The Raven and The Snake

Birdie did notice the scarf Ariadne had started wearing to cover her hickeys. She eyed it suspiciously, trying to catch Ariadne's eye. Ariadne blushed a little and avoided her.

Ariadne started to move further out into the grounds to practice her patronus. It was a much harder spell than she was used to, requiring her to focus hard on happy memories instead of just the intended effect. It took several weeks, but without the presence of a dementor, she was able to produce a silver raven.

She watched the bird flutter around the trees. She knew that a patronus could be useful for sending messages, but she wasn't sure if it was strong enough to travel. She was sitting by the lake when she spotted a shadow coming out of the trees and up the bank.

Ariadne tilted her head, trying to get a good look at it. Her heartbeat picked up and she rose to her feet, readying her wand. The shape was getting bigger.

A large black dog came padding over to the lake. She stared at it. Sirius.

"Hello there," she said in a soft voice.

The dog's ears pricked up. He looked over at her, his tail wagging tentatively. His large, brown eyes roved over her uniform, pausing over the Slytherin emblem.

She smirked. "Even a dog thinks of Slytherin house as all evil-doers, huh?"

The dog sat, tilting his head adorably. He gave a little chuff.

Ariadne approached him slowly, not sure what the hell she was thinking. This could not be a smart move. Was this the year she would be reckless? She reached a hand out to him and he allowed her to pet his soft head.

She'd never really been around animals. The flat in London hadn't allowed pets. She pet the dog's head, marveling a little that this was even allowed. Maybe this dog wasn't who she thought it was?

She hadn't been paying attention, when she leaned down to pet the dog, her locket had slid down and was hanging in front of his face. The Black family crest was engraved on the little gold necklace.

The dog barked and Ariadne backed off. He was staring at the necklace curiously, his tail wagging hard. He didn't seem to know whether he wanted to growl.

Ariadne's hand closed on the necklace. "You don't like the crest?"

He made a rumbling sound in his chest, not taking his eyes off of it.

"Sorry." She murmured. "It was my father's."

She really wasn't sure what she was doing, but she popped the catch and sat down. She showed the dog the little pictures within her necklace. The tiny picture of Regulus was looking back at his canine brother. The dog chuffed again and sat. "He's dead now," she told the creature. "I never met him. Mum was a squib, she never let the family know about me so I'm not on the register or anything. Not a true Black family member."

Sirius's nose nudged her hand. She smiled a little, petting his head again. He really acted like a dog, it was hard to tell if he truly was a disguised wizard. His mind didn't give off any impression that he was something other than a dog. She'd never even thought to try legilimency on an animal, could it work?

"I wonder what you're called." She mused, of course already knowing. "A good dog must have a name."

He made a grumbling noise.

She giggled. "I'll call you 'Snuffles'."

Snuffles gave a yawn, but wagged his tail slowly. She stroked his side and felt his ribs through his matted fur. He was honestly quite filthy, clearly not having cared for himself in a while.

"You are skin and bones, Snuffles. When was the last time you ate?" Ariadne pulled her wand from her sleeve, giving it a wave. Merry had once helped her practice spells to conjure food from the kitchens. She now summoned a tray of meats and cheeses.

The dog perked up instantly. He stared at the food, practically salivating. She offered him some of the meat. He gulped it down greedily.

"Take it easy, if you eat too fast, you'll get sick. The house elves in the castle are really nice, they'll give you food if you need it so don't be shy." Ariadne glanced over her shoulder, checking the area before calling out. "Merry!" There was a loud crack and Merry appeared. Only house elves were capable of these means of travel within the castle grounds. Merry was delighted to be called by Ariadne and came rushing over. Ariadne gave her a little hug. The dog had taken the opportunity to gulp down several more pieces of meat.

"What is that?" Merry asked, eying the dog with distaste.

Ariadne pursed her lips. "It's a dog, of course. You've never seen one?"

Merry's bunny nose wrinkled. "It's dirty and thin."

Snuffles made an indignant noise and sneezed in Merry's direction. Merry hopped a few paces back from Snuffles. Ariadne patted the dog's head.

