Ariadne awoke the next morning as soon as the sun came out, beams of light glaring into her face through the large windows guarding her balcony. She had always thought that the expansive windows were Malfoy Manor's greatest asset, allowing sunshine to brighten up an otherwise gloomy interior. The light softened the sometimes-overbearing green of her walls, casting a soft jade shadow instead that allowed Ariadne to feel as though she were back doing her homework in Hyde Park while she waited for her mother's shift to finish.
But Ariadne was not used to waking up early. Though she loved to keep her curtains open to allow the sun in, Dobby always ensured that they were closed right after she went to sleep, so as not to disturb her. A horrible thought crossed her mind and she opened her mouth without thinking.
"Dobby! Dobby!" Ariadne yelled, panic flooding her tone. The tiny elf appeared by her bed with a sudden crack, and Ariadne felt her entire body sag with relief.
"Has Miss had another nightmare?" Dobby cried, worried by the expression on Ariadne's face. Ariadne moved to sit back up, and Dobby rushed to help her.
"No, no," she waved off, and began rambling. "It's nothing. It's going to sound truly ridiculous but I had called for tea last night and then I noticed that my curtains were open and I was just so afraid that the Mal–"
Ariadne cut herself off, in part due to an unwillingness to admit a horrible concern about the Malfoys' behavior, and in part because Dobby had begun to bang his head against her bed frame.
"Dobby is a bad elf! Miss will make Dobby do extra punishments, and Dobby will deserve it!"
Ariadne reached to grab him by the shoulders. Upon first moving in with the Malfoys, the family's casual mistreatment of their house elves had been shocking (as had been the elves themselves). After noticing Ariadne's horrified expression while Lucius commanded Dobby to shut his ears in the oven door for spilling pumpkin juice, Draco pulled Ariadne aside with a small laugh.
"It's just the way of things." He said slowly, as if Ariadne was a very small child after she pushed back at his nonchalant explanation that house elves were merely inferior creatures. Barely a day into her new home, Ariana had not wanted to alienate her father's family, the people who had taken her in and so she nodded her acceptance. After all, she thought, she really didn't know much about the wizarding world at all. Who was she to object to their customs?
And yet, Ariadne knew that any custom that forced harm on a gentle creature like Dobby was not a custom worth having and went out of her way to be as kind to him as she possibly could. That included stopping his punishments when the Malfoys weren't around and trying to stop them when they were.
"No, Dobby, don't do that. It's just... where were you? Is everything alright?" Ariadne's concern prompted tears to fill Dobby's wide eyes. He began hitting his head once more.
"Dobby... must... not... say! Dobby... must... protect... H-" Dobby cried, choking out each word as though it physically pained him. It might have, Ariadne thought, knowing what she knew about house elves.
"Then don't worry about it, Dobby," she cut in, ensuring her tone stayed reassuring. "I'm just glad that you're okay."
Dobby's tears began to flow even faster than before, eyes shining wetly with gratitude. "Thank you, Miss. Dobby will prepare tea and toast for Miss. She has a big day and must eat!" And with a pop, he disapparated away.
At that, Ariadne began to ready herself for the day's trip to Diagon Alley. Though the prospect of receiving her wand began to consume her thoughts, Ariadne resolved not to forget the mystery of Dobby's disappearance.
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Though she'd been several times over the course of her year with the Malfoy family, Ariadne was always awed by Diagon Alley. She imagined she'd remain that way forever, unable to completely wrap her head around the enormity of a totally hidden wizarding community. Today her awe was doubled– Ariadne had never seen Diagon Alley so crowded, and never with so many people her own age.
At her muggle primary school, Ariadne liked to think that she had many friends. However, she had not seen or heard from them since her abrupt departure from school, though she did not mind. There wasn't much place for them in the wizarding world anyway. Unfortunately, that left only Draco for companionship and although Ariadne found herself increasingly at ease in his presence, she would consider it a great misfortune if he remained her only company. After all, she was pretty sure he did not like her much at all.
