Snape slammed open the door to the Headmaster's office so hard that one of the hinges cracked off.

For a long moment, the only sound that filled the silence was the metal piece clattering to the ground, and then —

"GINNY!" Mrs Weasley shrieked.

Ariel felt strangely lightheaded, trying to blend into Snape's cloak as mother reunited with daughter. She watched Ginny bound across the room to her parent's open arms, almost tripping in the process. Her brothers were all wearing equal looks of shock, and Ariel could've sworn that Percy's eyes were shimmering with tears.

"Oh, my stars!" Madam Pomfrey was holding a hand over her heart. "Oh, thank Merlin and Morgana —"

Professor McGonagall was standing beside Mrs Weasley as Ginny launched into her mother's embrace. "Miss Evans — what in Merlin's name —"

Ginny had been silent since she'd woken up, sobs that racked her body were the only thing she seemed to be capable of, and Ariel didn't blame her. She didn't know how much she would've gotten out of Ginny anyway, with Snape standing there, his face half-mad as Ariel had shaken Ginny awake. It shouldn't have mattered, but it would've made Ariel feel loads better if Ginny had at least said something, but Ariel supposed that was a selfish thought. She hadn't been the one to have been possessed by a psychotic madman, after all.

Ariel leaned into Snape's side, his cloak thick with the smell of smoke and rust and something else she couldn't place. No one else could see under the cloak, but his arm was wound tightly around her shoulders. His face could have been carved from marble, until they both noticed that Dumbledore was there.

Dumbledore smiled widely at Ariel, but the feeling of relief soon vanished as Snape deposited Ariel into the nearest chair and crossed the room with a speed that seemed almost inhuman.

"You!" Snape shouted at Dumbledore, who very quickly moved from around the desk. Ariel watched with wide, frantic eyes as Dumbledore took his elbow and tried leading him away.

"Severus, if I may —"

Snape threw the sword at his feet, along with Riddle's diary. "I'm not going anywhere — you do not fucking command me after —"

Half the room let out little yelps of surprise. Madam Pomfrey was by Ginny, running all sorts of tests that buzzed and whizzed about her in a twinkling show of lights. It seemed she was having quite a bit of difficulty, with Ginny's parents' arms wrapped around her tightly and all.

"Severus —" Professor McGonagall began to wag her finger at Snape, but he looked about ready to bite it off.

It took four Aurors to maneuver Snape into another room as he continued to shout over Dumbledore's pleading for him to calm down. Ariel almost got up to follow after him, but Ron was suddenly beside her, along with Fred and George, asking her a million questions. She watched anxiously as the door slammed shut and something loud made a BANG sound, like something large had fallen over.

"What happened to your arm?" Ron asked, panic lighting up his blue eyes.

Ariel rubbed at it. "I was bitten by the basilisk."

"What?" Fred balked.

"Shouldn't you be dead, then?" George demanded.

"How'd you even find the bloody thing?"

"Oh, Ginny, what happened?" Mrs Weasley cried.

Ariel watched as she enveloped Ginny in a tight embrace. She could see that Ginny was pale, but alive and awake, which made Ariel feel relieved beyond measure. She'd been so certain after Tom had picked up his head —

"Ariel saved me," Ginny whispered hoarsely to Mrs Weasley while giving Ariel a small nod of acknowledgement. "She saved me…"

The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to Ariel. She sat there, feeling the weight of their stares on her like a physical thing. Her head was swimming. She wanted Snape back. She wanted to cast Lumos on her heart and go to sleep for the next month.

As if she'd read her mind, Professor McGonagall wrapped one arm tightly around Ariel's shoulders, the other clutching at her chest. Mrs Weasley was gazing at Ariel, her face stricken with tears.

"How did you do it?" she whispered, and for a moment, Ariel was terribly envious of Ginny. She wanted to be wrapped in her parents loving embrace and be held, not answer questions. She wanted Snape to come back out and explain it all away, but as Dumbledore reentered the room with the Aurors, but without Snape, she quickly realized that wasn't going to happen.

Professor McGonagall gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I think we would all like to know that." she said quietly.

Dumbledore, however, was smiling, quite possibly the widest Ariel had ever seen. She simply pointed at the little black diary Snape had dropped on the floor.

