Arianna walked to the mirror and gazed at her own reflection. She frowned a little and her nose was all wrinkled from concentration. Was she supposed to see Rafe on the reflection maybe? He told her to meet him there, that it was a secret passageway, but she couldn't see anything unusual about it.

She sighed and looked around, no sign of him as well. He had been acting awfully odd these past days, he looked so troubled all the time. She sighed again and decided to wait there, by the mirror, to distract herself, she took a little book from her pocket, it was a elementary charms book that she had requested from the library.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jojogali

Arianna walked to the mirror and gazed at her own reflection. She frowned a little and her nose was all wrinkled from concentration. Was she supposed to see Rafe on the reflection maybe? He told her to meet him there, that it was a secret passageway, but she couldn't see anything unusual about it.

She sighed and looked around, no sign of him as well. He had been acting awfully odd these past days, he looked so troubled all the time. She sighed again and decided to wait there, by the mirror, to distract herself, she took a little book from her pocket, it was a elementary charms book that she had requested from the library.

Rafe could see Arianna looking at her reflection on the other side of the mirror. He took a moment and couldn't help but watch her curiosity. It was quite entertaining. But, this wasn't the time for messing around.

"Arianna," he called from behind the mirror, hoping to give her a little warning of his presence. "Psst..." he hissed as he slowly opened the mirror and just popped his head out, making sure no one else was around. "Arianna get in here! Quick!" he said as he waved his hand to usher her into the passageway. "It's about bloody time!" he said seriously and sternly, but couldn't keep and straight face and began laughing.

Arianna heard her name being called very lowly, she looked around for the source and recognized Rafe's hiss at the same time his head popped from behind the mirror. She hurried inside with him, laughing as well. The passageway was quite big, but part of it seemed to have collapsed. She took a minute to look around before talking to him. " Well, hey you, you couldn't have thought of a less... I don't even know what to call it, this looks so much like trouble, a secret passageway... in fact, this looks just like you!" she exclaimed, poking him on the shoulder, and taking a proper look at him. Again, he had that sort of troubled look on his face, even with his mocking expression. " So... why did you need me with such a hurry? Are you planning to do something wrong..again?" she asked him sitting on the floor, hugging her knees.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jojogali

Arianna heard her name being called very lowly, she looked around for the source and recognized Rafe's hiss at the same time his head popped from behind the mirror. She hurried inside with him, laughing as well. The passageway was quite big, but part of it seemed to have collapsed. She took a minute to look around before talking to him. " Well, hey you, you couldn't have thought of a less... I don't even know what to call it, this looks so much like trouble, a secret passageway... in fact, this looks just like you!" she exclaimed, poking him on the shoulder, and taking a proper look at him. Again, he had that sort of troubled look on his face, even with his mocking expression. " So... why did you need me with such a hurry? Are you planning to do something wrong..again?" she asked him sitting on the floor, hugging her knees.

Rafe was extremely nervous and began pacing. "Maybe you should sit down," he said, but he turned around and she was already sitting, but he couldn't. "I have something very important to tell you." He continued to pace and was scratching his head. Ah, first things first, he thought as he pulled out his wand from his robes, "Muffliato!" he casted so no one else could listen in on their conversation.

"I found that spell rather handy after I was in Professor Kazi's office," he said with a smile and for a moment was calm, but then returned to his frantic state. "What I am about to tell you might frighten you and you might never want to be my friend again, but this the utmost important and I'm not supposed to tell anyone, except well the professors, but that was in note my mum had written..." Rafe shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

"That's beside the point, the point is I can't actually tell you straight out, you'll have to guess it..." he kneeled next to Arianna and put and hand on each of her shoulders, "This is very important for you to understand and to guess, who I am. My mum made an Unbreakable Vow with me not to say that. Do you understand what that means Ari? That if I tell you straight out I could die, so this is very important for you to guess."

Rafe stood up once more and began to pace. He had never been so serious in his eleven years, but this was eating him up inside and he needed to confide in someone. He probably looked like someone that belonged in St. Mungo's right now. He didn't know how he could get her to guess without him saying it straight out.

Arianna was taken back by the serious look on Rafe's face. He was pacing, and talking and all she could do was blink, her huge lashes, behind her glasses, in sort of a trance. She was spoked by his sudden seriousness "Ok OK OK!" she said closing her eyes, trying to understand all he had just said " Unbreakable vow?! What did you do? Break your mum's favourite jar or something?" she said, half smiling a pathetic attempt of a joke. It fell from her face as she saw his worried face.

