Ariadne's Thread ⭒ h. potter

Diagon Alley

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.