“I said while I admit we did some pretty cruel things, we never went as far as to physically harm him like he and Malfoy did!” Remus voiced his concerns. Ariella frowned.
“Remus, really. Can you really blame him for what he did?” She asked, although she already knew his answer.
“Yes!” Remus replied vehemently. The careless approach to the subject led Remus to believe she had thought about the memory a lot. No doubt because she was so close to the main perpetrator.
“If he wanted revenge, he should’ve come after us!” Remus remarked. Ariella’s frown slipped away as a serene smile replaced it.
“Really? Would he really have gotten away with it? And could he really justify years of torture? In actuality, it was simply easier to attack the one thing all of you cared about. Me.” Ariella reasoned. Remus stared at her with wide eyes.
“You’re defending him?”
“Look! Here’s the dungeon!” Ariella remarked as Severus stared at her. His eyes searched the hallway and found she was correct. A grin was plastered across the young blonde’s face.
“Well it was fun, Snape!” She remarked before turning to disappear back into the passageway. Severus watched her until she was seemingly swallowed up by the wall. He honestly didn’t know what to think about Ariella Cross.
“Severus!” Lucius Malfoy looked surprised to find the dark haired boy alone in the hallway after curfew. The Head Boy frowned.
“What are you doing out here?” He asked.
“I was on my way back from the library,” Severus answered truthfully.
“Was there someone here with you?”
“No,” Snape answered quickly. He let his mind wander to his carefree Potions partner.
“I could’ve sworn I heard that Cross girl’s voice!” Lucius muttered more to himself than to the sixth year in front of me.
“Well, get to the common room! I’m letting you off with a warning Severus!” Lucius remarked before the two headed to the Slytherin common room.
**
“Last night was fun, huh?” Ariella asked as she grounded beetles like Severus had asked her to do.
“Hardly,” Severus drawled. His dark eyes caught Sirius Black and James’s Potter’s stares as Ariella paid little attention to her friends.
“Well I had fun! Of course, James and Sirius were bloody pissed when I came back! You should’ve seen their faces when I told them I snuck around with you!” Ariella replied cheerfully. Severus frowned at the comment.
“You told them you were with me?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I? We’re friends right?” Ariella tilted her head to the side. Red ribbons were tied skillfully into her curls so they wouldn’t fall into her face. Severus stared at her in surprise at her admittance.
“Friends?”
“Yeah. Of course I understand if you don’t wanna be friends with me. After all, you hate them!” She jutted her thumb in the direction of her four best friends. Remus and Peter were paying little attention, but James and Sirius grew livid. They couldn’t understand why Ariella Cross would be so friendly with Severus Snape when she hated all the other Slytherins she came in contact with, especially Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black.
“I’m just saying…I can understand his position,” Ariella reasoned. Remus stared at her in shock.
“And Malfoy? Do you forgive him?”
“Merlin, no. If I could, I’d feed him to a Chinese Fireball,” she replied, fury flaring in the pit of her stomach at the mention of the Malfoy senior.
“He helped Snape,” Remus remarked.
“Malfoy fed off of Severus’s insecurities and anger. Remus, can we stop talking about this?” Ariella asked, unwilling to relive the terrifying moment that changed her entire demeanor.
“Elle, I’m just worried about you,” Remus admitted as he grasped Ariella’s trembling hands in his own.
“You let him close once, remember?”
“Hey Lily!” Ariella greeted cheerfully. The red head smiled at her. It was hard not to like Ariella Cross.
“Hi, Ariella,” Lily Evans responded sweetly. Loud, raucous laughing distracted the two girls as they looked down to the lakeside. Ariella’s eyes widened as she saw her best friends, laughing. Lily gasped as she caught sight of Severus hanging upside down with the Marauders taunting him. Both girls dropped their bags and ran down the hillside, intent on stopping the scene before the audience grew any larger.
“James! Sirius! Stop!” Ariella ordered as she stopped in front of the smirking boys. Sirius easily pulled Ariella behind him.
“Watch this, Elle!” He remarked as James moved his wand up and down and Severus's flailing body followed the movement.