In Diagon Alley, however, every Hogwarts student from first year to seventh was here to do shopping. Ariadne felt her heart beat faster at the thought of meeting new people. It had been so long (so long) since she had talked to anyone who wasn't a Malfoy or a house elf that she feared she no longer had the ability. Lucius' voice cut through her thoughts.
"I shall take Draco with me to Borgin & Burkes –don't give me that look, Narcissa– before retrieving the children's books from Flourish & Blotts. Ariadne, stay with Narcissa. We shall meet in two hours for tea. Only then, Draco, will I buy you your broom." Ariadne startled at hearing her name. She could count on one hand the number of times that Mr. Malfoy had addressed her directly. She nodded as Narcissa grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the shops, still glaring at Lucius with enough displeasure that Ariadne felt compelled to ask her what Borgin & Burkes was.
"Nothing you should concern yourself with, darling. Just an antique shop," Narcissa replied with a light laugh.
Narcissa's practiced nonchalance left Ariadne quite positive that it was not just an antique shop but resolved to let the matter rest. Instead, she allowed herself to be dragged by the arm by Narcissa, who set off in one direction quite purposefully.
"Are we getting my wand?" Ariadne asked hopefully.
"Not yet, darling. We absolutely must get you some new robes first. The ones you have been wearing are perfectly fine for lounging around the manor but are not befitting of a young witch in school. I can't quite decide between Twilfitt and Tattings or Madame Malkin's though. Do you have a preference?"
At Ariadne's blank look Narcissa laughed once more. "Right. Twilfitt and Tattings it is. Draco got his robes at Madame Malkin's last year, but Twilfittt and Tattings simply has the higher quality selections." At that, Narcissa pulled Ariadne into a store with a rather nondescript exterior, with slightly rundown brick that matched the rest of the Alley storefronts.
Inside was a completely different story. Ariadne was not at all surprised that this was the kind of store that Narcissa Malfoy shopped at. Everything was pristine and white, from the cold marble floors to the clothing displays. Giant gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling, shining light onto mannequins that changed positions every few seconds, ensuring a view of the robes from all possible angles.
"Lady Malfoy!" A skeletally thin woman with a rather tight forehead moved to greet them at the door, kissing Narcissa on both cheeks. Privately, Ariadne wondered if the woman could move her face at all. "Who might this lovely thing be?"
"Hello, Muffy. This is my," Narcissa briefly paused, "niece. Ariadne Black. We're purchasing her some robes before she enters her first year at Hogwarts."
Muffy looked rather taken aback, or as much as could with her eyebrows remaining perfectly still. Nevertheless, she recovered quickly.
"Goodness! First year, you say? What I would have given to look like you at eleven! Or even now! Let's get you fitted right away." Muffy's words remained light, but her eyes bore down on Ariadne curiously. Ariadne knew something about her had caught Muffy off guard. Was it her name? The fact that Narcissa had a niece?
Ariadne's mind continued to race as Muffy charmed a tape measurer to wrap itself around her waist. As she left the store, several Hogwarts robes in hand along with one fine pair made of acromantula silk for special occasions, she felt Muffy's gaze on her back. As if sensing Ariadne's thoughts, Narcissa began to speak.
"I'd always wanted a daughter, you know. Not in place of Draco, of course not, but a little sister for him. One that looked just like me, who I could dress up and take out shopping. Draco got fitted for his robes without me last year. He said he was too big to be escorted by his mother. Too big, at eleven!" Narcissa was not looking at Ariadne, eyes unseeing in a haze of nostalgia and regret. She turned towards Ariadne and began searching her face. As if as an afterthought, she added "You do look rather like me. You're at least as pretty as I was at your age, which is certainly saying something."
