Chapter Text
The smell of whiskey and alcohol was thick in the air as the rickety, wooden doors of Hogs Head pub swung open, revealing a young blonde man in a thick, high-collared cloak.
Draco Malfoy paused briefly by the entrance, gray eyes roaming the pub for before he reluctantly closed the doors and made his way to a dimly lit area at the back of the room.
Although the pub was mostly empty save for the old female bartender, he was careful to keep his head down to avoid being recognized. He walked to the end of the pub and gestured briefly to the bartender. After ordering his drink, he leaned forward against the counter, lowered his head again and adjusted the flaps of his collar higher to hide his face.
An amused, feminine voice to his right broke him out of his thoughts and caused him to stiffen in surprise.
"You actually draw more attention to yourself by skulking around suspiciously like that."
Reluctantly, he turned towards the woman beside him, frowning when he realized that he couldn't see her face as she was facing the other side of the room. He also noticed that her head was completely covered by the hood of the tattered, brown cloak she was wearing.
Annoyed at her off-handed comment, he scoffed loudly and turned away from her.
"Look who's talking. Just because you wear an ugly brown old-lady cloak over yourself, it doesn't mean people won't notice you. So just piss off and mind your own business." He retorted, reaching for the glass of scotch that the bartender placed in front of him.
He thought he heard the woman chuckle quietly at his comment but he didn't turn to look at her again.
Instead, he busied himself with inspecting the rest of the pub's surroundings. Fortunately, apart from the bartender, the woman beside him, and a large, bulky customer sitting in a booth on the other side of the pub, there were no other customers there that evening.
Sighing in relief, he tossed his drink back before turning to the bartender and gesturing for a refill. Just as he was reaching for his second glass of scotch, the woman beside him accidentally spilled some of the drink in her hand and stumbled slightly forward against the counter.
Draco arched an eyebrow and shot her a disinterested glance over his shoulder.
Despite spilling her drink, it looked as though the woman had managed to keep herself from dropping the glass in her hand. As she straightened herself back up, the long hood that had been covering her face suddenly slid down her head past her shoulders, inadvertently exposing her face.
"Damn it."
She cursed under her breath and looked up, reluctantly meeting his gaze.
Draco's drink froze midway to his lips and he stared dumbly at her.
The blushing, anxious face of a young black haired girl stared right back at him.
As it turns out, his initial comment of her wearing an 'old lady cloak' couldn't have been further from the truth.
The longer he stared at her, the more he was certain that she was probably about his age.
She had unusually sleek and incredibly long black hair. It fell over her shoulders and continued in a long, inky waterfall down her waist, past her ankles, until the silky strands hovered just a few inches above the floor by her feet. She was unnervingly attractive, with a perfectly sculpted nose, high cheekbones and a smooth, flawless complexion. The color of her skin was also noticeably very fair – almost glowing in an unnatural sort of way. She was tall – not as tall as he was but certainly taller than most girls in Draco's year. She was also very slender, her womanly curves visible even through the thick layer of ugly brown clothing she wore.
On top of everything else, she also had the most gorgeous green eyes that Draco had ever seen.
In fact she was, undoubtedly, the most beautiful girl that Draco had ever encountered in his life but strangely, something about her appearance was a little unsettling. He couldn't help but wonder if it was normal for anyone to be this goddamn stunning without any kind of special magic, charm or potion being involved.
There was also something oddly familiar about her, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was.
Intrigued, Draco forgot his Malfoy upbringing entirely and stared intently at her, noting the way she fidgeting uncomfortably under his scrutiny and bowing her head so he couldn't see her face.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" He asked bluntly, tossing back his drink.
She stiffened, looking dismayed at his directness and her red lips slanted downwards into an irritated frown.
Instead of answering, she muttered darkly under her breath, yanked the hood of her cloak back over her head and hastily turned away from him so that he was met with her back.
Draco arched an eyebrow at her reaction and relented, backing away.