"I have to guess then?..." she scratched her chin. What could be so bad that his mother had him swear not to tell anyone... "Let's play a game... Is it about you or someone or something??" she asked, trying to concentrate. Rafe's look was so intense, she felt her cheeks heating, he was really trying to make her understand.

Rafe smiled genuinely and shook his head. "This is serious Little Italy, if I could tell you straight out I would, but you're the only one I can count on. You have to guess!"

Oh goodie a game, he thought, well I suppose it's better than nothing. "It's about yours truly." He said as he finally decided to sit down across from her, but that didn't stop his nervousness as he continued to twiddle his thumbs and his leg was shaking a bit.

"Ok, good, it's about you, directly" she said nodding thinking hard " Did you do something? Did someone did something to you, or doesn't it have anything to do with doing something?" she asked. This was hard. She had no idea what she was supposed to guess, it could be anything.. but to have his own mother make an unbreakable vow... she shook her head a little.

"Did you kill someone?!" she exclaimed. If he did, it would make total sense for her to be so shocked that she would not want to speak to him ever though that didn't really scare her, she knew Rafe, is must have been an accident, maybe defending someone or defending himself... she chuckled a little, she always had her big sisters for that, to take care of her business, her mother usually was torn between being amused and serious on those situations, maybe that was because she had to play the father as well, and boys always loved a good old fight.. father? " Does it have anything to do with your father?" she asked, leaning to his direction. That must be it, his father must be a convicted criminal, rooting in Azkaban, that's why he never speaks of him..

"Oh yes, Ari I'm a convict, and escaped from Azkaban!" Rafe exclaimed sarcastically. "That's why I lured you here to make you my next victim." He wished she would just know and read his mind. I'm a half-lycan, I'm a half-lycan, he thought over and over again in his head.

"Well sort of, I still don't know where he is, but," how could he phrase this, "Genetically it does have to do with him." He felt like that was close. He didn't know how much the vow would let him say before he just killed over, wouldn't that be a shock.

Genetically ? "Does he have some sort of contagious disease, that you now have? Are you telling me I'm going to get sick?!" she said covering her mouth with her hands in panic. This is so stupid! " Rafe tell me already, for Merlin's sake, is it that bad?! What what is it!? Are you some kind of monster?!?!?" she said punching the ground with her fists, and getting up, not realising her own words. She was really beginning to get scared with whatever it was he was trying to tell her.

"Well it's not contagious what I have and you're not going to get sick, so calm down," Rafe removed her hand from her mouth and looked at her sympathetically. But, soon that sympathetic looked turned to shock. She said it, the very last question. And with that he simply nodded in a agreement not daring to say more. She was definitely on the right track, he was part monster.

Arianna froze on her spot. Monster? That made no sense "that was a joke, I didn't mean it.. I..." she said looking at him "I know you're not a monster, you can't be right?" she said half laughing, waiting for him to burst into laughter with her. But there was nothing but silence " monster?" she whispered, her book-worm-knowledge kicking in " are you a.." she wondered if it could be true " a vampire?"

ooc:

"Do you really think they would let a blood sucking vamp on the loose with a buffet of people to choose from?" Rafe was getting a little frustrated, but at the same time this was really funny watching her guess. "Besides," he said as he place her hand over his heart. "Vampires don't have heartbeats." His heart was beating rapidly now, like a mile a minute. "Okay! I got it! What did you call me in Diagon Alley?" Hopefully, this would work! Hopefully, a little light bulb would go off in her head!

Arianna laughed. Well, that had been a pretty stupid guess, but whatever, she had to try right? " You give me no choice but to be absurd.." she said shrugging. She could feel his heartbeat under her hand. She smiled at him, trying to be reassuring " You're so nervous, Rafe, no matter what you're trying to tell me, you're my friend, I can deal with it" she said with a wink.

