Ariadne's Thread ⭒ h. potter

Stupefy

As angry as she was, Ariadne's wrath dissipated into worry the moment that Harry and Ron stepped through Hagrid's door. They looked as though they'd just been attacked, robes torn and covered in dirt. Harry's glasses were slightly askew, and he vigorously shook something invisible off his hand, though it seemed to be clinging on. Ron, on the other hand, was motionless from the moment he walked through the door. He stared vacantly on the floor, flinching when Harry moved to pat his back.

"What the bloody hell happened to you both?" she demanded, horrified. Before she could even blink, Harry fired a Disarming spell in her general direction, missing her shoulder narrowly. Ron stepped back with a whimper.

"Who's there?" Harry shouted. Ariadne threw off the invisibility cloak, embarrassed that she had forgotten she was wearing it.

"It's me, it's me!" she called placatingly. Harry's arm dropped back down to his side and he sighed in relief, before tensing in realization.

"That's right, I'm here." Ariadne confirmed. "And don't think for a second that I'm not furious with you for lying, Harry James Potter." Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "But first, tell me what happened. Are you two injured? Do you need healing spells? What's wrong with Ron."

Ron groaned at her onslaught of questions before gently seating himself in Hagrid's oversized armchair, having evidently been annoyed out of his reverie. "Calm down, woman. "I think you'd look a bit peaky too if a horde of giant s-spiders tried to eat you."

"What! What?"

"We're fine!" Harry cut in quickly, though Ron shot him an indignant look. Harry glared back, but he modified his words anyway. "We're alive, I mean."

"Barely," Ron tacked on under his breath.

Ariadne moved closer, inspecting the two boys carefully. The tears in their robes were imprecise but thin, as if ripped at by pincers, and Ron looked as though he'd just been sick. She grabbed Harry's hand, bringing it closer to her face and ignoring his surprised yelp. Webbing, she realized. Of course he couldn't shake it off. Ariadne dropped his hand and met his eyes, finding Harry staring back at her. "Tell me everything. Now."

"It's not Hagrid. He never opened the Chamber of Secrets. He's innocent." Harry ignored Ron's scoff. "He sent us into the forest so we'd know– I think he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt us, but he was wrong. The car saved us, though. The one we flew to school."

Ariadne nodded, stepping back. Now that she knew they were okay, she could feel her anger returning at her deliberate exclusion. "Right, 'follow the spiders.' But I seem to remember Hagrid saying that to the three of us. Why'd you lie to me earlier? You wanted me in the library all night so I wouldn't come." As mad as she was, her voice held little heat. They'd just been attacked by man-eating spiders, after all.

Harry sighed. "I wasn't– we weren't trying to exclude you. It's just–I'd been in the Forbidden Forest before, alright? My first year. And it's not somewhere I'd have gone again if I'd had the choice." He straightened up, adding, "I don't regret lying, Aria. Ron's right, it was dangerous. You were safe in the library."

Ron looked at Harry incredulously, but wisely kept his mouth shut. His brows were furrowed in indignation, looking as though he wished he'd been safe in the library as well.

Ariadne softened, and she busied herself by meticulously folding up Harry's invisibility cloak before handing it back to him, though he waited patiently in the meantime. "I can take care of myself, you know," she said finally.

"I know," Harry returned quietly.

"I– thank you for looking out for me," Ariadne continued, "but next time, I'd like the choice. You had it and you went," she reminded.