," she patted her rucksack. "I'll be fine."

Ariel watched them go as an ache filled her up, snuffing out all the happiness from the day. She sullenly made her way up to the Owlery to see Hedwig, who had been quite cross with her since the flying car incident. She'd been visiting regularly with owl treats and had brought extra today as a Christmas present. It was later than usual, too, which meant Hedwig would only be ornerier, but Ariel had a while. She was supposed to meet Ron and Hermione back in Myrtle's bathroom in two hours.

Hedwig, as usual, gave a peevish hoot, along with a particularly strong glower as Ariel fed her, tentatively stroking her feathers. It was freezing, but the air was surprisingly still. She looked out the window, the only light visible the one from Hagrid's hut, way off in the distance. If it had been earlier, she might've gone to see Hagrid to pass the time, but the grounds were dark, and it had begun to snow.

Ariel wanted to go and see Snape, but she was upset with him — not that he would have cared, but she couldn't wait for Ron and Hermione to get some proof. That would show him, show all of them, the whole bloody school.

She took a peek at the coin as Hedwig flew up to a higher perch. Private Quarters. It stayed that way for what seemed to be eons, until finally, it changed. Ariel's heart gave a funny little start as she watched it change from corridor to corridor, until she knew for certain that Snape was heading in her direction.

She couldn't help but smile, her breath quickening as he started climbing the steps. Ariel leapt up just in time to see Snape charge through the threshold. His black eyes locked onto her, and he stopped short, like she'd caught him off guard.

"Miss Evans," Snape said, his voice low and measured.

Ariel stood up a little straighter. "Yes?"

Snape's expression was hard to read. He seemed to be studying her intensely, and Ariel noticed the conflict on his face. After a few moments of silent appraisal, he stepped forward with narrowed eyes. "What are you doing up here at this hour?"

"I thought I'd come see Hedwig. I brought her some treats as a Christmas present."

He didn't look like he was buying it. She shifted from one leg to the other and rocked back on her heels.

"She's been mad at me since the car," she explained.

Hedwig took this exact moment, after ignoring her the entire time, to perch on her shoulder and nibble at Ariel's ear. Snape's lip curled but Ariel couldn't help but laugh. "I guess I'm forgiven now." she said, gently petting Hedwig's feathers.

"You shouldn't be wandering around alone at night, it's not safe."

"I'm not alone," Ariel pointed out. "You're here, now."

Snape's eyes were dark and intense, his gaze drilling into her. For a moment, Ariel thought she saw him hesitate, as if he was about to break the heavy silence with something important, but then he blinked and looked away, his expression carefully controlled.

"What're you doing up here?" Ariel asked as innocently as she could. "Were you looking for me?"

His face twisted, a certainly not right there, hovering between them. Instead of sneering though, he caught her arm firmly with the speed of an arrow as she turned, only going to say goodbye to Hedwig, but she could sense urgency leaking out of him as his fingers flexed. The hold wasn't uncomfortable, but firm. His thumb smoothed over her arm, like he was absentmindedly trying to soothe away the sting he might've inflicted.

"And if I was?" he asked softly, so quiet Ariel almost had to strain her ears to hear him.

Her heart squeezed in her chest for a brief moment before she looked away, scowling. "I'd say that's new, seeing as I'm about as good as a piece of furniture lately."

Snape's grip tightened. "It was not intentional."

She scoffed. "How am I supposed to tell the difference?"

"This may have escaped your notice," he jerked her closer so that her nose almost smashed against his ribs. "but my every action doesn't revolve around you."

Ariel ripped free of him and glared furiously. "Thanks for the reminder."

Snape's eyes flashed dangerously as she took off down the stairs, fast enough that she was jogging but careful not to slip on the icy steps.

He was quicker.

His robes billowed behind him like a vengeful black cloud as he charged down the stairs after Ariel, his long legs eating up the distance much faster. But she didn't pause to look over her shoulder, instead gripping the railing and curving around one of the staircases that led back down. She hurdled down the last of the steps and felt her footing fly forward —

Ariel didn't even have time to scream before Snape had her around the waist, his arms like a solid steel band as he lifted her off of the ground and back onto flat land. For a moment, Ariel simply remained there in his hold, too stunned to move. It was only when Snape set her feet down that she opened her eyes wide and stumbled away from him. He followed, his long strides bringing him to her side in seconds. She tried to sidestep away from him, but he reached out and caught her arm firmly in his hand, pushing her towards a nearby wall.