"He's just been alone too long, Merry. He's a good boy. You'll help me take care of him, won't you?" Ariadne got close to the dog, making puppy dog eyes at the house elf.

Merry absolutely melted. She couldn't deny Ariadne anything, even if she'd wanted to. She agreed that she would help take care of the dog.

Ariadne spent a weekend cleaning the poor animal and feeding him. She told him very pointedly that his undercarriage was entirely his area to clean though. She was absolutely not going to touch him under his tail. Snuffles made a show of looking offended, but she got the sense he was grateful.

Ariadne had hoped that he would be able to get the rat and stop the destiny that was the books, but there was nothing she could do to help or encourage. The weather was getting colder by the day and the very best she could do was help the dog into the castle. Merry was capable of taking the dog into Ariadne's private room so that was where she allowed him to sleep. Having a dog in the kitchens wasn't a very good idea.

Snuffles never tried to climb up on Ariadne's bed. She made him his own fluffy bed in the corner and instructed Merry to let him out into the grounds first thing in the mornings. He was so like a dog, she began to doubt that this was her uncle.

Christmas was around the corner and she mused out loud that the Potter boy was without a broom, having lost it to the whomping willow during the storm. Snuffles seemed interested, but the most he did was tilt his head and bark. Ariadne unearthed the picture she'd taken from the school records. She shoved it under the dog's nose and pointed out James Potter.

"The boy looks exactly like his father, you know." She told Snuffles. "Except those eyes. He's got eyes just like that little girl, Lily Evans."

The dog stared fixedly at the picture. He was looking over the other Gryffindors of the day.

Ariadne's finger moved around them. "There's my uncle, Sirius Black. He's supposedly on the run, looking for the boy."

The dog gave a head tilt, no indication he knew what she was talking about.

"I'm not so sure about that. If he really were the killer that everyone says, the boy would already be done for, but the boy is just fine. He's friends with the youngest Weasley boy. He was in the paper a little while ago, but I don't suppose you read The Daily Prophet."

Still nothing.

Her finger moved, prodding another boy. "Peter Pettigrew. You know he got the Order of Merlin for attempting to catch Sirius Black. How silly is that? Died in an explosion and they give him a medal of honor."

A soft growl. Ariadne had to fight a satisfied smile.

"I agree. He looks like a rat, if you ask me."

Snuffles stared at her. He obviously wanted to know what she knew, but she wasn't going to volunteer. If he wasn't going to talk to her properly, there was no need for her to give things away. She wasn't even sure if she was capable. Her throat still closed up every time she tried to say something about the present situation.

Ariadne gazed down at the picture and her hand fluttered over the tiny Snape. "That's Severus Snape, there. He's a professor now. Lupin too," she gave the child Lupin a poke. "Funny how many of them are here at the castle now, huh? Pity only James had a child. Professor Lupin is a little scruffy so I don't suppose he's found the right person yet. He's kind though, really excellent teacher."

Snuffles rested his head on his paws. He gave a long grumbling sigh.

"Professor Snape is my favorite teacher, actually." Ariadne said on impulse.

Snuffles gave a sort of snort.

She reached over and gave his shoulder a little shove. "Don't be like that, Snuffles. He's really good. Even I'll admit that he's a little petty and he definitely knows how to make students cry, but he knows his stuff. He's handsome too, shame he never married either."

Snuffles lulled his head and made a gesture like he wanted to roll his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I'm biased. Everyone in the school knows I have a massive crush on Professor Snape. I don't need you giving me crap about it too. He's really a good person though. I don't think he ever quite got over being something of a loser at school so he's harsh, but it's not as though he's the first man ever to be stunted by a rough childhood."

Snuffles made a noise like he was falling asleep.

She scowled. "Well, you don't have to like him. I guess it's enough that I do. Not that it matters. It's never going to be anything like that with me and him."

She had to try hard not to sound too bitter about it. Snuffles rested his chin on her knee and she played with his ears. He was starting to look a little healthier. If that was the only thing she could do for her uncle, it would need to be enough. Maybe the centaurs had been right, she was a fool to try to change fate.