“But we aren’t anything but friends,” She finished as Snape frowned. His frown deepened as he saw hurt flash across her features.
“What are we, Cross?” He inquired as Ariella tilted her head to the side. She sighed before shrugging her shoulders. She dipped her head down, unable to face him.
“I don’t know, Snape. I honestly have no idea,” She answered truthfully. When she looked up, she was surprised to see the smirk that had spread across her colleague’s countenance. She opened her mouth to ask about the expression, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Speechless for once, are we, Cross?” He drawled seductively. Ariella’s entire body froze when Severus used his long fingers to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. The action seemed to speak volumes for the quiet Potions Master.
“What do you want us to be, Severus?” Ariella questioned in a voice that sounded stronger than she thought it would. Suddenly a chilling breeze swept across the pair as Ariella’s eyes widened.
“Snape, go get Remus! Now!” She ordered as she separated from the confused Snape. He stared at her before she bolted back outside. He did as she asked and the two men rushed back out onto the grounds.
Ariella easily transformed and bounded into the Forbidden Forest. A growling earned her attention as she turned to face a large black dog. She easily snarled in return as she crouched, ready to pounce. The large dog’s grey eyes seemed to soften as it stared at her. Suddenly it transformed into the form of a ragged, sick looking man with wild black hair.
“Elle? Is that you?” His raspy, deep voice was almost a whisper as Ariella growled. She too transformed and glared at the intruder. The man’s eyes widened as he looked at her before tears welled in his eyes.
“Elle!” He cried out as he went to reach for her. Her wand was at his throat in less than a second and he frowned.
“Elle, what are you doing?” He asked, confused.
“Don’t talk to me as if we’re friends, Sirius Black,” Ariella snarled as Sirius stared at her in surprise. Her amethyst eyes were icy as he took a step back.
“We are friends, Elle. You know I would never kill James and Lily! I loved them!” He exclaimed in defense as she scoffed.
“Just like you loved me?” She questioned bitterly. Sirius stared at her before letting his face crumple. The tears he had been holding back fell down his face.
“Elle, if you believed I killed them, you would’ve kill me by now,” He remarked as Ariella frowned.
“Maybe I don’t want to be a murderer,” She rebutted as he scoffed. Ariella quirked an eyebrow as he grew bitter.
“You almost killed Peter when he set your hair on fire,” He argued as Ariella rolled her eyes.
“That was in third year. That is nothing like now,” She growled as Sirius frowned.
“Elle!”
“Cross!” Ariella’s eyes widened when she heard Remus’s and Snape’s voice at the edge of the Forest. Sirius turned to the sound of their voices and furrowed his eyebrows.
“Ariella!” Remus called out again as Ariella felt confliction rise up in her gut. She should turn Sirius in. The dementors would give him the kiss and he’d be lost forever. However, some part of her told her that he was innocent. Some irrational part of her still cared for the bastard.
“Go!” She snarled after a moment. Sirius turned to her in surprise.
“Elle, what…”
“Just go! I’m letting you live for now, Sirius. Next time, I will end you,” She threatened as she transformed and bounded out of the Forest. She easily found the two men searching for her and mewed softly to earn their attention.
“Ah, Elle! There you are,” Remus remarked with a sigh as Severus Snape stared at the animal in front of him. A large, majestic lioness sat on her hind legs in front of him and let her tail slither back and forth on the ground behind her. If it weren’t for the amethyst eyes staring at him knowingly, Snape would have thought Hagrid had the creature imported from Africa and kept it as a pet. The large animal easily transformed into his diminutive companion and she smiled at them.
“Hey guys!” She greeted. Remus frowned as did Snape.
“Elle, why’d you call us out here? What were you doing in the Forest?” He asked in worry. Ariella looked conflicted for a moment before deciding to lie.
“I thought I smelled Black’s scent, but I lost it in the Forest,” She lied as Remus’s frown deepened.
“You shouldn’t go so far into the Forest, Elle. Especially not in your animagus form,” He chastised as Ariella rolled her eyes.
“And not after Black,” Snape growled at the foolishness of the thought. He should’ve known better than to think that his colleague had learned her lesson last year when she had almost died. Ariella frowned when she heard the hostility in Snape’s voice.
“Well I didn’t find him, so no harm,” She responded darkly as Remus sighed, sure that his friend’s temper was flaring.
“What would you have done if you had found him Cross? He will kill you!” Snape snarled as Ariella folded her arms across her chest.