Ariadne was flattered, as she thought Narcissa to be very beautiful. It was evident that Narcissa thought that of herself as well, though Ariadne did not mind.
"Er– thank you, Narcissa." Ariadne said, as warmly as she could despite being quite uncomfortable with the compliment. "Is it time for my wand yet?"
"Let's see. I'd take you to Madame Primpernelle's but you don't need it. You have my cheekbones, lucky girl. We've gotten your robes and Lucius is buying your books. Yes, I suppose it's time."
Ariadne nearly screamed with excitement but held herself together with a practiced decorum born of a year with the Malfoys. Narcissa guided Ariadne into a shop, narrow and shabby, with peeling gold letters over the door: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.
A very old man stood behind the counter, thousands of boxes displayed behind him. This must be Ollivander, Ariadne realized. Could he really have been alive back in 382 BC? He certainly looked old enough to her, and she truly could not grasp how wizards aged differently from muggles.
"Mr. Ollivander," Narcissa greeted. Her politeness was undercut by the upturn of her nose. "This is my niece, Ariadne Black. We've come to purchase her first wand."
"How do you do?" Ariadne asked politely.
"Lady Malfoy," Ollivander ignored Ariadne. Rude, she thought. "Nine inches, elm, and dragon heartstring. Same wood and core as your husband, if I recall correctly."
"You do." Narcissa placed a hand on her wand protectively.
Ariadne coughed meaningfully, unable to stand the wait any longer. Ollivander's tired eyes found her form, where he looked for a very long time. Finally, he spoke.
"Ariadne Black? Quite the spit of your parents, Miss Black. Very sorry to hear about your mother, dear. Horrible life she had, don't blame her for what she did. Eight inches, yew, dragon heartstring. Perfect wand for a brilliant mind, of course. But it did not indicate much in the spirit of mental fortitude, did it?"
"Now, Ollivander. Enough of that."
But Narcissa was too late. Ariadne's thoughts rushed back to the day in December that everything had changed. She had skipped home from school with two mates who lived on her block, having been let out of school for the Christmas holiday. After that, Ariadne could only remember hearing screams, so loud yet so distant that she could not pinpoint its source. It was only after a neighbor had rushed in and grabbed her, covering Ariadne's face with her hand, that Ariadne realized it was her own. The neighbor waited with her at the police station until Narcissa came, and that was the end of that.
"Ariadne." A gentle voice woke her out of her reverie. "Are you ready to test wands, darling?"
Ariadne nodded, reaching out for the first one. Nothing. Nor for the second, or the third. On the fourth, as Ollivander was growing increasingly frazzled, he seemed to have a bit of a realization.
"Aha!" He muttered to himself. "A Black and a Fenwick. Yes, this shall do quite well." Ollivander handed Ariadne a wand, and before her hand had even fully wrapped around it, she felt her palm warm to the touch. This is it, she felt. She did not know how she knew, but she did.
Ollivander seemed to know as well. "Yes, yes. Nine inches, rosewood, unicorn hair. Rather bendy. This wand will serve you quite well on your journey, Miss Black, so long as you know what you're looking for."
Ariadne thanked him and turned to leave as Narcissa followed behind. Ollivander's voice called out from behind her.
"Ten inches, fir, unicorn hair. Excellent for transfiguration, your father's wand. And unicorn hair– same core as yours. Difficult to turn towards the dark arts, yes, but there are ways around that. As we've seen, hm?"
"Excuse me sir, do you know my father as well?" Ariadne was eager for information, having received none from the Malfoys thus far. It had always appeared that Narcissa thought Ariadne was better off not knowing, but Ariadne believed she was old enough to decide that for herself.
"Of course, Miss Black. Everyone does." And on that, Narcissa ushered Ariadne out of the store.
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Two hours after they all agreed to first meet, Ariadne found herself sipping on tea at Rosa Lee's while doing what she believed to be some of the most important begging of her life.
