Ariadne's Thread ⭒ h. potter

Toujours Libre

When Ginny finished packing, Ariadne escorted her down to the Hogwarts entrance and deposited her off with Fred, George, and Percy.

"Thank you for bringing Ginny down," Percy said, looking at Ariadne quite seriously. "I expect you'll ensure that Ron does not engage in any misbehavior while we're gone."

"Yes, Ariadne," interjected George, who made his voice monotonous and robotic. "Please look after our Ronniekins–"

Fred took a different route, puffing out of his chest pompously. "And ensure that he does not besmirch my good name as Head Boy. Did I mention that I'm Head Boy?"

Ariadne mock-saluted them both as they got a shove from Percy, laughing all the while. As she made her way to leave, however, she found herself summoned by someone calling her name.

"Yes?" she said, turning to find Draco in front of her. "Oh."

Draco searched her for a long moment, removing himself from the Slytherins who stood glaring behind him. She had not seen him since the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, when he had blocked her off from curious students as the dementors swarmed around her. He had been suspiciously silent since.

Draco cleared his throat when Ariadne waved a hand in front of his face. "Where's your trunk?" he asked, turning his gaze to the empty spot on the ground next to her.

My what? Crabbe stepped out behind Draco, a DLM embellished truck emblazoned under his right armpit. Ah.

"Draco," Ariadne said slowly, testing out the bounds of their familiarity. Her confidence built when he didn't push back, though he returned those searching silver eyes to her face. "I'm not coming home. I thought you knew."

"Why not?" Draco demanded hotly, and if it was just the two of them, Ariadne was sure he would have stamped his foot.

"Well, I'm not allowed, for one. Officially by the Ministry, but your dad's not exactly my biggest fan right now. I don't think I was quite wanted, anyway."

"I wanted you," Draco said abruptly. He turned his head briefly, checking to ensure that his friends were not listening in before he continued. "To be home at Christmas. And mother, of course. She'll be disappointed that you'll miss the ball. And," Draco's pale cheeks pinkened, "you'll be missing your birthday."

Ariadne did her best to keep the shock off her face, scared of frightening Draco off with an overt display of emotions. But it had been a long time since Draco had sought her out with anything more than detached aloofness at school, and the last thing she wanted to do was make him stop.

"Last year, you were the one who wasn't there," Ariadne reminded him. "And it was awfully boring. Not to mention I'd been a bit of a pariah at the time." She looked pointedly at Astoria and Daphne at the reminder, though her eyes held no malice. Daphne had guided Astoria away from her, as though mere interaction entailed Gryffindor contamination. A year had passed, but it still wasn't exactly Ariadne's favorite night.

"I'll be there this time," Draco countered. "It's never boring for me." The corner of his lips pulled up in the barest hint of a smile before dropping again. "It would have been fun."

Ariadne shrugged. "I'm stuck here. Fudge's orders." She hesitated for a moment before deciding she had nothing to lose. "But I'll see you, right? When you're back?"

Draco took his own time in responding, continuing to observe her once more before nodding curtly. At that, he turned his back to her and signaled to Crabbe that he was ready to leave. Pansy, looping Draco's elbow with her own, sent a victorious glance back at Ariadne when he did not shake her off. Ariadne resolutely ignored her, too lost in her own thoughts.