Serendipity [Book 2]

Exposure

Several weeks had passed since Christmas and all seemed calm. There had been no sightings of Sirius Black. No attacks on students. The perimeter of Hogwarts hadn't been disturbed. The only thing that truly weighed on Ariella's mind was the fate of Hagrid's hippogriff, Buckbeak. She sighed as she watched her sixth year students leave her classroom.

“Professor Cross?” Ariella turned to the doorway where Harry stood, looking unsure of himself. She smiled at him.

“Harry, come in. Have a seat. Although class doesn’t start for another hour,” Ariella remarked as she worked to clear the past class’s notes off of the blackboard. She heard a chair scrape the stone floor and a weighed down bag hit the ground.

“Can I ask you something Professor?”

“Yes, of course,” Ariella answered, still working on the blackboard notes.

“It’s about my parents,” Harry announced as Ariella paused for a moment before turning to face him.

“What is it, Harry?” She questioned as Harry clenched his fists on the desk in front of him. Ariella tilted her head to the side as she brushed a few stray curls away from her eyes. She watched Harry’s jaw tighten as his shoes shuffled beneath the desk.

“Harry?”

“Is it true?” Harry asked suddenly as he looked up at Ariella. His face showed his anger. She frowned.

“Is what true, Harry?”

“Did Sirius Black really betray my parents and sell them out to Voldemort?!” He yelled as Ariella looked toward the open door, willing the wood to close. She waited until she heard the solid thud and light click that told her the door was shut and locked.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Does it matter? I want to know if it’s true,” Harry growled. His knuckles turned white. Ariella watched him for a moment before she let out a soft sigh. Her boots clicked quietly on the floor as she made her way to her godson. His green eyes followed her.

“Harry knowing the truth will not make it easier,” Ariella remarked as Harry shook his head, tousling his unruly black locks. 

“I don’t care. I want to know.” He replied in a determined tone. Ariella stopped when she stood in front of him and her eyes watered, but no tears fell.

“Alright. If you really want to know. Yes, Harry, it’s true. Sirius Black betrayed your parents and I. He led Voldemort straight to them. I’m sorry,” Ariella admitted after a moment of silence. Harry stared at her with wide eyes when he saw the raw pain that flashed across his godmother’s countenance. He paused as he remembered something that Professor Lupin had told him during one of their talks.

“Your godmother was very close to both of your father and Sirius. The three of them had practically grown up together. Your father and her especially. You know, when they were younger his parents actually thought that he was going to marry Ariella, instead of your mother.”