“I’d like to see him try. I would rip him to shreds before he even had the chance to think about attacking me,” Ariella hissed. Remus took a step back from the feuding couple. Severus clenched his firsts at his side as he took a threatening step toward the blonde. Ariella tilted her head up, trying to appear more menacing. If there was anything she learned from her spats with the Potions Master, she’d have to stand tough or he’d run her over.
“Have you forgotten he killed Pettigrew, the Potters and thirteen muggles?” He growled as Ariella narrowed her eyes, darkening them.
“Of course I haven’t forgotten Snape! It’s kind of hard to when I was engaged to him!” She barked before Snape stumbled back in surprise.
“What?” He stuttered as Ariella huffed and turned away from him.
“Nothing. Forget I said anything,” She mumbled before starting to stomp back up to the castle. Remus frowned before sighing.
“Elle, wait for us, please,” He called out to her turned back as Severus stared after her.
“She was engaged to him?” He asked Remus who nodded his head.
“Yeah. We had always figured they’d get married in school,” Remus admitted as Snape stared at him. His memory of the blonde had always included Black and Potter. It made sense.
“Hmph,” Snape grumbled as he and Remus started to follow Ariella. A sudden shrill scream stopped both men in their tracks.
“Ariella!” They shouted at the same time. Their robes billowed behind them as they ran up the hill that separated them from her. When they got to the top, Ariella’s assailant was gone and Ariella sat dazed and frightened. Tears streamed down red cheeks as she struggled to push her tangled curls away from her face.
“Elle!” Remus dropped down next to the woman and she buried herself into his chest. Severus pulled out his wand and searched the surrounding area, looking for her attacker.
“Elle, who did this? Was it a dementor?” Remus asked in concern as Ariella shook her head.
“No! It was Black! I saw him, Remus! It was Sirius,” She answered hysterically. Snape appeared beside the couple with a shake of his head. Remus sighed as he easily lifted Ariella into his arms. Snape stared at him in surprise. He didn’t know the other man had that much strength, however, Ariella was extremely light, he remembered.
“We should go tell Dumbledore and the Aurors, Severus,” Remus suggested as Ariella buried her tear-stained face into her friend’s shoulder. Severus nodded and stood behind the couple as they trudged into the castle and up to the headmaster’s office. Albus looked up in surprise when all three of the adults entered his office late at night.
“Severus. Remus. Ariella,” He greeted solemnly as he saw Severus’s grave face. Remus wore an expression of sympathy as he easily sat Ariella down in the plush chair in front of Dumbledore’s desk. Her facial expression seemed to disturb Albus the most. She looked frightened, ashamed and angry all at once. He could see where the tears had ravaged her porcelain cheeks and the grass and sticks that were now embedded in her tangled curls. She looked like she had been attacked with the scratches that littered her forearms and the one across her cheek.
“Cross was attacked,” Severus announced as Remus nodded to agree with him. Albus turned to Ariella in surprise.
“By who?”
“Who do you think?” Severus growled before Ariella could. She turned to look up at him. He easily moved to stand beside the chair she was sitting in. He had learned that she seemed to feel better when he was close enough to grab. He had been right because as soon as he moved close enough, Ariella had grabbed his robes in her hand and held him there. He noticed she had already done the same to Remus’s ragged robes.
“Ella, was it Sirius who attacked you?” He asked as Ariella nodded weakly. Albus frowned before stepping around his desk to pat Ariella on the shoulder.
“I’ll tell McCormick. However, for the time being, Ariella," Albus paused as he looked between Remus and Severus.
"I think you should stay with someone," Albus suggested as Remus nodded in agreement.
"You can stay with me, Elle," He offered as Severus scoffed before objecting.
"It's too close to the full moon, Lupin," He argued as Remus glared at him.
"Are you suggesting she stay with you, Snape? In the dungeons?" Remus asked as Ariella looked to the ground. Severus frowned before nodding his head.
"Yes. Black would never suspect she's there," He reasoned as Remus rolled his eyes.
"You're forgetting something, Snape. Elle hates the dungeons for reasons you should be well aware of," Remus growled as he put a protective hand on Ariella's shoulder.
"All the more reason for Cross to stay there," Snape replied darkly as Ariella looked up at him. Something in the fear she exuded forced him to protect her. He needed to have her close to him just like she needed him close to her.
"You're being unreasonable, Snape."