Tom let out a scream, like a ghost being ripped from its haunting as he writhed and writhed on the floor, Snape's arms hauling her up as he covered her eyes with his hands, hissing wildly in her ear — you damnable girl, don't look, look away, my girl—

Ariel swallowed roughly and began to tell them all of it — she told them of how Ginny had left the diary on her bed and how it hadn't been Ginny at all, but Tom Riddle who was actually really Voldemort, how he'd been controlling Ginny this whole time. By that point, the Aurors had come in and were listening intently, almost skeptically, but they were murmuring amongst themselves and staring back at the door Snape had disappeared behind. She forced herself to get it all out, trying not to forget any details, surrounded by adults whom she thought would have all the answers. However, they looked just as lost and bewildered as she did. She clasped her hands together, trying to keep them from shaking, and took a deep, steadying breath once she'd finished.

"I don't know how he did it, but Riddle put himself in the diary when he was a student here." she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was trying to protect Ginny and all of a sudden, I had the idea to destroy the diary. I stabbed it with the basilisk fang and Riddle… vanished."

Everyone was very quiet, equal looks of horror and contemplation. Ginny wept as Mrs Weasley stroked her hair. "I didn't know," Ginny sobbed. "I should've known when all he started asking about was Ariel —"

"Oh, Ginny, what have I always told you?" Mr Weasley said, almost sternly, but it sounded like his heart was breaking. "Never trust anything that can think for itself. Anything like that is usually full of Dark Magic."

There were murmurs of what sounded like dazed amazement around her, but Ariel barely registered them. All she could think about was Snape and what he would say when he returned. He'd been terrifyingly quiet, not saying a single word as he'd guided Ariel and Ginny out of the Chamber and into Dumbledore's office. Ariel had the feeling he'd gone to the place in Occlumency where you could hide, where the ocean's roar was so loud you couldn't hear anything, not even yourself. She didn't know how to get there, but she had a strange feeling it was a place Snape frequented.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke up, breaking Ariel out of her thoughts. He turned to the Aurors. "I expect that Severus' account corroborated this?"

One of them gave a stiff nod. "He did. It wasn't as succinct as Miss Evans' —"

From behind the door came a deafening crash. No one except the Aurors, Dumbledore, and Ariel seemed to notice. Something was seeping out from under the door. It looked like water.

"— but it does seem to be a likely explanation for all of this." he eyed the door warily. "We'll need to inspect the Chamber itself."

"Of course." Dumbledore said, looking expectantly at Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, would you kindly…? Ariel mentioned it was located in the girl's bathroom, on the second floor."

Professor McGonagall gave a stiff nod, motioning for Madam Pomfrey to take her place as she led the Aurors from the room. "Give my best to Alastor," Dumbledore said brightly as they left, giving curt nods and strange glances at Ariel. She didn't care for those looks one bit.

The entire room seemed to stand still for a moment. Fawkes was staring at Ariel, giving a small trill as he preened, stopping to nuzzle Dumbledore's shoulder from his perch. And then Mrs Weasley was throwing her arms around Ariel, stroking her hair and whispering "thank you" in her ear, over and over.

Ariel hugged her back, but something felt like it was breaking inside of her. Her hands were shaking as Mrs Weasley pulled away, kissing her forehead before rejoining her daughter and husband. Ron took her hand in his and Ariel's mind wandered to Hermione — where was she? Snape had said she was safe, but why wasn't she here?

"Where's Hermione?" Ariel whispered. "Riddle had her tied up —"

Ron's grip tightened.

"She's in the infirmary, don't you fret." Madam Pomfrey was the one who answered, her mouth set in a deep frown. "Which is where you and Mrs Weasley should be as well. You've got a dislocated shoulder and a sprained hand."

"I'm fine," Ariel mumbled, but her heart wasn't in it.

"I would concur, Poppy," Dumbledore said softly. His eyes were so blue that they almost seemed to pulse, the color bright and blinding. The Weasley's all bustled out at once, surrounding Ginny like an armed guard escorting the endangered princess to her destination. Ron followed after them, giving Ariel one last long glance before she motioned for him to go on. She'd be behind them soon enough, but first, she had questions that needed answering.

She waited for everyone to file out before she went up to Dumbledore. "Where's my dad?"

