Archive of Our Own ^beta

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."

Chapter Text

Draco was very careful not to let the growing irritation show on his face as he stepped onboard the Hogwarts Express that morning.

He calmly began to make his way to his usual compartment, and it didn't take him long to reach the Slytherin-occupied end of the train. When he got there and slid open the doors, the familiar sight of his friends – Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Greg Goyle — greeted him.

Judging from the miffed expressions on their faces, Draco guessed that they probably received the same treatment he did when he arrived on the train platform that morning. From the very moment that he had stepped onto Platform 9 and ¾, there were already dozens of Hogwarts students milling about, most of which had stopped whatever they were doing to blatantly stare and point at him while whispering amongst themselves.

And it wasn't hard to figure out what they were probably whispering about.

Over the last few months, the words 'Death Eater Scum', 'Filthy Coward', and 'Traitor', often followed Draco around so much wherever he went that it hardly even bothered him anymore. What did bother him, however, was the fact that everyone seemed to look at him as though he was some crazed murderer who was likely to just randomly cast the killing curse on someone on the street without so much as batting an eyelash.

"There you are, Draco." Blaise greeted him first, looking up from his book and giving him a lazy grin. "We were wondering when our beloved Slytherin Prince would get here. Didn't run into any Dark Lords or happen to murder any innocent muggles along the way today then, did we?" He quipped.

"Sod off, Zabini." Draco growled back as he slammed the compartment doors shut and sank down onto the seat beside him. "And don't let any bloody Hufflepuffs hear you talking like that, they're liable to take you seriously." He snapped.

"But that's the fun part, isn't it?" Blaise joked again as he set his book aside and studied Draco closely. "Wow, I really hate to tell you this, Malfoy. But you absolutely look like shit." He pointed out, his words finally causing Pansy to glance at Draco for the first time since he had entered the compartment.

"Thanks for that." Draco glared at him, raking a self-conscious hand through his disheveled blonde locks. "I've just been busy since my ministry trial, alright?" He grumbled.

"You do look like you haven't been taking care of yourself, Draco." Pansy pointed out, pausing in the middle of filing her nails and glaring accusingly at him. "Are sure you're okay? Don't make me write to Auntie Narcissa—"

"I'm fine, Pans!" He snapped and waved her concerns away impatiently. "I've just had a lot of things on my mind lately. You know how bad everything was during the war."

He let out a weary sigh and leaned back against his seat.

"Train's moving." Greg finally spoke, drawing Draco's attention to him since the first time he joined them.

Grateful for the momentary distraction, Draco ignored the curious looks that Blaise and Pansy continued to give him and turned to glance disinterestedly at the window.

As the Hogwarts Express began pulling slowly out of the platform, he watched with a scowl as several squealing witches and wizards began chasing after the train, waving frantically at them and screaming Aria Potter's name. They continued to chase after the train all the way until it finally left Kings Cross Station, their frenzied cheers and fanatical screams echoing even through the train's glass windows.

With an irritated sneer, Pansy shook her head at the sight before she stood up and pointedly yanked the window curtains shut.

"Pathetic. As if Potter needed any more of a reason to inflate her ego, we have idiots like these practically worshiping the ground she walks on." Pansy muttered bitterly to herself, slinking back against her seat.

"Well you can't really blame them, can you? The girl did kind of save the entire Wizarding World from an evil Wizard, Pans. She's a bloody war hero now." Blaise pointed out, looking amused at her reaction.

"They made a new, limited edition Chocolate Frog card of her. I got one just this morning." Greg reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny, golden-edged card, showing it to them.

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, they were met with the sight of Harriah Potter's scowling face on the card's glossy surface. Underneath her portrait, the words 'Harriah Potter – Master of Death and Vanquisher of Lord Voldemort' were written in clear, bold letters. From her frame, card - Potter glared haughtily at them through her thick, round-famed glasses before turning around and disappearing completely from the frame, causing Pansy to scoff again and roll her eyes.

"Don't tell me you're actually keeping that horrid card, Goyle?" She gave him an accusing look.

"Why not?" Greg blinked at her and shrugged, tucking the card carefully back into his pocket. "I just said that it's limited edition. It'll be worth a fortune in a few months. Besides, you know that I'm trying to build up my card collection." He told her.

When instead of answering him, Pansy wisely chose not to say anything, Blaise shrugged at her reaction and decided to change the topic "Where's Corey, by the way? It's strange not seeing you with him."

"He's in the next compartment with his friends. I told him not to wander off too far." Pansy answered, looking away. "With everything that's been happening, mother was quite reluctant to let us return to Hogwarts this year. I only managed to convince her by promising that I wouldn't let Corey out of my sight."

"My mother wasn't all too keen on letting me go back either." Blaise admitted with a snort. "She actually tried to convince me to go with her and Husband Number Seven to Paris instead of going to school this year. Obviously, the choice was an easy one to make." He drawled with a shake of his head.

Although Draco was only half-listening to them, he couldn't help but agree with their sentiments.

His mother hadn't been comfortable with the idea of Draco returning to school either and to be honest, if it hadn't been for the fact that Draco really wanted to formally graduate from school, he probably wouldn't have bothered coming back for eighth year. Not only did he know that the student population at Hogwarts wouldn't exactly be welcoming towards him given everything that's happened, he also wanted to avoid running into Aria Potter as much as possible if he could help it.

It wasn't that he hated the girl.

On the contrary, if it wasn't for Aria Potter speaking up for him and his mother during their Ministry Trial a few weeks ago, Draco was certain that his entire family would probably be rotting away in Azkaban by now. Instead, thanks to Potter's carefully worded testimony, he and his mother were actually the only ones to walk away somewhat exonerated from this whole 'Death Eater' ordeal, their only punishments being mandatory community service.

His father, on the other hand, had not been so lucky but to Draco's surprise, Potter had decided to speak up defensively even for him, pointing out to the tribunal that Lucius Malfoy had been the only Death Eater who hadn't actually killed or tortured anyone during the war. And because of Potter's influence on the Ministry, Draco's father had managed to scrape by with only being placed under permanent house arrest – as opposed to the rest of the Death Eaters who were all either sentenced to life in Azkaban or placed on the wait list to receive the Dementor's Kiss.

Draco shuddered to himself at the thought.

That fateful day during their Ministry Trial, right after their respective sentences had been announced, Draco remembered exactly how his shoulders had slumped with the first relaxed, shaky breath of air he had taken in months. He remembered how his mother had rushed tearfully to Potter after all the other people had cleared away and thanked her, pulling the stunned girl into a tight hug and trembling gratefully against her.

He remembered the strange softness in Potter's green eyes as she let Narcissa hug her back before she pulled away slowly.

She gave the older woman a comforting smile before looking over her shoulder and meeting Draco's gaze. His voice had caught just then and he remembered staring wordlessly at her, a million thoughts running through his mind but not one of them managing to make it past his lips. All he managed to do, in that moment, was to give her a shaky nod in gratitude. To his relief, Potter seemed to understand because she didn't do anything else except return his awkward gesture before she quickly excused herself and went on her way.

Since then, both Draco and Narcissa had dutifully tried their best to keep to themselves and avoid the public's eye for the remainder of that summer. While Narcissa had gone back to live with Lucius at Malfoy Manor, Draco wasn't as keen as she was to go back to that house.

He couldn't stand the sight of Malfoy Manor anymore. Not after everything that had happened.

So a few days after his trial, he moved out of the manor and decided to purchase a private flat for himself in London a few blocks away from Diagon Alley. He had spent his last few weeks before school there, mostly by himself, and had only gone back to the manor to visit his parents whenever his mother owled him to visit.

Draco was snapped out of his thoughts when the doors to their compartment slid open and he looked up in confusion, belatedly realizing a few seconds later that Blaise had stepped out a few minutes ago because he was now re-entering their compartment.

He was just about to ask the other Slytherin where he had gone off to but Blaise beat him to it.

"There's something strange about Potter this year." He blurted out, his eyes looking a little unfocused.

Without meaning to, Draco automatically looked up at him with narrowed gray eyes.

"What is it about Princess Potter now?" Pansy grumbled, looking annoyed at his comment.

"I don't know exactly." Blaise shook his head to clear the dazed expression away from his face before reclaiming his seat beside Draco. "I saw her when I was getting some snacks from the trolley. She's…I don't know, she looks different…but also the same. Does that make sense?" He asked.

"No, it doesn't." Pansy snapped impatiently, still glaring at him.

"She got…taller, I suppose? No, but that's not it. There's just something weirdly different about her. I just can't figure out what it is." Blaise persisted, frowning to himself in thought.

"Her hair is longer but I didn't really notice anything else." Greg offered with a nonchalant shrug, causing Draco to divert his attention to him.

"You saw her?" Draco asked, arching an eyebrow at him in question.

"I saw her just before I got on the train. She, Granger and Weasley were one of the first people here." Greg answered.

"Speaking of Potter, didn't she give you back your wand? Why are you using a new one?" Blaise suddenly asked, breaking Draco out of his thoughts.

"Oh." Draco's gaze involuntarily flicked to his wand in surprise, belatedly realizing that he had been twirling it around in thought. "Yeah, she returned it to me right after my acquittal at the Ministry trial but for some reason, it stopped working properly for me since then. I had to buy a new one." He admitted.

"Can we all just stop talking about Potter please?" Pansy cut them off with another irritated growl as she slammed the book in her lap shut and glared at them. "Believe it or not, I have more important things to think about other than Harriah Potter's exciting life."

"I was just curious." Blaise looked amused at her reaction as he leaned back against his seat, folding his arms across his chest. "I mean, the girl's always been fairly pretty but something about her now seems almost magnetic. It's a little strange actually." He shrugged and began unwrapping the chocolate frog in his hand.

Draco felt his left eye twitch with irritation at Blaise's words but instead of answering, he opted to keep his thoughts to himself and directed his gaze back to the scenery outside the train's windows.

Unlike Goyle, he hadn't seen Potter on the platform but he had seen her annoyingly often that summer. Apparently, the flat he had purchased in London was near her house so it was unavoidable that they bump into each other pretty often. And he did – bump into her pretty often.

In all those times, they had barely acknowledged each other with anything other than an awkward nod and grimace – an awkward grimace on Potter's part and a nod on his.

Despite the fact that they had, presumably, called a truce after the war, Draco couldn't stand to be around Aria Potter these days.

He couldn't stand the fact that he was basically indebted to her now. And he absolutely hated that he couldn't even go on hating her the way he used to. She had taken that right away from him when she had saved him during the war and prevented both him and his family from going to Azkaban.

"By the way, Draco." Blaise's sly voice caught his attention again, causing Draco to stiffen in anticipation and turn to him with an eyebrow raised. "My mother's recent reunion with her gossip group revealed that you and a certain Astoria Greengrass are set to be engaged by the end of the year." He drawled.

Draco immediately stiffened at his words and looked away, clenching his jaw.

"You should know by now, Zabini, that gossip like that is always exaggerated. Astoria and I are hardly engaged. Our parents just talked about the possibility over dinner one time. We'll decide if we want to push through with it by the end of the year. Assuming things haven't…changed by then." He added quietly.

The strange tone in his voice caused both Blaise and Pansy to look up and give him a curious stare. Greg, on the other hand, had gone noticeably still at the mention of Astoria's name, though Draco knew the particular reason for his reaction. He knew that Greg and Astoria had been childhood friends since the two were both in diapers, and more often than not, anyone who said anything negative or defamatory about Astoria was usually the unfortunate recipient of one of Greg's gigantic fists.

Not surprisingly, Pansy wanted to prod at the issue further.

"Change?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him. "What could possibly change by the end of the year, Draco?"

Without his consent, the memory of the mysterious, beautiful girl he had met a few months ago in Hogs Head flashed into his mind and he shook his head furiously to clear the image away.

At this point, Greg's eyes had already narrowed and he was glaring so heatedly at Draco that he decided to change the subject before he suffered a particularly painful black eye.

"It's nothing." He hurriedly replied, looking away to avoid them pressing him with more questions.

In truth, Draco hadn't been able to stop thinking about his mystery girl all summer.

He hated to admit it to himself but one of the reasons he had chosen to purchase a flat near London was that it was relatively walking distance to the train station, and so he could frequent Hogs Head most evenings, hoping to bump into her again. Unfortunately, he didn't see her again for the rest of the summer and when Draco asked the pub bartender if the girl still frequented the place, the bartender had bluntly told him that he was wasting his time because there hadn't been any beautiful girls visiting her pub in weeks.

Annoyed at the thought, Draco scowled to himself and sighed, leaning back heavily against his seat.

"So." Greg caught Draco's attention when he spoke again and gave him an expectant look. "What exactly is the plan this year, Draco?" He asked.

Wearily, Draco lifted his head from his hands and gave him a blank stare in return.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You know." Greg mirrored the look on the blonde's face and scratched his head in confusion. "Every year, don't you usually outline to us the schemes we'll be doing, who we'll be making fun of and all—"

"That was before the war, Goyle." Draco interrupted him curtly, looking away.

"But then what about this year—"

"There is no plan this year." Draco snapped at him, looking annoyed at his persistence.

"But I thought—"

"I said, there is no plan." Draco cut him off sharply, causing all three Slytherins to share wary glances. "This year, we keep quiet and avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to ourselves. Is that understood?"

"And what about Potter?" Greg asked again, ignoring the warning look Blaise and Pansy shot him.

Draco's eyes narrowed at him in growing impatience.

"What about Potter?" He growled.

Before Greg could answer, Blaise let out an amused snort while Pansy just rolled her eyes to herself. Draco continued to glare silently at them until Blaise finally sighed and gave him an exasperated look.

"With you, Draco, there's always something about Potter." He pointed out.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Draco asked in a low, threatening hiss.

"He's not wrong, you know."

At the sound of Pansy's voice, all three boys looked up to see her lean back casually against her seat and lazily resume filing her nails. When she paused and looked up to see Draco frowning at her in confusion, she smirked and held up both of her hands in mock defense.

"Oh don't give me that look, Draco." She drawled, sounding both amused and exasperated at his defiance. "The entire time we were dating in fifth year, you did nothing but obsess over Potter. It was so annoying – not to mention the fact that you gave me such an inferiority complex when it came to her." She huffed, looking a little sour at the memory.

If anything, the truthfulness in her declaration caused Draco to feel a slight twinge of shame and remorse.

"Pans, I never meant to—" He began but Pansy just waved his apology away and cut him off.

"Let's not talk about it anymore, Draco. The past is history." Looking a little embarrassed at having brought the issue up, Pansy hastily looked away from him and turned her attention back to filing her nails. "Anyway, the point is, Blaise is right. Every year, you always seem to focused on something Potter-related. Greg simply wanted to ask how you wanted to torment her this year." She quipped in a deceptively light tone of voice.

"Yeah, that." Greg simply nodded in agreement.

"What part of what I said did you all not understand?" Draco gritted his teeth, beginning to lose patience with the entire conversation. "There is absolutely no plan for us this year other than to keep our heads low."

"But Draco—"

"And we stay the hell away from Aria Potter."

"You can't be serious about this, Professor!" Ron Weasley's loud, cracking voice reverberated loudly in the hall, drawing the attention of most of the 8th year students beginning to enter Hogwarts castle.

"That's Headmistress to you, Mister Weasley." McGonagall answered evenly, her forehead pinched in irritation and her mouth set in a straight, stern line. "And I would greatly appreciate it if you kept your boisterous shouting down. This is still a school." She reminded him.

A few feet behind them, Aria met Hermione's exasperated expression and tried to stifle the grin that was itching to break out on her face. She and Hermione watched helplessly as Ron continued to argue with Headmistress McGonagall about the new housing arrangements the school board had made for their eighth year at Hogwarts.

Apparently, in an effort to repair all the mistrust and house division caused by the recent war against Lord Voldemort, Headmistress McGonagall and the rest of the Hogwarts faculty had met up with the school's organizational board and proposed a mandatory resorting of all Hogwarts students every four years. The new measure was to be implemented beginning this upcoming school year, which meant that even the incoming 8th year students – the former 7th year students who hadn't been able to finish their studies last year – were included in the resorting.

As the 8th years were somewhat of an anomaly that year, it didn't make sense to have them resorted with the other students in the Great Hall. Luckily, the sorting hat remembers every single student it had ever sorted so, as McGonagall was currently trying to explain to them, the 8th years had already been resorted into their new respective houses – something that Ron (and a handful of other horrified students) was definitely not happy about.

"B—but—" Ron sputtered, looking completely at a loss for words as he stared at the sheet in McGonagall's hand which displayed their new house assignments.

"—Headmistress, there has to be some mistake—"

"I assure you, Mister Weasley, that these new house assignments have been decided after a very thorough discussion with the Sorting Hat. The same one that every single one of you wore seven years ago." McGonagall interrupted him, growing impatient with his protests. "Though, admittedly, not everyone will necessarily be in resorted into a new house. The sorting hat merely resorted those of you it remembered having a secondary compatible house at the time you were sorted in first year." She explained with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"So that means not everyone will change house?" Hannah Abbott asked hopefully as she and a handful of other nervous looking Hufflepuffs joined them.

"Yes, Miss Abbott. Not everyone." McGonagall confirmed, nodding. "As. I said, only those of you the Sorting Hat remembered as being compatible for another house back during your first year may be resorted." She repeated.

Aria felt a sinking feeling of dread bubbling up in the bottom of her gut.

Even before McGonagall had finished her thorough explanation, something inside her told her that she already knew exactly which house that blasted hat had resorted her into.

"B—but, still! Headmistress, I don't believe that—"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, but there's nothing I can do. This decision is final." McGonagall looked a little sympathetic as she reached out and placed a comforting hand on Ron's shoulder to calm him down.

She ignored the rest of Ron's poor attempts to argue and turned to the rest of the watching 8th years gathered in a large group behind him. "That being said, I'd like all of the 8th years to gather around me in a tight circle. To make the transition faster, I'm going to cast a quick charm that'll change your uniform colors into your new respective houses. I trust you'll do the same for your other robes by yourself."

She waited until everyone was huddled around her before swishing her wand once in the air in a quick circular movement.

A few sparks shot up from the tip of her wand, circling around the group, and within a few seconds, the hall was filled with sharp gasps and horrified screeches as about half of the 8th year students found themselves gaping at the new house colors accenting their Hogwarts uniform.

"Well. It's not like this was unexpected." Hermione mused to Parvati Patil beside her, a knowing look on her face as she stared down at the blue and white scarf that was now wrapped snugly around neck. "The sorting hat did tell me in first year that I would make a fine Ravenclaw." She admitted with a rueful smile.

"Wait, my colors didn't change!" Seamus Finnigan blurted out as he stared at his Gryffindor robes in mild disappointment. He paused and turned to glare at Dean Thomas beside him, scowling when he saw that his best friend's robes were now accented with the blue and white of Ravenclaw. "Hey! Why do you get to change?! That's not fair, I wanted to be resorted!" He growled.

"You think I wanted to?!" Dean retorted, a disgruntled look on his face as he yanked off his new blue and white scarf. "I don't want to be a Ravenclaw, damn it!"

"This is a joke, right?" Theodore Nott, who was a few steps to Aria's right, looked absolutely horrified as he stared down at his new, yellow and black Hogwarts uniform. "This is obviously a joke because there is no way in hell that I'm a bloody Hufflepuff! I demand to speak to the sorting hat!" He screeched loudly.

"What?! So I'm a Gryffindor now?!"

"Argh, what is this?! I can't be in Slytherin!"

"Hey, cool. I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Eh, I guess I'm still in Hufflepuff."

As she listened to her fellow 8th year students reacting violently to their newly assigned houses, Aria wasn't even bothering to look down at her own robe colors to check whether she had been resorted or not.

The horrified and somewhat betrayed look that Ron was giving her was more than enough of an indication for her to figure out whether her prediction about her new house was spot on.

Aria closed her eyes in exasperation.

She took a deep breath and counted to ten before she opened her eyes again and, very slowly, lowered her cautious gaze to her uniform.

The distinct green and silver house crest that was now embroidered perfectly on her school robes was absolutely unmistakeable.

I knew this was going to come back and bite me in the ass.

"No, no, no, you can't be a Slytherin." Ron croaked out even before Aria could even say anything, shaking his head frantically in denial.

She couldn't help but notice that unlike her and Hermione, his school robes hadn't changed colors at all and were still proudly displaying the lovely red and gold colors of Gryffindor house. "Because, you're Harriah Potter. You're like the epitome of what it means to be a bloody Gryffindor. Obviously, the sorting hat is mental!"

"Ron, calm down—"

"I am calm, Aria! Don't tell me to calm down!" Ron snapped back at her, his voice turning shrill.

Aria opened her mouth to try and reason with him but before she could say anything, she heard a familiar voice exclaim loudly behind her. Curious, she cast a glance over her shoulder and did a double take when she saw a frowning Neville Longbottom standing beside her, his bewildered gaze focused intently on his new green and silver school robes.

"Seriously? I though the sorting hat was pulling my leg back then!" He grumbled as he glanced back up, his eyes widening slightly when he and Aria locked gazes and he saw the similar colors displayed on her robes.

"Well, that's a relief." Neville looked visibly relieved as he walked over to them and gave her a sardonic grin. "Now I know that there'll be at least one friendly face down in the dungeons with me." He sighed.

"Neville?! You're in Slytherin too?!" Ron blinked at the other boy, shaking his head when he saw his new robes. "Has the whole bloody world gone mad or have I entered some kind of parallel universe?!"

At the look of utter incredulity on Neville's face and the way Ron looked as though he was ready to burst into tears, Aria couldn't help it anymore. The whole situation was beginning to feel more and more ridiculous by the second and before she could stop herself, a snort of poorly muffled laughter escaped her lips.

When Ron and Neville noticed her expression and turned to gape at her, Aria finally lost it.

She covered her face, slowly turned around, and burst out laughing.

"What the—Aria!" Hermione's eyes narrowed as she turned around to glare reproachfully at her laughing best friend. "What in the world could you possibly find so funny about all this?!"

"I—I don't even know either, 'Mione!" Aria managed to wheeze out in between her hysterical laughter as she bent over and clutched at her stomach. "But this whole situation, i—it's just…hilarious!" She giggled.

"Personally, I think the Slytherin colors look quite dashing on you, Aria. They bring out the green in your eyes." A soft, dreamy voice behind them had spoken, causing them all to turn around to find Luna Lovegood walking up to their group with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you, Luna." Aria answered, smiling slightly when she noticed Luna's new robes.

Not surprisingly, the blonde was now decked out in a full Gryffindor uniform, complete with a matching scarf. When Aria raised an eyebrow at her in question, Luna answered her with a smile. "Oh, the Headmistress already resorted all of 7th years before you arrived. I'm in Gryffindor now, see?" She twirled around, proudly showing off the red and gold on her robes. "We had quite a lot of surprises too, actually. A number of Slytherins in my year got resorted into Hufflepuff and Gryffindor." She told them.

"Do you know where Ginny got resorted into, Luna?" Ron asked, looking worried.

"Oh, don't worry. I think Ginny's still in Gryffindor." She answered.

"Maybe all of the Weasleys are just genetically predisposed to be Gryffindors forever." Hermione mused with a giggle, meeting the glare Ron gave her with a careless shrug. "Oh don't look at me like that. That wasn't an insult, Ronald."

"I still can't believe we're in Slytherin." Neville groaned as he let out a deep sigh and slumped dramatically against Aria. "And here I thought we'd finally be able to have a good, peaceful year after everything that's happened." He whimpered to himself.

"It's not that bad, Neville." Aria grimaced in spite of herself and tried to console him with a light nudge. "I mean, look at it this way. Since everyone's been resorted, there's a good chance that our new Slytherin housemates will have also come from other houses just like us so maybe we can still have a good, peaceful year like you said."

"I seriously doubt that, Aria."

Hearing the flatness of Ron's foreboding voice, both Aria and Neville looked up and followed his grim gaze to where a couple of Slytherins were huddled together behind most of the 8th years.

The second Aria saw what Ron was staring at, it wasn't hard to guess what he was probably thinking.

To be fair, she had been partially right.

Most of the Slytherins they knew had been resorted and scattered among the other three houses. However, there were three particular Slytherins who, unfortunately, hadn't been resorted at all and were currently still decked out in their original green and silver school robes.

Blaise Zabini.

Pansy Parkinson.

Draco Malfoy.

So maybe it wasn't going to be a peaceful year after all.

Chapter Text

"So I guess that means the three of us are still in Slytherin then." Blaise mused as he stared at Draco and Pansy's robes, noting that like him, the other two were still wearing their old Slytherin colors. "To be honest, I don't know if I should feel relieved or disappointed that I didn't get a new house." He drawled.

"Are you kidding?" Pansy snorted as she crossed her arms over her chest and gestured with a nod to where Theodore Nott was still throwing a screaming, hissy fit at McGonagall. "Would you rather be like Nott is right now? I mean, who knew that he was secretly a Puff under that cocky big head of his? His father's going to disown him." She snickered under her breath.

Draco couldn't answer, his attention drawn to the bulky Gryffindor-robed student who was trudging his way through the crowd towards them. When he reached their group, Pansy and Blaise began to mirror Draco's gaping expression and stared in stunned horror at one miserable looking Gregory Goyle.

"Goyle, you're a Gryffindor?!" Draco croaked out, staring at his friend in stunned disbelief.

"The sorting hat did tell me in first year that I was brave and reckless." Greg mumbled, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "But I had no idea that it meant I was qualified to be a Gryffindor."

"Well this changes everything." Blaise's lips twitched upwards into an amused smirk. "Now I understand why you always had a soft spot for Potter and her friends." He teased, earning a glare from Greg.

"It's not funny, Zabini." He snapped.

"Oh but it kind of is." Blaise countered, still smirking. "You being sorted into Gryffindor is almost as bad as Nott being sorted into Hufflepuff." He added, snickering.

"There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff." Greg pointed out in such a strange tone of voice that both Blaise and Draco arched an eyebrow at him, causing him to redden slightly. "I—it's just that, Astoria told me that she just got resorted into Hufflepuff too." He added, sounding a little defensive.

"Astoria's in Hufflepuff?" Draco croaked out again, shaking his head in dismay.

"Not surprising." Blaise shrugged at them. "She was always a bit on the shy and timid side."

Greg continued to frown at the two boys in warning. "There's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff or being shy and timid—"

He was cut off when Pansy suddenly spoke under her breath in a curt voice.

"The Chosen One and her dedicated horde of followers are staring at us."'

Draco looked up from the new house list that was handed to them by McGonagall and cast a questioning look at Pansy beside him.

When he followed her gaze and saw Aria Potter and the rest of her friends trying – and failing – to stare discreetly at them, his eyes narrowed and a slightly irritated scowl darkened his face.

In spite of himself, Draco took that opportunity to figure out what changed in Potter's appearance.

At first he thought it was her height, since it did seem like Potter had gotten taller. Back in their 6th year, Draco remembered that she had been shorter than Granger and Weasley. Now she was taller than Granger, and almost as tall as Weasley was. Her hair had grown longer too, but instead of keeping it loose and messy like she used to when they were younger, it was pulled back and styled into one very tight braid that ended just above her waist.

Curiously, he noticed that her hands were covered with a pair of sleek black gloves that went all the way up, almost reaching her elbows. At the beginning of summer, Draco had already noticed that Potter had taken to wearing a pair of huge, thick-framed glasses - even more hideous than the pair she used to wear back in their third year. She still wore those hideous glasses now, with the ridiculously large frames practically covering half of her face.

She looked exactly like Draco remembered when he saw her before school started, but even then he couldn't help but agree with Blaise's strange observations back on the train.

There was definitely something magnetic about her presence, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Even now, while she was preoccupied with her conversation with Granger, Weasley and Longbottom, there were students, particularly male students (including Blaise and Greg), who were subconsciously glancing at her every few minutes. They would blink, stare at Potter with a dazed, faraway expression for several seconds, before shaking their head and turning away as though snapping out of a semi-trance.

It was weird.

He was just about to comment to Blaise about it when he noticed that Potter was staring at him again. Frowning, Draco's attention was finally drawn to her robes – which, he noticed for the first time, were now accentuated with the same green and silver colors as his own.

You've got to be kidding me.

"Harriah Potter and Neville Longbottom are in Slytherin?!" Blaise suddenly blurted out, his eyes growing as wide as saucers as he gaped unashamedly at Potter's new uniform. Then, grinning, he turned to give Greg a mischievous look. "This is wicked, first you're in Gryffindor and now, we have the likes of Potter and Longbottom as Slytherins. Oh this is going to be one hell of an interesting year." He exclaimed, earning himself another set of irritated looks from his friends.

"This is horrible!" Pansy looked a little panicked as she turned to Draco and tugged frantically on the sleeve of his robe. She waited until Potter and her friends had looked away from them before she eyed their robes again in dismay. "I don't want to share a dormitory with Potter! She'll curse me in my sleep!"

"Potter would sooner jump into the lake than do something like that, Pansy. You're fine. Now let go of me!" Draco scoffed as he yanked his sleeve away from her in irritation.

"Have you forgotten that I was the one who shouted for us to hand her over to the Dark Lord during the siege on Hogwarts?!" Pansy retorted, her cheeks burning at the memory. "I doubt she's forgiven me about that little incident, Draco!"

"Have you forgotten that you weren't the Death Eater specifically ordered to kill her precious Dumbledore,Pansy?!" Draco fired back, gritting his teeth at her antics. "I'm the one she'd be most likely to hold a grudge against and yet, she bloody pardoned me and my family. So I think you can relax about her cursing you in your sleep." He snapped in a low hiss.

The venom with which Draco had spoken silenced Pansy immediately.

Meanwhile, Blaise and Greg shared uncomfortable glances with one another and scuffed their shoes quietly on the floor.

When the awkward silence stretched on for a few more agonizing minutes, Draco sighed and, to avoid apologizing to his friends for his outburst, he turned his attention back to McGonagall again just as the Headmistress was beginning to explain to the crowd of 8th years the newly implemented rules and guidelines for the school year.

He listened intently as she explained to them how, because of the ongoing reconstruction efforts of Hogwart's west wing – which had been badly damaged during the war – there was currently a shortage of available house elves to keep up the school's regular maintenance chores that year.

To aid with that, especially given that there was an unusually high number of students in Hogwarts that year because of the return of the 8th years, McGonagall would be assigning students to assist with some chores from time to time. She went on to explain how the chores would mostly be simple but varied, ranging from cleaning a few classrooms, maintaining the grounds, or even helping the house elves clean up the kitchens.

Ignoring the muffled groans she received from the 8th years, McGonagall continued.

"As an added effort to build more camaraderie with your new housemates, you'll be assigned in pairs for these chores. I'll be posting the pairs and the chore assignments within the week. Now, don't worry—" She rolled her eyes and raised a hand to silence the incoming barrage of protests. "—the chores will be quite easy and simple, I assure you. You can even use magic to finish them, it won't be like what you're forced to do during detentions. We really do just need an extra pair of hands right now to help with running the school while the castle is being rebuilt." She admitted ruefully.

"Great." Draco heard Zacharias Smith, who was standing a few feet to his right, mutter to Ernie Macmillan beside him. "I should have listened to my mum when she said I shouldn't go back to Hogwarts this year." He complained loudly.

Draco couldn't exactly blame him.

All he really wanted this year was to graduate with as little interaction with anyone else as possible, preferably none at all. At the very least, he just wanted to get through the year without anyone noticing his existence.

"—that's it for the special announcements. I wish you all good luck for the upcoming school year." McGonagall finished as she looked up from her clipboard and gave them all an encouraging nod. "The new first years will have been sorted by now so you may proceed to the Great Hall for dinner. Afterwards, I'll have your respective house prefects escort you to your new dormitories."

"Are we required to eat at our new house table already?"

Aria couldn't help wincing at Neville's question as she followed him, Luna, Ron and Hermione into the Great Hall later that evening. As they pushed through the doors, she let out a sigh of exasperation and subconsciously pushed her long braid impatiently over her shoulder.

"I think so? Otherwise, why else would McGonagall have accosted us before dinner to have us resorted already?" She mused, her words causing both Ron and Neville to look slightly put out.

"But I don't want to sit at the Gryffindor table without you two there. I'm all alone now, you two left me!" Ron whined pathetically to Hermione beside him, causing his brown-haired girlfriend to roll her eyes and give him an admonishing glare.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Ronald. Don't be such a child, we did no such thing! Just because Aria and I are in different houses now, it doesn't mean we left you!" She huffed, shaking her head in annoyance.

"B—but—"

"I'm a Gryffindor now, Ron. I can sit with you." Luna offered softly, giving Ron another one of her dreamy smiles. "I'm quite excited about the whole resorting, actually. I've always wanted to be a Gryffindor."

"B—but—" Ron continued to look desolate as he cast another pleading look at Hermione, grabbing her hand and pulling her against him. "—what if you start spending time with one of those Ravenclaw boys, realize they're smarter and better than I am? Please Hermione, don't leave me!" He wailed, this time causing both Aria and Hermione to roll their eyes and give him irritated glares.

"Oh grow up, Weasley!" Aria growled at him, giving him a hard shove.

"See?! See?! You're acting all Slytherin already! And it's barely been ten minutes!" Ron pointed out, scowling as he shoved her back in retaliation and rubbed his sore shoulder.

"How am I acting like a Slytherin?!" Aria retorted, her left eye twitching in annoyance.

"You called me 'Weasley'!"

"Seriously, Ronald!" Hermione sighed again, pointedly choosing to ignore the fact that Neville and Luna looked as though they were trying to stifle a smile at their antics. "If it matters that much to you, then fine, we'll still sit with you at the Gryffindor table tonight—" She noticed the way Ron's face lit up at her words but before he could react, she went on in a firm voice. "—but starting tomorrow, we all have to sit with our new houses, okay? I don't want the Headmistress to think we're disrespecting her efforts."

"You're an angel, Hermione, thank you!" Ron grinned widely, instantly cheering up, and he gave Hermione a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Ugh. I don't know why you put up with him, 'Mione." Aria quipped, hiding a grin of amusement as she began following them to the Gryffindor table. "But then again, you've always been patient with children."

"There you go again, Aria." Ron warned as he looked at her over his shoulder and gave her a quelling glare. "Keep that up and I'll throw you over to the Slytherin table." He growled.

"Wait a minute." Neville suddenly spoke as he latched onto Aria's arm. "If you're not sitting with the Slytherins yet, then I'm going with you. I don't want to sit there all by myself." He complained.

"It's fine, Neville. We can sit with them starting breakfast tomorrow." Aria assured him just as they reached the Gryffindor table, patting the hand he had wrapped around her elbow before she ushered him over to the seat beside hers. Luna took the other seat beside him while Ron and Hermione sat opposite them.

"Your hair grew quite long, Aria. I remember it being only shoulder-length last year." Luna commented as she turned her big blue eyes to Aria's braid and reached out to push it gently over the other girl's shoulder. "Did you use magic or a potion to grow it this long over the summer?" She asked.

"No it grew out on its own." Aria answered with a nervous laugh, pointedly avoiding Luna's gaze. "But that's fine, I've always wanted to have long hair, and I figured since the weather was getting cold anyway, now would be the perfect time to do it." She noticed that both Ron and Hermione had looked up and met her eyes but thankfully, neither of her two best friends said anything.

"Oh I see." Luna was still staring intently at her with her thoughtful blue eyes, a strange expression lingering on her face. "Is that why you're also wearing gloves? Because it's cold?" She asked.

"I—I uh…yes, exactly. Because it's cold." Aria agreed, glancing pleadingly over Luna's shoulder at Ron and Hermione, trying to get them to change the subject.

"I'm starving! Let's eat!" Ron suddenly blurted out, causing everyone else to jump slightly at his outburst.

Trying not let the relief on her face show, Aria was just about to reach across the table to help herself to some dinner rolls when another student – a brown-haired, slightly lanky boy in Gryffindor robes – suddenly plopped down onto the seat directly across hers. When she looked up at him in question, the boy gave her a wide, starstruck smile and thrust his hand out across the table, waving it frantically in front of her face.

"Wow! I can't believe it, it's—you're—it's really you! Harriah Potter!" He exclaimed ecstatically, ignoring the way Ron and Hermione were glaring at him as he leaned across the table towards her.

When Aria seemed too stunned to do anything but gape at him, he seized her gloved hand tightly in his, nearly yanking the glove off her hand in his exuberance.

"Hey, don't just manhandle her like that—" Ron growled but the boy cut him off again as he practically leaped across the table and squeezed himself into the seat beside Aria, causing Neville to protest as he was forced to scoot further away.

Whether or not the boy noticed Ron or Neville there, however, was irrelevant because he continued to stare dazedly at Aria with a creepy, lovestruck smile on his face.

"I know you probably don't know me but I am your biggest and most loyal fan, Aria." The boy declared loudly as he squeezed her hand again and leaned in closer, forcing Aria to frown and back away at the intrusion. "My name is Bentley Fisher. I'm a Gryffindor too and I'm a year below you. Though I did sit next to you a few times in study hall a couple of years back, but you probably wouldn't have noticed." He breathed out.

"Um, okay. Uh-huh." Aria forced out a small, awkward smile at that and discreetly tried to edge away from him. "It's nice to meet you, Bentley." She added reluctantly when an expectant look seemed to linger on his face.

"It's okay. I know you don't know who I am but that doesn't matter because I know everything about you. I dream about you all the time." He smiled at her again but this time, the maniacal, hero-worship in his eyes was enough to make Aria frown and tug her hand roughly away from his grasp.

"That's nice to know, Bentley. Excuse me—"

"You saved me, you know." He cut her off as he leaned in close to whisper into her ear, invading her personal space. "During the battle here at Hogwarts, you saved me. One of the Death Eaters, the one with teeth like a wolf, he was about to kill me when you happened to pass by." He explained, causing her eyebrows to arch up in surprise. "You shoved me out of the way of his killing curse right before you stunned him. I would have died if it wasn't for you." He finished, giving her another reverent smile.

It took Aria a couple of minutes before she was able to find her voice.

"Oh." She replied lamely, glancing over the boy's shoulder and meeting Hermione's questioning look with a helpless shrug. She didn't exactly know what to say in response to something like that. "That's uh…Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay—"

"By the way, I think it's absolutely appalling that they're forcing you to be in Slytherin this year." Bentley went on, scowling in distaste as his gaze dropped down to stare resentfully at Aria's uniform. "Personally, I feel affronted for you. I mean, how dare they tarnish the savior of the wizarding world by making her associate with those Slytherin lowlifes?" He raged, slamming his fist against the table and causing Aria to jump slightly.

"Um—"

"You deserve so much more than that, Aria. But don't worry, I'll protect you from those Slytherins—"

"Alright, alright. That's enough of that." Ron finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up, forcing Bentley to look up at him and earning a grateful look from Aria for his timely interruption. "Look here, mate. I think Aria wants to finish up with her dinner so she can get some rest. So why don't you—"

"Of course! Of course, I'm so sorry for disturbing you! I'll let you get back to your meal and go sit with my friends." Bentley suddenly rushed out, looking deeply embarrassed as he shot up from his seat and bowed apologetically at Aria. She gave him another forced smile, which quickly turned into a grimace when Bentley leaned in one last time and, ignoring Ron's warning glare at him, whispered into her ear.

"But don't worry, Aria. I'll spend the entirety of this year protecting you and making sure those Slytherins know their place. I won't let any of them touch you." He declared wholeheartedly, his unnervingly blue eyes gleaming with something Aria didn't quite understand.

"That's…nice, Bentley." Aria pushed him away herself this time and pointedly moved back from him a few inches to prevent him from leaning into her again. "But as Ron said, I'd like to finish my dinner now so if you don't mind." She didn't bother trying to be polite this time as she gestured impatiently for him to leave, completely fed up with the fact that he had been fawning over her for the last ten minutes.

"Of course. I'll go now. Have a good night." He gave her another wide, lovesick smile before he finally took off and reclaimed his seat with a few other Gryffindors at the very end of the table.

As soon as he was gone, Aria finally let out the breath of relief that she had been holding and shook her head, failing to suppress the shudder that suddenly wracked her frame.

"Finally!" Hermione exclaimed as she reached out and patted Aria comfortingly on the shoulder. "I thought that guy would never leave. The way he looked at Aria, it was like he wanted to eat her alive or something." She mused with a slight giggle.

"It wasn't funny, Hermione." Aria snapped at them as she shuddered again, trying to shake off the feeling of Bentley hovering so close to her. "That was almost as scary as facing Voldemort again." She muttered under her breath, causing Hermione to give her a reproachful glare.

"Don't joke about things like that, Aria—"

"She's right, though. That wasn't funny." Ron mumbled in agreement as he shoved a spoonful of mash potatoes into his mouth, accidentally spraying Aria with bits of food as he spoke.

"That was one hell of a creepy bloke."

"So…"

Both Neville and Aria glanced cautiously around the Slytherin Common Room, oblivious to the throng of other Slytherins who were entering the common room behind them and heading up to their dormitories.

"…this all seems…" Neville paused for a few seconds as he struggled to find the right words to say.

"…not horrible?" Aria offered with a slight grin.

"I was going for cozy but yeah, that sounds about right." Neville kidded weakly as he turned around and watched as Blaise Zabini, their new House Prefect, smirked at their expressions and gestured wordlessly for Neville and Zacharias Smith to follow him and Draco Malfoy down the stairs to where the 8th year dormitories were.

He stopped and made sure that both Zabini and Malfoy were out of earshot before he quickly turned to Aria and whispered something under his breath.

"Wish me luck." He winced and managed a weak laugh."If I'm not there to meet you during breakfast, it's because Malfoy and Zabini probably murdered me in my sleep." He joked nervously.

"Yeah right." Aria scoffed at that, trying not to mimic the expression on Neville's face when she glanced over her shoulder and watched Pansy Parkinson, their other House Prefect, calling impatiently for Aria, Morag Macdougal and Hannah Abbott to follow her to the 8th year girl's dormitories.

"You're not the one sharing a dorm with Pansy Parkinson, remember?" She pointed out.

Neville gave her a sympathetic smile at that before they parted, him following Zabini and the rest of the new Slytherin 8th years boys while Aria sighed and grudgingly trailed after Parkinson and the other girls. After a short flight of stairs, Parkinson swung open a large, wooden door and gestured for the rest of them to follow her inside.

"This is our new dorm room. Feel free to take any bed you like except the one at the very end. That one's mine." Parkinson waited until everyone had entered before she allowed the door to slam shut, causing Hannah Abbott to squeak in fear and practically jump a mile into the air.

"Relax, Abbott. I didn't bring you down here to murder you." Pansy looked as though she was trying to stifle a smirk as she eyed the former Hufflepuff girl's absolutely terrified expression. "You look like you're about to burst out crying. Are you sure they sorted you right?" She mused, snickering.

"I—I wasn't crying!" Hannah managed to retort weakly.

For once, Aria couldn't really blame Pansy for her comment.

Hannah was trembling horribly and the petite girl did look as though she was likely to burst into tears any minute.

Even Aria had been fairly surprised when she learned that Hannah Abbott, a girl that had a reputation of being the friendliest and most amiable girl in Hufflepuff, of all houses, had been sorted into Slytherin. A part of Aria was almost convinced that the sorting hat was just a crazy old piece of junk pulling all their legs and sorting everyone into the most random houses just for a good laugh.

Shaking her head at the thought, Aria took that moment to glance curiously around the dormitory, noting with mild surprise that, unlike the dorm rooms in Gryffindor tower, the rooms down in the dungeons were much bigger than she expected.

There were four large, curtained beds positioned at each of the room's four corners, and each one was beside a small study table and desk lamp. A nice, cozy-looking circular rug lay in the very center of the room, along with several pillows and two large chairs that somewhat resembled beanbags.

If she had to be completely honest, Aria actually liked the look of this new room better than her old dormitory back in Gryffindor, though her new housemates were an entirely different matter altogether.

The only downside that Aria noticed was the fact that, since their rooms were down in the dungeons, there were no windows along the walls. Regardless, there was a small, brick fireplace situated in the back of the room and it gave the dungeon walls a nice, warm glow.

"Whatever. I've done my part. I'm going to bed." Pansy broke Aria's train of thought as she rolled her eyes at their staring and sauntered pointedly over to her four poster bed at the very end of the room. "The bathroom is that door beside the fireplace at the back. The small closet by the door is for cloaks and boots only. Oh, and be sure to leave your dirty shoes outside." She cast a cursory glare at them and waited until they all walked back to the entrance and removed their shoes.

"So we can just choose whichever bed we like?" Morag Macdougal, a lanky, brown-haired former Ravenclaw who Aria always used to see walking the halls with her nose buried in a book, asked as she reluctantly walked over to the bed beside Pansy's.

"Do what you want. Sleep on the floor for all I care." Pansy retorted irritably as she pulled back the comforters on her bed and began fluffing the pillows.

It didn't escape Aria's attention that since the moment they had met Pansy in the Great Hall for her to tour them around the dungeons, the girl had never once addressed her nor glanced in Aria's direction.

"I suppose I'll take this bed then if no one wants it." Aria said uncertainly as she walked over to the bed that was the furthest away from Pansy's, way on the opposite corner of the room. Hannah, whom Aria noticed still looked as though she was on the verge of tears, immediately plopped down onto the bed closest to hers and turned to give Aria a pleading look.

"Um…Harriah? Can I take the bed beside yours, please?" She asked meekly, blushing when Aria's initial reaction was to pause in mid-stride and give her a blank stare.

"Of course." She recovered after a few seconds and shook the confused expression away, rewarding the other girl with a comforting smile. "You can call me Aria, by the way. It's nice to finally meet you, Hannah."

"Nice to meet you too, um…Aria." Hannah was still blushing as she pulled her trunk over to her new bed, flipped it open and began rifling through her clothes. "I still can't believe this is all happening. When I came to Hogwarts this year, the last thing I expected was to be sorted into Slytherin." She admitted in a broken voice.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad." Aria cajoled her with a slight grin as she took a cue from the other girl and began emptying out the contents of her own trunk. "I'm sure McGonagall knew what she was doing when she did the resorting. You must have been sorted into Slytherin for a reason."

"Well, I for one know exactly why I was sorted into Slytherin." Morag declared knowingly from across the room, apparently having listened in on their conversation. "Back in first year, the sorting hat warned me that I was too ambitious for my own good. It would have put me into Slytherin already had I not said that I valued knowledge more because it was more versatile than power." She told them.

"Oh was that your question? Mine was something about whether I valued loyalty or doing the right thing." Hannah mentioned curiously, looking up from her trunk. "I think I was placed in Hufflepuff because I said loyal friends wouldn't make you do the wrong thing."

"What a Hufflepuff answer." Pansy snorted derisively to herself but fortunately, only Aria seemed to have heard it.

"What question did the sorting hat ask you, Potter?" Morag asked, turning questioningly to the dark haired girl.

"Nothing." Aria admitted, a little annoyed at the realization that the sorting hat back in first year had apparently judged her without asking her anything at all. "The sorting hat didn't actually ask me any question."

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked as she looked up and stared at her in shock.

This time, even Pansy seemed interested in the conversation because the Slytherin had looked up from whatever it was she was arranging on her desk and cast a hooded gaze at Aria.

"It didn't ask me anything, to be honest." Aria admitted, trying not to react when she saw the surprise on their faces. "It just told me that I'd do well in Slytherin. But by then, I was already decided on Gryffindor so I told the hat to put me there instead." She finished.

"You told the sorting hat which house to put you in?" Hannah stared incredulously at her, one of her eyes visibly bigger than the other. "That's…wow. I guess the sorting hat took into account that you would be the future savior of the wizarding world, huh? You really are quite a witch, Aria. I can't believe you're actually my housemate now." She breathed out, now staring at Aria with unconcealed awe and admiration.

"That wasn't—I mean, it's not like that—" Aria instantly stiffened, her jaw clenching with irritation as she shook her head and tried to change the topic of conversation. "Anyway, we should finish unpacking so we can turn in for the night—"

"Yes, aren't we all so lucky now that we get to sleep in the same dorm room as our beloved savior?" Pansy's harsh, sarcastic voice suddenly cut her off, the sharpness of her voice piercing through Aria like a knife. "In fact, while we're at it, wouldn't you say that we're all so bloody lucky to even be breathing the same air as the magnificent Harriah Potter? It's so much more than we lowlife mortals deserve." She drawled.

Aria's hands involuntarily tightened, the leather of her gloves squeaking as her fingers clenched into fists. She whipped around and narrowed her eyes at where Pansy was now sneering at her from the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem, Parkinson?" She asked in a curt voice.

Ironically, Pansy looked a little taken back by her hostile reaction to Aria's statement because she had gone completely still, her eyes a little wide in belated realization. When she saw both Hannah and Morag staring at her, as well as the way Aria was glaring at her in challenge, the sneer on her face quickly vanished and she shrugged before pointedly turning her attention back to her trunk.

"Don't mind me. My mouth tends to run off without getting clearance from my brain." She looked up at them again and gave them all another sweet, innocent smile before hastily looking away.

Aria gritted her teeth and silently counted to ten in her head, fighting the ridiculous urge to take out her wand and cast a particularly nasty bat bogey hex at Pansy across the room.

Fortunately, they spent the remainder of the evening in relative silence after Pansy's little outburst, broken only by the occasional loud 'thuds' from the impressive stack of thick books that Morag was currently lifting from her trunk and arranging on the desk beside her bed.

Every now and then, Hannah would look up and glance warily around her, almost as though she was expecting that at least one of her new housemates was going to attack her while she wasn't paying attention. Aria would have found it funny, if not for the fact that the former Hufflepuff really did look helplessly unsettled being around her three new housemates.

Meanwhile, Pansy continued to keep mostly to herself, and it wasn't until she had finished unpacking her belongings and was sliding under the covers in her pajamas that she addressed them all again.

"Welcome to Slytherin."

She gave them all one last smirk before she reached up and yanked the curtains around her bed shut.

Chapter Text

The first thing Aria realized on the morning of her first day of school was that, unlike the Gryffindors, Slytherins were actually very punctual students.

Unfortunately, Aria had a horrible habit of sleeping in on most mornings and without Hermione there to wake her up, she could sleep all the way until noon. So it was actually a miracle in itself when Aria managed to wake up at seven after her first night in the dungeons. Despite her best efforts, she was shocked to realize that both Pansy and Morag were already gone, their beds already made up, while even Hannah was already finishing up with putting on her uniform.

When she noticed Aria peering at her from behind her bed curtains, the former Hufflepuff gave her a sympathetic smile and delicately reminded her that their first class was in less than an hour.

Flushing with embarrassment, Aria had jumped out of bed and rushed to the shower immediately, emerging messily from it about fifteen minutes later and wrestling herself into her uniform. As she stumbled down the stairs to the Slytherin common room, she was relieved to realize that Neville was there as well. From his haphazard appearance, it appeared as though her friend had also just rushed out of the shower.

The two former Gryffindors shared a knowing grin before they exited the Common Room together.

"So…You looked like you survived your first night." Aria commented idly as she and Neville rounded a corner and made their way up the long, narrow staircase leading out of the dungeons.

"Surprisingly, I did." Neville agreed with a chuckle. "It wasn't actually that bad. Well, Zabini at least was friendly. He oriented me about a lot of the house rules. Malfoy was mostly quiet and kept to himself the whole night. To be honest, it was actually Smith who was a little bit of a prick about the whole resorting thing."

"Really? What did he do?" Aria asked curiously as they finally made it to the ground floor and began heading in the direction of the Great Hall.

"Well, nothing terrible. He just went on and on about how his father didn't donate so much money to the Hogwarts board of directors for them to force him to associate with Slytherin scum." He winced at the memory, shaking his head.

"Are you serious?" Aria snorted under her breath and rolled her eyes. "I gather that didn't exactly sit so well with Malfoy then?"

"Malfoy was actually quite…civil about the whole thing." Neville answered, though he looked as though he was having trouble believing his own words. "He looked a little annoyed but he didn't rise to Smith's taunts or comments at all. At some point, he even looked amused."

"Wow."

Aria tried very hard not to let the stunned disbelief show on her face.

"I know." Neville shrugged and gave her a rueful grin when he saw her reaction. "Anyway, it didn't last long. Eventually, Smith stopped whining long enough for Zabini to befriend him and by the end of the night, he wasn't as annoying anymore. He even show me his card collection." He grinned at her.

As they entered the Great Hall, they noticed that most of their new housemates were already eating breakfast at the Slytherin table.

Glancing around the room, Aria caught the disapproving look Hermione sent her from where the brunette was sitting with a small group of Ravenclaw girls. She gave her best friend a sheepish grin in response, to which Hermione responded by rolling her eyes and smiling slightly before she turned back to her conversation with her new housemates.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Ron looked as though he was having an interesting conversation with Seamus Finnigan and Anthony Goldstein, though when he saw Aria looking at him, he gave her a wink and wave. Aria was just about to wave back when a large, bulky student several seats away from Ron caught her attention. She did a double take when she realized that she was actually staring at Gregory Goyle, and apparently the former Slytherin was too caught up in his conversation with Luna to notice that Aria was gaping at him.

Gregory Goyle in Gryffindor. Huh, what do you know. Aria shook her head as she followed Neville to the end of the Slytherin table.

Maybe Ron was right. Maybe this is a parallel universe after all. She mused.

Just as she and Neville sat down and began reaching for some food, a friendly, slightly amused voice to their right suddenly spoke up, causing them both to pause and look up to see a pristinely dressed Blaise Zabini smirking at them from where he sat across the table.

Wracking her brain, Aria recalled that the last time she had interacted with Blaise Zabini was back in their 6th year during her regular Slug Club meetings with Slughorn and a few other 'select' students. The only thing Aria could seem to remember about Blaise from those times, however, was how Slughorn had often referred to Blaise's mother during their conversations as being a very beautiful witch who had already gone through quite a number of rich, influential husbands.

As she stared at Blaise Zabini's smirking face across the table, Aria couldn't help but wonder exactly how beautiful his mother probably was, especially given the fact that Blaise was, undeniably, very attractive.

"Slept in on the first day of classes, did you?" He teased, snapping Aria out of her staring.

His smile widened slightly when he noticed her blushing, obviously very much aware that Aria had been checking him out. Thankfully, he didn't comment on it and Aria used that opportunity to hide her embarrassment by shoving half a piece of toast into her mouth.

"Something like that." Neville answered Zabini with an embarrassed smile. "Back in the boys' dorms in Gryffindor, we had a designated person who was in charge of waking up everybody else in time for breakfast. Usually, that assigned person would be rotated from the first years."

"That's not a bad idea." Zabini snorted and actually looked a little intrigued at Neville's words. "Assign the task of waking up early to the fresh bloods. Sort of like an initiation of sorts." He chuckled at the thought.

"I'm surprised Slytherin doesn't do something similar." Aria mused as she reached over and helped herself to a generous serving of freshly brewed coffee. "And speaking of Slytherins, are you all always this early? Merlin, I woke up and the whole girls' dorm was practically empty. That's not normal." She grumbled.

"We snakes are very particular about our time. It's a very valuable resource, after all." Blaise answered with a shrug, looking amused at her sleepy expression. Before she could say anything else, he surprised her when he smiled and suddenly extended his hand across the table toward her.

"By the way, I don't think we've ever formally met, Potter. Well, apart from 6th year of course, but I don't think we spoke to each other then." He chuckled and waited until Aria reluctantly slipped a hand into his, causing the Slytherin to blink and glance down at her gloves in surprise.

"Huh. Gloves?"

"My hands get cold really easily." Aria explained hastily, giving him an awkward smile.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Malfoy had been watching their conversation. When he saw that she spotted him, however, he flushed and hastily turned back to listen to whatever it was Parkinson was telling him.

"I see." Zabini shrugged at her, apparently not having noticed Aria's distraction, and squeezed the hand she had offered him, giving it a firm shake before he let her go and leaned back against his seat. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Potter. As you probably know, I'm Blaise Zabini but you can call me Blaise."

"In that case, call me Aria."

The infectiousness of his handsome smile was almost ridiculous because she barely even realized that she was smiling back at him.

"I'll do that. Thank you, Aria." Blaise grinned at her again and gestured to Pansy Parkinson, who was sitting with Draco Malfoy a few seats away from them. "So…If I may ask, how was your first night in Slytherin? Pansy didn't give you too much of a hard time, did she?" He teased.

Aria reluctantly followed his gaze, trying hard not to scowl when she saw the short-haired girl glaring back at her.

"It was fine."

She didn't elaborate but Blaise sensed the irritation in her voice anyway and he chuckled, giving her a knowing look.

"Pansy can be a little…unwelcoming, especially when you first get to know her. Don't let her color your impressions of Slytherins though. Some of us are actually quite nice when we want to be." He grinned and winked at her before turning to glance at Neville.

"Longbottom here can attest to how nice I am. I gave both him and Zach a complete tour of the dungeons last night." He said.

"He actually did." Neville agreed distractedly in between mouthfuls of scrambled egg.

"You're lucky. Pansy only gave us a 'tour' around our room." Aria quipped wryly, reaching behind her and absentmindedly tugging at a loose lock of hair from the clasp around the tail of her braid.

It proved to be a mistake, however, as tugging on the lock of hair had accidentally caused the clasp to come lose, freeing a small portion of her thick hair from her clasp. She immediately panicked and glanced back up, wincing when she noticed both Blaise and Neville looking a little disoriented and staring dazedly at her, pupils overblown with lust.

Damn it!

Cursing under her breath, Aria scrambled to re-twist the loose mass of hair back into her braid before hurriedly re-fastening her hair clasp. Once she was done and she saw that Neville and Blaise were no longer staring at her and were back to eating their breakfast, she let out a slow exhale of breath in relief.

That was close.

"Are you finished, Blaise?"

A harsh, irritated voice suddenly spoke up, causing all three Slytherins to pause in the middle of their conversation and look up to see Parkinson standing behind Blaise and glaring impatiently at his back. Malfoy was standing beside her, though unlike Parkinson, he looked more surprised than irritated to see Blaise interacting so casually with Aria and Neville.

"We'd better head down to the Potions classroom already if we want to get good seats. Oh yeah, that reminds me." Pansy cut herself off and rifled briefly through her schoolbag, pulling out a small sheet of parchment. Without glancing at her, she thrust the parchment at Aria and waved it impatiently in front of her face.

"Here are our class schedules and chore assignments for the week. I would have handed it to you earlier but apparently, you couldn't be bothered from your beauty sleep this morning." She said snidely.

That did it.

All of the goblets on the Slytherin table began rattling harshly, causing a few of the younger Slytherins to gasp in alarm. It was like a strange magical wave had suddenly swept over them, lingering ominously for a few seconds before the shaking came to an abrupt stop.

Aria's eyes were narrowed dangerously, glowing an eerily bright shade of green as, very slowly, she began to stand up from her seat.

Fortunately, Neville picked up on her body language immediately as he reached out and grabbed Aria by the shoulder, forcing her to sit back down. Irritated, Aria growled under her breath and was just about to snap at Pansy instead when, to her surprise, she noticed that Malfoy had drawn Pansy's attention when he snatched her by the arm and turned her so that the short-haired girl could see his warning glare.

"Lay off her, Pansy."

The voice Malfoy had used to speak with was soft but it apparently rang with enough authority that Pansy immediately backed off with a displeased scowl, looking annoyed but repentant for her actions. When she didn't say anything else, Malfoy turned, ignoring Aria's surprised expression, and gave Zabini an impatient look.

"First class is Potions with Slughorn. Let's get going." He waited until Blaise stood up and began gathering his things. "I don't want to have to kick out anyone who makes the mistake of taking my favorite seat." He drawled.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming." Blaise quipped back as he grabbed his bag before turning to give Aria and Neville one last wink.

"Don't be late for class, you two. Don't want to lose points for Slytherin on your first day."

Draco was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Harriah Potter was now his housemate.

It was hard enough seeing the savior of the wizarding world walking around in a Slytherin uniform, but now that he was beginning to see her eating with them at the Slytherin table, sitting with them during classes, and now even studying comfortably with Longbottom in the Slytherin Common Room, he was beginning to think that his life had become one big joke.

His only consolation was the fact that Potter looked as disgruntled about the entire situation as he felt, if the constant scowl on her face was anything to go by. In fact, ironically enough, the hostile expression on her face, combined with her new Slytherin uniform, made Potter look even more like a Slytherin than she probably would have liked.

Fortunately, all of the new 8th year Slytherins – Potter, Longbottom, Abbott, Mcdougal, and Smith – mostly kept to themselves and didn't cause any trouble during their first few days. Even Abbott, who always looked like she was going to burst out crying whenever she saw Draco, Pansy or Blaise in the Common Room, was going out of her way to avoid them outside of classes, spending most of her time with her old Hufflepuff housemates.

Meanwhile, Draco noticed that his former housemates – Gregory Goyle, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, and Theodore Nott – all looked as though they were trying to adapt to their new houses.

Well, except for Nott. Draco corrected himself wryly, stifling a snicker when he thought about how Nott had spent the last few days hounding McGonagall in an attempt to make her transfer him back to Slytherin.

Apparently, the pureblood was still in denial that he was a Hufflepuff now, and he made his sentiments more than publicly known every mealtime when he absolutely refused to sit at his new house table.

At least Potter seems to be more accepting of this entire situation.

Draco brought his awareness back to the present as he lifted his gaze from his desk and stole a quick glance at Potter at the opposite end of their DADA classroom.

She was sitting quietly between Longbottom and Abbott and was currently scribbling something into her parchment, pausing every now and then to look up and listen to whatever their DADA professor was saying. When she felt his gaze lingering on her, she frowned and suddenly looked up, glancing at his direction. Draco flushed and hastily tore his gaze away, hiding his face behind his thick textbook.

Nice one, Malfoy.

Draco slumped down into his seat and pointedly refused to look up for the rest of the lesson.

As soon as the class ended and they were dismissed for lunch, Draco sighed, gathered his things and stood up, following the rest of his housemates back to the Great Hall. When he caught sight of Blaise and Pansy halfway down the corridor and began to hear snippets of their conversation, he frowned and began walking faster to catch up to them.

"—I still can't believe you joined Longbottom and Potter's study group! Are you honestly that desperate for a good grade?!" Pansy was screeching at Blaise, her face twisted into a disgruntled expression.

"I was being friendly. And in case you've forgotten, Potter's the best student in DADA. Why wouldn't I take advantage of that?" Blaise protested flatly, looking annoyed at Pansy's outburst.

"They're bloody Gryffindors!"

"Pansy, I'm getting really tired of this." Blaise scoffed and gave her a pointed glare. "In case you haven't noticed, they're wearing the same uniform you are."

"What are you two on about now?" Draco asked wearily when he finally reached them, sighing as he stopped and shifted his gaze back and forth between the other two Slytherins in exasperation.

"Pansy's knickers are in a twist because I asked if I could join Potter and Longbottom's study session for DADA. Apparently, I'm not supposed to be associating with them." Blaise answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes as the glaring, short-haired girl.

Draco opened his mouth to respond but before he could say anything, Pansy cut him off.

"Have you forgotten about the war?!" She pointed out.

"The war is over, Pansy." Blaise answered bluntly, shaking his head. "I think it's time to move on."

"Seriously?" Pansy turned and directed her affronted glare at Draco instead. "Weren't you the one who said we should avoid associating with Potter this year?!" She pointed out.

"If you have any ideas on how to do that when she's in the same bloody house as we are, be my guest." Draco answered wearily, reaching a hand up to massage his temples.

"But—"

"Look. Maybe Blaise is right, Pans." Draco cut her off, interrupting her impending tirade and causing both his friends to glance at him. "I think that's what McGonagall's stupid little resorting is all about, really. Everyone just wants to get along and forget about the bloody war. Maybe you should too. For everyone's sake." He said quietly.

Pansy stared at him for a long couple of minutes after that, the look on her face a mixture of shock, disbelief, and a hint of betrayal.

Before either Draco or Blaise could say anything else, her expression shuttered and she shot them both boys one last glare before she turned on her heel and stalked off towards the Great Hall.

They blinked and stared after her retreating back for a few seconds before Blaise eventually shrugged and turned to Draco with a quirky grin.

"Ah, she'll get over it. It's probably that time of the month again, you know how pissy she gets then." He drawled, causing Draco's lips to twitch slightly in amusement. "Anyway, are you headed to the Great Hall? I'm starving."

"You go on ahead." Draco told him, shaking his head. "I'll meet you there. I just need to drop by the owlery first and send a letter to my mother. Otherwise she'll send me a howler." He rolled his eyes to himself at this, causing Blaise to chuckle and give him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before he took off, heading in the same direction Pansy had disappeared off to.

Once he was gone, Draco turned and began making his way towards the north wing of the castle.

As soon as he stepped outside the castle, he shivered and cast a quick heating charm on himself before continuing up the long, winding staircase that led to one of the owlery towers. He noticed that the steps were still a little wet from the melted snow so he made sure to climb very slowly.

The owlery was empty when he finally got to the top of the tower, probably because all of the students were mostly in the Great Hall eating their lunch. Draco was grateful for the privacy as it allowed him to take his time to re-read the letter he had written for his mother the night before.

Narcissa had nagged him endlessly about telling her everything that happens during his first day so he did just that, mostly telling her all about how McGonagall had resorted almost everyone into different houses. He mentioned in passing about how Harriah Potter was a Slytherin now, but only because for some strange reason, Narcissa seemed to have grown overly fond of the girl-who-lived ever since the day of their trial. Not only did she start keeping track of each time Potter's name was mentioned in the newspaper articles but Narcissa had also subscribed to Witch Weekly, much to Draco's horror, for the sole purpose of staying updated about Potter's personal life.

I suppose that usually happens when someone saves your entire family's life. Draco thought bitterly to himself as he walked over to where Castor was perched atop his usual spot and attached the letter to his leg.

Accepting the treat in Draco's offered hand, Castor gave him one last hoot of acknowledgment before he flew off, leaving Draco staring after his retreating form in silence. He waited a few more minutes until Castor disappeared completely from his line of sight before he turned and slowly began making his way back down the tower stairs.

He had just taken about ten steps down the staircase when a soft scuffle caused him to look up in alarm, just in time to keep himself from crashing into another student who was on her way up. Draco muttered irritably under his breath and looked up, only to freeze in realization when he found himself staring right into Aria Potter's equally surprised, albeit dismayed expression.

At such an unsettling, face-to-face distance, Draco couldn't help but notice how goddamn pretty Potter's eyes were – so green and so unnaturally bright even behind her hideous glasses. The two Slytherins stared awkwardly at each other, unsure of how to proceed, before Draco finally lowered his gaze, gave her a stiff nod and stepped slightly to the side of the staircase.

"After you, Potter."

"That's okay." Potter shook her head and gestured for him to pass. "You can go first, Malfoy." She mirrored his movements and stepped aside so that there was a small opening for him to walk through.

"No, seriously." Draco fought the urge to grit his teeth in annoyance and gave her a glare instead.

"You go ahead, Potter. I insist." He told her.

"I insist more."

"Well I insisted first, Potter."

"Malfoy, I'm the one who almost bumped into you." She pointed out.

"And I wasn't watching where I was going." Draco countered.

"I really don't mind." Potter argued, beginning to look irritated.

"Ladies first." He shot back.

They continued to glare at each other for a few more seconds, both Slytherins unwilling to concede until, to Draco's disbelief, Potter's glare faltered and her lips began to tug upwards into a reluctant smile. It took Draco a few more moments before the absurdity of their situation finally caught up with him but when it did, the sneer on his face melted away into an exasperated grimace.

"This is ridiculous." Potter chuckled, shaking her head. "We aren't usually this awkward and courteous around each other. Remind me, didn't we use to hate each other's guts?" She quipped.

"Well, I can't really hate you anymore, can I? Tell me then, Potter. How exactly am I supposed to feel around you?" Draco pointed out, folding his arms across his chest.

"Malfoy, you're welcome to continue hating me all you want. Nothing will change that." Potter answered stiffly, looking a little disgruntled by his comment.

"I can't hate someone who saved my life." Draco retorted with a scoff, rolling his eyes.

To his surprise, Potter gave him a strange look before she looked away and shifted her feet uncomfortably on the ground. He was barely able to make out what she whispered next under her breath.

"To be fair, you saved my life too, Malfoy." She told him quietly.

She didn't explain or elaborate but somehow, Draco knew right away that she was talking about that incident back at Malfoy Manor – when he had saved her from his Aunt Bellatrix by pretending not to recognize her face. At the time, he had convinced himself that he did it because he wasn't thinking clearly – but now that he thought about it some more, he realized that the reason he had saved her was simply because he had wanted to.

He had wanted her to survive the bloody war.

And he had wanted her to win against the Dark Lord.

That realization scared Draco more than he'd like to admit.

"Well, you saved my life and got me and my family out of Azkaban." He countered easily, shaking his head to make the confusing thoughts go away. "So as much as I want to, I can't exactly go back to tormenting you and making your cauldron explode during potions anymore." He drawled.

"So instead, you settle for being the most polite person on the planet?" Potter retorted with a snort.

"In my defense," Draco couldn't help the small smirk that forced its way onto his face when he saw her disbelieving look at him. "I didn't expect to be seeing you around – much less being housemates with you – this year, Potter." He gave her a pointed look.

"Yeah alright, I know. Heaven forbid, Potter is a Slytherin now, everything is so terrible." Potter's voice was sarcastic as she spoke, rolling her eyes and looking away. "In my defense, I didn't ask to be put into Slytherin. I was just as blindsided about this whole thing as you were."

"It's not that bad. If it helps, our uniform seems to suit you better than your old Gryffindork ones do." He drawled, smirking slightly when she gave him a deadpan glare in response.

"Is that an actual compliment about my appearance, Malfoy?" She mirrored his smirk and arched an eyebrow at him in question.

"Don't flatter yourself, Potter." Draco retorted, his cheeks immediately flushing with embarrassment when he realized the implications of what he had said.

When she chuckled at his reaction, the flush on his cheeks darkened and he leveled her with a derisive sneer.

"Just so you know, I didn't mean anything by what I said so don't misunderstand me. I didn't say you were attractive." He growled.

"I never said you did." She quipped back with a snort of laughter.

"I think you're hideous no matter what kind of uniform you have on." He spat.

"Duly noted." Potter answered, looking amused.

"Weren't you going up there? Can you get lost now, Potter?" He snapped, desperate to change the subject as he glanced down and noted that she wasn't carrying any bag or letter with her.

"No, I was uh…" Potter bit her lip and tugged nervously at the tail-end of her long, black braid. "I was just on my way up to get some fresh air. I like going up there. It's really nice and quiet.".

"Fresh air?" Draco's eyes narrowed and he gave her a disbelieving look. "Potter, that place smells like owls and birds. You could have just gone someplace nicer and cleaner, like the astronomy tower."

"It's fine. I like birds." She answered. By then, Draco noticed that she was beginning to look irritated by his prodding as she was scratching impatiently at something behind her shoulder. "Anyway, I'd better get going—"

She moved to step around him but just as the heel of her boots touched the icy stone stairs, she slipped, gasping and inadvertently grabbing onto the nearest thing she could for support. At the same time, Draco's hand automatically shot out and grabbed the exposed skin of her upper arm to steady her just as she had reached for him. It ended up with both of them inadvertently grasping onto each other for balance, both sets of eyes wide and startled as their faces were now much closer than either of them would have liked.

They stared at each other in stunned silence, both Slytherins blushing slightly as they tried to make sense of what just happened.

Eventually, it was Aria who broke the spell first as she suddenly flinched and yanked her arm away from his grasp as though he had stung her, causing Draco to blink and move away.

"D—Don't touch me." She hissed sharply, her eyes wide and her entire frame visibly trembling.

At the hostile tone he sensed in her voice, Draco's eyes narrowed and he immediately moved away with a sneer, raising both his hands up at her in a gesture of mock surrender.

"I wasn't the one who made you slip, Potter." He retorted snidely, a little offended by her reaction.

To Draco's confusion, Aria continued to look a little disoriented for a few more seconds, her eyes dazed and her slim shoulders heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

What was more disturbing, however, was how she was staring at him.

The look on her face was something Draco had never quite seen before.

She looked wanton.

Her cheeks were suddenly flushed pink and her green eyes were glowing as they pierced right through him, seemingly moving up and down his form as though she wanted to jump on him or devour him alive.

He licked his lips nervously and Potter's heavy-lidded gaze automatically shifted to stare intently at his mouth.

It was unsettling enough that Draco took a cautious step back away from her in fear.

"Potter…?"

Hearing his voice finally seemed to snap Potter out of it as she jerked sharply away from him in horror.

Ignoring the suspicious look he gave her, she turned away from him and closed her eyes, furiously shaking her head to clear her thoughts. When she managed to regain her composure a few minutes later, she took a deep, shaky inhale of breath and turned back around to face him, giving him a forced smile that didn't quite seem to reach her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out like that." She let out a nervous laugh, careful not to meet Draco's sharp gaze. "I just…I don't like it when people suddenly touch me or get too close. After effect of the war, I suppose."

Unconvinced, Draco arched a single eyebrow and studied her pale face.

"I take it that's the real reason for the gloves?" He finally drawled after a long moment of awkward silence on Potter's part, gesturing to the black leather gloves that covered the dark-haired girl's hands.

Instead of answering, Potter just gave him another forced smile, followed by a nervous chuckle.

"Anyway—" She didn't wait for him to respond as she began backing carefully away from him. "—I'd better go. I'll see you around, Malfoy."

As she began walking away from him and up the steps towards the owlery, Draco couldn't help but notice the thin cloak she was wearing and the fact that the bloody git wasn't even wearing a scarf. Oddly enough, he also noticed the strange, unfamiliar markings that looked tattooed on the nape of her neck just behind her braid.

