✧CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
&
SATISFACTION WON'T BRING IT BACK✧

❦❦❦|♕♕♕

◊━━━━━✥━━━━━◊

***

"Hey Ari? Do you have the notes from last Monday's class?" Haas asked, and she turned to look into her notebook and groan. "I should, it's probably in my satchel...I'll go and check." She said, getting up from her seat on the floor and using the coffee table as a desk.

Zane, Victor, Monty and Felix were all here. But she had difficulty with two Felix's, here or in her Ravenclaw house. So she called him Haas instead, not that he minded. They made a strong study group together and it was highly recommended that they continue throughout their classes to have someone to go to for help if need be.

However when Aria had found the said notebook she found the box from the Orphanage. She had left it forgotten with some potion weekly resting on top of it thinking it was just a simple box.

But it wasn't.

She hadn't the time to look at it, or not until her study session had gone and left—But she did bring out the weekly editions of the magazine. As it had been a gift from Otto and Rose, saying that she should stay up with potion's current events, and thus it was shared between her little study group.

It was something she didn't fight the Hanson's on, she wanted to be able to stay up to date with her favorite subject. And Merlin was it important to know who was working on what.

With her friends leaving the apartment, she had started to pack up her Hogwarts satchel with her homework and needed textbooks before packing up a decent bundle of clothes.

In addition to that damned box that she needed to through, she assumed it'd be better than anything to get it over with than leave it for another day.

Hagrid had been a kind fellow when leaving a carriage for her at the beginning entrance of Hogwarts which she simply charmed to ride towards the castle. It was much too cold and far too much snow covered the ground.

She hardly had ten minutes into the castle before someone shouted her name, but it was a blessing as she was rightly neglecting Wyatt.

Or so she thought, even if he protested on that regard.

"Ari! Did you hear?!"
"Hear what?"
"There's going to be a Yule ball this year! Most first years aren't invited because we're too young, but Professor Flitwick says I can go because I'm in the choir...Will you sing with me?" Aria blinked at all that he said, but she frowned.

"I'm sorry darling, but I don't know if I'll be able to. The Yule balls are usually the day before we leave on the train...I might be at a convention."
"Could you try? Everyone's excited! I told them you're a brilliant singer—Oh come now Ari, you are!" The two were in the middle of the hallway, course it was late that there wouldn't be too many students on this side of the castle...But it wasn't something she wanted to explain to Wyatt.

That she separated herself against the Fountain of Angels that she stopped singing those songs.

"Wyatt I don't think it's a good idea for me to sing..."
"Why not? You used to love singing 'Hallelujah,'"
"I did, but Mrs.Blanchard ruined more than just a few things for me by the time I left Wyatt, I'm sorry." He knew what she meant, course he was young when it happened but he quickly threw his arms around her and mumbled apology after apology.

"There wasn't anything you could do love, we're out of there."
"B-but I could've snuck you some more bread, o-or—"
"Or nothing. We both could've gotten hurt if you had acted out. I'll think about it alright, but only that one song. No signing me up for anything else." He quickly nodded, rising up to his tippy toes and giving her a small kiss to the cheek.

Aria was already guilty in leaving him here for the Christmas holiday while she went to America, but Merlin the lad didn't mind. He had three meals a day, loads of friends and was still able to practice magic inside the walls of Hogwarts.

He was fine.

When heading up to her dorm she had been a little saddened that Clem wasn't there, but she sucked it up and decided a shower was the best approach to reign in her nerves.

And of course, she started to sing the beginning of Hallelujah, it was indeed her favorite song. But after singing it dozens of times and being blamed for not getting enough coins from onlookers she had stopped thinking of the Christmas activities altogether.

But then she groaned up to the showerhead—She needed to buy a dress!

She had to buy one anyone for the convention/Christmas party that Otto invited her to, surely she could just wear the same dress to either?

"Yeah...Yeah I'll do that." She bustled, and a pleased smirk rallied as she wanted to look beautiful. And she decided that perhaps it wouldn't be that bad of an idea.

Especially if it was her last year here.

Having left the steam infested bathroom in nothing but a robe and a towel at the top of her head, she dressed warmly in her Crawford jumper. One she sent a picture of both that and her jersey, though she hadn't been able to play in it just yet.

The next game was after this weekend and she couldn't wait, even looking at it now resting with the rest of her Quidditch things she felt elated.