His face did a funny thing, then, like he was trying to swallow a smile. "I'll have him returned to you shortly. I'd like to speak with him first, if that's alright with you."

Ariel shuffled her feet, gazing down at the sword. Snape had gripped at it like he'd wanted to punt it off the Astronomy Tower. "I'd imagine he's very cross with you, right about now."

As if on cue, there was the sound of shattering, like all the windows had blown out. Dumbledore closed his eyes.

"I will manage," Dumbledore said with a small smile. He stepped closer to Ariel, his eyes twinkling with admiration. "But I must say, Miss Evans — you have displayed tremendous bravery here today. You single-handedly saved Ginevra Weasley from the clutches of Riddle and for that act of courage you deserve not only my thanks, but the thanks of the entire school. You have done something remarkable — something only a true Gryffindor would have the gumption to do." he chuckled softly and looked out the window at the darkening sky.

"It wasn't all me," Ariel said quietly, looking at the door Snape was behind. "if it hadn't been for Fawkes…"

Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder. "It would have meant nothing if you had not been able to wield Gryffindor's sword."

He leaned down and took the sword by the hilt, inset with rubies, just like the ones in the hourglass that tallied the House Points and handed it to her. Ariel took it gingerly, feeling its true weight without the adrenaline surging through her as she read the name inscribed on it — Godric Gryffindor. She couldn't believe she'd lifted it and put it through the basilisk's mouth on her own — but she hadn't, had she? She'd had the phoenix song there to help her, lighting her heart like a candle in the night.

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled this out of the Hat," Dumbledore continued quietly. "All the more reason why Tom was interested in you, I would imagine. You are quite similar, in many ways, but there is also a world of difference between you, as vast and deep as you can possibly imagine."

Ariel considered this silently. A true Gryffindor — like her mother.

But she had stabbed Tom's diary like her Slytherin father had done to Tom's head. She would have done it over and over again, but she'd done it to save Ginny, not because she'd wanted to —

She handed Dumbledore the sword. "Riddle thought so. He liked to point out just how much was different, but I think part of him wanted me to give into something else."

Dumbledore raised a silvery eyebrow. "Did he now?"

Ariel shifted uncomfortably, staring at the gleaming rubies. "The Sorting Hat wanted me in Slytherin… I thought for a while it was because of my father, but after meeting Riddle I can't help but wonder if it was something else."

"And what would that be?"

Ariel contemplated this until her heart began curling around itself, twisting into something she didn't understand. She felt as she had last year, when Dumbledore wouldn't tell her why Voldemort had targeted her family. There was something missing, something so close hovering over her heart that she could feel its fingers brushing against it… but as soon as it had come, it was gone.

"It was both," Ariel said finally. "Gryffindor and Slytherin. A part of me that chose what was right in the end, though."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled down at her. "Maybe that's what makes us truly brave — when we make a choice to do the right thing even when it feels like everything is against us."

Fawkes chirped, like he was voicing his agreement. Ariel couldn't help but smile as he flew over to her, perching on her shoulder and giving her cheek a nuzzle. She scratched his chin and smiled before Dumbledore offered Fawkes his arm and hopped atop it.

Ariel gave one last look at the door her father was behind before she left, Hermione suddenly the only thing on her mind. She was safe — Ginny was safe — Ariel was alive. They'd all survived, somehow, by some miraculous twist in fate. When Ariel had walked into her dorm room, she'd thought —

She felt terrible as she walked down the spiral staircase, feeling more envious of Ginny than ever, knowing what she'd been through.

For a split second she would've traded anything to take her place.

Severus had nothing left to break, nothing to obliterate. He wanted to rip open the world and smash whatever was left inside into oblivion.

the girl's trembling figure, arm soaked in blood —

Severus had been lied to —

the Dark Lord's hands pulling her up, his hands on his child, a child he had failed —

— and he knew that deep in the pit of his soul, Dumbledore must have known where the Chamber was located all along.

and he could see nothing but defiance lighting her eyes from within, as if a fire burned there —

It had been beneath their noses the whole time. Severus had trusted Dumbledore implicitly, that he had the girl's best interests at heart, the matter of all things he held in high regard, and now his trust felt like a farce, a hollow betrayal that left him feeling empty inside, leaving nothing for him to build his Shields with, nothing to keep what he normally hid away at bay.

