As they walked back to the castle from Hogwarts, Hermione and Ariadne followed behind Harry and Ron in peaceable silence while the two boys discussed their empty stomachs. Ariadne noticed Hermione watch the two with a fond grin and found a mirroring smile rising to her own face.
"It was very kind of you to check up on me, Ariadne." Hermione's voice cut through the silence. "I know Malfoy's your friend, but he really is rotten. Not that I condone what Ron did, of course. He and Harry should be staying out of trouble."
"Oh, I don't know." Ariadne looked at Hermione, raising an eyebrow mischievously. "I thought it was rather gallant of him to defend you like that!" She giggled as Hermione blushed before her voice turned serious once more.
"Draco's my cousin. We're not friends, I don't think. I mean, I thought we were, but he hasn't talked to me since the sorting. Not that I want to talk to him anymore. He explained it to me, what the word meant. I don't know what I am– I don't know if I fit into his life."
"Right," Hermione began, curiosity creeping into her words. Her unconscious pursuit of information truly was relentless, though Ariadne didn't mind. She had her own questions to answer. "Right, you said you were new to the magic world. That's quite surprising, for a Malfoy."
"Well, I'm not a Malfoy. I'm a Black– whatever good that's done me. I was raised by my mother though, in London. Muggle London. I knew about magic and wizards and stuff, but I had never really seen in practice. I'm just new to all this, I guess is what I'm trying to say."
"I was new to all of this too. I still am, really. I'm a muggleborn– as you know. And I do rather well in my classes, and all of that." Hermione blushed faintly with pride. "But I'll always feel like a step behind. There's so much more to learn– customs, politics, mythology. It's a whole culture, a whole world. I belong in this world, I know that. But my point is, Draco needn't remind me of my status to him. I'm aware of what I am. And he can't hurt me because of it.
Ariadne nodded, feeling a rush of appreciation for the girl. She took Hermione's words for what they were: advice. Ariadne couldn't ignore how everyone saw her, she realized, as she entered the Great Hall. Harry and Ron received detention, while she received the glares of the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams. But she kept her head held high while she sat to eat lunch with the trio. She was a Black, just like Hermione was muggleborn. And all either of them could do was prove everyone wrong.
Still, the next week of school wasn't any better. For starters, she had Potions first thing, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Professor Snape might hate her. On top of that, Ariadne shared the class with Slytherin, and she knew quite certainly that they did hate her. Nothing new, she supposed, but still not the best way to spend a morning.
"I've written the instructions for the potion that you'll be brewing today on the board. Who can tell me what it is based on the recipe?" Snape posed to the class, looming imposingly at the front of the room.
Ariadne looked at the board but simply had no idea what the correct answer may have been. She was a good student, at least thus far, but she wasn't exactly reading ahead in her potions book. Neither was the rest of the class it seemed, if their silence was any indication. Everyone was careful not to look Snape in the eye, lest he notice and call on them.
Astoria tentatively raised her hand into the air.
"Greengrass." He called.
"It's for Wiggenweld, a healing potion. For injuries, or to reverse a Sleeping Draught."
A look passed over Snape's face that may have been pleased, but it passed quickly and he remained as inscrutable as ever. "And Draught of Living Death," he added. "5 points to Slytherin."
"You will be brewing Wiggenweld in pairs," he announced. A low murmur of chatter began amongst the students as they sought out their friends. Snape scowled. "I shall be pairing you, of course." He began listing off names.
"Greengrass with–" his lip curled in as he paused. "Black." Snape practically spat her last name. Well, fair enough. She couldn't really blame him for not being a mass murderer's biggest fan. But when Ariadne noticed Astoria tense up when Snape said that they'd be paired together? That hurt. She was right that Astoria had been avoiding her.
Determined to stay aloof, Ariadne raised her chin and schooled her expression like she had seen Narcissa do many times before as a way to collect herself. She gathered her things and made the silent walk over to Astoria's cauldron.
"Astoria." She greeted simply. Ariadne began preparing lionfish spines to for the potion, but she was busying herself more than anything else.
Astoria remained silent for a beat before returning a quiet "Ariadne."