"Thank you very much for Athena, Narcissa," Ariadne began, looking at her new owl admiringly. "But I know she was a distraction! Please, everyone today keeps hinting at my father. I need to know about him. Especially before I go to Hogwarts! What if someone confronts me about him? I won't even know what they're talking about!"
At that, Narcissa began to falter. As she opened her mouth to speak, however, something caught her eye and she closed it once more.
"Later," Narcissa said quietly, before standing up with a large grin. "Darlings!" she called. "How wa– Lucius! What on earth happened to you? You look as though you've been in a muggle brawl." She knelt down to check over Draco. "Are you hurt, my little dragon?
Draco pushed her away. "It was bloody BRILLIANT, mother!" He ignored her admonishment over his language and continued. "All of those miserable Weasley's were there, shoddy things, and they brought Potter with them. He was acting like a ponce, as usual. Would you believe he even posed for pictures with Gilderoy Lockhart! Hah! A duo of idiots if I've ever seen one. Anyway, the Weasleys were confronting father, trying to pick a fight. Then father said something, I don't know what, and Mr. Weasley just LAUNCHED himself at father. Father handled himself brilliantly, of course. And then he bought me this!" Draco held up a broom, which Ariadne knew to be the latest Nimbus 2001 (having heard Draco talk about it incessantly for the last several months). She pushed aside her jealousy over having missed out on seeing Harry Potter once more in favor of listening to Draco speak.
Narcissa turned to Lucius, searching for confirmation of Draco's story. He nodded.
"It is done," he said grimly. Narcissa looked away.
Before Ariadne could attempt to listen for more, Draco had grabbed her by the arm, dragging her with a surprising amount of strength.
"Come on!" He yelled toward her. "I'll introduce you to my friends."
Draco dragged her to Florean Fortescue's, an ice cream parlor Ariadne had been to once before with Narcissa. Six people sat out front, each around her age. Ariadne's heart sped up. She took a calming breath and hoped beyond hope that she wouldn't stutter. As they reached their table, Draco began to point to each person in introduction.
"That's Crabbe and Goyle," he began, pointing to two oafish looking boys with equally blank expressions on their face. "And Blaise, Daphne, and Pansy." Blaise nodded his chin in greeting, while Daphne rolled her eyes and Pansy openly glared.
"Rude, Draco. Way to ignore my sister." Daphne, a pretty blonde, pointed to a girl next to her who looked just as frightened as Ariadne felt. "This is Astoria. Say hi, Tori."
Astoria greeted Ariadne with a weak smile before shrinking herself back into her sister's side, resolutely not looking at Draco. Daphne laughed fondly before turning to Ariadne.
"And what's your name?"
"Hello, I'm Ari-"
"This is Ariadne Black, of the House of Black. She's been living with us for some time now." Draco cut in, sounding quite proud. Pansy perked up at his words.
"Black? Is she your cousin?"
"My mother's cousin's daughter, so not quite I guess." Pansy sat back once more, crossing her arms over her chest and resuming her glare at Ariadne in full force. Daphne laughed rather openly at Pansy's expression, and even Blaise allowed himself a small smirk.
"Yes, thank you Draco, for a lovely introduction." At that, Blaise's smirk began to widen. Emboldened, Ariadne continued. "I'm Ariadne. I'll be beginning Hogwarts tomorrow."
"Fantastic!" Daphne called out. "So's Tori. You two can sit together on the train, and then we'll leave spots for you at the feast after the sorting." Astoria looked up at Ariadne and smiled, before catching sight of Draco and averting her gaze once more.
"Oh?" Blaise raised an eyebrow. "So Slytherin's a guarantee?"
Draco and Daphne both laughed. "Don't be stupid, Zabini."
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As soon as they returned home, Narcissa and Lucius retreated to his study to discuss something that looked quite serious, though they must have used silencing charms before they talked because Ariadne couldn't hear their conversation even with her ear pressed up against the door. Meanwhile, Draco had run to the expansive backyard to break in his new Nimbus. Having not been invited to join him, Ariadne walked herself and Athena back to her room.