He'd thought Dumbledore cared about that girl, his girl, the only part of Lily left in this world. Proof of something he had once had, though he couldn't bear to give it a name, couldn't bear to look it in the face and acknowledge it because of what he had done.

Her pulse slowing, her breathing ragged — it's okay —

Until now — until he'd watched her surge forward —

He felt his fingertips turning to ice, his legs trembling beneath him. He wanted to scream out at the injustice of it all, he wanted to howl and tear it apart until nothing remained but the dust in which it had been created. The thought of having failed her felt unbearable, like an impossible weight pressing down on his chest.

The door opened.

Severus rose immediately, spittle flying from his mouth as he shouted. "You knew —"

Dumbledore's eyes flitted about the room mildly, like he was taking in a tea party. "Severus —"

"You knew all along and said nothing! You let her walk headfirst into danger — the Dark Lord — fucking Christ, he had her right where he wanted her when I got there!"

Dumbledore stepped forward, arms outstretched in a peaceful gesture. "Severus, I understand why you are angry, but you must know —"

"Explain it to me then — explain to me how you could possibly justify a child slaying a motherfucking basilisk — my daughter is not some goddamn weapon for you to wield whenever you see fit. I thought you cared about what happened to that girl —"

"Your daughter," he repeated. He was smiling.

Severus surged forward with a snarl of rage. "Don't you fucking dare turn this around —"

"Severus —" Dumbledore held up a hand. "Lucius is on his way to my office as we speak."

His breath came out labored, heavy and tight and burning. The space behind him was empty, no sign of the girl. The chair he'd left her in was empty.

Gone gone where had she gone gone gone — he's taken her to the Chamber —

"It is quite late," Dumbledore continued. "I would find it hard to believe that anyone would be wandering the grounds if one wished to have a private chat."

Severus felt his thoughts refracting, jagged shards of glass that caught the light of realization as it folded over him.

He was owed retribution.

"Where is the girl?" he forced out, working his jaw.

"Safe, in the infirmary. Poppy tended to her injuries and has assured me she'll be just fine."

"No doubt in thanks to the phoenix tears." Severus whispered.

Dumbledore gave him a long, glassy look, like he could see straight through him. "Only true loyalty would have summoned Fawkes to the Chamber," he said. "Nothing but that could have called him to Ariel in her time of need."

Severus stared at Dumbledore, wanting to believe him, wanting to believe that he had not been deceived so easily in a matter he held above all else, a matter that was the only thing he lived for.

And Severus knew him to be lying.

Ariel woke up in the infirmary sometime later.

Her heart fell when she saw that Snape wasn't there, but Hermione was asleep beside her, their fingers still intertwined. She had bruises around her wrists from where the manacles had once been.

She rubbed at her arm. Madam Pomfrey said she'd have a scar from the basilisk, but Ariel didn't care much about that. She was used to scars, after all. She'd done the basilisk one better anyway, stabbing it with Gryffindor's sword. Dumbledore had said only a true Gryffindor could have yielded it, but it didn't ring as true as Ariel had hoped. Something still felt like it was missing, something didn't feel right. It clouded her thoughts like water running through her fingers.

The scars from Tom wouldn't fade, though. His words — the one simple phrase had cut her deeper than any basilisk or sword.

There is a strange likeness to us.

Ariel tried to push the thought away, but it persisted, nagging at her like a splinter in her mind. He had been so sure of himself, harnessing his power, not even fully alive yet, and used it for his own gain. He'd used her for his own gain last year — or at least, he'd tried to.

But what power did Ariel have? She had saved herself and Ginny from the basilisk, but did that make her good, or was it just luck? What if deep down she was like Tom Riddle, destined for a life of darkness and cruelty?

(The Sorting Hat had wanted her in Slytherin above all other Houses…)

Maybe that's what makes us truly brave —

Snape had been brave, standing between her and Riddle. She wondered sometimes if she would ever be half a mite as brave as him. But Snape was also cruel and cold, turning a blind eye to all the horrible things his House did —

The thought scared her more than facing the basilisk, than stabbing Tom's Diary. It felt like something wicked lurked inside her, waiting to be unleashed.

Ariel crept from the bed silently, pulling the sheets over Hermione's body gently. She watched Hermione's chest rise slowly, up and down, until Ariel was certain she hadn't woken her.