However the kettle had taken her attention away from it for a moment and she returned back to the floor to take a rather large sip of the steaming liquid.

It was strange to have such a free night, but she was rather curious to see what was in this box. She knew that every child in the Orphanage had one, so it was bound to be a record of everything that happened within the years of when she arrived to when Crawford had come.

The first packet was one that she was very familiar with, it was a packet that resembled a resume. Bragging about the talents each child had, and she rolled her eyes at what Mrs.Blanachard had filled out.

But the scuffle of paper filled the room and peeked up Omen's interest.

"Pro—Portrays delinquent tendencies?!" She wasn't that surprised that the fowl woman had put in something that turned away couples who wanted to adopt her.

And this was just the start, though she couldn't understand it. Wouldn't it have been better if she simply went off to another family and out of the women's hair?

No, probably not. Because Aria concludes long ago that the women was selfish beyond belief.

The next few were tiny vanilla envelopes filled with report cards, and she smiled in seeing that her academic grades from back then were still high.

But her old headmistress had never opened them to check, so perhaps she never opened the owl parchments either?

Fingers crossed.

There hadn't been much else, there was the simple adoption offering of the drawings Aria had drawn and it was apart of the packet...But then the box had confused her, it had been a small wooden box and so she popped it open to see a few pieces of jewelry.

Though she didn't recognize anything.

It was a plain set of earrings, but they were huge—Nothing a child would wear on a normal occasion. The necklace, however, made her smile. It was of a constellation though she couldn't identify it at the moment.

But it was nice to know that her love for Astronomy had surpassed the loss of memory. And bringing to feel it against her neck caused her to feel rather...Heartfelt.

There were a few more pieces of jewelry, a childish ring, a bracelet, and a small buckle.

One that she assumed would go on a cloak, but it was indeed an insignia of some sort. Though she wasn't familiar with the families in the wizarding world.

Hope fluttered through her when she saw the small engraving of three...Crows? It was beautifully detailed with a crown, and it was surely heavy that suggested that it was real silver.

Wouldn't it have been better to have her keep all of this? And it was damn strange that Mrs.Blanchard hadn't tried to sell those earrings.

However moving forward she had seen a piece of parchment, and sure enough the wax seal was the same as the cloak's buckle.

"Suppose you didn't leave me without a final goodbye?" She mumbled rather sadly. Did she really want to open this parchment?
Or was it considered a betrayal to her dad and mum off in America?...she's begged for years to become a Crawford.

So why was she still itching to crack open the seal and read it?

"Curiosity killed the cat..." She whispered, her thumb undermining the parchment and pulling upward before flattening out the old letter.

___

My little light,

My precious daughter, I am sorry for all that's become of you, but we couldn't afford to keep you.

Know that you are loved deeply within our hearts. You were such a bright and happy child, and my image of you has never settled for less.

I love you.

Your father,
Orion Black

___

The tears burned in her eyes, they burned but they weren't as painful as the stab she felt in her heart and soul. She thought she'd never have felt so betrayed again after what happened with Rabastan, but here she held the answer to the burning question for almost a decade.

He signed his name, foolish yes, but thinking logically was that if he was a true pureblood then he would have no identity in the muggle world.

She dropped the parchment back into the box, slamming everything back together and stuffing it under her bed before rushing under her covers and hiding behind her curtains.

Her heart waned, at the one and simple bit of truth she uncovered.

Sirius and Regulus Black weren't just her friends, they were her brothers.

It caused her sobs to turn strangled and hoarse.

"Orion—Sorry, my father, is the biggest git on the planet...Actually, he's right next to Lestrange's father. How am I meant to choose my Hogwarts house? That's decided for me by the sorting hat."

"We can't choose our house or parents...I'm sorry, but sometimes it's clear that Reg doesn't want to go home either."

The conversation from so long ago in the Astronomy tower had managed its way into her head, her parents were Orion and Walburga Black.

She was a Black daughter.

She was a pureblood.

She would've known Rabastan as a family friend.

Arriving to Hogwarts wasn't the first time meeting him, Sirius or Regulus...

Curiosity did kill this cat, and satisfaction wouldn't bring it back.

◇──◇────◇────◇──◇

Date Posted: 07-20-20

Time: 1:26

Words:1883

Short chaper but...Aria knows!!