He flicked his wand at it and the door behind them opened to reveal a storeroom closet.

"In," he snarled. "Now."

Ariel didn't try to fight him this time as he muscled her inside, slamming the door with so much force that several mops propped up on the wall clattered to the floor. The storeroom was very old, with a musty smell that tickled Ariel's nose when she breathed in. The ceiling was covered with a thick layer of dust, and here and there were blotches of mold growing on the floorboards. She made a face before she turned to face Snape, who was casting a Silencing Spell and blocking the doorway.

When he finished, he watched her from the other side of the room, his dark eyes searching hers in a way that made Ariel's heart hammer against her chest.

"What do you want?" she asked after a long moment.

Snape scowled before turning away from her, his hands clenched into fists by his side as he walked back towards the door. He paused just before reaching it and glanced back at Ariel, seeming to hesitate before speaking.

"You think I'm ignoring you?" his voice was low, somehow distant yet filled with a deep anger that Ariel had heard from him dozens of times before.

Ariel raised her chin defiantly in response. "You can't be serious." she said, her own anger rising to match his. "I mean — how am I supposed to take it? You've been avoiding me for weeks!"

Snape's jaw clenched as he studied her face, an intensity in his eyes that made Ariel catch her breath. Her own emotions whirled within her like a maelstrom, until finally Snape let out a long sigh. "I would have thought it was quite obvious I've been busy."

"Or you think I'm the one Petrifying students." she shot back heatedly. "That's what everyone else thinks, anyway."

Snape's gaze hardened and he stepped towards her, his voice icy cold. "That isn't the case, and you know it."

"Then why haven't I seen you?" Ariel demanded, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice. "You told me to bring what I could find on Parseltongue and snubbed me! It seems these last few weeks you've treated me like a nuisance rather than —"

"Rather than what?" Snape interrupted, his voice sharp and cutting.

She felt his words collide like a crushing blow. The ancient lightbulb above their heads cast long, uneven shadows across Snape's face, making it distorted. Otherwise, Ariel could've sworn that his face had twisted into an expression of —

"What did I do wrong?" she asked, mostly to herself.

Snape's eyes narrowed as he looked down at her, his breath coming in short rasps. He seemed to be on the brink of losing his temper, and Ariel waited resignedly for the bomb to detonate.

To her surprise, he stepped away from her. "Stop," he snarled. "Goddammit, I am trying —"

He gritted his teeth before looking away, his curtain of black hair blocking his eyes. After a long moment, he reached into his robes and removed a vial of silver liquid that shimmered, even in the darkness. It almost seemed to glow, and Ariel felt her eyes drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

He held out the vial to her.

"Drink it," Snape commanded.

Ariel blinked. "Wha—"

"Just do as you're told for once, Miss Evans." he practically shoved it in her face, and she took it. "Must you question everything?"

If it had been anyone else, Ariel would've told him where to put it, but she held it up above her head and inspected it closely. There were little shimmering specks floating in it, reminding her of the diamonds on her ears.

"What is it?"

"A potion," he said flatly.

"I got that much, thanks." she rolled her eyes. "But what is it?"

"If you drink it, you'll find out."

"Why would I drink something when I have no idea what's in it?"

His eyes flashed dangerously. "Because I'm telling you to."

"Right, because that's not suspicious at all."

Snape flexed his jaw. "It won't kill you if that's what you're worried about. Now drink it or hand it back."

Ariel narrowed her eyes at him before taking a deep breath and uncorking the vial, the smell of herbs and other unknown ingredients filling her nose. She closed her eyes and took a sip, grimacing slightly at the taste which struck her as sharp and bitter. It vaguely reminded her of coriander.

"Cheers," she said, and downed the potion in one gulp.

All of a sudden, she felt a warmth spreading throughout her from head to toe, like being hugged by an old friend she hadn't seen in years. That warm feeling was followed by an overwhelming sense of clarity, like all the pieces of a puzzle she hadn't known existed had clicked into place for her.