"I'm sorry, that was rude of me." He started to say, but when she didn't turn back to look at him, Draco shrugged and turned away from her, swirling the scotch around in his glass.
They were both silent for awhile until he turned to glance at her again from the corner of his eye.
"I don't blame you for hiding." He drawled in such an off-handed, sarcastic voice that it made the girl glance reluctantly back at him in confusion. When her emerald orbs met his again, Draco arched an eyebrow at her and rewarded her with a plucky smirk. "With such a hideous, grotesque face like that, I'd probably want to hide away from everyone else too. It must be horrible walking the streets." He added casually.
He watched as the girl stared at him, blinking a couple of times in disbelief at the audacity of his comment. She scoffed and shook her head at him, but even though she quickly turned her face away, Draco didn't miss the way she was obviously stifling a smile.
A little encouraged by her reaction, he set his empty glass back down onto the counter and turned around fully to face her.
"I'm Draco, by the way. Draco Malfoy." He waited until she turned around and looked up at him before extending his hand towards her.
She sighed and, hesitantly, she reached a small gloved hand out and placed it into his. Instead of introducing herself to him, she answered him with a curt nod of her head before she pulled her hand away.
"I know who are you are."
Draco frowned, his eyebrows fusing together in question.
"You do…? But how—"
She gave him a strange smile and held something out to him, causing Draco to shift his gaze down to the thick stack of papers she held in her hand. When he realized that what she was actually showing him was a copy of the Daily Prophet – with his and his mother's name, face and supposed war crimes plastered all over the front page – his expression immediately darkened and he scoffed before turning sharply away.
"Fantastic." He muttered sarcastically before sighing and straightening back up. "Don't worry, I'll stop bothering you now. I know you probably don't want to be seen talking to a Death Eater so I'll be on my way—"
"No! Don't go!"
The urgency in her reaction surprised him enough that Draco actually flinched in alarm. He frowned and turned back to face her, blinking when he saw that she was staring fully at him with wide, worried green eyes.
When he stared expectantly at her, she swallowed and ducked her head sheepishly behind her hand.
"That is—I uh…" She managed a nervous laugh and shrugged, brushing a wayward lock of her black hair away from her face. "I didn't mean that—I wasn't judging you for your actions or anything that happened during the war." She lowered her gaze, drawing his attention to the lovely long lashes that framed her eyes.
"On the contrary, I actually…believe Harriah Potter when she said you were one of the very few Death Eaters who was actually just a victim of circumstance." She said softly.
Draco blinked at her and looked away with a spiteful expression. "I suppose we'll see what the great Harriah Potter really believes tomorrow then, won't we?" He muttered bitterly to himself.
When she gave him a questioning look, he sighed and hung his head. "My Ministry trial is tomorrow. It's why I'm here, actually. This could very well be the last time I'll get to go out freely like this, I might as well enjoy a drink or two before I'm sent to rot away in Azkaban forever." He felt bile rising up in throat at the thought and with a grimace, he quickly tossed back the rest of his drink to wash away the bitter taste in his mouth.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the strange, knowing look she gave him.
After a long moment of silence, she lowered her gaze again but not before giving him a small, comforting smile.
"I'm sure everything will be alright." She said in a soft, knowing voice.
"That depends on Potter." Draco smiled grimly and ordered another drink from the bartender. "She could send me to Azkaban for the rest of my life. And to be honest, I wouldn't even blame her if she did."
"Like I said." She smiled mysteriously at him again and watched as he took another sip of his newly refilled scotch. "I'm sure everything will work out for the best tomorrow. You'll see." She assured him.
Draco would have questioned the strange certainty in her words but before he could, a low, gruff voice suddenly spoke up behind them, causing them both to turn around slowly until they were staring at a burly, middle-aged wizard behind them. The man was huge, probably about twice Draco's size, and he had a particularly lecherous grin on his face as he leered unashamedly at the dark-haired girl in front of him.
"Well hello there, beautiful."