Ariadne said nothing, but thought she detected a hint of guilt in Astoria's voice. Good, she thought. The two continued to work in silence until Astoria spoke once more, careful to whisper to avoid catching the attention of Professor Snape.
"I'm sorry Ariadne, I don–" She cut herself off. "I don't know what to do. The politics of Slytherin are even more complex than I expected. Everyone follows Draco's direction and if he won't talk to you, then–"
"Draco's not not talking to me. Has he told everyone not to? Nott said hi to me this morning." Ariadne whispered back. She felt like she was defending herself, but against what she was not sure.
"No, not in so many words. And Nott's kind of the only one who doesn't always listen to Draco. But he talked about you a lot before school began, Daphne told me, and now he won't mention you at all. Ignores everyone who even says your name. The message is pretty clear. I'm sorry. I can't be a pariah in my own house."
"Like I am." The comparison was pretty clear to Ariadne.
Astoria rushed in to explain herself. "No, that's not what I meant, I–"
"It's okay, Astoria. I understand." And she did. When Ariadne made friends, she stuck with them. She always had, even in primary school. Other people not liking her friend would never deter her but would only push her even closer. That being said, having experienced for the first time in her life to be utterly and completely alone, to be excluded, isolated, and ignored, Ariadne could understand being desperate to be accepted.
Astoria shot her a slightly pitying look that Ariadne resolutely ignored, and when Astoria opened her mouth to speak again, Ariadne quickly cut her off.
"Look, Tori. We don't have to do this."
Astoria shut her mouth and then nodded slowly. She began to collect salamander blood, and Ariadne took that as her cue to return to the potion as well. They remained in silence even when Professor Snape came around the classroom to observe their potion, nodding curtly in approval. If they'd done the exact same potion on their own, Ariadne thought, he'd have given her a Troll and Astoria an Outstanding. No one could say Snape didn't favor his own house.
Ariadne gathered her books and walked out of the classroom, ready to begin her daily rounds of merely walking the grounds. Instead, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom. She would have screamed but was too shocked when she realized what was happening and saw Draco's pale face standing in front of her.
"You should have reached for your wand as soon as I grabbed you." Draco said condescendingly. If Ariadne didn't know better, she'd have thought he was giving her advice out of concern.
"Muggle instincts, I guess." She replied dryly. Draco looked away as Ariadne looked around the empty room. "You don't want to be seen with me," she observed. "I'm glad I'm here anyway– I need to ask you a question. Have you been instructing your house to avoid me?"
Draco scoffed. "I don't have to instruct them to do anything. They avoid you all on their own."
Ariadne continued as though he hadn't answered. "Astoria wants nothing to do with me anymore. The only person who's even willing to look at me is Nott, an–"
Draco, who had been steadfastly ignoring her complaints until that point, paused. "Nott's been talking to you?"
"No, but he waved at me this morning which is more than I can say for you."
"Good. Don't talk to him."
Ariadne didn't particularly want to talk to Nott, but Draco's total and easy control over her interactions with the Slytherin House was infuriating. She opened her mouth to rebel, but he cut her off.
"I wrote to mother for you. She said you hadn't sent her a letter yet. You didn't tell her? About being in– about the sorting?"
"It didn't seem like something that the family would throw a party over." Ariadne gave Draco a pointed look, though he returned her stare steadily. "And what do you mean for me?
"You said yesterday that you didn't know what you are. You're a pureblood," he said proudly, an expectant look on his pointed face. "Like me. I figured you were, but I asked about your mother specifically and Mother confirmed it."
Though Ariadne was actually quite touched that Draco had bothered to ask into her family history and was eager to know more about her mother's side, she didn't see how this changed anything at all. She told him as such. "So? So, I'm a pureblood. It's not like that was the reason you don't talk to me anymore. You don't even look at m–"
"You ran after Potter yesterday!" Draco cut in with a yell, allowing his mask to slip briefly. He gathered himself, but Ariadne could see he was still tense by the strain of his shoulders and his balled-up fists. Struggling to keep his voice measured, Draco continued.
"On the very first day that we met, I asked you if you were another one of Potter's little fans. You said no and I believed you. Now you've been in Gryffindor," he spat out, "for hardly a week and you're already chasing after him? I knew it was only a matter of time from the moment that you were sorted."