It reminded her of something — the doe, made of stars — the morning after Ariel had shown Snape the letter. He'd never told him about it, but somehow, she knew that it must've been from him… or something he'd found at the very least. She opened one eye to look at Snape questioningly, but all he did was arch an eyebrow as if challenging her to figure out what it was for herself.

Ariel blinked at him in confusion. He rolled his eyes, his wand was swishing above her now, lots of twinkling lights hovering just above her head.

"I thought you said it wouldn't kill me." Ariel muttered.

Snape ignored her.

"Okay, I'll bite." she sighed. "What did it do? I don't have a third eye now, do I?"

Snape shook his head. Instead, he held out his hand, palm upturned. "Your wand."

Ariel quickly complied, unsheathing it from her sleeve without question. At first, she was confused as to why she would need it, but then Snape spoke again, this time with a softer tone in his voice as he slipped the handle into her hand.

"Point your wand at your heart and cast Lumos."

She hesitated for a moment before doing as he said, pointing the tip of her wand at her chest and uttering the incantation in a shaky breath. Immediately a light began to grow from the tip of her wand and spread outward, enveloping Ariel with an overwhelming sense of joy so powerful that it brought tears to her eyes. The light was pulsing through her, spiraling like a kaleidoscope of feelings, reaching to every nerve in her body. There was weightlessness to her, as though nothing could touch her, like she was somewhere else, uncaring and untethered.

Her mind flooded with sunlight, so much that she felt dizzy. It was so overwhelming that she almost felt like she was drowning in all of it, her lungs burning in the best kind of way as she struggled to catch her breath. As she gulped down a mouthful of air, Ariel realized that she was laughing.

Snape's hand on her shoulder broke through the spinning haze of happiness. "How do you feel?"

She shook her head, feeling dazed. "I can't describe it, but it's…"

"Like nothing you've felt before." he finished. "No nausea? Do you feel faint at all?"

"No, not at all." she touched her heart, which felt like it was three sizes too big.

Snape surprised her further by kneeling down in front of her. "If you ever feel as you did last year — that helplessness, that feeling of being dragged under — you use this Charm. It will banish any influence you may have encountered and any magical backlash."

Ariel was taken aback. She would never have guessed that Snape had something like this up his sleeve, but here he was, offering it to her as if it were no more than a cup of tea. The Charm was beginning to wear off, but something even greater was building inside of her. She struggled to put it in words, into a single thought, but she couldn't.

She gave a breathless little laugh and wiped at her eyes. "How did you…?"

"My own invention," he sounded almost smug. "Some of the ingredients were rather unconventional, which means they were also incredibly unstable."

Ariel mulled over Snape's words for a moment, trying to decipher their meaning. She knew that he was a private person and didn't trust easily, but his behavior toward her was confusing. Sometimes he acted like he didn't care about her at all, but then he would do something like this, something that showed that he did care.

It was frustrating, to say the least. She wanted to throw the vial at his face and storm off, but the warmth had stifled anything even remotely negative.

(She couldn't help but find it almost funny that they'd both been brewing secret potions)

"What did you use?" Ariel asked instead.

"Nothing of consequence." Snape said dismissively. "What matters is that it works properly."

She frowned. "But how does it activate the Charm? Is it… inside me?"

"The essence of the Charm I used is." he lifted his hand, but let it quickly drop. "You've absorbed its effects. It will last you for a while, but you will need more in time."

"So all this time, when you were brewing in your classroom, you weren't just…" she swallowed roughly. "Why couldn't you just tell me? Why go through all that trouble?"

She waited for Snape to answer, hoping that he would finally open up. But instead of providing her with an explanation, his lips parted in a cruel sneer.

"The cost is inconsequential when weighed against what I have given you," he said coldly. "It's convenient enough — I merely provided you with an additional layer of protection in case of… unfortunate circumstances."

She fiddled with her wand, staring at the dusty floor. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful —"

"Then don't," he cut her off. "It doesn't matter to me one way or the other."

She went very quiet. "I think it does."

Snape's black eyes — a copy of her own — somehow darkened, sucking up all the light in the room, all the light around them, all the light that had welled up inside of her.