The girl beside Draco stiffened at the interruption, but before he could step in to intervene, the burly man had suddenly squeezed into the space between them and practically draped himself over the girl, invading all of her personal space to an alarming degree. He snaked one muscular arm around her shoulder while he used the other to take a long, uncouth sip from his bottle of beer.
"What do you say you and me head on back to that tavern over there and enjoy some time to ourselves? I'd be more than happy to keep you company." He gave her a dazed, drunken leer after he had said that, his gaze brazenly sweeping up and down her form.
"Excuse me." Draco growled but he was deliberately ignored as the man leaned in even closer to the girl. She made a face and took a step backward from him in disgust.
"Take your filthy hands off me, you disgusting lecher!" The girl snapped angrily as she shrugged the heavy arm off her shoulders and shoved the man away. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to deter him at all and it only made him grab her arm and pull her against him with another drunken leer.
"You can call me Burt, sweetheart." He slurred dazedly as he began to lean in again toward her. "You know, such a pretty girl like you shouldn't be all alone in a pub like this. Let me take you somewhere else." He let out a rude, boisterous laugh that was soon cut off when Draco finally had enough and stepped towards them, drawing the drunken man's attention by placing a rough, heavy hand on the man's shoulder.
"You heard the lady. I believe she told you to 'take your hands off her'." He cleared his throat loudly, causing Burt to blink in confusion and shoot him an irritated look over his shoulder. "Besides, we were having a pleasant conversation before you barged right in and interrupted us. So get lost, Burt." He warned in a low, dangerous voice that left no room for argument.
Unfortunately, while Draco's intervention had been enough to distract Burt into letting go of the girl's arm, he didn't seem to be intimidated at all by Draco's tone. Instead, he sneered at the blonde and finally turned around fully, stepping up to Draco and trying to intimidate him by puffing out his chest and staring him down.
"And who's going to make me then? You, pretty boy?" Burt scoffed and deliberately flexed his arms, showing off his huge biceps.
Draco gritted his teeth as he inwardly reminded himself that he was a Malfoy and a Malfoy did not have brawls in dingy, backwater pubs like some dirty, ill-mannered charlatan.
"Well? Why don't you take that fancy cloak of yours off then and face me like a man?" Burt roared at him again, seeming to have forgotten about the girl behind him altogether as he took another step toward Draco and shoved him backward, nearly causing him to stumble against the stool behind him.
Instead of reacting, however, Draco calmly straightened himself back up and did as Burt instructed – he removed the cloak he was wearing. As he placed the expensive cloth slowly onto the counter beside the Daily Prophet, he made sure that Burt got a good view of his forearm. As expected, Burt froze immediately and stared at his Dark Mark in horror before his eyes widened and began flicking back and forth between Draco's sneering face and the copy of the Daily Prophet that was spread out on the table.
Slowly, the realization began to dawn on Burt's face when he recognized who exactly it was he was facing and he suddenly blanched, swallowing audibly and staring at Draco's face in stunned silence.
"Do we have a problem, good sir?" Draco asked him a calm drawl.
When Burt couldn't seem to find his voice to answer, Draco slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, finally causing Burt to snap out of his stupor and let out a nervous laugh. He raked a trembling finger through his hair and began to back away from them.
"N—no, no problem at all, good sir." He swallowed audibly and turned back to give the girl an apologetic grimace. "I'm sorry for my intrusion, it was terribly rude of me. I—I'll let you both get back to your discussion."
He didn't bother waiting for either of them to answer before he turned and practically fled the pub, rushing towards the exit doors and slamming them noisily behind him. As soon as he was gone and they were the only two customers left inside, the girl beside him sighed and turned to give Draco an exasperated glare.
"Thank you…But frankly, you didn't need to do that. I could have handled him by myself."
"I didn't do it for you. I did it because I hate watching shit like that." Draco responded, scowling as he settled back into his original leaning position against the counter beside her and finished the rest of his drink. "You'd think that just because a woman is beautiful, it gives men license to lose their manners, act like a complete bastard and harass her." He muttered darkly under his breath.