Brushing the thought aside, Draco cursed inwardly and found himself calling out to her again against his better judgement.

"It's freezing up there, Potter." He pointed out.

"It's fine." Potter called back carelessly, not even bothering to turn around as she answered.

"I don't really get cold that easily."

Draco frowned in confusion at her words.

As Potter finally disappeared up the tower and he began walking back down to the castle, he couldn't help but fall into a contemplative silence as he tried to figure out exactly why her last words seemed to bother him so much.

It wasn't until he reached the entrance to the Great Hall that he finally realized the reason behind his confusion.

Back during breakfast in the Great Hall that morning, Potter had specifically told Blaise when he had asked her about her gloves that she wore them because she got cold easily.

But just now, she had told Draco exactly the opposite of what she had told Blaise.

Whichever one of those was true, it meant one thing.

Potter was hiding something.

Chapter Text

Aria sighed in exhaustion as she loosened her tie and followed Neville down the dungeons toward the Slytherin Common Room. Neville glanced at her from the corner of his eye and gave her a comforting smile.

"Not bad for our first week of classes in Slytherin, wouldn't you say?" He teased.

"I'm exhausted." Aria whined as she adjusted her bag strap over shoulder and dragged her feet after him. "I'm beginning to regret wanting to become an Auror, by the way. If I knew back then how many classes I'd be taking this year, I might have chosen something easier. Like a dragon tamer perhaps." She kidded.

"Don't forget. We still have to sign up for 6 units of those elective classes." He reminded her as they rounded a corner.

"Ugh, great."

"It's not that bad." Neville cajoled, nudging her lightly. "On the bright side, it's Friday today so we'll have a bit of a break this weekend." Neville cajoled.

"Aren't you forgetting about that big essay assignment due tomorrow?" Aria pointed out, causing Neville to wince in realization. "I haven't even started on that yet so I have to work on it when we get back."

"I'll join you." He chimed in, looking a little dismayed at the thought. "Actually, I remember seeing some good study tables in the Slytherin Common Room. Do you want to finish it there?" He pointed out.

"Sounds good."

They rounded another corner and Aria followed him towards a stone wall at the end of a long narrow, hallway. Neville muttered the password ("Machiavellian") and they both clambered through the entrance.

It wasn't long before they were greeted by the warmth of the Slytherin Common Room and they made their way over to the separate study nook adjoined to the main area. They froze, however, when they realized that the study table was already occupied.

Aria shifted uncomfortably when Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson all looked up from their pile of books and stared blankly at the two former Gryffindors.

The awkward silence seemed to hang over the room for a few agonizing seconds before Blaise finally put them out of their misery and spoke up, flashing them a small grin and gesturing to the empty seats.

"Potter. Longbottom. Do you need the table?" He ignored the death glare that Pansy was shooting him from across the table and swept some of their books aside to make room for the other two Slytherins.

"You can study with us if you like. We were just working on that big Potions essay due tomorrow." Blaise offered.

"No, that's okay. We don't want to impose—"

"Nonsense, what are you talking about?" Blaise interrupted Aria's half-hearted attempts to escape and pointedly patted the seat beside him. "There's plenty of room, go ahead and lay your books out. I promise we're a good study group, we're really quiet. Right, Drac?" He nudged Malfoy beside him, causing the blonde to let out a grunt in acknowledgment but otherwise ignore him, deliberately flipping a page of his textbook.

"I suppose—" Aria glanced at Neville in question, rolling her eyes when he just offered her a shrug and sat down onto the seat beside Parkinson.

Sighing, Aria reluctantly took the seat beside Blaise, careful not to accidentally knock over the piles of books scattered around them. Blaise grinned at that and rewarded her with a wink before turning back to his essay, which, Aria couldn't help but notice enviously, looked about halfway finished.

They all fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence after that, and the only sounds heard in the room were the scratching of their quills against their parchment and the occasional footsteps of other Slytherin students who happened to pass by their strange group while entering or exiting the Common Room.

Every now and then, Aria noticed that Malfoy would look up from his essay and stare suspiciously at her as though he wanted to ask her a question but when she glanced up at him, he flushed and deliberately looked away.

It was a few more minutes after that when Blaise finally broke the silence by slamming his book shut.

"Well, I'm tired." Blaise yawned loudly. He leaned back against his seat to do a massive stretch before reaching over to grab a muffin from the basket in the middle of the table.

"Does anyone want a muffin? Longbottom? Aria? It's Pansy's special recipe." He drawled.

"Huh?" Aria looked up from her unfinished essay and blinked suspiciously at the offered pastry in Blaise's hand.

"You mean Parkinson actually baked that?" She asked incredulously.

From the seat across Blaise, Pansy snorted derisively at Aria's disbelieving expression and glared at her.

"It's not poisoned, Potter." She grabbed the muffin from Blaise's hand and took a bite, glaring at Aria in challenge through lowered lashes. "But I'm afraid it might not be up to the Chosen One's standards."

"I'll try one, Blaise." Neville suddenly offered, glancing warily from the corner of his eye at Aria's annoyed expression. He took the muffin Blaise offered and took a small bite, pausing for a moment in surprise before he turned to Pansy and gave her a genuine smile.

"This is really delicious, Pansy." He told her, inadvertently causing the short-haired girl to redden in embarrassment before she scoffed at him and pointedly looked away.

"Of course it is." She huffed, the lightest shade of pink still dusting her pale cheeks.

"Baking is one of the few 'womanly' things that Pansy is actually good at. Every now and then, when she's been possessed or in a particularly good mood, she goes down to the kitchens, chases away the house elves and bakes some random pastry. Unfortunately, her baking skills aren't enough to land her a boyfriend." Blaise quipped, smirking when Pansy turned to level him with a scathing glare.

"Do you want me to shove the rest of those muffins up your ass, Zabini?" She snapped.

"Oh, Pans. I love it when you talk dirty to me." Blaise purred back at her with a smug smirk.

"Fuck you, Zabini."

"Really, Pans?" Blaise blinked and gave her an exaggeratedly scandalized look. "But I thought you liked Draco? Don't tell me you want us both now? A threesome perhaps? I didn't know you were that kind of girl."

Pansy's face began to turn an angry red and she aimed her wand at Blaise's head.

"Zabini, seriously. I am going to rip your dick off and shove it up your ass." She growled at him.

"How kinky." Blaise snorted.

"No curses, threesomes or cutting off of any appendages until after you've both finished that essay." Malfoy interrupted their antics in a flat tone of voice, barely even looking up from his book as he calmly turned another page and continued writing.

At Malfoy's words, both Blaise and Pansy settled back down into their seats, but not before Pansy kicked Blaise discreetly under the table. Blaise just made a face and stuck his tongue out childishly at her.

Aria grimaced to herself and looked up across the table to stare blankly at Neville's bemused expression.

The former Gryffindor looked just as confused about what had happened as she was but he just chuckled and offered her another helpless shrug, to which she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Slytherins are weird.

As it turns out, Aria's first few weeks in Slytherin turned out to be a very enlightening experience.

Apparently, despite the resorting and the fact that most of the former Slytherins were actually scattered into different houses now, the students from the other houses – most especially the first years – still had a tendency to disperse or move away whenever they saw someone in Slytherin robes approaching them.

It wasn't exactly irritating on Aria's part since she pretty much liked the fact that people went out of their way to avoid her now instead of crowding around her, but it was a little unsettling. Just the other day, while she had been on her way to the library, she had accidentally bumped into a Hufflepuff first year, sending the younger student sprawling to the ground.

Aria's eyes had widened and she had whipped around quickly, ready to apologize and help the student back up but before she could even open her mouth, the petite student had burst out crying and run off, leaving Aria staring after her with her jaw hanging open.

To make things even worse, the small group of Ravenclaw students who had witnessed the scene took that opportunity to shake their heads reproachfully at Aria, glaring at her as though she had performed an unforgivable curse right in front of them.

She did eventually get used to the notoriety that came with the green and silver uniform, and pretty soon, she barely took notice of the students cowering away from her in the corridors anymore.

Their joint classes with the other houses were particularly interesting.

Like last week, as she, Neville and the rest of their housemates were making their way to their Charms classroom for their shared lesson with the Gryffindors, Aria had been the lucky one among her housemates who had unwittingly walked into the classroom first – only to have a random firecracker come flying at her face.

Her seeker reflexes had, of course, reacted instinctively.

She caught the firecracker in mid-air and automatically flung it back in the direction where it came from, inadvertently saving herself – and the rest of her unsuspecting Slytherin housemates behind her – from a string of harmless (though particularly annoying) hexes and jinxes that were meant to last the entire morning.

When she heard the Gryffindor side of the classroom groaning loudly in disappointment, Aria's eyes narrowed and she flicked her gaze to the back of the room, glaring halfheartedly at Ron. Her best friend just gave her a sheepish grimace and pointed frantically to a grinning, completely unrepentant Seamus Finnigan sitting beside him.

"It was his idea, Aria, not mine!" Ron rushed out, gesturing wildly with his hands. "I told them that it wouldn't work if you were the one who walked in first!" He blurted out, looking a little guilty.

Aria had just rolled her eyes at him before taking her seat beside the other Slytherins near the front of the room.

And speaking of classes, she'd definitely be lying if she said she didn't miss having Hermione beside her during long, boring lectures.

Th following morning, during the Slytherins' shared History of Magic class with the Ravenclaws, Aria had just about fallen asleep in the middle of the lecture when Professor Binns had suddenly chosen that moment to call on her and ask her some obscure question about something that had taken place during the Goblin – Werewolf war in the eighteenth century.

Embarrassed at having been caught sleeping, Aria had turned to look helplessly at Hermione across the room but unfortunately, her best friend was sitting with the Ravenclaws and was too far away to coach her the answer like she usually did.

Seated to Aria's left, Malfoy looked particularly amused at her expense as he sat back and smirked at her, watching as she faltered under Binns' admonishing glare.

Gulping and staring blankly at Professor Binns' ghostly, expectant face, Aria was just about ready to admit defeat when, to her utter surprise, a hand had crawled across her table from behind, placing a small slip of paper in front of her. When she glanced down discreetly and realized what was written on it, her eyes lit up with relief and she quickly turned back to Professor Binns to blurt out the correct answer.

Satisfied, the ghost acknowledged her with a quick nod and continued the rest of his lecture.

Aria sank back down onto her desk and let her shoulders slump in relief.

Afterwards, as she glanced over her shoulder to thank the benevolent soul who had helped her out, she realized that the person sitting behind her was actually Pansy Parkinson, and the words got caught in her throat. It took Aria a couple of seconds to get over her initial shock as she stared blankly at the other Slytherin, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to think of what to say.

When her brain finally caught up with the situation, Aria mirrored the embarrassed grimace on Pansy's face.

"I uh…Thank you, Parkinson." She muttered quietly, cheeks flushed red as she lowered her gaze to her hands.

"Hmph." Pansy just scoffed back at her and turned away, her own cheeks tinged slightly with pink as she suddenly busied herself with rifling through the pages of her textbook. "Don't get the wrong idea, Potter. I just…I just didn't want you embarrassing our house or losing any points for us." She huffed out defensively before pointedly looking away, nose high in the air.

"Um. Right." Aria mumbled uncertainly before she turned back to face the front of the classroom.

Fortunately, they didn't need to speak to each other again for the remainder of the lesson.

They were dismissed soon after that and Aria sighed in relief as she stood up and began gathering her things back into her bag. Just as she was about to follow Neville to the Great Hall for lunch, a tall figure stepped deliberately into her path, blocking her way.

Blinking, Aria slowly trailed her gaze up Blaise Zabini's tall, lean form and found herself the unwitting recipient of the handsome Slytherin's overly wide, charming smile.

"May I help you, Zabini?" She asked, her eyes narrowing at him in suspicion.

"Aw…And here I thought we were on a first name basis already, Aria. I'd like to think so, especially since I believe you checked me out just now." He teased, giving her a saucy wink.

Surprisingly, she had grown used to his weird flirting at this point so Aria was unaffected by his antics and just rolled her eyes at him.

"Fine. May I help you, Blaise?" She cast a curious glance over his shoulder and saw Malfoy glaring impatiently at Blaise's back from where he was standing by the exit of the classroom. "By the way, I think Malfoy is waiting for you over there, you wouldn't want to keep His Highness waiting too long." She quipped wryly.

"Eh, the git can entertain himself for a few minutes. I just wanted to talk to you." Blaise cast Draco a distracted look over his shoulder before he shook his head and turned his attention back to Aria.

"I was thinking about inviting you, Longbottom and the rest of the other new 8th year Slytherins out for a drink tomorrow night at Hogsmeade. Sort of like an…unofficial welcoming party of sorts, if you will." He paused and chuckled at the look of surprise on Aria's face.

"Since we're all technically of legal age now, we don't actually need to wait for Hogsmeade weekends or ask permission from the Headmistress anymore to go out of the castle. There's this nice, cozy little pub that Draco and I really like, and I figured tomorrow would be a good opportunity to get to know everyone. And perhaps get everyone drunk, maybe get some good blackmail material early this year." He mused.

"Wow. I uh—" Aria hesitated under Blaise's expectant look, her eyebrows fusing together. "I'm not sure, Blaise. Given everyone's history with each other, are you sure that's really such a good idea?"

"You sound like Draco." Blaise snorted and rolled his eyes, waving her concern aside. "I realize it's a bit risky but the war is over and I, for one, would like to forget about it and move on. I think this new resorting thing is a great opportunity to get past all that, wouldn't you say?"

"Umm..."

"Don't you dare say no, Aria." Blaise interrupted her sharply, giving her another devastatingly handsome smile. "Look, to be honest, I deliberately invited you last because I knew you'd react this way. Longbottom already said yes. So did Smith, Macdougal, and Abbott." He told her smugly.

"Willingly?" Aria retorted wryly, giving him a disbelieving look.

"Why Potter, I am appalled you would insinuate such a thing." Blaise gave her a look of mock indignation.

"You didn't make Hannah cry did you?"

To her amusement, Blaise just grinned and smoothly decided to ignore her comment. "You don't even have to worry about anything, drinks and dinner will be on me. We'll drink it out, listen to some music, have some lovely conversation, it'll be a night to remember."

"And I take it Malfoy and Parkinson are just jumping for joy and spewing rainbows over your little get together?" Aria couldn't help the sarcasm in her voice, smirking at the sheepish look that crossed Blaise's face.

"Draco, I'm still trying to convince. But I'm very persuasive so I'm sure I can get him to tag along. Pansy, on the other hand…Well—" Blaise grimaced and ducked his head behind his hand.

"—frankly, she told me to crawl up my own ass and die so I reckon she might be busy that night." He admitted, rolling his eyes when he heard Aria snicker.

"So what do you say? I'll save you a seat for tomorrow night?" He asked again, giving her a cajoling grin.

Aria finally sighed in defeat and reached a hand up to massage her aching temples.

"Alright fine, I'll be there."

Ron and Aria were in the middle of a fierce chess game that afternoon in the school courtyard when Hermione suddenly bounded over to join them, plopping herself down onto the grass beside Aria.

"Have you both signed up for any of the elective classes yet?" She asked as she began emptying the contents of her bag and spreading her textbooks, quills, ink bottles, parchments out on the ground.

"We have elective classes this year?" Ron asked curiously, causing Aria to snort in amusement.

"Nice to know you're keeping up with your studies even when I'm not around, Ronald." Hermione told him scathingly, leveling her boyfriend with a warning glare.

Ron gave her a sheepish smile before he turned his attention back to the chessboard.

"I haven't yet." Aria looked amused at Ron's reaction as she answered, drawing Hermione's attention back to her. "I wasn't sure which one was interesting. Plus, I wanted to take one that you both were taking. I thought it would be nice since we don't have any classes where we're all together this year." She admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"Hey, that's a great idea." Ron chimed in, looking up and giving both girls a pleading look. "Please, 'Mione, can we all take an elective class together this year? It gets really lonely in Gryffindor without the two of you around. I only have Seamus with me for company." He said glumly, his features creasing into a pout.

"What about Luna?" Aria asked pointedly.

"Luna's nice and all but she mostly likes to hang out with Daphne Greengrass and Ginny." He answered, making a face. "I mean, I get Ginny but no idea why she's suddenly friendly with Greengrass. She's a Slytherin for Merlin's sake—" He paused in the middle of his tirade when he noticed the way Aria was glaring dangerously at him and hastily managed to turn the scowl on his face into a nervous grin.

"Of course, not to say that all Slytherins are bad or anything—"

"Save it, Weasley." Aria cut him off, rolling her eyes and using his momentary distraction to take one of his knight pieces. She ignored his protests and continued. "Besides, Luna's always been friendly with the other houses. I saw her in the library the other day with Goyle. They were doing homework together or something."

"Oh yeah. I forgot that she likes to hang out with Goyle too." Ron made another face at that and pretended to gag, shaking his head to himself in disbelief. "Still can't believe they let a prat like Goyle become a Gryffindor." He sneered.

"It might interest you to know that Goyle is actually very pleasant to talk to. He's sweet, polite, and also quite the gentleman according to Ginny. He offers to carry the bags of all the girls in their year when they move from classroom to classroom." Hermione told them, causing Ron to give her an incredulous glare.

"Bloody hell." He muttered under his breath before turning to Aria with a disbelieving scowl. "That was obviously a joke, right?"

"I don't think it was." Aria countered, shaking her head. "You'd be surprised, Ron. The boys from Slytherin are actually very prim and proper when it comes to how they treat girls. It's probably a pureblood thing."

To be honest, Aria couldn't exactly blame Ron for his reaction.

She couldn't help but remember how even she had been caught completely off guard by Malfoy and Zabini a couple of days ago.

On their way to their Care of Magical Creatures class, in the middle of their usual trek along the outer grounds of the castle, the 8th year Slytherins had encountered a nasty looking mud puddle in their path. Aria was just about ready to make her way across the puddle by jumping onto a small stone in the middle, short pleated skirt be damned, when, to her surprise, Pansy grabbed her by the arm to hold her back. Afterwards, Malfoy went on ahead of them both and, after crossing the puddle, he held a hand out to them to help both girls get to the other side without resorting to an unladylike jump.

Pansy took Malfoy's offered hand first, nodding her thanks, while a stunned Aria could only follow wordlessly after her, obviously not used to the special treatment. Once she had safely crossed to the other side of the puddle and Malfoy had let go of her hand, she cast a quick glance behind her, noting with amazement that Zabini had apparently done the same thing for Morag and Hannah.

As a woman, even Aria had to admit that it felt kind of nice to be treated in such a way every now and then.

Though Ron probably didn't need to know that.

"If I remember correctly, Goyle's always been considerate with the girls in his year even back then. We probably just never noticed it because we were never housemates with him." Aria continued hastily before Ron could notice that she had drifted off in her own thoughts.

"Seriously?" Ron protested weakly.

"Oh, you don't have to look so disgusted, Ronald. In fact, you could stand to be more like Goyle in that regard, you know." Hermione rolled her eyes at his childishness, tossing a handful of grass at him when he made another face at her. "Anyway, I don't mind taking a class together this year. Which one do you both want? Ooh, there's an interesting class on Wednesday evenings taught by Headmistress McGonagall. It's called Introduction to Quantum Magical Theory—"

"No." Ron and Aria both intoned flatly, causing Hermione's shoulders to sag in disappointment.

"I suppose I'll take that one with my new housemates then." Hermione retorted, looking annoyed at their reactions.

"How about Advanced Ancient Runes?"

"No." Ron shuddered.

"A Detailed History of Magic in the Middle Ages?" Hermione tried again.

"Merlin no, Hermione." Aria groaned out loud and gave the brown-haired Ravenclaw an accusing glare. "Are you intentionally choosing the subjects most likely to make me and Ron fail?"

Hermione huffed, scowling as she flipped the page of the pamphlet she was reading.

"Well we have to decide on something by this afternoon. So which one do you both want to take?" She asked as set the pamphlet down and glared expectantly at them.

"Can I see that?" Aria's eyebrows arched up when something on the pamphlet caught her attention. She took the pamphlet from Hermione and browsed through it, her eyes widening at one of the course selections.

"How about this one?" She pointed to the first class that was listed on the second page.

Frowning, Hermione glanced to where she was pointing at and, like the brilliant witch she was, her brown eyes immediately dawned in understanding. She bit her lip and turned to give Aria a wary look.

"That one's a bit risky for obvious reasons. It's why I didn't suggest it. Are you sure you want to take that?" She asked softly.

"Which one?" Ron finally looked up from the chessboard and shot both girls a curious look.

"European Magical Anthropology." Hermione answered, her gaze never leaving Aria's face. "Its course curriculum covers highly detailed topics about vampires, werewolves, metamorphs, elves and of course, veelas." She told them in a hushed voice.

"Yes, precisely." Aria answered after a long moment, looking up and meeting the other girl's stare with a resolute nod of her head. "Given my circumstances, it wouldn't hurt to learn more about these things, wouldn't you think?" She asked.

"If you're sure." Hermione answered uncertainly.

"As long as the class is easy enough to pass without too much work, count me in." Ron chimed, causing both girls to give him a deadpan glare. He blinked and returned their expressions with an innocent smile.

"What?" He asked.

"How did I end up dating someone so simple minded?" Hermione muttered quietly under her breath.

Aria smirked to herself at that, having heard Hermione's little comment.

"Don't do that." Ron scowled, elbowing Aria sharply in the ribs.

"Ow, hey! That hurt!" Aria growled as she elbowed him back in annoyance. "Do what?!"

"You were smirking at me. Oh so Slytherin-ly, I might add. Stop it or I'll jinx you." Ron gave her another mock glare and tried to elbow her again, only for Aria to easily evade him and scoot gracefully away.

"Oh you mean like the way you tried to jinx me the other day before Charms? Really mature by the way, Ron." Aria teased playfully as she tossed another handful of grass at him.

"Will you both stop throwing grass at me? And I told you that wasn't my idea! Seamus did that!" Ron blurted out, reddening slightly in embarrassment. "Besides, don't pretend like you wouldn't have enjoyed it either way if Malfoy or Parkinson had been the ones to walk in first." He pointed out, instantly drawing a laugh from Aria in spite of herself.

"Point taken."

"You two are hopeless." Hermione sighed loudly, interrupting their little exchange as she let out a loud, exasperated sigh. When her two best friends just snickered in response, she rolled her eyes and opened her notebook.

"Anyway, we're all set with European Magical Anthropology then? I'll sign us up on my way back to the Common Room later." She asked.

Aria and Ron both nodded in agreement before they promptly turned their attention back to their chess game. Meanwhile, Hermione leaned back, popped open one of her textbooks and began working on one of her assignments.

After another few minutes of peaceful silence and nothing else but the sound of Hermione's quill scratching busily against her parchment, Ron spoke up again, drawing his two best friends' attention back to him.

"Oh that reminds me, we're still on for that study session tomorrow night, yeah? Reckon I may have a few subjects I need both your help with this year." He grimaced, a rueful look on his face.

In spite of herself, Hermione let out a dramatic sigh and answered by turning a page of her book.

"As if I have a choice." She pointed out with a scoff, earning a fond grin from her redheaded boyfriend.

"Well at least Hermione'll be with you. Because I actually can't tomorrow night." Aria admitted, and she felt a tiny stab of guilt when she saw Ron's disappointed expression. "Zabini kind of invited all the new Slytherin 8th years to this little get together in Hogsmeade." She chuckled to herself and managed a halfhearted shrug. "Everyone had already agreed to it so I couldn't exactly say no without looking like a jerk."

"Zabini? As in Blaise Zabini?" Ron blinked at her in surprise. "You mean to tell me you're actually going to spend a night in Hogsmeade hanging out with him, Parkinson and Malfoy?!" He demanded, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Well Neville and the rest of the other new Slytherins will be there too." Aria offered him an apologetic smile. "I don't know about Malfoy but Zabini did tell me that Parkinson isn't going to show."

"Well, I for one think it's a good idea, Aria." Hermione told her, causing Aria to look up and stare at the other girl in surprise.

"You do?" She asked.

"Of course, I do. McGonagall did say that we were supposed to be taking this opportunity to make friends with the other houses." Hermione answered in a knowing tone of voice. "On that note, that actually reminds me. I also have a study session with the Ravenclaws this Sunday morning, Ron. So I won't be able to make it for our usual breakfast date that day." She said.

"What?!" Ron blurted out, glaring at his girlfriend with a hint of betrayal. "You mean to tell me you're ditching me to spend time studying with some Ravenclaw boys?!" He demanded.

"I will not be studying with Ravenclaw boys, Ronald. I'll be studying with Ravenclaw girls." Hermione corrected him as she closed her book with an exasperated sigh. "If it bothers you that much, you're welcome to join us. We'll be in the library the entire morning."

"That would make me look like I'm being a clingy boyfriend." Ron huffed, looking slightly put out.

"Well you are."

"I am not!"

"If you two are going to start this again, I'm out." Aria rolled her eyes and stood up, brushing off the bits of grass from her robes.

"I'll see you two later. I'm going back down to the dungeons."

When it looked as though both of her best friends barely seemed to have heard her and she recognized the tell-tale signs of another famous Ron - Hermione argument about to erupt, Aria shoved her things back into her bag and hastily made her way back towards the castle

Chapter Text

Draco was in a very sour mood that afternoon.

He had spent a good chunk of his morning prowling around Hogsmeade like some kind of besotted stalker, asking the entire village if they had seen a girl who fit the description he gave them. Unfortunately, his efforts were to no avail because not one of the people he had spoken to had seen his mystery girl. Most of them had just given him a pitying look, probably feeling sorry for this poor young sod who was so obviously infatuated with a girl he couldn't even get a hold of.

Sadly, Draco had no more leads to follow at that point – no hint of an address, no background, not even her bloody name.

He was beginning to think he would never be able to see her again.

It didn't help his mood that when he returned to Hogwarts later that afternoon to spend some time alone in the library, he was joined by an unwelcome pair – Greg Goyle and Astoria Greengrass.

The two former Slytherins had spotted Draco in the corner of the library and had decided to join him - without his permission, unfortunately.

Within a few minutes of the three of them studying together, it was obvious to Draco (as well as everyone within ten meters of their table) that Greg and Astoria had drifted off into their own little world.

The two childhood friends kept whispering little snarks and comments under their breaths, grinning like fools and nudging each other like a pair of first years. In fact, Draco seriously doubted that either of them was even still aware that he was there. When Greg finally slid his chair closer to Astoria's so he could read what she had written for her Divination essay and the two suddenly began giggling like idiots, Draco decided he had enough.

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Draco slid his chair back and stood up sharply from his seat.

His two companions looked up at him in surprise, their attentions from each other momentarily diverted.

"Draco? Is everything okay?" Astoria asked him softly, a worried frown creasing her features.

"Yeah, Malfoy. What's wrong? You've been looking foul all morning." Greg pointed out.

"I'm fine. Just leave it." Draco gritted his teeth, trying not to let his irritation at their concern show.

Don't bother snapping at them. It's not their fault you can't find your nameless mystery girl.

"Anyway." He took a deep, steadying breath to quell his anger before he looked up and met their confused looks again with a curt nod. "I'll be back, I just remembered I wanted to look for this book."

Draco didn't bother waiting for either of them to answer before he took off towards the back of the library, eager for any excuse to get away from the annoying pair and have some time to himself. After a few minutes of him wandering aimlessly around the many aisles of thick, dusty books, he found himself stopping in the middle of the Ancient Runes research section.

Oddly enough, the memory of those strange, rune-like symbols he saw on the back of Potter's neck suddenly flashed into his head.

What were those weird symbols on the back of Potter's neck again? Were those Ancient Runes? Did she tattoo them onto herself? Draco frowned in thought.

Before he realized what he was doing, he was walking towards one of the nearby bookshelves and scanning the titles lined up along the shelves. A significant amount of time later, after Draco finished scanning a thick encyclopedia of ancient magical symbols, he took a quick glance at his watch and realized, with a start, that he had just wasted away nearly two hours of his day searching for something he still had no answer to.

Again.

Suddenly feeling absolutely frustrated with himself, Draco slammed the book shut and ran a hand through his hair, messing up the blond strands. Then, growling under his breath, he stood up from where he had sat down on the floor and angrily shoved the useless textbook back into its proper shelf.

"Draco?"

He recognized the voice that had spoken and looked up to find Pansy's younger brother, Corey Parkinson, looking up at him from the end of the aisle. The younger Slytherin looked a little hesitant as he approached, noting the obvious tension in Draco's demeanor.

"Are you okay? Were you looking for something?" He asked as he looked up at the older boy.

"It's nothing, Corey." Draco was quick to reassure him, managing to give him a forced smile that ended up looking more like a grimace. "Anyway, where's your sister? Aren't you two usually together on the weekends?"

Corey made a face at his question and shook his head. "She's still in the Common Room. I was bored so I wanted to go around the school for a bit but Pansy said I could only visit the library." He complained, earning a smirk from Draco.

"Not exactly what you had in mind, huh?" He drawled, chuckling.

"No." Corey scowled, looking slightly put out. "I was hoping to practice flying again in the Quidditch pitch. I really want to make the team this year." He admitted with a rueful look.

At that, the smirk on Draco's face vanished slowly and he gave the younger Slytherin a worried look. "Corey, you should listen to your sister. You know you shouldn't be playing Quidditch in your condition—"

"But I really want to be on the team, Draco! Come on, won't you help me try out, just once?!"

In spite of himself, Draco couldn't help but chuckle at Corey's persistence.

"I don't know if I can help you out there, kid. I'm not even sure if I'll be on the team, that'll depend on this year's Captain." He drawled.

"Isn't that you?" Corey asked bluntly.

"If it is, I haven't heard anything about it from Slughorn yet." Draco told him, shrugging. "Look, why don't we talk about it when recruitment season actually starts alright? For now, I'm bringing you back to the Common Room before Pansy has a cow and starts rampaging through the entire school looking for you."

He didn't wait for the younger Slytherin to respond before he grabbed him by the collar of his robes and began leading him back towards the main area of the library. After grabbing his bag and muttering a quick farewell to Greg and Astoria – though Draco doubted they heard him as the two were too busy giggling at another one of those weird inside joke of theirs that only they seemed to find funny – he gestured to Corey and began leading the dark-haired boy back to their common room.

As they made their way across the courtyard, they passed by a small group of 7th year Gryffindors who were sitting near the entrance to the Great Hall. When the group saw them approaching, the one in the middle – a tall, brown-haired boy with freckles named Bentley Fisher – jeered at them and hissed the words, "Death Eater Scum" at Draco as they passed their group.

Draco's jaw tightened in annoyance at the petty jibe but he refused to acknowledge them. Instead, he turned to Corey, giving him another conspiratorial grin.

"I gather Pansy doesn't know that you're interested in joining the quidditch team?" Draco asked wryly.

"No, of course not. She'd never allow me to, she's too worried all the time." Corey admitted glumly.

"To be fair, quidditch might not be the best activity for someone with your condition."

"Why are you taking her side on this anyway?" Corey asked, looking irritated for a split second before his expression turned sly and he gave Draco an obnoxious smirk. "It's not like you two are still dating anyway. Or are you?"

Draco shuddered at that and made a face at him, firmly shaking his head.

"Please don't ever say that again."

Corey snickered at the look on Draco's face but thankfully, he didn't push the issue any further until the two Slytherins reached the common room entrance. As soon as they entered and caught sight of Blaise and Pansy sitting together in one of the couches near the fireplace, Corey winced and hastily excused himself from Draco, almost running up the stairs to the boys' dormitory in panic before Pansy's hawk-like eyes could zero in on him.

Draco shook his head at the sight, smirking before he turned his attention back to the other occupants of the common room, carefully inspecting his surroundings. While he spied a few of the younger students – mostly fifth years – hanging out by the study area, the main living room was mostly empty save for a few of the 8th years.

Aside from Blaise and Pansy, Draco also saw Morag MacDougal sprawled on the rug in front of the fireplace, surrounded by a dozen books all haphazardly scattered by her feet. Hannah Abbott, on the other hand, was reading by herself in a lone corner of the room, though the former Hufflepuff kept looking up every now and then, her eyes darting nervously around her.

And finally, a few feet away from Abbott, sitting very comfortably on the big, lush green armchair that was situated at a perfect distance from the fireplace, was Potter.

Draco stiffened and he had to blink several times as he ascertained the offensive scene before him.

Harriah Potter, the bloody git that she was, was actually sitting, all warm and cozy and bloody curled up like an annoying, satisfied little kitten, on Draco's favorite armchair.

On. His. Chair.

The audacity of this girl.

Draco was already seething with anger when Blaise walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, obviously struggling not to smirk when he saw the livid expression on his friend's face.

"You're starting to look a little purple there, Malfoy." He pointed out.

At the amusement he heard in the other boy's voice, Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously. He gritted his teeth and glanced over his shoulder, leveling Blaise with an accusing glare.

"Why didn't you tell her off?" He asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"You want me to tell the witch who killed the bloody Dark Lord that she's sitting in your favorite chair? Are you insane?" Blaise retorted with a scoff and shook his head. "No bleeding way, Malfoy. I'm not about to risk losing my limbs for your stupid chair. If it bothers you that much, then you tell her off."

He didn't wait to see Draco's reaction before he walked off, leaving the blond Slytherin staring indignantly after his retreating back. Left with no other option, Draco could feel the curious stares of all the room's occupants focused on him as he calmly walked over to where Potter had fallen asleep. When she didn't start at his presence, he cleared his throat loudly to wake the black-haired girl up.

It took a few seconds but Potter eventually jerked awake at his nearness and sat up, blinking blearily up at him through her thick-framed glasses.

"Wha—?" She blurted out, looking confused as she stared up at his looming form.

"Potter, you're in my seat." Draco said flatly, taking great care to keep his face an indifferent mask.

"I beg your pardon?" She blinked in confusion, staring up at him as though she thought he was actually joking.

"Potter." Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously and he fought to control his anger by tightly clenching his fists until his fingernails were digging into the palm of his hand. "That's my seat you're sitting in. Get out." He growled.

At his words, the confusion on Potter's face finally cleared. However, Draco was stunned when a small, all-too-amused smirk slowly began to form in its place.

"I don't see your name on it, Malfoy." She sing-songed in an annoying voice.

"Really, Potter?"

It was Draco's turn to blink this time as he frowned and gave the other Slytherin deadpan glare.

"What are you, ten?" He snapped.

To his utter frustration, Potter's smirk only seemed to widen at his reaction. "Hey, I'm not the one who's getting worked up over a stupid chair, Malfoy." She grinned widely at him, crossing her arms over her chest and purposely leaning back to recline obnoxiously on the armchair's backrest.

"Potter!"

"Well it was the only comfy seat left when I arrived! Everywhere else was full when I got here! Where else am I supposed to take a nap?" Potter complained with a scowl.

"I don't know, how about your bloody room?!" Draco snapped back, annoyed at her response. "And for your information, Potter, it was the only seat left because it's my seat end everyone else here knows that!" He added in a low, threatening growl, nearly running a hand through his hair in his frustration.

"Now I'm only going to say this one last time. Get. The. Hell. Off!"

This time, Potter had the gall to actually roll her eyes at him.

"Malfoy, don't be so melodramatic. Are you really making such big fuss over a stupid chair?" She asked, letting out a loud scoff.

Draco saw red.

His jaw clenched and the next thing he knew, he was already towering over the black-haired girl's form, gray eyes hard and steely as they leveled Potter with an icy, infuriated glare.

"What is it about you, Potter? What else do you want from me?" He sneered mockingly at her, ignoring the way the Slytherin girl froze at the barely restrained anger she heard in his voice. "You've already taken my wand, my house, my pride, and my bloody dignity. Do you have to take this chair too?"

Potter had gone completely still at his outburst and she looked a bit taken back. She opened her mouth to answer but Draco wasn't about ready to stop anytime soon.

"You know what? Go ahead, Potter. Keep the damn thing for all I care. And while you're at it, why don't you take the whole bloody common room for yourself too?!" He yelled loudly.

Potter's face had gone white at Draco's words and her green eyes were wide with shock as she gaped wordlessly at him.

"Fine then, I'm sorry." She stood up very slowly, both her hands raised up in front of her in a gesture of self-defense - as though she genuinely thought Draco was going to hex her. "I just didn't realize this was such a big issue for you."

"You can have the seat back, Malfoy." She added after a moment, backing slowly away from him.

"I suppose I should thank you then?" He drawled back sarcastically, still sneering at her.

This time, Potter was the one who clenched her jaw as she froze mid-step, her hands clenching into fists by her sides. Surprisingly, she didn't take the bait. Instead, when she turned around to face him, she stared intently at him as though trying to gauge the expression on his face.

"Malfoy."

She took a cautious step toward him, her eyes focused intently on his.

"Are you okay?" She asked uncertainly.

Draco stiffened at the unmistakeable concern he heard in her voice.

No, I'm not okay. The one girl I ended up liking this summer - that beautiful, perfect, enchanting girl I met - was probably just a figment of my imagination because I can't bloody seem to find her. And she didn't even give me her name. Instead, I'm stuck seeing 'you' everywhere and every goddamn day and I'm sick of it because every time I see you, you never fail to remind me of how much of a failure my entire life has become.

"No, I am not bloody okay, Potter." Was all Draco managed to hiss back, glaring at her as if everything was somehow her fault.

Somewhere in the back of mind, he knew that it actually wasn't and that Potter was, honestly, just an innocent bystander in all this.

He also knew that she had absolutely nothing to do with Draco's problems, but he couldn't seem to help it. It was just so much easier to blame everything on her. The frustration he had been bottling up for the past few weeks had finally reached its tipping point so it was all just spilling out; and all he could do in that moment was redirect it at the nearest person who could probably handle his wrath.

Unfortunately for Potter, she was the closest person who fit the bill.

Draco heard loud footsteps from behind before Blaise finally approached them, his eyes darting back and forth between his two housemates in amusement. Smirking, he placed himself directly in between them before turning to Potter and giving the dark-haired girl a reassuring wink.

"Don't mind him so much, Potter." He cajoled lightly, ignoring the way Draco was glaring at the back of his head. "To be completely honest, I don't even think this is about you. Malfoy's just not in the best of moods right now because he spent all morning looking for this 'dream girl' he supposedly met in Hogsmeade a few months ago. She didn't give him her name so he's been looking for her all summer." He snickered for a bit before stopping abruptly when Draco flicked his icy gaze at him, effectively shutting him up.

A very strange, guilty expression suddenly darkened Potter's features.

Her eyes had widened and she actually looked stunned with regret as she hastily turned her attention back to Draco and gave him an apologetic look.

"Malfoy, I'm sorry—"

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Potter!" Draco cut her off before she could say anything else, his cheeks burning red with angry humiliation when he saw the expression on her face. "It doesn't concern you and I don't need your goddamn pity!"

"That wasn't what I meant! I just—"

"Potter, it's really none of your business so just bugger off!" He growled warningly.

"Malfoy—"

"I said just shut the fuck up and leave me alone, you damn half-breed freak!" Draco finally exploded, his voice rising several levels in his anger and causing both Potter and Blaise to step back from him in alarm.

By now, every single Slytherin in the common room was staring intently at them, most of which were probably waiting for either one of the two formal rivals to start blasting the other with an unforgivable curse.

He saw Zacharias Smith frozen by the entrance, the former Hufflepuff looking as though he was unsure if he should risk his life by entering the room. Pansy and Blaise were both gaping at him, obviously not expecting Draco's little outburst while Hannah Abbott and Morag MacDougal had both stopped whatever it was they were doing and were now watching Draco and Potter with wide, curious eyes.

So much for not drawing any attention this year.

Draco took a deep inhale of breath to calm himself down before reaching up to massage his temples in frustration.

"I'll just go then."

The unexpected softness in Potter's voice drew Draco's attention back to her, and he was taken back when he saw the expression on her face. For all her legendary Gryffindor bravado and annoying snark at the beginning of their conversation, Potter now looked as though someone had punched her in the gut.

"Let me just grab my things." She knelt down and began gathering her books back into her bag on the floor, not bothering to wait for either Blaise or Draco to respond before she stood back up and began making her way to the 8th year girls' dormitories.

Draco blinked and stared at her retreating back in cold silence, lost in thought.

"You know, Malfoy." Blaise let out a dramatic sigh as he placed another hand on Draco's shoulder and gave him a firm shake. "I get that you're pissed and all about this mystery girl of yours but you didn't have to be such an ass and take it out on Potter like that. I mean, she is still a woman and you basically just snapped at her in front of everyone—"

"Fuck off, Zabini." Draco cut him off sharply, shrugging the other boy's hand off his shoulder. "Forget this, I'm going upstairs." He ignored the confused look Blaise gave him and roughly pushed past him, stalking up towards the stairs leading to the 8th year male dorms.

The harsh sound of Draco slamming the heavy doors of the dormitory shut reverberated all the way until the common room, making Blaise, Pansy and the rest of the remaining Slytherins flinch.

A few minutes later, after all of the nosy spectators who had gathered to watch Draco and Potter had dispersed and the remaining students in the common room resumed their previous activities, Pansy walked over to the seat Potter had just vacated. Ignoring the questioning look Blaise was giving her, she frowned and reached down to pick up the strange lone item that was left on the dark green seat.

It was a beautiful, pristine white feather.

The next morning at breakfast, a large, unfamiliar white owl swooped into the Great Hall and made a beeline for the Slytherin table, depositing a small envelope in front of Draco's plate.

Ignoring the curious looks he received from his housemates, Draco frowned and picked up the envelope, unsealing it with his butter knife and removing the small slip of parchment inside.

It wasn't signed but the moment he finished reading the first paragraph, he realized who it was from and he could barely contain the small smile that began tugging on his lips.

I suppose congratulations are in order. I hear that you aren't going to spend the rest of your life in Azkaban after all. I did tell you that everything would work out, didn't I? Perhaps the next time we see each other, you should buy me another drink.

Draco chuckled softly and held the letter up higher into the light so he could read it better.

Before anything else, I should probably apologize. I heard you were going around London and Hogsmeade this summer looking for me. To be honest, I didn't actually expect you to do that since I never gave you my name or any information about myself. But then again, perhaps I should have taken you more seriously when you told me you were persistent.

Maybe I should have been more upfront about this with you.

I'm not in London nor in Hogsmeade right now and I probably won't be anytime soon. When we met that night, I did tell you that I was going through some very complicated changes in my life, and until that's fixed, I'm not sure I'm ready to see you again.

He frowned at that, fingers gently caressing the parchment's crisp edges.

I can promise you that we will see and speak to each other again soon enough, perhaps sooner than you might even think.

Until then,

She-who-must-not-be-named

In spite of himself, Draco couldn't help chuckling at the oh-so-clever and witty name she used to sign the letter at the end, thinking back to how she had deliberately avoided telling him her name back at that train station.

A soft hoot caught his attention and Draco noticed that the owl that had delivered the letter was still waiting on the table in front of him.

He smiled slightly when he realized that the owl was waiting for him to reply.

Ignoring the curious looks Blaise and Pansy were giving him, he dug out a quill, a short roll of parchment from his bag, and quickly ducked over the table to write out his answer.

Thank you for getting in touch with me. To be honest, I was almost ready to convince myself that I might have been dreaming the night I met you, especially since you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever met.

Unfortunately for you, now that I know you're real, I'm not about to give up on asking you out anytime soon. Don't worry, aside from being very persistent, I'm also very patient. I can wait until you're ready to see me again.

Sincerely,

Draco (aka A Very Persistent Stalker)

Whoever this girl was, she was obviously a very secretive person. But if she wanted to keep the correspondence between them this way, Draco was more than willing to oblige for now – as long as it came with the promise of actually seeing her beautiful face again.

Aria sighed to herself as she stood outside in the evening snow and stared at the wooden signage of the small, well-lit pub.

The Tipsy Tavern, huh?

She could already hear the voices of some of her housemates who were already inside.

I suppose let's just get this over with.

Pushing past the doors, she entered the pub slowly, pausing by the entrance so she could scope out her surroundings. Since the pub's interior was relatively smaller than the Three Broomsticks, it wasn't hard to spot the 8th year Slytherins, all of whom were cramped together around a long, wooden table near the back.

When he saw her lingering by the doors, Blaise Zabini stood up from the head of the table and beckoned her over, causing the rest of the Slytherins to look up when she reached them.

"Aria! I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up!" He greeted loudly, grinning as he yanked out the chair beside his and gestured impatiently for her to sit down. "Well come on, come on then! Don't just stand there, sit down already."

"Wow…I uh—" Aria couldn't help the amused grin on her face as she sat down and stared at the other occupants of the table – Neville, Hannah, Morag, and Zacharias. All four of them were sitting stiffly in their seats and looked as awkward and uncomfortable with the whole situation as she was.

"—I honestly didn't expect this many people to show up." She kidded.

"I did tell you that I was very persuasive." Blaise said smugly, a completely unrepentant smirk on his face as he leaned back against his seat and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Oh by the way. Since you were late, I have this special rule." He ignored her confusion and picked up the tall red bottle in front of him, pouring its contents into one of the shot glasses in the middle of the table.

"Careful, Aria. That stuff's nasty." Neville warned, giving Aria a sympathetic grimace.

"You have to take a shot." Blaise ignored Neville's comment and handed Aria the shot glass in his hand, rolling his eyes when Aria's first instinct was to sniff suspiciously at it. "It's just a little liquid courage, Potter. To help you loosen up a little."

"Is that right?" Aria arched an eyebrow and flicked her gaze back and forth between the shot glass she was holding and Blaise's smirk. "Trying to get me drunk already are you, Zabini?" She said.

"Of course not. That would be counterintuitive, you haven't even spilled any embarrassing secrets yet." Blaise scoffed back, looking offended at her jibe.

Aria rolled her eyes at his antics but obliged, closing her eyes and tilting her head back to down the entire shot in a single gulp before slamming the glass back down onto the table. Almost immediately, she felt the alcohol burning a fiery trail from her throat, down her chest, all the way down until it settled like molten lava in the pit of her stomach.

She gasped sharply, coughing a few times to clear away the sting from her throat.

"Merlin—what the bloody hell was that?!" Aria blurted out, making a face.

Grinning widely, Blaise looked as though he was about to answer her when another familiar voice behind them suddenly spoke, causing everyone around the table to glance up and stare in shock at the person approaching.

"That, Potter, was Zabini's very own special, enhanced version of Blishen's Firewhiskey."

Malfoy ignored the look on everyone's face as he strode calmly towards them and gracefully sat himself down into the last remaining vacant seat on the table – the one directly across Aria. He ignored the unwelcoming expression on Aria's face and turned to give Blaise an admonishing look.

"Maybe you should consider not letting women drink that nasty brew of yours, Zabini."

Blaise just gave him a lazy grin in response and shrugged, turning to give Aria a teasing wink.

"First of all, that's sexist, Draco. And second, it's Potter anyway, I figured she'd be able to take it. Besides, she was more than an hour late – and while we're on that subject, so are you." He gave Draco a pointed look before pouring him a shot of the same drink he had just offered Aria.

"You and your bloody rules."

Malfoy sneered at him but took the shot glass and brought it to his lips.

Aria watched him closely, scowling to herself a few seconds later when Malfoy just neatly placed the empty shot glass back down onto the table as though he had just finished drinking a shot of water.

Blaise looked amused when he noticed Aria's reaction but he wisely chose not to say anything.

"Let's get both you latecomers settled then. What's your poison, Aria? I'm heading back to the bar, I'll get you and Draco something to drink." Blaise offered as he stood up from his seat.

"I'll have a gin and tonic." She answered uncertainly, folding her hands on the table.

"Interesting choice." Blaise chuckled again and smirked approvingly at her before turning to Draco. "And you, Drac? Your usual?"

"Scotch, neat."

"Of course." Blaise snickered under his breath before he turned and walked off, leaving Aria and Malfoy staring awkwardly at each other from across the wooden table.

To his credit, Malfoy looked just as uncomfortable with her proximity as Aria felt, no doubt also thinking about how the last time they had spoken to each other was during their embarrassing little screaming match in the Common Room last night. From the way their housemates were staring at them, it was obvious they were all probably thinking the same thing. Hannah, in particular, was flicking her gaze back and forth between the two formal rivals in fear, almost as though she was expecting that either one of them would suddenly jump up and start hexing the other without any warning.

Fortunately, after a few minutes of Aria and Malfoy desperately trying to avoid accidentally meeting each other's gaze, Neville seemed to take pity on her. He spoke up, calling Aria's attention from where he was sitting beside Hannah near the opposite end of the table.

"Done with that nasty long reading assignment for DADA?" He asked casually.

"Just finished actually. It's why I was late. Spent the whole bloody afternoon in the library." Aria answered, grateful for the chance to divert everyone's attention to something else. "Were you all here on time?" She asked, glancing around the table and noting that most of them were halfway through their drinks and snacks.

"You could say that. We're actually on our second round of drinks." Zacharias Smith answered, taking a sip from his bottle of beer. "Speaking of which, Zabini's spent the last hour trying to teach Hannah here how to drink alcohol properly." He smirked, chuckling.

Aria blinked at him before turning her attention to Hannah's embarrassed grimace.

"You've never drunk alcohol before, Hannah?" She asked in mild surprise.

"Well, no." The blush on the former Hufflepuff girl's cheeks was apparent as she lowered her gaze to the table in embarrassment. "My parents are very traditional and they were very strict about alcohol or any kind of promiscuity while I was growing up, you see. They always warned me about how alcohol would make me lose my wits and that I might end up pregnant or something—"

She stopped herself abruptly when she noticed that the entire table had burst into poorly muffled snickers, causing Hannah to scowl and glare up at them in indignation.

"It's not funny!" She protested sharply.

"You do realize that you won't get pregnant purely from drinking alcohol right? Because that's not how biology works. Have you never heard of the birds and the bees?" Morag suddenly spoke up, the flat tone of her voice earning another chorus of amused laughter from their housemates.

"Of course, I have!" Hannah snapped back at her, scowling.

"It's not the alcohol! It's what happens while you're under its influence that'll get you in trouble!" She cast a quick, accusing glare at all three boys seated around the table before gesturing for Aria and Morag to lean closer to her so she could whisper something into their ears.

"I mean, you both know how boys are, right? They're only after one thing! So if we're going to be drinking a lot tonight, we ladies have to watch out for each other! These boys are all Slytherin after all, who knows what they'll try to pull once we're drunk?!" She hissed warningly at them, completely oblivious to the way Morag rolled her eyes and the way Aria had to bite her tongue to stifle her laughter.

"Hannah, do you honestly think that men are such savages that one of us is likely to jump you the minute we notice you're drunk?" Neville asked bluntly, obviously having heard their little conversation.

Hannah blushed when she noticed all three Slytherin boys' highly offended expressions.

"I wasn't – I didn't mean it that way—"

"I take it you're still single, Abbott?" Malfoy suddenly spoke up, leveling Hannah with a particularly vicious sneer.

If possible, the pink on Hannah's face darkened even more under Malfoy's intimidating glare.

"N—no, actually. I have a boyfriend. But Ernie doesn't really drink that much—"

"She and Macmillan have been together since second year. Those two are like the poster couple of Hufflepuff, honestly. It's a bit sickening." Smith suddenly cut her off when he snorted, drawing Hannah's attention to the disdainful sneer his face. "That guy is such a pathetic loser, by the way. You should see he way he acts around other girls when you're not looking—"

"Alright, I'm back." Blaise interrupted the rest of Smith's carefully crafted insult as he sat back down into his seat and rested an arm against the backrest of Aria's. "One gin and tonic and one scotch neat." He handed Aria and Malfoy their respective drinks before rewarding them all with a mischievous grin.

"Did I miss anything interesting? Or are we still discussing Hannah's amazing proclivity against alcohol? You're drinking this by the way." He ignored her protests and shoved a yellow-orange mixture of alcohol across the table towards her.

"What is it?" Hannah asked as she sniffed suspiciously at it before lifting it to her lips and taking a small, timid sip.

"Sex on the beach."

Hannah immediately choked and spat the drink out in horror, causing the entire table to burst out into another round of laughter.

Chapter Text

After a few minutes of an irritated Morag explaining curtly to Hannah what a 'sex on the beach' drink actually was, Hannah reluctantly sat back down into her seat, but not before glaring indignantly at Blaise and sticking her tongue out at him.

Blaise just winked at her, clearly amused, and took a languid sip from his drink.

"Well now, since we're all finally here—"

"Where's Pansy?" Malfoy suddenly asked, cutting Blaise off and frowning at the other boy.

"Ah, yes. Pansy." Blaise winced and answered him with a noncommittal shrug. "I tried, Drac. I really did but when I went to her room to ask her again this morning, she just slammed the door in my face."

"Zabini, you told me everyone was coming." Malfoy hissed at him, gritting his teeth.

"No, I said everyone might be coming. There's a big difference Malfoy. You should have listened more carefully." Blaise corrected him, a shameless smirk on his face.

"You lying, son of a—"

"Anyway," Blaise ignored the rest of Malfoy's crude insult and deliberately looked away, turning his attention back to Aria. "Before you arrived, Potter, we were just talking about how everyone's first few weeks in Slytherin were. Remember, I am a prefect so you can tell me if you have any complaints about…certain people and all." He gave Aria a teasing grin before slanting his knowing gaze back to Draco.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed and he shot the dark-haired Slytherin an affronted look.

"What exactly are you implying, Zabini?"

"It was fine." Aria purposely avoided looking at Malfoy as she answered. "I'll admit, I'm still getting used to how you lot all seem so proper and disciplined compared to the Gryffindors but I do like the fact that the dungeons are much quieter than Gryffindor tower."

"Cleaner too." Neville chimed in with a grin, raising his bottle of beer at Aria in a gesture of agreement. "Back in Gryffindor, the house-elves assigned to regularly clean our dorms would sometimes burst out crying from exhaustion." He told them, wincing at the memory.

"You should see the Hufflepuff Common Room then." Smith snorted, leaning back against his seat and taking another sip from his beer. "Bloody chaos everywhere, you'd think a hurricane swept through the room. It was absolutely disgusting."

When Aria rewarded him with a curious look, Smith surprised her when he leaned across the table to offer her his hand.

"Oh that's right, we haven't properly caught up yet have we, Potter?" He said, waiting until Aria placed her gloved hand in his before he continued. "In any case, you can call me Zach. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I know who you are, Zach. You can call me Aria." Aria answered, giving his hand a firm shake before pulling away and winking at him. "We met back in fifth year during DA, remember?" She teased.

"I do remember." Zach admitted, his cheeks flushing slightly. "I just wasn't sure you did. I mean, there were a lot of us back then, I wouldn't blame you if you've forgotten everyone's names—"

"Of course I'd remember you, how could I forget? You were the one who kept hitting on Hermione. And you were the git who was particularly vocal about how much you disliked being taught by a girl." She retorted, causing the other Slytherin to visibly flinch at the memory.

"Oh yeah, that was him." Neville blurted out, his eyes widening with realization. "You were the pompous ass who spent those first few meetings trying to convince everyone that Aria was a fraud."

"You were a jerk." Hannah added, kicking Zach under the table.

"Hey, I wasn't the only one who thought she was a fraud. It was all over the Daily Prophet!" He countered huffily, lifting his chin and meeting their gazes with a defiant glare. "Besides, Minister Fudge told my father that—"

"Let's not do this, Zach." Aria interrupted Zach just when it looked as though he was ready to launch into a defensive tirade and made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Besides, I've met my fair share of jerks over the years and trust me, you weren't the worst one." She said wryly.

Her gaze involuntarily drifted over across the table to where Malfoy had been quiet the whole time and was calmly sipping his drink. When he noticed her staring at him, his expression immediately soured and Blaise nearly choked on his drink as a barely suppressed snort of laughter caught in his throat.

"Very subtle, Potter." Malfoy snapped at her, narrowing his eyes.

"I didn't say anything." She retorted.

They sneered venomously at each other before Blaise cleared his throat again, breaking them out of their trance.

"Alright, let's move on before these two jump each other." Blaise ignored the warning glare Malfoy gave him and looked up at everyone again, raising his glass up to them in a mock toast. "Now then, since preliminary introductions are all over and the ice seems to have been broken, why don't we take this opportunity to say a little something interesting about ourselves? I'd also really like it if we could all start calling each other by our first names too. I figured it's only right, we have been housemates for quite some time now and most of us have barely spoken a word to each other in the halls." He drawled.

"What is this, are we in third year? Is this a bloody soiree?" Morag complained loudly, wrinkling her nose at him in distaste.

"Do you want it to be?" Blaise countered easily, flashing her an obnoxiously flirtatious smile.

When she didn't reciprocate and simply stared back blankly at him, Blaise relented and offered her a sheepish smile. "Alright, I know it sounds horribly overdone and tacky but I just figured that since we'll all be spending an entire year together, now's the best time to get to know all of you – maybe make some useful connections in the future if I'm lucky." He added.

"You should like Slughorn." Zach scoffed at him as he took a sip of his drink.

"Well, the man is head of our house for a reason." Blaise pointed out. "Look, it's really not that hard. I'll start and everyone else, can just follow my lead." He took another sip from his drink before giving them all another perfectly well-practiced, handsome smile.

"I'm Blaise, your resident house prefect. I currently live in Italy with my mother and my stepfather – whom I'm fairly certain my mother will divorce by the end of the year. In my spare time, I enjoy art and reading classical literature. And after I graduate, I plan to set up my very own art exhibit displaying my works in a classy studio somewhere in France."

"I never would have guessed you were one of those serious artist types." Hannah commented idly as she took a dainty sip of her drink.

"Why? Did I not seem broody and mysterious enough for you?" Blaise purred seductively at her, causing the pig-tailed girl's eyes to widen and her face to immediately flush in scandalized horror.

"That's not what I meant!" She screeched out, causing another round of snickers around the table.

Afterwards, when no one seemed incline to follow Blaise's example, he glanced at Aria from the corner of his eye, nudging her insistently until she growled and swatted his hand away.

"Fine, I'll go next." She sighed, helping herself to a couple of fries from the large plate in the center of the table. "You can all call me Aria. I enjoy flying during my free time – it's my absolute favorite thing to do actually. Currently, I live in Islington, London but I actually just bought a flat up in Westminster so I'll be moving there pretty soon. Lastly, I'm hoping to work as an Auror after I graduate Hogwarts."

She didn't give anyone the opportunity to ask any questions as she immediately turned to Morag, the person to her left, and nodded for her to speak.

Morag still looked a bit annoyed with the idea of having to do introductions but she obliged and gave them all a curt nod. "Call me Morag. In my spare time, I like to read and do research – mostly books on alchemy. To be honest, I haven't actually decided what I want to do after I graduate – maybe I'll just pursue further studies or become an arithmancer." She shrugged.

"What the bloody hell is an arithmancer?" Aria asked, making a face.

"Someone who models and calculates magical predictions using numbers." Morag explained with an impatient sigh, glaring at Aria as though she was the most ignorant person alive. "Honestly, Potter. You really are nothing but pure adrenaline on legs, aren't you? I do wonder how Granger was able to put up with you and Weasley for seven years." She drawled.

Aria reddened and scowled to herself when she noticed that everyone around the table, including Neville, was trying to stifle his or her grins. Well, almost everyone – Malfoy (or Draco now, after Blaise's little speech) obviously wasn't bothering to hide his amusement and was just openly smirking at her.

"What the hell does she mean by adrenaline on legs?!" Aria muttered darkly to herself, still blushing as she tried to drown out her embarrassment with a long, satisfying sip of her drink.

Zach was next after Morag.

"I suppose everyone can call me Zach for short. Both my parents work for high positions in the Ministry of Magic. My mother is in the Wizengamot while my father is the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Oh and he's also a sitting governor on Hogwarts' board of directors this year." He told them, a haughty expression on his face.

"Zach, you were supposed to say something about yourself, not your parents." Hannah snorted loudly, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway." Zach ignored the tone of her voice and continued, a self-satisfied smile lingering on his face. "After graduation, I plan to become a professional quidditch player." He finished.

"Is that so? What position do you play then?" Draco smirked, surprising everyone else with his sudden interest in the conversation.

"I play as Chaser." Zach glared defiantly back at him, his features creasing into a scowl. "Why do you ask, Malfoy?"

"No reason." Draco answered him with a lazy shrug before he leaned back against his seat and folded his arms over his chest. "It's just that…I remember the names of all of the quidditch players from each house. But I can't seem to recall you ever being on the Quidditch team back when you were in Hufflepuff. Why is that?" He asked innocently.

"That's because those idiots on the team can't recognize talent if it hit them between the eyes." Zach snapped at him, obviously annoyed by the insinuation in his comment. "Alright, so fine. I wasn't on the quidditch team! That doesn't mean I can't become a professional quidditch player! My father happens to be very good friends with the captain of Puddlemere United—"

"So it's good old fashioned nepotism at work then? Don't worry, I understand more than you know." Draco mused, chuckling.

"Alright, let's move on, shall we?" Blaise suddenly cut into the middle of their conversation when he noticed the way Zach's ears were beginning to turn red with anger.

While Hannah was blushing under everyone's expectant looks, Aria chanced a look at Blaise, watching as he glared reproachfully at Draco from the corner of his eye. The blond boy just arched an eyebrow and shrugged at him, obviously unconcerned with Blaise's efforts to keep things civil.

"Okay, um...I'm Hannah. I really like to knit during my spare time - mostly stuffed animals. And I plan to become a Healer after I graduate." Hannah looked nervous as she sank back into her seat and began twiddling her thumbs. "And lastly, unlike most others from the Sacred Twenty Eight, I'm actually a half-blood. My mother was a muggleborn witch. She was killed by Death Eaters before the Battle of Hogwarts." She finished in a soft whisper.

A tense, uneasy silence descended upon their table at her words, with most of the Slytherins – save for Aria and Neville – either looking down to avoid anyone's gaze or hastily reaching for their drink. Not surprisingly, Draco appeared to look the most uncomfortable of them all. When Aria glanced at him across the table, she noticed that his face had turned ashen and he was suddenly very interested in admiring the polished black leather of his shoes.

It was a long time before Neville eventually decided to break the painful silence by clearing his throat loudly, forcing them all to look at him.

"Everyone, please call me Neville." He began, giving them all a forced smile when he noticed the obvious tension lingering in their expressions. "I currently live in Surrey with my grandmother. It's just the two of us there but it's nice because we have plenty of space to grow a lot of magical plants. Oh, I have a terrible fear of heights by the way, which is why I never liked flying. Lastly, my favorite subject is Herbology, and I plan to specialize further in it – perhaps become a Professor in Hogwarts after I graduate."

"Seriously, Longbottom? There are people who actually like Herbology? I'm practically failing that horrid subject." Zach mused with a derisive snort.

"Well then I guess unlike a position in a professional quidditch team, skill or talent is one of those things your father can't buy for you then, huh?" Neville shot back tartly, promptly causing Aria to choke on her drink as she failed to stifle her snort of laughter.

Meanwhile, Hannah and Morag both laughed, not even bothering to hide their amusement. Even Draco, who had been in the middle of reaching for his drink, paused and arched a single eyebrow at Neville in surprise.

"Well, well…Touche, Longbottom. I reckon we'll make a proper Slytherin out of you yet." Blaise drawled loudly, smirking as he raised his glass up to Neville in a flashy gesture of acknowledgment.

"That one definitely burned!" Hannah added, giggling at the flabbergasted look on Zach's face.

For all their acknowledgment of his little jibe, Neville mostly just looked stunned at himself, as though he genuinely did not expect the witty retort that had come out of his own mouth.

"Alright then. Save the best for last." Blaise's amusement faltered when he turned to glance at his friend.

"Draco?"

Aria turned to look at the blond Slytherin, noting how her former rival suddenly looked as though he had swallowed something nasty and was on the verge of throwing it back up. When Draco noticed that everyone was staring expectantly at him, he downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp and shoved his empty glass towards Blaise.

"Get me another drink."

"No talk, no drink, Malfoy."

"You do realize how ridiculous this whole thing is, don't you?" Draco sneered as he glared darkly at Blaise from across the table. "Do you honestly think that doing this – going around the table with these silly introductions, telling everyone something 'interesting' about ourselves – is going to magically transform us all into each other's best friends overnight? What is the point, Blaise?"

"The point is, it's a start, Malfoy." Blaise answered him coolly, and for the first time since Aria arrived, she saw a glimmer of irritation flashing in the prefect's eyes. "Unlike you and Pansy, I don't intend to spend an entire year brooding over what happened during the war, so forgive me if I'm trying to make our last year a little bit more tolerable for everyone." He said snidely.

"That's easy for you to say, isn't it? If I recall, you had no affiliation with anyone during the damn war. So it's bloody easy for you to just get along with everyone else. The rest of us don't have that luxury." Draco hissed back, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Blaise's expression hardened at the other Slytherin's words.

"So you resent me for that? Don't you dare blame me for the stupid mistakes you made, Draco—"

"That's enough, you two." Aria interrupted Blaise in a strained, quiet voice, looking up boldly and meeting Draco's vicious glare head on. "Look…No one forced you to come here tonight, Malfoy. If you hate associating with us that badly, you're welcome to leave. We won't force you to talk to us if you're obviously uncomfortable with this whole thing." She said softly.

"I wasn't—that's not what I—" Draco broke himself off with a harsh sigh.

He closed his eyes and reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. When he came to a few seconds later, the initial anger in his expression was gone and in its place was an exasperated grimace.

"I didn't mean it like that." He whispered quietly, avoiding Aria's eyes.

"What did you mean?" Morag suddenly spoke up, causing Draco, Blaise and Aria to blink and stare at the petite former Ravenclaw in surprise. "Because if that was your own unique – albeit needlessly dramatic – way of telling everyone that you feel awkward about being here, then don't worry. I think we're all feeling particularly stupid right now anyway. That doesn't mean we're not willing to try to make this all work though." She pointed out in an astute, irreverently blunt tone of voice that vaguely reminded Aria of a more ruthless version of Hermione.

"Honestly? I think the best and most logical course of action right now for all of us to take is, unfortunately, to follow Zabini's asinine, cheesy efforts and try to get along as best as we can. At least until the year is over and we can all get on with our lives." She told them in an unceremonious tone of voice before nodding to herself in affirmation and giving them all an all-knowing, superior look.

The entire table fell into a stunned silence at Morag's words, all seven of them momentarily taken back by how brazenly she had assessed their entire social situation without so much as batting an eyelash.

It took a couple of minutes but somehow, Aria guessed that Morag's words must have hit a nerve because Draco looked relatively calmer than he did a few moments before. To her dismay though, he chose to ignore everyone else completely and directed his attention solely towards Aria.

"Fine then. I'll bite." Draco's eyes narrowed as he leaned back against his seat and sneered at her. "What exactly shall I talk about then? What I want to be when I grow up? How much sugar I put in my tea? Or how about my bloody favorite subject?" He drawled sarcastically.

"Draco."

He ignored Blaise's warning look and went on, gray eyes hard as they settled on Aria's calm, blank expression across the table.

"Go on then, Potter. I'll bet you're just dying to know all about how a former Death Eater's been wallowing in his misery over the past few months. Perhaps rub a bit of salt into some old wounds? Well go ahead, this is your chance. I'll answer whatever you want me to so don't hold back. What exactly is it do you want to know?" He asked, glaring challengingly at her.

"Well, for starters—"

Aria seemed to pause in thought, ignoring the obvious uneasiness of everyone else around the table as she calmly reached for her drink and brought it to her lips. After setting her now empty glass back down, she lifted her gaze to his again and rewarded him with an obnoxious, sideways grin.

"What's your favorite color, Malfoy?"

When Draco seemed too stunned to do anything other than blink and give her an utterly deadpan stare, the icy tension that had blanketed their table suddenly melted away and the rest of the Slytherins dissolved slowly into a nervous bout of laughter.

Draco was not about to admit to Blaise (not even under the threat of a Cruciatus Curse) but surprisingly, the night was turning out to be much more entertaining that he originally thought it was going to be.

After everyone had finished with their awkward introduction attempts, Blaise took the liberty of ordering everyone another round of snacks and drinks. The conversation remained stilted for another hour or so, but when they got to the point where Blaise was ordering their fifth (or perhaps sixth?) round of alcohol, things began to take a more interesting turn.

Obviously, the drunken smiles and sudden inappropriate man-hugs Draco found himself receiving from both Zach and Neville can probably be attributed to the copious amounts of beer and firewhiskey currently wrecking havoc on both boys' livers but even Draco had to admit that this was the most amused he's been in awhile – at least since his exoneration a couple of months ago.

In an effort to bait Zach into getting even more piss drunk, Blaise had dared the former Hufflepuff to outlast him in drinking as many shots of his special firewhiskey as they could handle. Despite everyone else's warnings, Zach agreed and soon after, as he was chugging down his fifth consecutive shot of firewhiskey, he began to sway dangerously in his seat.

"Okay, Zach. I think you've had enough to drink." Aria was obviously trying hard not to laugh as she took the empty shot glass from Zach's hand and set it back down onto the table. "You drink any more of that nasty stuff and we'll have to carry out out of here in a stretcher." She teased.

"You have the most gorgeous eyes, Aria." Zach blurted out, a dreamy smile on his face as he slumped forward against the table and stared blearily up at her startled expression.

"Er…That's nice of you, Zach. Thanks." Aria blinked and managed an awkward smile before cautiously backing away when Zach seemed to lean in even closer to her from his seat until the entire front of his torso was lying down on the table.

"No, I mean it." Zach slurred as he squinted at her, oblivious to the way Hannah and Neville were laughing at him over his shoulder. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone with eyes like yours, Potter…A—are you sure you're entirely human? Because there's something strange about you." He hiccuped loudly, struggling to keep himself upright.

"Wh—what are you talking about? Of course I'm human, there's nothing strange about me. What kind of question is that?" Aria looked strangely defensive.

Draco's eyes narrowed and he watched intently as Aria nervously licked her lips and moved even further away from Zach, a strangled laugh escaping her lips. He couldn't help but notice the way she kept scratching self-consciously at something behind her shoulders.

"As far as drunken pick up lines go, Zach, that was horrible." A fully sober Blaise suddenly chimed in, inadvertently distracting Zach's attention away from Aria as he met the former Hufflepuff's confused look with a mocking smirk. "Oh and you lose our little contest, by the way. You've obviously never drunk this much before, have you?" He snickered.

Zach tried to glare at him, though it didn't really have its desired effect given the way he was squinting drunkenly at the other Slytherin.

"I am not drunk yet, Zabini—"

"And given your disgustingly pathetic attempt to hit on Aria just now, I gather you don't really get the chance to talk much to women either." Blaise added slyly, snickering at Zach's embarrassed cringe.

"I—I wasn't hitting on her—"

"Actually, while we're on that subject—" When Blaise paused and his grin began to widen very slowly, Draco fought the urge to groan and lifted his newly refilled glass of scotch to his mouth, steeling himself for the shit-show that he knew was about to come.

"—I'm just curious." Blaise's smile was wicked as he glanced carefully around the table, studying everyone's alcohol-flushed face.

"Zabini." Draco warned sharply.

"Who among you here are still virgins?" Blaise went on as though he hadn't heard Draco, smirking at the scandalized gasp he received from Hannah and the way Aria and Neville both began choking on their food. Morag, on the other hand, actually looked interested in Blaise's question while Zach – well frankly, Zach still looked as though he was about to throw up.

"Y—you can't just ask something so personal like that!" Hannah's cheeks were flushed as she gaped at Blaise and kicked him sharply under the table.

"Ah so I take it you are, huh?" Blaise grinned knowingly at her, amused at the way she was squirming uncomfortably in her seat. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure Macmillan will pop your cherry soon. Do you want me to talk to him and maybe drop him some hints—ow! Bloody hell—"

"You're a pervert!" Hannah glared darkly at him, aiming another kick at his shin.

"Merlin, stop! That hurts—"

"Are we talking virgin, as in the technical sense of the word?" Morag asked curiously, causing nearly everyone in the table, including Draco, to stop whatever they were doing and gape at her. "Or do you just mean someone without any form of sexual experience?"

While everyone else seemed too shocked by her question to answer, the disbelief on Blaise's face quickly melted away as he laughed, smirking at the petite Ravenclaw with newfound appreciation.

"Oh I like you, Morag." He hummed, winking approvingly at her.

Draco rolled his eyes and watched as Blaise used the momentary silence of everyone else to suddenly round on Aria with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"So what's your story, Aria? I don't believe the great Harriah Potter is still single or a virgin. Here, you need to drink some more of this." He ignored the glare she gave him and shoved another shot glass of firewhiskey towards her. "Go on then. Who's the lucky bloke who fires up your loins?" Blaise waggled his eyebrows up and down at her, causing Aria to make a disgusted face and everyone else to burst into drunken snickers.

"Okay first, that's gross, who says something that disgusting, Zabini?." She scoffed derisively at him, causing Draco to stifle a smirk behind his hand. "And lastly, do you really think I'd have the time to date around? Bloody evil dark wizard after my life and all that?" She pointed out.

"So no one?" Blaise pressed further, looking disappointed at her answer.

"If there was, I sure as hell am not going to tell you." Aria retorted with a plucky smirk before boldly downing the entire shot of firewhiskey he had given her without so much as a flinch.

"Aw come on, Potter—"

"I have to go to the loo." Aria interrupted Blaise's drunken protests when she stood up primly from her seat and gave him an amused smile. "Where exactly is it, may I ask?"

When Blaise still looked put out and didn't look inclined to answer, Draco sighed and pointed her towards the corner of the room.

"Back of the pub, first door to the right." He answered.

"Thank you."

If Draco had any doubts as to whether all the alcohol she drank was beginning to affect Aria or not, those doubts were gone the second she whirled around and ended up crashing clumsily into one of the nearby tables behind them, tipping a few of the chairs over.

