I realize this is a couple of days late. I apologize. I honestly meant to get it up on Valentine's Day, but it just wasn't meant to be.
I realize that you all are waiting for an actual update and I'm sorry for the delay. I've been super busy and it's coming along slowly. I hope this will appease you for the time being. Oh, also, this is supposed to be a Marauder memory....so Severus and Ariella aren't really on speaking terms. Sorry.
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February 13, 1977
“Can you believe we’re graduating this year?” James Potter remarked with a gentle sigh as he sat next to Ariella and Sirius
“Seems like yesterday we just meeting up on the train,” Sirius replied as Ariella chuckled.
“You mates are discussing an event that’s months away. Do you two even know what tomorrow is?” She asked as she looked up from the book she had been reading. Remus sat across from the three; his hand racing across the parchment that lay in his lap. Peter sat on the floor practicing the latest Charms spell that had just been taught.
“What are you blabbering about, Elle?” James responded as he turned to the blonde girl next to him.
“Oi, I bet I know what it is,” Sirius announced with a mischievous smirk.
“It’s something to do with Gryffindor, isn’t it?” He asked sarcastically as James chuckled.
“It’s always something to do with Gryffindor, Pads!” James added as Ariella rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.
“No! It’s Valentine’s Day, you wankers,” Ariella responded as Sirius and James looked at one another. James suddenly jumped up in mild horror.
“What? You’re joking right?” Panic resonated in his question. Ariella giggled.
“Nope.” She chirped as James turned and bolted up to the boys dormitories, muttering about Valentine’s Day and Lily Evans. Ariella giggled harder as Remus, Sirius, and Peter joined her laughter.
“It’s always Evans with him,” Sirius remarked as Ariella nodded to agree with him. With ease, Sirius stretched his arm over her shoulders.
“So, Elle, about tomorrow, I need you to come up with an awesome way to score me some ladies,” Sirius remarked as Ariella shook her head.
“Not this year, Pads. I’ve got my own Valentine’s Day plans,” Ariella announced as her friends turned to her in surprise.
“Really, Elle? With whom?” Remus asked curiously.
“Nunya,” Ariella replied with a shrug. Peter scrunched up his nose at her answer.
“Nunya?”
“Nunya business!” Ariella blurted out before bursting into a fit of wild giggles. Remus chuckled as Sirius withdrew his arm and set his face in a firm scowl.
“Seriously, Elle, who do ya have a date with?” Sirius asked.
“Oh, don’t get your knickers in a wad, Sirius. It’s merely a platonic date,” Ariella responded flippantly as she climbed to her feet and stretched.
“Well I’m off to bed. Make sure Prongs isn’t going to kill himself over his lack of plans for tomorrow,” Ariella remarked as she pressed her lips to each of her friends’ foreheads. For extra measure, she ruffled Sirius’ hair before heading up the stairwell to the girls’ dormitories.
“Night boys!” She called out one final time as Remus and Peter waved to her.
“Moony, you have any idea about the bloke Elle is so wrapped up on?” Sirius asked when Ariella was out of sight. Remus turned to Sirius with a frown.
“Didn’t she just tell you it was a platonic date?”
“Aw, come on! You and I both know Elle isn’t into platonic anything!” Sirius remarked as he folded his arms across his chest. Remus sighed and shook his head.
“No, Sirius. I have no idea who the bloke is,” Remus replied as he watched Sirius scowl at the thought.
“Well then, it’s up to me to find out!”
February 14, 1977
“What’s up with James and Sirius?” Ariella whispered as she sat next to Remus at breakfast Valentine’s morning. Remus chuckled as he looked up at his tired looking friends.
“They spent most of the night planning Valentine’s Day for their ‘sweethearts’,” Remus replied as he drew a large bar of chocolate from his pocket and handed it to Ariella.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Elle,” Remus added as Ariella smiled brightly.
“Thanks, Moony. Chocolate makes the world go around,” she replied as she lightly pecked him on the cheek. Peter whimpered from Remus’ other side as he watched the duo. Somehow, he always felt left out. The group watched as pink hearts floated down the table, drifting to certain people. Everyone knew what was inside. It was secret admirer grams. Ariella was surprised when one drifted in front of her face and fell gently in her lap. Her friends turned to her in surprise.
“Secret admirer, Elle?” James asked as he bit into a piece of toast with jam. Ariella shrugged as she opened the heart and she read the fluid script.
From the moment we met, I liked you a lot.
You had stolen my heart right on the spot.
I dreamt of the day I’d tell you how I feel
And from your sweet lips, a kiss I would steal
As time goes on, you’re still the one.
I am the Earth and you are the sun.
So this day I’ll give you my heart
And pray that we should never part.
With love,
Your Secret Admirer
Ariella stared at the words as she read them over and over again. By now, Remus was leaning over her shoulder and he too was reading the words.
“Well, that’s pretty expressive,” he commented as James leaned over the table, trying to read the note as well.
“Who’s it from?”
“It just says your secret admirer,” Ariella replied as Sirius scoffed.
“Coward. If I liked someone that much, I’d tell them to their face,” he mumbled, disgruntled by the entire situation. Ariella chuckled.
“Right. Because you, Sirius Orion Black, are so eloquent with words,” Ariella teased with a soft smile as Sirius looked up with a scowl.