"What I called you at Diagon Alley?" she said frowning, that had been quite a while ago " what? Dogboy ?" she said with a smirk that instantaneously fell from her face. Dogboy? " werewolf?!" she exclaimed taking her hand from his chest.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! You win a prize," he said a bit like a show host. He felt like finally this huge weight had been lifted off of me. "And to top it off I think this Theodore Newington guy knows, but Professor Lupa thinks he's just speculation, but then I was up at the Owlery the other day and there's this Prince guy who's goal is to round up werewolves in hiding and send them off to this rehabilitation whatnot!" Rafe was sounding more and more like himself, like he was talking to a friend, a friend that he still didn't know she would fully except him. "You're the only one that knows, except for Professors Lupa and Kazimeriz. I had to tell someone, it was killing me inside. It was killing me keeping this from my best friend." His eyes were a little glossy, but no tears fell. "And if it makes you feel better, I'm just half!"

ooc: this is familiar

Arianna's brain was still digesting the truth when Rafe started babbling all that he had been keeping inside, obviously. " wait wait wait wait, wait up!" she said raising her palms at him " someone is trying to round you up?" she felt anger rising up inside of her. How dare someone treat my best friend like a beast?!! " Who is that boy? I'll smack him around for good!" she said with a fist in the air, her hair waving electrically around her. All the shock and rational reactions were forgot in her brain. She should be afraid of him, right? She should feel something, but she couldn't all she could see was Rafe, her best friend, and the werewolf part, even if it was just half, sort of made sense, he had something other boys didn't have, maybe that was it.

Rafe smiled widely and gave Arianna a huge hug. "I knew you would understand!" he said excitedly holding her tight, then letting her go. "I'm really not that dangerous, just can get a bit angry at times, and then my eyes go all funny during a full moon...Oh! And of course the hairiness, being taller for my age and the slightly deeper voice! Other than that I'm your typical charming Rafe!" Rafe laughed. He was so happy to have Arianna as a friend and was so grateful she dropped a book on his head.

"Oh, I forgot, we're starting up an Astronomy Club because Professor Borr-dom is just dreadful! We're meeting at the Astronomy Tower, the only downfall is that stupid lycan-hater, Theo is in there! But, there's some other cool people there to make up for it? Interested? You can invite your other friends!" This was so nice to be talking to Arianna like this. Not holding anything back and not keeping this a secret.

Arianna's arms were stretched on her sides as Rafe squeezed her "My head, might pop out like this" she breathed out, feeling relief when blood rushed to her heart. " So you get a bit moody every month, I hear most woman do too " she added stucking her tongue out at him " I wonder if you're not part woman instead.." she teased. She was laughing happily. Now a lot of things made sense, one of them being that insane beard he had at only 11!
"An Astronomy Club?" she asked excitedly " That sounds fun! Is is completely against rules, like Harry Potter did on his time, that Dumbledore's Army thing?" she asked viewing in her head the pages of Harry Potter, the life of a hero biography " I read he made one as well, to fight against Voldemort when no one believed them and they had the lousiest teacher ever, Dolores whatsherface .." she said babbling comfortably. She thought about it for a second. Who would she invite, she didn't really know anyone that well...

"Thanks for relating my issue to girly problems," Rafe said sarcastically. Rafe couldn't help, but smile. He was so happy that his best friend knew what he was and seemed to except it.

"Yeah, kind of, except I don't think it's really against the rules, it's more of a study group to prepare us for the exams." Rafe shrugged. "I mean I don't think stretching in class on top of desks while watching a man drip buckets of sweat is going to help, so I think this little gathering will. And feel free to bring your lady friends," he said as he gave her a nudge.

"I suppose we don't have to hide behind this mirror anymore, unless you have any questions for me?"

Arianna nodded "you're right he is kinda of a freak.. count me in!" she agreed. She nudged him back " Enough with you and ladies, what's your deal anyway ?" she mumbled, looking away.

She thought about his question for a second. Did she have questions? A lot.
" Now that I know, are you free to speak freely with me? Doesn't the vow apply anymore? How is it, to be half werewolf? Why did you never met your father? Is that why your mother looks like someone stuck a fork on her -" and she covered her mouth, scared that she might have offended Rafe.

"Do you really have to say the f-word?" Rafe asked as he stood up and put his hands on his hips. "Some would consider me one of those, but I like to think of it as my furry little problem!" Rafe laughed.

He guessed they weren't leaving as she began with her long list of questions and decided to sit back down. "I believe once you've guessed it I can talk about it because I haven't told you...though I really don't think we can discuss it openly, we would have to meet like this to go into details." Rafe shrugged.

"Alright question number two: What is it like to be half-werewolf? Well, honestly I've never been so self-conscious about it until I came to Hogwarts. Like I told you, we've traveled all over and I've come to know a lot of excepting people, but in England there still seems to be a strong prejudice."

