Serendipity [Book 1]

That's One Big Snake

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me! I thought you were going to be mean, but you weren’t!” She exclaimed. Severus smirked.

“Calling you absurd, unorthodox, and psychotic isn’t rude?” He questioned with a quirked eyebrow. Ariella smiled as she shook her head.

“No! I’m used to being called all three of those! It’s in my Ministry of Magic employment file,” She explained with a shrug as Severus chuckled. Ariella pulled herself away from him and frowned.

“Wait? Did you call Lockhart a conceited idiot?” She asked as Severus nodded. Her frown deepened.

“I’m going to kill him!” She snarled as she began to stomp back to her office. Severus smirked before following her. He wanted to see Lockhart’s face.

“You sniveling prat!” She cursed as she found Lockhart slowly climbing to his feet. He held his bleeding nose as his blue eyes widened when he looked up. He stared down the wand that was pointed at his chest as Ariella glared at him.

“I don’t love you, Lockhart! I don’t even like you! And for the love of Merlin, I AM married! Is that so hard to comprehend? Marriage? Vows? Forever?” She questioned as Gilderoy frowned.

“He doesn’t love you!” He accused as Ariella rolled her eyes.

“You don’t think I know that? Of course, he doesn’t love me.” Ariella admitted as Severus frowned.

“However we are married and you have no right to interfere with that!” She snarled. Lockhart frowned as he looked between the fiery woman and the dark man. Severus met his frown with a sneer as he came up behind his infuriated companion.

“Lockhart,” he hissed the name. The blonde man trembled as he looked into Snape’s onyx eyes and found only icy hatred.

“Give up on your pursuit of my wife, or I will do much worse than rearrange your face,” He snarled as Ariella smirked. Lockhart looked crestfallen.

“You don’t love her! Why do you keep her prisoner if you don’t care for her?” He asked as Severus shook his head.

“I am not her warden. She has every right to leave me; I gave her that choice,” he answered icily. Lockhart turned to Ariella.

“Leave him, my dearest! You will be so much happier with me! We will travel the world! You can be rich and famous!” He enticed as Ariella shook her head.

“I’m happy where I am, Gilderoy. Severus and I are content, besides I’ll be damned if I break my word by leaving him,” She responded with a tone of finality. Lockhart stared at her as she lowered her wand and turned to leave with Severus. The blonde man felt his entire world shatter as he watched Ariella walk away with the dark Potions Master.

“Are you content, Cross?” Snape questioned as Ariella smiled at him over her shoulder.

“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?” She replied.

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“Then again, I haven’t really counted this whole mortal danger thing, yet.” She remarked as she and the other teachers stood around another cryptic message written in blood.

“They’ve forced Albus to leave and they’re arresting Hagrid. I fear this may be the end of Hogwarts,” Minerva informed the blonde woman as Ariella sniffed the air around them. It was the scent she recognized that surrounded all of the petrification victims: Mrs. Norris, Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Nearly Headless Nick and Hermione Grainger. She scrunched her nose in disgust as she pulled back. She looked up to the wall and frowned as she read the message.