"Chasing after him?" Ariadne cried indignantly, anger causing her volume to match his. "I was checking on Hermione after what you called her."
"Oh, how good of you to care after the mudblood instead of your own family. Already a blood traitor. Halfway to Gryffindor's golden girl, aren't you?"
"Okay." Ariadne whispered, hurt. "You're angry, Draco, at me. I don't know why, though. And you're the one who hasn't spoken to me at all in the last week. If you had, you'd know that almost all of Gryffindor hates me. So I guess you have more in common with them than you care to think. Narcissa told me about my father, by the way, which explains quite a bit of it."
"So you should have been in Slytherin!" He yelled. "They'd have welcomed you because of your father. I made plans for u– for you in Slytherin. Plans that don't involve the Mudblood, the Weasel, and Scarhead."
"Don't call them that."
Draco laughed harshly. "You would have had to choose eventually. I've just done it for you."
"Draco, you're all I've had for the past two years. Please, can't we just get along?"
He was quiet for a moment before looking up, hesitation clear in his silver eyes. "I don't think so. Not all of us." He walked out of the room and did not look back. Ariadne waited for the door to close behind him before she sat at a desk and put her head in her hands. She wished, not for the first time, that she was back in her flat in London where the complications of the Wizarding World lay only in her mother's stories.
Now nearly two months into her first year, Ariadne had spent most of her days with no company but herself. She saw the trio around often, and while they were always kind to her, they were also very busy with their detentions and schoolwork. Ginny's disappearances had waned slightly, though her presence was certainly lacking. And even when she was there, she was withdrawn in a way that Ariadne would not have expected from the bold girl she had met on the train. In their room, Ariadne had walked upon a rare Ginny sighting, and the two laid atop their respective beds as they chatted.
"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages, Ginny. Where have you been off too?"
"Just… around. I've been… it's a big castle, I guess."
"Well, I'm glad to see you when I do. Shall we go to the Halloween Feast tonight?"
"I can't!" Ginny said quickly. "Er– I'm busy. I've got plans." Though disappointed, because she did not want to go alone, Ariadne nodded but moved the conversation along.
And so, Ariadne elected to skip the Halloween Feast in favor of getting work done in the Gryffindor Common Room. She was three inches into a twelve-inch Transfiguration essay, when a voice interrupted her reverie.
"Hey," it said softly. "You're not going to the Feast?"
Ariadne looked up, blue eyes meeting green. Heat instantly rose to her face and she mentally cursed herself.
"Er– no. Not really my scene, as it turns out."
"It's actually rather cool, especially if you're new to magic. Hagrid's been carving pumpkins all week." Ariadne smiled at the image, and Harry smiled in return.
"I don't actually really have anyone to go with. I don't mind being alone, not usually, but I just figured I'd stay in tonight. Thought I'd get started on some Transfiguration instead. I'm quite frightened of McGonagall, you know." Ariadne finished her explanation with a joke, hoping Harry didn't think her too much of an outcast. She was rewarded with his laughter.
"Me too. We're not going to the Feast either," he said, making a sweeping motion with his arms to point to Ron and Hermione. "You're, er, welcome to join us."
"That's very nice of you," Ariadne briefly thought about turning him down in the fear he was only asking her out of pity. Instead, she put her parchment down and decided to be brave. "I'd love to. Can I ask Ginny too?"
Ron broke out of his fight with Hermione to groan. Hermione, who took this time to take a calming breath, replied. "Sure! I'm sure Nicholas would love another living person there."
Her volume increased as she spoke so that she was nearly yelling by the end of her sentence. Her intent was clear: to drown out Ron's frustrated mutterings of "What's the point if she can't speak around Harry anyway?" She didn't succeed if Harry's blush was any indication, but Ariadne politely ignored Ron and ran off to retrieve Ginny from the dorm.
Ginny may have been too busy to go to the Halloween Feast, but Ariadne wouldn't be able to call herself a friend if she allowed Ginny to pass up the opportunity to prove to Harry that she could, well, speak. Perhaps if Ariadne were there, Ginny would feel more at ease until she could see that Harry was just a regular boy after all. As regular as he could be, that is.