"You alright, Potter?" He asked, fighting to keep a straight face as he watched her struggling to pick the fallen chairs up from the floor.

"I'm fine." She answered hastily, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Sometime later, as Aria was about to rejoin them at the table, Hannah suddenly called out to her in a worried voice before making her way over to where Aria was standing.

"Aria, I think your skirt may have snagged onto something when you bumped into that table. Look." She pointed out the very noticeable rip that ran down the length of Aria's skirt, inadvertently exposing an indecent amount of the smooth white skin of her legs.

Draco blushed when he realized he was staring too long and politely withdrew his gaze. Luckily, he saw that none of the other guys in the table seemed to notice Aria's little wardrobe malfunction.

"Ah bugger." Aria cursed under her breath, scowling as she began retracting her wand from the holster around her arm. "I suppose I'll just fix it—"

"You can't perform magic inside commercial establishments, Potter." Morag reminded her in an obnoxious tone of voice and with a firm shake of her head. "They'll kick us out if you do."

Aria looked annoyed at that but just as she was about to head to the exit of the pub, Draco sighed again and called her back.

"No need for that, Potter." He ignored the confusion on her face and stood up, peeling off the dark green sweater he was wearing and handing it to her. "Tie this around your waist for now to cover up that rip. You can give it back to me when we all head back to the castle."

"Malfoy, a—are you sure?" She hesitated, her eyes flicking back and forth between Draco's annoyed expression and the sweater in his hand. "I don't mind just stepping outside to fix the damn skirt—"

"It's bloody freezing outside, Potter. Now just take the damn sweater and cover yourself up. You don't want to give everyone here a bloody peep show of your legs when you sit back down." He snapped irritably, blushing in spite of himself when he noticed the way she was staring at him.

"If you insist."

The hesitation on Aria's red face lingered as she took the sweater from him and tied it securely around her waist, effectively covering up the rip and her exposed thigh. They were both still blushing when Aria slowly sat back down into her seat and self-consciously adjusted the sweater over her legs a few more times.

"So do you two actually hate each other?" Morag suddenly asked, surprising everyone with her bluntness as they all turned to look at the former Ravenclaw. For her part, Morag looked completely unaffected by all their stares, her attention focused solely on Draco and Aria. "Because I've read from a lot of books that the kind of childhood rivalry you two had is usually just a manifestation of unresolved sexual tension between two people who are secretly attracted to one another. Would you say that was true in your case?"

Morag hummed and moved her inquisitive gaze back and forth between Aria and Draco in earnest, either oblivious to the way the two Slytherins looked horrified at her insinuation or choosing to ignore it completely. Around them, Blaise and Neville both looked as though they were desperately trying to keep from bursting out laughing while Hannah just looked curious and was watching the two former rivals with wide, doe-like eyes.

"I uh—i—it's not—" Aria stammered, blushing.

"That is—we—" Draco grimaced and frantically shook his head.

Thankfully, when he noticed that neither Draco nor Aria was able to form any coherent sentence in response to Morag's question, Blaise took pity on them and deliberately drew Morag and Neville into a lively discussion about a few subjects they were taking together. Surprisingly enough, the tactic seemed to work and Draco let out a shaky exhale of breath before taking a very long sip from his scotch to calm his nerves.

A few more hours of drinking later, after a giggly Hannah managed to get herself completely drunk and began trying to grope Blaise, Neville, Zach and Draco a few times under the table, Blaise finally decided to call it a night.

"Alright, alright. I think we've all had enough. Especially you, little girl." Blaise smirked as he reached over and took Hannah's sixth consecutive margarita from her hands before she could sneak another sip. "You know, for someone who's never drunk before, you sure do like your alcohol." He teased.

"I'm not drunk." Hannah slurred as she glared at him and clumsily tried to swipe her glass back. "I'm just a little dizzy, is all. Ugh, why is this room is so bright?" She groaned and covered her eyes.

"Abbott." Draco was gritting his teeth as he called the drunken girl's attention in a flat tone of voice.

"Huh?" She blinked in confusion and squinted blearily at him.

Draco's eyes were narrowed in annoyance as he glared irritably at her flushed, drunken face.

"Will you kindly stop rubbing your foot up and down my leg?"

The utterly impassive look on Draco's face when he spoke caused both Blaise and Aria to hastily clamp a hand over their mouths in a desperate attempt to keep from laughing.

"Oh sorry! Was that you?" Hannah let out an embarrassed giggle, followed by a hiccup before she hastily withdrew her foot and ended up accidentally kicking the table, nearly causing all of their drinks to spill.

"Careful, damn it!" Morag snapped at her as she hastily grabbed the table to keep it steady.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Neville groaned beside her as he shoved away the half-empty shot glass in front of him and let his head fall down onto the table with a load thunk. "How is it even legal to consume this much amount of alcohol in one night?" He whined.

"Are you okay, Neville?" Aria looked amused as she reached out across the table and poked lightly at Longbottom's head. "Do you need me to bring you a bucket or something?"

"You should have gone easy with the alcohol, Zabini." Draco mused, smirking when he realized that Zach was already passed out and was snoring loudly, half of his entire form sprawled on the table.

"I did." Blaise chuckled, smoothly evading another one of Hannah's stray, groping hands from where she was practically lying down on his lap. He winced when Hannah just giggled at him and calmly extracted another one of her hands from crawling up his knee. "It's not my fault they don't know their own limits. Which begs the question—" His eyes narrowed as he turned to glare suspiciously at Aria beside him.

"—why aren't you passed out drunk like the rest of these amateurs? You drank almost as much as Idid, and even I'm a little tipsy right now." He demanded.

"I have a pretty high alcohol tolerance." Aria looked amused as she flashed them both a smug smile before tipping her head back to finish the last of her drink. "Though I'll admit, my hand-eye coordination and balance does tend to suffer a bit when I'd had too much to drink but that's about it." She told them.

When Draco and Blaise continued to glare suspiciously at her, she rolled her eyes at them and gestured to their fallen housemates.

"So how exactly are we going to carry them all back to the castle like this?" She asked.

"I can walk back by myself, thank you very much." Hannah snapped huffily as she suddenly sat up from Blaise's lap and stumbled her way out of her seat.

"I can help escort Hannah back to the dorms." Morag offered, looking up from her half-empty glass of chocolate milk."Unlike the rest of you, I only drank one glass of wine so I pretty much still have my wits and coordination with me." She mused.

"In other words, she was sober when she regaled us all about her oh-so-interesting research on sexual fetishes and behaviors." Draco muttered under his breath, fighting the urge to shudder at the memory.

From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Aria biting back a smile from at his words but when he turned to glance at her, she quickly looked away to avoid his gaze.

"It's okay, I think I can make it back on my own." Neville noticed that they were beginning to clean up the table and stood up shakily, grabbing onto the top of his chair for support. "Just as long as nobody bumps into me on the way or anything." He added warily.

As Blaise got up to pay the bill, everyone else stood up from their seats and began pulling on their cloaks. Eventually, they all headed out of the pub and began walking down the road that would eventually lead them back to Hogwarts. Blaise managed to keep Zach upright by letting him hang off his shoulder with one arm while likewise, Morag kept a firm grip on Abbott's arm to support the other girl's balance.

Shoving his hands into his pocket, Draco was just debating with himself whether he should bother walking back with them or head off on his own when he heard Aria clearing her throat. Looking up, his gaze flicked down to the dark green sweater that she was holding back out to him.

"I repaired my skirt already so you can have this back now, Malfoy." She looked a little embarrassed as he took the sweater from her hands. "Thanks again, by the way. I really appreciate it."

"It's not a problem, Potter." He answered stiffly.

Despite the chilly night air, Draco felt heat rushing into his cheeks at the uncharacteristically soft smile she was giving him. He withdrew his gaze from her face and simply shrugged, staring intently at his shoes. The two of them hung back from the rest of their housemates and walked awkwardly beside each other, their shoes crunching softly against the gravel-littered path along Hogsmeade village.

As they neared the village exit, Draco noticed that a large group of drunken, boisterous men were coming from the opposite direction. Ignoring Aria's protests, he instinctively found himself walking around her and gently pushing her to the left so that he was on the side adjacent to the group of men as they practically bulldozed their way past them.

When he looked up and noticed Aria arching an eyebrow at him, Draco rolled his eyes and glared at her as though she was daft.

"I was just trying to keep you from getting knocked over." He told her.

"I realize that." She answered, one corner of her lips tilted upwards into a wry smile.

She continued to stare strangely at him as they neared Hogwarts castle. When Draco couldn't take it anymore, he snapped and whipped around to sneer at her.

"What?!" He growled.

"Nothing." Aria chuckled at his hostile reaction and finally looked away, looking down and wrapping her arms around herself. "I was just thinking about how strange it was that I never noticed how traditional your manners were, Malfoy. But then again, maybe I never noticed because we were too busy trying to hex each other all the time back then." She mused.

"What, would you rather I was some kind of unrefined cad?" Draco retorted sarcastically as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

When she blushed in embarrassment at his comment, Draco relented, "My mother is very traditional about how men should treat women. She drilled so many 'rules' into my head since I was young so it's kind of second nature to me already."

Aria nodded in understanding, the two of them barely noticing that they were beginning to fall behind from the rest of their housemates. "I quite admire your mother, by the way. I don't know her that well but she seems like a very strong woman, especially with the way she risked her life during the war to protect her family." She said.

Draco couldn't help the small smile that lit up his face at the sincerity he heard in her words.

"Loathe as I am to admit it, the feeling seems to be mutual." He told her, causing Aria to chuckle at the grimace on his face. "My mother practically worships the ground you walk on these days. Did you know she recently subscribed to Witch Weekly because she heard they were doing a special feature on you next month?" He admitted grudgingly, making a face.

"They are?" Aria blinked at that, genuinely surprised.

"Yes, they are. Something about – Harriah Potter's Daily Skincare Routine – or something as equally ridiculous." Draco snorted derisively, giving her an amused smirk. "You really are a big hotshot celebrity now, aren't you?"

"Where do they even get their source material? I didn't even know I had a daily skincare routine." Aria pointed out, laughing.

They were still chuckling as they continued to follow the dimly lit road until the grounds of Hogwarts finally came within their view.

Once their drunken group had made it past the school's tall, thick gates, Draco was broken out of his thoughts once more when Aria spoke up again, her eyes suddenly drawn to his left hand.

"That's a very interesting ring, Malfoy." She mused.

Draco blinked and followed her gaze to the thick, platinum band on his left middle finger. "It's actually a very old heirloom. I have to wear it at all times since I'm the current heir to my family."

"I see." The look on Aria's face was strange as she stared intently at the ring, green eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation. "Is that your family's insignia?" She asked again.

"Yes, it is." Draco answered, a little taken back by her interest. "The ring is enchanted. My father told me that it's infused with ancient spells that are supposed to protect me against most forms of magical bewitchments." He told her.

"Bewitchments?" Aria echoed, looking confused.

"Honestly, Potter. You have to pay more attention in class." Draco retorted, rolling his eyes at her. "Bewitchments. Like…vampire hypnosis, mermaid's songs, veela allure, even amortentia. Basically, any kind of magic that's supposed to entrance you or overwhelm your senses and make you lose your mental capacity."

"I see." Aria said again, strangely quiet.

"According to my ancestors, it isn't safe for a Malfoy to lose his wits that way, especially since there were so many witches back then who weren't above using such bewitchments to try and impregnate herself with our line or something." He explained.

"Witches like Merope Gaunt, you mean?" Aria arched an eyebrow.

"Exactly." Draco shrugged and smirked at her. "So because of situations like that, we're very protective with our bloodline, apparently. Can't have a child born out of wedlock due to being under the influence of amortentia or something." He added with a chuckle.

"So you're…immune to all that? The bewitchments, I mean?" Aria's eyes were impossibly wide and she was suddenly staring very intently at him as though she was seeing him for the first time.

"As long as I'm wearing this ring, I am." Draco answered uncertainly, arching an eyebrow at her.

"And you've never taken that ring off? Not even once?" She persisted.

"Potter, I've worn this ring since I was thirteen years old and I can assure you, it has never left my finger." Draco drawled in a bored tone of voice, growing a little impatient at her questions. "Why are you so interested in this anyway? Do you want one for yourself? Protection against the stalkers in your fan club, maybe?" He sneered at the nonplussed expression on her face and rolled his eyes. "If you want one that badly, I saw a couple of cheap talismans in Knockturn Alley that provide a similar kind of protection. Probably not as strong or comprehensive as mine is but—"

"I—I was just curious, is all." Aria hastily blurted out, flushing as she let out a nervous laugh and waved the matter aside. "Anyway, we should probably catch up to the others before they—Neville!"

She interrupted herself with a sharp gasp when Neville, who up until that point had been walking a few meters ahead of them, suddenly groaned and stumbled clumsily to the ground.

"Neville! Are you okay?!" Aria called out as she ran over to the fallen Slytherin and knelt down on the ground beside him. "Can you walk the rest of the way?" She asked him, wincing when Neville's reply came in the form of a tortured groan.

"Ughhh…I think I have to throw up." He croaked.

Draco couldn't help smirking as he sauntered lazily over to them, watching as Aria pulled Neville up onto his feet and hastily helped him into a crouching position just before he started retching onto the grass. When Draco reached them, he stood behind Aria and crossed his arms over his chest, watching with a slightly disgusted grimace as Neville continued to puke the alcohol out of his system.

About ten minutes later, Neville finally stopped and suddenly passed out in exhaustion, slumping uselessly against Aria. When Aria grunted and nearly buckled under his weight, Draco rolled his eyes. Reluctantly, he crouched down, helping her pick Neville's limp form off the ground by making sure one of his arms slung over Aria's shoulder and the other slung over Draco's.

"Well, this is nice." Draco muttered sarcastically as he and Aria began lumbering awkwardly back to the castle, a semi-concious Longbottom hanging uselessly between them. "Next time, you should tell this idiot to take it easy with the alcohol if his pathetic stomach can't take it." He drawled.

"Duly noted, Malfoy." Aria answered, a wry smirk tugging on the corner of her lips.

By some stroke of luck, the three of them were able to make it back to the school grounds in one piece.

Unfortunately, as they finished climbing up the steps leading to the castle and were making their way through the courtyard to the front entrance, Neville hiccuped and chose that particular moment to trip on a loose rock, causing all three Slytherins to end up stumbling to the ground.

"Longbottom!" Draco seethed, cursing as he struggled to untangle himself from the other two.

"Malfoy, it's not his fault." Aria was trying desperately to hold in her laughter as she stood back up, dusting the dirt from her skirt. "Maybe next time, you should tell Blaise to stop baiting Neville and Zach into those ridiculous drinking games. I know he was doing that on purpose to get them drunk." She pointed out.

"Maybe next time you can tell Longbottom to say no." Draco shot back as he stood up and brushed his clothes off. "Of all the asinine – I should have gone on ahead and left you two Gryffindorks when Longbottom started puking his guts out." He complained, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare when he saw the small group of Ravenclaws nearby who had witnessed their little tumble snickering at them.

"Um…guys? This doesn't feel like my bed." Neville whined from where he was sprawled on the grass, one arm slung over his face and covering his eyes.

"Come on, Neville." Aria looked completely unaffected by Draco's accusing glare as she leaned back down, pulling Neville back to his feet. Draco let out a long suffering sigh but eventually resumed his position on Neville other side, supporting him as they walked.

Once they reached the entrance to the castle and finally began making their way to the dungeons, Aria spoke up again in a soft, nonchalant tone of voice.

"So can you tell me now?" She asked idly.

"Huh?" Draco paused and gave her an irritated look. "What the bloody hell are you on about now, Scar-head?"

"The answer to the question I asked you back at the pub." Undaunted, she grinned and glanced teasingly at him from the corner of her eye. "Your favorite color? You never really answered me." She pointed out.

"Really, Potter?" Instead of answering right away, he scoffed and gave her a dubious look. "I thought you were just making fun of me back there."

"Well, I was – a little bit. Old habits die hard, you know." She admitted ruefully, causing Draco to roll his eyes. "But since I asked the question anyway, I might as well get your answer."

Draco was silent as they rounded a corner and carefully began making their way to the west wing of the castle.

"It's green."

Aria snorted and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Like puke green or lime green?"

"Slytherin green, Potter." Draco corrected her huffily, giving her another irritated glare. "Like…dark green or forest green. Although in some cases, I do like lighter shades." He added.

"Lighter shades like what?" She asked curiously.

Like your eyes.

The stray thought rang loudly in his ears and Draco's eyes suddenly widened in horror.

Where the hell did that come from?!

"I can't think of anything specific right now." He answered hastily, looking away so she wouldn't notice the sudden flush of pink on his cheeks. "But in general, I do like any form of dark green so long as it's tasteful and elegant to look at."

"I see." Aria seemed to find his answer amusing because she laughed again and shook her head, a small, knowing smile lingering on her lips. "What an utterly predictable answer, Malfoy."

Draco chuckled but he didn't say anything as they eventually fell into another comfortable silence, both Slytherins taking great care not to wake Neville as they dragged him along.

"By the way," Draco surprised himself when he spoke again, his hooded gaze dropping down to focus intently on his shoes. "About the other night in the common room, Potter—" He felt blood rushing into his cheeks when Aria visibly stiffened at his words and turned to look at him.

"…I'm sorry."

He heard how awkward the words sounded when he said them out loud and winced, looking away to hide his embarrassment.

"I overreacted that night. I had a bad day so I was probably taking it out on you—"

"Don't worry about it, Malfoy."

Draco blinked in surprise and looked up, staring in confusion at Aria's amused smile.

"That's it?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. What do you expect me to do? Drag this whole thing out and make you crawl on your knees, begging me for mercy?" Aria rolled her eyes and laughed at the disbelieving scowl on his face. "I mean, it sounds nice, in theory, but to make things simpler, maybe I'll just remember not to sit in your precious throne again next time. Your Highness." She drawled.

"Make sure you don't, filthy peasant."

They laughed quietly at each other, their actions accidentally jostling Neville a few times that he hiccuped and jerked awake in confusion.

"Huh? Where am I?" He slurred, his eyes half-open as he stared blearily at them.

Smirking at the former Gryffindor's confused expression, Draco was just about to answer him when, as they rounded the corner, a small group of nervous-looking students who had gathered around the entrance to the Great Hall suddenly caught their attention.

"Why is everyone awake at this time of night?" Aria wondered out loud.

Frowning, she and Draco slowly detached themselves from Neville and all three of them began to approach the group cautiously, taking in the strange expressions on everyone's face. When they reached the crowd, they were surprised to see Blaise, Morag, Hannah and Zach among the students who had gathered near the entrance, all four Slytherins frozen with shock.

"Hey." Draco nudged Blaise sharply when he reached him, trying to get his attention.

"What's wrong? Why are you all still here?" He asked but the other boy simply shook his head at him and gestured quietly to the Great Hall's doors. Following his gaze, Draco's eyes widened when he finally saw exactly what it was that the horrified students gathered around them were gaping at.

The doors to the Great Hall had been completely trashed.

Someone had ruthlessly vandalized the tall, polished wood with an explosive and offensive graffiti of a vicious looking serpent surrounded by the colors green, white and silver. Painted haphazardly over the graffiti, written in big, black letters across the doors, were the latin words 'Potentia Par Vis'.

"Who did this?" Neville whispered shakily under his breath.

"Potentia Par Vis." Aria looked confused as she shook her head, trying to ignore the stares and whispers of the other students who had begun to crowd around them. "What does it mean?"

"It means power is our strength." Draco couldn't bring himself to look at her as he answered, his face white as he stared intently at the words written across the doors.

"It's the motto of Slytherin house."

Chapter Text

In the week that followed, Headmistress McGonagall ordered an immediate investigation, as well as disciplinary action, against the perpetrators responsible for creating the terrible mess in the Great Hall.

Surprisingly, through the combined efforts of all the house prefects and the Hogwarts faculty, the investigation was resolved in a matter of days and the culprits responsible were identified.

After interviewing most of the students – and in particular, all the students from Slytherin house – they found out that the ones responsible for defiling the Great Hall were, in fact, two Slytherin second years named Luca Jones and and Olivert Fernsby. This was confirmed after the Head Boy and Head Girl spearheaded an inspection of everyone's rooms and discovered several opened cans of green, white, silver and black paint stashed in both second year boys' trunks.

Needless to say, the punishment for such acts of vandalism against school property was pretty severe and Aria heard from Blaise that Luca and Olivert were suspended for two weeks, followed by a series of weekly detentions for the remainder of the school year.

"Honestly, I'm just happy those two kids weren't expelled." Blaise told them with a weary sigh as he collapsed into one of the couches in the common room a few days later.

Fortunately, most of the younger Slytherins were still in class so it was just the 8th years who were lounging around in front of the fireplace that afternoon.

Aria and Hannah were seated together on one of the couches near the entrance, both cramming the required readings for their next class while Zach and Neville were sitting on the carpet close to the fire and playing a game of exploding snap. Morag was seated on the couch beside Blaise and was quietly proofreading her assignments for the day. Not surprisingly, Pansy, chose to sit way on the opposite side of the room, studying quietly on a small table by herself so that she was separated from everyone else.

"Ever since the war last year, the school board's become very strict about stuff like this. They want to prevent as much 'future dark lords' from graduating as much as possible." Blaise added.

"How dramatic." Draco retorted sarcastically as he looked up from where he was lounging lazily in his favorite armchair in front of the fireplace. "Really now, do they honestly expect another dark lord from a bunch of stupid kids who up and decided to parade their idiotic house pride by painting the bloody doors of the Great Hall at night?" He sneered at the thought.

"The board's reaction is a bit strange." Morag agreed with a slight frown before carefully turning a page of her book.

"You would at least expect them to impose punishment that's more commensurate to what was committed. I mean, the paint they used wasn't even permanent." She mused out loud, more to herself than anyone else.

"What are you so confused about? Isn't it obvious why McGonagall and the rest of the school board reacted that way?" Pansy snapped at the other girl from the other side of the room. "The deed was obviously committed by a Slytherin. From the very beginning, it was our house - our colors, our crest, and our bloody motto - that was painted all over the blasted doors. Why do you think the investigation focused mostly on us?!"

She didn't wait for any of them to answer before she went on, deliberately ignoring Blaise and Draco's warning glares.

"Thanks to what happened during the war, our house is now officially known as a breeding ground for future dark lords and death eaters. The entire wizarding world, including our school board of directors, hates all Slytherins now and would likely jump at any excuse to expel every single one of us given the chance. Well—"

Pansy paused in the middle of her angry tirade and snorted, shooting a mocking sneer over at where Aria had visibly stiffened in her seat.

"—except for Potter obviously. And maybe you, Longbottom. You're both recognized as bloody war heroes by the Ministry so I doubt they'd expel either of you." She muttered spitefully, rolling her eyes.

"Parkinson." Neville's eyes narrowed slightly at Pansy's words and he frowned at her. "You have no right to judge me or Aria for what we did during the bloody war."

"Oh but you have the right to judge us then, right? Because we're the good-for-nothing lot who chose to side with the Dark Lord?!" She shot back, the anger in her voice causing Neville to blink at her in disbelief.

"That doesn't even—what?!" His eyes widened in angry confusion and he glared at her as though she had just admitted to swallowing a blast-ended skrewt. "I didn't say anything like that at all! You're putting words in my mouth!"

"No but you were obviously thinking it. You were never that hard to read, Longbottom. You were always a judgmental, self-righteous prick." Pansy snorted again and dismissed him by rudely looking away.

"Don't presume to know anything about me, Parkinson. Because you don't. At all." Neville snapped back at her, surprising Aria with the vehemence she suddenly heard in his voice. "Unlike you and the rest of your pretentious little lot, I don't judge people behind their backs. I'm not a petty, sniveling coward."

"Unlike me and the rest of my 'pretentious lot'? Now just what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean, Longbottom?" Pansy growled back, her eyes flashing indignantly as she whipped around and glared at Neville's equally irate expression.

"Oh come off it, you know exactly what I mean." Neville retorted with a derisive scoff. "Don't you remember? When I was younger, my grandmother brought me to those stuffy little gatherings you and Malfoy liked to attend all the time—"

"Don't you dare drag me into this, Longbottom." Draco cut in sharply but Neville deliberately went on as though he hadn't heard him.

"I remember exactly the kind of person you were even when we were children. I also remember exactly how you and the rest of your snotty little friends would make fun of kids like me behind my back, laughing at me and calling me an orphan because my parents were insane, calling me a squib because my magic showed up later than yours."

"I—I never called you a squib or an orphan! Besides, you were the one who never wanted to play with us back then! We knew nothing about you!" Pansy shot back, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed with horrified realization.

"And so that gives you the right to call me names behind my back?" Neville snapped.

"I told you that wasn't me! I never said those things!" Pansy argued, her voice becoming shrill with frustration.

To Aria's disbelief, she watched as Neville's ears began to turn red and an angry sneer – an expression that she didn't think she had ever seen on the gentle boy's face before – curled his lips. He ignored the fact that the rest of their housemates were staring at them and continued to glared spitefully at Pansy from across the room.

"If there's anyone who likes to judge people, it's pompous, disgusting little sycophants like you. So don't you dare start playing the victim card now." Neville's eyes were like steel as he glared accusingly at Pansy's stunned, crestfallen face. "You were the one made those choices during the war. So stop blaming me and Aria and learn to deal with the consequences."

At this point, Pansy's eyes were noticeably glassy and there was a tightness in her voice when she spoke.

"You have no idea why I acted the way I did, you arrogant, insufferable—"

"That's enough, both of you." Blaise suddenly spoke up in a sharp voice, cutting into the middle of Pansy's tirade. "No one's judging anyone of anything, please stop assuming such things—"

"No, Pansy's actually right about one thing." Aria surprised everyone when she interrupted Blaise's attempts to calm the other two Slytherins down, causing all of her housemates to glance at her and Neville to glare at her with a slight hint of betrayal on his face.

"Since the war ended, I also noticed how the Ministry has been instigating this whole hate propaganda against all who had any sort of link to the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Even I think it's beginning to be a bit unreasonable as of late—"

With the exception of Neville, all of the Slytherins flinched at hearing the Dark Lord's name.

"—I mean, just look at the Daily Prophet. It regularly publishes columns and articles highlighting the atrocities committed by Voldemort's followers during the war." Aria added with a grim shake of her head.

Pansy looked stunned when she realized that Aria had actually sided with her.

"Potter, have you gone mad? Are you actually agreeing with me?" She asked incredulously, narrowing her eyes at her in disbelief.

"I'm just stating the obvious, Parkinson." Aria rolled her eyes at the other girl before turning her attention back to the book on her lap.

"Whether or not the school board acted impartially regarding the vandalism case - and whether or not their decision is just another consequence of this so-called 'hate campaign' against Slytherins, the fact of the matter is, the evidence found did suggest that Luca and Olivert did it." Morag told them in a nonchalant tone of voice. "We can't deny that."

"I asked my father about it, actually. He told me he had to convince the other school governors not to expel those two right away. Can you believe that? Expulsion? For such a harmless misdemeanor? Not to mention the fact that both of those two kids don't seem to remember doing anything at all that night." Zach suddenly chimed in, a dubious look on his face.

Blaise and Draco suddenly frowned at that and they both turned to stare intently at Zach.

"What do you mean by that, Zach?" Hannah asked him worriedly, looking up at him from the book on her lap.

When Zach seemed to hesitate and looked reluctant to go into further details, Pansy spoke again, drawing everyone's attention back to the frown on her face. She ignored everyone else's questioning looks, however, and directed her attention solely on Blaise and Draco.

"Corey said the exact same thing." She paused for a couple of seconds, waiting cautiously until the small group of younger Slytherins who had entered the common room passed them on their way to their dormitories. As soon as they were gone and the 8th years were left alone in the common room once more, she continued.

"He told me that when he asked Luca and Olivert about it, they admitted that they couldn't even remember what happened. All they knew was that they blacked out sometime after the vandalism was committed."

"Sorry, I'm lost. Who's—"

"Corey's my younger brother." Pansy looked annoyed, rudely cutting Hannah off before she could finish her question. "He's in second year, same as the two boys who were punished. Anyway, I personally think those two boys didn't do it. Maybe someone else stunned them or obliviated them and then set them up—"

"Why didn't they tell McGonagall the truth then?" Draco cut her off sharply, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Pansy in confusion. "If they don't remember what happened that night and they 'blacked out' as you said, why didn't they say that? Why take the blame for it?"

"Maybe they were scared they'd be punished even more?" Blaise suggested with a shrug.

"They did tell McGonagall." Zach answered grimly, shaking his head. "The Headmistress actually requested to continue the investigation but the school board wouldn't allow it. They insisted that the matter be officially closed so as not to draw any more unnecessary attention to Hogwarts." He told them.

"That makes sense, I suppose." Blaise agreed reluctantly and leaned back against his seat. "If that's true though, then the asshole responsible for what happened is probably proud of himself right now."

"I wonder who did it." Hannah thought out loud as she suddenly brought her textbook to her chest, hugging it tightly before leaning back to stare at the ceiling. "I mean, it couldn't have been us, we were all out drinking that evening in Hogsmeade. If it was a Slytherin, he or she was probably alone if nobody else noticed."

Without meaning to, Aria frowned and her eyes automatically flicked over to Pansy, immediately causing the other Slytherin girl to stiffen and glare back at her with a defiant expression on her face.

"Something on your mind, Potter?" She asked calmly.

"It's just—" Aria hesitated, glancing over her shoulder and meeting the similar look of suspicion that was forming on Neville's face. "I was just thinking about how you were here in the common room that night and about how you might have—"

"How I might have been the one to curse those poor kids into doing what they did, right?" Pansy snapped scathingly, her eyes flashing and an angry snarl forming on her face.

Aria realized her mistake instantly and flushed, hastily tearing her gaze away.

"That wasn't what I meant—"

"Parkinson, you were alone that night." Neville interrupted her in a blunt, knowing tone of voice, directing another hard glare at Pansy. "It's only reasonable to want to ask you what you were doing."

"What I was doing is absolutely none of your business, Longbottom." Pansy snapped back angrily.

"Neville, stop it. We aren't accusing you of anything, Parkinson." Aria began slowly, raising her hands up at both Neville and Pansy in a gesture of surrender before another fight escalated between the two of them.

"Are you sure?" Pansy spoke again, her eyes glinting dangerously as she stood up from where she was seated and slowly began to make her way over to were everyone else had gathered.

"Because it seems to me that you've already figured this whole thing out. Haven't you?" She ignored the way Blaise and Draco exchanged a worried look and finally stopped, standing directly in front of where Aria was sitting on the couch.

"Pansy, just let it go—"

"I wasn't talking to you, Draco!" Pansy snapped back at him, ignoring the affronted scowl on his face as she crossed her arms and sneered down at Aria's stiff form.

"Well fine then, Potter. Go on. Let's see what your brilliant 'hero' deduction skills have figured out, shall we? You think it was me, right? Despite the fact that I was just talking about how I didn't think those two boys did it, you now think it was me because I was the only one who didn't attend Blaise's ridiculous little drinking session that night?"

"Parkinson, like I said, I wasn't accusing you of anything!"

The expression on Aria's face was a combination of annoyance and frustration. She let out an exasperated sigh and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "You are completely misunderstanding me here."

"Well I didn't do it, Potter." Pansy hissed at her, and to Aria's chagrin, the short-haired girl's eyes began to water again, the anger on her face suddenly melting away into a frustrated scowl.

"So if you could please just take enough time out of your busy schedule to get the fuck off your precious high horse and stop judging me – and that goes for both of you bloody heroes—" She turned to shoot another scathing look at Neville before bringing her attention back to Aria. "—I, being the lowly Slytherin I am, would be ever so grateful."

Before either Aria or Neville could say anything else, Pansy shot both former Gryffindors one last hateful sneer and stalked off, grabbing her bag from the table and storming furiously out of the common room.

As soon as she was gone and they heard the sound of the girls' dormitory doors slamming shut, Zach snickered under his breath and turned to give Hannah a sardonic smirk.

"She really grows on you, doesn't she?" He quipped sarcastically.

"Actually, I think I'm going to take off too. I think I'll brush up on some notes before our next class." Neville didn't bother meeting the questioning look Aria gave him as he stood up, a foul expression on his face as he began gathering his things.

Just before he exited the room, Aria caught a glimpse of the strange expression on her friend's face.

Neville looked pissed.

Once he was gone and the common room was left in sudden, uncomfortable silence, Blaise finally let out the snicker he had been holding in and turned to grin roguishly at Draco.

"This year is so much fun. Last week, it was you and Aria. This week, Pansy and Neville." He smirked at the irritated look on his friend's face and turned to give the rest of his housemates a playful wink.

"Would anyone like to have a screaming match in the common room with me next week?"

Later that week, after all the rumors about the whole vandalism fiasco began to die down in the halls, Aria and Hermione – as well as a handful of other 8th years unfortunate enough to be taking advanced potions that year – found themselves listening intently to Slughorn's lecture about their assigned potion for that afternoon.

To prepare them all for their impending NEWT examinations, Slughorn had been kind enough to teach them how to brew the Draught of Peace, a potion supposedly designed to relieve all of their stress and anxiety. After discussing the methodology and writing down the instructions and list of ingredients they'd be needing on the board, Slughorn turned to the class and rewarded them all with a cheerful smile.

"Alright, enough with that. Let's assign your new partners for the remainder of the year, shall we?" He chuckled at the chorus of groans he heard from the class and reached over to pick up the roll of parchment from his desk.

"Now let's see here...I think I'm supposed to make sure everyone gets partnered with someone they've never partnered with before—"

"Knowing my luck, I'll probably be paired with Parkinson. Or Bulstrode." Aria muttered under her breath to Hermione from where the two of them stood near the back of the room.

The brown-haired Ravenclaw couldn't help stifling a smile at the misery she heard in her best friend's voice.

"Millicent's not that bad, you know. She's my housemate now so that obviously means she's smart. And I actually get along with her. She was there with us last Sunday when we had a study session in the library." Hermione whispered back, causing Aria to blink and stare at the other girl as though she had grown an extra pair of arms.

"Seriously? That Bulstrode?" Aria looked dubious, pointing discreetly to where Millicent was standing with Malfoy, Parkinson and Goyle across the room. "That mean gigantic girl who used to make fun of us all the time?"

"Yes, that girl." Hermione confirmed, rolling her eyes at her friend's reaction.

"Hermione, she used to call you an 'insufferable know-it-all'. And remember how she was bigger than Ron in second year and she liked to shove us both around in the hallways like we were nothing but a sack of feathers?" Aria pointed out.

"Once you get past her intimidating demeanor, you'll realize that she's just really shy and insecure." Hermione told her in an admonishing tone of voice. "And despite her size, she's a very lovely and gentle girl, actually. Did you know that every time she gets chocolates from her family, she shares them with all of us girls in the dorm? And plus, her cat, Butterscotch, is the sweetest thing. She and Crookshanks are already best friends."

"How wonderful for you, Hermione." Aria drawled sarcastically, not bothering to hide her irritation at the way Hermione's voice suddenly took on a high-pitched, 'cooing' tone at the mention of her cat.

"Butterscotch is adorable. She's a rare breed of cat, you know. She's actually an Egyptian Mau." Hermione went on happily, obviously choosing to ignore Aria's comment.

"I hate cats."

"You don't hate cats, Aria." Hermione countered in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "You're just afraid of them, there's a difference. Besides, that's hardly your fault, the book we read says that it's in your nature to be afraid of them—"

"Why don't you say it a bit louder, 'Mione. I don't think the whole classroom was able to hear you." Aria interrupted sharply, immediately causing her friend to flush in belated realization.

She turned to Aria with wide brown eyes, a genuinely remorseful expression on her face.

"Oh Merlin, Aria! I'm sorry – I didn't mean—"

"It's fine, Hermione. I know you didn't." Aria was quick to reassure her, though she couldn't help the mildly irritated look that continued to linger on her face.

Hermione shot her another guilty look and she looked as though she was going to apologize again when Slughorn finally called the two girls' attention, forcing them to bring their gaze back to the front of the room.

"Miss Granger?"

"Here, sir." Hermione answered meekly, still a bit shaken by their conversation.

"You're with Miss Bulstrode." Slughorn told her, giving her a brief smile before gesturing for her to join Millicent on the other side of the room. "Now then, our last pair is…Miss Potter?"

"Yes, sir." Aria obediently looked up at the sound of her name.

"You're with Mister Goyle over here." Slughorn was oblivious to the look of surprise on both Aria and Goyle's face as he gestured for the two students to occupy the last table at the very back of the room. "Now then, once everyone has settled in with their respective partners, let's start. As always, you'll find all the ingredients you'll be needing at the back of the room—"

Aria was barely listening to Slughorn as she slunk over to the last vacant worktable and deposited her bag on one of its stools. She waited until Goyle did the same thing on the table's other side before she looked up and reluctantly gave him a small, uncertain smile.

"Well then…I guess we're partners?" She began with a nervous laugh.

"Yes, I guess we are." He mirrored the awkward smile on her face and reached up to scratch at the back of his head. "I um…I think I have to apologize though."

"Hmm? Apologize? Why's that?" Aria looked from where where she was beginning to empty the contents of her bag and gave him a questioning look.

"Well—" Goyle grimaced slightly and shook his head, a guilty expression clouding his face. "—to be honest, I'm not really that good at Potions. The only reason I was accepted into this NEWT-level class is because Draco's always been my partner and he helped me get a decent enough grade. So I'm sorry if I end up becoming a liability or something. I promise I'll try really hard not to bring you down."

"Oh that." Aria managed a genuine laugh this time and shook her head, waving his concerns away. "I'm actually not that good with Potions either. I just need to pass this year because it's part of my course training as an Auror."

She smiled at the hesitation that continued to linger on his face and went on.

"Don't worry so much about it, I'm sure we'll be fine. Let's just do our best to help each other out, yeah?"

When Goyle continued to look unsure, Aria reached out and offered him a gloved hand.

"How's this? I'll start preparing all the instruments we'll need, and you can start gathering the ingredients?" She offered him another grin, waiting patiently until the Gryffindor sighed and eventually placed his much larger hand in hers.

"That works, I guess."

They shook hands briefly before Goyle set off to the back to gather their ingredients while Aria began pouring over their Potions textbook, preparing their cauldron and cleaning their measuring instruments.

About an hour later, after Goyle admitted to Aria with a slightly sheepish smile that because of his large hands, he tended to mess up cutting ingredients, they agreed to switch roles. Aria took it upon herself to handle doing the precise measurements - weighing, cutting and peeling - while Goyle was in charge of adding in the ingredients and keeping up the heavy, continuous stirring of their potion while monitoring its temperature and consistency.

To her surprise, as she and Goyle began making good progress with their Draught of Peace, Aria realized that what Hermione and Ginny had told them about Goyle was true – the former Slytherin was surprisingly very pleasant to talk to.

Set aside the fact that the boy always looked as though he had a perpetual scowl on his face, Goyle was actually a very agreeable person (very much unlike Malfoy and Parkinson, that's for sure) and he and Aria had absolutely no trouble working harmoniously through their first potion together – especially compared to how her other housemates seemed to be faring with their new partners.

Across the room, Aria winced when she saw how Pansy and Romilda Vane were barely able to keep from scratching each other's eyes out as they argued over which ingredients were supposed to go into the potion first. Behind them, Morag and a Hufflepuff girl named Susan Bones didn't look to be better off, both girls glaring daggers at each other as they fought over the weighing scale. Draco, on the other hand, was mostly working on his potion alone because his partner – a shy Gryffindor girl named Eloise Midgen – looked far too busy blushing and staring at him instead of actually helping him out.

"What do you know?" Aria commented about half an hour later as she glanced over at their potion, grinning slightly when she saw that the shimmering liquid was nearing its final shade of turquoise blue.

"It looks like we might actually pull this off after all." She kidded.

"Don't jinx it, Potter." Goyle warned her, though Aria noticed that a relieved smile was fighting to break out on his face.

"I'd really like to get through our first potion together without setting off any explosions." He quipped.

"Aria." She paused in the middle of reaching for a valerian root and looked up at him, meeting his slightly surprised look with a small smile.

"You can call me Aria."

"Oh." He looked stunned for a few seconds, blinking at her a couple of times in disbelief before he finally shook the expression away and managed to give her a small, shy smile. "Well, in that case…Please call me Greg."

"Alright then, Greg." Aria couldn't help giggling at the adorably embarrassed expression on his flushed face before she decided to take pity on him and turned her attention back to her textbook.

"Okay, so let's see here…We're almost done letting the potion simmer for a bit, I think the last ingredient to add is the syrup of hellebore?"

"Wait, let me lower the flames first." Greg warned her, reaching for his wand and using it to weaken the fire underneath their cauldron. When the flames retreated and potion's bubbling surface began to calm, he turned to her and nodded.

"There. It should be safe to add now."

He took the syrup of hellebore from Aria's offering hands and they both stiffened as he added it very carefully to their mixture, both of them watching with wide eyes and bated breath as the potion seemed to sizzle for a minute before a thin, silvery vapour began to evaporate from the liquid's turquoise blue surface.

"Yes, we did it! We didn't fuck up!" Aria exclaimed, barely resisting the urge to jump up and down as she turned to Greg and rewarded him with a grin and high five – which surprisingly enough, the Gryffindor accepted with a matching grin of his own. "We make a pretty good team after all, don't we?" She teased.

"I suppose we do." He agreed, chuckling as he bent down and examined their potion.

"I guess you weren't as bad at Potions as you thought you were." Aria added as she handed him several empty potion vials. "I usually have a hard time maintaining the potion's consistency and temperature all throughout like that."

"To be honest, the only reason I didn't mess up is because of over preparation." Greg admitted as he ducked his head behind his hand and gave her a rueful smile. "I actually studied the first chapter of our textbook in advance this weekend. Pansy tutored me."

"Pansy?" Aria blinked at him before she accepted the full vials of potion from him and began writing their names on the lids.

"You mean she helped you with this over the weekend?" She asked.

"Well, not the entire weekend." Greg amended, wincing and running a hand through his hair in embarrassment.

"She was busy studying on Saturday so we were only able to meet up on Sunday night. She stayed up pretty late with me too, just helping me learn the brewing basics of nearly all the potions in the first chapter." He told her.

"I see."

Aria fought the urge to flinch at the stab of guilt that suddenly pierced her in the gut.

She couldn't help but remember the way Pansy had reacted after both Aria and Neville had all but accused her of hiding something when she and the other Slytherins had been discussing who the possible culprit behind the vandalism was. Given that the only reason she had looked at Pansy was to ask the other girl what she had been doing alone in the common room that night, knowing the answer know certainly didn't make Aria feel any better.

Before Greg could notice the sudden change in Aria's expression, she forced out a laugh and hastily moved away.

"Anyway, I'll go submit these to Slughorn. When I get back, you want to get started on cleaning already?"

Since Greg appeared to already be in the middle of putting away his things, he just gave her a thumbs-up and quick nod in reply. With a sigh, Aria took their vials and, after submitting them to Slughorn at the front of the room, she signed their names on the completion sheet and began making her way back to their table.

When she got there and saw that Greg still busy packing away their things, she turned and was just about to start cleaning their work station when someone bumped into her from behind, causing Aria to curse and reach her hands out in front of her, grabbing onto the table to prevent herself from stumbling to the floor.

"Hey! Watch it, will you?!" She growled as she whirled around to glare at the person behind her.

Aria's eyes narrowed dangerously when she saw the familiar, mischievous gleam in Seamus Finnigan's eyes. When she sneered and arched an eyebrow at him in question, Seamus gave her a sheepish wince and pretended to bow to her several times in apology.

"Whoops, my bad! Sorry about that, Aria. Wasn't watching where I was going." He rushed out.

When Aria continued to glare suspiciously at him, Seamus gave her another wide, disarming smile and nervously scurried away from her, running back over to where his potions partner was waiting for him at the other side of the classroom.

Rolling her eyes to herself, Aria was just about to return to her task of cleaning their table when a strange movement from the corner of her eye suddenly caught her attention. Following the motion, her gaze flicked over to the side to where Greg was standing a few feet beside her – only for her to pale and stiffen in horror at the sight of a giant, hairy tarantula crawling nonchalantly across his back.

"U—uhm….Greg…?"

Aria's voice was high-pitched and shaky as she swallowed and took a careful step backward away from him, her eyes wide as they lingered on the gigantic arachnid crawling along his robes.

"Hmm?" Greg looked up and glanced at her, frowning in confusion at the horrified look on Aria's face.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked nervously.

"I—it's just—" Aria heard the rest of the girls around the classroom beginning to shriek and gasp but she ignored them as she took another cautious step back and carefully began reaching for her wand.

"—I'm about to tell you something but don't freak out, okay? There's something quite…large…crawling on your back."

"Don't freak out?! You're freaking me out right now, what is it?! Is it an insect? Get it off!" Greg blurted out, looking visibly spooked now as he froze up like a marble statue and stared at her with incredibly wide, panicked eyes.

"It's okay, it'll be fine." Aria managed a nervous, stranged laugh and began pointing her wand at the unmoving spider. "Don't move, okay? I'll get it off, it's no big deal. I think it's a tarantula, that's all—"

"A tarantula?! Merlin, get it off! Get it off me!" Greg's eyes widened and he suddenly began screeching as he practically leaped towards her, twitching and jerking frantically in an attempt to shake the tarantula off.

"W—wait! Don't run at me, just stay still—"

He ignored her protests and accidentally crashed into her, causing them both to stumble and end up crashing into their cauldron, spilling the remains of their potion all over themselves as they tumbled to the floor. Obviously startled by all the ruckus, the tarantula became frantic and hurriedly scurried away – crawling down Greg's back – and up onto Aria's leg.

Everyone in the entire classroom, including Slughorn, had stopped what they were doing and were staring at them now, most of them laughing at the sight of Greg and Aria shrieking hysterically at each other as they both kept trying to shoo the spider away.

From the other end of the classroom and looking particularly proud of himself, Seamus was clutching his stomach, barely able to keep himself standing from his hilarity. Behind him, Draco was watching the scene unfold with a uncharacteristic expression on his face - one that looked as though he wanted to burst out laughing but shake his head in utter embarrassment at the same time.

To Aria's dismay, even Hermione looked as though she was trying desperately not to burst out giggling.

"Get it off me! Get it off me already!" Aria yelled at Greg in growing panic, her face flushed as she tried shaking her leg a few times to get the tarantula off.

"I can't—I'm bloody terrified of spiders! Where's my wand?! I can't find my wand! Eruugh…it moved!" Goyle meeped in a high-pitched voice, looking as though he was about to cry as he began digging frantically through his pockets.

"Just pick the damn thing up already! You're a big guy, you can take it!" Aria shrieked at him, her eyes widening in horror as she watched the spider beginning to crawl up her leg.

"Euuurgh…But what if it bites me?!" Greg whined back as he moved away and stared down at the spider as though it was the most terrifying thing he had seen in his life. "Ewww it looks all hairy and gross! I can't touch it, I can't!" He whimpered.

"Well I don't want to touch it either!" Aria screamed back, gesticulating wildly at the spider with her hands.

"Oh for the love of Merlin!"

Obviously having had enough of both students' hysterics, an exasperated-looking Pansy Parkinson stalked over to where Aria and Greg were still wailing at each other on the floor. She stood over them and used her wand to calmly levitate the harmless tarantula off of Aria's leg, setting it back into its cage near the back of the classroom.

Afterwards, while the rest of their classmates continued laughing hysterically at them, Pansy cast one last poisonous glare at the two potion-drenched students grinning sheepishly at each other on the floor before she huffed, turned her nose up at them and stormed back over to her table.

Chapter Text

Aria was beginning to think that the resorting McGonagall had arranged for everyone was a welcome breath of fresh air.

She appreciated the opportunity she was given to spend more time to herself, and as much as she loved her two best friends (and she did really), she also appreciated the fact that she didn't have to witness their constant, nauseating displays of affection all the time.

At first, she was hesitant about spending more of her time with the Slytherins, worried about how Ron would probably throw a fit and accuse her of 'abandoning' him all over again. Thankfully, her concerns were settled when she noticed that Ron also seemed to be making a couple of new friends - guy friends - among the Gryffindors this year. Merlin knows how much he needed them, especially since he had just spent the last seven years of his life hanging out with two girl best friends.

So for the next few weeks, Aria found herself spending most of her afternoons with the 8th year Slytherins.

It was obvious that after Blaise's little drunken get-together in Hogsmeade, the relationship between their group had significantly improved. Most of them were actually choosing to spend their study breaks together in the common room now.

Unfortunately, as they continued to spend more and more of their free time together, everyone began to notice the 'cold war' that was undoubtedly building up between two of their housemates.

And strangely enough, it wasn't even between Aria and Draco.

It was between Neville and Pansy.

At first, it wasn't that obvious – at least to those who weren't with them on a regular basis.

But eventually, Aria noticed the way Neville would clench his jaw whenever Pansy walked into the common room. Or the way his eyes would narrow ever so slightly in irritation whenever the short-haired girl was in the vicinity. And although Aria didn't know the other girl that well, it wasn't hard to see the way Pansy seemed to be reacting to Neville's presence too, if the way she pursed her lips into an unflattering scowl whenever he passed by was any indication.

Worst of all, the two Slytherins would often end up griping and snapping at each other over the stupidest things (like how Neville was wrong because his shirt wasn't pressed properly or Pansy was stupid because her perfume was too strong) until Morag finally decided that she had enough and cast a complicated silencing charm on them both to make them shut up.

All of their constant arguing got to the point where even Draco and Blaise seemed to find it annoying. The two boys would often roll their eyes at Pansy and would cast a muffling charm on their ears to drown her voice out.

Fortunately, Aria was given a temporary reprieve from all their theatrics when Blaise approached her in the common room one afternoon and handed her the new chore lists for the week. When she saw her name listed beside Blaise, both of them assigned to assist the house elves in the kitchen after dinner, Aria breathed a sigh of relief.

"That happy to be chore partners with me for this week, are you?" Blaise was smirking when she looked up and met his teasing gaze. "I didn't know you liked me that way, Potter."

"In your dreams." Aria retorted with a scoff, though she didn't bother hiding her smile when Blaise pretended to make a face at her and winked before he sauntered off to hand the rest of the Slytherins their chore lists.

Later that evening, after everyone had finished dinner and began making their way back to the dungeons, Blaise and Aria separated from their housemates and headed off towards the kitchens to get started on their chores that night.

Thankfully, the house-elves were more than accommodating when they got there and after conferring briefly with them on how they could help out, Aria set off to work with washing the piles of dirty dishes on the counters while Blaise situated himself on the other end of the room to dry and store the plates.

They worked in harmonious silence for awhile, exchanging a few friendly jibes at each other every now and then until Blaise mentioned something that made Aria pause and stare at him in amused disbelief.

"Neville and Pansy were paired for chores this afternoon?"

"Yes, they were." Blaise grinned, using his wand to tuck a set of newly dried dishes into one of the nearby cupboards. "They were assigned to clean and rearrange the restricted section of the library. Somehow, they ended up arguing and screaming at each other over how to interpret the Dewey Decimal System. Madam Pince sent them both away before they could even get through half their assignment."

Aria was shaking with laughter by the time Blaise was finished with his story.

"How much longer are they going to keep this up?" She sighed, shaking her head in dismay.

"I happen to be enjoying all the entertainment." Blaise retorted. "And I thought the little fight you had with Draco in the common room over the git's bloody chair was fun. This little rivalry between Pansy and Neville is hilarious. I can't wait to see who ends up screaming at each other next week." He added.

"It's not that funny, Blaise." Aria told him, shaking her head.

"What are you talking about? Of course it is! I love this year. Things haven't been this entertaining down in the dungeons ever since second year – you know, with all of that Chamber of Secrets drama and shit." He grinned teasingly at her.

"Please don't bring that up again." She warned but either Blaise didn't hear her or he chose to completely ignore what she said.

"Speaking of which, you're the one who found the Chamber of Secrets right? Do you think you could still access it again somehow?" He asked, his eyes lighting up with barely concealed glee.

"I guess so. Although I haven't been down there in years. Why?" She asked him suspiciously.

"No reason." Blaise grinned at her again and answered her with a nonchalant shrug. "I was just thinking about how it'd be wicked if we could all have our next drinking session down there. Wouldn't that be something?" He mused.

"There's a rotting corpse of a gigantic basilisk down there, Zabini."

"Even better!" Blaise exclaimed loudly.

"I don't think so."

"You're no fun, Potter." He whined, pouting at her.

"Anyway. Going back to Neville and Pansy." She ignored his expression as she turned back to the sink and cast a cleaning charm on the new set of dirty plates in front of her. "What is it about each other that they hate so much? I've never seen Neville react to someone so violently before. And I've known him for years. He's always been such a good-natured, gentle person." She said.

"Tell me about it." Blaise agreed with a derisive snort. "I'm beginning to think Pansy hates Longbottom's guts more than she hates yours. And believe me, Potter, that's saying something."

"Thanks for that." Aria retorted flatly, rolling her eyes.

"There's no mystery behind it, actually." Blaise told her, watching as Aria levitated another pile of newly cleaned plates over to him to be dried. "Just as Neville said, those two knew each other since they were children. Pansy, Neville and Draco are all part of the Sacred Twenty Eight after all, so they were almost always made to attend a lot of pureblood gatherings back then."

"So did they hate each other back then as much as they do now?" Aria asked, curious.

"Well," Blaise paused in the middle of cleaning and frowned in thought. "I wouldn't say they hated each other, but they certainly didn't like each other either. I don't even think I ever saw them together. Pansy was an insufferable brat, always clinging onto Draco's arm because he was the most flashy, arrogant kid in the room. Meanwhile Neville was the quiet, strange boy who didn't like to play with the other children. He mostly just clung onto his grandmother's leg all the time."

"What were all those pureblood gatherings for anyway?" Aria waved her wand, charming another set of dirty dishes clean.

"Oh you know, parents trying to set their sons and daughters up with their friend's children and vice versa. Typical pureblood things." Blaise answered with a careless shrug.

"Isn't that a bit archaic? Do families still arrange marriages for their children nowadays?"

"You should know by now that wizarding society has always been archaic." Blaise pointed out with a wry smile. "Take a look at Draco and Astoria for example. Anyone with a pair of eyes can see that Draco would be more interested in a fish than Astoria. Meanwhile, Astoria is clearly interested in someone else, but that won't stop her father from trying to push her towards Draco."

Aria froze in the middle of reaching for a new set of plates and glanced at Blaise from the corner of her eyes.

"So...Draco and Astoria? Are they...?"

"Oh no, I don't think so. At least, not yet." Blaise chuckled and used his wand to float a set of newly dried goblets to the counter behind him. "I think Draco's mother hasn't really signed off on the engagement yet. And besides, Draco's been busy all summer trying to contact this supposed 'dream girl' of his." He added distractedly.

When Aria remained silent at that, considering his words carefully, Blaise went on.

"Fortunately, in my case, my mother was – shall we say an unconventional kind of witch? She won't be forcing me into an arranged marriage with anyone. She never cared about blood purity anyway, especially when it came to choosing a husband for herself. All that mattered to her was that the bloke was filthy rich." Blaise snorted derisively and rolled his eyes.

Aria sensed the sudden change in his mood just then, so she made sure to tread very carefully when she phrased her next sentence.

"I've heard from a lot of sources that your mother is quite an interesting character." She mentioned.

"You have no idea, Potter." Blaise retorted, glancing at her and giving her a wry smirk. "After her high profile divorce from one of the Burke sons two years ago, most of the traditional old ladies in wizarding society had taken to calling her…less than flattering names."

"As her son, that can't be good to hear." Aria winced at his words, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"It doesn't matter." Blaise waved her concern away with a nonchalant smile. "My mother was never really one to care for what people say about her anyway, she goes mostly by pure instinct. And besides, no matter how much pureblood society hates on her, she'll never have any shortage of men ready to fall all over themselves for her company. Although that's probably because of her nature more than anything else." He mused.

"Because of her…nature?"

When Aria blinked and stared at him in confusion, Blaise chuckled and decided to explain further.

"My mother is a veela, Potter."

Blaise smirked knowingly and arched an eyebrow at the way Aria's eyes widened and the way she suddenly stiffened in alarm.

"And she's unmated, would you believe that? You can imagine how much those traditional pureblood hags hate her. Merlin, after that horrid little piece about her by Rita Skeeter a few years back, I thought that was pretty common knowledge by now." He chuckled at the stunned look on her face.

It took Aria awhile before she was able to find her voice.

"I don't really read Skeeter's articles." She croaked out, managing a shaky smile.

Blaise shrugged at her and turned back to the rest of the dishes in front of him.

"So uh…" Aria tried not to let the nervousness in her voice show as she cleared her throat and spoke again. "If you don't mind my asking…why hasn't your mother…um…"

"Chosen a mate?" Blaise noticed the visible tenseness in her expression and gave her a reassuring grin. "Well to be fair, she did choose one – my father, to be exact. But when she revealed herself to him and asked him to be her mate, he rejected her – even after she told him she was pregnant with me. And so after that…" He let his voice trail off, a dark, brooding expression creasing his handsome features.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry into something that personal." Aria said quietly, drawing his attention to the guilty look on her face.

"Nah, it's fine. Like I said, it's common knowledge by now." He told her, shaking his head before turning to give her a strange smile. "You know what's weird though? As her son, I really admire her for it – not conforming to what society expects of her, I mean. She chooses to live without a mate. Did you know that she cut off her own wings?"

Aria looked sick as she gasped softly and turned to him with wide, horrified green eyes.

"Th—that's…why would she do something like that?!" She whispered.

"She didn't want anyone taking advantage of her again." Blaise smiled grimly at her before his eyes suddenly narrowed and he turned to her with a very strange, knowing gleam in his eyes.

"But based on your reaction, I don't think that's something you're planning to do, is it?"

Aria froze and all of the blood in her body immediately ran cold at Blaise's words.

Very slowly, she lifted her hooded gaze from the stack of dirty plates in front of her and met his eyes across the room. When Blaise simply arched an eyebrow and smirked back at her, she let out a slow exhale of breath to calm herself down.

"How long have you known?" She asked carefully, her voice as hard as steel.

"Hmm…Let's see." Blaise chuckled gleefully to himself and pretended to consider her question.

"Since your little hair slip-up in the Great Hall that morning on our first day of classes? Well, that plus the gloves, plus the way all the blokes in the room can't seem to stop staring at you. I mean, I did just tell you about my mother after all, I recognized all the signs. It wasn't hard to put it all together."

He paused and narrowed his eyes at her, inspecting her appearance from head to toe. "Don't tell me you've been suppressing your true form since the year started? You really shouldn't do that, Potter."

When Aria just stared him, her mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish, Blaise shrugged and went on.

"I'm surprised you haven't collapsed from all that magical exertion. But then again, maybe you really are just that powerful, aren't you? My mother told me it takes more than half her magical energy to keep her true form suppressed for half the day. And even then, when she does, she can't perform a single spell without her magic going all wonky."

"So you've really known all this time?!" She blurted out, staring intently at him.

"Relax, Potter. Why are you so worried anyway? It's not that big of a deal—"

"Not that big of a deal?!" Aria screeched at him, glaring at the other Slytherin as though he was stupid. "Do you have any idea how much the Daily Prophet will be all over my ass when they find out about this?! Not to mention how those bureaucratic assholes in the Ministry will probably force me to publicly declare and register my status – which of course, will make the entire issue blow up even more. I've spent all summer trying to get under the press' radar so I'd rather not deal with all of that, thank you very much." She growled.

"You forgot about how there'll probably be hundreds of mindless blokes hounding you, offering themselves to become the mate of the girl-who-lived." Blaise acquiesced with a snicker.

"Did you tell anyone else?" Aria pressed him further, panicking slightly when she saw the mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"No I haven't. Yet."

The cheeky smile on Blaise's face faltered slightly when Aria's green eyes flared with anger and she hissed warningly at him, her soft features suddenly transforming into a cruel-beaked bird face that looked more like an ugly, irate harpy than anything else.

"Are you planning to blackmail me, Zabini?!" She growled, baring a row of sharp teeth at him.

To her frustration, Blaise didn't look at all intimidated by the hostile expression on her face. He merely blinked and smirked knowingly at her, shaking his head in mock disapproval.

"Do you really think you can scare me with that adorable little display of yours?" He drawled, snickering when Aria gaped indignantly at him and reluctantly allowed her features to return to normal.

"Potter, I've been at the receiving end of those little glares from my mother for years."

"What do you want, Zabini?" Aria finally asked, rubbing her face with a weary, defeated sigh.

"Oh come on, Aria. Don't be like that. You don't have to worry, I haven't dealt with something as mundane as blackmail for years." Blaise rewarded her with another smile before he used his wand to levitate a fresh batch of clean dishes into an empty cupboard.

"Besides, like I said, I haven't told anyone else about your little secret. And I won't – for as long as it continues to be in my best interest to do so, at least."

"And pray tell, exactly how is keeping my little secret in your best interest now? What exactly are you getting from helping me and keeping quiet?" She challenged.

"Entertainment."

She froze again and blinked at the peculiarity of his response.

"Entertainment?" She echoed in confusion.

"Yes, entertainment." Blaise answered, giving her an obnoxious wink. "I promise to keep your secret for as long as I continue to be entertained by your ridiculously inept efforts in trying to hide it." He ignored the furious glare she shot him and started working on another stack of wet dishes.

"It's nice to know I've been reduced to a source of entertainment for your boring life, Zabini." She drawled sarcastically, sneering at him.

"Oh don't worry, it's not just you. There are several other people this year that I like to keep my eye on." Blaise told her in a reassuring tone of voice. "Plus, now that Voldemort's gone and everyone's been resorted, this year has been nothing but fun for me." He added cheerfully.

"Good for you."

Aria grumbled darkly to herself as she turned back to her own stack of dirty dishes and grudgingly resumed her task of charming them clean.

Despite her irritation, she couldn't help but give the other Slytherin due credit. It certainly didn't escape her attention that out of all the students she had talked to this year, Blaise was actually one of the few ones brave enough to say Voldemort's name.

"'And here I was thinking you were actually the nice one, Zabini."

"Oh but I am nice." Blaise pointed out, turning to her and pretending to give her an offended look. "I just said that I'd keep your secret for free, didn't I?"

Aria snorted derisively and levitated a batch of newly cleaned metal bowls toward him, purposely dropping them in such a way that Blaise cursed and had to jerk away to prevent himself from getting smashed on the head.

"Hey—!"

"Honestly?" Aria ignored his halfhearted protests and turned to glare at him, a frown marring her features. "I think I'd prefer it if you actually did resort to blackmail and asked me something in exchange for keeping this between us." She told him, ignoring the look of surprise on his face.

Blaise looked thoughtful for a few seconds, considering her words.

"Alright then, Potter."

The frown on his face began to fade slowly, until a small, mischievous smirk began to form in its place.

"So going back to what I was saying about the Chamber of Secrets…" Blaise smirked and deliberately let his voice trail off.

Aria stiffened, gritting her teeth and clenching her hands at her sides.

"Fine. Is that all?"

"Well, there is one more thing."

When Aria's eyes narrowed at him in warning, Blaise rewarded her with another wide, all-too-innocent smile.

"You want me to go to Quidditch tryouts now?!"

From where she was sitting between Neville and Ron in a comfy corner of the library that afternoon, Aria blinked and glared up at Blaise with an incredulous look on her face.

"Why do you look so surprised?"

Fully decked out in a pristine set of Slytherin quidditch robes, complete with all the matching protective gear, Blaise Zabini just gave her a nonplussed look and arched an eyebrow at her reluctant expression.

"I did tell you that we'd be having the tryouts sometime this week." He pointed out.

"You didn't tell me when this week." Aria argued with an exasperated sigh as she slammed her thick potions textbook shut and gave him a pleading look. "Blaise, I have four big essays and an exam that I need to prepare for this Friday, I can't just—"

"Sorry, Potter. But we had an agreement after all." Blaise didn't even bother trying to hide the smirk on his face as he reached out and offered her a hand to help her stand up. "Shall we?"

"Fine."

Aria was seething as she accepted his hand and used it to pull herself up from her seat. Ignoring the questioning looks she was receiving from Ron and Neville, she reluctantly began shoving her books back into her bag.

"Wait a blasted minute, Aria." Ron's eyes were wide as he stood up from his seat and flicked his glare back and forth between Aria and Blaise in horrified realization. "This is a joke right? Tell me you're not actually thinking of joining the Slytherin quidditch team. Please tell me you wouldn't do that to your old house. To Ginny. To me." He whined pathetically.

"Sorry, Weasley. It's nothing personal or anything." Blaise spoke up before Aria could answer, crossing his arms over his chest. "But Potter's agreed to be our new seeker." He drawled smugly.

"I was afraid of that." Ron mumbled, letting out a dejected sigh before he scowled petulantly at Aria and sank back down into his seat. "I thought you said you weren't interested in playing quidditch this year. Something about studying for NEWTS and preparing for Auror qualifying exams."

"I wasn't." Aria told him, grimacing at the accusing look on his face. "But Blaise can be very persuasive when he wants to be." She muttered darkly, glaring at the smirking Slytherin beside her.

"In other words, he probably manipulated her into agreeing. It's what he does." Neville took that opportunity to translate the situation to Ron before shaking his head at his two housemates in disapproval.

"What do you mean?" Ron frowned at him and turned his attention to Aria again, leaning closer to whisper something into Aria's ear. "He's not bullying or blackmailing you into this right? Because if he is, just tell me and I swear I'll kick his ass—"

"Don't worry about it, Ron." Aria couldn't help smiling at her best friend's concern. She shook her head at him and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "It's a long story so I'll tell you some other time. But I promise that I've got the situation under control." She told him.

"If you're sure." Ron continued to look concerned as he sat back down beside Neville, watching as Blaise shot them another smirk before taking Aria's bag from her arms and slinging its strap over his shoulder.

"Let's get going. The rest of the team is already waiting for us." Blaise grabbed Aria lightly by her sleeve and began steering her towards the exit of the library.

"Good luck with practice, you two." Neville looked up from his book again and offered both Blaise and Aria a quick, distracted grin and a lazy thumbs-up.

"Yeah, break a leg. Or an arm. Preferably two of both so you don't get to play against Gryffindor next week." Ron chimed in loudly with a teasing grin, causing Aria to respond by turning around and rewarding him with a sarcastic smile and a quick flash of her middle finger.

"Bite me, Weasley."

"Hey! I'm telling Hermione—!"

Aria didn't get to hear the rest of her redheaded best friend's retort as the doors to the library's entrance slammed shut, cutting off their little banter.

Still chuckling, she followed Blaise through the many twists and turns of the school's corridors until they reached the outside of the castle.

After a quick trek through the school grounds, the two Slytherins finally reached the quidditch pitch. As they entered through the stands, Aria fought the urge to groan at the sight of Slughorn, Draco and the rest of the Slytherin quidditch team, all of which were in their complete quidditch uniforms as they waited in the center of the field.

"Ah, Mister Zabini! You found her!" Slughorn boomed happily when Blaise and Aria finally reached them, his attention immediately drawn to the cringe on Aria's face.

"Oh come now, what's with that look, Miss Potter? You must have known this was coming, you're a very talented seeker after all! A chip off the old block, I'd say. Just like your father. A future quidditch star in the making!" He exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Professor." Aria managed to give her Head of House a small, forced smile in response. "But I uh…To be honest, I didn't really expect to be joining the team this year—"

"Nonsense, my dear girl." Slughorn interrupted her with a scoff and waved away her concerns. "With the strong line-up we have this year, I'm quite certain we're a shoo-in for the championship! Speaking of which—" He paused and turned his jovial smile to Draco beside him. "—Mister Malfoy, as this year's Captain, I believe I can entrust you with making sure Miss Potter fits in well with the rest of the team?" He asked cheerfully.

The expression on Draco's face was particularly pretentious as he turned his attention to Aria, meeting her deadpan glare with a wide, obnoxious smile.

"Oh it'll be my pleasure, Professor."

"Wonderful!" Slughorn nodded approvingly at him, clapping both Draco and Blaise on the shoulders.

"Well then, I'd best be off. I'll leave you boys – oh excuse me, boys and girl—" He corrected himself hastily with a laugh, glancing apologetically at Aria. "—I'll leave you all to get to work. Good luck!"

Slughorn gave Aria and the rest of the team one last smile and wave before he set off, exiting the quidditch pitch and making his way back towards the castle. As soon as he was gone, the well-practiced smiles on Draco and Blaise's face instantly melted away, only to be replaced by identical smirks.

"You don't look that happy to see me, Potter." Draco pointed out, snickering at her.

Instead of answering, the petulant scowl on Aria's face darkened and she turned to glare accusingly at Blaise.

"You didn't tell me that he was the Captain."

"You didn't ask." Blaise answered, returning her glare with a doe-eyed, innocent smile.

She sneered at him, alternating her glare back and forth between the tall boys in front of her.

"I don't understand. If Malfoy's here, how will this even work? What am I doing here?!" Aria pointed out, tapping her foot impatiently on the ground. "I mean, aren't you supposed to be seeker? Are we going to have two seekers now?" She asked, turning her attention to Draco in question.

"On the contrary, I'll be playing as a chaser this year." Draco corrected her, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips. "I've always wanted to play as a chaser, actually. I just tolerated being a seeker because no one else on the bloody team was even close to having the talent for it." He admitted ruefully.

Blaise snorted at that and leaned down slightly to his side so he could whisper something into Aria's ear without Draco hearing.

"Not that he was any closer to having talent for the position too, mind you." He drawled, causing Aria's eyes to widen as she immediately bit down on her tongue to keep from laughing.

"Anyway." Draco's eyes narrowed when he saw the way Blaise and Aria were obviously not trying very hard to hide their smirks. "Since you're here, I might as well introduce you to the rest of the team—"

"Wait a minute." Aria frowned and cast a quick surveying look around the quidditch pitch. "I thought you said this was quidditch tryouts? Where are the rest of the students?" She asked, turning to Blaise.

"Tryouts ended last week." Draco answered her in a nonchalant tone of voice, ignoring the look of confusion on her face. "The team's already been assembled. This is quidditch practice."

"Seriously? You're letting me join without even trying out?" Aria chagrinned.

"This is all actually very simple, Potter." Draco told her bluntly, cutting off the rest of her protests with a derisive sneer before he turned around and gestured for the rest of their team to assemble around them. "As Captain, I fully intend to win the championship for Slytherin this year – or at the very least, beat the stuffing out of Gryffindor. And to do that, I need to assemble the best team possible. That means, I need to play as chaser and you need to play as seeker. So spare us the rest of your theatrics, if you please?"

"You do know that Ginny Weasley is Gryffindor's seeker this year, right?" Aria pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a grim smile. "She's already received an invitation to play as seeker by the Holyhead Harpies after she graduates. Meanwhile, I haven't played quidditch in nearly two years."

"Don't worry about that. It'll be fine, trust me." Draco shared a quick smirk with Blaise over Aria's shoulder before he reached out and handed her the minuscule golden ball in his hand. "Now, as I said, I reckon it's about time Blaise and I introduce you to your new teammates, Potter."

Ignoring the exasperated look on Aria's face, Blaise grinned, slung a heavy arm over her shoulders and steered her none too gently towards the tall group of Slytherin boys who had gathered in a semi-circle behind Draco.

"Well then…boys! Gather around and let's all welcome our new seeker! None other than the lovely—"

"Stuff it, Zabini!" Aria growled at him, shrugging his arm off and stomping hard on his foot.

"—ouch! Bloody woman—urgh." Blaise glared at her from the corner of his eye, ignoring the way Draco was shaking his head at their antics. "Anyway, as I was saying, our very own celebrity, Aria Potter, will be our new seeker this year. Aria, meet the boys."

Aria clutched self-consciously onto her braid and lifted her gaze, taming down her natural instinct to wince and run away when she noticed that most of her new male teammates were beginning to look a little dazed and confused the longer they stared at her.

Fortunately, Draco was too busy studying the sheet of names in his hand to notice.

Beside her, Blaise was apparently strong enough to blink himself out of the trance as he leaned down to whisper something into her ear. "The strength of the allure is directly related to your emotions. You're making it worse. Just relax, Aria." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before he stepped back, moving to stand behind Draco just before the blond looked up.

"Alright, so here's a final rundown of our line-up. Our chasers will be myself, Austin Flint—"

Draco paused briefly and Aria followed his gaze to the handsome, dark-haired boy to his right. When he noticed her looking at him, Austin reddened but he greeted her with a friendly smile, causing Aria to blink and smile back hesitantly at him in return. If Draco noticed this little exchange between them, he didn't say anything - though his mouth twisted slightly into a sneer.

"—and lastly, Zacharias Smith."

Draco arched an eyebrow at the way Zach's shoulders flinched upon hearing his name and he began scuffling his feet nervously along the grass.

"Is there a problem, Smith?" He asked.

"No, no problem." Zach rushed out, looking up from his feet and giving Draco a nervous smile.

"I should hope so." Draco snorted, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at the other boy's demeanor. "You practically had your father manhandle Slughorn all week just so you could be on this team. You'd better damn well make yourself useful." He said snidely, causing Blaise and a few other Slytherins behind him to snicker loudly.

"I—I—that wasn't—"

Draco deliberately ignored Zach's pathetic attempts to protest and continued, glancing to his left and nodding in acknowledgment at the two bulkiest members of their team. "Our beaters will be Harper Edgeworth and Graham Pritchard."

Aria winced as she stared at them, inwardly thinking to herself how either Harper or Graham could have easily picked up all of the other boys on their team in one hand and tossed them effortlessly towards the other side of the quidditch pitch like they were quaffles.

"And lastly, Blaise Zabini will be keeper and Aria Potter will be our new seeker." Draco finished, looking up from his record once more and inspecting them all one by one.