Craning her neck around the curtains, she saw that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be found. The Weasley's had taken Ginny to St. Mungo's just to be extra cautious, but Ariel had heard Fred and George returned a little while ago. Ron and Percy must've stayed behind to be with Ginny for the night. She hoped Ginny was alright.

"Where are you going?" Hermione's voice whispered suddenly.

Ariel almost jumped out of her skin. When she whirled around, Hermione was standing there, the tip of her wand lit, casting uneven shadows across her face. Her eyes were brown though — a true brown — not the rusty color Not-Ginny's had been, shimmering in the wand light. Her eyes were still red from crying, which they'd done together, born out of relief.

Ariel paused for a moment, unsure of how to answer. She had been lost in her thoughts, pondering the darkness she feared lay within her. But now, facing Hermione's gaze, she was suddenly struck by her own vulnerability.

"I don't know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just needed some air."

Hermione nodded, looking at her quizzically. "Are you okay?"

Ariel tried to muster a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. She shrugged, not trusting herself to speak. The truth was, she didn't know. Nothing felt okay — she felt defenseless. She felt strange and off-kilter. She felt like something was missing,

Hermione studied her for a moment, then asked: "Are you… are you going to look for Professor Snape?"

Ariel felt her cheeks flush, and she took a step back. "No," she blurted out before she could stop herself. "Why would I? He's — it's too late, now."

She lowered her wand and gripped Ariel's wrist. Her eyes searched Ariel's but she looked away, not wanting Hermione to see how unsure of herself she felt. Ariel felt so stupid, thinking Dad in the Chamber but Snape wasn't here — he hadn't come, not after everything, after she'd been taken and slain a bloody basilisk, not after she'd torn free of his arms and destroyed Tom from the inside out —

Hermione squeezed her wrist, bringing her attention back to the present. "You don't have to go to him if you don't want to," she said softly. "But if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

Ariel nodded, unable to say or doing anything else, really, unable a sharp pop shot through the air behind them both, like a crackle of electricity, causing them both to yelp. Hermione immediately pointed her wand in the direction of the sound only to find that it was —

"Dobby?" they bleated in tandem.

"Ariel Evans is alive!" Dobby cried, his tennis-ball eyes shining with tears. He threw himself around Ariel's legs as she stared down at him, stunned.

"Dobby, what are you doing here?" Ariel demanded, heart hammering in her throat.

"Alive —" he continued to sob. "Dobby tried so very hard —"

Hermione managed to peel Dobby off of Ariel and set him on his feet.

"Dobby had to come and see for himself," he said, beaming up at her through his tears. "Dobby was so worried for you, Ariel Evans. Dobby was afraid something terrible had happened to you, but Master was so angry when he heard the news that the Weasley girl was alive!"

Ariel wanted to be angrier, wanted to shake him for all the grief he had caused her at the start of term, but she found a lump forming in her throat as she looked at Dobby's earnest gaze. She leaned down and sighed instead. "It's good to see you too, Dobby. I know you were just trying to warn me, but why did you tell me it had nothing to do with Voldemort?"

"It was a clue," said Dobby, his eyes widening, as though this was obvious. "Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named, you see?"

Hermione and Ariel shared a long, skeptical look before they both shook their heads.

"Master is about to arrive to meet with Headmaster Dumbledore," Dobby wrung his hands nervously. "Master has come to see if Ariel Evans really defeated You-Know-Who."

"Who is your Master?" Hermione shot back in a very serious voice.

Dobby pulled at his ears. "Dobby cannot say — Dobby cannot —"

Ariel looked at Hermione. "Whoever he is, he must've been the one to give Ginny the diary."

Dobby made a sound that was between a squeal and howl.

"Master gave the Weasley girl a —" Dobby hit himself in the head, then. Ariel grabbed his hands and held them tightly as he tried to strangle something out. "Gave her — gave her a —"

"A diary?" Ariel asked quietly. "A little black book?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Hermione pursed her lips. "It has to have been someone who dislikes the Weasley's — why else would they have chosen Ginny? Their family is Pureblood… someone like the Malfoy's…"

Dobby jerked himself free of Ariel's grip and started jumping up and down excitedly, banging his head against the headboard. How Madam Pomfrey hadn't heard the racket yet and come running, Ariel would never know.