When he saw the curious smile she gave him at this words, Draco flushed slightly but decided to explain himself. "My mother is…well, she's quite beautiful too, you see. And I've always hated the way men hit on her all the time – even in front of me." He admitted grudgingly, still blushing. "It's a shame how there are only a few men out there who really know how to act properly around beautiful women."
"Yes, it is a shame." The girl agreed quietly, but Draco couldn't help but notice that she was still giving him a strange look.
Annoyed, Draco's eyes narrowed and he gave her a challenging glare.
"What?!" He growled.
"Nothing." The girl chuckled at him but quickly tore her gaze away and folded her arms primly on the counter in front of her. "Your reaction is just…refreshing, I suppose. Especially after the horrible week I've been having. I really appreciate it." She admitted softly.
Draco didn't exactly know what to say in response to that so he fell silent instead.
They continued to stare curiously at each other as though trying to gauge what the other was thinking. Finally, after a long moment, the girl seemed to snap out of her daze when she chuckled nervously and slowly began to gather her things.
"Anyway, I should probably get going…Thank you for the pleasant company." She let her voice trail off as she straightened, placed some bills on the counter and began turning towards the pub's exit.
"Wait!" Draco stepped toward her before he could stop himself, almost reaching for her arm before he managed to stop himself from touching her and lowered his hand back down instead. "It's pretty dark outside. Let me walk you to your door at least. I'd feel guilty letting a lady walk home all by herself at this time of night." He said.
"No, that's okay." She looked strangely worried at his offer and frantically shook her head. "I'm actually just heading for the station. I need to take the train back to London—"
"Then I'll walk you there." Draco insisted again in a firm voice before he called the bartender over. "Here, I'll pay for your drink as well." He added before she could protest, giving her back her money and tossing a few of his own bills over onto the counter.
Sighing in defeat, she seemed to have sensed he wasn't giving her any room to argue on that because she just gave him an awkward smile and allowed him to lead her out towards the pub's exit. As soon as they had stepped outside, they both adjusted their cloak hoods back up over their heads and began to trudge through the snow in the direction of the train station.
"So…" Draco shoved his hands into the pocket of his robes and stole a shy glance at her again from the corner of his eye. "Is there any chance I can see you again soon? Hopefully, in a better setting and not some dingy old pub. You know, assuming I'm not sentenced to rot away in Azkaban tomorrow." He quipped lightly.
He noticed the way she bit her lip when she glanced at him, a dismayed frown marring her beautiful face.
"I…I'm not so sure that's a good idea." She answered hesitantly.
"Because I'm a Death Eater?" His eyes flashed with hurt and he hastily turned his face away so she couldn't see the disappointment in his expression.
"No, it's not that." The girl was quick to reassure him as she placed an imploring hand on his shoulder.
"I see." Draco paused and turned to look at her again, studying the strange, conflicting emotions in her eyes. "Is it because I'm a Malfoy? I can assure you, I'm not the pureblood supremacist that the bloody Prophet makes us out to be. Well, at least not anymore—"
"No, it's not that either—"
"Then what is it? Why can't I see you again?" Draco demanded impatiently.
She let out another heavy sigh as he led her through the entrance to Hogsmeade Station. When they finally stopped just in front of the platform of the train going to London, she slowly lifted her chin to meet his gaze and gave him a small, apologetic smile.
"Things are just a bit too complicated in my life right now. I mean—" She gave him a wry smile and gestured to her attire. "Why do you think I was hiding, all alone in a dingy pub in the middle of the night, dressed like this? There are certain…issues…that I'm trying to figure out about myself." She admitted quietly.
"I understand." Draco felt guilty for his reaction when he heard her explanation, but nevertheless, he reached out and hesitantly took her gloved hands in his.
She froze at the action and looked up, meeting his gaze.
"When you do manage to sort things out…Can I see you then?" He asked softly.