As she entered into their room, Ariadne found Ginny laying on her stomach while writing furiously into her diary. She didn't even hear her come in.
"Are these your big plans?" Ariadne teased, smiling. Ginny didn't smile back. Instead, she shot up into a sitting position and slammed her diary shut with a force that Ariadne couldn't have expected with such a small girl.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes! Yes, of course." Ginny worried on her lower lip nervously. "I'm just very busy– I'm doing homework."
"Getting a head start on the Transfiguration paper? I was doing that too but trust me, we have better plans now."
"The Transfiguration paper? Oh yes, I've been working on that. I'm very busy, Ariadne. Whatever the plans are, I don't want to hear it." Ginny looked back down at her diary, her hands inching forward as if to touch.
"Come on!" Ariadne made her voice mock-enticing. "What if I told you Harry would be there?"
Ginny looked up. "Harry? You know Harry now?"
"Yes, we met the other day. He's been very nice to me, actually. I saw him, Ron and Hermione at Hagrid's after their fight with Draco. Me and Harry–"
Ginny's eyes went back to the diary before she steeled her expression, her eyes turning unfamiliarly dark. She faced Ariadne, red with fury and began yelling. "You and Harry?" She repeated. "You think I'm not good enough for him? That he could never like me? He's too famous, too good, too great. He'll like you– because your stupid robes are new and you pay attention to Transfiguration deadlines and you're beautiful! I should have known you could never have understood me. You're a Black."
Ariadne was utterly taken aback. "Ginny! That's not what I was saying at all. I was teasing you earlier, I'm sorry! I thought you'd want to come." Tears began to well in her eyes, but she didn't know if they were born from hurt or frustration. "I've only just met him, Ginny! He's only being nice to me because I'm alone all the time. And we're only first-years! Who cares about a silly crush right now?"
"So you think I'm silly?" Ginny hollered, mirroring tears forming.
"Not at all! I think you're completely brilliant, Ginny. Please–"
"Just get out." Ginny said coldly. She sat back down onto the bed and placed her diary by her side. Ariadne moved towards her, but Ginny yelled again. "OUT!"
Ariadne rushed out, nearly knocking into an entering Lola. "Um, what the hell was that about?" Lola called after her, but Ariadne ignored her. Lola posed the question to Ginny instead, and Ariadne didn't bother to wait around for her response.
She paused in the corridor before the stairs, taking a moment to compose herself. She took three deep breaths, wiping furiously at her tears with the sleeve of her robe. So she'd been totally and completely wrong about Ginny, who had been so kind to her after the sorting. Who had promised Ariadne her friendship. She'd been wrong about a lot of people, it seemed. Ariadne was tempted to hide away and allow Harry, Ron, and Hermione to enjoy their night without her.
But the three of them had been nothing but friendly to her so far, even when they had no reason to be. Though she may have been hurt, Ariadne wasn't stupid enough to turn away from people like that. Steeling herself, she walked back down the steps and into the Common Room.
Hermione was sitting in the plush chair that Ariadne had just vacated, watching while Ron and Harry were playing a game of chess. It appeared Ron was beating Harry quite soundly, especially when he looked up in relief at her appearance.
"Ready?" Harry asked. Ron let out a noise of complaint.
"I was just about to win! One more play." He cried indignantly.
Hermione rolled her eyes and spoke with a sigh. "You always win, Ron. Let's get going, we're late enough as it is and Harry did make a promise. Ariadne," she turned to face Ariadne with concern. "Is everything okay?"
"Hm? Oh, yes, thank you for asking. Ginny didn't– erm, want to come. But I'm ready when you lot are!" She put on a bright smile and hoped that her face wasn't puffy or her eyes weren't red. Though Hermione maintained a look of suspicion, Harry and Ron remained utterly oblivious as they quibbled over chess. Hermione finally looked away, and Ariadne let out a sigh of relief.
"Let's go boys!" Hermione demanded. "We're late already, you know."