He frowned when he realized that Aria wasn't properly attired in their quidditch robes and gestured briefly to Harper behind him. He waited patiently as the other boy ran off towards the locker rooms before returning a few seconds later, a dark green quidditch uniform in his hands.

"Here, Potter. Go and get changed."

Draco ignored the nonplussed expression on Aria's face and tossed the set of robes at her, watching as she caught it easily in one hand and held it up to her face.

"What the—Malfoy!" Aria's eyes narrowed and she felt blood rushing into her cheeks when she opened the robes and saw the words 'Malfoy' and 'Seeker' printed boldly in big, white letters on the back.

"I can't wear these! These were your robes!" She complained loudly.

"I know that, Potter!" Draco retorted hotly, scowling when a similar shade of pink dusted his cheeks. "Just use them for now! We already ordered new ones for this year, they should arrive next week!"

"Are you serious?! I can't use these!" Aria pointed out again, making a face. "Look, it even says 'Malfoy' on the back! And besides, not only would it be horribly inappropriate, they're also way too big for me!" She grumbled.

"Are you a witch or not, Potter?" Draco shot back, glaring impatiently at her as though she was the dumbest person alive. "If it bothers you that much, just cast some modifying charms to make them fit you and remove my name!"

"I still can't use your robes, Malfoy. That's disgusting. You used to sweat in these!" Aria whined again, scowling as she stared incredulously at the green robes in her hand as though they were the most offensive thing she had ever seen.

"How dare you?!"

The tops of Draco's ears suddenly turned bright red as he sputtered and glared indignantly at Aria, completely oblivious to the way the rest of the Slytherin team were stifling their laughter as he stomped over to her and proceeded to launch himself into an angry tirade.

"I'll have you know that those robes are made out of the finest material because they were specifically designed and tailored for me! And not that it's any of your business, but those robes were hand washed, starched, dry-cleaned, and ironed by my family's house-elves before and after every single quidditch game!" He raged, his cheeks flushed and his shoulders heaving with exertion.

Aria just blinked at him and spoke up in a flat voice.

"Are you done?"

Draco ignored her impassive reaction and went on.

"And how dare you imply that my sweat is gross?! I'll have you know Malfoys are nothing but clean and hygienic!" He seethed.

"Yeah, unlike the rest of us commonfolk, I'm sure you Malfoys sweat out butterbeer or something." Aria drawled loudly, rolling her eyes.

She ignored the rest of Draco's blubbering insults as she slung the robes over her shoulder, pushed past her laughing teammates and finally began trudging across the field to the changing rooms.

When she got there, instead of immediately entering the girls' locker rooms, Aria paused by the doors and glanced discreetly over her shoulder. After making sure that Draco and the rest of the Slytherins had resumed talking amongst themselves, Aria used that opportunity to duck behind the small, building-like structure of the changing rooms instead.

With her back pressed flat against the cold wooden surface, Aria bit her lip and let out a shaky exhale of breath. Then, closing her eyes, she slowly lifted the dark green quidditch robes in her hands and pressed the soft fabric against her face.

She took one long, satisfying inhale before smiling dazedly and letting out a soft sigh.

The scent of something absolutely wonderful and masculine and perfect slowly began to permeate her senses – something that smelled like a heavenly mixture of mint, and vanilla, and sandalwood that what remaining control she had over her allure slipped away and she actually heard herself trilling. Before she realized what was happening, her eyes rolled back and she felt those all-too-familiar prickling sensations of two very large, feathery appendages beginning to peek out from just under her shoulder blades.

This was the state Blaise eventually found her in a few agonizing minutes later, the dark-haired boy barely able to contain his laughter as he stopped in front of her and arched an eyebrow at her ruffled, unkempt appearance.

"Er...What are you doing?"

Aria immediately jerked herself out of her little trance and gaped at him, inadvertently allowing Blaise to catch a quick glimpse of her true face and the way her eyes were glowing an unnaturally bright green shade. The moment was gone in an instant, however, as Aria's expression immediately shuttered and she sealed her true appearance back up, wings quickly retracting themselves back into her body.

"Zabini!"

Aria meeped in horror, blushing darkly under Blaise's knowing smile and hastily shoving the quidditch robes behind her.

"Were you just…sniffing Draco's robes?" He asked, his lips twitching uncontrollably with barely concealed mirth.

"I—I was…I was just using the robes to muffle my sneeze." Aria stammered lamely, her gaze focusing on just about anything except the laughing boy's face.

When he didn't let up and continued snickering at her, the blush on Aria's face darkened with humiliation. She looked away and hid her face behind her hands.

"It was just instinct. I lost control for a bit." She admitted meekly.

"I know."

Blaise was biting his lip, his shoulders shaking as he reached out and handed her the thick black gloves and goggles in his hand.

"Anyway, here. We uh…forgot to give you these. Seeker gloves and goggles."

He stifled another urge to smirk when he saw the miserable way Aria was looking down at her feet, refusing to look up at him as she snatched the gloves and goggles from his hands.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"We'll wait for you."

Blaise was still smirking when he left, leaving Aria blushing and staring abashedly at his retreating back.

As soon as he was gone, she whimpered under her breath and closed her eyes. Fighting the urge to scream, she turned around and began bashing her head repeatedly against the outside wall of the changing rooms.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Chapter Text

Draco blew his whistle to signal the start of practice.

Seconds later, Aria found herself up in the air atop her broom, fully attired in her Slytherin quidditch robes and gear. The golden snitch, which Draco had released into the air a few minutes before they started, was nowhere in sight.

Aria adjusted the goggles on her face and took a long, perusing scan around her.

She hadn't been lying when she told them that it had been awhile since she had the chance to play like this. In fact, the last time she remembered playing quidditch was back in their sixth year, before the war started and before everything in her life had quickly gone to shit. Of course, that didn't mean she didn't miss the familiar feeling of exhilaration she always felt whenever she was up in the air like this.

Aria flattened herself against her broom and sped off as fast as she could towards the brief glints of gold flashing occasionally at her from the many different areas of the quidditch pitch.

The snitch would usually disappear long before she got there but Aria would just smile and easily maneuver herself back towards the pitch's outer circle, ready to try again.

As she passed the keeper's goalpost in the air, Aria smirked and quickly zipped her broom past Blaise. The sudden rush of air caused him to curse and clutch tightly onto his broom to keep himself from falling over. When he saw her sticking her tongue out at him over her shoulder, Blaise glared at her and rolled his eyes.

Chuckling to herself, Aria stopped and hovered near the outer edge of the pitch again, watching curiously as Draco, Blaise and the rest of the team began working on some basic drills. When she looked up about fifteen minutes later, it was to the impressive sight of Draco effortlessly tossing the quaffle through Blaise's defense for the sixth consecutive time since they had started.

I guess he wasn't kidding when he said he was a much better chaser than he was a seeker.

Aria smirked at the thought and shook her head.

She quickly tore her gaze away before Draco could notice the surprised look on her face and circled the quidditch pitch a few more times, her narrowed eyes on the lookout for the golden snitch.

A few times during the course of their team exercises, when she passed Austin in the air, the dark-haired boy would smile at her and engage her in a few minutes of friendly small talk. Unfortunately, Draco didn't seem to like the fact that one of his chasers was distracted and each time he caught them talking to each other, he sneered and called them both out, shouting angrily for them to stop wasting time.

For some reason, Blaise seemed to find this really amusing.

However, given the many strange things the git seemed to find amusing these days, Aria was not about to ask him why.

Trying not to wince under the vicious glare Draco was still giving her, Aria sighed and flew a good distance away from Austin, returning to her previous task of observing her new teammates instead.

Glancing over at the chasers, she saw how badly Zach kept fumbling nearly every time Austin or Draco tossed him the quaffle. Their beaters, Harper and Graham, were nothing short of efficient and precise as they juggled the bludgers back and forth between them like they were tossing a pair of paper balloons.

And lastly, though Aria was reluctant to admit it, Blaise's skill as a keeper was easily on par with Ron's.

All things considered, while her new teammates may not be as good in terms of individual skill as compared to her old quidditch team back in Gryffindor, Aria had to admit that in terms of teamwork and strategy, the Slytherins were very much unparalleled.

In fact, even before she had joined them, Aria had never seen any other team play quite as effectively as the Slytherins did.

They always seemed to move together not just as a team but as a single, cohesive unit. And it was this particular advantage that Aria knew would be their best shot at winning the championship this year over the other houses.

"Watch out!"

Her thoughts were broken abruptly when she looked up and realized that she was seconds away from having a mid-air collision against Austin in the middle of the pitch. Cursing, they grabbed their brooms and swerved dangerously around each other, missing the impact by mere inches.

Once she managed to steady herself back up on her broom, Aria looked up at Austin's equally apologetic expression and she gave him a guilty smile.

"Sorry—"

"It was my fault." He reached up, tugging his goggles off so he could give her a sheepish grin that matched her own. "I was too busy avoiding the bludgers that I wasn't watching where I was going—"

"No really, I'm sorry. I was spacing out." Aria rushed out, letting out a breathless laugh before dismissing his apology with a wave of her hand. "I shouldn't have been flying so close to the chaser's area like that."

"Let's just say we're both to blame then?" Austin offered, chuckling at her embarrassed expression.

"Deal."

When Austin gave her one last smile and turned around, getting ready to fly off in the other direction, Aria automatically leaned forward and suddenly found herself sniffing his nape. His earthy scent, laced with a hint of citrus aftershave, intrigued her and made her hum a little bit until she realized about a half-second later what she was doing and immediately jerked away, her eyes widening in horror.

What the hell?!

She cringed and hastily flew off before Austin could realize what she had done.

First that little thing with Malfoy's robes, now this.

Fortunately, her teammate didn't seem to have noticed what happened and Aria was able to let out a sigh of relief as she headed towards the far end of the quidditch pitch, completely oblivious to the amused look Blaise was giving her from where he hovered near the keeper's post.

These urges are getting harder to control.

Thankfully, the snitch decided to show itself a few minutes after Aria's embarrassing little display and, much to her surprise, she was able to catch it without much difficulty. After allowing a few more plays for the rest of the team to score more points with the quaffle, Draco blew his whistle again and called everyone back to the center of the pitch.

Aria was still blushing from her little slip earlier so she avoided Blaise's perceptive eyes the whole time as she joined the throng of green and silver figures huddled in a circle around Draco. After calling out some of their team members for their good performance, followed by him discussing a few key criticisms regarding some missed shots and how to improve their overall technique as a group, Draco finally nodded and dismissed the team for the rest of the afternoon.

As everyone began to disperse one by one, Aria lit back down onto the ground and watched as Draco and Blaise began cleaning up and putting all of their equipment away.

Blaise noticed Aria standing awkwardly behind them and smirked at her but he didn't say anything.

Instead, he winked and cast a smug, knowing look at the back of her robes before he trotted off, trailing after the rest of their teammates as they began heading towards the locker rooms.

Eventually, Draco and Aria were the only ones remaining on the field.

Draco had just finished putting away the golden snitch and was in the middle of storing a set of quaffles back into their case when he heard a couple of soft footsteps approaching him from behind. Frowning, he wiped the sweat off his brow and looked up, watching as Aria stopped just behind him and gave him a hesitant smile before offering him a gloved hand.

He stared suspiciously at it for a few seconds, ignoring the way Aria rolled her eyes at his reaction, before he sighed and reluctantly took her hand, using it to pull himself back up to his feet.

As he straightened, Draco had to fight the urge to blush when he saw up close how good she looked in his quidditch uniform – even if she did shrink the robes to fit her smaller frame. The dark green color of Slytherin house complimented her pale, creamy skin really well and only seemed to make the brightness of her green eyes stand out even more.

A more primitive part of his male brain was urging Draco to check if she really had removed the printed text of his last name on the back of the uniform she was wearing. During practice, when they had been flying up in the air, Aria had either always flown at a distance from him, or never presented him with her back so Draco didn't really get the proper chance to check, especially since he was so distracted with overseeing everyone else. But for the life of him, he couldn't bring himself to do it now – if only because he was terrified of his own reaction should he discover that his name was still there.

"You were pretty good up there." She broke him out of his thoughts, her smile becoming a little playful when she saw the way his cheeks flushed pink at the compliment.

"As a chaser, I mean." Aria added, chuckling when Draco's eyes narrowed at the teasing tone of her voice. "Although you weren't so bad as team captain, either. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually knew what you were doing."

"Is this your way of being friendly, Potter?" Draco snapped back at her, a little irritated by the smirk on her face "Because if it is, you suck at it. I'm almost tempted to kick you off the team for insubordination."

"You could." Aria retorted as she leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "But if you did that, how else are you going to win the championship this year without your star seeker?" She pointed out.

Draco rolled his eyes, scoffing derisively at the smugness he heard in her voice.

"A bit arrogant, are we? I'm beginning to understand now why the sorting hat originally wanted to place you in Slytherin." He mused.

"And I wonder how that would have turned out." Aria grinned slowly to herself, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "If I had originally been in Slytherin, we certainly would have won more championships back then with me as seeker instead of you."

"Potter, I swear to Merlin—"

Draco stopped in the middle of his angry retort when he looked up and noticed that the look on Aria's face was far from cruel or mocking. Instead, she was laughing fondly at him and there was a hint of something strange and warm in her eyes.

"You're making fun of me." Draco accused flatly.

"Maybe a little bit."

"You're always making fun of me."

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black." Aria snorted and mirrored the accusing look on his face.

"What?" Draco blinked in confusion at her words and gave her a look as though he thought she was thick. "What the bloody hell does that even mean, Scarhead?"

"It's just a muggle expression, Malfoy."

"Do I look like a bloody muggle to you?!" He snapped.

She smirked at the irritated look he gave her but nevertheless, she joined him as he crouched back down to the ground and helped him wrestle a set of bludgers back into their case. Afterwards, as they both stood up and began walking towards the shower rooms in surprisingly comfortable silence, Aria spoke up again, turning to him as they reached the end of the field.

"I meant what I said awhile ago though." She told him.

Draco slung his broomstick over his shoulder and arched an eyebrow at her in query.

"About you being a good captain, I mean." Aria looked amused at the disbelieving expression on his face. "You gave praise where it was needed and feedback where it was due. I think the team appreciated it, and if anything, I actually think we have a shot at winning this year. Thanks for letting me join the team." She told him.

"If I may ask, how did Blaise even convince you to join anyway?"

Aria's cheeks flushed an endearingly pink shade at his words.

"He's…a persuasive bastard." She answered lamely.

Draco knew his friend well enough to know exactly what it meant for someone else to say that about him so he just snickered at her and pretended to shake his head in disappointment.

"Potter, you have a lot to learn about being a proper Slytherin if you continue to let Zabini get the upper hand on you like that." He drawled, stifling another grin when Aria flushed darker and gave him an annoyed glare.

"Oh shut up." Aria huffed at him, but Draco could tell she wasn't really all that bothered because there was a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "And I still meant what I said, you know. I really do think we have a good team and that we have a solid chance at winning the championship." She told him.

"Is that so?" He couldn't help but arch his eyebrow higher at her, a small knowing grin beginning to curve the corner of his lips.

"You really think we could win? Even against Gryffindor?" He teased.

"I do." Aria answered plainly, meeting his gaze. "Whether or not Gryffindor has a more experienced line-up of players than we do, I can honestly say, for certain, that Slytherin's dynamic as a team is much better."

When she noticed the way Draco was blinking and staring at her in disbelief, Aria shrugged to herself and continued.

"To be honest, Slytherin has always been better than Gryffindor in terms of teamwork and strategy. Even my old captain, Oliver Wood, used to say so. Of course, it doesn't help that Gryffindors always have this…simplistic tendency to just dive into things without a second thought." She admitted with a slight grimace.

"I believe the word you're looking for, Potter, is 'stupid'. 'Stupid tendency' to dive into things." Draco supplied for her and despite the way she tried to glare at him, Aria couldn't help laughing again when she saw the knowing smirk on his face.

"Point taken, Malfoy."

"Oh but don't get me wrong, I do agree with you." Draco told her, looking particularly pleased with himself. "Of course we're going to win this year. You and I are both on the same team this time. That means no other team is going to stand a chance. So I'd better not catch you slacking off on your training."

"Oh don't worry, I won't. Captain." She teased.

For the first time since the year started, Draco smiled at her and Aria smiled back.

Strangely, there were no smirks or sneers or any hints of mockery on their faces this time – just a genuine honesty in their expressions that neither of them had ever seen before.

The moment passed too soon, making the situation a little awkward as both Slytherins didn't seem to know what to say anymore.

Instead, both sets of eyes lowered shyly to the floor. When Aria looked up again and gave him another hesitant smile, scuffling her shoes awkwardly against the grass, Draco made a decision.

It's now or never.

Steeling his nerves, he let out the shaky breath he had been holding in and slowly extended his hand out towards her, causing Aria to stiffen in alarm and look up at him with wide green eyes.

The familiarity of it all – the startled look on her face and the way Draco's hand shook in mid-air – intimidated him somewhat, reminding him not only of this exact same scenario back in their first year but also of their past – their entire sordid history with each other – but still, he refused to back down and did his best to keep his hand steady.

And this time, instead of sneering at her and trying to draw her in with another ridiculous speech about family names, pureblood superiority, wrong associations and whatnot, Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and simply offered her another shy smile.

"So…teammates?"

He tried to ignore the nervousness in his voice as he spoke, waiting patiently as Aria processed the situation and continued to stare dumbly at his hand. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the stunned look on her face began to soften and she smiled back at him.

Nodding, she reached out, clasping his hand in her small, gloved one and giving his fingers a firm squeeze.

"Friends." She corrected softly.

Draco's eyes were wide as he stared at their clasped hands in awed silence. Ignoring the weird, fluttering sensation he felt somewhere in the pit of his stomach, his fingers tightened slowly around hers as he looked up and met Aria's warm gaze with his own.

"Friends."

One of the many perks of being the only girl on the Slytherin quidditch team was that Aria didn't have to race with anyone to use the nicer, bigger shower stalls in the locker rooms.

As she passed by one of the room's full-length mirrors, she frowned when she realized that, in her haste to chase after Blaise after he had witnessed her embarrassing slip-up before practice, Aria had actually forgotten to charm the name 'Malfoy' off the back of her quidditch robes.

In other words, she had been walking around with Draco's last name on her back the whole time.

Groaning, Aria slapped her forehead with her hand and muttered several curses under her breath.

She ignored the rushing of blood into her cheeks and trudged grumpily across the empty room towards the lockers. Unfortunately, only a thin wooden partition separated her from the boys' changing area, so she was forced to endure hearing all of the boyish, dirty jokes and loud, boisterous laughter of her teammates as she opened one of the lockers and shoved her bag inside.

She tried not to get too close to the partition, knowing full well that the many different masculine scents all combined together in one room would most likely make her dizzy or nauseous.

So far, since her 18th birthday last summer, Aria had only been able to encounter three men whose scents she found appealing enough to consider as potentially compatible mates.

And since those three happened only to be Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and apparently, her new teammate Austin Flint, she was beginning to suspect she had a certain…type.

Especially since, based on touch, the only male she had accidentally ended up touching without her gloves was Draco – back when she had slipped from the owlery steps and the blond twat had unwittingly grasped the bare skin of arm, nearly sending her into a hormonal frenzy. In fact, if Aria were to go by pure compatibility alone (based on both scent and touch), all of her so-called mating instincts were screaming at her that Draco was her most compatible choice.

She sighed and covered her red face with her hands, inwardly deciding to wait the situation out a bit more.

Besides (as she learned in the case of Blaise's mother), it wasn't like she absolutely had to choose a mate anytime in the immediate future anyway.

She had time.

Nodding to herself in affirmation, Aria closed her locker and was just about to head to the showers when she couldn't help but overhear a few of the racy comments Harper (or was it Graham?) began making about her from the other side of the partition. Not surprisingly, Aria heard Draco cutting off the boys' inappropriate remarks, his angry voice recognizable even through the walls.

Blushing, Aria tried hard not to think too much about the implications of that, especially since she knew Draco probably just reacted instinctively. She'd like to think she knew him well enough by now to know that her formal rival was very sensitive when it came to disrespecting women.

Apparently, it was one of the many things Narcissa Malfoy had done right when raising her only son.

Lost in thought, Aria stepped carefully into the shower stall and released the tight coil of suppression magic she used to conceal herself, finally allowing her true appearance to manifest.

She felt the familiar, albeit brief, stinging sensation of something poking out from under her shoulder blades before her full wings suddenly spread open, stretching and flapping impatiently in the enclosed space. As soon as her body finished the magical transformation, her vision blurred and Aria scowled as she reached up and removed her thick-framed glasses from her face.

Sighing in relief, Aria closed her eyes and took a few long minutes to herself as she enjoyed the warm, relaxing water rinsing the sweat and grime from her skin. After washing her hair, she made sure to rinse her wings out as well, flapping them a few more times to dry out the white feathers.

More than half an hour later, after casting a drying spell on her wings, Aria sighed again and closed her eyes, wincing in slight pain as she sealed her appearance back up and forced her wings to retract. Her vision blurred again and she grumbled, shoving her glasses back onto her face before stepping out of the stall and making her way back to her locker to change back into her school uniform.

She cast another drying charm on her ankle-long hair this time, too lazy to fix it properly, and instead decided to just twist it into a loose, messy braid. Afterwards, she grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder and rushed out of the locker rooms, making her way back towards the school castle.

Thankfully, none of her teammates had finished yet so Aria hastened her steps and jogged lightly across the field toward the other end of the pitch. Just as she reached the exit, two figures entering through the stands suddenly caught her attention and she glanced toward them, frowning at the sight of two Gryffindor 7th year boys making their way towards her.

She recognized one of them easily - the brown-haired, lanky one on the right was Bentley Fisher. Aria remembered him as the weird boy who had declared himself to be her fan and fawned all over her in the Great Hall the night before their first day of class.

When he recognized her from several yards away, Bentley's eyes suddenly widened and a wide, ecstatic smile broke out onto his face. Oblivious to the dismayed look on Aria's face, he nearly knocked his friend over in his haste to reach her, scrambling across the remaining distance between them.

"Aria!"

He stopped in front of her, completely out of breath as he bent down and rested his hands on his knees.

"Hello Bentley." Aria managed to force out a tight smile and nodded at him in greeting.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked politely.

"My friend Jenson and I were just hoping to scope out the competition." He grinned widely at her.

When he noticed the unspoken question on Aria's face, he added, "We're the new beaters for the Gryffindor quidditch team, you see." He told her proudly. "And I heard from some of my friends that the Slytherin quidditch team would be holding practice for the first time this afternoon. I wanted to see their line-up this year."

"I see."

The confusion on Aria's face cleared and she nodded again in understanding before turning to give the other boy, Jenson, a friendly smile. "We just finished practice about an hour ago, actually. But congratulations on making the team." When Jenson didn't answer her and instead, gaped at her with an awestruck expression on his face, Aria fought the urge to grit her teeth in annoyance and added, "I suppose that means I'll be facing you both out on the pitch next week."

"Wait…What?" At her words, the bright, adoring smile on Bentley's face faded.

He blinked rapidly a couple of times and stared at her, a look of angry disbelief beginning to darken his expression.

"Y—you joined the Slytherin quidditch team?" He blurted out.

"Er, yes. I did." Aria arched an eyebrow, a little disturbed by his peculiar reaction. "In fact, I'm actually their new seeker."

"But…No. No! That has to be joke. You can't be their new seeker." Bentley ignored the way Jenson was nudging him in warning and took another step towards Aria, encroaching intrusively into her personal space.

"You can't be their new seeker, you wouldn't, right? I mean—you're Harriah Potter, you'd never agree to work with the Slytherins! I know you wouldn't! Please tell me that was a joke." He stammered.

"It wasn't." Aria intoned flatly, and this time, she didn't bother hiding her irritation at the younger boy's sniveling. "I am the new Slytherin seeker. I just accepted the position this afternoon. It's quidditch, Bentley. It really isn't that big of a deal. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading back to the castle—"

"No!" He suddenly cried out, halting Aria dead in her tracks as she froze mid-step and turned to look at the Gryffindor in shock.

Bentley's eyes had grown ridiculously wide and his freckled face was flushed with righteous anger as he stared at her, shoulders heaving and shaking with his harsh intake of breaths.

"No, I refuse to believe that! Aria, I know you would never side willingly with those…murderers…those good-for-nothing liars, those Death Eaters! They're the lowest scum to ever walk the face of this planet, each and every single one of them deserves to rot in Azkaban! You shouldn't allow yourself to be sullied by associating with people like them!" He seethed, practically shaking with rage as he clenched his hands into fists.

"Bentley…Calm down."

Aria's eyes had gone wide at his reaction and she took a cautious step backwards from him, her hand instinctively reaching for her wand in her pocket.

"…It's nothing like that. The war is over, remember? There are no more Death Eaters or traitors…There's only us, now. Gryffindors and Slytherin. Just students. Trying to get through our classes." She spoke to him in a soothing, steady voice, hoping to calm him down.

"No, but this isn't right!" Bentley blurted out again, oblivious to the way Jenson was shaking his head and desperately trying to hold him back as he took another step towards Aria. "You're not supposed to side with those snakes, Aria! You're supposed to be on our side! You're the girl-who-lived! You're untainted, you're the bloody hero of the wizarding world! How could you?!" He raged.

"Bentley." Aria continued to speak in a steady voice despite the anger she felt rising in her chest.

"Whether I join the Slytherin quidditch team or not is none of your business. I don't owe you, or the rest of the goddamn wizarding world, anything. I did, after all, already defeat a dark lord last year for all your ungrateful asses. So frankly, I can do whatever the hell I want with my life now. And if you – or anybody else – expect anything more from me, you can all go to hell."

She didn't bother waiting for the Gryffindor to respond and was about to push past him when his hand suddenly shot out, grasping her tightly by her upper arm and pulling her back towards him.

Unfortunately, the touch of his fingers against the bare, exposed skin of her arm wasn't exactly well-received by her non-human self as Aria hissed and instinctively yanked her arm away as though he had burned her. Shuddering, she fell to her knees as she suddenly found herself reeling from such a violent onslaught of disgust, aversion and just plain, overall revulsion that she actually had to cover her mouth with the back of her hand to keep from throwing up.

"What exactly is going on here?"

"What exactly is going on here?"

Draco's eyes were narrowed and a sneer was on his face as he stopped behind Aria's kneeling form, glaring at the two Gryffindor boys hovering over her. When he crouched down slightly to check if Aria was alright, one of the Gryffindors – a 7th year pureblood Draco knew as Bentley Fisher – growled at him and gave him a menacing look.

"You!" He spat, ignoring the warning look on Aria's face as he walked around her and strode right up to Draco, pushing him away from her. Seething, Bentley tilted his chin to glare up at him despite their height difference.

"I knew you'd have something to do with this! You, filthy, Slytherin scum!" He growled.

Draco merely blinked and gave him an impassive look instead, smirking slightly as he towered over the other boy's form.

"Another Gryffindor friend of yours, Potter…?" He quipped lightly, glancing at Aria from the corner of his eye.

"Definitely not." Aria looked a little pale as she stood up shakily from the ground, wrapping her arms protectively over herself.

Draco frowned at her in concern and he would have asked her if she was alright had Bentley not shoved him again, causing Draco to growl in annoyance as he snapped his attention back to the younger boy.

"Don't you dare make fun of me! We're not afraid of you, Jenson and I can take you on!" Bentley hissed at him again, though he failed to notice the way his friend (Draco assumed he was 'Jenson') was wincing and nervously shaking his head. "You're nothing but a disgusting, cowardly little Death Eater anyway! You should be in Azkaban!" Bentley added spitefully.

The amusement in Draco's expression disappeared instantly.

Glaring down at the two Gryffindors, his gray eyes suddenly hardened and an angry, malevolent sneer began to form on his face.

"I wasn't making fun of you." He drawled, flicking his mocking gaze back and forth between Bentley and the nervous-looking Gryffindor boy behind him. "I wouldn't even waste my time on pathetic, insignificant losers like you."

"You shut up, Malfoy! Or we'll kick your ass!" Jenson finally spoke for the first time since Draco had arrived, though he seemed to cower and step away when Draco just smirked at him and arched at eyebrow in response.

"Is that a threat, little boy?" Draco taunted, snickering.

"This is all your fault, isn't it?! You're the one responsible for making the savior of the wizarding world join the Slytherin quidditch team! Are you blackmailing her somehow?! Or bullying her into it?! How dare you make her associate with liars and murderers and Death Eater scum like you?!" Bentley was shouting at him again, completely oblivious to way Aria was massaging her temples in angry exasperation behind him.

"Bentley, this is getting ridiculous—"

"I assure you, I did absolutely nothing of the sort." Draco interrupted Aria in a deceptively calm voice, his fingers itching to wrap themselves around the other boy's skinny throat. "Your precious…savior—" He spat the word out as though it was a filthy curse word. "—joined the team out of her own volition. In other words, she's the one who chooses to associate herself with liars, and murderers and Death Eater scum like me. So really now, what does that say about her?"

He felt a twisted sense of satisfaction when Bentley's face began to turn an ugly, angry purple.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that—"

Draco didn't give Bentley a chance to finish his sentence as he turned to look at Aria again and pretended to give her a knowing sneer.

"Maybe your perfect little savior isn't as innocent as you think she is. I mean, she was, after all, sorted into Slytherin. So in a way, that makes her the same as people like me."

His smirk grew when he saw the way Bentley's clenched fists were beginning to shake with pent-up fury.

"Malfoy, stop taunting him." Aria tried to cut him off but Draco ignored her and went on.

"Does that make you angry, little boy? Knowing that your precious savior, who for some reason you worship so much and choose to put up in that pathetic golden pedestal of yours, could be a filthy, two-faced Slytherin? Does it bother you to know that the great and perfect Harriah Potter could actually be just like me?"

"She'd never be like you!" Bentley spat out, his face twisting into an ugly, furious snarl. "Aria Potter is a hero to the wizarding world! You and your disgusting lot don't deserve to be around her. Especially you, Malfoy! You're nothing but a spineless, pathetic coward! Just like your father and mother!"

"Don't say a word against my mother." Draco's eyes narrowed and the pitch of his voice suddenly lowered into an ominous, dangerous hiss.

"Aw…What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve, Malfoy?"

"Will you both just stop it?!" Aria interrupted angrily, green eyes flashing as she stormed over toward them and placed herself directly in the middle of the two boys. "Look, this is getting completely out of hand. Draco, Bentley…Both of you just…step away. Right now."

She used their momentary distraction to place a firm, gloved hand on both boys' chests, pushing them a good distance away from the other. However, just as she was going to pull her hand away, Bentley suddenly reached out and snatched tightly at her wrist, instantly causing Aria to stiffen and turn around slowly to face him.

"Bentley." She drawled softly, the calmness of her expression betrayed by the angry glittering in her eyes. "I'll only say this once. I really don't like it when people touch me without my consent." She said slowly, already pulling her hand away.

Unfortunately, Bentley didn't seem to pick up on the warning tone of her voice as his fingers only seemed to tighten around her gloved wrist.

"Don't worry, Aria. If you want, me, Jenson and some of the other guys in Gryffindor can talk to the Headmistress for you. We'll do all we can to get you transferred back to Gryffindor. We'll also tell them all about how this bastard is making you join the quidditch team against your will—"

"Hey. You creepy little asshole."

Draco ignored the irate expression on Bentley's face as he growled and reached out, deliberately extracting Aria's gloved hand from the other boy's death grip. When Bentley blustered at this and sputtered at him in outrage, the glint in Draco's eyes only hardened and he glared warningly at the other boy.

"Weren't you listening? She told you to let go of her hand." He snapped.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Fisher suddenly screamed at him, launching himself at Draco when he saw the way the blond's hand lingered for a few seconds on Aria's before letting go.

"Or what, you filthy little blighter?!" Draco sneered.

"I'll make you!"

"Both of you, just stop!"

Aria moved to step in between the two boys again but it was much too late this time.

Bentley charged at Draco and the latter obliged by simultaneously evading him and punching him hard in the face. By then, Draco was far too gone at this point to hear Aria's angry shouts as he and Bentley finally hurled themselves at each other, fists, elbows and feet flying everywhere and smashing violently against the other's in a fit of mindless rage.

Something heavy suddenly crashed into Draco, causing him to stumble forward as Bentley's friend, Jenson, finally snapped out of his witless staring and tackled Draco from behind, causing all three of them to end up falling to the ground.

"Stop it! What are you doing?! You two, get the hell off him!"

Draco was only vaguely aware of Aria screaming angrily at them before Jenson's form was promptly yanked off him, followed closely by Bentley but the latter surprised them all again when he let out an angry wail and swiped at the person yanking on his collar from behind. It took him awhile to realize that the person who had been trying to pull him up was Aria, and when he gasped and looked up a few seconds later, it was to the sight of her clutching her head in pain as she fell down to the grass.

"Potter, are you okay?!"

Shoving the smaller boy off, Draco cast a worried look over at her, noting the way she began fidgeting nervously with her hair and the way she blanched when she realized that the long black locks had come loose from her hairtie. It was actually the first time Draco saw her without her braid, and the first time he noticed that Aria's hair was actually much, much longer than he ever realized.

Sprawled out on the grass beside Draco, Bentley shot up to his feet and looked close to tears as he ran towards her, his features twisted into a guilty wince.

"Merlin, Aria…I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I swear, I didn't mean to hit you, I would never—"

Sneering, Draco stuck his foot out just as the smaller boy tried to step over him, causing the Gryffindor to curse as he tripped and fell back down to the grass a few inches away from Aria. As Bentley growled and struggled to stand up, he glanced at Aria again – and the angle was perfect enough that Draco was sure the Gryffindor managed to catch a quick glimpse of the symbols on the back of her neck.

A strange, curious look suddenly darkened Bentley's wide eyes.

He immediately ceased his struggling and stared intently at the symbols in stunned silence.

When his eyes narrowed and he began inching towards her to get a closer look, Aria finally lifted her gaze and glared directly at him, instantly causing the boy to freeze in place.

Suddenly, the curiosity on Bentley's face melted away into a confused frown.

Then, almost as though an imaginary switch had been turned on, all the emotions on Bentley's face were wiped clean, until the only thing that remained was this creepy, dazed smile as he stared dumbly at Aria with wide, lust-blown pupils.

Why is he staring at her like that?

Draco's eyebrows fused together as he turned to look at Jenson to his right, noting that the other boy was looking at Aria with the exact same, lust-dazed expression on his face.

It wasn't hard for him to guess what the two boys were thinking.

And the thought unsettled and angered Draco so much that he didn't realize he was clenching his fists, or that his face was beginning to turn a dark, angry red. Without thinking, he stood up and moved to jump in front of Aria, wanting to shield her from their lascivious stares. Unfortunately, the impulsiveness of his actions drew Bentley's attention back to him as the boy growled and lunged for Aria at the exact same time Draco did, inadvertently yanking at Aria's arm and causing one of her gloves to slide off.

Aria's reaction was both violent and instantaneous.

The dark-haired girl let out an angry, bird-like screech at them, curling protectively into herself as she cradled her bare hand against her chest and turned her face away. At the same time, Draco felt a powerful wave of magic erupt from her crouched form, followed by a strong gust of wind that blasted through all three of them – Bentley, Jenson, and Draco until they fell in a staggered heap on the grass a good couple of yards away from her.

Groaning under his breath, Draco ignored the pain in his back and sat up slowly, watching as Bentley and Jenson finally managed to blink themselves out of their weird trance and scrambled back to their feet. The two Gryffindors looked confused as they stared questioningly at each other for a few seconds before turning their befuddled looks to Aria's hunched, hostile figure still curled on the ground.

Not surprisingly, Bentley looked as though he wanted to move towards Aria again but he stopped when they heard another loud, familiar voice call out to them from behind.

"Draco! Aria! Are you two okay?"

Draco lifted his gaze and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Blaise jogging hastily across the field towards them.

He stopped when he reached Aria's discarded glove a few feet away from where she was crouched and bent down, scooping it into his hands. Then, ignoring the confused look on Draco's face, he walked over to her and carefully handed her the gloves without saying anything.

The action seemed to snap Aria out of her near-frozen state as she flinched and snatched the gloves from Blaise, hastily yanking it onto her bare, exposed hand. When she finally stood up, Draco's attention was once again drawn to her hair, noting how the dark strands were long enough that they ended just a few inches above her shoes.

Aria noticed Draco's staring and paled, hastily reaching both hands up and twisting her hair tightly around her fingers, piling it onto the top of her head. Draco blinked at that and watched as she struggled to keep the heavy mass from falling below her neck.

She avoided the suspicious look on his face and glanced at Blaise, giving him a strange look. When he returned her gaze with a wince and brief shake of his head, Aria acknowledged him with a nod of thanks and stormed off, leaving all four boys staring after her retreating back in stunned silence.

As soon as she was gone and had disappeared back inside the castle, Draco's eyes narrowed but he accepted Blaise's offered hand and pulled himself back up to his feet. Muttering darkly under his breath, Draco turned to glare warningly at the two Gryffindor boys who were still watching them.

"What are you two still doing out here?" He growled, practically the hissing the words out in his anger. "Shouldn't you be scurrying yourselves back to the castle, Gryffindorks?"

Bentley scowled at him but before he could say anything, Blaise moved to stand beside Draco and mirrored the sneer on his friend's face.

"You really should hurry back." He warned, giving them a wide, saccharine smile that betrayed the chilly look in his eyes. "You wouldn't want McGonagall hearing all about how you almost attacked the savior of the wizarding world, would you? Maybe I should dock off points for that too. You did attack my housemates, after all." He added.

"You wouldn't." Jenson whispered, his eyes wide and nervous as they darted back and forth between the two Slytherin boys in panic.

"I wasn't trying to attack Aria!" Bentley spat back furiously at him with an appalled expression on his face, almost as though the very idea of hurting Aria Potter was something that made him sick.

"I was just trying to get her away from you!" He glared hatefully at Draco once more.

"Besides," He added, pausing as he suddenly smirked and gave both Slytherins a smug look. "Among the four of us here, which of us do you think everyone else would be willing to believe actually tried to hurt Harriah Potter? Us, Gryffindors? Or you two, Slytherins?" He pointed out with a gleeful chuckle.

Evidently, Bentley's words seemed to make sense to his friend as well because the nervous expression on Jenson's face suddenly vanished and he began laughing dumbly along with him. When the two boys continued to cackle viciously and began to walk away, deliberately sidestepping around the two Slytherins as though they were nothing but inanimate objects, Draco's jaw clenched and he would have gone after them had Blaise not stopped him by clamping a large, heavy hand down onto his shoulder.

"Don't bother."

Draco gritted his teeth at the patronizing tone of Blaise's voice but he forced himself to stay still, watching with narrowed eyes as Bentley and Jenson's forms began to fade in the distance.

"If you attack them, you'll be giving them exactly what they want. Don't forget, you're still under close watch for good behavior by the Ministry." Blaise reminded him in a quiet, carefully restrained voice.

"You think I don't know that?!" Draco hissed back angrily, shrugging the other boy's hand off his shoulder.

"I'm just trying to keep you out of Azkaban, you git." Blaise retorted, scoffing as he held his hands up at Draco in a mock gesture of surrender.

Just as Blaise was about to push past him and make his way back to the castle, Draco spoke up again – only this time, the suspicion in his knowing tone of voice caused Blaise to halt in his tracks.

"Is there something you know about Potter that I don't?"

With all the feigned indifference of a true, well-bred pureblooded wizard, Blaise turned around and simply gave him a calm, perfectly composed smile.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

He didn't give Draco a chance to say anything else as he immediately turned and walked away, leaving the blond fuming silently after his retreating back.

Chapter Text

Draco struggled to keep a stoic expression on his face as another unfamiliar owl deposited a letter onto his lap during breakfast that morning.

Dear Draco,

It's nice to hear from you so soon.

I'm happy that you seem to be enjoying your classes and quidditch training this year despite how hectic your schedule is. I'm in the middle of a busy school year myself, so I understand how grueling all those assignments can be on top of everything else.

Unfortunately, I'll have to decline your invitation to visit Hogwarts as I'll be busy during the next few weeks. Though I might have some time during Yule, so I may be able to meet you in Hogsmeade. Would that be okay with you?

Write me again soon.

Sincerely,

That-Nameless-Girl

Ignoring the way Blaise, Pansy and the rest of his housemates beside him were none-too-discreetly trying to peer over his shoulder at the letter, Draco took a quill and parchment out of his bag and wrote out his response.

Dear That-Nameless Girl,

You never actually mentioned that you were also studying this year. Since you obviously don't go to Hogwarts, can I assume you go to Beauxbatons? Or perhaps Durmstrang? Or maybe even Ilvermorny, if you're from America? I swear I'm not stalking you. Or maybe I am. I'm just trying to find out more about you.

I would love it if I could meet you in Hogsmeade during the holidays. Maybe this time, I can buy you dinner and treat you to drinks from a much nicer tavern. Is there anywhere in particular you want to go? Speaking of Hogsmeade, what chocolates do you like? I'll be going there this week, I'll send you some.

Looking forward to hearing from you again.

Sincerely,

Draco

The unexpected news of being able to see his dream girl again definitely lifted his spirits.

Despite the fact that Blaise continued to ignore his persistent queries all week about what exactly he knew of Potter's strange behavior this year, Draco still found himself in a pretty good mood for the rest of that morning.

It was only much later in the afternoon, when a scowling, whiny Pansy had joined him on the way to their first elective class, did his mood instantly dissipate.

"Remind me again why we're taking this ridiculous class."

Pansy's loud, obnoxious voice grated on his nerves as he grit his teeth and reluctantly followed her into the small classroom at the end of the east wing hallway.

"Because you wanted to share a class with me and the only other elective left amenable to both our schedules was Advance Muggle Studies." Draco answered flatly, ignoring the way Pansy continued to grumble under her breath as he deposited his bag onto one of the empty seats near the back of the classroom.

Fortunately, apart from a few Hufflepuffs dozing in the opposite corner, the rest of their classmates hadn't arrived yet so Draco allowed himself a momentary reprieve as he slumped down into his seat and covered his head with his hands in the hope of drowning Pansy's voice out.

"But seriously, can you believe how stupid Longbottom looked during History of Magic? It's like the git has never heard of using a bloody comb for that rat's nest of his. Not to mention his robes, I mean—who wears robes that disheveled?! He's a disgrace to all the children of the Sacred Twenty-Eight—"

"Pansy." Draco groaned, closing his eyes and massaging his temples.

"—I can't believe he even had the audacity to glare at me when all I did was tell him to straighten his tie! I'm a prefect after all, I have the right to make sure all my housemates look presentable!" She huffed.

"Pansy."

"And it's not like I said it to be rude! I just didn't want the git to lose us any more house points! Did you know that he lost us ten points this morning when he couldn't answer Flitwick's question?! Honestly, he's such an idiot."

"Pansy, I swear to Merlin!" Draco ignored the affronted expression on her face and purposely slammed his textbook shut, turning to the side to give the short-haired girl an irritated glare. "I don't give a flobberworm's ass about your latest lover's spat with Longbottom, okay?! Stop whining and just leave me the hell out of it!" He snapped.

"Hmph." Pansy's scowl only deepened at his outburst and she turned her face away, nose high in the air as she crossed her arms petulantly across her chest.

"I wasn't whining. And besides, you're certainly one to talk. Blaise and I had to listen to you rattling on and on about Potter for the last seven years! The least you could do is—"

Draco didn't bother listening to the rest of Pansy's remark as the classroom doors opened again and he happened to look up at the exact same time Aria and the rest of her Gryffindor friends entered the room.

She was talking animatedly to Weasley and Granger as she walked in so she didn't see him yet, but Draco watched her anyway, noting the way she had taken to tying her long hair in a much tighter, impeccably styled braid ever since that incident in the quidditch pitch. Half of the braid was twisted into a tight coil on the top of her head, while the other half hung loosely, ending a few inches above her back.

When she froze near the front of the classroom and looked up, meeting Draco's stare, his cheeks flushed and he almost tore his gaze away had Aria not arched an eyebrow and offered him a friendly smile. Before he realized what he was doing, Draco felt both corners of his lips quirking upwards as he gave her a smile back.

He tried to ignore the warmth that began to spread into his cheeks as Aria eventually looked away and sat down somewhere in the middle of the classroom between Weasley and Granger. Oddly enough, the sight of her suddenly sitting so far away from him caused an unfamiliar stirring somewhere in the pit of his stomach.

It was strange, but seeing Aria back with her two best friends suddenly reminded Draco of how, despite the fact that they now shared a common room and had even called a truce, no matter how much they tried to pretend it wasn't the case, he and Aria were still very different people who were from very different worlds.

The war had definitely taught him that.

She was Harriah Potter, the savior of the wizarding world and defeater of the Dark Lord. Everyone loved her and both adults and young children looked up to her. She had only good things to expect from the rest of her life.

Meanwhile, he was Draco Malfoy, the acquitted Death Eater responsible for the siege on Hogwarts that resulted to Albus Dumbledore's death. Everyone hated him and Merlin only knows what the future had in store for someone like him.

He could never truly deserve to be her friend, much less anything else.

Sighing, he pulled his gaze away from the former Gryffindor trio and turned back to rifle mindlessly through his notebook.

"Draco, did you just…smile at Potter?"

The disgust he heard in Pansy's voice broke Draco out of his thoughts as he flinched and immediately turned away so she wouldn't see the pink splotches on his face.

"No, Pansy. I did not." He hissed back, scowling as he avoided her eyes.

"What's the matter with you? Are you feeling okay?" Pansy asked again as she reached up and pressed a manicured hand to his forehead. "You never smile. At least not without some maniacal intent behind it."

"I. Wasn't. Smiling." Draco retorted hotly as he slapped her hand away.

"But you were, I saw you! You were smiling like an idiot. What, do you like Potter now?" Pansy's eyes had grown so big that they were almost unflattering on her face as she stared accusingly at him. "What about that beautiful dream girl you met this summer? You were so happy when she finally said she'd meet you before Christmas. How would she react if she found out you were crushing on the girl-who-lived?" She scoffed derisively, shaking her head at him.

"Pansy, I do not like Potter, okay? Just drop it!" He growled, flushing darker at the insinuation in her words as he glowered and sank down lower in his seat.

"Oh don't even bother trying to hide it, Draco." Pansy muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes at him and looking away with a huff. "Blaise told me all about how you and Potter decided to be all 'chummy' with each other after quidditch practice last week. Congratulations, by the way." She mocked.

"Don't take your mood swings out on me." Draco's eyes narrowed and he turned to glare irritably at the back of her head. "Just because you and Longbottom insist on continuing that childish little war of yours, it doesn't mean the rest of us are as immature as you are." He snapped.

Pansy stiffened and turned around slowly to gape at him, an indignant expression on her face.

She looked as though she was going to say something else but the doors to the classroom opened again and Neville and Morag walked quietly into the room. As soon as Neville looked up and inadvertently met Pansy's sullen gaze, both Slytherins scowled and looked away, pointedly refusing to acknowledge each other's presence.

Unfortunately, by now, the only two unoccupied seats left in the classroom was the one in the far corner beside a group of Ravenclaws and the one beside Pansy. Naturally, Morag made a beeline for the one beside her former housemates, leaving Neville standing awkwardly by the doors as he stared hesitantly at the last remaining seat in the room.

Draco smirked, ready to believe Neville was going to go all 'Gryffindor' and sit down beside Pansy anyway but to his annoyance, Neville made his way over to him instead and gave him a slightly sheepish smile.

"Er…Malfoy?"

Neville looked embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Do you mind if you and Pansy switch seats?" Neville cast a glare over at Pansy again (which the other Slytherin was all-too-happy to return), neither of them even bothering to be subtle about their blatant dislike of each other.

Normally, Draco would have said no – if only because he couldn't care less whether these two hexed each other's eyeballs out – but when he saw the panicked, slightly pleading expression Pansy was giving him, he rolled his eyes and reluctantly stood up, gathering his things.

"Seriously?" He grumbled under his breath as he and Pansy switched seats so that he now sat directly between her and Neville. "For the record, I think you two are completely ridiculous." Draco added, scowling.

"If we're going to talk about being ridiculous—" Pansy pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest. "—then I'm obliged to call attention to your hideous shoes, Longbottom. What, did you just dance around in the mud outside? Have you never heard of cleaning charms?" She mocked loudly.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was helping take care of some plants in the greenhouse." Neville hissed back, though his cheeks reddened slightly as he took his wand out and cast a quick cleaning charm on his shoes. "Unlike a selfish person who probably can't lift a perfectly manicured fingernail to save her life, I'm actually productive during my spare time."

"You call playing around with plants being productive?"

"Better than spending all day yapping and being a bitch."

"How dare you—"

Draco fought the overwhelming urge to hex them both and sank down lower in his seat, forcing himself to tune out the rest of their inane argument. He ignored the way Pansy's voice began to grow shrill at another one of Neville's biting remarks and directed his attention to the front of the room again, watching as Aria and Granger shared another laugh over something the brunette had said.

When Aria giggled and turned around to say something to Finnigan behind her, Draco's eyes narrowed and he felt a particularly unpleasant stab somewhere in his gut. He wasn't sure why exactly, but the more he watched Aria laughing and smiling so casually with her friends, the more he felt irrationally annoyed – both with himself, and with her.

He assumed it was probably because he still couldn't figure out what exactly she was hiding. It irritated him to know that Blaise obviously knew what was going on but the git didn't even have the decency to tell him - nevermind the fact that it was Draco who shared an entire history with Potter over the last seven years - not Blaise.

Why does she trust that tosser more than me? Not that I've given her any reason to trust me but Blaise isn't exactly any better off. Does she like him or something? A lot of girls tend to like Blaise but does Potter like him too? Maybe it's because he's a prefect.

Draco scowled and shook his head at his own thoughts, withdrawing his gaze from Aria to glare accusingly at his hands.

He decided to cast the obtrusive thoughts away for now, attributing it to his growing anxiety over finally meeting his dream girl during the holidays. He shouldn't be so interested in whatever secrets Aria Potter had and to whom she decided to share them with – she could tell the whole bloody school if she wanted. Frankly, it wasn't really any of his business.

And Pansy was wrong, it wasn't like he liked Aria Potter or anything.

Right?

Draco was still frowning by the time the classroom doors opened again and Headmistress McGonagall finally walked into the bustling room, causing everyone's conversations (even Pansy and Neville's ongoing screaming match about the different species of plants) to quiet down into hushed whispers.

McGonagall cast everyone a long, sweeping glance before she nodded and strode briskly to the front of the room.

"Welcome to European Magical Anthropology."

Without turning around, McGonagall waved her wand once and folded her hands behind her back, waiting patiently as a single piece of chalk floated into the air and began spelling out the name of the class on the board.

"Now, as I'm sure you're all aware…This is an elective class, but the grade you receive at the end of the semester will still count toward your final average. So I warn you, please take this class just as seriously as your other NEWT subjects." McGonagall said as she paced the front of the room, studying each of their nervous expressions.

"The good news is, this will be quite an unconventional class – the first of its kind here at Hogwarts. Instead of lectures, it will consist of a series of individual seminars. In other words, instead of being taught by a single professor, this class will actually be taught by a different guest lecturer each week. Incidentally, each guest lecturer will be a member of the magical race to be discussed in your curriculum." She paused and flicked her wand again, carefully distributing the stack of papers she held by floating them around the room to each student's desk.

Draco glanced down at the curriculum in front of him, silently reading along as McGonagall individually listed all of the topics they'd be covering for the remainder of the term.

"As you can see, each topic will be discussed in detail by your guest lecturers. There will, of course, be tests and assignments given for each topic so you are still required to work hard for this class. Furthermore—" McGonagall lifted her gaze from the curriculum in her hand, glaring pointedly at them over her spectacles.

"—I would like to make one thing perfectly clear. I need not remind you all that this is not a Care of Magical Creatures class. That is to say, the different lecturers you will be meeting in this classroom over the next few months may not be entirely human, but they are certainly not creatures either. This class is a comprehensive study about the different magical races and societies comprising European wizarding society. Thus, all of you are to treat our guest lecturers with the utmost respect." McGonagall's eyes narrowed slightly as she gave them an admonishing look.

"Now then…Our first topic of discussion this week is a particular favorite of most students. Particularly, the boys." McGonagall actually rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh before waving her wand again to write a single word on the board.

Veela.

Draco arched an eyebrow and shared a knowing smirk with Neville beside him.

He noticed that Seamus Finnigan, Anthony Goldstein, and most of the other male students around the room suddenly straightened in their seats and were now listening intently to McGonagall in piqued interest.

"Technically speaking, your first official lecture on this subject was to begin next week and I was supposed to give you a general overview of all the humanoid magical races today. However—" McGonagall paused again and her gaze shot briefly to one of the doors near the front of the classroom. "—seeing as I was fortunate enough to meet with one of your guest lecturers this morning, she agreed to give you an introduction on next week's topic this afternoon."

When the class fell silent and most of the students glanced at each other in confusion, McGonagall directed her attention to the classroom doors again and nodded.

A few seconds later, a tall, slender blonde strode cheerfully into the room, her heels clacking loudly against the polished, wooden floors.

"'allo, everyone! Bonne après-midi!"

Fleur Delacour, still looking as radiant and beautiful as she did four years ago, stopped in front of the classroom and flashed everyone a wide, dazzling smile.

Much like the last time Draco had seen her, she was wearing beautifully tailored robes in a flattering, aquamarine shade and her long blonde hair was twisted up into a neat chignon onto the top of her head, not a single strand of which was out of place.

"I am pleased to be your guest lecturer for this afternoon. I hope you have not forgotten me." She spoke to them in a teasing voice, her words thick with her French accent.

"Ugh, not her again." Pansy muttered under her breath beside Draco, rolling her eyes when she noticed the way most of the boys inside the room were blushing as they stared unabashedly at the tall blonde.

"For those of you who do not know me, my name is Fleur Delacour-Weasley." She smiled and lifted one of her hands, proudly showing off the engagement ring and wedding ring on her finger. "And as you probably guessed, I am a veela." She added, giggling and giving them all a playful wink.

Draco couldn't help but notice the way Fleur's expression changed somewhat and the way her eyes twinkled mischievously when she saw Aria sitting in the middle of the room. When Aria winced and hastily looked away from her, Fleur just smiled again and turned her attention back to McGonagall.

"Instructor Delacour will be your first guest lecturer for this class. She only has enough time to give us a brief introduction today, but she'll continue with a more detailed discussion of the topic next week." McGonagall noticed the way most of the boys were still staring dumbly at Fleur and sighed, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Oui." Fleur agreed with a nod before turning to give the class an apologetic look. "Je suis désolée. I have an important meeting with my associates at Gringotts later so I cannot stay for the entire lesson. But as the Headmistress suggested, I will be able to give you a brief opening dialogue, if you will, about veelas." She explained, giving them another smile.

"Basically, instead of a discussion, Instructor Delacour has so kindly agreed to take part in a question and answer discourse that will dispel most of the common misconceptions some of you may have about veelas. Be sure to make the most out of this opportunity as this will also help you with your research assignment on veela." McGonagall added sternly.

"Professor." Granger's hand immediately shot up into the air. "We don't have a research assignment on veela." She pointed out.

"That's because I haven't assigned it yet, Miss Granger." McGonagall answered flatly, causing a few poorly muffled groans to echo around the small classroom. "It's due next week, just before the start of class. Minimum is 3 feet of parchment. Be sure to include the information you will be learning today from Instructor Delacour. Oh and do mind your footnotes, please."

More groans were heard as Fleur chuckled and settled herself onto the chair behind the teacher's desk situated at the front of the room. She and McGonagall shared one last nod before the Headmistress walked briskly out of the classroom, the heels of her boots fading as she disappeared down the corridor.

As soon as she was gone, Fleur settled back against her seat, folded her hands primly on the table and met everyone's curious stares with a warm smile.

"Before we begin, I would first like to ask…Who among you have encountered – or at least are familiar with – veela?"

Most of the students in the classroom hesitantly raised their hands, including Draco.

"I see." Fleur looked amused as she drummed her manicured fingernails against the table.

"It is important for everyone to realize that, due to the popularity of veela and because of a lot of mistakes in ancient lore, there have always been many false notions about my kind. And I would like to take this opportunity to dispel all – if not, most – of them. So, having said that…" She allowed her voice to trail off and arched an eyebrow at their expectant faces. "Would any of you like to tell me what is it you think you know or have heard about veelas? Anything at all?"

There was a long moment of awkward silence as most of the students shifted in their seats and stared blankly at each other. Finally, after a few minutes, Seamus Finnigan cleared his throat and hesitantly raised his hand.

"They're fair and blonde and bloody gorgeous?" He blurted out, causing a chorus of snorts and snickers to erupt from the class.

Fleur chuckled at everyone's reaction and daintily stifled a smile behind her hand.

"First of all, I would like to point out that not all veelas are blonde." She arched another slim eyebrow and smirked at Aria before quickly looking away. "And not all of them are fair-skinned either. The only reason you may think so is because this is the way contemporary culture has always chosen to portray veela. And probably also because the veela mascots of the Bulgarian quidditch teams are all fair and blonde." Fleur's lips curled slightly with disdain at the thought and she shook her head.

"This is certainly not true. You should know that there are many different types of veela – some with red hair, black hair, brown hair, any color, really. And like I said, not all veelas are fair-skinned. Although, if I am to be completely honest, our skin does have a certain glow that other women will never be able to achieve through any beauty products." Fleur said with a smug, completely unapologetic smile.

"Well...Isn't she a delight?" Pansy muttered with a sneer, rolling her eyes.

Draco couldn't help smirking at the unmistakeable sarcasm he heard in her voice but he didn't dare say anything, knowing full well that Pansy would most likely bury her 5-inch heel into his foot.

After a few more minutes, another eager hand shot up into the air and Fleur nodded, gesturing for Susan Bones to speak.

"Are there any veela men?" She asked.

To everyone's surprise, Fleur didn't bother hiding her amusement at the question as she immediately covered her mouth and giggled. Once she had gotten her laughter under control, she waved her hand and gave a slightly embarrassed Susan an apologetic smile.

"Veelas are all women. There has been no record of a man ever manifesting as a veela. Obviously, there are men who inherit some of their veela mother's features but they themselves will not become veela. This is because the veela gene only manifests in women. If you are a woman and have veela blood in your ancestry, you have a 1/32 chance of becoming a veela as well. No matter how far down the family tree you are from your veela ancestor." Fleur answered.

The class was still silent and taking down notes from her last answer when Granger suddenly raised her hand, waiting for Fleur to nod at her before she began to speak.

"A lot of the old wizarding fairytales I've read always made it seem like veelas are predestined to be with one mate their whole lives, and that if this mate rejects them, they die." She said uncertainly, a frown marring her face.

Fleur's expression immediately soured at Hermione's words.

"This is perhaps the misconception about us veelas that I hate most of all. I don't know why fairytales insist on this nonsense." Fleur answered, her lips twisting into an annoyed scowl. "It is true that when veelas choose a mate, it is for life. However, we are absolutely free to choose whoever we want to mate with. There is no such thing as a 'predestined mate'. Some veela even choose not to have a mate at all. It is entirely and completely her choice."

"So how do veelas go about choosing a mate?" Granger asked again, her eyes wide with keen interest.

"It is quite simple." Fleur answered her with a smile and wink. "An unmated veela is able to sense who her 'compatible mates' are through scent and touch."

Granger looked confused at her answer and she looked as though she was going to ask another question but just as she opened her mouth, Finnigan suddenly raised his hand again and grinned unrepentantly at Fleur.

"So does that mean that for me to score a hot veela girlfriend, I just have to smell good and she has to like touching me?" He asked loudly, causing another chorus of amused snorts and rambunctious laughter to erupt from his classmates.

"In a matter of speaking." Fleur answered, smirking at the mischievous smile on Finnigan's face.

"Different veelas are attracted to different types of men – wizard and muggle alike. It does not matter if he is handsome, rich, smart, tall, fit, pureblood, half-blood or muggleborn. Each veela is different as to what she considers attractive. When an unmated veela touches a compatible mate, her veela instincts take over and may cause her hormones to go crazy. Conversely, if an unmated veela touches a horribly incompatible mate, she is repelled and will, more often than not, get sick."

"Great. Imagine trying to hit on a girl and the minute she shakes your hand, she throws up." Terry Boot muttered loudly to Anthony Goldstein beside him, causing most of the girls to roll their eyes and the boys to snicker under their breath.

From the other end of the classroom, Megan Jones raised her hand and Fleur gave her an encouraging smile.

"Is it true that veelas never age?" She asked, arching her eyebrows in slight disbelief.

"Non." Fleur chuckled and shook her head. "This is another common misconception because of contemporary culture. Veelas are most certainly not immortal, but we do live longer lives and age slower compared to normal witches and wizards. My grandmother, for example, is seventy and yet, her body is biologically only in her forties. What others are not aware of is that once mated, a veela's mate shares her 'prolonged youth and longer life' as well. This is precisely why veelas were often kidnapped by powerful dictators all throughout our history - a topic I will discuss with you in more detail next week." She told them.

"Wow. I seriously gotta get me one of those veelas then." Michael Corner quipped loudly with a grin, not loud enough for Fleur to hear him but loud enough so that Granger, Pansy and the rest of the girls in the nearby vicinity scoffed at him.

"So…Any more common misconceptions?" Fleur briefly checked her watch before turning her attention back to the class. "I believe I still have time to answer a few more questions."

Weasley reluctantly raised his hand, drawing Fleur's attention to him. "The veela gene only manifests upon magical maturity? So I'm guessing this would be around seventeen or eighteen?" He asked.

"That is false, my dear brother-in-law." Fleur smiled at him and leaned back against her seat, primly crossing one ankle over the other.

"There is no fixed age for when a veela first manifests. It has happened for women at many different ages and is completely random. I, myself, manifested at the age of 16. My grandmother, at age 13. My younger sister, Gabrielle, has yet to manifest - though we are still uncertain if she is a veela or not. Only time will tell." She added with a delicate shrug of her shoulder.

"Is it painful to manifest as a veela? You know, with the wings and all?" Weasley pressed further, oblivious to the way Aria was giving him a scathing glare from the seat beside his.

Fleur chuckled at his uncomfortable expression and shook her head. "It is not so much a painful process, but rather quite tiresome. Except perhaps the wings. Those take a few days of endless itching and painful twinges before they completely come out." She admitted with a slight grimace.

"I've read somewhere that veelas can suppress their appearance. Is this true?" Morag suddenly spoke up, raising her hand impatiently from where she sat near the far corner of the room. "I mean, it's common knowledge that veelas are quite stunning but I've also heard a lot of anecdotes that mentioned veelas being able to hide in plain sight by suppressing how they really look." She added.

As Fleur fell silent and contemplated Morag's question, Draco looked up and inadvertently locked gazes with Aria across the classroom.

He noticed that she had gone completely still in her seat, her shoulders taut and her eyes slightly narrowed as she practically burned a hole through the back of Morag's head. When Draco arched an eyebrow at her in query, she blanched and immediately tore her gaze away, staring intently down at her notebook.

"Yes, this is true." Fleur nodded after a long moment, a slight frown tugging at the corner of her cherry-tinted lips. "But if you will allow me, I believe this question requires a bit of further explanation." She paused again and pursed her lips together in thought.

"When a veela first manifests, the magical blood in our veins not only grants us wings, but also automatically 'corrects' all our physical flaws. In other words, our appearance is not really altered, but it is more...er...What is the English equivalent again?" Fleur sighed as she struggled to find the correct word.

"Ah yes, perfected. When a veela first manifests, her physical appearance and flaws are perfected."

"How do you mean?" Morag asked again, looking confused.

"Well...It is similar to what muggles call...plastic surgery?" Fleur laughed when she saw even more confused expressions among the students and rushed to elaborate further. "Imagine every physical flaw or deformity you think you have. So let's say...a crooked nose, bushy hair, poor eyesight, crooked teeth, perhaps a scar? Or varicose veins? All of these and more are magically corrected once a veela manifests. But of course, the transformation also comes with wings, glowing skin and very long, sleek hair. " She explained.

"But then...That kind of unnatural beauty would certainly stand out." Morag pointed out with a slight frown.

"Yes, it would. It is why a lot of veelas prefer to stay in hiding." Fleur agreed with a soft chuckle. "This 'perfected appearance' is what we call our 'true form'. With enough practice, we can keep this form suppressed and retract our wings so that we revert back to our original appearance. This is especially useful if we want to 'hide in plain sight', as you say. Although, suppressing our true form is quite difficult to do for extended periods of time without magically exhausting ourselves." Fleur explained.

"So are you suppressing your true form now?" Morag prodded further, looking intrigued.

"Oui." Fleur's lips twitched into another smirk at the younger girl's directness. "I normally suppress my true form for most of the day when I am not at home. I find it is just easier this way. Besides, I tend to attract a lot more attention if my wings are out."

"If this is her ordinary appearance, I hate to think about how you or all the mindless blokes in this room will start falling all over yourselves when she's in her true form." Pansy muttered under her breath again, loud enough so that Draco could hear her.

"She's not my type." Draco scoffed at the thought and rolled his eyes.

"Like that matters when dealing with these loathsome veela." Pansy retorted.

Draco didn't answer, turning his attention back to the front of the room just as Kevin Entwhistle, the burly Ravenclaw boy beside Morag, raised his hand.

"What about those times when I see those Bulgarian veela mascots get angry? They suddenly get those sharp bird beaks and wrinkly faces? They looked pretty hideous." Entwhistle commented rudely, causing Su Li, the female Ravenclaw sitting beside him, to glare at him from the corner of her eye.

"Ah yes, that." Fleur just chuckled and waved her hand dismissively at the comment. "As you know, veelas are distantly related to harpies, so when we get angry, we may sometimes look like them."

"So you can do that ugly, harpy-face too?" Entwhistle asked again.

This time, Draco saw the way Fleur's left eye involuntarily twitched at the boy's blatant rudeness.

"Yes, I can." Fleur's voice was deceptively saccharine as she looked up and gave Entwhistle an eerily calm smile. "Interestingly, veelas are similar to harpies in terms of magic too. You'd do well to remember this, as veela magic tends to become highly unstable when we get angry." She told him.

To everyone's amusement, Entwhistle shut up immediately at Fleur's words as he swallowed and timidly sank back down into his seat.

"I heard that a veela cannot fully control her allure. Isn't that dangerous? Not just for her but for everyone else around her?" Padma Patil mentioned with a slight frown.

"This is often a source of misunderstanding." Fleur looked troubled at Patil's words and shook her head. "As you all know, the famous veela allure is a bewitchment that entrances males and often puts them in a mindless, lust-induced trance. It is much stronger in unmated veelas, but a fair number of mated veelas have relatively strong allures as well. Yes, it can never be fully 'switched off', but it can be safely managed so as not to be anything other than a mild nuisance."

Fleur seemed to consider something for a few seconds before she nodded and straightened in her seat.

"The allure is actually caused by the magical pheromones emitted by our hair. Observe."

The entire classroom fell silent and watched with bated breath as Fleur reached up and slowly unwound her hair from its tight coil on the back of her head, causing the light blonde tresses to come tumbling down past her shoulders, down her back, all the way to the floor. It wasn't hard to notice how an invisible, magical haze seemed to blanket the entire room after that, causing the eyes of every single male within a ten-foot radius to dilate and then cloud over like an utterly entranced, lovesick zombie.

"As you can see—"

Fleur was smirking as she shook her head and began coiling her long blonde hair back up into her hands.

"—keeping our hair down like this actually releases very powerful pheromones into the air. These pheromones are even stronger when a veela is in her true form. Have you never wondered why all veelas have long hair? It is not simply a matter of preference or aesthetics. We actually cannot cut our hair."

To prove her point, Fleur transfigured the empty water goblet on the table into a pair of scissors and actually tried to cut a stray lock of hair that had fallen into her face. To everyone's amazement, the scissors cracked and Fleur held up the lock of hair again to show that not a single strand had been cut.

"Fortunately, tying our hair up like this and keeping all of the strands locked will diminish most of the effects of the allure, making it manageable enough that most wizards will be able to ignore it. Muggle men, I am not so sure." She added as an afterthought.

While most of the students gasped and chattered loudly amongst themselves, Fleur took advantage of their distraction to finish securing her hair back up onto the top of her head. Afterwards, she turned to smile at the class again, chuckling when she saw that most of the males had finally snapped out of their entranced staring and were shooting each other embarrassed grins.

By now, a very large lightbulb had gone off in Draco's head.

He hadn't been affected at all by Fleur's allure but he did notice that there had been something strangely familiar about the pheromone-induced reactions of his classmates. It wasn't until he glanced at Neville beside him and had seen the other boy's lust-blown pupils up close that everything finally clicked, and he realized that all his male classmates were behaving exactly the way those two Gryffindors, Bentley and Jenson, did when they were about to pounce on Aria in the quidditch pitch.

Draco's eyes narrowed into tiny slits as he glared intently at Aria from the back of the room.

He knew she was aware of the intensity of his stare because the former Gryffindor stiffened in her seat, her shoulders hunched and her lips pressed together into a straight line as she deliberately avoided his eyes.

I can't just be overthinking this. Draco thought to himself, frowning.

While the rest of the class remained distracted and continued to whisper amongst themselves, Granger's hand shot up into the air again, causing Weasley to sigh and roll his eyes.

"Yes, Hermione?" Fleur checked her watch again before nodding at the younger girl. "You can have the last question."

"Is it true that a veela cannot harm her mate?" Granger asked.

The amusement on Fleur's expression slowly vanished, only to be replaced by a forced, indulgent smile.

"This one is true, I'm afraid." She admitted, sighing as she leaned one elbow on the desk and rested her delicate chin on her palm. "Once mated, a veela cannot harm her mate – even if her mate forced the bond, cheats on her, hurts her, or even dies, a veela cannot choose another mate for the rest of her life. This is why there has always been so many incidences of veela abuse nowadays, and why so many of us would rather stay in hiding rather than properly register our status with the Ministry of Magic."

Granger's eyes widened and she looked alarmed as she gave Fleur a strange look.

"So it's actually possible to force a bond?" She asked grimly.

Fleur frowned but she didn't elaborate any further as she suddenly straightened in her seat and began dusting her skirt.

"I'm afraid that is a subject I will have to set aside for next week, as it is quite a lengthy and complicated discussion." She told them, smiling when she saw their looks of disappointment.

"As the Headmistress mentioned, I will be giving a detailed lecture next week on the two most important and most overlooked aspects about veelas – a veela's name and a veela's wings. Ironically, none of you made mention of these two details this afternoon." Fleur pointed out with a slightly arched eyebrow.

"Oh yes, the Headmistress would also like me to remind you about your three foot long essay due next week. Please focus on today's discussion, but feel free to include bits of your own research if you would like some extra credit." She added, giving them a knowing wink.

"Well, I believe that's it for today. À la prochaine, au revoir." Fleur flashed them all one last, dazzling smile as she stood up and folded her hands behind her back, waiting patiently as the 8th years stood up to gather their things and began piling out of the classroom.

As Draco moved to follow Pansy and the rest of their classmates toward the doors, he heard Fleur speak up again and he froze mid-step, glancing curiously over his shoulder to where she stood waiting in front of the teacher's desk.

"Aria?"

Draco shrugged off Pansy's insistent tugging on his arm and moved to stand near the back, behind one of the classroom doors. He crouched slightly and watched as Aria reluctantly hung back from her Gryffindor friends and turned her attention to Fleur.

"May I speak to you in private for a few minutes?"

Fleur didn't say anything else, but judging from the mischievous smile on her face (and the dismayed scowl on Aria's), it was obvious that whatever it was she had to discuss with the younger girl wasn't something Potter was looking forward to.

"Of course, er—Profes—"

"Instructor." Fleur corrected her with a wink.

"—Instructor." Aria rolled her eyes in exasperation but she didn't protest when Fleur giggled and took her by the arm, pulling her towards a private nook in the corner of the classroom.

Undaunted, Draco was debating with himself whether it would be wise to try his luck by hiding behind the teacher's table so he could eavesdrop on their conversation when Pansy suddenly startled him by popping up out of nowhere and snatching his arm.

"Draco, what are you still doing in here?!" She demanded, not even bothering to wait for his answer as she began dragging him impatiently towards the doors. "Blaise said he'd meet us at the Three Broomsticks for dinner this evening, we'd better get going if we want to make it."

"Wait, Pans! I just—I wanted to check on something—"

The last thing Draco saw was Aria turning around and lifting her braid to show Fleur something on the back of her neck before the rest of his protests were cut off as Pansy grabbed his collar and yanked him violently out of the classroom.

Chapter Text

If Aria thought that nothing else could have made her absolutely crappy week worse than it already was, Blaise proved her wrong.

The git was sporting an obnoxious smile on his face as he handed her the chore assignments for that evening, cheerfully pointing out that she would be cleaning classrooms in the fifth floor of the school's west wing with none other than Pansy Parkinson.

Because Merlin's bloody beard, of course she was.

Apparently, it wasn't enough that she almost got mauled by a baby dragon during their Care of Magical Creatures class a few days ago (which had originally been aiming for Malfoy, by the way; she just happened to be the unfortunate idiot caught in the way), or that she had missed her Transfiguration class that morning because she had, ironically, stayed up the night before to finish her essay for the very same class she missed. Aria had no doubt that having to deal with an entire evening of Parkinson's annoying little temper tantrums would be the cherry on top of her absolutely fantastic week.

She snatched the tiny slip of parchment from Blaise's outstretched hand, growled at him and stomped moodily out of the common room.

"Wait up, sweetheart." Blaise called out sarcastically behind her as he and the rest of their housemates followed after her on their way to the Great Hall.