"I cannot — I will not — watch you suffer like that again." his voice was like liquid nitrogen. "That is why I did this. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Ariel lifted her eyes, staring down at the vial for a moment and contemplated this. She didn't know what she wanted to hear, but she certainly hadn't meant to bicker back and forth like this, especially after he'd essentially given her a Christmas gift. Snape hadn't called it that, but that's what it had been – otherwise, why hadn't he given it to her earlier? A gift meant to protect her from outside influences — evil influences — Voldemort —

And with that, a spark of something unfamiliar lighted inside her chest — curiosity. Fearless and intense, it burned brighter than the Charm he had given her ever would. Ariel looked up into his face and saw an emotion in those black eyes that trembled between anger and sadness — or perhaps both together.

Without thinking — and it could've been the Charm, or his words swirling around inside her head like a whirlpool — but she flung her arms around his neck.

Snape froze at the sudden contact, his body going rigid like a statue. Ariel clung to him tightly, feeling his heart thudding against his chest. Snape's arms remained at his sides. She sniffled, her tears dampening his collar, and she could feel the warmth of his breath tussling her hair. He tentatively wrapped his arms around her in return. Ariel could feel the tension in his body slowly melt away as he relaxed into the embrace. He smelt like smoke — that heavy, unfiltered smell from cigarettes. When Aunt Petunia had made Ariel take the bus home from grocery shopping, there were people who smoked the same stuff.

Ariel pulled away, feeling a flush creep up her neck as she realized what she had just done. Snape was looking at her with an unreadable expression, his dark eyes searching hers as if he were trying to read her mind. She wondered if he could without her knowing. She wondered if somehow, there was a way she could make him feel what she was feeling, but she quickly brushed that thought away, feeling ridiculous.

"I… thank you," she stammered.

He stood, and the bulb above their heads went out. Light filtered in as Snape jerked open the door and left without another word, but Ariel stood there for a while, twisting her wand in her hand.

"Lumos," she whispered, the tip touching her heart again, and her world filled with brilliant white light, filling her up like an overfilled bucket, blocking out everything else and leaving behind a sense of peace that made her forget that Snape had left her alone again.

Ariel wondered how someone like Snape could have created something like this.

She wondered how he could make something like this, and leave her time and time again, in darkness.

Ariel hurried down to Myrtle's bathroom — she was very late, but she was breathless as she shoved past the door, only to stop short, her body going numb at the sight that greeted her.

Her cauldron was cracked in half, the contents sloshed across the tiled floor. Smoke escaped from the liquid and trickled into the air, carrying a scent of brimstone and burnt moonstone with it. Ron was sitting on the floor besides it, knees tucked up to his chin. Hermione had been pacing, stopping in her tracks when she caught sight of Ariel.

"What happened?" Ariel tried to ask, but all that came out was a hoarse whisper.

"We found it like this," said Hermione, her voice shaking. "It's ruined..."

"What?"

Someone had found the Polyjuice — but how? No one used this bathroom, which meant the only other possibility had been that someone knew what they were brewing, someone must've known what they'd been planning —

"It must've been Malfoy," Ron muttered bitterly, mouth twisted in a scowl. "He must've followed us."

"No," Ariel shook her head wildly. "No, we were so careful —"

"Who else, then?" Hermione asked, looking pained. "Everyone else went home for the holidays… Malfoy is the only person we've suspected as the Heir."

"Did you try to look for him?" she demanded.

"No," Ron shook his head. "We didn't want to leave it here like this. It wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"You could've confronted him!"

"No, we couldn't." Hermione said quietly. "If he knows we know he's the Heir, knows we were willing to go to these lengths…"

Why didn't you hurt him this time

He thinks you're incredibly entertaining

Evans looks just like her Mudblood mother

Something felt like something was breaking apart inside of her. Ariel threw one of the splintered legs of the cauldron at the mirror, panting as she watched the glass shatter. Her reflection stared back at her, eyes red rimmed and tearing, like black pools. She looked like she was melting.

Ariel let out a shout of anger. All their hard work, all their planning for nothing —

Hermione gripped at her arm, tears in her eyes. "Ariel — it's okay, we'll find another way —"

She barely heard her as she tore out of the bathroom and down the corridor. She stopped, panting, and closed her eyes, letting her head rest against the cool stone.

In the distance, she could've sworn she heard someone laughing.