Ron rolled his eyes but complied. As Hermione grabbed Harry to ask him a Defense question ("who cares about that idiot's books anyway, Hermione!), Ron sidled up to Ariadne and began to speak.
"So Ginny didn't want to come? Don't blame her myself. I'd much rather go to the Feast too, between you and me. Hopefully Nick has food for us."
"I don't think that she is going to the Feast. I mean, have you noticed Ginny acting… strange lately?"
"Mate," said Ron, and Ariadne was inwardly pleased at the address considering Ron's chilly reception when they first met. "Ginny is strange. Have you ever seen her around Harry? She's just being a girl. You know how girls are, especially first-years."
"Oh?" Hermione called from in front of them. Ariadne stifled a laugh before locking eyes with Harry and noticing him doing the same. He sent her a smile, which she returned. Hermione turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. "Enlighten us, Ron. About how girls are?"
Luckily for Ron, at that moment the four found themselves at the entrance of a roomy dungeon. Black curtains hanging from the ceilings draped black candles floating in the air. Through the entrance, dozens of ghosts could be seen socializing while an awful smell emanated past them. Hermione was admonishing a sullen Ron as they entered, while Harry stood back to wait for Ariadne.
"Should I be offended," she asked when she joined him. "That Ron clearly doesn't think of me as a girl?"
Harry laughed. "Can't imagine how he's missed it, but that's Ron for you." Ariadne grinned and worked to keep a flush from rising to her cheeks as the two walked in.
Despite the candles emitting a blue glow around the room, the effect of the temperature drop was instantaneous. Inside the party, which was much larger than the entrance revealed, hundreds of translucent figures drifted about the room. Ariadne jumped to the side when one nearly ran into her. Though he only brushed her arm, she shivered as a deep chill enveloped her body.
"Be careful," Ron warned to the three of them. "Don't want to walk through anyone for that reason." He pointed to a shivering Ariadne.
"Shall we have a look around?" Harry suggested, and they set off around the dance floor until Hermione stopped abruptly.
"Stop! Turn around, turn around. I don't want to be bothered by Moaning Myrtle–"
"Who?" Ariadne asked.
"You wouldn't know her. She haunts one of the toilets on the second floor girls' bathroom, but it's been out of order all year because of her tantrums. It was terrible, last year, trying to have a pee while she wailed at you. Avoid it if you can when it starts working again, Ariadne."
Ariadne nodded solemnly. "Thanks for the warning."
The conversation was interrupted when Ron summoned them towards food, but the spread ended up being so putrid from rot that even Ron would not have been able to stomach it. They had barely turned away when Peeves accosted them. Having overheard Hermione warning Ariadne from Myrtle, Peeves called the young ghost over in order to tattle.
"You've been making fun of me." Myrtle said, see-through eyes looking at Hermione accusatorily. Ariadne stepped in.
"Honestly, Myrtle! Hermione was just telling me that she saw you in the bathroom last year and hasn't gone back since because she was jealous of how pretty you were."
"Really?" Myrtle asked with a sniff.
"Really." Ariadne lied. "Right boys?" She nudged Harry's side.
"Right!" Harry confirmed, while Ron chimed in with a "She did!"
Myrtle eyed them suspiciously but floated away without a further word. Peeves sent them a disappointed look before quickly following after her, pelting Myrtle with peanuts along the way.
Ariadne turned to Hermione. "Sorry about what I said. I just wanted us to get away from her."
Hermione beamed back. "Are you kidding? Thank you! The fact that we made it out without her crying means you did much better than I probably would have. How'd you know what to say?"
"I guess living with the Malfoys taught me how to read people to get what you need. She just seemed like the kind of person who'd like to be flattered, especially at the expense of others."
After Myrtle's departure and the arrival of a truly headless Sir Patrick, Ron declared he was ready to leave. The rest of them, cold and hungry, did not complain. Just before they reached the entrance hall to attend the tail end of the feast, however, Harry suddenly stumbled and grabbed onto the nearest wall. There he squinted down the passageway, listening.
"Harry, what're you–"
Ariadne turned to Ron. "Has he done this before?"
"Can't remember when, but it doesn't seem that unusual for him if I'm being honest." He whispered back, keeping his eyes on Harry.