"You shouldn't scowl like that, Potter. You're scaring the first years." Zach commented with a smirk as they rounded a corner and spotted a few first year students scurrying away from them.

"Everything okay, Aria?" Hannah asked as she glanced at Aria over her shoulder and gave her a look of concern. "You don't usually look so tired and ruffled. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Thanks for that." Aria's left eye twitched with a mixture of surprised irritation - surprise because Hannah had actually low-key insulted her, and irritation because the doe-eyed, pig-tailed girl hadn't needed to blurt out the obvious. "I'm just exhausted. All my professors have been brutal with their assignments so I've had to pull all-nighters all week." She snapped.

"Well, maybe if you actually bothered to do your assignments ahead of time like you're supposed to, you wouldn't be pulling all-nighters all the time." Morag pointed out with a scoff, rolling her eyes and giving her an admonishing glare. "Honestly, Potter…Is it really that hard for you to act like a normal student for once and actually do your assignments on time?"

"You can't really blame her. Since the Dark Lord's gone, I think this is the first time she realized that she actually has to take her classes seriously." Neville remarked with a knowing chuckle, pointedly ignoring the glare Aria sent his way as they climbed up the stairs leading to the ground floor and followed the growing crowd of students making their way to the entrance doors of the Great Hall.

"Aw, give her a break, you lot." Blaise interjected as they entered the dining hall.

He slung an arm around Aria's shoulders and began steering her towards the Slytherin table. "She's Aria Potter, she's allowed to be a lazy, self-entitled git as much as she wants. Isn't that right, Potter?" He turned his head to the side and grinned at her, reaching a hand up to pinch playfully at her cheeks.

"Get your bloody mitts off me, you tosser!" She snapped and shrugged his arm off, shoving him away before he could touch her face.

"I think Draco is beginning to rub off on you." Blaise pretended to give her a petulant pout but Aria just rolled her eyes and ignored him.

She flopped down into her usual spot on the Slytherin table and wordlessly began scooping some food onto her plate. The rest of her housemates did the same and soon, more students from the other houses began piling into the Great Hall.

Aria saw Hermione wave at her as she entered the hall with Millicent Bulstrode, Lisa Turpin and Su Li. She reluctantly waved back, knowing full well that Hermione would notice how tired she looked even from way across the room. Sure enough, her brown-haired best friend gave her a worried scowl but Aria just rolled her eyes and shooed her away.

From where he was sitting between Seamus Finnigan and Anthony Goldstein at the Gryffindor table, Ron was too busy wolfing down his food to notice the exchange between Aria and Hermione but eventually, he looked up and saw Aria smirking at him. He set his goblet down and gave her a mock glare back, sticking his tongue out at her.

I miss Ron and Hermione. Aria thought glumly to herself.

She hadn't realized it at first, but there was a reason Aria had gotten along so well with her two best friends over the last eight years. It was because, unlike her new housemates in Slytherin, Ron and Hermione's personalities actually complemented hers quite well. The three of them were very different from each other despite being sorted into Gryffindor. Not to say that she didn't like being with her new housemates or anything, but being around people who were too much like her could get tiresome at times.

Especially when Aria was in one of her moods and instead of consoling her or giving her space like her two best friends usually did, most of her sadistic housemates seemed to take great pleasure in pestering her and aggravating her mood even more.

Suddenly, Aria felt a familiar, prickling sensation at the back of her neck and she stiffened, bringing her eyes back up and glancing around the room. As her gaze skimmed over the Gryffindor table again, she was met with a pair of dark blue eyes staring right back at her.

She reeled back, startled when Bentley Fisher smiled slowly at her, a strange, unsettling look gleaming in his wide eyes. When he noticed the way Aria was frowning at him, he lowered his gaze and eventually looked away, but not before giving her another weird look.

Why the hell is he staring at me?

Aria was broken out of her thoughts a few minutes later by a loud 'bang' as Pansy suddenly dropped her thick stack of textbooks loudly onto the table beside Aria, causing her to jerk in surprise. Gritting her teeth, Aria looked up and gave the short-haired girl an irritated glare.

"Whoops. Did I startle you? So sorry about that." Pansy gave her a sarcastic smile before she sat down gracefully into her seat, oblivious to the way Draco rolled his eyes at her antics as he took the seat between her and Blaise.

"Don't start, Pansy." Draco warned, giving her an exasperated glare.

Pansy pursed her lips and ignored him, turning her attention to Blaise instead.

"After I graduate, I'm running away to Romania." She declared loudly, causing Blaise to look up from his mashed potatoes, arch a single eyebrow and give her a blank stare.

"What's got your knickers in a twist this time?" He deadpanned.

"Her parents owled her, reminding her that she's supposed to meet Rowle's eldest son over Christmas break. They're considering an arranged marriage." Draco answered with an amused smirk as he reached across the table and helped himself to some steamed vegetables.

"So?" Blaise looked bored at that as he shrugged and gave Pansy a questioning look. "What's so bad about that? Their family is filthy rich. Honestly? Given the shrinking pool of men out there considered 'acceptable' under your father's antiquated standards, you could do a lot worse." He pointed out bluntly.

"Are you kidding me?" Pansy looked as though she wanted to stab him with her fork. "The man they're trying to pair me with is fifteen years older than me, it's gross!" She made a face and shuddered.

"So he's a little experienced. That's not necessarily a bad thing you know." Blaise chimed in again, winking suggestively at her before popping a piece of bread into his mouth.

"You are disgusting, you know that?" Pansy glared at him, her face twisting into a sneer.

"Hey, I'm not the one about to marry an old man." Blaise retorted with a snort.

"I am not about to marry an old man!"

Draco snickered under his breath at Pansy's shrill voice and began pouring some pumpkin juice into his goblet.

"Where were you two anyway?" Blaise ignored the murderous glare Pansy was still giving him and directed his attention at Draco. "I was looking for you this afternoon."

"We were with Greg and Astoria in the library. They needed help answering their assignment for Potions." Draco answered, stabbing his fork into the food on his plate.

"I see. So…Was this some sort of double date or something? But then, I'm confused. Who'd be on a date with who—?"

"Shut it, Zabini." Draco immediately cut him off when he saw the teasing grin beginning to form on Blaise's face. "Or I'll shove everything on your plate down your throat."

"You and Pansy always have such repressed, murderous rage. You both really need to get laid." Blaise drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he bit into a treacle tart - only to wince and accidentally spit it back out a few seconds later when Draco stomped on his foot at the exact same time Pansy kicked him in the shin.

"Ow! What the actual fuck—"

"Wait a minute—" Hannah's eyes widened as she looked up and glanced back and forth between Pansy and Draco, finally making the connection to what Blaise said. "Are you two together—"

"No!" Pansy immediately blurted out, her face flushing with embarrassment.

"Don't be ridiculous." Draco answered calmly, slanting his eyes across the table at Hannah and giving her a sneer. "Pansy and I are not together. I'd rather you don't go around spreading such nonsense."

"They were though. From fourth to fifth year." Blaise told them cheerfully, smirking as he took a sip from his goblet. "Pansy used to have this massive crush on Draco back then, you see—ouch! Bloody hell, stop kicking me!" He scowled and met Pansy's furious glare, rubbing his knee again under the table.

"So what happened then? Why didn't it work out?" Morag prodded curiously, a small smirk on her face as she took after Hannah and alternated her gaze back and forth between Draco and Pansy.

Aria slowly lifted her hooded gaze from her plate and stared at Draco, curious about his answer to Morag's question.

When he noticed Aria looking at him, Draco flushed slightly and he avoided her eyes, shifting around uncomfortably in his seat. Just as he opened his mouth to answer, another male voice suddenly spoke up, diverting everyone's attention to the other end of the table.

"It's not that hard to guess. Malfoy probably grew tired of dating an annoying girl who did nothing else but nag him all the time." Neville commented sarcastically, not even bothering to look up from his plate as he reached for another roll of bread.

He immediately grimaced, however, and his eyes narrowed into tiny slits as he glared accusingly at Pansy.

"Did you just stomp on me with your heel?!" Neville snapped, rubbing his foot under the table.

"Of course not. My foot just slipped." Pansy answered him in a faux sweet voice, a vicious smile on her face as she blinked and pointedly turned back to her half-eaten dinner.

"Your foot slipped? Slipped on what?!" Neville raged back.

"Oh stop making such a big deal about it, Longbottom. It's not like I soiled your shoes or anything. Knowing you, they were probably already filthy to begin with." Pansy drawled nastily.

"I'm getting really tired of dealing with your insults, Parkinson." Neville growled as he straightened in his seat, his hand inching dangerously toward the wand in his holster. "You know why your parents are fussing over you and pushing you towards an arranged marriage with a man so much older than you? It's probably because no one your age is willing to put with you. Malfoy obviously didn't, and I heard that even Corner dumped you back in sixth year. Not like I blame him, you certainly don't have any redeeming qualities anyway! Why would any man want you?" He snapped.

This time, their entire group fell completely silent at Neville's words. Even Aria, who up until that point had been disinterested in their conversation, looked up from her plate and arched an eyebrow at him. Zach's eyes were wide and his spoon was frozen halfway to his mouth while Hannah stiffened in her seat, staring uncomfortably at Pansy across the table.

Unlike the others, Morag looked completely engrossed in their argument, a knowing smirk on her mouth as she watched the altercation take place. Ironically, Blaise and Draco seemed to be the ones least bothered by all of the tension as both Slytherins boys shared a brief look with each other before shrugging and turning back to their food.

"Longbottom, not that it's any of your business, but I don't care if men want me or not. Because I don't intend to be married off like some useless piece of chattel to anyone if I can help it." Pansy answered quietly as she stood up carefully from her seat, her eyes glassy and her movements jerky as she began packing her things.

The way Pansy's voice shook caused the anger on Neville's face to dissipate immediately as he realized the harshness of what he just said. He cringed and made a move to stand up from his seat.

"Wait a minute, Pansy, that was uncalled for. I didn't mean—"

"Save it, Longbottom."

Pansy didn't wait for him to finish his apology as she dusted her skirt, slung her bag over her shoulder and stalked out of the Great Hall. As soon as she was gone, Neville let out the sigh he had been holding in and sank back down into his seat with a guilty expression on his face.

"Well, that was unexpectedly harsh." Morag stared at Neville from across the table.

"She had it coming anyway." Zach snorted as he rolled his eyes and bit into his dinner roll. "The way she kept taunting him all the time, I'm surprised he only just snapped now. I certainly would have put her in her place much sooner." He pointed out.

"Aren't you two going to go after her?" Aria finally spoke up, directing her blank stare at Blaise and Draco.

They arched an eyebrow and considered her words for a few seconds before answering her with a noncommittal shrug.

Hannah's jaw dropped and she glared angrily at them, obviously annoyed by the unconcerned expressions on their faces.

"I can't believe you two!" She blurted out, and she looked as though she wanted to hurl her goblet across the table at their matching smirks. "You should go after her, you're her friends! She looked like she was going to cry back there."

"Pansy always cries when you fight back against her. She's sensitive like that, even if it's usually her who starts the fight." Blaise retorted with a snort, rolling his eyes.

"She'll be fine." Draco said nonchalantly, turning back to his food and impatiently waving their concerns away. "Besides, Pansy knows that Blaise and I don't do that whole 'comfort' rubbish. I think you're confusing us for Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs." He added in a mocking drawl.

"We do 'revenge' though, but I don't think it's necessary in this case." Blaise added cheerfully, winking at Neville.

When Hannah continued to look affronted, Neville flinched guiltily and sank down lower in his seat. Blaise offered him a sideways grin and reached out to pat him lightly on the shoulder.

"She'll get over it, Longbottom. Trust me." Blaise told him, though his words didn't seem to have any effect on the frown that only seemed to deepen on Neville's face. "That's just how Pansy is."

Neville didn't answer and Aria glanced across the table and took that opportunity to study her friend carefully, noting the look of regret on his face and the way he stared thoughtfully down at the table.

Fortunately, they soon forgot about Pansy's hasty departure and everyone turned back to their dinner in relatively amiable silence.

As Aria was reaching across the table to help herself to some treacle tarts, she sensed someone scoot over onto the empty space beside her that Pansy had vacated. Glancing over her shoulder, Aria was taken back when she suddenly found herself staring at Draco's lazy, sideways grin.

"We have our first quidditch match against Gryffindor coming up soon." He quipped in a strange, deceptively innocent tone of voice.

"I know, Malfoy." Aria answered, trying not to lean closer towards him when she caught a whiff of his light, mint-scented aftershave.

"I probably should have mentioned it during practice last time, but seeing as you were the only girl on the team, it must have slipped my mind." Draco looked up from his plate, and turned to her with a curious look. "As captain, I'm obliged to tell you that it would be best if you kept your hair tied really well during the game. Not only would it be a horrible distraction, but it could also be dangerous. In fact, you should consider cutting it shorter."

At his words, Aria's fork froze halfway to her mouth and she gave him a wary, sideways glance.

"Are you telling me to cut my hair?" She asked, blinking at him in disbelief.

"It was just a suggestion." Draco shrugged, continuing to speak in the same forced, casual voice that Aria had never heard him use before. "I'm curious, by the way. Has your hair always been that long?"

"No, it hasn't. I grew it out over the summer." Aria took a very long time to finish drinking the remaining pumpkin juice in her goblet before she spoke again. "Why are you suddenly so interested in my hair, Malfoy?"

She narrowed her eyes and gave him a suspicious look.

"I was just concerned." Draco smirked at her reaction, watching as she began fiddling nervously with her utensils. "Like I said, it might be difficult for you to play quidditch properly. Plus, it's dangerous since it could impair your visibility while flying—especially if your hair is this long—"

He reached a hand out toward her and for a split, terrifying second, Aria thought he was actually going to touch her braid but to her relief, he seemed to hesitate at the last minute. Thankfully, the slight pause in his actions allowed her seeker reflexes to react instinctively by snatching his wrist, keeping his hand at bay.

Draco froze at her sudden nearness and looked up, unwittingly meeting her narrowed eyes with his own.

They stared intently at each other for a long time, both sets of eyes unwilling to blink, and before she realized what was happening, Aria began to feel a little lightheaded when she caught a whiff of his scent again. This time, the pleasant minty smell of his aftershave was intermingled with something that she knew was entirely Draco's scent.

He smelled enticing – like cinnamon-coated pine cones and apples and vanilla and just about everything and anything Aria liked, all mixed together into this perfect sensual combination that was just purely 'him' that it was making her mouth water like crazy.

Her throat felt strangely parched so she swallowed nervously and licked her lips, trying to ignore the uncomfortable heat she felt building at the back of her neck. With as much self-control as she could muster, she released her vice-like grip on his wrist and pulled sharply away from him, scooting back as far as she could along the bench.

When she finally managed to lift her gaze back up to meet his, she frowned when she saw that Draco was still staring very intently at her, his eyes dilated and his cheeks thoroughly flushed. He blinked a couple of times before dropping his burning gaze down slowly to her mouth, staring very heatedly at her lips.

That's strange.

Aria blushed, recognizing the utterly entranced expression on his face.

He has an anti-bewitchment charm. And my hair's all tied up. He shouldn't be affected by my allure.

She waited a couple more seconds until Draco managed to snap himself out of his inappropriate staring. When he did (looking completely horrified with himself), Aria coughed and awkwardly averted her gaze, pretending to fiddle with her utensils again so as to save him from his embarrassment.

"So…Hannah!"

Blaise's loud, falsely cheerful voice caused both Aria and Draco to look up just in time to see him flash a wide, suggestive smile at the confused, pig-tailed girl to his right.

"Were you able to put to good use all those seduction techniques I taught you on Macmillan? Have you lost your virginity yet?" He asked, snickering at the look of shock on her face.

"Wh—what?!" Hannah spluttered, nearly choking on her drink as big splotches of red stained her cheeks. "Of course not! I didn't even know you were serious with all that stuff, Zabini!" She screeched at him.

"So that's a no then, huh?" Blaise made a face at her and pretended to shake his head in disapproval. "I'm disappointed in you, Abbott. Have I not taught you anything?! You're a Slytherin now, you have to know what you want and know exactly how to take it!"

"If you want, I'd be more than happy to help you with your virginity problem." Zach chimed in, winking at her and causing Hannah to glare at him in disgust and Blaise to burst out laughing.

"Oh, screw you both!" She snapped.

"Well, I suppose that would solve your virginity problem but a threesome with Zabini and Smith here is probably too complicated for your first time. After all, the mechanics and logistics of group sex is completely different and quite a test of flexibility. And to be honest, it's also very tiresome." Morag told her in a completely serious, no-nonsense tone of voice.

Zach froze and narrowed his eyes at her. "How would you know how tiresome a threesome is?" His eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Morag, have you slept with two blokes at the same time?" He asked, choking on his food.

"Don't be ridiculous." She retorted, looking disinterested in his question.

He relaxed slightly at that, but a few seconds later, Morag gave him a smug, all-knowing smile.

"It was three blokes. And another girl."

Aria nearly spit out an entire mouthful of pumpkin juice into Neville's face while the rest of the Slytherin 8th years, including Blaise, looked up from their plates and stared at Morag with their jaws hanging open.

Morag smirked at their reactions and rolled her eyes, giving them all a pointed look.

"I did it as an experiment. I'm a very curious person, you know."

Blaise, Zach, Aria, Neville, and even Hannah eventually burst out laughing at Morag's quip, their sudden outburst drawing the attention of the younger Slytherins sitting nearby. Glancing to her right, Aria's amusement grew when she saw the uncharacteristically appalled look on Draco's face. The blond's eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly parted as he continued to gape at Morag in stunned, scandalized silence.

Seeing the look on his friend's face, Blaise smirked widely and gave Morag a wink.

"Congratulations, Morag. You have officially offended Draco's, apparently delicate, sensibilities. I. Am. In. Awe."

Draco snapped his mouth shut and glared angrily at him, blushing darker when everyone dissolved into another fit of snickers.

Morag just smirked at them and acknowledged Blaise's comment with an obnoxiously smug look before turning back to the thick textbook in her lap.

As everyone's laughter slowly began to die down, Aria looked up and gave Blaise an almost imperceptible nod of her head in gratitude.

She didn't say anything else, but judging from the smirk he gave her in return, she knew Blaise was aware of what she was thanking him for. Frankly, if Blaise hadn't cut in to draw everyone else's attention from her and Draco the way he did, Aria was certain that the blond Slytherin would have continued asking her even more strange questions about her hair.

What was that all about anyway?

Aria cast another worried look at Draco from the corner of her eye, biting her lip when she realized that the blond had finally stopped blushing and was now glaring accusingly at her and Blaise with a knowing scowl on his face.

Is he beginning to suspect something?

A few hours later that night, as Aria was making her way across the castle to start on her assigned chores, she heard a pair of angry voices nearby that made her pause in mid-step. She recognized one of the voices easily as Pansy's, and, when she heard the clear distress in her housemate's voice, she frowned and pressed herself against the wall, peering carefully around the corner into the adjacent hallway.

The sight that greeted her made Aria hesitate and duck back quietly into the shadows.

In the middle of a long, empty corridor, Pansy was backed up against the wall by a tall, Ravenclaw boy whom Aria recognized as Michael Corner, one of Ginny's ex-boyfriends. The position would have seemed intimate at first – from the way Corner had caged Pansy against the wall with his hands above her head - but the look on Pansy's face was anything but interested. She was glaring furiously at him and was ineffectually shoving at his chest.

"Corner, get the fuck off me!" She screeched angrily.

"Oh come on, Pans." Corner was chuckling as he leered down at her and leaned in a bit closer so that his face was inches away from Pansy's cringing expression. "You're acting as though we don't have this whole steamy history between us. If I recall, you used to like it when I accosted you in the hallways like this to steal a kiss." He tried to lean down again to do just that – only for Pansy to place her hands on his face and push him away.

"Unfortunately, I didn't know how much of an utter, disgusting asshole you were back then." Pansy retorted snidely as she ducked under his arm and moved away, only to sigh in exasperation when Corner snatched her wrist.

"Don't walk away from me, Parkinson." He suddenly growled, his hand visibly tightening around Pansy's wrist and causing the short-haired girl to wince in pain.

"Michael, you're hurting me." Pansy said quietly, trying to pull her hand away.

"Who are you to suddenly act all high and mighty like this anyway? Do you think that just because you like to attach yourself like some slut to Malfoy and Zabini all the time, you're suddenly too good to be associating with me now? You shouldn't think so highly of yourself, sweetheart. You're not that special." Corner mocked in a loud, sarcastic tone of voice.

Pansy blanched at his words and tried tugging on her hand again, her eyes darting nervously around the empty corridor.

"Blaise and Draco are my friends and they're not scumbags like you." She spat out, wincing again when his hand only seemed to tighten even more around her wrist.

"Right. One just happens to be a Death Eater." He retorted sarcastically, snickering.

Pansy's eyes darkened with anger but she didn't take the bait.

"What do you want? I don't even know why you're tailing after me like this, you were the one who broke up with me, remember?" She pointed out, shooting him a scathing look.

"Oh come on, Pans. You know I didn't mean any of that." Corner cajoled in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice as he pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I'm actually here because I wanted to tell you that I want you back. I'm done with that girl from Beauxbatons, I was never serious with her—"

"You mean she dumped you, right?" Pansy cut him off with a mocking sneer. "Is that why you're trying to salvage your ego by going after me again? Am I supposed to be flattered?"

Corner's left eye twitched at her words but he continued, ignoring the way Pansy was desperately trying to wriggle out of his arms.

"It's not like that. The truth is, after you and I broke up, I was devastated for weeks. I immediately regretted it afterwards and I wanted to see you but I was afraid you still hated me—"

"Bullshit! Stop lying to me!" Pansy slapped him, cutting him off, and as she spat the words out, Aria heard the unmistakeable way her voice began to break. "If you cared about me, you wouldn't have spread all those ugly rumors about me! You wouldn't have taken those pictures behind my back and showed them to all your disgusting friends! You ruined me, Michael!" She cried.

"Pansy, that didn't mean anything. That was just a guy thing—"

"You're disgusting!" She raised a hand to slap him again but this time, he caught it and used it to pull her back against him.

"You bitch! If you slap me one more time, I'll tell the whole bloody school how much of a slut you really are!" He raged in an angry, threatening voice.

"Like I could care less what everyone thinks of me, they already hate me anyway. Now let me go, Michael!" Pansy grimaced at his roughness and resumed her attempts to wrestle herself away from him. "Let me go, you're really starting to hurt me!"

"Come on, Pans. I already said I'm sorry—"

"I said let me go! Do you want me to report you?! I'm still a Prefect!" Pansy threatened.

He snorted. "Like they'd actually believe you over me—"

At this point, Aria had heard enough of their conversation to feel mildly annoyed at Corner's persistence. She finally stepped out of her hiding spot and drew their attention with a long suffering, heavy sigh of exasperation.

"Let her go." She drawled, massaging her temples and giving both students an impassive look.

Corner was startled enough by Aria's unexpected arrival that his arms accidentally loosened around Pansy, allowing the short-haired girl to wriggle free from his grasp. As soon as he realized what had happened, the surprise on Corner's face immediately melted away into an irritated scowl and he glared at Aria's approaching form.

"Walk away, Potter. This doesn't concern you." He warned.

"On the contrary." Aria stopped directly in front of him, not at all intimidated by the way she had to tilt her head up so she could meet his narrowed eyes. "I was on my way to get started on my chore assignments. And you happen to have stalled my so-called partner for this evening."

Aria flicked her hooded gaze over his shoulder briefly to Pansy's pale face before turning back to him and giving him a calm smile that didn't reach her eyes. "So if you could wrap this up, I'd really like to finish these chores as soon as possible. Parkinson, shall we get going?"

She turned to walk away but Corner just sneered at her and grabbed Pansy's arm again, pulling the Slytherin girl back against him.

"You can go, Potter. Pansy and I weren't finished talking." He snapped harshly.

"I have nothing more to say to you." Pansy hissed back at him. "Frankly, I would rather drop dead than to ever let you come near me again!"

"Oh, so you think you're so much better than me now?! You little bitch—"

"Do I really have to threaten you to finish this?" Aria let out another tired sigh as she turned around again, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look, Corner. I've had a really long day. I'm really not in the mood to deal with a bastard like you right now."

"Oh come on, Potter." Corner blinked a couple of times and stared at her in disbelief.

"Is the Chosen One really going to bother fighting me over some no-good, Slytherin bitch like Pansy Parkinson? Wasn't she the one who wanted to turn you over to the Dark Lord? We both know she's not worth it. It's okay, you know. You don't have to help her. I won't tell anyone." He smiled at her, oblivious to the way Pansy flinched at his words.

Aria didn't even blink, her fingers tightening slowly around her arms.

"I'll only say this one last time. Let. Her. Go."

"Or what?" He taunted, his eyes glinting at her in challenge. "Are you going to hex me? Would you really do something like that?"

"I don't have to lift a single fingernail against someone like you. But…expulsion perhaps? For harassing your fellow classmate?" Aria answered him with a chilling look, arching a single eyebrow.

"Expulsion?" Corner scoffed at the self-assurance he heard in her voice and shook his head. "You don't have anything on me to get me expelled, Potter."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Aria allowed one corner of her lips to tug upwards into a slow, malicious smirk. "You said it yourself. I'm the Chosen One, bitch. I'm the one who singlehandedly killed Lord Voldemort and saved everyone's ass – including yours."

She felt a perverse sense of pleasure when she noticed the way Corner flinched upon hearing the Dark Lord's name. "Frankly, I could go up to Headmistress McGonagall right now and tell her whatever the hell I want. I could make up anything to get you expelled in a heartbeat, and she'd believe every single word. No questions asked."

The grip Corner had around Pansy's arm didn't loosen but Aria could tell from the way he swallowed nervously that he was beginning to take her words seriously.

"Y—you're bluffing."

"Oh sweetheart, I don't think you get it." Aria's eyes were hard as she curled her lips disdainfully, inspecting his appearance from head to toe. "If I wanted to, I could even call up the Minister of Magic right now and tell him you're a serial killer. A rapist. Maybe even a former supporter of Voldemort himself. A spy for the Dark Lord. Do you know what would happen then?"

She let her voice trail off for a few seconds, watching as all of the color began to drain out of Corner's cheeks.

"You'll probably end up going straight to Azkaban. Without a trial, if I have anything to say about it." Aria continued in a nonchalant tone of voice, lowering her gaze to inspect her fingernails.

"You wouldn't do something like that." He croaked out, visibly trembling.

Aria finally lifted her gaze and smirked at him, allowing him to see the steel-like glint in her eyes.

"Try me."

Corner shifted his feet a couple of times and stared cautiously at Aria, cowering under her intense, unblinking gaze. Finally, after a long moment, he took a careful step back and the hand he had gripping Pansy's arm loosened, allowing the short-haired girl to pull away from him.

He didn't wait for Aria to say anything else after that as he shot Pansy one last, angry sneer before he turned on his heel and stormed off, his footsteps fading away down the long, narrow corridor. As soon as he was gone, Aria shifted her gaze over to Pansy in question. When she saw the way the girl was sniffing and hugging herself, purposely avoiding her eyes, Aria let out another exasperated sigh and fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Parkinson, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Pansy immediately hissed back, scowling as she looked up and shot her a particularly nasty glare. "I had everything under control back there, Potter! I didn't need you to come in like the nosy little git you are to save the day!" She snapped.

"You're welcome, by the way." Aria retorted sarcastically, her eyes flashing at the other girl's hostile reaction. "And excuse me for noticing but it certainly didn't look like you were okay. Is Corner an ex-boyfriend of yours or something? Why the hell were you letting him manhandle you like that? Did he hurt you?"

"It's none of your business! I said I'm fine!"

"I'm sure you are." Aria scoffed.

"I don't need your pity!" Pansy shouted back at her with a vicious sneer.

"You don't have my pity, you miserable slag!" Aria finally felt her control over her temper snap as she clenched her fists and glared back at Pansy, her eyes suddenly blazing with unkempt anger. "But I wasn't about to sit back and watch an asshole like Corner treat a girl like that – even if that girl was you. But yes, just so we're clear - I still think you're nothing but a whiny, conniving bitch." She spat.

Pansy's jaw snapped shut and she stared mutely at Aria with an affronted scowl on her face.

They walked to their assigned classrooms in cold, awkward silence after that, broken only by the occasional clacking of their heels against the floor. When they reached the fifth floor corridor, Pansy spoke up again just as Aria was pushing past one of the classroom doors.

"Did you actually mean what you said to Michael back there?"

The strange, hesitant tone in Pansy's voice made Aria pause and arch an eyebrow at her over her shoulder.

"About lying to the Headmistress and to the Minister?" Pansy bit her lip as she followed Aria into the classroom and closed the doors behind them. "Would you really use your influence to do something like that?" She asked.

Aria fell silent as she considered Pansy's question but after a moment, she looked away and shrugged before heading for the nearby cupboard in the corner of the classroom.

"I never said I'd actually do it." She answered evenly, pulling out a pair of mops, a few cleaning rags, and several other cleaning supplies from the cupboard. "I just told him I could. There's a big difference."

"Yes, but…Would you?" Pansy asked again as she knelt down and took the mop from the small pile.

Aria smirked to herself but didn't answer, careful not to look at the other girl as she took the other mop and made her way to the other end of the classroom.

Chapter Text

Neither Pansy nor Aria spoke for a long time after that, both girls working in relative silence as they cast charms on their mops and began working as fast as they could cleaning the floors of the classroom.

It wasn't long before they finished, and as they moved on to wiping down the chairs, Aria began to feel another surge of irritation when she felt Pansy's eyes lingering on her back. She sighed and turned around, rolling her eyes at the way Pansy was staring at her as though she had just admitted to secretly being a Death Eater.

"What the hell are you staring at, Parkinson?" She snapped.

"Oh nothing." Pansy scowled and hastily tore her gaze away, moving to the opposite corner of the classroom.

"I was just thinking about how, apparently, Gryffindor's favorite heroine isn't as virtuous as everyone makes her out to be. I wonder how your fan club will react when they find out Harriah Potter is actually a Slytherin after all. Think of all those children and their broken hearts." She let out a dramatic sigh and shook her head.

"You say that like I actually give a shit about what other people will say about me." Aria retorted snidely as she glanced up and pointed her wand at the ceiling, silently casting a charm to get rid of all the residual dust and spiderwebs. "Get some new material, Parkinson."

Pansy looked as though she wanted to say something else but, thankfully, she seemed to think better of it and snapped her mouth shut instead.

Once they finished cleaning the first room, they moved onto the next classroom down the hall and began cleaning the floors again.

They kept up with this silent cleaning routine for awhile, with Aria also taking charge of cleaning most of the dust and grime along the walls and windows and Pansy focusing on charming the floors with wax and then later wiping down the tables and chairs.

Another hour or so into their chores, Pansy broke Aria out of her thoughts when she spoke again in a loud, mocking voice.

"So I've always wondered. How exactly does it feel to be so goddamn perfect all the time, Potter? I mean, mortals must drop down to their knees and worship the ground you walk on. Do you ever let it get to your head?"

Aria's eyes narrowed and she clenched her jaw but still, Pansy went on as though she didn't notice.

"Your name is written in every single history book now, after all. You're practically a top-tier celebrity. So how does it feel? Having reporters from the Daily Prophet track you down, requesting exclusive interviews all the time. I read in some tabloid somewhere that you even received marriage proposals from at least four politically-powerful pureblood heirs from America. Is that all true, Potter?"

The smile on Pansy's face was sarcastic as she met Aria's blazing green eyes from across the room. "I don't know what it is about you. Somehow, you even got my two best friends to like you – Merlin only knows why. But I suppose everyone loves perfect, Princess Potter—"

"I get it okay?!"

Aria finally exploded as she slammed the window she had been cleaning shut and whirled around to glare at her. "You hate me – very much so. Trust me, I've known exactly how much you despise me since the start of the year! It's not something you have to keep rubbing in my face!" She snapped.

Pansy blinked and pretended to give her an affronted look.

"Now who could ever hate you—"

"I said stop it!"

Pansy's scowl darkened and her lips twisted into a sneer but Aria went on.

"Believe me, I hate being paired with you tonight as much as you do. So for both our damn sakes, I suggest we finish our chores for the night so that we can get out of each other's hair as soon as possible." Aria massaged her temples and let out a heavy sigh before she looked up and arched a questioning eyebrow at the other girl.

"Would that be acceptable to you?!" She asked mockingly.

She didn't bother waiting for Pansy to answer as she strode over to the front of the room, yanking open one of the old cabinets behind the teacher's table. Unfortunately, as she reached up towards the top of the cabinet to grab a few more mops, a soft, shrill squeak caused both Aria and Pansy to freeze in confusion.

Seconds later, a small, blue winged creature zoomed out from under the cabinet and began flying around the top of Pansy's head.

"Ugh, great! A pixie!" Pansy held up a rag and tried swatting at it a few times, grunting when the pixie snickered at her and swatted her on the face with one of its tiny wings. "Thank you for setting it loose, Potter."

"It's not like I did it on purpose!" Aria hissed back as she raised her wand and pointed it at the blue creature. "Wait, hold still for a second. I'll try to immobilize it—"

"Hey, watch it!" Pansy's eyes widened when she saw Aria aiming her wand at her and ducked down just in time to avoid being hit by her stray immobulus spell. "You almost hit me!" She shrieked.

"Whoops. My bad." Aria retorted sarcastically, smirking at her before raising her wand again. "Oh don't get your knickers in a twist, Parkinson, it's not like the spell was going to kill you." She aimed another immobulus at the pixie, cursing when it cackled and flew out of the way.

"Your aim is horrible, Potter."

"Tell that to the Dark Lord."

"That's not funny."

They tried a few more times, chasing haphazardly after the pixie as it flew in circles around the empty classroom. Finally, Pansy declared that she had enough and growled as she raised her wand, pointing it at where the pixie was circling around the back of Aria's head.

"Incendio!" She shouted.

"Parkinson, are you insane?!" Aria exclaimed as she swerved to the right, the spell missing her and the pixie by a few inches. "You could have set me on fire with that!"

"Given your track record at cheating death, I highly doubt it would have gone to your funeral." Pansy tucked her wand back into her pocket, watching as the pixie finally seemed to have grown tired of their antics and flew off, exiting the classroom through one of its open windows.

As soon as it was gone, Aria jumped to her feet and rushed forward, slamming the windows shut. When she turned around, she noticed that Pansy was staring at her with wide eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" She asked warily.

"Potter, your hair…It's…It's—"

Aria was already stalking across the room towards the full-length mirror beside the teacher's table before Pansy had even finished her sentence.

"—it's on fire."

Pansy watched, nonplussed, as Aria very calmly pointed her wand at her hair and cast a water charm, carefully directing the stream that spewed from her wand's tip towards the fierce-looking flames that were beginning to climb up her braid. After a few seconds of this, the fire eventually died down and Aria tucked her wand back into her pocket. When she reached up behind her to tie her hair back up, however, Aria realized that the fire had burned right through her hair tie so that instead of clasping a tightly woven braid, her fingers ended up buried in her loose, ankle-length black hair.

"Damn it." Aria was already digging through her pockets for another hair tie when she realized that Pansy had become strangely quiet.

Looking up, Aria felt all of the blood drain from her face when she saw the way the other girl had dropped the mop in her hand and was now staring intently at her hair with a completely bewildered look on her face.

"Potter." She cleared the squeakiness away from her voice and allowed her hooded gaze to trail up and down Aria's hair before flicking back up and settling on the tense expression on Aria's face. "Your hair was literally on fire for a good couple of seconds and yet, not a single strand of it was burned off. Would you care to explain to me how that's even possible?"

"I can explain—"

Before Aria could answer, something akin to realization clicked in Pansy's eyes. Her gaze suddenly flicked back to Aria's hair again and, very slowly, a wide, triumphant grin began to spread out on her face.

"I knew it! I bloody knew it! The freakishly long hair, the gloves, the way all the boys seem to stare at you like idiots all the time! Hell, even the way you never let anybody else into our shared bathroom when you're taking a shower!" Pansy's eyes lit up with glee and a smug, knowing smirk crossed her face.

"You're a veela, Potter!" She blurted out.

"Parkinson, keep your damn voice down!" Aria blanched at her exclamation and nervously glanced toward the doors to make sure no one had heard her. "You're being ridiculous, how could you possibly think that—"

"Oh please! Do you think I'm a fool?" Pansy scoffed as she reached for her wand again and pointed it directly at Aria's hair.

"What the hell do you think you're doing—"

"Diffindo!"

As expected, the severing charm simply bounced off, ricocheting away from Aria's black locks and hitting one of the room's nearby curtains instead, slicing it in half. Sighing in defeat, Aria allowed her shoulders to slump heavily as she avoided Pansy's knowing smirk and walked over to one of the chairs situated at the front of the classroom.

"I knew there was something strange about you this year." Pansy hurriedly tucked her wand away and crossed her arms over her chest. "Who would have thought that the girl-who-lived is actually a winged, bird-beaked harpy?"

"I am not a harpy!"

Snickering at Aria's violent reaction, Pansy leaned one shoulder against the blackboard behind her and smirked.

"Relax, Potter. Stop staring at me like I just tortured your best friend in front of you. Are you upset that I found out about your little secret? Big. Fucking. Deal. So the legendary Chosen One has one more 'special thing' about her. You should be used to it by now." She mocked.

"Please stop talking." Aria answered in a quiet voice.

"It's actually not that bad, you know." Pansy continued, an unusually sympathetic look on her face. "I've met veela before, they're not that different from normal witches. I mean, Blaise's mother is one, if that's any consolation. It's actually not as uncommon in the wizarding world as you might think."

"Are you actually trying to comfort me now?" Aria lifted her head from where she was resting it against her arms and gave Pansy a derisive look. "That doesn't sound like you at all, Parkinson."

"Well, if you must know, I think it's ridiculous that you just had to be a veela on top of everything else." Pansy huffed at her, her eyes narrowing with disdain. "Like the scar wasn't enough? You need even more of a reason to attract everybody's attention? Merlin, why is there always something about you, Potter?" She scoffed.

"Seriously, stop talking." Aria snapped.

"Why are you hiding anyway? It's not like veelas are shunned from magical society or anything." Pansy pointed out, lazily inspecting her fingernails.

"None of your business." Aria answered rudely, looking away.

Pansy snorted at her hostile reaction and rolled her eyes, walking back over to the other side of the classroom to continue cleaning the floors. After awhile, Aria stood up sharply from her seat and stalked over to her with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Don't you dare tell anyone else about this, Parkinson." She warned in a low voice.

"Or what?" Pansy taunted.

"Do I really have to rehash everything I just told Corner?" Aria growled, narrowing her eyes at the other girl. "It'll probably be much easier to push for an expulsion in your case, the Ministry already has a record on you." She sneered.

Pansy's eyes widened at Aria's threat but she surprisingly stood her ground and tilted her chin up, meeting the taller girl's vicious glare. "Why would I bother telling anyone else? I couldn't care less if you were a veela or not, Potter."

She sniffed and spun around, walking around Aria and retrieving another set of cleaning rags from one of the nearby cabinets. When Aria continued to glare suspiciously at her, Pansy cleared her throat and gave her a censorious look.

"Though, if I were you, you should probably make sure no one from your precious fan club finds out about the whole veela thing - especially that bit about your wings. And not that I care or anything, but I'd also be extra careful about leaving a few of those precious feathers around. For your sake." She drawled.

Aria paled at her words and gave Pansy an apprehensive look. Wordlessly, she reached up behind her and began tying her hair back up into a braid.

"You seem to know an awful lot about veelas."

"Well, I did a bit of that extra research Delacour suggested in European Anthropology." Pansy told her, looking particularly smug.

"And they say your mouth is bigger than your brain, Parkinson." Aria drawled sarcastically, giving her a mocking smile.

Pansy's left eye twitched at her jibe but she didn't take the bait, watching as Aria finished with her hair and walked back over to the windows to resume her cleaning.

"You'll have to enlighten me about why you're making such a big fuss about this, Potter. Veelas are beautiful, powerful, and live unnaturally long, youthful lives with their mate. Most girls would kill to manifest as a veela like you." She pointed out bitterly.

"If you don't know the answer to that, you should probably read up more about veelas then." Aria answered her in a deadpan voice, a grim smile tugging on her lips. "What I would actually 'kill for', just once, is a relatively peaceful year at Hogwarts. I did not want to wake up on my eighteenth birthday as some hormonal, winged, half-human, half-bird freak." She added darkly.

Pansy snickered at that and cast a curious glance at Aria over her shoulder.

"Your father's side, I presume?" She asked.

"My grandmother Dorea Potter." Aria answered with a sigh as she finished cleaning the windows and began working on the desks.

"She manifested when she was already married - about twenty-five years old. A bit later than most cases. It's why there were no records of her being a veela in the Ministry archives."

"So how did you find out about it then?" Pansy arched an eyebrow at her in query.

"Hermione, of course." Aria smirked at her and gave her a look as though she thought the answer to her question was so glaringly obvious. "She helped me dig through some really old family records during the summer."

"Speaking from experience, there are far worse things you could inherit from your family." Pansy rolled her eyes again as she began cleaning out the grime along the ceiling with her wand. "Besides, as long as you protect your veela name and keep your wings hidden, you'll be fine." She told her.

Aria paused in the middle of wiping down one of the desks and glanced at Pansy in mild annoyance. "You certainly weren't lying when you said you did your research."

Pansy was silent as she walked right up to her, studying the other girl up close with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

"Just out of curiosity…" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she circled Aria a few times, her gaze roaming up and down the taller girl's form as though she was looking for something. "…What is your veela name, by the way?"

Aria's expression shuttered and she used a powerful gust of veela magic to shove the other girl away from her.

"I'm not falling for that, Parkinson."

Pansy conceded with a smirk and stepped away from her, though the curious expression lingered on her face.

"Can I at least see it?" She persisted, studying her closely.

"No." Aria deadpanned.

Pansy looked a little disappointed at her answer but she shrugged and backed away, giving her an appraising look.

"At least you're not stupid." She titled her head slightly to the side and regarded Aria's appearance with an arched eyebrow. "That suppression of yours is pretty strong magic, by the way. Apart from the hair, you look exactly the same as you did before the war. Isn't it exhausting to keep it up all day?"

"A little." Aria admitted ruefully as she self-consciously adjusted her braid. "Unfortunately, suppressing my appearance doesn't do anything to dispel the veela allure. Just as Fleur said, I have to keep my hair tied back all the time to lessen it."

Pansy nodded in understanding but she didn't say anything else, watching as Aria cast a cleaning charm on the last desk nearest the doors before they both moved on to the next classroom along the hallway. As they entered and Pansy set off to work on dusting the cabinets, Aria turned to her and spoke again.

"You won't tell everyone about this, will you?" She asked quietly.

"You already threatened me to keep your secret, Potter. And I will. I won't tell everyone." Pansy looked up and gave her a mocking smirk. "But then again, I suppose a little extra motivation wouldn't hurt. Especially since it wouldn't matter if you got me expelled or not once your little secret is out. I just hope I don't accidentally let your secret slip to…say, Blaise or Draco, for example. They're certainly not everyone." She chuckled.

Aria's eyes instantly narrowed at her in resigned anger. "Aaaaand of course you'd blackmail me. I don't why I expected anything different. I should have learned the first time with Zabini." She muttered bitterly to herself.

"I'm a Slytherin. Of course I'd blackmail you." Pansy gave her a look as though she thought she was stupid. After another split second, however, the last of Aria's words sunk in and she paused and blinked at the other girl in surprise.

"Wait a minute – Blaise already knows about you? You told him?" She asked.

"Of course I didn't tell him." Aria snapped, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "The bloody git has veela genes from his mother, he figured it out pretty easily on his own."

"I don't understand. If Blaise already knows, then what's so wrong about Draco finding out? Between the two of them, Blaise is actually the one with the higher risk of accidentally blurting it out in front of everyone else." Pansy pointed out, looking confused.

"I have my reasons." Aria tried not to blush under Pansy's scrutinizing stare and looked away. "And besides, the less people who know about this, the better. So keep your damn mouth shut, Parkinson."

Pansy snickered at the frustrated expression on her face.

"Just a little piece of advice, Potter. If you keep hiding this, Draco's bound to find out sooner or later. You should stop underestimating just how sharp Slytherins can be." She said in a smug tone of voice.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Aria gritted her teeth at that and fight the overwhelming urge to throttle the other girl's neck. "So what the hell do you want for keeping quiet then? Sexual favors?" She drawled sarcastically.

"You can drop the sass." Pansy countered, rolling her eyes at Aria's reaction. "My brother, Corey. The one I mentioned before? He's in second year now and he's doing really terribly at DADA." She hesitated, sensing the confusion in Aria's face and bit her lip before she continued. "Well, I know you're the best student at DADA in our year. I…I want you to tutor him, Potter. I want you to teach him how to defend himself properly." She finished uncertainly.

Aria didn't say anything for a long moment, blinking and staring at Pansy in stunned silence.

"…That's it?" She finally blurted out after a few minutes, the incredulous disbelief in her voice causing Pansy to stiffen defensively. "In exchange for willingly keeping my secret, you want me to tutor your little brother in DADA?" She asked again.

Pansy nodded slowly, meeting her startled gaze through lowered eyelashes.

"And here I was expecting some sort of humiliating and degrading dare from you or something." Aria muttered uncertainly under her breath with a resolute shake of her head.

"You wound me, Potter. Truly." Pansy let out an indignant huff and pretended to give her an affronted look. "Why would I ask you to humiliate yourself when I could obviously derive some other, more useful form of utility from you instead?" She pointed out.

"Charming."

Pansy arched an eyebrow at her and gave her an expectant look.

"So?"

Aria let out a heavy sigh but nodded.

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Of course you will." Pansy huffed again and turned away. "I'll tell Corey you'll meet him in that empty classroom on the third floor every Saturday morning—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute there. Every Saturday morning?!" Aria blinked rapidly and gaped at Pansy as though the other girl had grown two heads. "In case you've forgotten, I've got a pretty busy schedule of my own this year. I have Auror subjects and quidditch practice plus—"

"You'll manage somehow, Potter." Pansy ignored her protests and flashed her another smug smile before pointedly turning around and walking to the other end of the classroom to clean the rest of the windows.

A few hours later into their task, just as Aria and Pansy were about to finish cleaning their last classroom for the evening, Aria was taken back when Pansy broke the comfortable silence by speaking up in a soft, uncharacteristically vulnerable voice.

"Don't you hate me, Potter?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Startled, Aria looked up from the dirty rag in her hand and glanced questioningly across the room at Pansy. She waited until the other girl sighed and eventually turned around to meet her eyes.

"I know you know exactly what I mean." Pansy looked annoyed at her reaction. "It's like Michael said. I was the one who wanted to turn you over to the Dark Lord that night. You were there, you saw me. How can you not hate my guts after that?" She whispered.

"Ah, that." Aria considered her words for a few minutes before she chuckled and threw the dirty rag into a nearby trash bin. "Well, I'll admit that you're not exactly my most favorite person in the world…but no, I wouldn't say I hate you, Pansy."

Pansy looked shocked at Aria's use of her first name and she stiffened in confusion.

"Why?" She demanded.

Aria smirked at her and lifted one of her shoulders into a careless half-shrug. "There were a lot more people in my life back then who were on my priority list to be 'hated', so to speak. And the truth is, you weren't exactly important enough to me for me to actively hate you."

Pansy blinked at her again, and she looked as though she had a hard time trying to understand Aria's words.

"And what about Draco?" She pressed.

"Nah, I didn't hate him either." Aria answered with another quick shake of her head. "I always just found him annoying but he never really did anything to make me truly hate him."

"So who did you hate, Potter?"

"Oh you know." Through no control of her own, Aria's eyes darkened and she felt the amusement on her face begin to drain away as she considered the answer to Pansy's question. "The muggle relatives who used to starve me, the evil bitch who killed my godfather and tortured my best friend, the disgusting, two-faced rat who sold my parents out, oh and let's not forget Voldemort of course."

"That's...quite a list." Pansy whispered, her cheeks white.

"You don't know half of it."

Pansy flinched at the biting quality of her voice but she didn't look away as Aria continued.

"My life is not the perfect, rosy little picture that all those stupid magazines make it out to be, you know. You, and a lot of other people, may think I'm living some kind of dream because I'm the 'Chosen One' and because I defeated the Dark Lord but the truth is, I had to go through absolute shit because of all that. I would gladly give it all up if it meant I could just live my life the way I wanted."

She sneered, lifting her eyes and meeting Pansy's uncomfortable gaze with her own. After another long moment of tense, awkward silence, Pansy swallowed and spoke up again in a stubbornly defiant voice.

"And yet, you survived all that and managed to become a saint in everyone's eyes—"

"I'm not a saint." Aria couldn't help the harsh, mocking laugh that escaped her at Pansy's words.

"Yeah right." Pansy retorted bitterly.

"Parkinson, how many times have you used an Unforgivable Curse?" Aria asked in a deceptively casual tone of voice, pausing in the middle of storing a set of mops back into a nearby cabinet to glance at Pansy from the corner of her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Pansy blinked and looked up, giving her a dumbfounded look.

"Unforgivable Curses." Aria sighed and glared impatiently at her, shoving her thick-framed glasses back up onto her face. "How many times have you used them?"

To give her credit, Pansy actually looked aghast at her question and she shook her head furiously.

"I have never used an Unforgivable Curse in my entire life—"

"I've used them four times." Aria cut her off, ignoring the horrified look on her face as she continued rearranging the mops back into the cabinet. "I used the Imperius Curse twice, both times on an innocent, hardworking goblin who worked in Gringotts because I was trying to break into a vault that wasn't mine. I also used the Cruciatus Curse twice – once on Alecto Carrow last year and once more back during our fifth year on Bellatrix Lestrange. Though I missed in her case. Unfortunately." Aria's eyes narrowed at the particular memory and she sneered to herself, shaking her head.

When Pansy continued to stare at her, her jaw opening and closing like a fish, Aria went on.

"The Ministry of Magic knew all about this, of course. Under normal circumstances, the usage of an Unforgivable Curse by anyone would earn that person a one-way ticket to Azkaban right? But they chose to look away in my case. Because I was the girl-who-lived. Bunch of self-serving hypocrites they are." Aria said scornfully.

Pansy remained silent and continued to stare at her with a strange, calculating look on her face. Eventually, Aria finished stacking all of the cleaning tools back into the cabinet and quietly closed the doors. She turned around to face the other girl slowly, giving her another grim smile.

"Do you know the real reason I strove so hard to win the war?" She asked.

Instead of answering, Pansy's eyebrows furrowed together and she shook her head.

"It wasn't because of some inspiring, altruistic reason like me wanting to save everyone else and make the world a better place." Aria swallowed and gave her a tired, self-depreciating look. "The truth is, I was just so sick and tired of it all."

"Of what?"

"Everything." Aria answered bitterly. "I wanted to kill Voldemort to just end it all. All the hiding, all the secrets, all the fighting, all the goddamn running away. I was just so sick of it." Her eyes narrowed and another sarcastic sneer curled her lips. "The way I saw it, there were only two outcomes anyway. First, I could die trying – which I did, by the way. But in that case, I was happy regardless because it meant I could finally escape all the responsibility in my life. Second, I could actually succeed in killing the bastard responsible for it all and then maybe get a semblance of normality in my life without the constant fear of someone trying to kill me all the time."

She sighed and sat down onto one of the empty chairs near the front of the classroom. "Either way, both options sounded good enough for me. I really just wanted it all to be over. I didn't actually care about anyone else."

Aria finally lifted her gaze and gave Pansy another derisive smile.

"Selfish, right?"

"No."

Pansy's voice sounded both resigned and weary as she reluctantly sank down into the seat beside Aria, her shoulders slumping with exhaustion.

"Just…surprisingly human." She sighed.

Aria gave her a nod of inclination and looked away, staring blankly at a fixed point in the far corner of the classroom.

"That's the real reason I couldn't really bring myself to hate you the night you wanted to turn me in to Voldemort." She ignored the way Pansy grimaced and lifted her chin, staring straight into the short-haired girl's wide eyes. "Under the circumstances, had our situations been reversed and I could have ended everything right then and there by handing you over, I probably would have done the same thing. I would have handed you over, Pansy. Without a second thought." She admitted quietly.

Not surprisingly, Pansy seemed too stunned by her admission to say or do anything so they just settled for another bout of uncomfortable silence.

Aria wasn't sure how long they sat there in that empty classroom, both of them cautiously avoiding the other's gaze before Pansy finally cleared her throat and began to speak in a soft, barely audible whisper.

"The reason I wanted to turn you over that night was because…I was scared."

She didn't look up, but Aria could tell from the tightness of Pansy's voice that she was struggling to hold herself together.

"My younger brother…When he was born, he was diagnosed with this genetic heart condition. The condition runs in our family. It meant that if he overexerted herself or if he became too stressed or emotionally compromised, he might…he could—" Pansy's voice broke so she swallowed carefully, taking a deep breath before she continued.

"I barely managed to convince my parents to let him attend Hogwarts with me. He had just started his first year when the war broke out. When I realized that I couldn't get him back home and that the Death Eaters were going to storm the castle unless we gave you up to the Dark Lord, I just—" Pansy closed her eyes and shook her head, her shoulders trembling with unkempt emotion. "—I was desperate. All I wanted to do at the time was to make sure he was safe." She whispered.

When Aria blinked and opened her mouth to say something, Pansy suddenly opened her eyes and silenced her with a scathing glare.

"Just so you know, that wasn't an apology." She hissed.

Aria's lips quirked slightly into a small, knowing smirk.

"I didn't ask for one." She answered.

Pansy continued, sniffing and looking away. "If I were actually given a choice that day, to trade my brother's life for yours, I'd probably still try to turn you over."

"I wouldn't expect anything else."

Aria didn't even flinch as she stood up, using Pansy's momentary distraction to hide the fact that she was uncomfortable acknowledging the deeply personal conversation that had just occurred between the two of them. She ignored the surprised look on Pansy's face as she straightened her robes and began dusting off her skirt.

"We'd better go. It's almost ten, we might get locked out of the common room if we stay too long." She reached a hand out towards her, careful to keep the expression on her face neutral as she waited for Pansy to accept.

To her surprise, Pansy took her hand and pulled herself back up to her feet.

They left the empty classroom together, both girls still heavily lost in thought as they retraced their steps back to the Slytherin Common Room. As they turned a corner and passed by the same corridor Aria had found Pansy arguing with Michael, she was startled out of her thoughts when Pansy suddenly spoke.

"I suppose I should thank you for helping me and scaring Michael off." She began stiffly, scowling to herself and looking everywhere around them except Aria. "Under normal circumstances, I could have handled him. He just caught me a little off guard."

"I'm surprised you let him treat you that way." Aria answered as she glanced at her. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the type of girl to just cower away from a jerk like him. Did you two really date? Or was he making that up?"

"He was—" Pansy flinched and ducked her head, and Aria couldn't help but notice that there was a miserable tilt to her lips. "—well, we dated back in sixth year." She admitted grudgingly.

Aria's eyes widened in surprise and she couldn't help smirking as she stared at her.

"Oh don't give me that look, Potter." Pansy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "Say what you want about him but the bloody git is pretty good-looking, alright? And being the idiot, lovesick girl I was, I suppose I was a little smitten with him." She made a face and shook her head in dismay.

By now, the smirk on Aria's face had widened considerably and one of her eyebrows had arched up as she gave Pansy a curious look.

"Did you two…you know…?"

"He was my first. Okay?"

Pansy flushed at the admission but she didn't look away when Aria's eyebrow rose up even higher and the amusement on her face vanished, only to be replaced by a tight-lipped frown.

"I gather things didn't go so well, huh?"

The knowing tone in Aria's voice caused Pansy to grimace and look away.

"The day after I slept with him, he started acting really weird. A few days later, I noticed that a lot of boys from his house would whistle and point at me whenever they saw me in the hall. Apparently, Michael had taken pictures of me while I was asleep. He showed them to all of his friends." Pansy looked uncomfortable again and tried to hide it with another scoff but Aria's eyes suddenly flashed and she couldn't prevent the loud, angry growl from escaping her lips.

"That's sexual harassment. Why the hell didn't you report him?" She demanded furiously.

"It's not that simple, Potter!" Pansy snapped back, looking annoyed at her instantaneous reaction. "Do you know what would happen if my parents found out that I was stupid enough to lose my virginity to a boy like that?! Dumb enough to put myself into such a precarious situation? To a half-blood, no less! It would be a scandal! Not only will my father disown me for bringing such humiliation on our family name, but my mother will probably have me locked up in an all-girl boarding school!"

"So that's it?! You're just going to let that bastard go?" Aria seethed.

"I know the damage has been done but at least Blaise and Draco helped me track the offensive pictures down. As far as I know, they were able to burn and erase most – if not, all of them." Pansy cut the rest of Aria's protests off with a firm but humiliated shake of her head.

"You realize this isn't just about the pictures—"

"They also beat the shit out of Michael, if you must know." Pansy added with a small smirk. "But after that, I told them to let it go. Besides, Michael only showed those pictures to his friends anyway so I figured as long as I keep my head down and make sure to cover all my tracks, my father won't find out."

"He's still a fucking asshole. You shouldn't have let him off so easily like that." Aria was still livid as they rounded a corner and finally began descending the long flight of staircases leading down to the dungeons.

"Yes, he was." Pansy snorted at her words. "But then again, I was the idiot who was foolish enough to believe his lies. I can't believe I ended up falling all over myself for a git like him."

Aria studied her expression carefully. "And here I thought the boy you were completely head over heels in love with was actually Malfoy." She said wryly.

"Yeah, right." Pansy snorted again, but this time, a small, amused smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"We dated for awhile but looking back on it now, it never would have worked. Draco was too…intense for me. And to be honest, being with him kind of sucked. He was always so distant and distracted all the time. Plus, it didn't help that he spent most of fourth and fifth year fixated on you like some kind of creep." She let out a haughty scoff and stuck her nose up into the air.

"Believe me, I know." Aria retorted, completely straight-faced.

They were both chuckling by the time they reached the small, narrow hallway leading to the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Aria stepped forward, the password already on the tip of her tongue but she stopped when she noticed the way Pansy seemed to hesitate behind her. The short-haired girl was giving Aria a strange look that she couldn't quite place.

Aria turned around and shook her head. "You don't have to say anything—"

"Let me just get this out now before I lose my nerve, Potter."

It was then that Aria realized that the expression on Pansy's face was actually a mixture of embarrassment and guilt. She swallowed nervously and clasped her hands primly behind her back before lowering her gaze to the floor.

"Though I'll admit, I wasn't all that excited to spend as much time with you as we just did, I just wanted to let you know that…Well…Tonight wasn't actually as horrible as I was expecting it to be." Pansy flushed, coughing slightly and clearing her throat. "I certainly wasn't expecting you of all people to share something so personal with me like that. It was a bit overwhelming, and to be honest, I think I may have to revise my opinion of you now a little bit. In fact, I'm actually beginning to think that you might be just as much of an intense, selfish little shit as Draco is. Maybe even worse." She sighed, oblivious to the way Aria's lips twitched at her words.

"But like I said…Tonight wasn't bad. More importantly, I think I understand now why you would have blended in pretty well with the rest of us had you been originally sorted into Slytherin eight years ago." Pansy chuckled softly and gave Aria an incredulous smirk, like she had trouble believing her own words.

"I'm flattered, Parkinson." Aria pretended to scoff but eventually returned her words with a genuine, albeit slightly sarcastic smile. "Though I still say you should have castrated Corner for what that little dickhead did to you." She added in a disdainful voice.

Pansy managed another snort at that and shook her head. "I wouldn't bother with him, Potter. Not only do I not want my father finding out about him, but I also don't want to give Michael the satisfaction of thinking he's actually still relevant to me." She told her.

"Fine."

Aria muttered the password and they entered the common room together, ignoring the surprised stares they received from some of the seventh year Slytherins lounging in the living area. As they trudged up the stairs towards the girls' dorms and Aria reached for the doors, Pansy stopped her again by giving her a quick, barely noticeable nudge on the shoulder.

"Hey Potter?"

Aria rolled her eyes and glanced impatiently at the short-haired girl again, arching an eyebrow.

"What is it this time?"

Pansy smirked and reached out, tugging at the end of Aria's braid and nearly causing all of the strands to come loose.

"Hey—!"

"I'm sorry for all the things I said to you this year." Pansy rushed out before the other girl could react, blushing slightly when Aria blinked a couple of times as she tried to process what had just happened.

As Pansy rushed past her into the room, Aria’s eyes widened and an obnoxious grin began to curl her lips.

"I did like that bit about me being 'Perfect Princess Potter' though."

"Oh fuck off, you blasted veela."

Chapter Text

The next morning, Aria was very careful not to let the amusement on her face show as she and Pansy entered the Great Hall together and made their way over to the Slytherin table.

Draco, Blaise, and the rest of the Slytherin 8th years were in the middle of breakfast when the two girls plopped down beside each other opposite them and wordlessly began helping themselves to some food.

"Er…" Draco blinked a couple of times and arched an eyebrow at Blaise before carefully setting his cup of coffee down onto the table. "Am I missing something here or…?"

"Are you two…okay? You got back pretty late last night. Morag and I were already asleep." Hannah spoke up, biting her lip as she glanced back and forth between the two girls with a cautious look on her face.

"So…?" Blaise ignored everyone else's reactions and grinned expectantly at Aria and Pansy, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "How were your chores last night?" He asked.

"It was fine—"

The rest of Pansy's carefully worded response was cut off when Aria set her goblet of juice down noisily onto the table. She gave everyone a completely impenitent grin before taking a dainty bite of her croissant.

"Parkinson and I professed our undying love for each other and then proceeded to have hot, lesbian sex on one of the teacher's tables." She mumbled while chewing.

Blaise immediately burst into laughter at the exact same time Draco spat a whole mouthful of coffee across the table at a poor, unsuspecting Zach's face.

"What?!"

Draco looked horrified as he glared poisonously across the table at a stone-faced Pansy, who sighed in exasperation and covered her face with her hands. The way Draco's hilariously shrill voice had cracked caused Blaise to clutch his sides as he laughed even harder.

"Ooooowww, Malfoy, you bloody tosser! That coffee was still hot!" Zach whined as he stood up and reached blindly around the table for a napkin to wipe his face.

"Y—you are…a gem, Potter." Blaise managed to wheeze out as he looked up and met Aria's smug smile with a genuinely reverent expression.

"I would have loved to see that, by the way." Zach added once he managed to wipe the coffee off his face. "Any chance of you girls doing a repeat performance?" He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively at Aria and Pansy.

"Intriguing." Morag was studying both Aria and Pansy with a thoughtful expression on her face. "I've never actually had one-on-one sex with another girl before. Would you care to share some notes?" She asked, completely straight-faced.

"Arghhhhhh! Mother of Merlin!" Beside her, Hannah was blushing almost as red as the tablecloth of the Gryffindor table as she ducked down, closed her eyes and covered both of her ears with her hands.

"I am not hearing any of this! La la la – can't hear anything!" She sing-songed while frantically shaking her head.

"Ugh."

Pansy looked so done with all of their shenanigans and sneered in disgust at Blaise's giggling form across the table.

"Calm your tits, MacDougal. Potter and I didn't actually have sex. I mean, please. She wishes. I have standards, you realize." She cast a deadpan glare at Aria beside her.

"You know you want me, Parkinson." Aria gave her a lecherous wink.

"Fuck off."

"This is hardly the place, sweetheart."

"Potter, I swear—"

"I miss being in Hufflepuff." Hannah whimpered, covering her face and dropping her head down noisily onto the table with a loud 'thunk'.

Unfortunately, none of her housemates seemed to have heard her as they erupted into another round of snickers, drowning out the rest of the pig-tailed girl's groans. When their laughter died down and everyone turned back to their breakfast, Pansy looked up and raised an eyebrow at the way Draco hadn't stopped glaring contemptuously at her since she arrived.

"What's your problem?" She rolled her eyes and gave the blond an impassive glare of her own.

"You do know that the whole 'lesbian sex' comment was just Potter's idea of a sick joke, right?" She drawled sarcastically and pretended to gag. "Besides, if there's anyone here who continues to repress any negative, sexual energy towards Potter, it's you, not me." She smirked, looking particularly smug when both Aria and Draco reddened and turned to gape at her with horrified looks on their faces.

"Pansy." Draco warned.

"That's not funny." Aria growled.

"Eh. How boring."

Aria heard the sudden loss of interest in Morag's voice and blinked, turning to look at the girl in question.

When the former Ravenclaw didn't say anything else and instead, chose to engross herself once more in her thick Potions textbook, the confusion on Draco's face slowly transformed into a highly offended scowl.

"What's boring, now?" He growled.

"Hm?" Morag started at the irritation she heard in Draco's voice and looked up, blinking at him in surprise. "Oh, it's nothing against you or Aria personally, Malfoy. It's just that..I already have enough research on one-on-one, heterosexual sex so I'm not really interested in the idea of you and Aria having sex as much as I was in Aria and Pansy." She clarified.

If anything, her explanation only seemed to make the infuriated scowl on Draco's face darken even more.

"And may I ask, exactly what is wrong with one-on-one heterosexual sex between me and Potter?!" He demanded.

"Seriously, Malfoy. Can you not encourage her? I'm really not comfortable talking about this so early in the morning—" Aria tried to interrupt them but Draco ignored her, his left eye twitching dramatically as he glared at Morag's completely unrepentant smirk.

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it." Morag interrupted Aria, offering Draco a careless shrug. "It's like monogamy, really. It's good enough, but kind of overrated. Boring."

"Good enough?! Overrated?! Boring?!" Draco's eye twitched again and, oblivious to the way Blaise and Zach were desperately trying to stifle their snickers beside him, his eyes narrowed and he practically descended upon Morag's petite form like a vulture about to attack its prey.

"I can assure you that if Aria and I did have sex, it would be anything but boring!" He raged loudly, causing Aria's eyes to widen in alarm and Hannah to choke on her drink. "And just what the hell do you think is wrong with monogamy?!"

"Well, it's just so conventional and just so…vanilla. Much like you are, Malfoy." Morag gave him a look as though she was trying to explain a simple concept to a five-year-old child. "In this day and age, why have only one sexual partner when you can get physical stimulation from many others at the same time? Not only is it more efficient, it's also far more pleasurable in my experience."

Aria cringed and opened her mouth in a pathetic attempt to make them stop their absurd conversation but Draco cut her off again before she could say anything.

"Is that so?! Well maybe I like being conventional, did you ever think of that?! And maybe I like being vanilla!" Draco huffed, looking even more ridiculously offended by Morag's insinuation. "And maybe I prefer a monogamous, sexual relationship because I actually cannot stand the idea of someone else seeing and touching what's mine!" He blurted out.

"Wait a minute. I'm confused." Zach interjected as he held a hand up and flicked his confused gaze back and forth between Draco and Aria. "Are we still talking about monogamous vanilla sex between you and Potter or monogamous vanilla sex in general?"

"You like using vanilla when having monogamous sex with Potter, Draco?" Blaise suddenly chimed in, deliberately misunderstanding the situation and flashing Draco a perverted smirk. "How kinky."

"Shut up, Blaise!" Draco yelled furiously at him.

"Um…Just...What the fuck?" Aria blurted out, glancing back and forth between Draco, Morag, Blaise and Zach now with an utterly confused, extremely uncomfortable expression on her face. Beside her, Pansy was turning red with mirth and she looked as though she was having a hard time trying to stop herself from giggling at the hilarity of the entire situation.

"Is this why you were so offended the other day at what Morag said about group sex? Because you're actually a possessive git even in bed?" Blaise quipped again, turning to Draco and giving the seething blond a knowing grin.

"Apparently, he is." Morag nodded in agreement, smirking at Draco's irate expression.

"Hmm. How interesting. In that case, maybe I could end up collecting some valuable notes from you and Aria having sex. All that tension and bitter rivalry would certainly add something entirely new to the equation. But then, I'd need more data points to be able to make any relevant conclusions." Morag was mostly talking to herself at this point but she paused and turned to give Pansy a questioning look. "Maybe you should also have sex with Neville so I could get more information on the subject? You two exhibit nearly the same kind of unresolved sexual tension as Draco and Aria after all."

"Me and N—Neville—" Pansy sputtered and began choking on her food even before Morag finished talking. "Have you completely lost your mind, Morag?!"

"Okay seriously, who's having sex with who now?" Zach asked out loud again, scratching his head.

"All I know is, it's not you." Blaise cheeked, snickering and giving him a consoling pat on the back.

"Why the hell are we still talking about sex?!" Hannah finally screamed at all of them in her frustration, her loud, hysterical voice echoing loudly in the Great Hall and causing the students from the three other tables to stare at them in varying degrees of shock, amusement and disbelief.

When Hannah realized what she just did, she slapped both of her hands over her mouth in mortification and sank down low into her seat to hide her face. Pansy just closed her eyes and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose, sighing in resignation as she watched Blaise collapse into his seat again, his shoulders shaking with laughter. As usual, Morag looked completely unaffected by all the attention they were getting from the other houses. Zach, on the other hand, looked as though he was still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Um…Malfoy?" Aria was stifling her own laughter as she glanced at Draco again, noting that the blond Slytherin finally seemed to have come to his senses and was now staring at Aria with wide, mortified gray eyes.

"Not that I don't agree with your er…passionate stance about monogamous sex but um…perhaps you and Morag can talk about something else? Something that doesn't involve the idea of anyone having sex?" She kidded weakly.

"If we must." Morag shrugged at her before calmly turning back to her half-eaten bowl of cereal. "For the record, I still say monogamous sex is overrated but to each his own, I guess." She quipped.

Draco grimaced at Morag's words and flushed darker, shaking his head to himself as he turned his face away to avoid Aria's amused gaze.

"So…er…What's your first class today, Draco?" Aria asked lamely, blurting out the first question that popped into her head in a poor attempt to distract him.

Apparently, she failed at that because instead of answering her, Draco mumbled something under his breath about going back to his dorm room before he jumped to his feet and snatched his things, storming out of the Great Hall as fast as he could.

As soon as he was gone, the nervous smile on Aria's face faltered and she groaned to herself, covering her face with her hands.

Thankfully, Draco's hasty departure provided enough of a distraction for everyone to eventually settle back down until most of the stares they were getting from the other houses receded. As Aria was reaching out across the table to help herself to some fruit, she was startled when someone suddenly plopped down onto the seat across from her that Draco had just vacated.

"Oh hey, Neville." Aria greeted him as she looked up, meeting his nervous gaze. "Where were you this morning?"

"I was fetching something in the greenhouse." Neville gave her a small smile back that didn't seem to reach his eyes, and Aria couldn't help but notice that he looked a little distracted.

"Neville." Aria glanced at him again and peered closer, studying the strange look on his face. "Are you okay? Why do you look so nervous?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Neville waved her concern away, looking impatient.

He didn't answer her but instead, he reached into his bag and, very carefully, pulled out a single, perfectly cut pink rose. Then, ignoring the way Aria was staring incredulously at him, he cleared his throat loudly until Pansy finally sighed and looked up from her plate.

"What?" Pansy glared icily at him, looking annoyed at having been disturbed from her meal.

"I uh…here...Um—"

He reached over and nervously placed the rose in front of Pansy's plate.

The short-haired girl completely froze up at that, blinking a couple of times and staring at the flower as though it was going to catch on fire and explode right in her face. Undaunted by her reaction, Neville squared his shoulders and continued, a light flush beginning to stain his cheeks.

"Consider it a peace offering. For…You know. That horrible thing I said about you yesterday." Neville looked down and took a long, shaky inhale of breath before lifting his gaze again and giving Pansy a small, shy smile. "I didn't mean any of it, okay? I don't think that you don't have any redeeming qualities. On the contrary, I actually really like the way you're so protective and nurturing - even if you probably don't want people to know that." He added, chuckling.

By now, Pansy's cheeks had become almost as red as the strawberries on her plate.

Her eyes were wide and she stared openly at Neville in utter confusion, an uncharacteristically self-conscious look on her face.

To be honest, the rest of the Slytherin eighth years weren't any better off as they sat back and continued to watch the strange scene unfold in front of them in stunned, bemused silence.

"Anyway." Neville shook the gentle expression away from his face and stood up again, slinging the strap of his bag over his shoulder. "I should go. I promised Professor Slughorn that I'd help him harvest some ingredients for a potion he's making."

"Y—you're not staying for breakfast?" Pansy finally managed to stutter out, wincing when she heard the squeakiness of her own voice.

"No, that's okay. I ate breakfast early." Neville gave her another smile before he turned to go, but not before giving Aria and the rest of their housemates a friendly wave. "See you in class, you lot."

Aria managed to break herself out of her amused staring long enough to wave back dumbly at him.

As soon as he was gone, she blinked and turned to stare intently at Pansy. She noticed that Blaise was doing the same, a smug, teasing smirk already on his face as he arched an eyebrow at Pansy's flushed cheeks.

"Um…Pansy?" He began.

"Don't say anything, Blaise." Pansy snapped sharply at him, narrowing her eyes and turning to give him a poisonous glare.

"Did Neville just—"

Pansy's sharp blue eyes instantly flicked over to Aria, glaring her into submission until Aria slowly snapped her mouth shut.

"Awww! He left you a rose! That's so sweet—"

"I said no one say anything!" Pansy blurted out loudly, cutting Hannah off when the former Hufflepuff began gushing and pointing to the flower on the table. "All of you, keep your damn mouths shut unless you want me to glue your tongue to the roof of your mouth!"

Everyone instantly fell silent at that and reluctantly turned back to their breakfast.

