The Raven and The Snake

Ariadne apparated onto Platform 9 3/4 alone. She felt a little silly boarding a train when she could simply jump to Hogsmeade. She found Birdie and leaned into the comforting embrace. Birdie and Rob had parted ways over the summer and Birdie was talking in her too-loud voice about how cute all the boys had gotten since she was last single.

Draco saw Ariadne on the train, but didn't speak to her. His father had definitely filled him in about how she was related to the fearsome Dark Lord. He didn't trust her anymore.

She rested her head on Birdie's shoulder, listening to the foghorn that was Birdie's voice. She didn't walk about the train or engage with anyone too much. Birdie asked her about her own love life and she gave a rueful little smile without a proper answer.

"This is going to be our year," Birdie declared. "We're hot, we're single, we got this."

Birdie would be graduating this year. If Ariadne hadn't had to repeat the fourth year, she would be too. It was a little sad knowing that she and Birdie would have to part ways. Ariadne was less interested in dating than ever before. She and Snape hadn't changed much after their one night together. The next morning he'd been gone and after getting dressed and making her way to the kitchen, she'd pressed a kiss to his cheek and sat down. Rather than say anything about what they'd done together, she asked, "Who were those muggles last night? I thought the Dark Lord was keeping a low profile."

He glanced up at her from The Daily Prophet newspaper, his expression showing little. "Some socialite and her husband. They do reality shows or something. I thought you knew and that was why you staged it to look like a murder-suicide." Ariadne's stomach did a little flop. Now that she thought about it, she had seen them before on television. They weren't people she was terribly interested in, but they had been famous enough that their deaths would certainly be publicized. "I did it because the Dark Lord needed to see how cruel I can be. If I showed him weakness, he wouldn't trust me. Already he asks my opinion on what he's doing. He won't change his plans just for me, but he's clearly looking to see if I'm about to falter." She snarled at him across the table.

Snape looked into her eyes like he was calculating. "It was a little excessive, don't you think? You could have ended them quicker."

Ariadne glared. "I ended them in under ten minutes. If I hadn't done anything, he would have given them to McNair or someone who would have tortured them for weeks. I've heard what McNair gets up to. He's sadistic. When the news reports on that couple's death, they'll chock it up to a domestic dispute."

"You didn't think of trying to save them?"

He was baiting her. Her lip curled in disgust. "They were dead the moment the Dark Lord set eyes on them. Don't test me, Severus. I am just as committed as you are when it comes to ending this war."

Snape gave a nod and said nothing more. He was no stranger to committing atrocities for the Dark Lord. As spies, they didn't have the luxury to show open resistance.

Ariadne had found a muggle newspaper that reported the couple's deaths. She'd saved the clipping in a notebook along with the old class picture she'd taken from the school records. She would never forget the couple whose lives she had stolen. They would be with her for the rest of her life.

After that, the only thing that had changed between her and Snape were the way they touched each other. Whereas before they'd never been physical without necessity, they now made excuses to touch each other. Snape would brush his hands over her whenever he got close. She pressed kisses to his cheek every time she set a dish in front of him or when he left the house.

These little intimate moments were practiced so that when they had to see Voldemort, they could appear the couple that he'd desired. Ariadne made a point of reaching out to Snape with both hands so that he would take her in his arms while she pressed a kiss to his cheek in front of her grandfather.

Voldemort had smiled a little after watching her show Snape this mild affection. The key was to make it seem like she had done her job and seduced him. His attachment needed to seem more real than her own. She'd kissed Snape, then skipped to Voldemort's side. Voldemort had held her face in both of his hands, long fingers splayed out and pressed another lipless kiss to her.

"You do well, child. Keep him wrapped around your finger. Relay to me everything he does." Voldemort had hissed in parseltongue.

Outside of this, Ariadne made no further moves on her professor.

Birdie noted that Ariadne was saying very little during the long train ride. She told Birdie she was just tired. Birdie had no idea what Ariadne had been up to over the summer. She hadn't a clue that Ariadne was the granddaughter of the Dark Lord. Birdie was blissfully ignorant. Such a wonderful thing to be.