And then he came to the last questions. He took a deep breath. He actually kind of chuckled at Arianna's comment about his mum. "I honestly don't know why my mum and dad never stayed together. Again, she never likes to talk about it...I only have a few hints and clues about my lineage. See, I'm a decedent from this evil king, Lycaon, that tried to trick Zeus into eating dish of a slaughtered and dismembered child. As punishment, Zeus transformed him into a wolf, and supposedly killed all Lycaon's fifty sons...Remember how I told you I spent a summer in Greece...well, there were times I was able to slip away from my mum and I did a little digging. Over time my family tree made its way across Europe and settled in Transylvania. It's there that I'm stuck. I've been doing research, but it all seems to come to a dead end." Rafe crossed his arms in disappointment. "All I have is the name Lycaon, to go off, but it's like the family line has disappeared from history."

"I knew I had heard your name somewhere before!" she said, remembering one of her old history books " I knew that story, but I never considered it like being true... " she frowned a bit, she had to know better than that, after all she was a witch " I mean, Zeus and all, I didn't really think it had happened, but now it makes sense..." she sat next to Rafe, shoulder to shoulder " if you like, I could help you with some research, I have resources.." she said with a wink, her family's little secret, an entire magic attic full of wizarding world books, from all generations of Trazzi woman, left to the older daughter, her mother. " You see, it's not only you who descends from a neat family" she said playfully elbowing him " my family was very important in Italy, and because of that we have a little private library" she sighed and shot a few more questions " I really hope I didn't offend you, but your mum always seems so... cautious! So you don't really know anything about your father's side of the family then...Tell me more about that boy, is he trying to black mail you or something?" she was very curious to know all about this new side of Rafe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jojogali

"I knew I had heard your name somewhere before!" she said, remembering one of her old history books " I knew that story, but I never considered it like being true... " she frowned a bit, she had to know better than that, after all she was a witch " I mean, Zeus and all, I didn't really think it had happened, but now it makes sense..." she sat next to Rafe, shoulder to shoulder " if you like, I could help you with some research, I have resources.." she said with a wink, her family's little secret, an entire magic attic full of wizarding world books, from all generations of Trazzi woman, left to the older daughter, her mother. " You see, it's not only you who descends from a neat family" she said playfully elbowing him " my family was very important in Italy, and because of that we have a little private library" she sighed and shot a few more questions " I really hope I didn't offend you, but your mum always seems so... cautious! So you don't really know anything about your father's side of the family then...Tell me more about that boy, is he trying to black mail you or something?" she was very curious to know all about this new side of Rafe.

"I would be happy for your help bestie!" Rafe said excitedly as he put his arm around her shoulder. "Our library just seems to focus on things around England, not so much internationally, or maybe I am just not looking hard enough?" Rafe was really impressed that she had a private library. That would definitely be a sight to see.

He gave he a bit of a squeeze. "You could never offend me Little Italy!" Rafe sighed. "My mum is just a bit overprotective. It's kinda annoying really."

Rafe removed his arm because he was afraid he might actually bruise Ari, because he got so angry at the thought of Theo. "His name is Theodore Newington, he's not exactly black mailing me, but threatening to expose my secret. Professor Lupa think he's just guessing." Rafe began laughing rather loudly. "She gave him wolf ears and a tail as punishment as detention! He's wearing a ridiculous hat on everywhere he goes!" Rafe was laughing so hard at the thought, he grabbed his side because it was hurting. He slowly recovered to she could speak once more. "I guess you'll get the honor of meeting him if you come to our little Astronomy Club!"

Arianna laughed with Rafe, so much, she was getting out of breath. " That was a good punishment" she agreed, taking her glasses of and cleaning a few tears from her eyes " but oh well, I'll help you in your research and I'll go to those Astronomy thingies, and glue myself to you so you can never get awayyyyyyy" she sang hugging Rafe back. It had been a long time since she had been with him, and she hadn't made really good friends.

" And Theodore... wait for me" she threatened rubbing her hands and chuckling sarcastically under her breath. She peeked from the corner of her eye and smiled broadly.

"Well I don't think you should do anything rash," Rafe said trying to keep a straight face, but laughed again once more. "I think he's going through enough punishment for now, but if he dares to even think of saying anything, then by all means feel free to Crucio or Imperius him to make him think he's a 6-year old-girl!"

"So, how are things with you?" Rafe asked curiously. "We've been talking about me way too much, what about yourself? I mean, I know I'm incredibly charming and good looking, but you're pretty interesting yourself." Rafe smiled widely.