Wordlessly, Pansy finished the last of her drink and began fixing her things. As she did this, Aria stole another glance at her from the corner of her eye. She watched as Pansy paused and seemed to stare thoughtfully at the flower Neville had left, a strange, unreadable look on her face. Then, muttering grumpily to herself about 'Stupid Gryffindors', she took the flower and, very discreetly, shoved it into her bag.

Aria quickly averted her gaze when Pansy looked up to make sure no one had seen her little slip.

Afterwards, Pansy stood up and hurriedly excused herself, not even bothering to wait for any of them as she got her things and scurried out of the Great Hall. As soon as she was gone, Aria finally allowed herself to look up, meeting Blaise's amused gray eyes across the table.

They shared a small, knowing grin.

Maybe it was a coincidence, but Aria hadn't gotten any sleep the previous night and so, in the wee hours of morning the following day, she happened to be wide awake by herself in the common room when something strange happened.

She couldn't explain why, but she felt a foreboding feeling of dread creep into her chest when Professor Slughorn and Headmistress McGonagall suddenly came storming through the Slytherin Common Room entrance. They were wearing identical somber expressions on their faces as they inspected the area thoroughly, as though trying to ascertain something. Afterwards, they whispered to each other in hushed voices before proceeding to wake up the Slytherin Prefects from all year levels and instructing them to follow McGonagall back to the Headmistress' office.

"What's going on?" Neville whispered under his breath to Aria, still in his pajamas as he walked over and joined her on the couch in the living room. "Has something happened?"

"I don't know." Aria answered quietly, watching as Blaise and Pansy rushed down from their dorms, both still looking a bit bedraggled as they shot each other identical looks of confusion. Wordlessly, they followed Slughorn and the rest of the prefects out of the common room.

As soon as the large group had gone, Aria turned to a sleepy-looking, pajama-clad Draco just as he entered the living area, a thick, green blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He sat down into his favorite armchair, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands, and fixed his narrowed-eyed stare at the closed, common room entrance.

"Do you know what's going on?" Aria asked him.

"Not a clue." Draco answered, a worried frown on his face as he shook his head.

"There's some kind of commotion happening in the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff common rooms." Zach told them as he was coming down from the boys' dorms. He paused, however, when he caught sight of Aria and his gaze automatically dropped down to her nightgown.

"Is that what you sleep in, Potter?" He asked, a faint blush beginning to stain his cheeks.

"My eyes are up here." Aria growled at him, scowling as she reddened and wrapped her arms protectively over herself.

"Stop staring at her!" Draco suddenly snapped at the other boy as he untangled the thick green blanket from around his shoulders and tossed it at Aria's face. "And bloody hell, Potter! Cover yourself up when you're in the common room! There are men out here!" He added angrily.

"Sorry." Aria obliged and wrapped the blanket around herself, trying not to shiver when she was immediately enveloped in Draco's scent. She swallowed and looked away so that Draco wouldn't see her blushing.

"It's not my fault. I wasn't expecting so many people to suddenly wake up this early." She said sheepishly.

"Anyway, yeah. Sorry about that." Zach shook his head to clear the blush away and plopped down into the couch beside Neville. "As I was saying, something's happened in the other common rooms. I don't know what exactly but my dad just floo-called me and told me to not cause any trouble or attract any attention right now." He told them, shrugging.

"The other common rooms?" Aria's frown deepened as she repeated his words. "You mean something happened in all the other common rooms except ours?" She demanded.

When Zach grimaced and shrugged again, Aria's eyes narrowed and both Draco and Neville stiffened in their seats.

That was when the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room swung open again and Hannah came bounding in, looking slightly out of breath. Aria had already opened her mouth to ask her what happened but Hannah beat her to it.

"Someone's trashed the other common rooms during the night!" She blurted out, causing both Aria and Neville to jump up out of their seats in alarm. "As in completely trashed. I don't know about the other houses, but I just came from Hufflepuff and it's insane. Trash, paint and muck everywhere." She told them.

"You're kidding right?" Zach gaped at her, looking horrified.

"Are you sure?" Aria asked again, giving Hannah a calm, ascertaining look.

"That's not even the worst part." Hannah's mood grew serious and she lowered her gaze to the floor, shaking her head. "The person who did it, whoever it was, used Slytherin colors again to vandalize the entire place—"

There was a loud clink as Draco carelessly dropped the cup of coffee in his hand onto a nearby table before he stood up, walking over to Hannah with a dark look on his face.

"Say that again?" He asked in a low, quiet hiss.

Hannah looked a little intimidated by the intensity of Draco's stare but she swallowed and forced herself to answer, speaking in a worried voice. "Whoever trashed the other common rooms used Slytherin colors and all sorts of Slytherin paraphernalia to vandalize the walls and furniture." She bit her lip and glanced around them, noting that their own common room was still perfectly clean and untouched. "And judging from the way our own common room remains intact, I'm pretty certain the teachers are going to suspect us."

"Again." Neville muttered, his eyes growing dark with realization.

"This is ridiculous." Draco growled under his breath, running a hand through his unusually disheveled blond hair. "Some asshole is obviously trying to pin this on us and isn't even bothering to be discreet about it." He snapped.

Aria could only nod silently in agreement, her features schooled into a blank mask as she processed everything Hannah had just said. She drowned out the rest of Draco and Neville's muted conversation as she sank back slowly into her seat and stared intently into the fire, wrapping Draco's blanket tighter around her shoulders.

Even after Blaise and Pansy returned, both Slytherins looking a little rattled as they sat down to explain the situation to the rest of them, Aria still hadn't moved from her seat and continued to remain silent as she listened to them.

Blaise just repeated exactly what Hannah had told them – someone had trashed the other three common rooms during the night. And apparently, it was bad enough that McGonagall had to cancel all of their morning classes that day just so the other houses could spend the morning cleaning up the mess.

Unlike the last vandalism incident, there was no clear evidence this time – other than the fact that the perpetuator had again used more Slytherin-related colors and symbols in committing the deed.

Not surprisingly, the faculty wanted another round of questioning for all Slytherins, regardless of year level. This time, the consequences were more severe as the offense committed involved a case of assault. As Pansy explained, they found one of Gryffindor's prefects passed out cold in the Gryffindor Common Room. When they asked him what happened, he claims he couldn't remember anything other than being in a weird trance before he lost consciousness.

Unfortunately, as the rest of the day went by and the teachers finished interrogating all of the students from Slytherin, Headmistress McGonagall was again forced to suspend the investigation. Not only did no one have any idea who was responsible but even the Slytherin second years who were previously charged with vandalizing the Great Hall couldn't be accused this time. The two boys were still suspended and hadn't even been in the school for the past two weeks.

Aria was beginning to suspect that there was so much more to this string of incidents that she had yet to understand.

"I'm confused about something though." Morag said out loud in a baffled voice as they were heading to the Great Hall for dinner much later that evening. "Shouldn't the paintings from the other common rooms know something? Didn't they witness what happened?" She asked.

As they walked through the school's corridors, it didn't escape Aria's attention that a lot of the students from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had taken to shooting them angry glares now. There was also an unmistakable trail of hushed, whispers and blatant pointing that followed them everywhere they went.

"All the paintings say the exact same thing that stunned Gryffindor prefect did. They just remember being in a weird trance and then falling asleep." Pansy answered her with a weary sigh.

"The person responsible is smart then. And cunning. It certainly takes a lot of planning to be able to infiltrate all three common rooms like that without anyone noticing." Neville added darkly.

"At least they seemed to have dropped the investigation for now." Blaise added as they crossed the school courtyard on their way to the other wing of the castle. "But the other houses are pissed at us. Even the other prefects looked like they wanted to choke us for more information on who did it."

"I don't think the school board will let this go without a culprit though." Zach chimed in, shaking his head. "Especially since it's another Slytherin-related incident."

"Yes, because they'd just love the opportunity to expel another future Death Eater." Draco drawled out loud in a harsh, sarcastic voice.

Aria noticed that another group of students, a group of 5th year Ravenclaws standing near the entrance to the Great Hall, shot them all a vicious glare as they passed them.

"Everyone is staring at us." Hannah whispered in a hushed voice, her eyes darting around nervously at the other house tables. When none of them said anything and merely scowled in reply, her eyes dawned in realization and she suddenly flicked her wide-eyed gaze to Aria beside her.

"Is this how it feels like to be you, Aria?" She kidded weakly, eliciting a chorus of light, forced snickers from their group.

Aria didn't laugh at Hannah's quip, nor was she smiling as she felt another unsettling, prickling sensation at the back of her neck. Slowly, she looked up, instantly meeting Bentley's wide, gleaming blue eyes from across the hall.

The Gryffindor was sitting among his friends and had already been staring very intently at the doors of the Great Hall even before Aria had walked in.

When Aria met his eyes, a strange smile suddenly lit up his face. For a second, Aria actually thought he was going to get up and walk across the room to approach her but then something in Bentley's expression changed. His eyes flashed and his face suddenly twisted into a scowl as he settled back into his seat, though not without glaring darkly at something over Aria's shoulder.

Following his gaze, Aria was stunned when she realized that the reason Bentley was scowling was because Blaise and Draco had taken the liberty to sandwich her between them, shielding her from Bentley's view as they made their way across the hall. When they finally reached the Slytherin table and everyone sat down into their seats, Aria let out the breath she had been holding and looked up, giving both Slytherin boys a small, grateful smile.

"Thanks for that." She said quietly.

Draco scowled darkly and pretended not to hear her, wordlessly piling food onto his plate.

"You should stay away from that bloke, Potter." Blaise told her, an uncharacteristically worried look on his face that Aria had never seen before. "There's something very wrong about the way he looks at you."

In her head, Aria had been under the misguided assumption that Corey Parkinson would look just like a mini, younger version of his older sister. But when she walked into the empty classroom where she would be meeting Corey that morning, Aria was surprised to see a small, brown-haired kid with bright blue eyes and a cute, boyish face grinning right back at her.

As it turns out, Corey looked nothing like his older sister.

Where Pansy's features were sharper and more defined, Corey's was rounder and unlike Pansy, his eyes were bright with mischief and excitement. His hair was also lighter than Pansy's – a soft, auburn brown color – and it complemented the light hues of his big, blue eyes.

Corey also didn't have the perpetual scowl on his face that his older sister always seemed to have. Instead, as Pansy was introducing him to Aria, the brown-haired boy beamed up at her and rewarded her with a bright smile before extending his hand out to her in greeting.

"Aria Potter!" Corey blurted out, his face instantly lighting up with recognition. "It's an honor to meet you!" He rushed out, ignoring the way Pansy was trying to glare him into silence. "I mean, I see you all the time in the Slytherin Common Room but this is the first time I'm actually getting to see and talk to you, face-to-face!" He exclaimed loudly, practically bouncing on his heels.

"It's nice to meet you, Corey." Aria gave him a genuine smile back, amused by his exuberance. "Your sister tells me that you've been having a bit of trouble with DADA this year?" She asked.

At her words, the excitement on Corey's face immediately died down and he scowled, looking up to give Pansy an annoyed look. "Well, not just this year to be honest." He admitted begrudgingly, scuffling his shoes along the floor. "I've always had trouble with DADA. And most of my other subjects, really. They're all just so—"

"Corey." Pansy warned him, giving him another quelling glare.

"—boring." Corey finished, blinking up at Aria again and giving her an impatient look. "What's the point in learning all of those subjects anyway? Who needs DADA or Potions or Transfiguration or even History?" He complained loudly, making a disgusted face. "There are other things I'd much rather be doing—"

"That's enough, Corey." Pansy cut him off again as she reached down and grabbed him by his collar, turning him around to face her. "Anyway, it's like I told you. Potter here has agreed to give you DADA lessons every Saturday. At least until your grades pick up. Use the time wisely, okay? And don't be afraid to ask her questions, she's the best at DADA in our year."

"You don't have to stroke my ego too much, Parkinson." Aria quipped, causing Pansy to roll her eyes.

"Seriously?" Corey glanced back and forth between Aria and Pansy, a disappointed expression on his face. "You want me to spend my Saturday mornings studying DADA?" He turned to his sister again and gave her a pleading look. "Can't I just hang out with my friends?"

Pansy ignored him, turning her attention back to Aria.

"Anyway, I'll leave you two to it then." Pansy waited until Aria nodded at her before she gave Corey's shoulder one last squeeze and then excused herself, walking out of the empty classroom and closing the door quietly behind her.

As soon as they were alone, Corey directed his scowling face at Aria, looking slightly put out.

"We're not really going to spend the whole morning studying DADA are we? Can I just tell her you tutored me even if you didn't?" He complained, the protesting tone of his voice causing Aria's lips to twitch with amusement.

"Sorry, kid." She walked over to one of the empty chairs by the windows and sat down, patting the one beside it. "I hate the thought of studying on a Saturday morning as much as you do but I promised your sister that I'd help you improve your grades. Don't worry though. I'll try to make things as interesting as I can." She told him.

When Corey slumped down into the seat beside her and gave her a dubious look, Aria chuckled and began leafing through the textbook that Pansy had given her.

"So where did you stop in class, exactly?" She asked.

"I think we just started on disarming." Corey answered as he leaned back against the backrest of his seat and stifled a yawn. "Though I'm not sure, I was asleep in class." He admitted sheepishly.

"That's fine." Aria closed the textbook and stood up from her seat, offering him a hand to help him stand. "I think you'll be able to learn this much better if I demonstrate to you how exactly the disarming spell works. Here, bring your wand out." She instructed.

Unfortunately, as much as Aria tried, she spent the better part of the next hour focused more on holding Corey's attention long enough for him to actually learn anything. It was a little frustrating on Aria's part, if she were being truly honest, but she couldn't really blame Corey for it. He had been upfront about his complete lack of interest in the subject after all, and it was Pansy who was adamant about him learning more about DADA.

"Why don't we try learning something else? Something simpler?" Aria suggested after another hour of Corey failing to cast the disarming spell properly. "Do you know how to cast the stunning spell? I also find that to be exceptionally useful."

"Our teacher may have mentioned something about a stunning spell during class." Corey answered uncertainly, giving her another guilty smile. "But I don't think I was paying attention that time."

"Okay." Aria struggled not to let the frustration on her face show as she walked over to where Corey stood and positioned his arms into the proper wand stance. "It's very simple – the spell is 'Stupefy'. You just have to make sure you aim your wand properly when you execute the movement."

They persevered for another hour — at least until Corey began to show his less-than-subtle signs of boredom coupled with exhaustion. Sighing, he sat down onto one of the chairs near the windows with a glum look on his face. Aria sighed at that and moved to repair the walls of the classroom that Corey's stray spells had accidentally ended up hitting. When she finished and glanced over her shoulder at him again, she frowned and followed his wide-eyed stare.

From the window of their classroom, the entirety of the Quidditch Pitch was visible and Aria blinked in surprise at the sight of Ron, Ginny and a few other Gryffindors flying around on their brooms outside. Then, she shook the confusion away when she remembered that Ron had mentioned to her that morning that the Gryffindor Quidditch Team was having their practice that day.

"I forgot all about the quidditch match tomorrow." Aria mentioned casually as she sat down onto the chair beside Corey again, watching through the window as Ron and Ginny raced around the Quidditch Pitch. "I suppose Ron's trying to get everyone all hyped up for the match against Slytherin." She mused.

"Quidditch is bloody wicked." Corey enthused as he tore his gaze from the window. Aria was a little taken back when she received the first ever genuine smile from him ever since their DADA lesson started. "It's my favorite sport in the whole world. My favorite team is Puddlemere United." He told her, grinning.

"Good choice." Aria conceded and returned his grin with her own. "That's my favorite team too. Though my best friend Ron says Chudley Canons is the best." She and Corey both made a face at that and the utterly appalled look on his face made Aria laugh.

"Chudley Canons is the worst. They haven't had a decent team in ages." He declared loudly with a firm shake of his head before he turned back to watching the flying Gryffindors through the window.

"I agree." Aria answered, still chuckling as she watched Ginny effortlessly throw the quaffle through one of the goal posts. When Corey didn't answer her, she paused and gave him a questioning look from the corner of her eye.

"If you like quidditch so much, why didn't you try out for the Slytherin Quidditch Team? You're already in second year after all." She mentioned, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh. Um—"

To Aria's surprise, the smile on Corey's face slowly faded and his shoulders slumped slightly. He sighed and turned away from her to stare out the window, resting his chin against the palm of his hand.

"I didn't join because…Well, I'm not allowed to. My family doesn't want me flying around like that. They said it might be dangerous for someone with my condition." He paused and turned to look at Aria again, his eyes narrowing into an accusing glare. "I assume my sister already told you about my condition, right?"

"Yes, she did."

Aria gave him an apologetic smile but she didn't flinch when he glared at her again and rolled his eyes before looking away.

"She's always so worried." Corey complained with an indignant huff. "I actually really wanted to join the quidditch team this year as a Chaser. I asked Draco and he said it was okay, but then Pansy found out and went all shrill, screaming mother hen again so I wasn't allowed to try out."

"She's probably just concerned about your well-being." Aria told him, listening intently to his words. "Did your Healer tell you that flying wouldn't be safe for you?" She asked.

"That's the thing." Corey answered with a frantic shake of his head. "My Healer actually encouraged me about it. He said that engaging in regular physical activity like a sport would be good for my condition and so long as I don't overexert myself and get enough rest, it should be fine." He explained.

"I see." Aria frowned at that, considering his words carefully.

After a few minutes, an idea suddenly popped into her head. She grinned, turning to give the younger Slytherin a mischievous wink.

"I'll tell you what, Corey. Why don't we settle this like Slytherins do and make a deal?" Aria stifled a smirk when she saw the way Corey's eyes had instantly narrowed at the words 'Slytherin' and 'Deal'.

"From personal experience, that doesn't always sound so good." Corey mumbled uncertainly under his breath.

"Relax, I'm not going to blackmail you or anything." Aria rolled her eyes at his reaction. "But how's this? You pay more attention and actually exert some real effort when I teach you in the mornings. And in return, I'll help you with your flying and give you some tips after every lesson." She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Seriously?!" The suspicion in Corey's expression immediately faded into an ecstatic grin as he blinked at her, practically bouncing in his seat. "You'll help me with my flying? You're not just pulling my leg, are you? But what about Pansy?"

"I'll be there to keep an eye on you the whole time so I promise you won't get hurt. And if it bothers you that much, I'll tell your sister about it." Aria reassured him with a firm shake of her head.

"So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?" She asked, grinning.

"Yes!" Corey was practically beside himself with glee as he immediately shot up from his seat and grabbed his wand. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's finish the lesson already. What was that about the stunning spell again?" He demanded.

Aria could barely keep herself from smirking in triumph as she stood up and followed him back to the large, spacious area near the front of the classroom. The rest of their DADA lesson proceeded to go much more smoothly after that and all too soon, after Corey had pretty much absorbed most of the spells Aria taught him, the two of them were trekking through the Hogwarts grounds as they made their way to the quidditch pitch.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was still in the middle of practice when they got there so Aria pulled Corey to safety along the sides of the field. They watched as Ron called out a few of the other team members on certain plays for awhile, before the redhead finally noticed them there. He grinned widely at Aria, waving at her before he excused himself from the rest of his teammates and flew over to them.

"Hey, mate! What are you doing here?" Ron greeted her as he landed on the ground beside her, yanking his goggles off his face. "I thought you said you were tutoring Parkinson's little brother this morning?"

"I am." Aria rolled her eyes at him before pointedly reaching over and patting Corey's shoulder, drawing Ron's attention to the younger boy. "Ron, meet Corey Parkinson. Corey, this is Ron Weasley. One of my best friends and this year's captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team." She told him.

"Pleased to meet you." Corey greeted him with a wide, toothy smile. "Wow, so you're captain of the Gryffindors? Do you think you'll stand a chance against Slytherin this year?" He asked in a loud, obnoxiously smug voice.

"Stand a chance against Slytherins—" Ron sputtered the words out for a few seconds before his eyes narrowed and he silenced Aria's poorly muffled laughter with a deadpan look. "Haha, that's very funny. You two are hilarious." He turned his attention back to Corey and gave him a mock glare. "I certainly see the resemblance now between you and your older sister." He added wryly.

"Why is that funny?" Corey blinked at him before he raised an eyebrow and alternated his gaze back and forth between Ron and Aria. "It was an innocent question. I really was just asking if you were ready for the match against us tomorrow. Especially with Aria on our team, this is probably our strongest line-up in years—"

"Alright, that's enough out of you, kid." Ron's left eye twitched and he met Aria's teasing smirk with another irritated glare before he shook his head and set the end of his broom down briefly onto the grass. "Anyway, what's up? Why are you two here?" His narrowed gaze flicked back to Aria and he pretended to give her a suspicious glare.

"You're not here to spy on us or anything are you?" He teased.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron." Aria smacked him hard on the shoulder, causing Ron to yelp loudly and scowl at her. "I actually just promised Corey here that I'd help him with his flying after every DADA lesson. You wouldn't happen to have a spare broom that we could borrow right? I promise we'll stay way on the other side of the pitch so we don't disturb your practice." She told him.

"Oh yeah, sure. Hold on, I think there are some Comet 260s back in the shed." Ron gestured for them to wait for a bit as he jogged over to the equipment shed nearby. He came back a few minutes later, though there was only one broomstick in his outstretched hand.

"There's only one broom, though." He said regretfully as he handed the broomstick over to Aria.

"That's alright. Corey, why don't you go ahead and fly around? I'll stay here and observe you for now." Aria offered as she handed the Comet 260 over to Corey.

"But…What about you? Don't you have a Firebolt or something?" He asked.

Ron and Aria both grimaced at the memory.

"I did, but it was destroyed last year." She admitted, noting the way Corey's eyes widened in horror – as though the mere thought of a Firebolt being destroyed was the most horrible thing he had ever heard in his life. "Anyway, don't worry about it. I'll join you up in the air next time. For now, I'll stay here and keep a close watch on you." She gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"You're sure?" Corey asked again, staring uncertainly at the broomstick in his hand.

When she nodded, he grinned and hopped up onto the Comet 260, zooming up into the air with an elated smile on his young face.

As soon as he was gone, Aria walked over to one of the bleachers nearby and sat down, chuckling as the younger Slytherin let out a loud 'whoop' and began flying in circles around the air. She noticed that Ron had signaled to Ginny that he was taking a break before he walked back over to join her, removing the heavy keeper's helmet off his head.

"How's practice, Captain?" Aria teased as he settled down into the bench beside her.

"Pretty good, actually." Ron answered, giving her a grin. "We have a really good line-up this year. Ginny's spectacular of course. I mean, she's been training all summer so no surprise there. And the new Chasers who joined aren't bad either. Demelza Robbins is really good." He told her.

"I heard she has an invitation to join the Holyhead Harpies." Aria mentioned.

"Yeah, she and Ginny. They were scouted by the team manager before the year started."

The smile on Aria's face dimmed a little as she shifted her gaze from Corey's flying form to Ginny, watching as the redheaded girl took another graceful dive in the air. "How is Ginny, by the way? She's been really immersing herself in nothing but quidditch this year."

"She's…doing okay, I suppose." Ron picked up on the underlying question in Aria's words easily and he sighed, following her gaze to stare quietly at his sister. "Mum and Dad think it's good that she has a distraction to keep her busy. It helps, you know. Somewhat." He glanced at Aria and gave her a small, tight smile.

"All those hours she spent training certainly kept her mind off what happened during the war. To be honest, all of us have been trying something new nowadays. It helps us forget about—" Ron's voice broke and he immediately cut himself off, averting his gaze from Ginny to stare at the ground by his feet.

Fred's death.

Aria heard his unspoken words as clearly as though Ron himself had said them, but she didn't say anything.

Instead, she swallowed the dry, painful lump that had formed in her throat and reached a hand out, squeezing Ron's shoulder in a quiet gesture of comfort. He seemed to appreciate it all the same as he lifted his gaze and managed to give her another forced smile.

"Anyway, enough about that. How have you been doing, mate?" They both directed their attention to Corey again, watching as the young Slytherin began flying around Hogwarts castle. "I know you didn't exactly expect to spend this year in Slytherin but from the looks of things, you seem to be getting along with your housemates anyway." He mused.

"It's been…surprisingly okay." Aria admitted with a chuckle, as though she had trouble believing her own words. "Things aren't the same in Slytherin as they were in Gryffindor, obviously. But maybe that's a good thing. I think we all needed the change in scenery anyway. And besides, my housemates are actually pretty...interesting." She said, smirking.

Ron made a face at that and he arched an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Even Parkinson? Or Malfoy?" He scoffed.

"You'd be surprised." Aria laughed, shaking her head. "Malfoy's changed a lot since the war. He's not the loud-mouthed, obnoxious git he used to be. Mostly, he's just quiet and keeps to himself now. To be honest, he's not unpleasant to have around. I…I actually like being around him." She told him, blushing slightly.

Ron's expression suddenly grew serious and he turned to give her a pointed look.

"When are you going to tell him the truth?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know yet." Aria fidgeted nervously at his question and looked away, pretending to pick at an imaginary piece of lint on her skirt. "I mean, I know I should…I really should but – he just seems so interested in pursuing his 'Dream Girl' that I just...I don't want to detract him from that."

"Zabini and Parkinson already know about you. It's not like one more will make a huge difference." Ron retorted wryly.

"Yes, it will." Aria rushed out defensively, glaring at him. "Telling Draco will make a huge difference and you know it, Ron."

To her annoyance, Ron's eyebrow only seemed to lift higher at her words.

"So it's 'Draco' now, huh?" He made a disgusted face again and pretended to make a gagging motion with his finger. "Merlin, you really are starting to like that ferret-faced git, aren't you? Is it because of the veela thing? Please tell me it's the veela thing."

"Shut up."

"But you know, it kind of makes sense. The two of you were always drawn to each other even before all this veela rubbish. And the git always liked 'pulling on your pigtails', so to speak." Ron added with a snort.

"Ron, shush."

"It's still really gross when I think about it though." Ron ignored the way Aria began slapping his arm and continued, schooling his face into an exaggeratedly disgusted grimace. "I mean, the idea of you and that ferret making out – all kissing and hugging and exchanging saliva – eurrrghhhh! Just…gross!" He laughed when a red-faced Aria shoved him hard on the back, nearly causing him to fall off the bench.

"You're disgusting, Weasley! Stop thinking about that!" Aria snapped at him, blushing darker when Ron ended up laughing even more at the uncomfortable expression on her face. "Ugh…You're so…bleargh! I don't like you without Hermione." She complained.

"Aw, I love you too." Ron grinned impishly at her, causing Aria to roll her eyes again.

"Seriously though, I'm happy that you're making new friends with the Slytherins. Hermione's having a blast with the new Ravenclaws too. And as much as I love you both, I'm also finding it a bit of a…relief to get the chance to spend time with other guys this year. After all, there are still stuff that guys only get to talk about when girls aren't around." He said.

"Please don't bother elaborating on that." She deadpanned.

"I wasn't planning to." Ron said wryly, smirking at the disturbed look on Aria's face. "And you know what else? Hermione and Ginny were right about Goyle. He's actually not that bad. Without Malfoy or Parkinson ordering him around, turns out the bloke is actually the most non-confrontational person I've ever met. Oh and plus, he lets me copy off his History homework too so I like him." He added, grinning at her.

"Only you would take advantage of a situation like that." Aria drawled, rolling her eyes at him. "Why don't you do your own homework? I mean, as nice as Goyle is, he's not exactly a model student in History." She pointed out.

"Well, no…But he's always studying with Luna and Daphne these days and they're good at History so by copying off his homework, I also reap the benefits." Ron told her with a particularly self-satisfied smile.

"Your laziness knows no bounds, Ron."

"Thanks. I think?" Ron chuckled softly before his expression sobered again and he gave her another comforting smile. "Anyway, try not to worry so much about that whole veela thing, okay? Whatever you decide to do, you know Hermione and I will always be there anyway to support you or back you up. We may not get to see you everyday now like we used to but we're still your best friends, Aria. Nothing will change that." He reached out and gave her gloved hand a quick, reassuring squeeze.

"Of course I know that, you bloody idiot." At his words, the irritated scowl on Aria's face dissolved into a genuine, albeit exasperated smile. "If you think for one minute that you going all sappy on me will get me to take it easy on you at quidditch tomorrow, you've got another thing coming, Weasley." She teased.

"Keep dreaming, Snake." Ron snorted derisively, sticking his tongue out at her.

Aria grinned at him and opened her mouth, ready to snipe him with another witty retort when she suddenly froze up, recognizing the familiar, creepy sensation she felt tingling at the back of her neck. Instead of looking up to search for the source of her discomfort, however, she frowned and lowered her gaze, knowing full well that she would most likely just see Bentley Fisher staring at her again.

"Ron?" She asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Is that creepy bloke Fisher staring at me again?"

Ron noticed the uneasiness of her body language immediately and, without moving from his seat, he shifted his gaze over Aria's shoulder to stare somewhere up in the pitch. Aria didn't look up but she studied Ron's expression closely, noting the way her best friend's eyes hardened before he withdrew his gaze and turned to give her a worried look.

"Yes he is." He frowned to himself, eyebrows fusing together in thought. "I should probably warn you. That bloody git is so ridiculously obsessed with you that it's downright creepy. For once, I actually agree with Malfoy and Zabini on this one. You should stay the hell away from him."

"Why the hell did you let that tosser join the team then?!" Aria hissed at him irritably.

"I didn't know how much of a creepy bloke he was when I let him join!" Ron countered, giving her an apologetic grimace. "How was I supposed to know that he's some kind of crazy, obsessed stalker? And besides, I was supposed to be fair in choosing who gets in! Equal opportunity and all that." He blurted out, causing Aria to roll her eyes. "Look, trust me. If he gives you any trouble during the match tomorrow, I'll throw his ass right off the team."

Aria sighed at that and she was just about to say something else when Corey suddenly cut them off when he landed directly in front of them, his hair all disheveled from the wind and a wide, ecstatic smile lighting up his face.

"Hey, I just thought of something!" He exclaimed, hoisting his broom up on his shoulders and running up the bleachers to where Ron and Aria were seated. He ignored the bemused expression on Ron's face as he plopped down onto the seat beside Aria and gave her an excited, slightly pleading look.

"Will you teach me that snitch dive of yours?" He asked.

"Um. That might be a little too advanced for you." Aria chuckled and looked up, meeting Ron's equally amused grin before turning back to Corey with a nervous smile. "And your sister might kill me."

Their first match against Gryffindor was a disaster.

Never mind the fact that Gryffindor was the clear favorite of nearly all the students watching along the quidditch stands (and this was even despite the fact that the Slytherins had Harriah Potter on their team), Draco was uncomfortably reminded of exactly why Gryffindor always managed to consistently become Slytherin's fiercest rivals for the Quidditch Championship over the past couple of years.

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team was good.

So good, in fact, that within the first few minutes of the match, they caught up to the 50-point lead Slytherin had fairly quickly so that the two teams were eventually neck and neck. Before Draco could come up with an alternative strategy to remedy this, the Gryffindor Beaters – Fisher and Jenson – suddenly took it upon themselves to begin aiming the bludgers directly at Draco, successfully incapacitating him for most of the game. And as he was their team's highest scoring Chaser, the lead between Gryffindor and Slytherin soon widened – a lot.

Gritting his teeth, Draco gripped the handle of his Nimbus 2001 and swerved sharply to the right, another stray bludger just narrowly missing his shoulder. He squinted through his goggles and looked around the quidditch pitch, trying to assess the situation. By now, the score was 200-120, in favor of Gryffindor, but with the Gryffindor Chasers becoming much more aggressive with their shots each passing minute, Draco knew their lead was only going to grow.

He squinted into the distance, making out Aria and the female Weasley tailing each other near the Gryffindor goal posts. Blaise, on the other hand, was beginning to look worn out as he managed to block yet another powerful throw by Demelza Robbins, the Gryffindor team's star Chaser.

Draco really hated to admit it, but all of the Gryffindor Chasers (Anthony Goldstein, Megan Jones, and Demelza Robbins) were pretty good – especially Robbins. In the ten minutes Draco had spent dodging another round of Fisher's endless bludgers, this time aimed at his head, Robbins had scored two more times for Gryffindor, effectively bringing her team to a hundred point lead against Slytherin.

It certainly didn't help that Draco was only finding out now exactly how much Zach had exaggerated his supposed 'skills' in quidditch.

The former Hufflepuff had turned into a complete, shaking bundle of nerves the minute their team had flown out onto the quidditch pitch at the start of the match. He kept fumbling nearly every time Draco or Austin tossed him the quaffle and once, in his blind panic, the bloody idiot even managed to accidentally toss the quaffle to Goldstein, one of Gryffindor's Chasers.

If Draco wasn't so damn focused on avoiding a concussion and trying not to get knocked off his broom by a bludger, he would have snapped at Zach, pulled him out in the middle of the match and called for a replacement Chaser immediately.

As things were, Draco figured that he probably didn't have any other choice and so, he made his decision and gestured to Madam Hooch across the field, calling for a time out. When she blew her whistle, all of the members of the Slytherin team flew over to Draco, circling around him as they waited for him to give instructions about their next strategy.

"They're killing us out there!" Zach blurted out, his shoulders heaving with exhaustion.

"No thanks to you, Butterfingers!" Austin snapped at him, knocking the other boy on the head with his gloves. "What the hell were you doing back there?! Have you never played quidditch before?!"

"Y—you're right, I'm sorry. I'm just nervous." Zach admitted, wincing as he reached up and wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand.

"You look like you're going to be sick, Zach." Aria told him as she reached out and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "Just try to relax, okay? Besides, what happened to all that stuff you said about being good at quidditch—"

"Well, I lied okay?!" Zach hissed hysterically at her, wincing again and taking a long swig from his bottle of water. "I was just spewing hot air when I told you all that stuff about quidditch! I'm bloody terrible at it, alright?! Always have been! The only reason I got into this team was because my dad blackmailed Slughorn to let me join—"

"Alright, alright! Enough about that for now!" Draco snapped at them, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Look, those damn Lions have obviously got the advantage on us right now. Their beaters are using all of their energy to keep me from even touching the damn quaffle so I say, let's up the ante a little bit. If you know what I mean."

Beside him, Blaise smirked and the roguish glint in his eyes matched Draco's.

"Shall we execute our classic snake play then?" He asked.

"You know the drill, boys." Draco ignored the look of confusion on both Aria and Zach's faces as he smirked and reached a hand out, waiting until every single member of their team piled their hands together on top of his before he grinned again and winked at them. "And don't forget to have fun."

Blaise and the rest of the team (save for Aria) gave him a loud, gleeful cheer in acknowledgment before they broke apart and Draco flew back over to the other end of the pitch.

Within the next fifteen minutes, the Slytherins began executing their new tactic perfectly.

Draco smirked as he watched Harper and Graham switch to the offensive, attempting to sandwich the Gryffindor Chasers between them. The two huge Slytherin Beaters slammed into the Gryffindors from both sides, trying to make them swerve off course and crash into the bleachers or the goal posts. Unfortunately, it only worked once – in the case of Megan Jones, but only because she was a tiny little girl who probably hadn't seen it coming.

Nevertheless, the outraged looks from Weasley and the other Gryffindors made the stunt completely worth it and their righteous anger provided enough of a distraction that Draco and Austin managed to break through their defenses and scored Slytherin a couple more points, successfully bringing the score to 200-180, in favor of Gryffindor.

The boos from the Gryffindor side of the bleachers were merciless at their underhanded tactic and the blatant attack on their Chasers but Draco didn't really care that much. And if the reactions of the other Slytherins watching were anything to go by, neither did they.

Weasley, however, was furious as he called for another time out and flew across the pitch from the keeper stand to yell loudly at Draco, accusing him of cheating and trying to injure his Chasers. Undaunted, Draco just gave him a pretentious smirk back and flew off, leaving the redheaded Gryffindor gaping after his retreating back.

To Draco's surprise, Aria wasn't making any comments or protests against their cheating tactics.

In fact, if Draco didn't know any better, he even suspected that she was amused by their strategy, especially given the way she smirked and deliberately swerved to the side so as to give Harper and Graham a wide, perfect angle to attack Bentley Fisher from behind. The Gryffindor yelped in pain and ended up crashing against the Slytherin goal posts, where Blaise proceeded to 'accidentally' hit him on the crotch with a stray quaffle.

Aria giggled and rewarded Draco with an exhilarated smile at that before she flew off, exchanging a quick high-five with Blaise as she passed the Keeper's post. As he watched her fly away, Draco felt another strange, fluttering feeling somewhere in the pit of his stomach.

That was when Draco realized that it actually didn't matter to him if they lost today's match after all.

Because everyone's favorite golden girl, Aria Potter, was actually on their team, condoning their actions and – Merlin's pants – was actually helping them cheat against the Gryffindors.

And hell if Draco wasn't having the most ridiculous fun he's had at quidditch in fucking ages.

Unfortunately, as it turns out, his fun would prove to be short-lived because within a few minutes of Fisher recovering from their little stunt, the Beater growled and looked up with glowing blue eyes, glaring furiously at Draco from way on the other side of the pitch. He signaled impatiently to Jenson, who in turn nodded and flew over towards him.

At the exact same time this was happening, Aria suddenly stopped in front of the Slytherin side of the bleachers and took a sharp dive down in chase of the snitch, followed very closely by Ginny Weasley. The skill of both seekers was unmistakeable as Ginny effortlessly tailed after Aria, their distance from each other barely a feet away. It was only when Aria did an impressive swerve around one of the Gryffindor goal posts that Ginny lost her momentum and pulled back; and Aria used that opportunity to close in on the golden snitch.

Everyone up in the stands watched with bated breath as Aria flattened herself against her Nimbus 2001 and reached a gloved hand out, her fingers inching closer and closer towards the fluttering golden ball.

Only for her to cry out in pain and pull her hand back sharply when Fisher growled and bat carelessly at the bludgers again – but this time, his rage caused his aim to be way off and instead of hitting Draco as he intended, he managed to end up hitting Aria hard right on her back, just below her left shoulder blade, effectively knocking the Slytherin Seeker off her broom.

Everything else that happened seemed to become a blur after that.

Draco vaguely remembered hearing Ron Weasley's panicked shouts, as well as Fisher's agonized screaming but somehow, the harsh, rapid pounding of his own heart echoing painfully in his ears drowned them out. All he could think about in that moment was flying, faster than he ever did in his entire life, towards the girl plummeting dangerously towards the ground.

Chapter Text

There were so many things happening all at once.

Some of the students up in the stands were screaming, Ron Weasley had forgotten all about defending the Gryffindor goal posts and was flying as fast as he could towards Aria's falling form in the middle of the pitch, and Fisher had gone absolutely white with panic and was screaming hysterically as he watched Aria plummet to the ground.

But Draco didn't care about any of them as his fingers tightened around his broom and he forced himself to go faster, a single bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face as he sped through the air like a madman. He squinted through his goggles as he neared Aria and dived down after her, his fingernails digging painfully against the wooden handle of his Nimbus in desperation; until he finally heard Aria's pained gasp when she landed in his arms.

The students watching along the bleachers screamed again as Aria collapsed against Draco, her arms automatically moving to wrap themselves around his neck as she struggled to keep from falling off. Draco winced at the harsh impact of her fall but his free arm automatically tightened around her, carefully positioning her so that he was carrying her more securely - bridal-style in his arms – with her head resting against his left arm and her legs draped over his right. His hand accidentally brushed against something behind her left shoulder and Aria winced again, a soft, pained hiss escaping her lips.

Draco's eyebrows furrowed angrily at her reaction and he used his free hand to remove her goggles and the protective gear covering her face, tossing them away.

"Are you okay? Where else are you hurt?" He demanded as he gripped her chin and tilted her face up to his, using their proximity to inspect her features up close.

Aria stiffened at his nearness and tried to move away from him but Draco was having none of it.

He removed the thick glove from his hand, not wanting to aggravate any of her injuries further, and turned her face from side to side, trying to ascertain for himself that she was unharmed. When he tried to turn her slightly so that he could check her shoulder again, Aria let out another pained grimace and hastily shook her head, trying to push him away.

"N—no, it's somewhere below my left shoulder. It…It hurts really bad." She flushed at the way Draco was holding her and squirmed in his arms again, turning her face away. "It might be broken. I can barely lift my shoulder." She whispered.

"Let me see." Draco ignored her halfhearted protests and poked gently around her back, trying to search for the source of the pain. When his hand brushed against a particularly wet spot and Aria gasped again, trying move away from him, Draco tightened his grip on her and turned her slightly to the side so he could see.

The sight that greeted him made him blanch and he almost lost his grip on the handle of his broom.

Just below Aria's left shoulder, where the bludger had managed to hit her, there was a small red stain of blood that was slowly beginning to grow bigger – but that wasn't what alarmed Draco. What alarmed him was the fact that something, a sharp, pointy tip of what appeared to be part of a slightly bent wing was protruding from Aria's torn quidditch robes. And when Draco moved his hand away, not only was it stained with blood but several, red-stained white feathers stuck to his fingers, most of which were immediately blown away by a sharp gust of wind that caused the feathers to twirl gracefully above his head before disappearing from his sight completely.

So it's true then.

Draco's hand shook as he swallowed before carefully adjusting Aria in his arms again, making sure that the strange wing-protrusion was hidden from everyone else's view.

She is a veela.

That one thought was a culmination of all the questions, suspicions and doubts that he's been having about her that previous week – all of which were coming together now and pretty much reaffirming to Draco what he had suspected about her since their first lesson about veelas.

That's what she's been hiding from us all year.

Draco felt the realization slam into him like a bludger to the head and all of a sudden, he couldn't breathe.

He remembered all those times when Aria would purposely move away from him, the way she was always so careful not to touch him or get too close; how she never took off her gloves, how she had looked so interested when she asked him about his anti-bewitchment ring and even how nearly every idiot male within a ten-foot radius of her would be staring dazedly at her every ten minutes.

It all made sense to him now.

She gave another pained hiss and Draco quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts and checked on her again, careful not to exert any pressure on the broken wing. From a distance away, he heard Ron Weasley shouting furiously at Fisher to fly back down. Meanwhile, Seamus Finnigan, the commentator for the match, was announcing loudly that Ginny Weasley has caught the snitch but at that point, Draco couldn't really bring himself to care about the fact that they just lost the game.

"How bad is the injury?" Aria asked, looking up at him and trying to ascertain his reaction.

He noticed the nervousness in Aria's eyes when she spoke and carefully schooled his expression into a blank mask, not wanting her to find out just yet that he had seen a part of her broken wing sticking out. But mostly, it was because Draco wasn't sure if he was ready to confront her about it just yet.

"You'll live, Potter." He managed to force out a small, wry smirk.

"S—sorry about this." Aria winced again and answered him with a grin that was both a half-smile, and a half-grimace. "I guess that means we lost the match then." She kidded weakly.

"Don't joke about that right now." Draco hissed back sharply, glaring accusingly at her as he slowly began lowering them back down towards the ground.

When she looked uncomfortable at his reaction and tried to push him away again, Draco's eyes narrowed and his arms tightened around her, moving her into a more secure position against him. As she shifted in his arms, the skin of his cheek brushed gently against her forehead, causing her to gasp and Draco to swallow nervously at the way the skin-to-skin contact caused a spark of electricity to course through his entire body.

Draco barely noticed that he was breathing very hard; in short, shallow pants. Though if it was because of her closeness or because of all the adrenaline still pumping through his veins, he wasn't sure.

As he maneuvered his Nimbus 2001 through the air, Aria's other hand wrapped tightly around his shoulders, her gloved fingers gently brushing against his nape. Draco felt his stomach jump when Aria leaned in even closer, tilting her head so that her face was pressed against the side of his neck. They both shivered at that, and Draco felt his cheeks begin to flush at the way he could feel her soft, warm breaths against his pulse, causing the skin there to tingle pleasurably.

When she noticed his reaction, Aria pulled away and stared up at him with dark, heavy-lidded green eyes.

Their eyes met and Draco suddenly remembered, for the first time since the year started, how pretty she was without those dreadful glasses obscuring half of her face. He swallowed again and his eyes involuntarily lowered to her lips, staring at them until he felt her breath hitch. As they continued their slow descent towards the ground, his eyes grew soft and he lifted his free, ungloved hand, using it to stroke her soft cheek and to tuck the lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes behind her ear.

Aria's eyes glazed over at his touch and the creamy skin along her face where his fingers had grazed seemed to shimmer at the contact. A soft, breathless moan escaped her parted lips, causing Draco's eyes to darken dangerously at the utterly sinful, rapturous sound.

Suddenly, he was all too aware of how closely their warm bodies were pressed together.

How he could feel her heartbeat racing against his own and how hot her skin felt to his fingers, almost feverish, and how much his hands itched to explore, to touch, even more of her smooth skin. A soft, satisfied hum escaped the back of his throat as Draco remembered reading about how extremely sensitive veelas were to touch. He began to wonder if it was his touch alone that could make Aria give out more of those wanton, wonderfully delicious little sounds she just did.

Draco swallowed again and he realized that his throat felt incredibly parched.

Without his permission, his eyes dropped down to Aria's lips once more, staring hungrily at them before he licked his own and hurriedly tore his gaze away, his heart racing as he tried to take several sharp, shaky intakes of breath to calm himself down.

For her part, Aria finally seemed to have snapped out of her trance. Her eyes began to widen in horror as she stared at him – as though she herself hadn't anticipated her incredibly obscene reaction. She tore her gaze from his and looked away, her cheeks flushed heavily with embarrassment as she stared abashedly at a fixed point over his shoulder.

They finally reached the ground and Draco lowered them both gently, but when Aria made a move to separate herself from him, his grip tightened around her and he scooped her up into his arms instead, planting his feet firmly onto the grass.

"Malfoy, what the hell are you doing?! Put me down!" Aria hissed at him, her cheeks still burning.

"Lose the attitude, Potter. You're injured." Draco snapped back at her, barely able to keep himself from hissing out the words 'Your wing is broken' in his agitation.

He knew that was the last thing the girl needed to hear right now – the fact that he, of all people, had just figured out the secret she had been desperately trying to hide from everyone else since the year started. Knowing his luck, she'd probably hex him and accuse him of wanting to take advantage of the situation, which Draco gathered probably wasn't an unreasonable assumption to make given their history. Unfortunately, even he wasn't sure how he felt about his little discovery yet, let alone if he actually wanted to confront her about it.

In other words, now that he finally managed to confirm that Potter was, in fact, a veela, he didn't actually know what he was supposed to do with that information. Or the fact that he was, apparently, a compatible enough mate for her – if her reaction to his touch a few minutes ago was any indication.

But that thought didn't give him any comfort or satisfaction at all, because it only begged another question.

Does she hate the idea of me being a compatible mate for her? Is that why she kept trying to avoid touching me all this time? Is that why she told Blaise her secret and not me? Does that mean he's also a compatible mate for her?

Each of those questions left Draco feeling more than a little hurt, but he didn't exactly know why.

All he knew was that he was feeling very, very confused.

Thankfully, Draco was spared from the need to think about the issue any further when he looked up and saw Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Bentley Fisher racing across the quidditch field towards them. Draco barely had the presence of mind to adjust Aria in his arms again to hide the sight of her broken wing from the others before Ron Weasley descended upon them in his frantic worry.

"Aria!" He blurted out as he reached them, ignoring Draco completely as he checked her for any obvious signs of injury. "Bloody hell, are you okay?! I'm so sorry, I couldn't get to you in time – I-I thought you were, I was—" He stopped and his eyes suddenly widened when he caught sight of the small part of her broken wing that was protruding from her left shoulder. His breath hitched and he looked up, wincing as he met Aria's equally panicked expression.

"How bad is it? Is it a bruise?" She whispered, watching him closely.

"I—it's fine, it's just a scratch." Ron stammered, laughing nervously before he reached out and began trying to extract Aria from Draco's arms.

Draco immediately scowled at him and tightened his grip around her in response. "Get off, Weasley—"

"Malfoy." Ron's eyes flashed and he grew impatient as he sighed and gave Draco a pointed glare. "Look, I've got her. You can let go of her now, I'll take her to the hospital wing—"

"She's my seeker." Draco sneered at him in challenge. "She's my responsibility. I'll take her, Weasley."

"Damn it, Malfoy! I said let go—"

"Aria!" Ginny Weasley cried out as she reached them, a look of shock and worry etched clearly all over her face. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were injured, I wouldn't have caught the snitch if I did! I'm so sorry—"

"Relax, Gin. You won fair and square. Besides, it was my fault. I didn't see that bludger coming for me, I should have dodged it—" Ron tried to yank Aria out of Draco's arms again, only for both boys to accidentally jostle her and cause her to gasp in pain when the protruding wing brushed against Draco's arm.

"—ow! Bloody hell, will you both just stop it and let me down?!" She cut herself off in the middle of her sentence and glared at them.

"It wasn't your fault, mate. That bludger came out of nowhere." Ron berated her firmly as he reluctantly stopped attempting to pull her from Draco's arms and glared poisonously at another approaching figure over Ginny's shoulder.

"Fisher, you stupid, useless fuck!" He growled loudly, causing the said Gryffindor to flinch at the anger in his voice. "Didn't I specifically tell you never to aim the bludgers at the seekers when they start racing for the snitch?! They wouldn't be focused on defending themselves in that case, you bastard! Did you see what you did?! You could have seriously injured her!" He shouted furiously.

"It's not my fault! I swear, I never intended to hit Aria – I would never! " Fisher protested in a shrill voice as he stopped behind them and directed his angry, seething glare at Draco. "I meant for that bludger to hit you, you slimy, no-good cheating snake!"

"Is that so?" Draco drawled back, arching a single eyebrow at him and giving him a vicious, taunting sneer. "Well guess what, Fisher. For a beater, your aim is terrible." He snapped.

"Shut up, Death Eater!" Fisher screamed back.

"I wasn't the idiot who nearly killed the savior of the wizarding world." Draco countered hotly, his arms involuntarily tightening around Aria and pulling her closer against him.

Unfortunately, his movement only seemed to draw Fisher's attention to the fact that Draco was still carrying Aria. All of a sudden, his hysterical blue eyes narrowed into tiny slits as they zeroed in on the arm Draco had wrapped snugly around Aria's waist.

Before any of them could say anything else, Fisher suddenly exploded with blind rage.

"Get your filthy hands off her, Malfoy!"

He lunged forward, roughly shoving Ginny out of the way as he made an angry swipe to reach them – only for Ron to step directly in front of Draco and punch Fisher hard in the face. Fisher reeled back from the force of the impact and stumbled, falling to his knee on the ground and clutching at his jaw. He growled under his breath and snapped his gaze back up, glaring furiously at Ron's infuriated expression.

"What the hell is your problem, Weasley?!" He demanded.

"My problem?! I'll tell you what my problem is!" Ron ignored the reactions of the other members of the Gryffindor and Slytherin quidditch teams beginning to gather around them and strode over to the other boy, grabbing him by the front of his robes and roughly hoisting him back to his feet. "My problem is that you can't follow orders, you tosspot! And because of that, you nearly got my best friend killed! You're off the team!" He snapped.

"What?!" Fisher gaped at him.

"Did I stutter?!" Ron growled again, gripping the other boy's robes tighter and jostling him impatiently. "Then let me say it again. You're. Off. The. Team!" He released his grip on Fisher's robes and shoved him away, causing him to crash into the other members of the Gryffindor team behind him.

"You can't kick me off the team, Weasley! No one else in Gryffindor is as good a Beater as I am!"

"I'll take my chances." Ron muttered darkly as he glared at the other boy, his eyes narrowing further when he saw the way Fisher's eyes had snapped to Aria again, staring intently at her as though trying to locate the source of her injury.

"Now get the hell out of my sight before I beat your ass myself!" He raged.

"Your loss, Captain." Fisher's eyes gleamed and he sneered spitefully at Ron again before he turned and shoved through the other Gryffindor team members as he made his way across the field.

Just before he left, he cast one last look at Aria, his scrutinizing eyes trailing intently along her injured form. Then, Draco saw something strange in Fisher's expression. It was quick – a barely noticeable glint of red in the middle of the other boy's pupils before it disappeared so quickly that Draco thought he may have imagined the whole thing.

As Fisher stomped away, disappearing from their line of sight, Draco realized that Aria hadn't moved or spoken a single word in several minutes. He glanced down at her, noting that the pained grimace on her face hadn't receded and that her attention seemed to be mostly focused on trying not to show any of them how painful her injury actually was.

"Let's get you to the hospital wing." Ron was back at Aria's side, peeling off his gloves and helmet before he resumed his efforts at trying to extract her from Draco's arms. When Draco seemed to hesitate again, Ron gave him another exasperated look.

"Seriously, Malfoy. Can you let go now? I said I've got her."

Reluctantly, Draco deposited her into Ron's arms, taking great care to hide her broken wing from everyone else gathered around them. He frowned when Aria gave another muffled hiss of pain at the transfer before slinging her arms around Ron's neck.

"Shouldn't you be celebrating with the Gryffindors? You guys did win after all." Aria joked, trying to divert Ron's attention from her injury but his eyes just narrowed at her in warning.

"Do you want me to bring you straight to Hermione instead of Madam Pomfrey?" He growled.

"Ugh. Fine."

Draco stood back and watched quietly as Ron adjusted his hold on Aria and left, quickly making his way across the quidditch field back towards the castle. He couldn't help but notice how Weasley was particularly careful about where he touched Aria, taking great care not to make any direct contact with any exposed areas of her skin.

As the two of them faded away into the distance, Draco let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding in and looked down, staring in confusion at his pale, clammy hands.

They were still shaking.

On their way to the hospital wing, they bumped into Hermione – who looked completely aghast when she realized what happened and practically snapped at Ron for not bringing Aria to the hospital wing sooner.

"It's not my fault! First, Malfoy wouldn't let go of her – and then that bloody tosser Fisher shows up and goes all barkin mad, screaming about how it wasn't his fault and some other rubbish." Ron grumbled, grunting in exertion as he adjusted Aria again and began walking faster.

"Where were you, Hermione?" Aria asked as she looked up and gave her a questioning look. "Ron mentioned that you had something to do this morning."

At her words, Hermione winced and gave her an apologetic grimace.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for the quidditch match, Aria. I meant to catch the end of it but the Headmistress asked me to look into something. I was actually assisting her in the investigation regarding the trashing of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw common rooms." She admitted.

"I thought they decided to put the investigation on hold for now?" Ron pointed out, looking confused.

"They did - well, the Ministry did at least. The one I'm conducting is unofficial. Just trying to find out if we missed any important details." Hermione answered.

Aria frowned and she would have asked Hermione to elaborate further but that was when the Ravenclaw's eyes suddenly widened in horror when she caught a glimpse of Aria's back and noticed the full extent of her injuries.

"Oh gods, Aria!" Hermione blurted out, paling as she reached up and gently touched the blood-stained feathers that were peeking out from her back. "That bludger must have hit you directly on your left wing, a part of it is poking out of your back! And it looks broken, it's bleeding all over your uniform!" She whispered frantically.

"Blood? Broken? Wings?!" Aria's eyes immediately narrowed as she flicked them over to Ron, glaring furiously at him. "You told me it wasn't serious! You didn't tell me that my bloody wing was beginning to poke out, what if people saw?! Or—oh god—"

Her eyes widened in grim realization when she saw the nervous grimace on Ron's face.

"Malfoy! Oh god! He was the one who caught me in mid-air, he must have seen the wing! That's it—he knows! He bloody knows—"

"Aria. Breathe."

Hermione's voice was firm as she reached both hands out and placed them gently on Aria's shoulders in an attempt to make her calm down. "Try to relax, okay? We don't know if Malfoy noticed anything or not. For now, let's focus on getting that wing looked at by Madam Pomfrey."

"Are you kidding me right now?! Of course he noticed, Hermione! I'm bleeding out of my goddamn uniform, for Merlin's sake!" Aria snapped back angrily at her, shoving her hands away.

"It did kind of look like Malfoy noticed." Ron admitted begrudgingly as they began climbing up the stairs leading to the hospital wing. "But to be fair, he didn't seem to care, mate. In fact, if anything, it looked as though he was even trying to hide your wing from everyone else."

"So that's it?!" Aria continued to glare at him, her cheeks flushing with dismay. "You're telling me that Malfoy already knows what the hell I am?!"

Ron winced again and tried to backtrack on himself. "Well, I didn't say that he knew, I just meant that it was most likely that he did—"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Aria seethed.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Aria. So what?!" Hermione's brown eyes flashed and Aria instantly winced at her tone of voice. She knew Hermione well enough to realize that the Ravenclaw was slowly beginning to lose her patience.

Sure enough, Hermione's eyes narrowed and she met Aria's indignant expression with an angry, admonishing glare of her own.

"Malfoy knows, Malfoy doesn't know, does it really matter at this point?! It's not like we can keep hiding this secret of yours from everyone forever! Is this really that much of a big deal to you?!" She demanded.

Aria's green eyes flashed and she opened her mouth again, ready to launch into another tirade about exactly 'why' it mattered but apparently, Hermione wasn't done talking.

"And honestly, what's the worst that he could do if he did find out?! Report you to the Ministry of Magic? Or to the Daily Prophet? Really?! Never mind the fact that he has nothing to gain from doing that! Why are you obsessed with keeping this a secret from him?!" Hermione chastised her sharply.

The words cut deep as they rang through Aria's ears and caused her to scowl stubbornly to herself, angry at Hermione for being right and seeing through her bullshit and annoyed because she herself didn't know the answer to that last question.

Eventually, they reached the hospital wing and Aria hissed in pain as Ron deposited her carefully into one of the beds near the back of the room. Fortunately, the room was empty of other students as most of them were probably still gathered outside in the quidditch pitch. With a sigh, Hermione pulled the thick curtains around Aria's bed, shielding her from view.

After a few minutes, Madam Pomfrey came rushing through the curtains towards them and descended on Aria's prone form on the bed.

"Oh for goodness sake, Miss Potter!" She gave a loud tut of disapproval as she bent down and placed a large basin filled with medicinal potions on the table beside Aria's bed. "If I could just have one year here at Hogwarts without seeing you in the hospital wing, I swear." She let her voice trail off and sighed in exasperation.

"Well technically, you did have one year where you didn't see me, Madam Pomfrey. Last year." Aria quipped weakly.

"That doesn't count, dear. You weren't in Hogwarts last year." Madam Pomfrey retorted with a glare and another shake of her head before she walked over to stand behind Aria, studying the injury behind her shoulder.

"Now, let's see what we're dealing with here. If it's just a simple injury from quidditch, then it shouldn't take long to—wait a minute, I don't—oh my."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened in alarm and she reared back, peering down at Aria and staring at her with a stunned look on her face.

"Before I treat this, is there something you want to tell me first, my dear? Something rather important?" Madam Pomfrey's eyes narrowed at the sheepish smile Aria gave her. "If this injury is what I think it is, then you may be here for awhile. So I think it's better if you tell me the truth right now." She paused and stared accusingly down at her.

"Are you an unregistered veela, Miss Potter?"

"Er…yes."

Aria tried not to wince under Madam Pomfrey's heavily scrutinizing glare, blanching when the older woman sighed again and bent down to inspect her broken wing.

"Mated or unmated?"

"Why the hell does that matter?!" Aria blurted out, only for Hermione to silence her by nudging her sharply in the ribs.

"Unmated." Hermione answered for her, rolling her eyes at Aria's reaction. "But that's not going to be a problem, is it Madam Pomfrey? You can still heal Aria's wing?"

"Of course I can, Miss Granger." Madam Pomfrey answered her in an exasperated tone of voice. "But since she's unmated, it'll take a little bit longer for her wing to heal up properly. Had she been mated, I could have simply whipped up a special salve mixed with a drop of her mate's blood and that broken wing will have healed itself right up in a few hours." Madam Pomfrey said with a disapproving 'tsk'.

"Brilliant." Aria grumbled, looking resigned. "And since I'm unmated, how long will I have to stay in here?"

"With the right potions and spells to speed up the healing process…about a week, I'd reckon." Madam Pomfrey answered, ignoring the way Aria's eyes widened in dismay. "The top part of that left wing of yours looks badly broken, it needs a bit of time to heal." She explained.

"B—but, a week?! That's way too long! The NEWTS are coming up, I'll have missed too many classes by then!" Aria protested and, to everyone's horror, she moved to get up, only for Hermione to roll her eyes again and reach out, yanking a single feather out of Aria's exposed wing.

"Ow! Hermione, what the hell are you doing?!"

"You will do as Madam Pomfrey says until your wing is fully healed. Don't make me do this." Hermione warned.

Instead of answering, Aria scowled at her in challenge and tried to climb out of the bed again.

With a long-suffering sigh, Hermione bent down so she could whisper the next words directly into Aria's ear.

"Ceri-hi an nin, Sŷlleiníea."

When Aria sputtered and glared up at her in outrage, Hermione straightened and held the feather up, allowing Aria to watch as it burst into bright green flames before disintegrating completely in her fingers. As soon as it was gone, Aria scowled at her again but her efforts to stand up immediately ceased as she obediently sat back down into the bed, fully compliant.

"I hate you, Hermione." Aria muttered darkly under her breath.

"That was bloody wicked." Ron grinned.

Hermione was so used to her best friend's mood swings by now that she didn't even look at all bothered or concerned. Instead, she smirked and turned to Madam Pomfrey again, watching as she used her wand to cut through Aria's uniform, exposing the broken wing.

"Honestly, Miss Potter. You ought to be more careful. A veela's wings are quite delicate and sensitive." Madam Pomfrey told her in a worried, chastising tone of voice.

"It wasn't Aria's fault though." Ron suddenly chimed in, crossing his arms as he sat down onto one of the wooden stools near the edge of the bed. "Some stupid bloke hit her with a bludger during the quidditch match. She actually fell off her broom—"

He winced again when he heard Hermione's horrified gasp but he continued, careful not to meet his girlfriend's glare. "—thankfully, Malfoy was able to catch her before she hit the ground." He shrugged, looking up and giving Hermione a contrite smile.

"Ah, so Mister Malfoy was the one who saved you this time, is he?" Madam Pomfrey smiled and nodded to herself as she began pouring some disinfectant solution over Aria's wing, ignoring the way the Slytherin girl flinched and began hissing in pain. "I always knew he had some good in him. Glad to see that he's finally redeeming himself after the war. I felt quite sorry for him back in his sixth year, you know. The boy was a terrible mess. I actually lost count of how many times his friends kept bringing him back here. Kept fainting and getting sick because he wasn't eating enough." She shook her head at the memory.

Aria fell silent at that, trying not to wince when she remembered how she had nearly killed Draco with that 'sectumsempra' spell that same year.

She hadn't realized it at the time, because she was also under the impression that Draco had been trying to kill her when he suddenly started attacking her in that sixth-floor boys' bathroom (and firing a Cruciatus Curse at her, no less) but that look in his eyes should have tipped her off that day. It dawned on her now that, perhaps, the only reason he started attacking her was because he felt just as trapped as she was.

Aria could only hope that she and Draco never had to cross wands with each other like that ever again.

"Madam Pomfrey?"

The elderly woman froze at the uncertainty she heard in Aria's voice and looked up, meeting her worried gaze.

Aria swallowed slowly and stared up at her with an imploring look in her eyes.

"Please don't tell anyone else that I'm a veela. Not even the Headmistress." She said softly, struggling not to look away when she saw the surprise on Madam Pomfrey's face. "I know it's not that big of a deal and that it's nothing to be ashamed of but…Since I don't intend to register with the Ministry of Magic anyway, I would really prefer that nobody else find out. It would just draw too much attention to me again." She admitted, lowering her gaze to the bed.

Madam Pomfrey was strangely silent, and when Aria reluctantly looked up to meet her eyes again, she realized that the older woman had simply tutted at her before resuming her task of disinfecting the wounds along Aria's left wing.

"Fortunately for you, Miss Potter, I am bound by the law on healer-patient confidentiality. So even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell anyone about your little secret anyway." She paused and, to Aria's surprise, Madam Pomfrey followed her declaration by giving her a quick, barely perceptible wink.

When Aria smiled back gratefully at her, Madam Pomfrey let out a huff and turned around.

"Now don't move, dear. I'll need to check my stocks in the back for a couple of those veela-compatible healing potions."

She didn't wait for Aria to respond before she pushed past the curtains surrounding her bed, leaving the former Gryffindor trio alone to their thoughts. Ron was still seated on the stool by the edge of Aria's bed, watching as the Slytherin tried moving her left shoulder a couple of times. Meanwhile, Hermione had taken the seat directly to Aria's right, leaning over to study the injured wing with a frown on her face.

As soon as Madam Pomfrey came back, she set to work on pouring out the correct dosages of all the healing potions Aria would be taking, placing them on her bedside table. "You'll need to drink three ounces of these, twice a day, for the whole week." She ignored Aria's dismayed grumble and turned to the Slytherin girl again, frowning when she realized something.

"Miss Potter?"

"Y—yes?"

Aria barely resisted the urge to hide under the blankets at Madam Pomfrey's immensely disapproving glare.

"I don't know if you're aware of this, but in order for you to be able to heal properly, you have to be in your true form." Madam Pomfrey told her firmly, shaking her head when Aria just grimaced in response. "Otherwise, all of the magical energy your body needs to heal will be wasted in trying to suppress your appearance."

"But I thought you said the healing potions would help speed things up?" Aria protested weakly.

"Yes, they should, but ultimately, it is still your magic that will be doing the healing for you. And that means you need all of it. So if you please, dear…?" Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow at Aria, waiting patiently for her to comply.

Left with no other choice (not to mention how she was magically compelled to follow Madam Pomfrey's instructions anyway), Aria reluctantly leaned back against the pillows of her bed and slowly began to untwist her hair from its braid. Then, she took a long inhale of breath and closed her eyes. There was a brief, albeit very bright yellowish glow that wrapped around her entire form, causing Madam Pomfrey, Ron and Hermione to shield their eyes for a few seconds before the light instantly faded and all three of them opened their eyes again.

The girl they found sitting on the hospital bed was an incredibly beautiful, white-winged veela.

She was stunning.

The lightning bolt-shaped scar on her forehead had disappeared completely, leaving her face completely unmarred and flawless, much like the rest of her smooth, unnaturally glowing skin. Meanwhile, the pupils in her eyes were noticeably larger and brighter, and combined with her long lashes, the change gave her an unnerving, doll-like stare. Her features were also different, sharper and more refined than how she normally looked. More importantly, there was a very strange, powerfully magnetic aura that seemed to surround her, causing even Madam Pomfrey to blink and stare at her for a long time in awe.

"Well, aren't you just one of the loveliest veelas I've ever seen."

The elderly nurse shook her head and gave Aria one last doting smile before she nodded at her in approval and stepped back out through the curtains. As soon as Madam Pomfrey was gone, Aria sighed softly before turning to give Ron a wry smile.

"Please tell me you're wearing that anti-bewitchment necklace that Hermione gave you." She muttered.

"Don't worry, it's here." Ron chuckled as reached into his robes and pulled out the said necklace, showing it to her. He turned to Hermione and gave her a wide, grateful grin. "I hardly take this thing off nowadays, it's incredibly useful."

"Of course it is, Ronald." Hermione waved his words aside and bent down over Aria's form again, inspecting her fully extended veela wings with a frown on her face. "Wow, that stray bludger really did a number on your wing, Aria. It looks really bad." She stared worriedly at Aria's left wing, noting the way the upper part of the wing, near the pointed edge at the top, was bent at an awkward, painful angle.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Aria retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes before collapsing back against the pillows in exhaustion. "At least it doesn't seem to hurt as badly when my wings are fully extended like this." She admitted.

"You know, I still find it so amazing how you look so different like this and yet, still so much like you at the same time." Hermione mused as she stared at Aria's face, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Veelas really are such fascinating creatures." She added ruefully.

"I suppose." In spite of herself, Aria managed to give her a weak smile and gestured briefly to her unscarred forehead. "This is the only thing I like about my true form, actually. No more ugly scar for people to gawk and stare at."

Ron snorted at that and shook his head. "I hate to break it to you, mate, but if you're out and about in public like that, most people will still be staring at you. Even without your scar." He quipped with a snicker, causing Hermione to glare irritably at him and stomp hard on his foot.

"Ow! Hey—"

"Honestly, Ronald! You are so insensitive!"

"I was just saying—"

Aria rolled her eyes at their antics, sighing as she adjusted her position on the bed and snuggled herself down underneath the warm, thick blankets. After some time, once Ron and Hermione's arguments finally died down, Aria looked up and glanced at Hermione again. When the Ravenclaw gave her a questioning look, Aria reluctantly voiced out what she had been wanting to say ever since they arrived at the hospital wing.

"Sorry about my snippiness on the way here, Hermione." She ignored the way Hermione's eyebrows arched at her words and scowled, picking at an imaginary speck of dust on her blanket. "I was being really childish, taking my frustration about this stupid veela mess with Malfoy on you and Ron like that." She admitted with a huff.

"Oh Aria."

Aria looked up and saw the fond, exasperated smile on Hermione's face.

"You've been hanging out with your Slytherin friends too much. You're beginning to scowl like them." She teased, laughing as she sat down onto the bed beside Aria and enveloped the other girl into a tight, warm hug. She was still smiling when she pulled back and gently brushed the loose locks of black hair away from Aria's face. "Silly, you know you never have to apologize to me and Ron for your mood swings, right? After making it through seven years with you, I think I can honestly say that we've pretty much seen and endured each other at our absolute worst." She said wryly.

"If this is you trying to make me feel better, you're absolutely terrible at it, Hermione." Aria retorted sarcastically but she was also smiling as she chuckled and allowed Hermione to give her another tight hug before pulling away. She remained seated on the bed beside Aria, however, and both girls looked up to see Ron watching them with a bemused grin on his face.

"This mushy girl stuff is why I miss the company of other blokes sometimes." He complained.

Both girls blinked and gave him identical, stone-faced glares.

"It was a joke!" Ron protested, sniffing.

"Seriously though." Hermione sidled close to her on the bed, allowing Aria to curl up against her and rest her head on her shoulder. "Tell me the truth. Why are you really worried about Malfoy finding out about this? Are you afraid he'll use one of your feathers and make you do something you don't want to—"

"No, that's not it." Aria immediately cut her off with a wince and firm shake of her head. "Malfoy and I may have this whole ugly history between us, but I think I know him well enough by now to say that he'd never do something like that. At least not anymore." She answered evenly.

"Then why—?"

"I don't know, okay?" Aria finally growled, sighing in defeat. "Look, I know Zabini and Parkinson already know and it didn't bother me as much but it's just – Malfoy and I were at each other's throats for years! If he finds out that I'm a veela and he somehow discovers that my veela blood sees him as a compatible mate, he might – well, I don't know what he'll think! He'll probably be disgusted and hate me even more than he already does!" She blurted out.

"Hate you?" Ron scoffed at her words and shook his head. "You saved his life and got him and his family exonerated. What reason could that git possibly have to hate you?" He pointed out.

"He—I—I don't know." Aria sighed again, reaching up to massage her temples in exhaustion. "The whole idea of him finding out everything — I can't predict how he's going to react. He might even think that I expect him to reciprocate the whole 'compatible mate' thing because he's indebted to me after I saved him from Azkaban."

Ron frowned at her in confusion. "Why would he think that—"

"It's a Slytherin thing, trust me. There is no such thing as a good deed that doesn't need to be repaid." Aria cut him off with a firm shake of her head. "And I don't want that. Things are already so good between us right now. We're friends, I think. I don't want to ruin that with this veela nonsense." She whispered.

As if I didn't freak him out enough already.

Aria blushed as she recalled what happened after Draco had caught her in mid-air.

More particularly, she remembered the way her veela senses had reacted to Draco's nearness, as well as the way she had gotten so shamelessly aroused by the mere touch of his fingers against her bare skin. After that embarrassing little display, she knew it would only be through a miracle now for Draco not to figure out what she was.

Thankfully, she had an entire week to herself in the hospital wing before she had to see him again.

As Aria remained silent and continued to lose herself in her thoughts, Hermione studied her closely and her brown eyes slowly began to dawn in understanding.

"You're really starting to like him, aren't you?" Hermione gave her a small, knowing smile.

"I…I don't know."

"It's obvious you are. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so afraid of him finding out you're a veela." Hermione gave her another scrutinizing look, watching as Aria's wings seemed to droop at Hermione's words. "But it's not just that. There's another reason you don't want to tell him yet. Is it because you're starting to like him and you're afraid he'll end up rejecting you?"

Aria flinched at that, quickly averting her gaze.

She couldn't bring herself to answer.

When she manifested as a veela that year, she had taken it upon herself to read countless books about what she was, and in nearly all of those books (though the people involved may change throughout the years) she encountered the same tragic story over and over again. There would always be a young, unmated veela. She'd fall in love and eventually decide to extend the famous veela mate-bond to her chosen lover, only to be so heartbroken by his rejection that she'd eventually end up killing herself or cutting off her own wings.

One thing was for certain. After everything Aria had been through in her life, she had absolutely no intention of being another unfortunate casualty to something like that.

She had no intention of extending a mate-bond to anyone.

Draco was still in his quidditch uniform when Blaise and Pansy found him a few hours after the match had ended. He was sitting by himself on a long, empty bench along the quidditch stands.

Both the Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch Teams had already cleared out by then, as well as all of the other students who had watched the game so Draco made quite a strange sight. He sat there by himself, unusually quiet as he stared thoughtfully up at Hogwarts castle.

His head was swimming with so many thoughts.

Thoughts like why, of all people, would Potter ever be interested in him when for the last seven years, he did nothing but torment her and make her life at Hogwarts miserable? In fact, veela or not, why would Aria Potter even look at him? He was a Death Eater, a coward, and a traitor. All throughout the war, he did nothing but cry and hide in the shadows like the pathetic simp he was.