"Listen!" Harry waited a beat before pushing himself off the wall and running into the hall. "This way!" He shouted back towards them.
Ariadne, Ron and Hermione chased after him, shooting each other glances along the way. They chased him up two more sets of stairs until Harry turned a corner into a deserted passage. Ariadne bent over, hands on her knees, and attempted to catch her breath while Ron questioned Harry. She thought briefly that Harry might be crazier than she anticipated (not that she minded) until Hermione let out a sudden gasp. Written in giant, red lettering on the wall ahead was a horrifying message
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.
Underneath was Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat that Ariadne had seen lurking around the castle. It was strung up by its tail and completely unmoving. Ariadne was certain that she was dead.
By the time that they all realized what had happened, and Ron warned them that they should leave, there was no time to run. Joyful chatter filled the air as the feast ended and hundreds of students flooded the corridor. The noise died just as suddenly as it started as people began to realize what hung in front of them, and just who was standing beside the message.
A shout rang out through the silence.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"
It was Draco, who pushed to the front of the crowd to get a better view. He grinned at the message and the trio at the center of it. Until he realized that there was a fourth. When he noticed Ariadne, the grin slipped off and his eyes widened almost imperceptibly with surprise.
Unfortunately, his realization came too late. As though summoned by Malfoy's cry, Filch pushed himself through the crowd before coming face-to-face with Mrs. Norris' corpse.
"You!" Filch pointed at Harry. "It was you! You've killed her! I'll–"
"It was Sirius Black's daughter!" Quiet murmurs of agreement followed. Because the voice came from the crowd, Ariadne knew it was a student who shouted it. She didn't dare look to see who it was, for fear she'd find him wearing red and gold.
Ariadne braved a look at the trio to gauge whether or not they'd heard. While she found Ron very pointedly looking anywhere but her face, Harry met her eyes curiously. Whatever he saw in them prompted him to speak.
"Hold on!" Harry said hotly, turning to face the crowd. "She's been with us all night!" He spoke to a boy in Harry's year that Ariadne had seen around before, a boy just as recognizable by his freckles as he was by his cheeky grin, though she didn't know his name. Though he looked sufficiently chastised by Harry's direct address, Ariadne was disappointed when she noticed his tie. Gryffindor.
When Dumbledore arrived at the scene, he grabbed Mrs. Norris from the wall before directing Harry, Ariadne, Hermione and Ron to Lockhart's office. On any other occasion she would have instantly taken note of the dozens of portraits of himself that he had on his wall and had a laugh about it later. Now, though, she was far too terrified to believe she would ever be able to laugh again.
Would Dumbledore too project her father's reputation onto herself? And if neither she nor Harry had killed Mrs. Norris (as she knew they hadn't), then who did?
Lost in her thoughts, Ariadne barely tuned in in time to hear Dumbledore address Mr. Filch. "She's not dead, Argus. She has been Petrified. But how, I cannot say…"
Mr. Filch once more turned a finger on Harry. "Just ask him! He did it! He knows I'm a– I'm a– He knows I'm a squib!"
"I don't even know what a squib is." Harry said uncomfortably, when everyone's eyes turned to him. Ariadne moved closer to his side.
"Then it was her! Sirius Black's daughter, Headmaster. He was always a nightmare in school and look how that turned out."
"No second-year, or first for that matter, could have done this, Argus." Dumbledore said softly.
Snape stepped out of the shadows. Ariadne jumped– she hadn't even realized that he was in the room. "If I may speak, Headmaster. Potter and his friends," Snape turned his glare towards Ariadne at the word, though she did not know why, "may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time." Though his words seemed fair, they were also seeped in doubt.
Snape pressed on, questioning them as if determined to catch them in a lie. He did not relent Professor McGonagall intervened, and that was only because Snape suggested that Harry be banned from Quidditch for the time being. Dumbledore searched Ariadne and Harry's faces (for what, she did not know), before allowing the four students to leave.
"Should I have said anything about the voice I heard?" Harry asked once they were sufficiently out of earshot.
"Definitely not." Ron didn't hesitate.
"But you believe me, right?"
"'Course we do," Ariadne chimed in. "It can't be the weirdest thing that's happened around here, can it?"
Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a knowing look and Ariadne wondered, not for the first time, what exactly happened during their first year at Hogwarts. If it was anything like how her first year was already going, she was confident that Hogwarts was not nearly as safe as it had been touted.
After Mrs. Norris' petrification, things were worse for Ariadne than ever before. It became apparent that during those first two months of school, her classmates had adhered to an unspoken rule: the fact that she was Sirius Black's daughter, though acknowledged, was not openly discussed. After that boy (Seamus, she soon found out) made his public accusation, the whispers that once followed her on occasion were now near constant.
"You-Know-Who's right-hand man–"
"Twelve muggles, did you know?"
"Probably just like her father–"
Ariadne did her best to keep her head held high and ignore it. Blessedly, not only did Ron, Harry and Hermione stick by her, they did not press her (though she couldn't tell how much exactly they knew). She was lucky to have gone with them to the party– without an alibi, who knows what the school would have said about her. What the even the three of them would have believed.
Besides Filch, it seemed that Ginny had very much taken Mrs. Norris' attack to heart. Though Ron explained it away as a love for cats, Ariadne was dubious. Even if Ariadne wanted to ask her about it, she could not have. Since that night, Ginny had very carefully avoided Ariadne. She was first to rise and last to bed, and even in their shared classes Ginny chose a seat at the back of the class, where she knew Ariadne would not be. Not that Ariadne particularly wanted to talk to Ginny– she had not forgotten Ginny's hurtful words, especially now when everyone else in the school seemed to agree.
Similarly, Hermione had taken to disappearing as well, spending more time in the library than ever before. One day, while Ariadne was walking towards the library to meet her, she bumped into Harry who was likewise meeting Ron. As they began to walk together, a boy in Hufflepuff robes walking towards them squinted at her in recognition.
"Aria! Is that you? From Collegiate Abbey? What are you doing here?"
"No– yes. It's Ariadne now. Justin? I didn't know you were a wizard!" Ariadne had rarely thought of her old muggle school lately, too wrapped up in the latest ongoings at Hogwarts. But she remembered Justin– the boy she had liked who moved away. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that this is where he moved to.
Justin, who was very obviously not really listening, pushed on. "Mad to see you at Hogwarts, Aria! Only found out last year myself. I was headed for Eton," and at that Harry rolled his eyes, "'til I got my Hogwarts letter. Quite the shock, as I'm sure you're aware."
Most of the kids at that school had been rather posh, and Justin was no exception. Ariadne's mother always brushed her aside when she asked how they could afford her tuition. Plus, living with the Malfoys, Ariadne was used to a certain kind of elitism. But Justin was erring on the side of rude. She moved to correct him. "Well, actually I–"
He cut her off, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her closer. Justin lowered his voice. "Be careful around him," he said, looking in Harry's direction. Harry scowled back. "You must have heard he's a danger to people like us, Aria."
Ariadne wrenched her wrist away. "I'm perfectly safe around Harry, thank you. And I go by Ariadne now."
"Wait, Ariadne? You're the one who people are saying–" And at that, Justin spun around and ran in the opposite direction. Ariadne blinked back in shock.
"Let's go." Harry said, ushering her towards the library. They found Ron at the back, struggling on an essay for History of Magic. As Harry began to look over his own essay, Hermione emerged from behind a bookshelf and stood next to Ariadne.
"I plan to ask Binns about the Chamber," she whispered. "Meet us tonight in the corridor." Ariadne nodded, and when the three headed off to History of Magic she made her way to Herbology.
That night, though she hadn't quite finished her homework in the Common Room, Ariadne began to make her way over to the second floor. On her way out, she nearly knocked into Ginny, who was on her way in. Ginny gave her a meek look before brushing past her, speeding off as quickly as she could without running. Ariadne nearly called out after her but changed her mind before setting off.
By the time that Ariadne reached the Harry, Ron and Hermione, she found that they were not alone. Backs pressed to the doorway of Myrtle's bathroom, the three were being scolded by an older student who looked similar to Ron. Percy, she figured.
"–think of her, all the first-years are thoroughly over-excited by this business–" Percy stopped when he noticed Ariadne walking up from behind him.