"The Malfoys…" Ariel repeated slowly, realization dawning over her. "Lucius — Draco's dad. He's your Master?"

Hermione just shook her head in disgust. "Well, we weren't that far off in suspecting Malfoy had something to do with it. We were just wrong about which one, apparently."

Dobby seemed to deflate then, his head hanging so low that his chin almost touched the floor. He sniffled and started to sob, "Dobby is sorry, Ariel Evans!" he cried. "Dobby couldn't do more to help you!"

Ariel knelt down, about to console him again when he gave another little gasp and popped back out of existence. She let out a sound of frustration as Hermione shook her head, looking just as torn up as Ariel felt.

She looked at Hermione with a determined expression. "We have to do something to free Dobby from Lucius and his family — is there anything we can do?"

Hermione bit her lip. "His owner needs to give him a piece of clothing. That's the only way…"

As if someone had heard her, Ariel looked around wildly to find that Tom's diary had appeared on their bedside table. Before she could voice her confusion, she swiped it and looked expectantly at Hermione.

"Do you still have the coin?"

She did. It read: Courtyard.

Severus waited for Lucius.

He'd flown from Dumbledore's office and gone down down down — deeper and darker than he'd dared reach for a very long time. Dumbledore had forbidden it, but Dumbledore wasn't here, Dumbledore had essentially sanctioned this, this drive to make someone pay, someone had to pay for what had been done to his girl.

Severus sank further into the castle and inside when he caught him just outside the main entrance. The cold air whipped at his face, the flurries of snow beginning to dust the darkness.

The elf let out a strangled gasp when he saw Severus bearing down on them. Severus glared down at the little shit and recalled the pain on the girl's face in Knockturn Alley — I've been calling you with the coin —

The elf let out a moan and Lucius turned with a jerk, like he was expecting someone else to be standing there.

"Severus?" Lucius frowned, but his eyes were alight with… familiarity. "Are you —"

He felt his wand fall into his palm. His hands were still stained with the girl's blood.

The Stunner fell from his lips effortlessly. He moved on automation from inside the box he'd made inside his mind, numb from the inside out. Lucius flew back into a lamppost as the elf cowered, covering his eyes with his hands.

Severus walked up to him. Something was coming up up up, from somewhere he'd missed dearly but hadn't realized until now. His footfalls were deafening as Lucius gasped, fumbling for his wand. Severus was able to disarm him quite easily as he threw up a Silencing Spell.

He would need silence to work.

Before Lucius could even open his mouth, Severus pointed his wand right between his eyes. "We live in a world where no one is immune to consequences — not even you."

Severus yanked Lucius' collar forward, fisting it in his hand. He pressed the tip of his wand into his temple. "I intend to make sure you understand that."

And then he Let Go.

—

Ariel crept outside, her feet crunching over the snow. She tried to be as quiet as possible, the air still and almost dreamlike. It was snowing, and for a moment, Ariel felt like she was inside of a snow globe, cut off from the rest of the world.

She saw why as she headed to the nearest clearing, the coin pressed into her palm so hard that it left an imprint. Someone was on the ground, splayed across it like Ginny had been in the Chamber.

Ariel recognized the figure — Lucius Malfoy.

Snape stood over him with a wand pointed to Lucius' chest. His body shook and trembled as his mouth contorted in an expression of pain, but Ariel couldn't hear any sound. She felt her heart racing, fear coursing through her veins as she watched, stuck to the spot like she'd been frozen there. The snowflakes that swirled around them seemed to pause for a moment, almost as if they were paying their respects to what was happening on the ground.

Lucius' body jerked and twitched as each spell hit him, but Snape showed no mercy; he kept going until Lucius lay still on the ground, motionless save for his ragged breaths.

Ariel swallowed hard, unable to look away from the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Snape knelt down suddenly, staring into Lucius' eyes with his wand pointed at his head like he was wielding a knife, twisting and turning it. Lucius' eyes glazed over, unfocused and glassy while Ariel tried to catch sight of Snape's face, but it was hidden by the curtain of black hair.

He stood over him for what felt like forever until Ariel crept forward. Dobby cowered on the ground beside Lucius, his hands covering his head.

When Snape turned, Ariel felt her entire nervous system shudder.