"Welcome to your new home!" Athena hooted with displeasure and Ariadne laughed. "Don't worry– it's not for long. We leave for Hogwarts tomorrow; can you believe it?" Athena hooted once more.
After packing up her trunk (emblazoned with her initials, AEB) Ariadne got into bed and opened up one of her books. She was desperate to learn more about Hogwarts, not wanting to humiliate herself on her first day. Just as she reached a page that described some sort of chamber, Ariadne heard a soft knock on her door before it began to open.
Narcissa strolled in gracefully, looking statuesque in a dressing robe, and sat down at the foot of Ariadne's bed.
"I suppose I owe you an explanation, though I had hoped to avoid it for as long as possible. But you're right, you're starting school tomorrow, and deserve to hear it from family." Despite growing increasingly afraid, Ariadne waited patiently for Narcissa to speak once more, as she sat searching for the correct words.
"Your father," and Ariadne sat up, "was my cousin, as you know. His name was Sirius Black."
Sirius Black? Ariadne thought that the name sounded familiar. She thought over Narcissa's words. Was?
"Actually," Narcissa continued. "Your father was my least favorite cousin. He had been... rebellious... when we were children. Always causing trouble for my aunt and uncle. He became much more troublesome when he met the Potter boy. Lucius and I were sixth years at the time, so I intended to keep an eye out for him. But nothing could be done after he was sorted into Gryffindor."
He was in Gryffindor? She knew from her reading and from her mother's stories what that meant. Her father was brave, and Ariadne swelled with pride at the thought of it.
"Your father and Potter were inseparable at Hogwarts. When he was sixteen, I believe, he ran away from home to move in with them. It got him blasted off the Black tapestry, blood-traitors that they were. After that, you'd never see the two of them apart. They were worshipped in school, I don't know why, and lead a little group together– the Marauders. Sirius and Potter were brothers, even though Sirius already had one." Narcissa's face turned sad, and Ariadne used the moment to collect her thoughts.
Her father was a Gryffindor, and best friends with Harry Potter's father. More importantly, they were the Marauders! Her mother had been telling her stories about her father all along– about him and his legendary friendships. Her father had once played a prank that put Albus Dumbledore's underpants outside of his robes. He must have been brilliant. Lost in her thoughts, Ariadne barely caught Narcissa's next sentence.
"Which is why the world was so shocked when your father betrayed them. The right-hand man of the Dark Lord." At that, Narcissa's mouth twitched, but she quickly schooled her expression.
"No one was more shocked than your mother. Well, except the Potters, of course. And, perhaps little Peter Pettigrew, who your father murdered along with a dozen muggles. But your mother took the news very poorly. Stole you away and raised you among muggles, for reasons I'd never even attempt to understand." Narcissa did little to hide the disgust on her face before taking in Ariadne's horrified expression.
"Well, darling. Now you know. How are you feeling?"
"My father... where is he now?"
"Oh, darling. He's in Azkaban. Life, of course. It's our wizarding prison."
At that, Ariadne allowed herself to collapse into sobs. Her mother was dead, her father was as good as, and she had the blood of a murderer running through her veins. The kind of person who would betray his friends, that was her blood. Ariadne could not at all reconcile the story of Sirius and James that she had heard about through her mother with the ending that Narcissa had just given her. How could a friendship that strong end in betrayal? What had compelled her father towards You-Know-Who?
Ariadne was hit with a horrible reminder of Ollivander's words from earlier. A lack of "mental fortitude" from both sides, it turned out. What kind of man was her father? And what kind of person would she become?
Narcissa, who had merely been watching Ariadne up until now, finally reached over and wrapped her into a hug. Ariadne began to cry harder, longing for her mother and even for her father. But she knew that neither would ever come.