But then again, if Draco understood correctly what had happened between them when he had touched her, then it meant that her veela blood wanted him. And that one thought was throwing Draco completely off balance because it meant something else that he never thought could be possible in his lifetime.

It meant he had a chance with her.

He actually had a chance with the girl who had haunted his dreams ever since they met at Madam Malkin's robe shop nearly eight years ago.

The only problem was, Draco wasn't sure if he was brave enough to take it.

Blaise suddenly broke him out of his thoughts when he plopped down onto the seat beside him and gave him a nudge to the side. Meanwhile, Pansy remained standing and stood in front of them, staring Draco down with a questioning look on her face.

"Malfoy, what are you still doing out here? Let's go, everyone's gone back to the castle already." Blaise squeezed his shoulder and tried to get him to stand but Draco ignored him and continued to stare blankly ahead with a confused look on his face.

"Draco?" Pansy leaned forward and waved her hand a few times in front of him, trying to rouse him from his thoughts. "Are you okay? Do you even hear me right now? Draco!"

"Hmm? Wha—"

The sharp intonation of Pansy's voice finally broke Draco from his trance. He flinched in surprise and blinked up at them, staring at both Slytherins as though he had only just realized they were there.

"Oh, hey. What are you two doing out here?" He asked.

"We could ask you the same question." Blaise looked amused as he studied Draco's expression, noting the dazed look that continued to linger on his face. "Are you okay? You look like somebody just told you that you were adopted and that your real parents were actually trolls." He snickered.

"Are you upset about the match? Because it doesn't matter if we lost, you know." Pansy ignored Blaise's antics as she brought her attention back to Draco, trying to console him. "That was just our first game against Gryffindor anyway, we're bound to get another rematch against them." She told him.

Draco sighed and looked away, suddenly realizing how exhausted he was. "No, I know. I wasn't thinking about the match."

"Then what is it? Is it Potter?" Pansy's frown only seemed to deepen at his answer. "How is she, by the way? From where I was watching, that fall looked pretty bad."

"She's fine, I think." Draco answered, running a hand through his wind-swept hair. "Weasley brought her to the hospital wing. I think she just has a broken shoulder."

He made sure to keep his voice as neutral as possible so as not to give any of his thoughts away. He wasn't sure exactly how much of Potter's secret Blaise knew, or if it was even okay to talk about it in front of Pansy.

"I see. That's good then. So—" Blaise arched an eyebrow and peered closely at Draco, trying to gauge his mood. "—are you okay, Draco?"

The strange, knowing tone of his voice caused Draco to stiffen and Pansy to blink, alternating her gaze back and forth between the two boys in question.

"Wh—what do you mean?" Draco asked, trying to school his features into a nonplussed frown. "Of course, I'm okay. Why the hell wouldn't I be okay, Blaise?" He snapped.

"Well…It's just that…Your hands are shaking." Blaise shrugged and gestured calmly to Draco's hands which, he only just noticed, were still trembling as he wrung his fingers together.

"I said I'm fine!" Draco finally lost his patience with both of them and stood up sharply, glaring at the other two Slytherins in frustration. "Look, I just wanted some time to myself! You two didn't have to go all 'Hufflepuff' and come out here just to check up on me—"

"Well, actually…That was only part of the reason." Pansy rifled through her purse for a few minutes, looking for something. Eventually, she pulled out a small, sealed envelope and held it up into the air, waving it a few times in front of Draco's face.

"I was actually looking for you because I wanted to give you this. It came in the mail for you this morning while you were getting ready for the game." She told him with a sly smile.

Draco blinked and stared absent-mindedly at the envelope in her hands.

"Is that—"

"Another letter from your Dream Girl, yes." Pansy rolled her eyes but reached over to hand it to him. "Here, go ahead and read it. I'm sure it'll cheer you right up." She teased.

"Thanks, Pans. Maybe later. Not really in the mood."

Draco failed to catch the look of stunned surprise on both Blaise and Pansy's faces when he just took the letter from her hand and, instead of rushing to open it immediately like he usually did, he stuffed the small envelope distractedly into the pocket of his robes. When he glanced up at them again, he was a little confused at the way Blaise and Pansy continued to stare at him as though he had just confessed to being a squib.

"What?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Blaise coughed and forced out a sheepish laugh, ducking his head behind his hand. "Anyway, it looks like it's about to rain. We should head back."

Draco didn't protest at that and soon, all three of them were quietly making their way down the stands.

As they were crossing the quidditch field, something white flittered across the grass, catching Draco's attention as he froze mid-step and followed the movement with his eyes. When it finally caught against the heel of his shoe, Draco realized what it was and he knelt down slightly on one knee to pick it up.

After checking quickly to make sure Blaise and Pansy weren't looking at him, Draco held the white object up into the light and studied it closely, a deeply contemplative look on his face.

It was a white, blood-stained feather that had fallen off from Aria's wing.

Chapter Text

Draco sighed as he set down the quill in his hand for the third time that morning.

He stared at the empty piece of parchment laid out in front of him, absent-mindedly drumming his fingers against the table. In the last hour, he had done nothing else but growl in frustration and rake his hands through his hair, trying desperately to compose an appropriate response to the letter his 'Dream Girl' had sent him a few days ago.

For some reason, he couldn't think of anything he wanted to say to her.

Her last letter had spoken of how she was busy with her own classes and how she was planning to live somewhere in Central London after completing her studies. She even mentioned how she would love to spend more time with him after they've both graduated; and that she was looking forward to going out on a proper date with him this coming Yule break.

Ordinarily, having her say something like that would have had Draco grinning like an idiot and already planning out every single ridiculous detail for that date but now, his general lack of excitement left him feeling very confused. He seriously did not want to believe he was losing interest already; especially since he didn't even know her bloody name yet.

Draco winced at the thought, grumbling as he set his quill back down onto the table and allowed his head to drop into his hands.

What the hell is wrong with me?!

The more he thought about his awkward veela situation with Potter, the more Draco was beginning to accept that he was, apparently, much more interested in her than he originally thought. In fact (and this Draco had a very difficult time admitting to himself), maybe he's always been interested in the bloody Gryffindor. Granted, the fiery animosity between them during their first few years at Hogwarts had always strung him up; their recurring, violent encounters with each other always leaving him feeling more alive and excited and exhilarated than he ever did with any of the other girls he went out with.

He just never really had a reason to admit that to himself; or to believe that Potter would ever reciprocate his feelings.

So what now?

Draco stared at the blank piece of parchment again, and for a second, he entertained the ridiculous notion that if he stared long enough at it, somehow, the words he needed to say would magically write themselves out for him.

"Are you still stuck on that, Malfoy?"

Blaise sounded bored as he sauntered over to the Slytherin table, yawning as he plopped down into his usual seat. He ignored the irritated look Draco gave him and scooted over the bench, helping himself to a cup of tea. When Draco just grunted at him in reply, Blaise took a long sip from his cup and glanced down at Draco's blank parchment again.

"Merlin, didn't you wake up hours ago just to finish writing that? How the hell do you expect to win this girl of yours over when you can't even think of anything to say to her?" He drawled.

"Shut up, Blaise. It's not that simple." Draco hissed at him as he hastily put his parchment and quill away, just in time before Zach, Neville, Morag and Pansy arrived soon after Blaise and joined them for breakfast.

"What's not that simple?" Pansy asked curiously as she took the seat beside Blaise, helping herself to some freshly baked croissants. Neville, who had slid into the seat beside Pansy, reached out and took the basket of croissants for her, using a pair of tongs to place two of them onto her plate.

She smiled shyly at him, blushing slightly as she mumbled her 'thanks' before turning back to Draco.

Having witnessed this little exchange, one of Draco's eyebrows arched up and he turned to Blaise in question. To his confusion, Blaise didn't look at all surprised by Pansy and Neville's less than hostile interaction. Instead, he looked amused when he saw the incredulous look on Draco's face and snickered, grinning slyly at him before turning to his side to answer Pansy's question.

"Draco's beginning to lose interest in his Dream Girl." Blaise drawled.

"Seriously?" Pansy's eyes were wide as she stared at Blaise before turning to give Draco a disbelieving look. "After all that disgusting 'love at first sight' rubbish you laid on us at the start of the year? Are you having second thoughts?" She teased.

"I'm not having second thoughts!" Draco snapped furiously at her, looking away. "Besides, what I decide to do about my love life is my own bloody business!"

"Do you even know anything about this Dream Girl of yours, Malfoy? I mean, other than the fact that she's as gorgeous as you say she is? Is there honestly anything else you like about her?" Neville spoke up, looking up from his plate and giving Draco a pointed look.

"Well, she's—"

Draco hesitated, frowning when he realized that he couldn't come up with an answer to Neville's question.

Fortunately, he was spared from the need to answer when Hannah suddenly stormed into the Great Hall, a fiercely determined expression on her face. She slammed her bag down onto the seat across Pansy and sat down, grabbing her hands and giving the short-haired girl a desperate, pleading look.

"Pansy, please?!"

"No!" Pansy blurted out, looking exasperated as she shoved the smaller girl away and turned back to her breakfast.

"But I really need your help here!"

"Merlin, no! I'm not going to give you tips on how to seduce your lazy sod of a boyfriend, Hannah! It's weird!" Pansy snapped at her again, flushing with horror and shaking her head. "Go bother Morag or Potter or something! I have better things to do with my time!"

"Morag doesn't want to help me either! And I would ask Aria but she's still in the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey won't let anybody else visit her except for Ron and Hermione!" Hannah whined loudly, stomping her foot under the table in frustration.

"Then go and ask one of your Hufflepuff friends for help!" Pansy retorted.

"I did! But none of their suggestions worked!" Hannah wailed, sniffing as she banged her head repeatedly on the table. "Look, I'm not asking for a lot here! I just need some tips on how to make Ernie see me in a more…sexual light." She said.

"Well, well. I do believe this conversation just got more interesting, ladies." Blaise suddenly spoke up, smirking as he leaned over the table to listen in on their discussion.

"Why me?!" Pansy ignored Blaise's antics and glared incredulously at Hannah.

"You have a lot more experience than I do!" Hannah answered, reattaching herself to Pansy's arm.

"Do you think of me as some kind of harlot or something?!" Pansy blurted out, glaring at her.

"What's all this? Are you actually trying to seduce Macmillan, Hannah?" Zach asked, his curiosity piqued as he looked up from his plate and alternated his gaze back and forth between the two girls.

"Well…Yes!" Hannah answered, blushing slightly when Blaise, Draco and Neville all turned to give her an amused look. "I mean, is that so scandalous? We've been dating since second year! Our parents practically think of us as engaged already. I don't see why he still hasn't shown any interest in me that way!" She huffed.

"Maybe he's gay?" Zach suggested, shrugging at her.

"Ernie is not gay, Zach!" Hannah snapped.

"Hannah, if you've dated each other for as long as you have and he still hasn't shown that kind of interest in you, then there's something wrong with him, not you." Pansy scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe he's traditional and wants to get married first?" Neville suggested.

"It's not his fault! It's probably because I've always been so reserved and shy with him all these years. I can't help it, it's how I was raised! I was always so afraid of how he'd react if I became too flirty or aggressive." Hannah argued, tugging insistently on the sleeve of Pansy's robes.

"So?" Neville arched an unimpressed eyebrow at Hannah, causing her to flush in embarrassment.

"So!" Hannah let out another frustrated sigh and slumped down into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm asking Pansy to teach me how to act sexier and more 'womanly'! You know, so that Ernie will realize that I'm ready to be much more physically intimate in our relationship!" She scowled.

"Really now?" Blaise snorted derisively at Hannah's words and shot a smirk over at Pansy. "And how exactly did you come up with the idea that Pansy is qualified to teach you how to be sexy—ow!"

"I am sexy, Zabini!" Pansy raged at him before turning to Draco and kicking him hard under the table. "Tell him, Draco!"

"What the hell?!" Draco growled at her, rubbing the spot on his knee where she had kicked him. "Why do I have to tell him anything?!"

"Because we dated, you prat!"

"I never thought of you as sexy!" He sneered.

"More like shrill." Blaise added, cackling loudly.

"For your information, I can be sexy when I want to be! I just never bothered showing it to either of you twats! It would be a waste of my sexuality and womanly charms!" Pansy huffed, oblivious to the way Draco and Blaise had to immediately duck their heads to stifle their snickers.

"Why don't you ask Neville if he thinks you're sexy, Pans?" Blaise chimed in once he managed to control his laughter, winking at her and flashing Pansy a particularly obnoxious smirk. "I'm sure he'd have something more interesting to say about your 'sexiness' than me or Draco."

Neville reached up to scratch the back of his head and managed a sheepish, uncomfortable laugh. "I'd really like to not be a part of this conversation, thank you very much." He flushed.

"This is all very ridiculous." Morag finally acknowledged them all with a heavy, irritated sigh. She looked up and glared at Hannah over her glasses. "Hannah, if you're really serious about making your pathetic, sissy boyfriend pay more attention to you, sexually, then you shouldn't be asking tips from women, you realize. You should be asking men."

She ignored the way Hannah flushed at her words and arched an eyebrow at Zach in question. "Zach, help us out. What do you think is sexy in a woman? What do you think Hannah should do to get Ernie to realize she wants to sleep with him?" She asked, giving him a genuinely curious look.

Zach seemed to seriously consider her question. He paused in the middle of his breakfast and stroked his chin in thought. "Maybe you could try showing more skin the next time you go out on a date? And…I don't know, maybe dress yourself up more? Try to make it obvious to that boyfriend of yours that you're spending more time on your appearance for him. Oh, and lingerie!" He pointed out, winking.

"Show him more skin? Dress up more? Lingerie?!" Hannah pursed her lips into a sneer and shook her head at him in dismay. "That is such a typically chauvinistic male answer, Zach! Is that really the only advice you're going to give me?" She complained.

"Hey, you asked!" Zach snorted derisively and held his hands up in a gesture of self-defense. "Besides, I'm not wrong, you know. Just the other day, I overheard Ernie talking to Justin about how sexy they thought Fleur Delacour was in her tight robes." He shrugged, scratching the back of his head.

"Fleur Delacour? Seriously?" Hannah's shoulders slumped again and her scowl deepened as she picked miserably at the food on her plate. "She's not exactly an easy act to follow, being a bloody veela and all." She grumbled.

"Hannah, do you want to know the truth?" Neville suddenly spoke up in a firm, reassuring tone of voice, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Being 'sexy' has nothing to do with your appearance or how much skin you show. The truth is, if you really want Ernie to notice you more, you just have to be yourself around him. Sexiness is not just about physical attractiveness." He explained.

"I agree." Blaise quipped, winking at Hannah and pointing to her with his fork. "Being 'sexy' is in the way a girl sees herself. It has nothing to do with looks. I've dated plenty of girls who were bloody gorgeous but were about as sexy as a rock."

"Really?" Hannah alternated her gaze back and forth between Blaise and Neville in disbelief.

To everyone's surprise, Draco took pity on Hannah and decided to explain further, drawing the former Hufflepuff's wide-eyed gaze to his bored expression.

"Personally, I find it sexy if a girl is confident in her own skin and about who she is or what she wants. It's because that self-assurance in her personality is reflected in the way she carries herself." Draco smirked at the stunned look on Hannah's face.

She frowned, clearly still not understanding their point. "How exactly is self-confidence supposed to be sexy or attractive?" She demanded.

"It implies that you know exactly what to do with yourself and with your body." Blaise hinted, chuckling when Hannah flushed at the directness of his words. "I'll give you a suggestion, Hannah. When she gets out of the hospital wing, try observing the way Aria carries herself." He added cheerfully.

"What?" Draco's eyes suddenly narrowed and he turned to glare accusingly at the other boy.

"Oh come off it, Draco." Blaise snorted, arching an eyebrow at him in challenge. "You know as well as I do that Potter's personality is hellish strong. She knows exactly who she is, struts around the place with her head held up high and stares you right in the face when you piss her off. That's sexy." He grinned widely at him.

"Ohhhh." Hannah's eyes finally dawned in understanding and she nodded slowly. "I think I'm beginning to understand what you mean." She mused out loud.

"Am I the only one here who completely disagrees about Potter being sexy?" Pansy complained loudly, making a face at Blaise.

"I don't think Aria's sexy." Neville admitted, ducking his head with a sheepish look. "But I think that's mostly because she's my friend and I just don't see her that way."

"Potter is very sexy. It's that really strong aura she gives out." Morag agreed, taking the time to look up from her book with a thoughtful frown on her face. "In fact, I've had more than a few interesting dreams about her myself—"

"Okay, seriously. Stop." Pansy shook her head and shuddered, silencing the rest of Morag's words with a nauseated glare. "No more disgusting comments out of you. At least not until I've finished my breakfast."

As Morag hummed to herself in satisfaction and resumed her meal, Draco took that opportunity to glare at Blaise again, watching angrily as the other boy took another leisurely sip of his tea.

"Do you have a crush on Potter?" Draco asked bluntly.

"She's not really my type." Blaise answered him with a cheeky smirk.

"Huh?" Draco's eyebrows fused together in annoyance. "You just said—"

"I said she was sexy, I didn't say she was my type." Blaise snorted at his reaction, setting his cup of tea down onto the table.

"How the hell is that any different—?"

"I don't know how to say this to you, Hannah—" Pansy interrupted the rest of Draco's angry retort when she elbowed Hannah sharply, motioning for the other girl to follow her gaze across the hall to the Hufflepuff table. "—but for all your efforts in trying to 'seduce' Macmillan, he seems to be plenty interested in that giggly blonde muppet over there." She arched an eyebrow and waited until Hannah realized what she was talking about.

His irrational anger at Blaise momentarily forgotten, Draco followed the direction of Pansy's sneer, his eyes widening slightly when he caught sight of Ernie Macmillan sitting near the end of the Hufflepuff table. A pretty girl with short blonde hair was seated beside him and was practically clinging onto his arm, hanging onto every word he said and giggling every few minutes.

"Who's the girl latching onto him?" Neville asked, lifting his unimpressed gaze and watching the pair's interaction with a look of uncharacteristic disdain written all over his features.

"Mollie Davies. Seventh year." Zach answered as he bit into an apple and watched as Macmillan grinned playfully at whatever the girl was whispering into his ear.

"How do you know her, Zach?" Hannah asked him in a strangled voice, looking up and meeting Zach's gaze with glassy blue eyes.

Zach winced at her crestfallen expression but answered, looking uncomfortable. "I dated her two years ago. Pretty ambitious girl, actually. While we were dating, I got the impression that she intends to marry herself off to a trophy husband after she graduates."

"No. No way." Pansy looked absolutely livid now as she began rifling through her bag for her wand. "Aren't you going to do something, Hannah?! That good-for-nothing wanker cannot treat you this way! In fact, I'm going to go over there and hex his balls off myself—"

"Pansy, please don't make a scene." Draco warned wearily.

She ignored him and made to stand up, only for Hannah's eyes to widen in panic as she screeched and reached out, yanking Pansy back down into her seat.

"Don't, Pansy! Leave him alone!" Hannah hissed out, causing Pansy to freeze and blink at her in angry disbelief.

"Leave him alone?! He's practically cheating on you in full view of everyone in the Great Hall!" Pansy snapped at her, glaring at the smaller girl in outrage. "Are you seriously just going to sit here and let him get away with that?!" She demanded.

"It's fine. He's not doing anything wrong. In fact, he actually introduced me to her the other day. He assured me that they were just friends." Hannah answered uncertainly, biting her lip as she reluctantly tore her gaze away from Ernie and reached out, grabbing a heart-shaped box of chocolates from the small pile of gifts beside her.

"Are these chocolates for Aria? She won't mind if I open one right? I badly need a lot of chocolate right now." She didn't bother waiting for any of them to answer as she unwrapped the packaging around the box, grabbed a couple of truffles and stuffed them all miserably into her mouth.

"Hannah! Don't eat those—!"

Pansy's eyes widened in alarm and she made a pitiful attempt to swipe the box from Hannah's hands but it was too late.

A few seconds after Hannah swallowed, her eyes immediately glazed over and a blank, trance-like expression settled over her features. When she blinked and regained consciousness a few moments later, her eyes narrowed into a half-lidded gaze and an incredibly sultry smile broke out onto her face.

"Is it just me…or is it incredibly hot in here?" She purred.

Ignoring the way Blaise, Zach, Draco and Neville's eyes had all widened comically at her voice, Hannah reached down, opening her robes and unbuttoning the top two buttons of her blouse to expose a fair amount of cleavage. Afterwards, she smirked and reached up, yanking off her pigtails and shaking her blonde hair out, letting the tousled locks tumble messily past her shoulders. When she noticed her male housemates gaping stupidly at her, Hannah rolled her eyes and turned to Blaise.

"Did you happen to see where Caelum McLaggen went today? I need to see him and tell him how much I want him." She asked, still in that same, seductively purring voice.

"Well, what do you know?" Blaise barely managed to stifle his snort, his shoulders shaking in an obvious attempt to control his laughter. "It looks like you didn't need all that advice about acting 'sexier' after all, Hannah." He drawled, smirking.

"Do you even know who Caelum McLaggen is?" Zach pointed out.

"What kind of question is that?! He's the love of my life, obviously!" Hannah snapped at him, glaring at Zach as though he was the stupidest person alive. "And I'm going to marry him and have lots and lots of his children!" She declared with a melodramatic, dreamy sigh.

Neville finally recovered from his shock long enough to shake his head, smirking as he reached out and took the discarded box of chocolates away from Hannah. "Okay, who has a free period after breakfast? Someone needs to take her to Professor Slughorn for an antidote." He sighed in exasperation.

Instead of answering, Draco growled and snatched the box of chocolates from him, scowling as he bent down slightly to sniff at its contents.

Amortentia.

He sneered, hurling the box of chocolates to the floor and stomping on it a couple of times for good measure. When he noticed the way Neville arched an eyebrow at him, Draco's eyes narrowed and he shot the other Slytherin a warning glare.

"What?!" He snapped.

Neville shrugged and hastily looked away, glancing at Pansy for help.

"Oh for Merlin's sake. This is why we shouldn't leave any gifts for Potter out in the open like that." Pansy rolled her eyes at Draco's reaction as she finished the last of her croissant and stood up, dusting her skirt and grabbing her bag. "I'll bring Hannah to Slughorn. We can't let her walk around like this, who knows what kind of trouble she'll get herself into?" She huffed.

"You are such a mother hen, Pansy." Morag looked up, giving the short-haired girl a teasing smirk.

Pansy blushed at that, quickly lowering her gaze to avoid meeting the fond, knowing smile Neville had given her at Morag's comment. Instead of answering, she grabbed Hannah by her arm and lifted her out of her seat.

"Come on then, little girl. You're coming with me." She sighed.

"Where are we going?" Hannah asked as she reluctantly grabbed her things and stood up, allowing Pansy to start dragging her away.

"We're going to go find Caelum McLaggen." Pansy answered her in a flat, deadpan tone of voice.

"Oh." The confusion on Hannah's face immediately cleared and she smiled dreamily at Pansy, giggling before jumping up and pulling the other girl into a tight, overly enthusiastic hug. "Thank you, Pansy, thank you! Do you think he'll like me?! Oh no wait, maybe I should go change into something nicer and more revealing! And I should fix my make up too, I must look like an awful mess—"

"You look gorgeous, honey." Pansy rolled her eyes again, shooting a warning glare at Blaise and Zach when she saw how the two weren't even bothering to hide their snickers anymore. "Now come on, let's get going."

She grabbed Hannah by the arm again, leading her across the Great Hall towards the exit.

When the two girls passed the Hufflepuff table, Draco noticed the way Pansy glanced at Macmillan from the corner of her eye. He wasn't surprised when, a few seconds later, a random jinx came out of nowhere and hit Macmillan square on the back, causing him to curse as he was propelled forward, spilling his hot tea all over the front of Mollie Davies' robes.

"Can any of you tell me what this is?"

Draco looked up from his neatly written notes, watching as Fleur Delacour held a single, pristine white feather up into the air for everyone in class to see. A couple of students raised their hand and Fleur nodded at one of them, watching patiently as a Ravenclaw named Lisa Turpin straightened in her seat and answered.

"It's a feather from a veela's wings. Would it happen to be yours, Instructor?" She asked primly.

"Yes, it is mine." Fleur answered, smiling at her before she tucked the feather away and stood up from behind the teacher's table.

To everyone's confusion, she began making her way to the small, open space near the end of the room, in front of the blackboard. She didn't wait for any of them to say anything before she took a careful step forward. A few seconds later, a pair of beautiful white wings unfolded themselves from behind her back.

Neville sputtered beside Draco, and he could only echo his sentiments with a stunned, wordless nod.

"Beautiful, are they not? I'm quite proud of my wings, actually. I take very good care of them." The smile on Fleur's face was particularly smug as she took in everyone's reactions. Chuckling, she turned around to give them a better view of the intricate, feathered appendages, flapping them several times and causing a few papers to fly off the desks of the students sitting in front.

"And these wings are exactly the focus of the topics I shall be discussing with you this afternoon. It is quite an extensive lesson, the importance of a veela's wings; so it is crucial that all of you understand everything I will tell you today."

In the blink of an eye, Fleur tucked her wings back behind her shoulders and turned around, her high heels clacking loudly as she walked back to her desk. She motioned with her wand, causing a small piece of chalk to float up into the air and start writing a couple of strange-looking names on the blackboard.

Draco read (or at least tried to) each of the names silently in his head.

Maethadis.

Faervelel.

Ûrethiana.

Ólerydien.

Fleur glanced over her shoulder to check whether the names had all been written down before she turned to the class again and gave them an encouraging smile.

"I'll assume that most of you have done your research. Can anyone venture a guess as to what I've written down on the board just now?" She asked.

Another group of hands shot up into the air and this time, Draco was surprised when he noticed that Pansy's was among them. Fleur nodded at her and Pansy lowered her hand before she answered.

"They're veela names, Instructor. Actually, to be more specific, they're four notorious veelas whose names are often mentioned in a lot of our history textbooks." Pansy explained.

"Très bien, Mademoiselle Parkinson! Five points to Slytherin." Fleur beamed at her, clasping her hands together in delight. "But the more important question is, what is the significance of a veela's name? Why is a veela's name important to an unmated veela, in particular?"

At this point, Pansy sat back down into her seat and looked just as confused with Fleur's question as the rest of the class, shrugging when Neville turned to look at her from Draco's other side. As Fleur waited for someone to answer, Draco took that opportunity to glance around the room, his eyes narrowing slightly when his gaze fell on the empty seat between Weasley and Granger.

Draco wasn't surprised to see Aria absent from class, of course, as he knew full well that she was still recovering in the hospital wing.

A small part of him was a little relieved because he wasn't exactly sure how to approach her just yet. But still, seeing her empty seat just now irked him anyway, mostly due to the fact that ever since the resorting at the start of the year, Draco had grown used to seeing Aria everyday – whether in the common room, the Great Hall, or in one of their shared classes.

The fact that he hadn't seen her in almost an entire week was beginning to piss him off.

"Oui, Mademoiselle MacDougal?"

Draco arched an eyebrow in surprise at that and briefly slanted his gaze over to Granger, wondering to himself if the reason the Ravenclaw was intentionally holding herself back from answering Fleur's question (and thus being the annoying know-it-all she usually liked to be) was because she was trying to protect her veela best friend.

"A veela's name is important for two main reasons, Instructor." Morag answered calmly, drumming her fingernails against her table. "First, it is used in a special incantation that is meant to force a veela in hiding to reveal her true form. Second, and this is the more important reason, a veela's name is also used in a powerful imperative incantation spoken in ancient veelish that is meant to magically oblige an unmated veela to carry out your specific request." She explained.

"That is most certainly correct. Ten points to Slytherin." Fleur smiled again but this time, she was less enthusiastic in her reaction as she sat back down into her seat, primly crossing one ankle over the other. "The second spell you speak of is the Feather Curse. It is not a widely known spell in magical society these days, and for good reason. It is very similar in usage to one of the Unforgivable Curses – the Imperius Curse, in fact." She told them.

When most of the class looked up from their notes with wide eyes, their interest suddenly piqued, Fleur sighed and leaned back against her chair. "The use of the Feather Curse is not punishable by law, nor is it regulated because it is not widely known or understood. But yes, it works pretty much the same way as the Imperius Curse. The only difference is that the Feather Curse only works against unmated veelas, and only if you know her veela name and you have at least one of her feathers in your possession."

A student sitting near the back of the room suddenly raised his hand and Draco glanced at him, his lips twisting into a sneer when he realized that it was Michael Corner.

"Oui, Monsieur Corner?"

"What's the incantation for the Feather Curse, Instructor?" He asked bluntly.

To everyone's surprise, Fleur's blue eyes suddenly hardened at Corner's question and the expression on her face shuttered, her features creasing into an angry, hostile scowl

"C'est n'importe quoi! I will most certainly not teach you this. Five points from Ravenclaw for your callousness!" Fleur answered him in a cool, contemptuous voice, not even bothering to address Corner directly as she looked away, her delicate nose pointed high in the air. "Not only is it offensive to ask a veela such a thing, but seeing as it is also a very difficult spell to learn, there would be no point in teaching you the incantation anyway. It can only be spoken in ancient veelish – a language that even we younger veelas have difficulty learning, mind you." She snapped at him in a chastising tone of voice.

"S—sorry, Instructor. I meant no offense." Corner winced at the glares he received not only from his housemates but also from most of the female students in the room. He ducked his head behind his textbook and sank down low into his seat to hide his face.

"Be that as it may, in the context of our theoretical lesson—" Fleur pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest. "—the only thing that's important for you all to understand about the Feather Curse is that it follows three rules. First, a request cannot be indefinite; in other words, it must have a specified period of time. Second, a request can only be directed at one person or object per feather. And last, even under the Feather Curse, you cannot oblige a veela to harm herself."

"What about her mate?" Seamus Finnigan asked curiously.

Fleur gave him an exasperated look. "As mentioned, the Feather Curse only works on unmated veelas, so this question is irrelevant. Of course, we all know that a mated veela can never harm her mate."

Megan Jones raised her hand and Fleur nodded at her.

"Morag mentioned that there was also a spell to force a veela in hiding to reveal her true form? Is this also in ancient veelish? Does it work the same way as the Feather Curse?" She asked.

"Yes, the spell is also in ancient veelish. However, unlike the Feather Curse, you do not need a feather to make a veela reveal her true form. You simply need to speak the proper incantation and address the veela by her veela name. Incidentally, this reveal spell works on all veelas, whether mated or unmated." Fleur waved a perfectly manicured hand in a dismissive gesture. "But as I said, this is all very theoretical, as the only people who should know the names of veelas are their mates and their close family or friends."

Fleur stood up from her seat, one corner of her lips tugging into a smirk as she walked over to the front of the room and raised her wand again, using it to guide a piece of chalk into writing out a string of unusual looking symbols on the blackboard. The symbols were oddly familiar and after staring at them for a long time, Draco's eyes widened in realization.

Those look like the symbols I saw on the back of Aria's neck.

He leaned back shakily against his seat.

"This is my veela name, written in our ancient tongue." Fleur looked amused at the completely befuddled expressions on everyone's face. "Obviously, I do not expect any of you to be able to read it. It is very difficult to read our names if you are not veela and there is a reason for this. Our names are enchanted. How so?"

This time, Granger raised her hand and Draco's narrowed gray eyes flicked over to her.

"A veela's name is protected by ancient magic." Granger answered, her voice ringing out clearly in the silent classroom. "If a veela herself does not tell you her name, you will never be able to remember it unless it is written out for you. The name will just slip out of your mind again and again no matter how much you try to keep yourself from forgetting it."

"That is correct, Hermione. Ten points to Ravenclaw." Fleur nodded approvingly at her, giving the younger girl a smile. "Another important thing to remember about a veela's name is that it is not of our own choosing. Upon manifesting, a veela's name will magically appear in ancient veelish somewhere along her body. Once mated, the name disappears and appears instead around the wrist of her mate so that only he should know of it."

She waved her wand at the blackboard again, completely erasing her name away.

"Revenons à nos moutons – going back to the four veela names I have written in English on the board. If you did your research properly, then I'm sure you can tell me something about them." Fleur mentioned as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned the back of her hip against her desk.

Padma Patil raised her hand.

"Well—" Patil hesitated, biting her lip before she spoke. "—the first two were mass murderers. The third one was said to have assasinated half of the Wizengamot back in the 18th century. The last one was burned at the stake by a crowd of muggle villagers for being a witch – which incidentally, she was – but more importantly, they killed her because they claimed she had murdered so many in their village." She said.

"Ten points to Gryffindor." Fleur nodded again, tapping her long fingernails gently against her arms. "As you know, veelas are quite docile creatures. Despite our physical dexterity and magical strength, it is simply not in a veela's nature to be violent or aggressive. So why do you think these veelas committed such heinous acts back then?" She asked.

The class fell silent again, but this time, it was obvious that nobody wanted to answer. Taking pity on them, Fleur reached into her robes, pulling out the same white feather she had shown them at the start of the lesson.

"The answer, of course, can be traced back to this. The Feather Curse." Fleur held the beautiful white feather up higher, and Draco found himself staring intently at it, comparing it to a very similar white feather he had hidden somewhere in his trunk back in his room. "The Feather Curse is the reason why so many unmated veelas were enslaved and coerced, time and time again, for countless reasons – war, revenge, assassination, prostitution, anything."

Fleur's expression was grim as she tucked the feather away and folded her hands neatly behind her. "This is, ultimately, why unmated veelas are at such a disadvantage. Once a veela is mated, she can afford to be less guarded. Touching other males will no longer affect her, as the urge to find a mate is no longer there, and her veela allure is also significantly less intense. But more importantly, the Feather Curse will no longer work on her and she can no longer be compelled by other people, except for her mate. If a veela's mate so chooses, he can still make her do what he wants simply by addressing her using her veela name."

"So a veela has no choice but to do whatever her mate wants? That's terrible." Neville mused out loud, looking horrified at the very idea.

"A few centuries ago, it was. But nowadays, veelas have learned to be a lot more cautious about protecting their identity; and we are much smarter about choosing our mates. So it is not really as horrible as it sounds anymore." Fleur tried to cajole him with a reassuring smile. "For one thing, normally, when a veela chooses a mate, one would presume that she trusts him completely. Which, of course, brings me to our next topic. The mating process."

Fleur smirked when she noticed the way most of the boys had suddenly snapped their heads up to look at her.

"Eh bien, je suis désolée de te décevoir—" She rolled her eyes, glancing down to examine her fingernails. "—but there is nothing sexual about the mating process. It is a completely magical procedure." Fleur explained, chuckling at the disappointed groans that echoed around the room.

"The mate-bond is a two-way connection, you see. In most cases, mating is initiated by the veela herself. She extends a mate-bond to her chosen partner, and she does this simply by touching him and speaking the ancient mating call. Im mel cin, Im bui- cin, Im cil- cin." Fleur let out a dramatic sigh, her eyes glazing over.

"The words are quite beautiful. In English, the closest translation I can think of is — I love you, I serve you, I choose you." Fleur chuckled and shook her head to clear the dreamy look away from her face. "Once a veela has spoken these words, well…in colloquial terms, that's basically 'it' for her." Fleur explained, her voice unusually soft.

"It is very important for you to understand this. On the veela's end, once she extends a mate-bond to someone, she has already chosen this person as her mate. So in other words, the mate-bond from her side is already there. This person she extended the mate-bond to has now become, for all intents and purposes, her mate. Consequently, she has basically rendered herself infertile to everyone else. However, her chosen still has to accept the mate-bond from his side to complete the process and for the bond to fully form between them. Do you understand?" Fleur paused and arched an eyebrow at the class.

When only a handful of students seemed to nod back at her, she frowned and paused to gather her thoughts. Fortunately, Granger's hand shot up into the air again and Fleur gestured for her to speak.

"Does this mean, Instructor, that by extending a mate-bond, a veela basically closes herself off to everyone else?" She asked, her eyebrows creased together in concern.

"Precisely, Hermione." Fleur nodded in affirmation. "A veela can only extend a mate-bond once in her lifetime. Once she does, all she can do is hope beyond all else that her chosen partner is willing to accept her." She said.

"How does the mate accept the bond?" Ron Weasley asked curiously.

"He responds to her mating call by touching her and speaking the following words." Fleur paused and practically beamed at him. "All -o cin im shall aeda- a beri-. It means, 'All of you, I shall worship and protect.' By speaking these words, the bond is sealed in place."

"What happens if a veela's chosen mate rejects the bond?" Granger asked again.

The smile on Fleur's face vanished at her question. "At that point, if a veela is refused by her chosen mate, she's stuck. She's bound to a man who doesn't want her. This rejection is what often drives young unmated veelas to such despair that they sometimes cut off their own wings or, even worse, commit suicide." She finished with a grim shake of her head.

"Cut off her wings? Why would a veela do such a thing, Instructor?" Megan Jones' eyes were impossibly wide as she leaned forward in her seat and listened intently to Fleur's discussion.

Fleur straightened and walked back over to the teacher's table. She took a long, dainty sip from the goblet of water on the desk before she turned back around to face the class.

"Do you know how one forces a bond with a veela?"

For some strange reason he couldn't understand, Draco was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the discussion as it went on. He forced himself to listen as Morag raised her hand again and answered Fleur's question.

"By cutting off a veela's wings." Morag answered bluntly.

"Oui, exactly." Fleur acknowledged her with a curt nod. "To force a bond with an unmated veela, one simply has to cut off both of her wings. In the past, this is what selfish wizards did to claim veelas for themselves."

Draco tore his gaze away from Fleur as his stomach lurched violently at the thought. He closed his eyes and shook his head a couple of times, trying to clear the horrifying image of Aria's bloodstained feathers away from his mind.

"—but you should know that this is by no means an easy feat. Veelas are very powerful and will undoubtedly defend themselves if they sense you to be a threat. Most wizards will not even be able to get close enough to a Veela to force a bond with them this way. Of course, it is a different story altogether if you know her name and possess at least one of her feathers. This is the reason I refused to teach you the Feather Curse." Fleur's eyes narrowed slightly as she glared at Michael Corner again, causing the Ravenclaw to swallow loudly and lower himself back down into his seat.

"As I mentioned, an unmated veela, after being rejected by her chosen mate, would sometimes cut off her own wings. By doing this, it is like she 'forces' a mate-bond with herself, severing the connection to the one who rejected her. By cutting off her own wings, a veela 'frees herself' and becomes her own 'mate', so to speak." Fleur added quietly.

Neville raised his hand and Draco had to force himself to look up when Fleur called on him, still haunted by the image of a veela's wings (if he was being honest with himself, it was Potter's wings in particular that he was thinking about) forcefully being cut off.

"Why would someone ever want to force a bond with a veela that way?" Neville asked, looking disturbed.

Fleur arched a slender eyebrow and gave him a sharp look. "Is it really that difficult to comprehend? As a man, I'm sure you can understand the kind of temptation it brings – binding a beautiful veela to yourself. One who would be willing to obey your every request, should you wish it. Not to mention how, by becoming a veela's mate, you'd be gaining prolonged life and youth in the process. It's a very tempting image, is it not? Especially for the power-hungry." She answered evenly.

Neville didn't answer her but Fleur probably didn't expect him to because she sat down behind her desk again, tapping her wand idly against the table.

"After the war, there was even speculation among historians that at some point in his life, the Dark Lord himself may have once forced a young veela to mate with him when he was about 18 years old. Then, when he was gifted with her prolonged life and youth, he killed her. This is consistent with the unexplained disappearance of a veela named Xyrwynn. Unfortunately, no one has been able to prove this. As for Xyrwynn, no one knows what became of her and her body has not been found until this day." Fleur told them grimly, shaking her head.

"Instructor?"

It took Draco a few seconds to realize that it was him who had actually spoken and that he had been holding his hand up in the air.

"Aren't there any laws in place to protect against this sort of abuse from happening? Or laws in general to protect veelas from being abused?" He asked.

To give himself credit, the soft smile that Fleur gave him suggested that she appreciated his question.

"There are several laws in place meant to protect veelas, yes. But mostly, they are just laws that protect against the usual crimes, including murder, general racism, sexual assault – which, incidentally, cannot be mitigated by the defense of claiming to be under the veela allure." Fleur's eyes narrowed and she shot all the boys in the classroom a warning glare.

"But if you are talking about laws that protect against the abuse of the Feather Curse, then no. You have to understand that the Feather Curse requires a veela's name to work, and most veelas nowadays have learned to be very vigilant about guarding their names from anyone who isn't their mate or their family. Though, there have been several attempts by veela groups to have such laws passed over the years, the Wizengamot has never really paid that much attention. Veelas are, after all, a minority in our society." Fleur answered.

"How about laws that protect against forcing an unmated veela to mate with you?" Draco persisted, clenching his jaw in frustration at her answer.

"The answer to that, Monsieur Malfoy, is quite complicated." Fleur's eyebrows fused together as she leaned back against her seat and took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Currently, there is a law in place that punishes those who attempt to force a bond with an unmated veela, labeling the offense as similar to 'attempted rape'. However, and it is important that I emphasize this – the law is written such that only the veela who was attacked can initiate the criminal proceedings. And because of this poorly worded law, only cases where there was attempted forcing of the bond have ever been prosecuted. Can you venture a guess as to why that is?"

Even before Fleur had finished asking her question, the answer was already forming itself in the back of Draco's mind and suddenly, he felt sick.

"Because if the perpetuator actually succeeds in cutting off her wings and forcing a bond with a veela, then he becomes her mate. And if only the attacked veela can initiate the criminal proceedings against him, she…won't. Because the one who attacked her is now her mate...And a veela—" His voice broke.

"—cannot harm her mate." Fleur finished for him, offering him a small smile when she noticed the way Draco was clenching his shaking fists at his side. "It is a horrible legal situation, I'm afraid. But fortunately, there haven't been any attacks like that on veelas in quite a long time. Although, I do admit that having the Wizengamot pass more laws to protect our kind would be appreciated in this day and age." She let out a dramatic sigh and gave Draco a playful, teasing smile to lighten the mood. "If, perhaps, you find yourself working as a member of the Wizengamot sometime after you graduate, Monsieur Malfoy, maybe you could remember this conversation of ours and be the one to put those laws in place, oui?" She winked at him in challenge.

Draco stiffened at her words and sank back down into his seat, pointedly ignoring the ridiculing looks he was receiving from his classmates. No doubt most of them were probably scoffing to themselves at the idea of a former Death Eater like him ever working for such an esteemed organization as the Wizengamot.

Truth be told, ever since first year, Draco hadn't really planned on working at all; and given his inheritance, he didn't actually need to anyway.

After Hogwarts, he was required to serve his two-year sentence of unpaid community service, but after that, he had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do with his life

That is, until Fleur's comment just now (which she probably meant as a joke) but still, it was definitely something worth considering.

Draco reflected on this for a long time before reluctantly bringing his attention back to their discussion.

"I'm curious, Instructor." Morag spoke up again, raising her hand. "If cutting off her wings basically 'frees' a veela from all these complications, why don't most veelas just do so? Cut off their wings, I mean?" She pointed out, looking confused.

Although Fleur managed a chuckle at Morag's words, the look on her face was tinged with a little bit of horror.

"Well, first, it is quite painful. A veela's wings are very sensitive, and to cut them off would be as painful as…pulling out each of your fingernails." She paused when nearly everyone in the classroom cringed at the image. "Also, cutting off our wings will significantly weaken our magic. So, quite understandably, a veela will only consider doing this in the most dire of situations. Like, say, when her intended rejects the mate-bond."

"Why would anyone reject a bond from a veela?" Terry Boot pointed out with a disbelieving snort and shake of his head.

"A variety of reasons, I'd imagine." Fleur indulged him with an amused smile. "To accept a mate-bond with a veela is to form a deeply emotional connection that not a lot of wizards are willing to make. Your thoughts and feelings will be laid bare to each other once the bond is established. You'll be able to hear each other's thoughts, feel each other's pain, suffering. You can see how that would turn off not just wizards, but also veelas, yes? Not everyone is ready for that kind of commitment." Fleur explained.

"But, once a veela fully bonds with her mate, does it not invite the same kind of abuse caused by the Feather Curse? You know, since her mate can pretty much order her to do whatever he wants simply by addressing her by her veela name?" Granger asked, a worried look creasing her face.

"Yes, it does." Fleur answered honestly. "But this is precisely why we are very selective about who we choose to mate with. A veela must, more than anything else, completely and irrevocably trust her mate with her entire being – trust him not to take advantage of the power he will have over her." She tilted her head slightly to the side in thought, her sharp blue eyes lingering on all the male students in the room.

"It is quite easy to abuse the love of a veela after all. But I am sure that all the fine gentlemen here, especially since you took this class, will learn to love and respect a veela properly should you ever be lucky enough to be chosen as a veela's mate, oui?"

Draco shifted uncomfortably in his seat, staring intently at his tightly clasped hands on the table.

Fleur smiled at them and stood up, walking back over to stand in front of the blackboard.

"Well then, I believe we've wrapped up everything you need to know about veelas." She bowed her head slightly and rewarded them all with a graceful curtsy. "Au terme de ce séminaire, je voudrais vous dire à quel point j'ai été heureux d'être parmi vous aujourd'hui. It has been my great pleasure being your Instructor. I look forward to meeting you all outside of Hogwarts after you graduate."

"Before I dismiss you, Headmistress McGonagall instructed me to inform you all about your assignment for the next topic. You are to research on vampires next. Minimum of three feet of parchment. You will also be meeting with a new guest lecturer, as I understand."

Fleur looked up from the piece of parchment she had been reading from and gave them one last wave and wink.

"À bientôt, tout le monde! Class is dismissed."

Aria spent most of her week confined to her bed in the hospital wing.

To her immense relief, Madam Pomfrey decided to transfer her into a private room, the one she usually reserved for infectious cases, and magically sealed the entire area off from all other students except for Ron and Hermione - who were free to come and go as they pleased. Once or twice, Madam Pomfrey caught a few students (mostly giggly first years who wanted a chance to approach the girl-who-lived) trying to sneak into Aria's room. Luckily, the charms held firm and none of them were able to enter; though that definitely didn't stop them from lingering near the doorway so much that Hermione finally lost her patience and threatened them all with a full month's detention if they didn't leave Aria alone.

Aria also had to contend with all of the ridiculous gifts, candies, flowers and chocolates which kept coming in for her in the mornings. The gifts were from the older students, usually 6th years or 7th years who witnessed her horrifying plunge during the quidditch game and wanted her to get better as soon as possible. She might have appreciated the chocolates, but from first hand experience, she knew better than to eat anything that came from someone she didn't personally know – especially after Ron's near death experience with a box of amortentia-spiked chocolates in sixth year.

Speaking of which—

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Aria sighed in exasperation and looked up from her DADA textbook, shooting an annoyed glare at Ron across the room. He was currently bent over the large pile of 'get well' gifts in the corner, a white box of chocolate truffles in his hand.

"Whamrgh nargh—?" Ron blinked at her, a half-eaten apple stuck in his mouth.

When she made a face at him, he grabbed the apple from his mouth and swallowed before reading the small card attached to the box of chocolates. "It's from a Gryffindor bloke in 5th year named Miles Penworth. Come on mate, it can't honestly be that bad. I've talked to Penworth, he seems pretty normal." He pointed out.

"Do you really want me to rehash how you were so hopelessly in love with Oliver Rivers when I found you that night in sixth year?" Aria pointed out with an amused smirk.

"Fine." Ron scowled at her, his cheeks burning at the memory. He reluctantly set the box of chocolates back down onto the table beside her and tossed the apple core he still held into the nearby trash bin. "What a terrible waste though. What are we going to do with all of these chocolates and candies? Do you want to just toss them all into the trash?"

"Cast an incendio on the lot of them, for all I care." Aria turned back to her textbook and flipped another page.

"You probably wouldn't want to burn this." Ron used his wand to levitate a small stuffed toy of a Hungarian Horntail from the pile. When Aria arched an eyebrow and gave the hideous-looking toy a horrified look, Ron laughed and held it out to her. "It's from George. He heard about your little quidditch accident so he sent this." He told her.

"Your brother always did have horrible taste." Aria scoffed as she plucked the stuffed toy from Ron's outstretched hands, placing it onto the table beside her.

"Well, he dated you didn't he?" Ron pointed out, smirking.

"Oh shut up."

When Ron burst into snickers, Aria rolled her eyes.

At the thought of George, however, her expression sombered. She lowered her gaze and pretended to pick at her pajama bottoms so that she wouldn't have to look at Ron as she spoke.

"How is he?" She asked softly.

"He's doing alright." Ron picked up on her mood easily and his laughter dried out. He sighed and leaned back against his seat, fiddling with his hands. "All things considered, he's holding up pretty well, actually. Well, much better than Mum, I suppose. D'you know that he and Angie met up at the Leaky a few months ago? They're um—" He paused and glanced uncertainly at Aria.

"I know." Aria nodded in understanding and urged him to continue. "They're dating, right? He wrote to me a few days ago about it. I'm happy for him, you know. Angie's always been a good friend of his and she knows him and Fred really well. She'll be good for him."

"Yeah, I think so too. Having Angie around seems to give him the energy to get up out of bed in the morning. He's been coming over to check on the shop more and more too. Reckon it'll only be a couple more months before he's ready to open it up again. At least, I hope it will." Ron said softly, a small smile on his face.

Aria felt a familiar twinge of sadness at the thought of George, suddenly reminded of how much the war last year had cost him.

Had cost her.

Had cost everyone.

After the war, a few months before she manifested as a veela, she spent a lot of her time with the Weasleys at the Burrow, helping them with the necessary arrangements for Fred's funeral, as well as making arrangements of her own for the funerals of Remus and Tonks. During that time, she and George had grown close; ironically much closer than they had been when they went to the Yule Ball together back in Aria's fourth year.

Unfortunately, things didn't work out and it was all incredibly bad timing.

They comforted each other as best as they could, but looking back on their incredibly short-lived relationship now, Aria realized that 'comfort' was probably all it ever was between them – just two broken people seeking comfort from each other after the war. Over time, they both grew to accept that they weren't right for each other; that they wouldn't be able to help each other heal; so eventually, they broke it off and both of them walked away without any ill feelings or regret.

"Mate? You okay?"

Ron's voice was soft and soothing as he gently broke Aria out of her thoughts.

Aria blinked and looked up, meeting Ron's worried look with a small, reassuring smile.

"I'm fine."

Fortunately, neither of them had to say anything else because the doors suddenly swung open and Hermione came bounding into the room with a scowl on her face.

"I swear, those silly little girls!" She grumbled under her breath as she slammed the doors shut and huffed, stomping over to them. "The nerve of them! Of all the absurd, ridiculous things to make up—"

"Good morning to you too, Hermione." Aria greeted her in a sarcastic tone of voice as she watched the brunette huff again before depositing all of her books onto the foot of Aria's bed. "What's got you into such a delightful mood?" She asked.

Hermione glanced at her, shaking her head to clear the irritated look away from her face. "It's those dim-witted first year girls hanging outside your room again. One of them had the gall to ask me if the bludger actually hit you in the nose and that the reason you weren't letting anybody else see you was because you needed magical correction done on your face." She scowled when both Aria and Ron burst out into amused snickers at her words.

"I mean, honestly! I'm sure they were there during the match, it would have been obvious if that bludger had hit you in the face, wouldn't it?" Hermione snapped again as she sighed and sat down into her usual seat across from Ron. "These first years will believe anything these days! You'd think they'd have more bloody respect for the girl who saved their necks from Voldemort last year."

"Let them be, Hermione. They're probably just bored and need the gossip. It's annoying but perfectly harmless." Aria waved her irritation away, adjusting her wings so that she could lean back against her bed.

"So…How was your investigation, love? Did you learn anything?" Ron asked, giving the Ravenclaw a curious look.

"I think so." Hermione answered as she settled down into her seat with a grim expression on her face. "It turns out, the common room incident is similar to the first vandalism case after all. The ones responsible were a group of Slytherin first year students." She told them.

"First years?" Aria's eyes widened and she stared at Hermione in disbelief.

"Yes." Hermione sighed. "We checked their wands to confirm if it really was them. They were definitely the ones who trashed the common rooms. When we asked them why they did it though, they said they don't actually remember doing it."

"Just like the first case." Aria whispered under her breath, her wings drooping.

"Exactly." Hermione bit her lip and reluctantly continued. "Based on all the information I was able to put together about that night, I have strong reason to believe that the real person responsible – the one who probably hexed the first years into doing it, I mean – is probably a prefect."

"What makes you say that?" Ron asked, his eyebrows fusing together in alarm.

"Well…" Hermione arched an eyebrow at them and lifted one of her shoulders into a half-shrug. "It's logical to assume. Only a prefect would know the passwords to all of the common rooms, after all."

"That makes sense." Ron muttered under his breath.

"It gets worse." Hermione's gaze lowered and Aria noticed that she was trying very hard not to meet her eyes. "I didn't tell Headmistress McGonagall yet but I checked the records of the prefect schedules this morning. And as it turns out, I noticed that there were only two prefects who were out on patrol the same night the three common rooms were vandalized. I was outside, patrolling the grounds with Hagrid at the time the incident was presumed to take place. Meanwhile, the other prefect…Well, I didn't see where he was."

"Who is it, Hermione?" Ron asked, looking concerned at the sudden uneasiness in her voice.

"It was Blaise. Blaise Zabini."

"What?" Aria's eyes immediately narrowed into tiny slits and she sat up on her bed, giving Hermione an angry, disbelieving look. "No, you must be mistaken about that Hermione. I saw Blaise, he was there in the common room with us when Slughorn and McGonagall came storming in. He looked just as confused as the rest of us about what happened—"

"That was hours after the vandalism took place, Aria. He could have easily snuck back into the common room before McGonagall and Slughorn arrived." Hermione pointed out.

Aria's frown deepened, thinking back to how she had definitely encountered Blaise when he entered the common room after finishing his prefect rounds that night. She remembered that it had been pretty late at the time, definitely past eleven. He had seen her lounging on the couch and given her a sleepy wave before he trudged up the stairs towards the boys' dorm.

"You're saying Zabini is the one who hexed those first years into doing it?" Ron blurted out.

At the incredulous looks she received from them both, Hermione hesitated.

"Well—"

"No." Aria's eyes narrowed again and she shook her head firmly, ignoring the look of protest on Hermione's face. "No, it couldn't be Blaise, Hermione. He wouldn't do something like that, he'd have absolutely no reason to do it. It just…That doesn't make sense." She argued.

"Look, Aria." Hermione looked troubled as she studied Aria's reaction. "I know he's your friend and I'm not saying he did it—"

"What about the Gryffindor Prefect who claims he was attacked that night? The one they found passed out in the common room." Aria cut her off in a sharp voice.

Hermione frowned and shook her head. "Well, he was stunned so he couldn't have left the Gryffindor Common Room. We checked this, he's telling the truth."

"Okay." Aria scowled and gave her a pointed look. "So isn't it entirely possible that someone else could have stunned him? Precisely to get those passwords for the other common rooms from him?"

Hermione sighed at that but conceded with a nod. "Yes of course, that's possible."

"'Did you tell Headmistress McGonagall all this, Hermione?" Ron interjected from where he was watching their exchange, his eyes darting back and forth between the two girls.

"No, I didn't." Hermione admitted grimly. "Frankly, I don't want to say anything yet because I don't have any evidence to make any unfair accusations. Besides, even after everything I found, even I think that something doesn't quite add up."

"Don't tell the Headmistress about Blaise. It's not him." Aria said quietly.

"I wasn't planning to. But Aria—"

"I said it's not him, Hermione." Aria interrupted her again in a firm, angry voice. "We just agreed that someone else could have hexed that Gryffindor Prefect to get those passwords. So I'd appreciate it if you stopped pointing fingers at my housemates unless we have all our facts straight."

The hostility in Aria's voice caused Ron's eyes to widen slightly as he blinked at them, waiting cautiously for either of the girls to speak.

"I wasn't pointing fingers at anyone." Hermione's eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together into a thin line. "I was just telling you what I know, Aria. I'm sorry if I caused any misunderstanding but please don't make me out to be your enemy in this." She snapped.

"No, you're right. I'm sorry." The anger on Aria's face melted away and she sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I didn't mean to go off on you like that, Hermione."

"It's fine." Hermione mirrored her weary expression and leaned back against her seat. "Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. The school board was satisfied enough with the fact that the first years were responsible. They ordered the Headmistress to drop the investigation and have them expelled." She told them.

"Blimey, expel them?! For being forced to do something against their will?" Aria demanded, her wings flapping in outrage.

"Poor kids." Ron added, frowning and shaking his head. "That sounds a bit extreme for something as juvenile as trashing the common rooms." He pointed out.

"I'm afraid so." Hermione nodded, looking as uncomfortable with the whole idea as Aria felt. "As you know, nearly everyone on the school's board of governors was replaced after the war; and most of them were personally 'recommended' by the Ministry of Magic. They're very anti-Voldemort right now. They're against anything associated with Voldemort, if we're being honest. No doubt, they'll jump at any opportunity to expel Slytherin students." She explained.

"It's not like those sods in high positions in the Ministry weren't guilty of associating with Voldemort themselves." Ron snorted.

"I know." Hermione sighed, slumping into her seat. "It's all just…unfortunate timing, I suppose."

Aria remained silent and lowered her gaze, staring intently at the white blankets of her hospital bed as Ron and Hermione's muffled voices began to fade into the background.

A strange, peculiar feeling was nagging at the back of her mind.

She couldn't help but think back on how she herself had mistakenly suspected Pansy for the first vandalism incident a few weeks ago. And now, the very same circumstances – incredibly unfortunate timing – was forcing her to suspect Blaise.

The situation was beginning to bother her, but she wasn't sure enough about her suspicions to relay her concerns to Hermione or Ron just yet. All Aria knew was that something in her gut was telling her that these vandalism incidents, whoever was behind them, were somehow connected to her; as though trying to tell her something.

Of course, it was only a gut feeling; Aria knew that.

But then again, she had survived an entire war relying only on her gut feelings.

Chapter Text

Aria stood in front of the huge doors leading outside the castle.

She reached into the pocket of her robes, pulling out the small piece of parchment that Blaise handed her when she entered the Slytherin Common Room that morning. After confirming that she was supposed to meet Zach in front of Hagrid's Hut for their chores that afternoon, she made her way down the stone steps leading out to the school's grounds.

A few meters further down the path leading to Hagrid's, Aria caught a glimpse of a very familiar shade of platinum blond hair. When she slowed her footsteps and crept a bit closer, finally realizing that it was Draco who was waiting for her and not Zach, Aria immediately froze up and felt herself go into a mini panic attack.

What the fuck?! Zabini said I'd be paired with Smith today!

She fumed silently in her head, remembering the innocent smile on Blaise's face when he had given her the chore list for that day.

I'm going to castrate him.

Fortunately, Draco was facing the other direction and hadn't seen her approach yet and Aria debated briefly with herself whether turning around and fleeing back towards the castle was a viable option.

She immediately scowled and shook her head; a little embarrassed for even considering the thought of running away. She was once a Gryffindor, after all, and despite the fact that she wasn't ready to confront Draco about what happened between them in the quidditch pitch last week, that certainly didn't justify her tucking her tail and scurrying away from him like some kind of coward.

Sighing in defeat, Aria slowly trudged towards the blond, stopping just a few steps behind him and waiting until Draco turned around and met her gaze. To her annoyance, Draco didn't look at all surprised when he saw her there; alerting Aria to the possibility that Blaise's switch of their chore lists that afternoon may have been a little one-sided on her part.

"Potter." Draco greeted, his eyes sweeping quickly over her form.

"Nice to see our beloved golden princess finally up and about. You certainly took your sweet time procrastinating in the hospital wing, did you?" He drawled.

"I wasn't procrastinating, Malfoy. I was recuperating." Aria snapped irritably at him, rolling her eyes. "And not that it's any of your business, but it's not like I was on vacation or something. I studied during all those times that I wasn't in class." She told him.

"Harriah Potter actually studying. Well, that's a first."

"Just shut up, will you?" Aria managed another weary sigh at his antics and reached up to massage her temples in exasperation. "Anyway, what are you doing here and why are you bothering me? I thought I was supposed to be paired with Zach today."

"You were." Draco reached into the pocket of his robes, pulling out his chore list and waving it in front of her face. "But I bribed Blaise and made him switch some of the schedules around." He chuckled.

"Why?" Aria blinked at him, annoyed.

"I was assigned to clean classrooms with Abbott." Draco shrugged and lowered his gaze, examining his fingernails. "Not only do I hate cleaning, but that bloody girl is still terrified of me; I figured I'd be doing her a favor." He answered.

"So instead you decided to grace me with the pleasure of your company?" She retorted sarcastically.

"The other people assigned to do chores this afternoon were Morag or Pansy. You're probably the lesser of three evils." Draco looked amused when he saw the stony expression on her face. "Now enough with all this useless chit-chat already, Potter. Let's get going."

He didn't wait for her to answer before he stalked off, leaving Aria staring resignedly after him.

With another exhausted sigh, she grumbled under her breath and reluctantly followed after him, making her way down the narrow, sloping pathway that opened up into the clearing in front of Hagrid's Hut.

Draco was waiting for her when she got there, his nose wrinked slightly in disdain as he stared at all the Hippogriff feathers scattered around. They didn't have to wait long before the doors to Hagrid's Hut swung open and Hagrid himself came clambering out, his friendly, bearded face immediately warming into a smile at the sight of Aria standing there and waving at him.

"Blimey, is that you, Aria?! I was wonderin' when you'd be assigned to me! How are you feelin'? No more injuries? I heard you just got out of the hospital wing." Hagrid greeted, eliciting a laugh from Aria as she rushed toward the half-giant and enveloped him in a brief hug.

"I'm just fine, Hagrid. Don't worry." She smiled up at him, chuckling when Hagrid gave the top of her head an affectionate pat. "I'm sorry that me, Ron and Hermione haven't been able to visit you as much this year. Things have just been crazy with all our NEWT preparations; we've been swamped with so much studying." She said guiltily.

"Oh come on now, don't you worry about that." Hagrid dismissed her concerns with a wave of his large hand. "I know that the three of you are busy training to be the big, fancy names you'll surely become after you graduate." When she made a face at that, he chuckled and gave her another reassuring pat on the shoulder. "But of course, you're always welcome to visit anytime. Fang misses you, after all."

"Ahem."

At the sound of Draco's obnoxious voice, Aria rolled her eyes.

She shot Hagrid an apologetic look before reluctantly turning around, arching an eyebrow at the blond scowling petulantly behind her.

"Yes, Malfoy?" Aria asked calmly.

"If the both of you are quite done with your useless little pleasantries." Draco scoffed, tapping his foot impatiently against the ground. "I'd like to get started on these godforsaken chores sometime this year, thank you very much." He drawled snippily.

Somehow, Aria managed to resist the urge to hex the handsome blond prat into the next century and instead, turned around to give Hagrid a rueful grin. "So er…yeah. Unfortunately, I'd like to apologize in advance, Hagrid, because…er…I'm here with Malfoy. We're the pair assigned to do the chores you'll be giving out this afternoon." She explained.

"Aye, that's not a problem." Hagrid gave her a reassuring smile and walked over to a small shed near the back of his hut. When he returned a few minutes later, he handed both Aria and Draco a large, wooden basket each, along with a small piece of parchment.

"You're actually supposed to help Professor Slughorn re-stock some potion ingredients today. That there's the list he wrote out. It's quite a lot, but you should be able to find all of them in the Forbidden Forest." He told them.

"Seriously?" Draco sputtered as he reluctantly took the basket from Hagrid, holding it away from him as though it was the most disgusting thing he had ever held in his life. "We're supposed to go into the Forbidden Forest?! Is this a chore you regularly assign to all students this year? Or just the ones you want to die?" He complained loudly.

Aria felt another surge of annoyance and tried to nudge the blond in an effort to make him shut up but Draco ignored her and went on.

"Is Hogwarts so poorly maintained right now that they're sending unsuspecting students out to their deaths on a regular basis? This is utterly ridiculous!" He spat out.

"You saw how badly the castle was damaged because of the war, Malfoy. Most of the faculty and the school's house-elves are still busy with reconstruction." Hagrid answered him with a disapproving 'tsk' and shake of his head. "Besides, we only send you 8th years out into the Forbidden Forest to collect potion ingredients. So far, all of the other pairs before you came back safe and sound." He added.

Aria snaked a hand out and pinched Draco hard on his arm when it looked as though he was going to complain again.

"Ow! Potter did you just—"

"We'll be fine, Hagrid." Aria spoke up in a firm voice, cutting off Draco's yelp of pain.

"There, you see Malfoy?" Hagrid grinned and nodded at Aria in approval. "Don't know what you're so worried about, you've got Aria there to protect you anyway so I'm sure you'll be just fine." He chuckled.

Draco's cheeks immediately reddened at the insinuation of Hagrid's words.

"I can protect myself, you gigantic half-breed!" He seethed.

Hagrid ignored him and glanced at Aria from the corner of his eye, giving the smirking girl a wink. "Anyway, as I said, that list should tell you what you need to collect. Be on your guard though. These past few weeks, there's been some wild animal lately that's been killin' a lot of foxes and drainin' all their blood. I keep havin' to collect their corpses in the morning."

"Oh that's nice, a wild animal is on the loose." Draco muttered sarcastically under his breath.

Aria's lips twitched at that but she pretended as though she hadn't heard him. "Then we'd better get started on this if we want to finish on time. Are you coming with us, Hagrid?"

"No, I can't. The Headmistress asked me to go to Diagon Alley this afternoon to replenish our stock of a few things." Hagrid answered, shaking his head. "So you be sure to take care out there, alright? And try not to stay out too late. I think there's a big storm comin' tonight." He added worriedly.

"Will do. Thanks, Hagrid." Aria gave him one last reassuring smile and wave.

She grabbed Draco by the sleeve of his robes and began dragging him towards the gates leading to the Forbidden Forest. When they got there and Aria stopped a few meters past the gate, Draco growled at her and yanked his sleeve away.

"Potter, look what you did! You made me get mud all over my shoes!" He complained, wrinkling his nose as he bent down and cast a quick scourgify on himself to clean up the mess.

"That's your own fault." Aria glanced at him and rolled her eyes. "You knew we'd be working outside the castle today, you should have worn more casual shoes." She pointed out.

"These are my casual shoes!" Draco snapped.

"Oh I see." Aria couldn't help laughing as she turned to face him, giving him a saccharinely sweet smile. "Would you like me to carry you then, Princess? That way the big bad dirty mud won't get you?" She cheeked.

"Are you mocking me, scar-head?"

"Of course not, ferret-face."

Aria stifled a smirk, a pleasantly nostalgic sense of déjà vu filling her senses at their banter.

She realized that she actually missed their old, childhood rivalry.

At least, back then, she liked to think that most of her clashes with Draco were born from the animosity between two innocent little kids who liked to pick on each other for the silliest of reasons. It was a different situation altogether when she thought about how she and Draco had fought in the last two years – when the two of them were on opposite sides of the war. In that situation, there was no need for name-calling or pranks anymore; because during the war, they were actually expected to kill each other.

She winced to herself and quickly dismissed the disturbing thought.

"Can I see the list?" Draco's voice broke her out of her musings as they stopped in the middle of a small clearing. He snatched the parchment out of her hand, ignoring her halfhearted protests as he skimmed through the long list of ingredients in dismay.

"This is a lot." He scowled as he set the list down and glared accusingly at her. "How in Merlin's name do they expect us to finish collecting all of these ingredients before dinner?" He demanded.

"Well, for one thing, maybe talking a lot less would be a good start." Aria retorted hotly as she snatched the list back from him, rolling her eyes at his peevishness. "Besides, you were the one who switched your regular chores for this, Malfoy. So I don't think you have any right to complain about it now."

Draco grumbled, using his wand to levitate his basket and make it trail after him. "Let's just get this over with then." He sighed.

"You'd better stay close. I can't protect you if I can't see you." Aria smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh ha ha, that's hilarious."

She smirked at his deadpan response and strode off, levitating her own basket as she headed deeper into the forest. Every now and then, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure Draco was still following her. Eventually, she stopped when she caught a glimpse of a few purple flowers poking out from several bushes underneath a small cluster of trees.

"I found the Wolfsbane." Aria walked over to the bushes and bent down, plucking some of the Wolfsbane out and tossing them into her basket. Draco muttered something under his breath but reluctantly knelt down beside her, causing Aria to stiffen when she caught a whiff of his scent.

Not again.

She stifled a groan and, very discreetly, shuffled away from him. Unfortunately, Draco seemed to have picked up on her reaction anyway because he arched an eyebrow at her, one corner of his lips quirking upwards into a smirk.

"Something wrong?" He asked lightly.

"Nothing." Aria swallowed and shakily jumped back up to her feet. "I—I think we also passed by some Death Caps back there." She stammered, pointing to a spot over Draco's shoulder.

He didn't say anything and obediently followed after her, still hovering torturously close.

They spent the next couple of hours in harmonious silence, both of them working diligently through their list of ingredients with impressive speed.

Aria spoke again sometime later, glancing curiously at Draco from the corner of her eye.

"So…Did I happen to miss anything interesting this week? You know, while I was bored out of my mind in the hospital wing?"

"You mean other than how everyone was panicking about how their precious golden girl was injured?" Draco answered, slanting his gaze over to her and giving her a wry look. "No, Potter, you didn't miss much." He paused and seemed to reconsider his answer. "Well, Abbott did eat some amortentia-spiked chocolates that some pathetic sod originally left for you, but I wouldn't exactly call that bit interesting." He added with a snicker.

Aria's eyes widened and she turned to give him an alarmed look. "What? Is she okay?"

"She's fine." Draco smirked and waved her concerns aside.

"Merlin, they never give up, do they?" Aria sighed and shook her head to herself in exasperation. "Who's the bloody wanker who tried to drug me this time?"

"This time?"

For some reason, her question caused Draco to pause mid-step and turn around slowly, leveling her with a cool, penetrating stare. "Exactly how often do these obsessed idiots try to drug you with amortentia anyway?" He asked carefully.

"Too often." Aria gave him a weary smile but decided not to elaborate.

Draco didn't press her on the issue and instead, trailed quietly behind her as she made her way across a narrow stream and headed over to a large patch of Knotgrass on the ground. They spent the next few minutes gathering a sufficient quantity of it, making sure to tie them together in bundles as instructed before adding them into their baskets.

Draco got up first, rising carefully from the ground and dusting the dirt from his robes. When Aria moved to follow him, however, she accidentally stepped on the hem of her robes, nearly stumbling back down against the ground had Draco not reached out and steadied her firmly by her upper arm.

"Malfoy, don't touch me!"

The touch of his fingers seared against her bare skin, igniting her veela blood and scalding her with a shocking jolt of desire, yearning, pleasure and lust all at once that Aria let out a sharp gasp and immediately yanked her arm away. She ignored the stunned look on Draco's face and scrambled away from him, curling herself up into a tight, protective ball.

It took some time, but when she managed to calm herself down, she looked up and felt a wave of relief when she noticed that Draco had completely backed away from her. He stood a couple of feet from where she sat on the ground, an impassive look on his face as he leaned one shoulder against a tree and watched her with narrowed gray eyes.

When Aria swallowed and managed to stand back up, still shaking, one of Draco's eyebrows arched and he leveled her with another blank, guarded stare.

"Are you done?" He drawled.

"Y—yes, I—uh. Sorry about that." Aria forced out a shaky laugh, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. "It was a little panic attack. Even after the war, I still get them every now and then." She lied.

Judging by the stone-faced, unimpressed look that continued to linger on Draco's face, she knew he didn't believe her.

Not one bit.

"If you say so, Potter."

Draco's voice was unusually cold and reserved as he straightened himself back up and stormed off, leaving a wide-eyed Aria staring awkwardly at his retreating back. Unsure of what exactly she had done to piss him off, Aria bit her lip and reluctantly trailed after him, following him through a series of narrow twists and turns through the more densely packed clusters of trees and shrubs of the Forbidden Forest.

There was another long stretch of silence where neither of them spoke to each other after that; and Aria couldn't help but feel a little uneasy when she noticed the way Draco was deliberately ignoring her. Unlike the relaxed, playful atmosphere they had back at Hagrid's Hut, there was a very noticeable tension in the air between them now; and Aria had no doubt that it had to do with her embarrassing reaction to his touch a few minutes ago.

She swallowed the pain of his implied rejection and hurried her footsteps to catch up to him.

When she saw him standing off to the side of another small clearing, carefully levitating some Belladonna flowers into his basket, she cleared her throat loudly, causing Draco to stiffen and lift his gaze up to meet hers.

"So…Um…What are your plans after we graduate, Malfoy?" She tried not to wince when she saw the way Draco's eyes flashed with irritation at the utter randomness of her question.

"What?" He snapped.

"You know…After school, what do you plan to do?" Aria offered him another sheepish smile, one of her shoulders lifting up into a half-shrug. "Do you have any plans after Hogwarts yet?"

"No, I don't, Potter." Draco snapped again, scoffing at her before he turned his attention back to his task. "Frankly, I don't even know why you're asking me. You were there during my Ministry trial, you know I have to serve two years of community service after I graduate." He spat out.

"Right…" Aria bit her lip and let the rest of her voice trail off as she stared at him, struggling for something else to talk about. "…um…well, what about after those two years then? I noticed that you're taking a track in Potions Mastery right now, is that something you plan to pursue further—"

"Not really." Draco answered curtly.