Lucius was staring at something behind Severus.

It was the girl.

He felt himself come back, flinging his emotions everywhere. He hadn't had enough warning to resurrect his Shields and he felt his heart sink.

Miss Evans didn't say anything. She stood there, her hands gripping that little black book the girl's had used to kill the Dark Lord — whatever piece of him had inhabited that diary. Her eyes were fathomless, golden in the pulsing like of the torches as the wind picked up, whipping her hair around her face.

He could've sworn her lips twitched upwards in a smirk.

"I wanted to return this," Miss Evans looked at Severus. "I didn't mean to… interrupt."

The girl was missing a sock. She was outside in February, wearing slippers and missing a fucking sock. That was all Severus' brain could focus on as she handed Lucius the diary.

"You gave Ginny the diary in Flourish and Blotts." her face was twisted in half anger, half pain. "You picked up her Transfiguration textbook and slipped in the diary, didn't you? You knew Riddle would kill her."

Lucius did not move. He stared down the girl, his mouth twisted in a sneer.

He shoved the diary at the house elf, nearly sending the little nitwit flying backwards. The girl glared at him wildly, but she cleared her throat and jerked her head at the elf, who's eyes widened in wonderment as he opened the diary to reveal the missing sock.

"Master has given a sock," the elf croaked. "Dobby is free!"

Lucius spat into the snow — it was red. "You little Halfblood brat —"

Severus sent his head back with a bolt of red and his face went slack. He stared at the serene stillness of Lucius' face and felt a surge of frustration wash through him. He hadn't been done with him, hadn't wanted to end the suffering just yet, but he couldn't let the girl watch such things.

The elf had thrown his arms around Miss Evan's waist, sobbing into her nightgown. "Ariel Evans freed Dobby! Ariel Evans is greater by far than Dobby knew!"

She patted his head, grinning. "It was the least I could do. Just do me a favor and never try to save my life again, okay?"

The elf glanced at Severus nervously. Miss Evans patted his head comfortingly before he disappeared, leaving them alone once again.

Miss Evans walked to his side. She stared down at Lucius and sighed. "If I ask you probably wouldn't tell me, right?" she asked.

The girl's breath came out in small gasps, clouding the air like smoke.

Severus wanted to throttle her, wanted to shake her until she felt a fraction of what he'd felt, watching her run straight at the boy who would become the Dark Lord, but he couldn't muster it after funneling it into what he had done to Lucius — what he'd done to keep her safe.

He could do nothing but unravel.

Ariel couldn't stand the silence that stretched between them, the tension palpable as the snow fell around them. She wanted to scream at him — for what, she didn't even know. Maybe it was his fault for being so cryptic after what they had been through, maybe it was because he always seemed disappointed in her no matter how hard she tried. She hadn't killed Tom to impress him, but she'd done it. She'd done it without even thinking.

Snape's face seemed to darken as he watched her, his mouth a thin, tight line. His eyes were cold and calculating. Ariel had the distinct feeling he was trying to figure out how best to berate her for her disobeying him — or worse, that he already knew what form it would take and simply didn't know when the time was right to unleash it.

"Well, get on with it then." Ariel gestured with her arm, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "Let me have it."

He glared at her, his black eyes burning with icy fury. "You don't want that right now."

"I'd rather that than having you just stand around and ignore me again once I leave."

His nostrils flared. "Is that all you're afraid of?"

"I know you're mad at me for leaving to find the diary."

The oppressive silence filled the space between them, like a suffocating fog, crushing Ariel under its weight. Snape's penetrating eyes burned into her very soul, boring deeper and deeper until she felt as if she were being stripped bare. "You cannot ask me to bear witness to that again. Not knowing you put yourself there willingly."

Ariel frowned. "Ginny would have died."

"I don't care about Ginevra." he said with a cruelty that cut her to the bone.

She bristled, something hot igniting in her chest. "Well you should!"

"But I don't." his eyes were black, so black that Ariel thought they might swallow her up. "You are the only thing that could ever matter. Did your mother," his jaw tightened, and he seemed to falter for a moment before continuing. "not make that clear?"

Ariel looked away, biting her lip. "Mum's not here anymore."

"But I am," Snape jerked her chin upward. "and I intend to uphold her wishes, no matter what."