“Potter, stop this! Now!” Lily screeched as she pushed James back. Ariella pulled Sirius back and snatched his wand out of his hand. Sirius chuckled as he reached for his wand.
“Give me my wand, Elle!” He teased. Ariella frowned as she shook her head. Before she could stop him, Sirius pulled her against his chest and kissed her. Severus’s eyes widened as he watched the scene.
“Let him go, Potter!” Lily ordered furiously. James smirked at her before conceding to her demands. Severus Snape fell unceremoniously to the ground with a hard thud. Lily dropped down to his side and was in the process of helping him to his feet when he turned on her. His onyx eyes were hard in fury.
“Sirius what do you think you’re…”
“Don’t touch me, mudblood!” Ariella stopped as everyone turned to stare at Severus and Lily. Lily froze as the words left his lips. Sirius and James pushed past Ariella, intent on making Severus take back his painful words. Lily climbed to her feet.
“Wait, I…” Severus began before he noticed the glares he was receiving from the Gryffindors that surrounded him. Even Ariella Cross held a certain level of disdain for him at the moment.
“You’re going to regret saying that Snape!” James howled as he pointed his wand at the Slytherin.
“If you know what’s good for you, Potter, you’ll leave now,” Lucius Malfoy appeared and pointed his wand at Ariella. The Malfoy’s posse appeared on either side of the blonde and Sirius and James glared at him.
“Come on, James. Sirius. Elle,” Remus conceded as he proceeded to drag his enraged friends from an unfair battle. Severus Snape watched the Marauders walk off with not only Lily Evans at their sides but also his Potions partner. He felt unbridled rage rise in his stomach as Lucius bent down next to him.
**
“What is it, Severus?” Ariella folded her arms across her chest. She had accidentally fallen asleep in the library and the quiet boy had been the one to find her.
“The library’s closing, Cross,” Snape replied honestly. Ariella sighed as she nodded, proceeding to walk past the Slytherin.
“Will you walk with me?” Snape asked suddenly. Ariella turned to him in surprise, intent on saying no. However when her eyes met his , she felt pity for him. With a soft sigh, she nodded her head. She let him lead her aimlessly through the castle.
“You must hate me,”
“Hate’s a strong word,” Ariella responded quietly. It was true. While she should hate the Slytherin, she couldn’t. Something about his unaffected façade broke her heart. He was lonely.
“And Potter and Black,” he growled before Ariella interrupted him.
“I’m sorry they were teasing you so horribly. I had no idea,” Ariella apologized, knowing her words couldn’t ease the pain in the boy’s heart. Severus frowned before turning to her suddenly.
“Why are you apologizing for them?”
“They’re my friends,” she replied softly. She suddenly felt a shudder of uneasiness pass through her body and she frowned as she recognized her surroundings.
“Why are we in the dungeons?” She asked suddenly. Severus looked conflicted before guilt settled across his sallow features.
“Hello, Cross,”
“At least think about it?” Remus suggested as he stood outside Ariella’s door. His friend nodded as he turned to head toward his own room. He hadn’t meant to make her remember the incident. He could still remember the fear in her eyes. It shook him to his very core, just like it had all those years ago.
“Elle’s been gone an awfully long time,” Sirius mentioned as he looked toward the dwindling fire in the fireplace. The common room had emptied and the four Marauders were the only ones left. James frowned.
“Didn’t she say she was going to the library?” he asked as Remus nodded.
“Yes, but I believe it closed several hours ago,” he replied. Anxiety settled across the boys’ features. It was unusual for Ariella not to check in with them.
“Prongs, grab the map. Find her!” Sirius suggested as James hopped to his feet and ran up to the dorms. Remus put his book away as Peter sat up fully from his place on the floor. When James returned, they crowded around the Marauder Map.
“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” James muttered as he tapped the parchment with his wand. Their eyes searched the grounds for the name of their beloved companion. Peter gasped when he find her first.
“There she is!” He commented as he pointed to the dungeon portion of the map. Sirius, James and Remus all froze when they saw the names surrounding their friend. Lucius Malfoy. Bellatrix Black. Severus Snape. Rodolphus Lestrange. Victor Goyle.