To give himself credit, she actually blushed at his forwardness but instead of answering the way he hoped she would, she lowered her gaze and slowly pulled her hands out of his, folding them behind her.
"I…kind of have a busy year ahead of me. I don't think I'll have the time to meet you with you again in awhile. My life is a mess right now, I think I need to fix that first." She whispered.
This time, Draco allowed one corner of his mouth to tug upwards into a small, amused smile. Undeterred, he reached toward her again but this time, he gently tucked one stray lock of her long hair behind her ear.
"Well then….When you do sort things out and when you do finally manage to get your life back together—" He ignored the butterflies in his stomach as he met her bright green eyes again, marveling at the way they seemed to glow like two floating emeralds in the darkness. "—can I see you again?" He asked.
She blinked at him and, slowly, her hesitant expression melted away until only a small, amused smile lingered on her face. Chuckling, she shook her head to herself and took a step backwards away from him.
"You really don't take no for an answer, do you?" She teased lightly.
Draco answered her with a roguish grin.
"I'm quite persistent when I want to be. You'll learn this about me." He quipped, causing her to laugh softly – a a lovely, melodic sound that seemed to warm Draco all over despite the cool, evening breeze.
In that moment, he realized he was utterly and completely entranced by this mysterious girl.
And he'd be damned if he let her get away from him now.
"By the way." Draco frowned when he realized something, watching as the next train to London began pulling up onto the station's platform. "I'm really sorry but what did you say your name was again?" He asked.
To his dismay, the girl was already stepping up onto the train entrance. When she heard him calling out to her, she stopped and turned around slowly, giving him another strange, knowing smile.
"I didn't."
"Wait!" Draco called out to her again in panic when the train began to pull away from the platform. "You never answered my question! Can I see you again? And how do I even get in touch with you if I don't know your name—"
He didn't get to finish the rest of his sentence because just then, the girl had leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Before Draco even had a chance to react, however, she was already pulling away.
"You'll see me again, Draco."
She gave him one last smile before she stepped back up onto the train just seconds before the doors shut and the train finally exited the platform.
Draco continued to stand there long after she had left, a blush on his cheeks and a dazed smile lingering on his face as he watched the train fading away in the distance.
They received Aria's panicked letter that morning.
It wasn't long before both Ron and Hermione rushed to Grimmauld Place that same afternoon.
After accosting Kreacher for their friend's whereabouts and scouring the entire house for the black-haired Gryffindor, they found Aria hiding by herself in the attic.
As soon as they entered the room, they got a good glimpse of Aria's appearance when she turned around from where she sat by the windows to face them. Hermione did a double take and gasped loudly while Ron's jaw promptly fell to the floor.
"Aria?! Is that you?" Hermione asked, clearly stunned into disbelief.
"What—how did—huh?" Ron stammered stupidly, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Yeah, er…Hi. I'm really sorry to bother you two again so soon after the war but—" Aria swallowed the lump in her throat and managed a nervous laugh at their gobsmacked expressions. "Something kind of…weird…happened during my 18th birthday."
She tried to give her two best friends a smile but it ended up as a sheepish grimace.
"Are you really Aria?" Ron finally managed to blurt out, still gaping at her.
"…I think so…?" Aria tried to quip but the joke fell flat when she gave them a weary smile.
When Ron simply relapsed into another stunned, uncomfortable silence, Hermione finally snapped out of her own stupor and let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"Oh for Merlin's sake, Aria." She shook her head to herself in disapproval before striding purposefully into the room and plopping down onto one of the plush armchairs across her friend.
"Why is it that you always manage to get yourself into these kinds of situations?"
She rolled her eyes when she saw the way Ron just nodded dumbly in agreement and gestured impatiently for him to sit in the chair beside her. When he managed to do so after shaking himself from his dazed staring, Hermione pulled out a pen and notebook from her bag. The black-haired Gryffindor just stared curiously at her as Hermione gave her an expectant look and leaned back calmly against her seat.
"Tell me everything."