She tore away from his grasp, glaring through misty eyes. "She wouldn't have wanted you to do something you didn't want to do."

Snape stared back wordlessly with icy black eyes until slowly, his hard exterior cracked into something softer than stone; recognition dawning on his face alongside frustration mixed with grief. The complexity of it all would never be fully sorted, Ariel realized.

He started towards her, but she moved away. The snow fell harder, coating her eyelashes.

"Is that what you believe, then?" Snape asked.

Ariel searched her heart, searched it until she realized the answer had been there all along. "I think it's what you want me to believe."

He stepped closer. "And do you?"

She looked up at him, and it took all of her courage to meet his eyes. She realized that it was even harder to look at him now than it had been to look at Tom. At least with Tom she'd known what she'd been dealing with. This was the closest she'd ever come to getting Snape to say how he actually felt, and he could've said anything. He could've turned her to anything, turned her to sand, to stone.

Ariel focused on that pinprick of light in his eyes, like she had last year, feeling like she was hovering in that space between Quirrell and the Mirror once more.

"Before you got there," Ariel swallowed, trying to keep her voice steady. "Riddle said something. He said… we were a lot alike, him and I."

Snape went as still as one of the stone columns behind them. The snow moved around him, making him look like a painting, an ink blot in the middle of pure white.

"You are nothing like him. You do not allow yourself to be consumed by hatred or lust for power." and then, in a much quieter voice, he said: "Not as I was."

She stared at him, and she felt as though she were looking at him from across a great chasm, but her was somehow just within arm's reach, something missing, something she needed to understand —

"You're not like him either." she said quietly. "I like you loads better than that horrible git."

He shook his head, like he was incredulous, but there was no sneer or cruel comment. There was only a heavy resignation Ariel could feel for herself. She was tired, too.

"You know nothing," he murmured. He always said this, but this time, Ariel knew what she had to say.

"Mum thought so — knew so." she swallowed, her mouth dry, and she felt breathless. "I know so. I just wish you could see it, too."

The wind brushed against her ankles. Snape's cloak flapped in the wind. The orange pulse from the torches flickered. Lucius did not move.

"I see it in you, my girl." Snape said in a hard voice, hard like iron, and the sound rang and rang. "I thought it to be understood without words."

His hand lifted — it was shaking, but so was she — from the cold or something else she didn't know. He cupped her cheek, a look in his eyes that was a breath away from cruelty, so close to transforming into something else. She was afraid that if she looked away, it would.

Ariel let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in when Snape let his hand fall and knelt down in front of Lucius for one last time. He was muttering something fast and low, like he was reciting a poem, and then Lucius was waking up, looking confused as Snape picked her clean off the ground.

"Next time, wear a goddamn pair of shoes." he snarled into her ear.

Snape sat with Ariel throughout the night. Madam Pomfrey came in and out to run some tests, but by morning she'd been given a clean bill of health to leave. She'd mentioned that Dumbledore had planned a celebratory Feast for dinner last that night, and while Ariel wanted to be excited, she found herself oddly… indifferent about it.

Snape left before breakfast with stiff instructions that she was to report to his quarters that night. It wasn't a punishment, but something else. Something had lifted, had changed.

That was not all that had changed. Ariel could feel it inside her, like a second heartbeat. She tried to banish it when Hermione went to use the loo.

Ariel pointed her wand at her heart. "Lumos."

Something tore through her, something that burned at her heart. She gasped, clutching at her chest as she bit back a moan of pain, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

The feeling of comfort, of shining joy so sharp it could shatter her heart did not come.

And that was the first time Ariel realized that something within her was really, truly wrong.

A/N: I know I said 2 more chapters, but I lied. I managed to do everything that needed to be done before we jump into PoA.

I cannot BELIEVE we're at the end of CoS already! I really enjoyed writing the Spooky Scary Shit that tortured poor lil Ariel, but it's just a reminder of all that is to come when Voldemort finally comes back (like, for real, not this Smoke Monster/diary shit he likes to pull).

PoA will focus VERY heavily on FINALLY exploring an actual father/daughter relationship between Snape and Ariel. I too am fucking thrilled about this development now that Snape has stopped being a Complete Idiot.

Until next time (REMUS!)

Reviews would be loved and appreciated 3 3 3