“I’ll have you know I’m extremely eloquent in everything I do!” Sirius argued as James chuckled.
“Elle might have a point there, Pads. Do you remember how you asked out Saunders?” James asked as he took another bite of his toast.
“I told her she looked pretty and I wanted to date her,” Sirius answered as his friends laughed and all shook their heads. Ariella smirked.
“You told her she looked like sex on wheels and that you’d shag her any day of the week,” Ariella replied as Sirius looked offended.
“I did not,” he argued again, although he knew it was useless. Ariella’s memory was flawless. If that was what she remembered him saying, then he said it.
“Well it’s true,” he mumbled after a short silence. James patted his friend on the back as he grabbed another piece of toast.
“Eh, well, this mystery guy will just have to reveal himself to me. Because honestly, I’m not searching for him,” Ariella remarked as she grabbed a nearby muffin.
“Could it be your date tonight?” Remus asked as he too grabbed a muffin and pulled out his Transfiguration textbook.
“I hardly think so,” Ariella responded with a shrug.
“Ariella!” A sudden musical voice earned everyone’s attention as James jumped to his feet, falling back over the bench. Ariella rolled her eyes as she stood up and moved to meet Lily Evans.
“Lily,” Ariella greeted before taking another bite of her muffin.
“Can I talk to you in private?” Lily asked quietly as Ariella nodded and bent over to grab her bag.
“See you guys in Potions,” Ariella waved as she and Lily walked away from the group of boys. James looked crestfallen as he slumped back into his seat. Sirius folded his arms across his chest and Remus turned back to his textbook. Peter sat eating his breakfast, completely forgotten by his companions for the moment.
**
“I need your help,” Lily announced once the two girls were out of earshot of the Great Hall. Ariella quirked an eyebrow at the red head girl.
“Help? With what?” She asked, concerned. Lily blushed as she looked at her feet.
“Well…it’s about Potter,” she started as Ariella formed an “O” with her lips.
“You aren’t going to let him down on Valentine’s Day are you, Lils?” Ariella questioned, worry rising for her oldest friend. While he pretended to act tough, James was actually a very sweet and fragile person.
“No, no. Actually, the opposite. I wanted to…” Lily paused as her blush deepened and Ariella smiled brightly.
“You like James!” She exclaimed ecstatically. Before Lily could reply, Ariella encased her in a tight hug.
“Oh that’s fantastic! He’s really smitten with you, Lily. I mean it!” Ariella gushed as Lily smiled gently.
“So what does that have to do with me?”
“I was wondering if you would help me find a way to tell him….privately,” Lily replied softly as she glanced around them. The hallway, for the moment, was empty. Breakfast was still happening and classes didn’t start for another fifteen minutes.
“Just tell him.” Ariella suggested as Lily quickly shook her head. She wanted to surprise him. Ariella looked thoughtful for a moment before a wild grin split her face.
“I know just how you can tell him,” Ariella announced as Lily leaned in close to hear the blonde’s plan.
**
“So what were you and Evans talking about in ‘private’?” Sirius asked as he sat next to Ariella in Potions. Ariella was bent over a piece of parchment hurriedly scribbling down words. Sirius was tempted to lean over and pretend to be reading the note, but thought better of it.
“It’s a secret,” Ariella replied flippantly. She quickly rolled the parchment up and stuffed it into her nearby bag. When she looked up, she took notice of Severus Snape’s forlorn expression at the back of the class. Although part of her loathed his very existence, a part of her still cared for him, as a friend. That part of her had won out when she had been deciding on her plans for Valentine’s Day. For today, she figured she could attempt to cheer him up. She quickly avoided his eyes when he looked up at her and she turned to Sirius with a smile.
“So have you found a date for tonight?” She asked. Sirius shrugged.
“Eh, no. It’s not a big deal. Tons of dames are dying to spend some ‘quality’ time with me,” he bragged as he puffed out his chest. Ariella giggled as she poked him in the middle of his chest, causing him to deflate.
“You know, those girls and you are more than physical beings,” Ariella commented as she pulled out her Potions text book.
“Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah, love,” Sirius joked as he pouted toward Ariella. With an ease that had come from years of familiar affection, he tucked a stray blonde curl away from her amethyst eyes and smirked. Ariella smiled softly at him before Professor Slughorn practically waddled to the front of the class.
“Good morning students!” The aging man greeted as he smiled brightly.
“As today is indeed Valentine’s Day, I thought we could practice making amortentia!” He announced as the class instantly began to buzz with low conversation.
“And the best made potion will receive a vial of amortentia for their pleasure,” Slughorn finished and the class burst in motion. Ariella sighed as she waited for the rush of students to leave the store room. Sirius smirked as he leaned against her.
“Don’t you need some love potion for this ‘platonic’ date of yours?”
“Hardly. Anyways, if I wanted to make love potion, I could do it in my spare time. You can make it to your heart’s content. I need to practice something else,” Ariella remarked as she smiled. Sirius chuckled as he moved to go gather ingredients.
“So you’re actually going to let someone else win an academic competition?” He asked as he was walking away. Ariella frowned before realization dawned across her features. By the time Sirius returned, he found Ariella hunched over her cauldron.
"I see you're now participating," he commented as Ariella turned to him with a scowl.
"Shut up."