"Like her! What are you doing here, Ariadne? You should be with Ginny, I just sent her back to the Common Room."
"I was just, er–" Ariadne's eyes darted to the trio, who shook their heads in unison. "Taking a walk."
Their lack of subtlety was not unnoticed by Percy, who was quick to admonish. "You've dragged a first-year into your antics now? All of you, come with me."
Back at the Common Room, Harry, Ariadne, Ron and Hermione sat as far away from Percy as possible. "Back already, Black?" Someone called out to her before laughing. She steadfastly ignored him, choosing instead to listen to Hermione speculate about the Chamber.
"Let's think," Ron suggested sarcastically, tapping his chin in mock thought. "Which foul rat face yelled 'You'll be next, Mudbloods!' right in front of the message?"
"Malfoy? The Heir of Slytherin?" said Hermione, a doubtful look on her face.
"Why not?" Harry asked. "He's always boasting about how his whole family's been in Slytherin. And his father's definitely evil enough."
"Okay, I agree with that last bit." Ariadne finally chimed in. "But if Draco was descended from Slytherin, I'd have never heard the end of it."
"Ariadne, you know how he feels about muggleborns.. We all do." Ron stated.
"The only question is, how do we prove it?" Harry asked.
"What we'd need to do is get inside the Slytherin Common and ask Malfoy a few questions." Hermione looked thoughtful.
"Can't you just ask him? He's your cousin after all." Ron addressed Ariadne.
"He's not exactly too fond of me at the moment. Besides, I think Draco might be a total idiot, but I don't think he's evil."
"We can't rule him out though, not yet at least. I know a way we could do it without him realizing it's us. It's very dangerous. And difficult. And we'd be breaking about fifty school rules, mind you, but we need some Polyjuice Potion."
"Sorry, but what is that?"
"We've only just learned about it a few weeks ago, don't worry. Harry? Ron? Care to explain?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other before looking back at Hermione blankly. She rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, do either of you ever pay attention?" She turned back to Ariadne. "It turns you into somebody else. We could change into four Slytherins and question Malfoy. He's probably boasting about it as we speak. But we'll need permission from a teacher."
"Someone really thick then." Ron said, looking at Harry.
Harry smiled, mischief in his eyes. "I don't think that will be a problem."
After Ron and Hermione retreated upstairs to sleep, Harry and Ariadne stayed behind as they each finished up their work. He helped her with her Transfiguration as he wrote his own Potions essay, brows furrowed in thought. They wrote in companionable silence, no sound in the room besides the scratching of their quills and the crackling of the fire until Harry spoke once more.
"So. Aria, is it?" He laughed, nudging her in the side.
"Oh, you caught that?" Ariadne blushed. "It's Ariadne," she continued reflexively. She had been Ariadne since the day that Lucius declared it for her. But something about the name from Harry's mouth gave her pause. It didn't sound as it had from Justin, who seemed as though he were speaking about a ghost. Nor did it feel out of place in this world, as Lucius had warned her that it would be. For the first time in a long time, for a very brief moment, she felt like herself.
"But erm, you can call me Aria. If you want, that is."
Harry looked to meet Ariadne's eyes, though she was holding her gaze steadfastly to the floor. He was silent for a moment that felt like forever, and she finally looked up. "Aria," he tested before smiling. "Sure. Ariadne's kind of a mouthful anyway."
"Hey!" She cried indignantly, before joining in on his laughter. As they laughed, Ariadne found herself as content as she'd been in a long time. Here, she could forget, if only momentarily, the hostility and danger that loomed ahead.
Another chapter– longest one yet! I think they'll stay about this length if you guys like it. I promise it'll get more interesting, but I'm laying the groundwork for a lot to come. I'm already working on the next chapter, which should be out soon and will reveal more about Ariadne's dynamics with the Malfoys as well as more about her mother/family, which I'm super excited to get into. As always, please leave a review as I'm so interested in what you guys think (good and bad!) If there's anything you want to see or think would work well in the story, let me know! Similarly, if there's anything you don't want to see, I'll try and take it into account! Let me know how it's going thus far!