"An occupation that specializes in Charms, then?" Aria swallowed the lump in her throat and before she knew it, she began to ramble. "I noticed you're one of the top students in that class. Speaking of class, how are you with your NEWT preparations by the way? Is there any subject you still need to brush up on—"

"Potter, what is this? An interrogation?" Draco let out a loud, weary sigh and finally turned around to face her, giving her an exasperated glare. "Please tell me there's a point to all of your useless, incredibly asinine questions. Are you practicing being a bloody auror already?" He sneered at the confounded look on her face.

"It's not an interrogation." Aria answered uncertainly, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

Sighing, she walked over to stand beside him and began levitating a few Belladona flowers into her own basket. "I was just trying to make casual conversation. You know, like most normal people do?" She pointed out, frowning.

"Well, I'm not interested in talking, okay? So just shut up."

Draco reached up to reposition his basket onto his other side. When the back of his hand almost grazed against her cheek, Aria found herself jerking back again, quickly moving away before he could touch her. This time, the expression on Draco's face was far from calm or impassive as he finally exploded at her, whirling around and glaring furiously down at Aria with dangerously narrowed gray eyes.

"Why do you keep doing that?!" He growled.

Aria blinked at him, momentarily taken back by the pure rage in his expression.

"Huh?"

"Why the hell do you hate touching me so much?!" Draco demanded, and Aria was startled when she looked up and saw the strange mixture of anger, frustration and hurt written all over his face. "Do you think I'm contagious or something?! Why do you react so goddamn violently every time I'm a mere inch away from touching you?!"

Aria tried to deflect his question by averting her gaze and letting out a nervous laugh. "I hadn't actually realized I was doing that."

"Really?" Draco mocked sarcastically.

When Aria faltered and scrounged desperately through her mind for an answer, Draco sneered again and stepped closer towards her – much, much closer – that Aria immediately flushed and nearly stumbled over her own foot in her haste to back away from him.

"Malfoy!" She hissed angrily.

"See?" Draco actually looked more amused than angry now as he watched her take another cautious step away from him, her hand automatically hovering over her wand. "You're doing it again, Potter." He said calmly.

She didn't answer so Draco took another step towards her, instantly causing her to back up so much that she ended up cornered against the trunk of the large tree behind her. Gritting her teeth, Aria yanked her wand out of her robes and pressed the tip of it hard against Draco's chest, using the action to try and push him away.

"Step away." She warned.

"Or what?" He challenged, smirking. "Are you going to hex me?"

"I might." Aria growled, narrowing her eyes. "I really don't like it when people intrude into my personal space."

"Is that so?"

To her utter frustration, Draco didn't look at all intimidated by her words. Instead, he chuckled and raised a single finger, very slowly and very deliberately, using it to poke at the bolt-shaped scar on her forehead.

Aria hissed at the burst of pleasurable skin contact and tried to jerk away from him again, only to end up accidentally hitting the back of her head against the tree behind her.

"Fuck!"

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, his lips twitching with mirth.

"I'm fine!" Aria flushed in embarrassment and scowled at him, slapping his hand away from her face. "What the hell do you think you're doing anyway?" She snapped, rubbing the back of her head.

"Intruding into your personal space." He raised his hand again, pressing his finger playfully against the tip of her nose.

"Stop it!" Aria's eyes widened and she tried to turn her face away.

"Stop what? This?"

Draco traced his finger sensually along the curve of her neck, smirking when Aria closed her eyes and shivered at the burning sensation. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt the skin between her neck and shoulder where he was touching her break out into very tiny, tingly goosebumps.

"I said stop!"

Somehow, Aria managed to snap herself out of her lust-induced trance long enough for her to place her gloved hands firmly against his chest, using the position to shove him away.

"I don't like people touching me." She warned in a low voice.

"Why?" Draco asked calmly.

"What do you mean why? It's invasive!"

Draco looked incredibly amused at her reaction but, to her immense relief, he finally got the hint and backed off.

They spent the rest of their afternoon collecting the ingredients on their list in awkward silence.

Draco continued to glance discreetly at Aria every now and then to observe her reaction. He was, by no means, an expert on veelas but even Draco could tell that the way Aria reacted to his fleeting touches obviously meant that she considered him a very compatible mate.

And that realization was making Draco feel very confident about his own attraction to her.

He stifled another smirk when he saw the way she was avoiding his eyes, her entire form tensing every single time he got too close or accidentally (or in his case, deliberately) brushed against her when he passed by.

"How many more ingredients are left?" Aria sounded tired as she looked up from where she was arranging some Dittany herbs on her basket.

"Just one more left, I think." He answered, skimming through the list of ingredients before tucking it back into his pocket. When she looked relieved at his answer, Draco snickered under his breath. "Don't tell me you're getting tired already, Potter?"

"Give me a break, Malfoy. I just got out of the hospital wing this morning, remember?" Aria pointed out, glaring at him over the thick glasses that were beginning to slide off her nose. With an exasperated sigh, she shoved them back up onto her face and reluctantly trudged after him.

As they trekked their way through the rocky ground, weaving through the large expanse of tall, thick trees, Draco risked another glance at her. He noticed that she was being very careful in maintaining a good couple of feet away from him, her gloved arms wrapped firmly around her midsection to avoid any more unnecessary touching. When they stopped and gaped at the sight of a small herd of hippogriffs blocking their path, Draco blanched and, very carefully, took a step backward.

Aria was obviously trying hard not to smile as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Do you want to go around them?" She teased.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Draco tried to sneer at her, though given the blush on his cheeks, he was pretty sure that it didn't have its intended effect. "I'm not afraid of a couple of stupid hippogriffs! Let's get going already!"

He ignored the way her lips twitched with laughter as he pushed past her and all but ran, as fast he could, through the small herd of hippogriffs until he reached the other side of the clearing. When he got there, discreetly breathing out a sigh of relief, he scowled again when he saw Aria smirking at him, one of her eyebrows arched as she took in his disgruntled appearance.

"Anything you want to say?" He asked sharply.

Aria didn't answer, still chuckling as she walked past his seething form and began heading towards the cluster of brown mushrooms that littered the large patch of grass nearby.

When he finished levitating a few of the mushrooms into his basket, Draco stood up and began making his way back towards her. He paused mid-step when he noticed that Aria had gone unnaturally still. She was standing a few meters ahead of him, her slender form dwarfed by the large tree behind her. What bothered Draco, however, was the strange expression on her face.

Aria's eyes were vacant and she was staring blankly at the empty space in front of her.

"Potter?"

He frowned and tread quietly towards her, careful not to make any sudden noise or movements.

It took her awhile before she actually gave any sort of indication that she heard him; but eventually, Aria slowly shook her head and blinked herself out of her weird trance.

"Sorry."

She took a deep, shaky inhale of breath and turned to face him, managing to force out a weak smile.

"I was just remembering something." She admitted quietly.

Draco couldn't help but notice the way her hand shook as she reached up, brushing a wayward lock of her hair away from her face. As she did this, her fingers lingered briefly on the bolt-shaped scar on her forehead, and it was only then that Draco came to realize exactly what it was that brought such a haunted look on her face.

"This is where it happened, isn't it?" He swallowed the dry lump in his throat, watching the myriad of emotions running through her face. "This is where you faced him?"

He watched as Aria's eyes clouded over and her lower lip seemed to tremble slightly before she tucked it firmly underneath her teeth, forcing it to stop. She didn't say anything but she answered his question with a brief, barely noticeable incline of her head.

"Tell me about it." Draco whispered.

Aria managed a humorless laugh at that and looked away.

"I'd rather not."

"My mother told me her own version of that night. She said that it all happened very fast; that the Dark Lord—" Draco choked up, his heart still clenching with fear at the mere mention of the evil wizard he had once been forced to serve. "—hit you with the Killing Curse and you just collapsed."

He clenched his fists, trembling as he struggled to reign in all of the incredibly raw emotions that were wracking his frame. When he managed to open his eyes a few moments later, he looked up and met Aria's carefully guarded stare.

"How are you not dead?" He whispered.

"I was dead."

She knelt down, one of her gloved hands reaching out to caress the rough patch of dirt and grass on the ground.

Draco watched her closely, studying the dark expression on her face.

Aria continued, staring off into empty space as though she had forgotten he was there. "Your mother was the one Voldemort sent to check up on me. When I woke up in her arms, I remember that the first thought I had was how gentle she was. It felt nice to wake up to a mother's touch for once." She blinked and glanced at him, giving him a strained smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Mother told me she was terrified that night." Draco lowered his hand to where Aria still had hers resting on the grass and, very gently, rested his palm against her fingers, using his thumb to caress the leather covering her knuckles. "Because she had to look right into the eyes of the Dark Lord and lie to him."

"She was brilliant." Aria assured him, one corner of her lips tugging upwards into a bemused grin. "The fact that she did that to save you reminded me of my own mum, actually. I honestly think I wouldn't be alive here today if it wasn't for her."

Suddenly, it was too much; and Draco had to avert his gaze and quickly pull his hand away from hers. His throat felt tight, too tight, and his heart was clenching painfully in his chest.

"I'm sorry." Aria noticed his reaction and looked guilty, sighing as she stood up and began dusting the dirt from her robes. "I shouldn't have rattled on like that about something so grim. I just—maybe, we should go."

Draco frowned at her reaction and opened his mouth, ready to chastise her for thinking she had anything to apologize for when a soft scuffling sound from a few meters away suddenly drew his attention, causing both him and Aria to stiffen in alarm and immediately draw their wands. When they walked slowly towards the source of the sound, they were surprised when a tall, half-man, half-horse figure suddenly stepped out from behind the shadows and began to approach them.

"Firenze…?"

The lack of hostility in Aria's voice caused Draco to lower his wand slightly, though unlike her, he remained tense and continued to keep his wand pointed at the approaching centaur.

"Harriah Potter." Firenze's soft, moon-like voice was oddly soothing as he stepped towards them, his face alight with recognition. His incredibly perceptive gaze settled on Aria's features. "So it is you. I certainly did not expect to see you back in this forest so soon. Especially after that night." He mentioned, stopping a few feet in front of them.

"Well, my being here wasn't exactly by choice." Aria answered him with a chuckle as she relaxed her stance, tucking her wand back into her robes. "But it's good to see you anyway, Firenze." She added warmly.

"And you as well, Girl-Who-Lived." Firenze stood tall but he inclined his head at her in a respectful bow. "I have heard tales of your many heroic exploits while you were absent from Hogwarts last year. Yours is a story that shall continue to live on for centuries to come, even among us centaurs." He told her.

"I'm not sure about that…but thank you, Firenze." Aria looked uncomfortable at his words, scuffling her feet against the ground.

Firenze was silent, his deep blue eyes fixed intently on Aria's face as though he was trying to search for something. Whatever it was, he seemed to find it because he then tilted his head slightly to the side and regarded Aria with an intensely deciphering look.

"You are not the same as the last time we met." He said simply.

His words were more a statement than a question, but it was enough that Draco stiffened again, his fingers tightening anxiously around the handle of his wand. Strangely enough, Aria didn't look bothered by Firenze's remark. Instead, she chuckled and nodded, answering the centaur with a carefully restrained smile.

"No, I'm not." She agreed.

Firenze looked curious at her reaction but then, his gaze eventually drifted over her shoulder and settled on Draco. In contrast to the way he had greeted Aria, however, the centaur's blue eyes hardened and he regarded Draco with a cool, unnerving stare.

"This one with you…The fair-haired one." He paused and waited until Aria followed his gaze to where Draco was still clutching his wand tightly in his hand behind her. "If my memory serves me correctly, I do believe I recognize his face. He was also there that night; he was one of their kind…Was he not?" He asked.

Aria frowned at that, clearly not understanding what he meant.

"One of their kind?" She asked.

"A Death Eater." Firenze clarified as his gaze flicked back to Aria, oblivious to the way Draco blanched and seemed to shrink at his words. "I remember seeing him among their ranks. He was a supporter of the Dark One."

"Oh." Aria bit her lip and glanced uneasily at Draco's retreating figure from the corner of her eye. "Yes, he was. But the war's over now so I suppose that doesn't really matter anymore—"

"His spirit is that of a weaker energy, this one." Firenze told her, cutting off the rest of her response as he directed his attention to Draco's pale face again, giving him a painfully scrutinizing look. "His nature is selfish, and he is likely to cower in the face of adversity. He does not possess the kind of inner strength you have, Harriah Potter. You would be a very ill-suited match for each other, indeed." He added warningly.

The utter calm and self-assured veracity with which Firenze had spoken the harsh words caused Draco to flinch as he took another step back. As much as he wanted to, he realized that he couldn't think of anything to say to his defense so instead, he swallowed and looked away so that neither Firenze nor Aria could see the shame and humiliation on his face.

"No, actually—" Aria hesitated, her eyes wide with uncertainty as she flicked her gaze back and forth between Draco and Firenze. "—um, we're not together."

The blond centaur simply bowed his head at her again in acknowledgment.

When the cold, uneasy tension continued to linger in the air for the next couple of minutes, Draco briefly considered leaving just so he could save himself from any further embarrassment. Fortunately, Firenze decided to put him out of his misery. The centaur turned around and began to head back deeper into the forest.

"I must go back to my herd now." He told them, glancing over his shoulder one last time to give Aria another deeply respectful nod. "It was an honor seeing you again, Harriah Potter. I look forward to hearing more of the many great feats you will undoubtedly accomplish in your lifetime."

"Goodbye, Firenze." Aria answered him with a defeated sigh, watching as the blond centaur gave a loud neigh before galloping back towards the darker parts of the forest.

As soon as he was gone, she turned her attention back to Draco, the expression on her face unusually soft as she stared at him.

"Are you okay—?"

"I'm fine." Draco cut her off sharply, refusing to meet her gaze.

"About what Firenze said about you back there—"

"I said I'm fine!" Draco snapped angrily at her, his eyes flashing as he looked up and silenced the rest of her words with an infuriated glare. "You don't owe me any apologies, Potter!" He sneered.

Aria's eyes widened at the intensity of his outburst but she didn't take the bait.

Instead, she withdrew her gaze from his and gestured calmly to the two wooden baskets filled with potion ingredients that continued to float above their heads.

"Do you want to start heading back now?" She asked quietly. "I think we've gathered enough ingredients anyway."

When he shrugged and answered her with a curt shake of his head, Aria sighed and brushed past him, making her way back towards the direction from which they had come from. She seemed reluctant to push the issue any further and instead, trailed wordlessly ahead of him with a completely neutral expression on her face. After a few minutes of this, which mostly consisted of Draco growing angrier and angrier as he glared at her back, he finally snapped and blurted out the first thing that came to his head.

"Couldn't wait to correct him back there, could you?" He mocked loudly.

The vindictiveness in his voice caused Aria to freeze mid-step. She tensed and turned around slowly, her green eyes wide as she gave him a perplexed look.

"Correct him?" She echoed.

"About us not being together, obviously!" Draco snapped again, feeling another overwhelming surge of anger when he saw the genuine confusion on her face. "What's the matter, Potter? Does the very idea of being paired with me disgust you so much?" He sneered.

Aria blinked a couple of times and gaped at him.

"I thought you'd want me to correct him! It was obviously a misunderstanding!" She argued, glaring at him as though he was insane. "Don't pretend like the very idea of us being together is some sort of dream come true for you either, Malfoy. You were always very vocal about how much you despised me!" She pointed out.

"Oh come on, stop lying. Don't tell me you don't agree with what he said." Draco scoffed at her reaction and looked away. "I am selfish and I am a coward. Apparently, even these centaurs think I'm not worthy enough to be with the perfect Harriah Potter—"

"Centaurs spend their whole lives isolated in a bloody forest, Malfoy! You shouldn't take what Firenze said seriously! He didn't see what else happened between us during the war!" Aria yelled at him, throwing her hands up into the air in frustration.

"Oh really? Then tell me, what did happen anyway? Other than the fact that I attacked you in the Room of Requirement and you responded by saving me from that fiendfyre like the bloody noble hero you are?" Draco retorted snidely.

"You saved me too! Back at the manor, when you refused to tell Bellatrix who I was! Don't you remember any of that?!" She parried.

"It doesn't make what he said any less true." He whispered darkly.

"Why does it matter anyway?! Who cares what anyone else thinks?!"

"I do, damn it!" Draco exploded at her, his eyes flashing as he looked up again and pinned her in place with his glare. "You heard him! Apparently, according to everyone else, I shouldn't even be allowed to breathe the same air as you these days! Tell me the truth, Potter! Is that the real reason you're so terrified of touching me? Because I disgust you? Do you hate me that much?!" He challenged.

"No!" Aria shouted furiously at him, her wide green eyes suddenly blazing to life with that legendary Gryffindor temper of hers that Draco was all too familiar with. "Malfoy, do you even hear yourself right now?! Give me a little more credit than that. If I hated you, do you think I would have helped you and your parents out during those Death Eater trials?!"

"That doesn't mean anything." Draco scoffed again, rolling his eyes and giving her a derisive look. "For all I know, the only reason you helped us was because of your ridiculous heroic tendency to want to save every goddamn thing that moves." He mocked.

"Oh screw you, Malfoy." Aria's expression hardened and she sneered spitefully at him. "I'm not that much of a bloody saint. Think about it. If I truly hated you, I would have let you and your sycophant of a father rot in Azkaban for the rest of your lives." She snapped.

"And what makes you think the lives we have right now are any better?" Draco countered, his voice rising several decibels in his anger. "Bloody hell, Potter, the whole wizarding world knows what my family and I did. You should see the way people look at me when I'm in public. I'm pretty sure the Ministry is just waiting for any opportunity right now to throw me or my father back into Azkaban. Sometimes, I can't help thinking that maybe you should have left me to die in that fiendfyre."

Aria stiffened at that, her fists clenching tightly at her sides in an obvious attempt to quell her anger.

She didn't speak nor react for such a long time that Draco thought she was going to ignore what he last said but then, her gaze slowly lifted back up and Draco nearly recoiled when he saw the look on her face.

"Y—you…stupid…twat." She seethed.

Without warning, Aria yanked off the glove on one of her hands and slapped him, hard, against his cheek.

At first, Draco stood there, stunned and completely frozen in place as he stared down at her irate expression.

Strangely enough, despite the strength of her slap, it didn't hurt; and he was dumbfounded when the only thing he seemed to register was a warm, tingly sensation that lingered on the skin of his cheek where her hand had touched him — touched him for the first time ever since the year started. When she let out another incensed growl, however, and raised her hand again, Draco reacted instinctively this time and he automatically reached up, snatching her wrist in mid-air and using the force of their movements to pull her closer against him.

Aria scowled at him, an angry flush on her cheeks as she tried to yank her hand away but Draco ignored her efforts and wrapped his much larger fingers around hers, intertwining them tightly together so that she couldn't pull away. She moaned at his touch, the anger on her face quickly melting away as Draco slowly brought their entwined hands back up to his face and pressed her palm against his cheek.

Then, before she could say anything to stop him, he turned his face toward her hand, brushing his lips very gently against her soft, smooth skin. He felt the pulse along her wrist quicken at his actions and it spurred him on further, encouraged by the way Aria's breath hitched in her throat when he began dropping feather-light kisses against her fingers.

"They're right, you know." Draco whispered darkly, his voice low and husky as he spoke over Aria's soft whimpers. "After everything I did and everything I'm guilty of, I shouldn't want you." He parted his lips and leaned in closer, nipping at the slender curve between her thumb and index finger. "I have no right to dream about touching you like this…or kissing you…or making you mine while you writhe and squirm and scream beneath me." He heard the way Aria tried to choke back another moan and he smirked, reveling in the sweet, sinful sound.

"Draco—"

Her voice broke and an involuntary shiver seemed to wrack her slender frame when Draco nuzzled her hand again, his eyes growing dark with pleasure at the way she whispered his name. He felt perversely exhilarated, all of the blood in his veins thrumming contentedly at the way she was so utterly and completely melting at his touch.

"But I am selfish, Aria. Do you know why?" Draco whispered again, opening his eyes and staring intently at her.

Unable to answer him, Aria just bit her quivering lip before weakly shaking her head in response.

"Because I don't give a fuck about what anyone else thinks or whether I deserve you or not—" He continued speaking in a low voice, using his free hand to yank the hideous glasses off her face so he could gaze directly into those beautiful green eyes. The fingers he had intertwined with hers tightened firmly and Aria gave out another gasp, shaking her head as she made a pitiful attempt to yank her hand away.

"—I want you all to myself anyway."

Aria looked stunned at his admission but Draco used her distraction to his advantage and yanked her roughly against him, swooping down and pressing his mouth firmly against her parted lips. She moaned again, much louder this time, and her eyes automatically fluttered shut when he eased his tongue between her lips, tracing lightly and testing the waters at first, before he lost patience and plowed his way in.

When she parted her lips even more and welcomed his bold entry into her mouth, Draco hummed in delight.

She tasted addictively sweet; like an intoxicating mixture of fresh strawberries and the treacle tarts she loved so much, and he wanted to devour every inch of her. He growled and pressed his lips hungrily against hers, plundering her mouth with his tongue and nearly causing her to stumble over the tree roots along the ground when she was forced to take a step back to keep herself upright amidst his onslaught. He heard her squeak when her back collided against the rough surface of the tree behind her, and the surprise was enough that Draco was able to snake one of his hands down, wrapping it firmly around her waist while the other hand curled itself around her neck, caressing the feverish skin along her nape with his fingers.

When she shivered and arched herself against him, pressing her body wantonly against his, Draco began to feel dizzy and lightheaded with lust. He tilted his head slightly to the side to kiss her better, the change in their position allowing their mouths to connect perfectly so that he could deepen the kiss, swallowing each and every one of the delicious, shamelessly obscene noises she was making. Her hands trembled as she trailed them up his back, linking urgently around his neck. She pulled him closer and kissed him back with equal fervor, her tongue clashing wildly against his as they both seemed desperate to taste as much of each other as they possibly could.

Eventually, the need for air become too great and Draco was forced to pull away.

He was completely wrecked, breathing hard as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. The reprieve didn't last long, however, because as soon as he opened his eyes again, he saw the way Aria was staring hungrily at his mouth. She licked her lips, now bruised red and swollen, and lifted her burning gaze up slowly to meet his eyes.

"Kiss me." She whispered harshly.

Draco let out a breathless laugh and did just that, his arms immediately moving to wrap around her lower back before he pressed her firmly against the tree behind them. He groaned when he felt one of her long, smooth legs hitching up and locking tightly around his waist, trapping him sensually against her. And then, when she arched again, pressing her front against his chest, it was Draco who had to choke back a tortured moan.

"Fuck."

He gasped when she ground herself against him, instantly causing all of the blood in his body to rush down and pool somewhere below his belt. His hand slipped underneath the hem of her skirt and grabbed at the back of her thigh, hoisting the leg she had wrapped around his waist even higher.

"Fuck."

Draco cursed again, breaking their kiss so he could bury his face into her neck, kissing, licking and nipping at her soft skin.

The way his fingers squeezed against the burning hot skin of her thigh caused Aria to keen and give out another high-pitched, breathless sound that Draco's entire vision blurred and his mind went blank.

He was just about to claim her lips again when, suddenly, a thundering rumble from somewhere above their heads caused them both to flinch — just seconds before big, fat droplets of rain suddenly came pouring down, drenching their intertwined forms from head to toe. They broke apart, their eyes wide as they stared at each other in stunned surprise.

Neither of them spoke at first, both unsure how the other would react, until finally, Aria broke the tension when she began to laugh. Draco followed, his lips twitching in amusement as he tried to brush his drenched hair back from his face. Smiling, she reached up to do it for him, using her gloved hand to brush the blond hair gently away from his eyes. She used the same gesture to caress his cheek, her eyes soft as she stared up at him, before she blushed and slowly pulled away.

"This is unfortunate." Draco quipped wryly.

"Hagrid did warn us that there was a storm." Aria said, wrapping both of her arms around herself.

"Come on." He noticed the way she was beginning to shiver and took out his wand, wordlessly casting a charm that conjured up a small, invisible 'umbrella' over their heads to shield them from the rain. "We've gathered enough ingredients. Let's head back to the castle before you catch a cold."

Aria nodded and was about to take his offered hand when another roaring blast of thunder caused them both to jump in alarm. They whirled around, gaping at the sight of a tall, thick tree catching on fire before hurtling noisily down to the ground a few meters behind them.

"On second thought." Draco winced and turned to Aria again, giving her a slightly sheepish look. "Maybe it's better if we wait the storm out for a bit. That is, of course, assuming you don't plan on us getting ourselves electrocuted by lightning?"

"Not anytime soon, no." Aria retorted, rolling her eyes at him.

She took out her own wand and cast a drying spell on their baskets before levitating them both under the invisible umbrella Draco had cast over their heads. Afterwards, she bent down, picking her discarded glasses off the ground. When she saw how dirty they had become, she shot him an irritated glare, only for Draco to answer her with a nonchalant shrug.

"They were in the way." He said simply.

Aria flushed, grumbling under her breath and casting a quick 'scourgify' on her glasses before she shoved them back onto her face. Afterwards, she waved her wand again and cast another quick-drying spell on both her and Draco's wet clothes before reluctantly stepping closer toward him so that she wouldn't get splashed by the rain.

"What is that charm you're using? It's like you're holding an invisible umbrella." She mentioned, watching curiously as Draco adjusted his wand and pointed it up even higher to keep the cover above their heads.

"I'll teach you later." He answered, chuckling to himself as he began leading her further into the forest.

"Why?"

"Because I'd rather have you close to me like this than you casting your own cover."

Draco glanced at her from the corner of his eye, smirking at the way Aria's cheeks immediately reddened at his blunt honesty. For someone who basically had her entire body pressed so eagerly against him a few minutes ago, she looked completely flustered by his statement now. She laughed nervously and fiddled with her hands, looking away from him so that he couldn't see her face.

Eventually, they came across a small cave and Draco steered them quickly toward it.

As soon as they stepped inside, they both breathed a sigh of relief at the refuge from the pouring water. Draco set their basket of potion ingredients down onto the ground, while Aria immediately began collecting all of the stray pieces of wood scattered around the small cavern. She gathered them all up together in the middle of the cave and pointed her wand at the pile, igniting a small fire that cast a warm, cozy glow against the cave's stone walls.

"That's much better." She knelt down onto the ground beside the fire and began untangling her long, drenched hair from her braid.

"How long do you think the storm's going to last?" Draco asked as he sat down beside her.

"An hour, maybe two? It shouldn't be that long." She answered.

He was a little surprised when she didn't hesitate and began untying all of her hair in front of him (though that was probably because she knew he was resistant to her allure). After yanking her hair-tie off and bending her head down towards the ground, she untwisted all of her long, dark strands out and allowed them to hang from the back of her head like a long, shiny black curtain.

The sight was unnervingly endearing, but also incredibly naive because from where he was sitting, Draco could now clearly see all of the ancient veelish symbols on the back of her neck.

Draco hesitated, his fingers curling anxiously around his wand as he debated fiercely with himself whether what he wanted to do was right or not. Unfortunately, the more selfish side of him won because he began reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small slip of parchment. Then, after making sure Aria wasn't looking, he pointed his wand at the parchment and wordlessly copied the symbols on her neck onto it.

Afterwards, he quickly shoved the parchment back into his robes and tucked his wand into his pocket.

He managed to school his expression back into a nonchalant mask when Aria finally tossed her long hair back away from her face, most of the dark locks already dry, and glanced at him, offering him a shy smile.

"I guess we're stuck here for awhile."

He was staring.

Aria was trying very hard not to let the heated blush on her face show as she averted her gaze from his, reaching up behind her to begin twisting her hair back into a loose braid.

He was staring; but she wasn't even in her true form.

She cleared her throat loudly, breaking Draco out of his trance as he blushed and hastily looked away, pretending to busy himself with checking the ingredients in their baskets. Aria ignored the rapid pounding of her heart as she scooted closer to the fire and wrapped her arms around herself for warmth.

"Are you still cold?"

Aria looked up again to find Draco watching her with a worried frown on his face. Before she could answer, he stood up, removing the expensive-looking black cloak from around his shoulders. He ignored her halfhearted protests and leaned down, draping the cloak snugly over her form.

"I uh…thanks, I guess." She sighed and wrapped the large cloak tighter around herself, her veela senses purring with satisfaction when she realized how much it smelled like him.

Draco didn't answer; and Aria avoided his eyes for awhile, still blushing as she stared intently into the fire. Outside, the rain continued to pour heavily and they heard another loud smattering of thunder, followed by a quick flash of lightning just outside the cave's entrance.

"Aria…?"

She stiffened in surprise at his use of her first name and reluctantly lifted her gaze to meet his. He hesitated, nervously running a hand through his disheveled blond hair before he finally let out a frustrated sigh and began to speak.

"I'm sorry for what happened back there. I…I should have controlled myself; and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Draco began stiffly, and Aria couldn't help stifling a smile because he obviously looked very unhappy about having to apologize. "Anyway, I know that this – whatever this is between us – is a lot to take in. Especially since it's us, and there's so much horrible history between us."

"No…really?" Aria gave him a teasing smile to let him know she was joking. "And I was under the impression that we've always been the best of friends, Malfoy."

"I'm being serious right now, Potter." Draco looked annoyed at her reaction, sighing again before he turned to face her fully. "Look, all I'm trying to say is…If you…Well, if you're angry about what happened back there and you'd rather that things between us stay the way they are, then I'll understand." He broke himself off and Aria's eyes softened when she saw the insecure expression on his face.

"Draco, stop talking—" She tried to interrupt him but he went on.

"I mean, it's a silly thing to even think about, isn't it? The Chosen One and the Death Eater. It sounds like the title of a cheesy, horribly-written fairytale with a sappy, incredibly unrealistic ending."

He looked up slowly after he spoke, giving her a small, self-conscious smile.

Aria didn't return it, however, and instead, she glared angrily at him. Her eyes narrowed even further when she saw the way his shoulders seemed to slump at her reaction.

"You're really intent on this whole self-deprecating thing this year, aren't you?" She mocked.

Draco's eyes widened in righteous anger at her words.

"What?" He blurted out.

"I hate it, by the way. I miss the old, cocky you."

Aria tossed his cloak off her shoulders and walked over to him, towering over his seated form on the ground. When Draco froze and stared up at her in confusion, Aria yanked the glasses off her face again before settling herself on top of him, positioning both of her legs on either side of his waist so that she was straddling his lap.

She smirked at the squeak that left his lips and pressed herself closer, forcing more intimate contact between their bodies. When he shivered, she leaned down, tracing her lips gently against the side of his flushed face so she could whisper directly into his ear.

"Do you still think I regret any of this, Malfoy?" Aria whispered teasingly against his cheek before she lowered her mouth and began placing hot, searing kisses against the pulse point of his neck. "Do you see now how much I want you as much as you want me?"

When Draco couldn't seem to do anything other than let out a strangled gasp in response, she smiled and yanked off the remaining glove she was still wearing, using both of her bare hands to cup his face. His eyes closed and he tilted his head upwards at the same time Aria leaned down and pressed her lips against his.

His hands reached up, one of them digging into her hair and yanking the locks out of her loosely tied braid while the other slid into her shirt, caressing the skin of her back. She pressed her hips down against his, reveling in his sharp intake of breath as he groaned and retaliated by thrusting upwards against her. When she mewled at the friction, Draco broke their kiss and leaned down, kissing and nipping ardently at the juncture between her neck and shoulder. The hand he had tangled in her hair moved down, cupping the back of her neck to keep her in place. He hummed, the feel of his lips against her skin causing Aria to whimper as she reached down and tugged him back up, reattaching her mouth to his.

They kissed each other as though they were starved for breath, and the only oxygen available to them was from the other's mouth.

Their lips melded together, tongues clashing and exploring, until Aria was drowning in the taste of him; a sumptuous, velvety mixture of hot chocolate and mint that spread heat from her lips and tingled all the way down her body until it curled her toes. Out of their own accord, her hands slipped into his shirt, palms pressing against the taut muscles along his back. Draco mirrored her actions, one of his hands slowly crawling up into her blouse while the other traced sensually up her leg, moving to slip underneath the hem of her skirt.

When his questing fingers finally reached the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, however, and the hand he had inside her blouse brushed against the underside of the bra she was wearing, Aria stiffened. She felt her control over her veela senses beginning to slip away; overwhelmed by all the delicious physical contact from such a compatible mate. Her eyes snapped open when she felt the unmistakeable prickling of her wings beginning to poke out from beneath her shoulder blades.

Shit, shit, shit!

Aria gasped loudly and yanked herself away from him, panting for breath as she practically leaped off his lap and scurried away just in time so that she could force her wings back into her body.

"I'm sorry!" Draco's eyes widened at her reaction and he immediately looked contrite as he jumped to his feet, moving away from her. "I didn't mean to touch you like that, I shouldn't have assumed—"

"N—no, it wasn't…It's not that." Aria was quick to reassure him, her shoulders still heaving as she shook her head and managed to give him a comforting smile. "You didn't do anything wrong, it's just…It's too fast. W—we're going too fast." She stammered weakly, biting her lip.

"You're right, it is fast. I...We should…slow down." Draco winced and took another careful step back, his eyes still wide as he stared at her, as though he was trying to ascertain if she was alright.

When Aria managed to regain control of her breathing a few minutes later, she gave him a sheepish smile and they both chuckled as they took in each other's ruffled appearance.

She caught him staring fondly at her hair, noticing for the first time that, apparently, Draco's eager hands had somehow messed it up again because her braid was gone and her long black locks were utterly disheveled, hanging past her shoulders and trailing all the way down to the floor.

Draco didn't even flinch when she leveled him with an accusing glare.

"Sorry." He grinned.

Aria rolled her eyes at him, snatching her discarded hair tie off the floor.

She stalked deeper into the hollow of the cave and turned her back to him, facing the wall. As she reached up and began fixing her hair again, she could feel Draco's eyes on her, watching as her fingers combed carefully through the tangled strands before she twisted it all up into a much tighter and neater coil at the back of her head. When she finished, she turned around again, blushing when she saw that Draco was still watching her, a playful smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

"And what exactly are you staring at, Malfoy?" Aria scoffed as she approached him, smiling when his hands automatically wrapped themselves around her waist.

"I'll stare at you all I want, Potter." He smirked and pulled her body against his, leaning down and pressing a quick, chaste kiss onto her mouth. "And stop trying to pretend that you don't like it. You did just admit to how much you want me."

"Oh fuck you."

"I would, but you were the one who said we should take things slow." He teased, kissing the scowl that was forming on her face.

In spite of herself, she laughed at his comment and linked her arms around his neck again, her veela senses tingling at Draco's nearness as she leaned up on her toes to give him another heated kiss.

"Potter…?"

"Hmm…?"

Draco smirked again as he reached up and gently chucked her chin, using the same gesture to tilt her head up so that he could see her face. She followed his pointed gaze to the entrance of the cave, her eyes widening slightly when she realized what he was staring at.

"It stopped raining." She mused.

"Yes, it did." He chuckled, leaning down again and dropping a few kisses against her neck. "We should head back to the castle before that gigantic, half-breed friend of yours comes looking for us. Imagine how awkward that would be." He pointed out, nipping playfully at her skin.

"His name is Hagrid, you prat. And no, we definitely wouldn't want that." She agreed, closing her eyes and biting her lip to stifle another shameless moan when his lips began sucking at a sensitive spot below her jaw.

"Mmm..."

"So let's go then." Draco whispered distractedly against her skin.

"...Five more minutes."

Not surprisingly, those last five minutes lasted well into a full hour.

By the time the two Slytherins had finished handing their basket of ingredients to Hagrid, it was almost evening.

Thankfully, if Hagrid noticed anything about their thoroughly unkempt appearance (or the many suspicious red marks littered along Aria's neck), he said nothing and instead, thanked them both before ushering them off back to Hogwarts.

As they trekked back up the stone path leading towards the castle, Draco noticed the way Aria kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye. When they reached the bottom of the steps that led directly to the castle entrance, Aria stopped and finally turned around to face him.

"By the way—"

Draco's eyes automatically flicked down, staring in self-satisfaction at the mess of hickeys he had left all over her pretty neck.

"—I never got to thank you properly. You know, for catching me during our quidditch game." Aria began uncertainly.

He scoffed and made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You don't have to thank me for that. I'm the Captain, it was my responsibility to make sure you didn't get hurt." He told her, blushing.

"I suppose." Aria chuckled, folding her hands coyly behind her back. "But still. You saved me from another round of horrifying injuries and probably another needlessly long stay at the hospital wing this year. So…Thank you. Draco." She smiled up at him.

"You're welcome."

He hesitated for a moment before he reached out and tried to clasp her hand in his; only for Aria to flinch and instinctively pull her hand away, her eyes growing wide with panic. She seemed to realize the implication of her actions a few seconds later, however, because her horrified gaze immediately flicked back to his and an apologetic grimace began to form on her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that—"

Draco's eyes hardened and he silenced the rest of her words with a sneer.

"Are we really going to do this again?" He drawled slowly, the iciness in his voice causing Aria to blanch and move away. "I just had my tongue down your throat an hour ago. Don't you think it's kind of ridiculous that you're still so afraid to touch me?"

"It's not like that." Aria stammered, and he watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering intake of breath. "You don't understand, it was an impulse. I'd explain why but it's just so damn messed up—"

"Are you ashamed to be seen with me or something?" Draco asked sharply.

"No! Bloody hell, of course not!" Aria countered angrily, her shoulders slumping in exasperation. "It was just an impulse, Draco! Every time you touch me, I just—it makes me want to lose control—"

"Lose control? What's so wrong about losing control when you're with me?" He demanded.

"Because—"

Aria opened her mouth and Draco readied himself for her answer but to his utter frustration, she just froze up. She stared anxiously at him for a long time, fiddling nervously with her hands, before she finally seemed to make a decision and looked away, snapping her mouth shut.

At this point, however, Draco had enough.

He growled and reached for her again, snatching her wrist and using his grip to yank her closer. When she gasped and fell against him, Draco locked his other arm around her waist, trapping her in place.

"Is it because you're a veela?"

Draco watched as Aria's green eyes went unnaturally wide at his words and all of the blood seemed to drain from her face. She stared at him for a long moment, her expression frozen with horror before she finally snapped out of her stupor and yanked herself away from him, her lips twisting into an angry sneer.

She met Draco's mocking expression with an accusing look.

"How long have you known?" She asked calmly.

"Long enough." Draco retorted, glaring at her. "And I also know this."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close again, leaning down and pressing his lips against hers in a hard kiss. When she gasped at his audacity and shoved him away, one of her hands reaching up to cover her mouth, Draco stepped back, a self-satisfied smirk settling on his face when he saw the way her cheeks were flushed with lust.

"You bastard." Aria hissed at him, her eyes flashing with humiliation. "You knew all this time, didn't you? Is that why you were teasing me back there? Did you have fun playing around with the oblivious little veela? Am I some kind of toy to you?!" She snapped.

"I wasn't playing around!" Draco growled back at her, gritting his teeth in frustration. "I did those things because I wanted you! And because I was waiting for you to tell me the truth! Why were you so intent on hiding this from me anyway?!"

"Because I didn't want you to think that this was all because of that!" Aria blurted out, her voice growing louder and sounding choked with emotion. "I didn't want you to think that my being a veela is in any way related to how I feel about you! Or about this!" She gestured haphazardly to the space between the two of them.

"Tell me the truth then." Draco's voice softened into a whisper as he stared imploringly at her, watching all of the turbulent emotions on her face. "What is this to you? What exactly do you want to happen?"

Aria sighed and lowered her gaze to the ground, but not before Draco saw the genuine fear and uncertainty in her eyes.

"I want this to work, okay? But things will become much more complicated because of this veela thing." She admitted.

"It doesn't have to be complicated." Draco told her, shaking his head and trying to comfort her with a small smile. "To be honest, I don't even care if you're a veela or not. It doesn't matter to me."

"You say that now, Draco, but in the future, what if—"

"In the future?" Draco chuckled softly and reached up, grazing his fingers playfully against the curve of her cheek. "Aria, we literally just kissed a few hours ago. You don't have to worry about that yet. It's not like I expect you to recognize me as your mate right this second." He teased.

"That's just it."

Aria's eyes suddenly hardened at his words and her entire expression shuttered as she backed away, shaking her head at the look of confusion that crossed his face.

"I'm not planning on ever extending a mate-bond." She said firmly.

The hand Draco had been using to caress her cheek fell limply by his side. He stared at her, trying to mask his hurt and confusion with a frown.

"What?" He croaked out.

Aria winced at his reaction but she didn't look away.

"I don't want a mate, Draco. It's nothing against you or anyone else, it's just a personal decision I made for myself."

"Is it?"

Draco looked away, his voice sounding hollow even to his own ears.

"It is! That's why I didn't want to tell you about all this veela rubbish yet; I didn't want you to get the wrong idea—"

"Because you don't want a mate?" Draco interrupted quietly, looking at her again and meeting her eyes with a weary, defeated look. "Or maybe because you don't want me as your mate?"

"Draco."

Her voice broke as she stared imploringly at him, and for a moment, Draco tried to understand her; he tried to understand all of the unspoken thoughts and the fear that lingered in those beautiful green eyes of hers; hiding all of the important things that needed to be said and he wanted desperately to understand.

She didn't speak; so Draco decided to voice all of those thoughts out for her.

"You still don't trust me, do you?" He asked softly.

Aria stiffened at his words and bit her lip, hastily looking away.

"It's not that simple." She whispered.

"Then I'll make it simple."

"Don't—"

He ignored the pleading tone of her voice and glared directly into her eyes.

"Would you ever trust me as your mate?"

The doe-eyed, crestfallen look on Aria's face spoke volumes as she stared back anxiously at him, her uncomfortable silence cutting through Draco's chest like a sharp-edged knife. When after a few more minutes had passed and Aria still seemed incapable of saying anything, he finally gave up.

Draco lowered his gaze to the ground so that she wouldn't see the crushed look on his face.

She made an aborted movement with her hand, as though she was going to touch him but he moved away.

He needed to think.

Draco brushed past her without another word, leaving a glassy-eyed Aria staring helplessly after him as he walked back towards the castle.

Chapter Text

The news of a Yule Ball at the end of their holiday break was definitely a jarring surprise.

From the moment Headmistress McGonagall had made the announcement in the Great Hall that morning, up until the time the Slytherins began making their way to their first class of the day, more than half of the entire student population at Hogwarts was already caught up in Yule Ball fever.

Aria would have been amused by how much the school's atmosphere seemed to remind her of her fourth year, had she not been on the receiving end of five poorly excecuted invitations to the Ball during breakfast alone, and another three on her way out of the Great Hall.

Unfortunately, the added stress of having to avoid so many male (and female) students hoping to ask her to the Ball, combined with the effects of the consecutive all-nighters she had to pull these last few days to catch up to her NEWT study schedule, was quickly beginning to catch up to her. And by the end of that morning, Aria's mind had shut itself off, and she began mentally fast-forwarding through the rest of that week.

To give herself credit, she could make out a few of the things that happened.

She remembered all of her awkward encounters with Draco in the Slytherin Common Room, and how he walked away from her every time she tried to approach him, pretending as though nothing had happened between them.

She also vaguely remembered participating in the Slytherin – Hufflepuff quidditch match they had a few days ago, and how they almost lost because Draco had refused to acknowledge her during the game, severely crippling their team's strategy.

Lastly, she remembered her DADA tutoring session with Corey that weekend. Not surprisingly, even the younger Slytherin had noticed her absent-mindedness, but that was probably because he kept having to shout at Aria to not use her full magic against him whenever they mock-dueled.

Everything else that happened during that week, however, just flew right over Aria's head.

The next thing she knew, it was Sunday and she and the rest of the Slytherins were in the library, studying together for their upcoming NEWT exams after the holiday break.

They were seated around a long wooden table, with Aria, Blaise and Zach huddled on one end and helping each other review for DADA while Pansy, Draco, Neville and Morag were on the other end, quietly outlining their study notes. Every now and then, when she was sure the other Slytherins weren't looking, Aria would look up from her book and glance resignedly at Draco, only for the blond to stare back blankly at her and look away, pretending to busy himself with something in his notebook.

Aria gritted her teeth in frustration.

She hated this.

She had always considered herself to be a very confrontational person, and frankly, the way Draco was being so annoyingly passive aggressive about their situation was really beginning to piss her off, adding even more to her stress that week.

Draco had done nothing but ignore her since their afternoon together in the Forbidden Forest a few days ago, and other than the few times they'd been forced to participate in group conversations with their housemates, they hadn't spoken a single word to each other. Granted, they didn't fight or verbally antagonize each other the way they used to, but Aria realized that she would have actually preferred that. The icy tension between them now was becoming unbearable, and it was obviously palpable enough to their housemates that it made Pansy and Neville's little cold war at the start of the year look like child's play.

To be fair, even if Draco did talk to her, Aria honestly had no idea what she could say to him to fix their situation.

She had been so busy that week because of NEWTs and Quidditch that she didn't exactly have the time to properly think about how she felt about Draco; or about why she still couldn't seem to answer his simple question about her trusting him, even now.

All she knew was that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her, and veela or not, she was more than willing to explore the possibility of a relationship with him. Unfortunately, Aria also knew that 'attraction' and 'trust' were two very different things; and whether she'd eventually be ready to trust Draco enough to be her mate was something she just wasn't ready to think about.

There was a loud bang when the library doors suddenly swung open, and Aria looked up, startled out of her thoughts.

She blinked at the sight of Hannah rushing across the room towards them, ignoring the annoyed glares she received from the other students sitting by the entrance. Aria noticed that Hannah was holding a long, formal gown in each hand, and when she reached their table, she collapsed onto the chair beside Aria, her shoulders heaving for breath.

"Okay, I desperately need your opinion on something. What do you think of these two colors? Which one of these gowns should I wear to the Yule Ball?" She asked urgently, focusing her attention solely on Aria, Pansy and Morag.

"Seriously, Abbott." Pansy's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she looked up from her notebook and gave Hannah a disapproving glare. "I understand that you're desperate for your pathetic boyfriend to notice you, but shouldn't you be more concerned about something else right now? Say, I don't know, studying for the NEWTs?" She drawled.

"This is important, Pansy!" Hannah retorted as she huffed angrily at her and slumped down into her seat. "The Yule Ball is my absolute last chance to make Ernie realize that I want to take the next step in our relationship! I have to make sure I look perfect!"

"Why is it your last chance? Is one of you going somewhere?" Neville asked curiously, tilting his head.

"Something like that." Hannah grumbled, tapping her fingernails miserably against the table. "Ernie and his parents are planning to spend their summer in Paris this year, so I probably won't be able to see him for a couple of months after the school year's over." She answered.

"Ooh nice, Paris." Zach suddenly chimed in, looking up from his notes and winking lecherously at her. "There are a lot of pretty girls in Paris, just so you know. So I agree, you should probably make your intentions known before he leaves." He snickered loudly, only to wince a few seconds later when Hannah kicked his shin under the table.

"Piss off!" She snapped.

"Ow! Hey!" Zach scowled, reaching down and rubbing at the spot where Hannah had kicked him. "Did you seriously just curse at me right now? You?" He asked, glaring incredulously at her.

"Isn't that nice? She's becoming more and more of a Slytherin everyday. Just a little bit more and she'll be just as scary as Potter, just as bitchy as Pansy and just as much of a nymphomaniac as Morag." Blaise ignored the glares he got from Pansy, Aria, and Morag as he peeked out from behind the thick textbook he was reading and grinned approvingly at Hannah.

"Come on, ladies. I really need your help here." Hannah ignored Blaise's comment and turned to Pansy again, yanking impatiently on the other girl's sleeve. "Pansy, please? You won't let me show up to the Yule Ball looking like an utter train-wreck, will you? Please, please, please, pleeeeaaaase?!" She whined.

Pansy growled at her and shoved her hand away.

"Fine!"

She slammed her book shut, glaring irritably at Hannah and wrinkling her nose in disdain at the sight of the gowns she was holding up. "Please tell me those aren't your only choices. Because I will stop associating with you if they are." She sniffed haughtily and tilted her nose up high into the air.

"Why?" Hannah frowned and glanced worriedly at the gowns in her hands. "What's wrong with them? Are they that terrible?"

"They're horrid." Pansy scoffed, waving one of her manicured hands in a dismissive gesture.

"Well to be fair, the pink shade would go really well with her complexion." Morag offered as she looked up and studied the gown in Hannah's left hand. "But to be honest, Pansy's right. The design is a bit too flashy. Maybe you should try looking for something that doesn't look so…" She paused as she tried to think of the right word.

"Slutty." Pansy supplied with another derisive snort.

Hannah scowled at her, her shoulders slumping as she lowered both of the gowns she held back down onto her lap. "You don't have to be so mean about it." She sulked.

"You were the one who wanted my help." Pansy smirked at her.

Aria finally looked up from her DADA textbook and stared at the three girls with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"I'm sorry, but what the hell are we talking about exactly?" She asked, scratching her head.

"My gown for the Yule Ball!" Hannah glared at her and stomped her foot on the floor in angry exasperation. "Haven't you been listening? I need to make sure I look nice that night!" She blurted out.

"But weren't you just telling us the other day about how much of a prick your boyfriend was being for hanging out with another girl so much?" Aria asked bluntly.

"I wasn't! I was just—" Hannah blushed at her words and furiously shook her head. "I wasn't asking for your opinion about Ernie. I just wanted your opinion on what I should wear!" She snapped.

"Right, sorry." Aria grimaced and indulged the other girl with a sheepish grin. "So enlighten me for a minute here – why exactly are you so concerned about all this? I'm sure whichever gown you choose, Ernie will think you're gorgeous anyway. And if he doesn't, well, then he's an utter asshole and you should dump him." She pointed out, shrugging at her.

"Potter, you don't seem to get it." Morag rolled her eyes and gave Aria a pointed look. "The reason Hannah is making such a big fuss about this is because she plans to seduce her boyfriend into bed that night."

Aria's eyes widened in belated realization.

"Oh."

Morag looked amused at her reaction and continued. "She has this whole, romantic evening prepared just for the two of them too – scented candles, wine, strawberries – the works, basically. All with the end goal of her finally losing her virginity by the end of the night." She remarked, turning to grin suggestively at the blushing, pig-tailed girl.

"Do you want my advice?" Blaise spoke up again, looking up from his notebook and giving Hannah an appraising look. "Don't bother with the color of your gown. After all, if the objective is for your clothes to spend most of their time on the floor anyway, it won't really matter what color they are." He added, chuckling to himself.

Pansy rolled her eyes at Blaise's comment and leveled him with a deadpan stare.

"We didn't ask for your opinion." She said wryly.

"I was just trying to offer a guy's perspective." Blaise smirked at her and shrugged before he turned back to his book.

"He is right, though." Zach agreed, arching an eyebrow at them as he twirled his quill thoughtfully around his fingers. "To tell you the truth, we don't even think about the color of robes you girls wear. We're much more interested in what's underneath, if you know what I mean." He winked.

"From personal experience, that does seem to be the case." Morag agreed wholeheartedly, nodding at them in affirmation.

"Then all men are disgusting pigs." Pansy sneered.

"Hey, wait a minute." Neville frowned at them and shook his head. "Don't lump me in with the rest of them! I, for one, happen to appreciate it when a lady dresses herself up in a pretty gown and gets herself all dolled-up for a special occasion. You agree with me, right Malfoy?" He turned to Draco, trying to get him to participate in the conversation but Draco didn't even look up from his book.

"I have no intention of participating in this ridiculous discussion." Draco retorted coldly, speaking up for the first time since their study session had started. He didn't say anything else and simply bent down to scribble something into his notes.

Aria bit her lip and shifted awkwardly in her seat, all too aware of the sudden tension that seemed to descend upon their table.

She stole a quick glance at Hannah beside her, noting the way the former Hufflepuff had blanched at Draco's reaction and was now looking completely mortified as she pretended to busy herself with looking through her bag. Aria also noticed how Blaise and Pansy exchanged wary looks with each other, shaking their heads before they both turned back to their readings.

Sighing in defeat, Aria turned back to Hannah and made a halfhearted attempt to lighten the mood.

"I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask, but did you even bother planning out the logistics of your romantic evening? I mean, you can't exactly bring him back to our dorm room, can you?" She mused, smirking.

Fortunately, her little diversion tactic seemed to work because the tension on Hannah's face immediately melted away into horrified grimace.

"You know, I hadn't really thought about that." She admitted, looking sheepish. "To be honest, I haven't planned that far ahead yet. I'm still stuck on the part about how I'm supposed to seduce him actually, because I haven't the faintest idea how to do it. I've never done anything like this before—"

Hannah's eyes suddenly narrowed and she leaned in closer to Aria, staring up at her with such an intensely determined expression on her face that Aria stiffened and quickly moved away.

"What?" She asked cautiously.

Hannah continued to stare expectantly at her with incredibly wide blue eyes.

"How would you do it?" She blurted out.

At first, Aria wasn't quite sure if she understood Hannah correctly so for the next couple of seconds, she opted to just stare blankly at the blonde girl with a stunned, completely befuddled look on her face.

"Do what…?" She croaked out.

"How would you seduce a guy you like, obviously." Hannah rolled her eyes when she saw the scandalized expression on Aria's face. "Oh don't play coy, Aria. Now come on, I think I need a Gryffindor's perspective on this. How would you go about seducing Ernie if you were in my position right now?" She pressed again, completely relentless.

"…Um…"

To Aria's utter dismay, Draco chose that moment to finally look up from his book and stare directly at her from across the table.

"Hannah, I er…I'm not so sure I'm comfortable giving you advice about something as personal as your sex life. It's a little creepy, to be honest." She admitted, wincing.

The hopeful look on Hannah's face suddenly morphed into such an exaggeratedly disappointed, 'kicked puppy' expression that Aria immediately felt guilty. She stifled a frustrated groan and quickly began stumbling all over herself to answer.

"Alright, alright!" Aria sighed and reached up, massaging her temples in annoyance. "I er…Well, to tell you the truth, if I were in your place right now, I wouldn't even be bothering with this whole 'night of seduction' thing you're planning out. In fact, I'd probably just stop thinking about the little details so much and just go for it."

"How do you mean?" Hannah frowned at her.

"I mean, if it were me and I wanted a guy I really liked to sleep with me or something—" Aria struggled not to blush and had to physically restrain herself from meeting Draco's heated gaze across the table as she spoke. "—I'd er…I'd probably just push him against the wall and shove my tongue down his throat." She chuckled and lifted one of her shoulders into a lazy half-shrug.

Hannah gaped at Aria as though she had just told her to strip her clothes off and dance around naked in the Great Hall.

"B—but then...How would that even work?! I can't just do that! I mean, what if he doesn't reciprocate? Or what if I do something wrong and he laughs in my face? Or what if I do something that turns him off and—"

Aria cut off the rest of Hannah's stammering protests with a smirk and firm shake of her head.

"Trust me, if the attraction is there – physically, at least – you don't need to do anything else to get him interested. Everything will happen the way it's supposed to." She told her in a calm, self-assured tone of voice.

If possible, Hannah looked even more disheartened at Aria's words.

"But that's just it, actually." She said softly, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she lowered her gaze and stared at her clenched hands on her lap. "I'm not so sure the attraction is there anymore. Not from Ernie's side, at least."

When Hannah's mood seemed to dampen at her own words and she looked away, Aria unwittingly found herself the recipient of the deeply admonishing glare Pansy was shooting her from across the table.

"What?" She mouthed at her, frowning.

Pansy sneered at her before turning back to Hannah and giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I wouldn't listen to Potter if I were you, Hannah. She's not exactly normal and besides, you wouldn't want to come off as bullheaded as she is—"

"Hey! She asked—"

"And what about what comes after that?" Draco suddenly spoke up in a deceptively casual tone of voice, surprising everyone with his sudden interest in the conversation.

Knowing full well that his question was directed at her, Aria stiffened in her seat. She slowly drew her gaze back up, meeting Draco's challenging glare across the table. It was the first time he had spoken to her this entire week, actually, but the harsh, resentful tone of his voice almost made Aria wish for him to go back to ignoring her.

"Excuse me?" She asked calmly.

"Well go on then, Potter. Do enlighten us further. I'm quite curious about your little seduction technique." Draco drawled, smirking slightly when he saw the irritated look on her face. "So what exactly happens next then? You seduce the guy – oh no, wait – like you said, you don't need to seduce anyone, don't you? Of course, we all know how easy it is for Aria Potter to have any guy she wanted wrapped around her pretty little finger. But shall we tell everyone exactly why that is?"

Aria blanched and her eyes narrowed in righteous anger at his words.

"Is that a threat, Malfoy?" She growled.

Instead of answering, Draco only looked amused at her reaction and he went on.

"But more importantly, what happens after you get the guy, Potter?" He asked again, and for a moment, Aria forgot her anger when she saw the wounded look in his expression for the first time. "What do you do if the poor sod actually wants something more from you? Do you just tuck tail and run away?"

"Something more?" Aria's face was red by now, though she wasn't sure if it was because she was angry, embarrassed, or confused by all of his accusations. "Is there something you want to say to me, Malfoy? Because frankly, I have no idea what you mean."

At her words, the soft, bitter laugh that left Draco's lips sounded almost resigned.

"You wouldn't, would you?"

When Aria didn't say anything else and simply stared at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, Draco shook his head at her and looked away without another word.

Draco knew that the awkward tension lingering in the air was entirely his fault, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Most of the Slytherins (excluding Blaise and Pansy, since the two of them were pretty much used to Draco's outbursts by now) had averted their eyes from both him and Aria, either pretending to be interested in their books or hastily writing something down into their parchments. Aria, on the other hand, continued to stare at Draco for a couple more minutes, obviously waiting for him to say something else.

When he didn't, Aria reluctantly withdrew her gaze and looked away with a weary sigh.

About an hour later, the tension must have become unbearable to Zach and Hannah because the two former Hufflepuffs eventually excused themselves from the group and hurried out of the library. As soon as they were gone and the rest of them turned back to their textbooks, a brown-haired, stocky boy from Ravenclaw suddenly began making his way towards them from the other end of the room. He hesitated when he saw the hostile looks that Blaise, Pansy, Neville and Morag sent his way but, to the boy's credit, he didn't back away and continued walking towards them.

Draco felt a surge of intense jealousy in his chest when the boy eventually stopped in front of Aria.

Since he was seated on the other end of the table, Draco didn't hear much of their hushed conversation but judging from the nervous way the Ravenclaw kept stammering his words, Draco guessed that the pathetic simp was probably attempting to ask Aria to the Yule Ball — and from the politely disinterested tone of Aria's voice, Draco could also guess that she was probably turning him down. Eventually, the Ravenclaw boy walked away, dejected, and Aria turned back to her books, pretending not to notice the curious looks she was receiving from the other students occupying some of the nearby tables.

Draco wasn't surprised when things only seemed to take a turn for the worst after that.

The dam had been broken, so to speak, and soon, more and more of the boys who had been hoping to ask Aria to the Yule Ball began descending upon their table like a tidal wave. By the time Aria had rejected the fifth boy who had dared ask her to the Yule Ball (a light-haired 7th year from Gryffindor who had barely opened his mouth before Aria immediately shut him down with a flat intonation of "Walk away, McLaggen."), Morag finally made it clear that she had enough.

The former Ravenclaw slammed her Transfiguration textbook shut and stood up sharply from her seat, her movements rushed and jerky as she began to gather her things.

"I'm going to go study in the Common Room." She announced briskly.

"I'm really sorry—"

Morag rolled her eyes and cut off the rest of Aria's contrite apology with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"It's not your fault, Potter." Morag sighed and met the guilty cringe on Aria's face with a reassuring look. "No offense and all, but I honestly don't think I'll be able to get any proper studying done as long as I'm within ten meters of you. I'll see you all later, alright?" She slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder and walked off without another word, heading quickly towards the exit of the library.

As soon as she was gone and only Aria, Neville, Draco, Blaise, and Pansy remained seated around the large table, Aria sank down low into her seat, hiding her face behind a tall, hardbound book. Ironically, the invitations stopped after Morag's departure and for about an hour or so, Draco went back to ignoring Aria, concentrating all of his efforts into incorporating the rest of his class notes into his outline.

When he finished and turned a page of his notebook, a long slip of parchment suddenly slid out, sliding down to the floor by his shoes. Cursing irritably under his breath, Draco bent down under the table to pick it up, unfolding it and briefly scanning through it.

It was the latest letter he received from his Dream Girl.

Draco found it strange that he had completely forgotten about it, especially when he recalled its contents. He just remembered stuffing it into the pages of his notebook after breakfast that morning in his haste to get to his first class.

Most of the contents of the letter hadn't said much, just the usual meaningless pleasantries they often exchanged with one another at the start of every correspondence. However, what surprised Draco about the letter was that his Dream Girl had finally given him an official date for when she would be free and willing to meet him in Hogsmeade for dinner during their Holiday Break from school.

He was actually going to see her again.

After countless months, Draco was finally going to go on a proper date with his Dream Girl, but all he could think about was Potter.

He tucked the letter away, suddenly angry with himself for letting the entire situation drag on for as long as it did.

He knew absolutely nothing about this girl, and in the three months that they had been exchanging letters back and forth, Draco was beginning to suspect that she might have actually been stringing him along like some hapless idiot this whole time. He hoped that wasn't the case, but she obviously didn't like him enough to bother telling him anything about herself – not her interests, her family, her address, not even her bloody name.

More importantly, Draco knew now that the only reason he pursued her for so long was simply because he was intrigued by the very mystery of her, and obsessing after her the way he did was the only way Draco was able to expend all of the pent-up, fiery energy he usually reserved exclusively for Aria Potter when he was younger.

But now, Draco finally realized that he was, simply put, just not interested anymore.

And he was dreading the fact that he was going to have to tell this nameless girl all of this himself, face to face.

Draco was broken out of his thoughts when another unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke up from behind their table, causing him and the rest of the Slytherins to look up from their books. This time, they were surprised when, instead of seeing another young, fanatical boy hoping to ask Aria to the Yule Ball, they came upon the sight of a nervous-looking Astoria Greengrass standing in front of Draco instead.

Astoria was biting her lip and wringing her hands together, blushing at the inquisitive stares she was receiving from the rest of the Slytherins around the table.

"Hi Draco."

She waited until Draco acknowledged her with a friendly, albeit slightly confused look before she took a deep breath and continued, her eyes dropping shyly to the floor. "I er…I know this is a bit unorthodox, with the girl asking the guy and all, but I was hoping…Well, if you're not already going with someone that is, I was wondering if—"

Astoria noticed Draco's lack of attention, following his gaze across the table to Aria in confusion.

He knew it was rude and that he should probably be looking at Astoria while the girl was obviously trying to ask him out but Draco continued to watch Aria from across the table, feeling more than childishly vindictive when he saw the angry scowl that was beginning to form on her face. When Astoria hesitated and began to back away, however, Draco quickly tore his eyes away from Aria and turned to give Astoria a reassuring smile, nodding for her to continue.

Astoria frowned, looking a little annoyed by his behavior, but she went on. "—As I was saying, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Yule Ball with me? You know, together?" She folded her hands primly behind her and gave him a small, forced smile.

Draco didn't answer her right away, pointedly choosing to ignore the sharp, warning glares he knew Blaise and Pansy were shooting the back of his head. When Astoria continued to stare expectantly at him, he eventually sighed and met her nervous gaze.

"Are you sure it's me you want to go with?" He asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Astoria's frown deepened and she gave him a confused look. "Of course I am. My father is already expecting that I'll go with you. He's even prepared a lovely ball gown for me already—"

"Exactly. Your father." Draco shook his head at her. "Your father is the one who told you to go to the Yule Ball with me, isn't he? Is that why you're doing this?"

"Well, I just—that is—" Astoria's eyes widened and she stammered a couple of times, clearly not knowing how to respond. "—well, does that really matter? I'm just going along with what's expected of me. Wouldn't you do the same thing?"

Instead of answering, Draco glanced at Aria again but this time, he looked directly into her eyes, silently challenging her to react or do anything against the fact that another girl was asking him out. When Aria stared back calmly at him, not at all looking like she was planning to intervene, his eyes narrowed and he felt a rush of bitterness welling up in his chest.

"You know what? Forget I said anything." Draco caught the brief flicker of hurt on Aria's face before he turned his attention back to Astoria and gave her a well-practiced, charming smile. "Of course I'll go to the Yule Ball with you, Astoria. In fact, it would be my pleasure to accompany you. Oh and please do relay my regards to your father for me." He added.

"Really? You will?" The nervous look on Astoria's face finally melted away and her shoulders slumped in relief. "Th—thank Merlin—I mean, that's great." She bit her lip and chuckled nervously at herself. "I suppose I'll see you then. Would seven be an acceptable time to meet up before the Ball?"

"Seven would be perfect. I'll wait for you outside your Common Room." Draco answered, struggling to keep from flinching when he felt Pansy kicking his shin under the table.

Astoria smiled at that and waved at him before she turned and began walking back towards the exit of the library.

As soon as she was gone, everyone was taken back when Aria suddenly stood up from her seat. The expression on her face was blank as she hastily began grabbing her books and shoving them all haphazardly into her bag.

"I just remembered that I need to do something back at the dorms." Aria refused to look at anyone as she spoke, and Draco felt a little guilty when he heard the way her voice shook. "I'm going to go on ahead, okay? I'll see you all in the Great Hall later for dinner." She added quietly, finally looking up to give them a forced smile.

"I'll go with you." Neville stood up after her.

He frowned disapprovingly at Draco over Aria's shoulder, causing the blond to scowl back at him and hide his face behind his textbook. "I need to go back to the dorms anyway and fetch a notebook I left in my trunk." Neville added with a nonchalant shrug.

"You don't have to—"

"It's fine." Neville cut her off with a reassuring smile and firm shake of his head. He offered her a hand to help her with her books. "Besides, I could use a short break from all this studying. Shall we?"

With a sigh, Aria reluctantly handed him her books and without another word, the two former Gryffindors quietly made their way towards the library exit. Once they were gone, Pansy's narrowed blue eyes flicked to Draco and he immediately steeled himself, wincing when the short-haired girl slammed her book shut and swooped down on him like a bloodthirsty vulture.

"What the hell was that about?!" She screeched, causing Draco to wince at the shrillness of her voice. "You told us at the beginning of the year that you had no intention of pursuing Astoria! Why in Merlin's name did you accept her invite to the Ball then?! Did you change your mind?!" She demanded.

Blaise ignored Pansy's outburst and looked up, giving Draco an infuriatingly calm look.

"Are you attracted to Astoria?" He asked.

Draco gritted his teeth and reached up to massage his temples in frustration.

"No."

"Are you interested in her in any way?" Blaise asked again, arching an eyebrow at him.

"No."

Pansy sputtered angrily at his answer.

"Then what the hell are you doing?! Why did you—"

"I don't know, okay?! I wasn't thinking!" Draco finally exploded, cutting off the rest of Pansy's outburst when he growled and crumpled up the parchment in front of him into a tight ball in his fist. "Potter was sitting there and she was watching but she wasn't doing anything and it was just so infuriating and I just—argh! I don't know why I did it, okay?!" He snapped.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Pansy demanded.

"He was trying to get a rise out of Aria, obviously." Blaise told her, snorting at the way Draco stiffened at his words. "But since she didn't take the bait, it didn't exactly go the way you wanted it to, huh?" He smirked.

"Oh fuck off, Blaise—"

"Really? You did it to make Potter jealous?" Pansy cut off the rest of Draco's retort and sneered at him in disgust. "Draco, do you even realize that you're playing with not one but two girls' feelings here?!"

Draco didn't answer, scowling petulantly down at the table.

"More importantly, you know how Greg feels about Astoria right? You know that he likes her? And that she likes him back? I thought Greg was your friend." Pansy continued, sighing and shaking her head when Draco still refused to say anything. "So I hope you know that by accepting her invitation, you're knowingly messing things up for them – and all because you want to make Potter jealous."

When Draco just shrugged and turned another page of his book, deliberately ignoring her, the worried look on Pansy's face quickly transformed into one of outrage.

"Ugh! Seriously, what is wrong with you?!" Pansy seethed at him, her loud voice causing a few of the nearby students from the other tables to glance curiously in their direction.

"Why are you acting like such a selfish prick?!" She raged.

"Why?!"

Draco's eyes were hard as he finally looked up from his book and glared spitefully at her.

"Because Pansy, in case you've forgotten—" He ignored the way Blaise was glancing back and forth between them and cut off the rest of Pansy's attempt at a retort with a harsh, mocking sneer.

"—I am a selfish prick."

He didn't wait for her to answer as he slammed his book shut and stood up from his seat, angrily shoving all of his belongings into his bag. Then, without another word, Draco stormed off, leaving both of his friends staring after his retreating back in stunned silence.

"…are these beans crushed enough?"

The uncertainty in Greg's voice caused Aria to look up from her Potions textbook, waiting until he walked back over to her and showed her the crushed Sopophorous Beans in his mortar. Aria obliged him by leaning over his shoulder, peering into the mortar's contents.

"You didn't use a pestle to crush this, right?" She asked worriedly.

"No, I used the flat end of the knife handle. Like it says in the instructions." Greg answered reassuringly, gesturing to his open textbook on the counter.

Aria shrugged and gave him a small grin. "Then yes, I reckon that looks okay. I think you can go ahead and add it to the mixture already. I'll get the strainer ready." She told him.

Greg sighed as he walked over to their potion and nervously began adding in the crushed beans from his mortar. "Slughorn wasn't kidding when he told us that Veritaserum was one of the hardest potions to brew." He complained.

"Well, lucky for us, we seem to be doing just fine." Aria assured him, chuckling as she watched him bend down to adjust the fire underneath their cauldron. "Besides, we're almost done anyway. After the potion is ready, one of us just has to leave it in a cool place for the remainder of the lunar cycle."

"I can do it." Greg told her as he straightened, watching as the potion began to simmer. "It gets pretty cold up in Gryffindor tower anyway, so I'll just leave it on the window next to my bed."

Aria nodded and gave him a smile at that before she lowered her gaze and wrote down their progress into her notebook.

A few minutes later, as Greg busied himself with cleaning an empty bottle for their potion, Aria looked up and glanced around the classroom. She noted that most of their classmates (including Hermione, obviously) had already finished brewing their potions. When Aria glanced over her shoulder at Draco, she wasn't surprised to see him already packing up his things, his finished vial of un-matured veritaserum placed neatly on the table in front if him.

He didn't look up at her, but Aria hadn't really expected him to anyway.

Sighing, she was just debating with herself whether or not she should start cleaning their table when Greg suddenly drew her attention by clearing his throat. The strangely nervous look on his face caused Aria to blink and frown at him in concern, noting the way the former Slytherin was nervously scuffling his feet against the floor.

"By the way, er…Aria…Um…" Greg winced and looked down, muttering reassuringly to himself for a couple of seconds before he took in a deep, shuddering intake of breath and continued. "…I was just wondering…If you're not going with anyone else already, of course. Maybe you'd like to…Um. But of course, if you don't want to, I'll understand too — I just thought that maybe, you'd like to — well, you probably wouldn't —but I was hoping that…Um..."

In spite of herself, Aria couldn't help smiling at the adorable way Greg was fumbling over his words.

"…it was just an idea, of course." Greg laughed nervously and shook his head, reaching up to wipe the sweat above his brow with the back of his hand. "—and I know you'll probably think it's silly but in the tiny chance that you weren't going with someone yet, I was hoping that, maybe, you'd be willing to—"

"You know what, Greg?"

Aria chuckled and finally decided to put the poor boy out of his misery.

"I would love to go to the Yule Ball with you." She told him.

When Greg blinked and gaped at her, obviously not expecting her answer, Aria arched an eyebrow and gave him a teasing smirk. "Assuming, of course, that was what you were going to ask." She added playfully.

"Y—you will?" Greg's eyes went so ridiculously wide with incredulity that Aria couldn't help laughing and shaking her head at his reaction. "I—I mean, seriously? You'll actually go to the Ball with me? You, Harriah Potter?" He asked again, his voice cracking.

"I did say yes, didn't I?" Aria sighed and gave him an exasperated look.

"But…why me?" Greg blurted out, staring at her as though she had grown an extra pair of limbs. "I mean, I know I asked, but that was just me trying my luck. Never, in a million years, did I ever think that you would actually accept! And I'm sure there were dozens of other blokes who already asked you—"

"Yes, there were." Aria admitted, not bothering to deny the last part of his statement. "But frankly, out of all the guys who asked me to the Ball so far, you were the only one I wouldn't actually mind going with. And that was why I accepted your invitation." She answered honestly, giving him another smile. "So are we okay now?"

"I—I suppose." Greg stammered, blushing at the bemused expression on Aria's face. "Um…So uh, what time should I meet you before the Ball then? I can wait for you outside your Common Room." He said shyly.

"Maybe around seven?" Aria shrugged at him and waved his concerns away. "But don't worry if you're a little late or anything, it's fine. Oh and my gown is dark green, by the way, in case you were planning to match it with your dress robes." She added as an afterthought.

Unfortunately, her little comment about her gown only seemed to make Greg stiffen and blush even more.

"Um…S—sure—"

"Greg, relax." Aria rolled her eyes again and tried to give him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "For all intents and purposes, the Yule Ball is nothing more than an evening of eating dinner together in our formal wear. You don't have to be so nervous about it." She told him.

"I wasn't, actually." Greg answered, shaking his head. "At least, not until Harriah Potter actually agreed to be my date." He added, giving her a wry smile.

Aria grinned back at him and answered him with a playful wink.

"We'll have fun." She quipped cheerfully.

After they finished pouring their finished potion into a large, glass bottle, they spent the remainder of their time in companionable silence as they cleaned their work table and began putting their instruments away. Fifteen minutes later, once she and Greg had bid farewell to each other and Aria began making her way out of the classroom, a lone figure standing behind a tall suit of armor suddenly approached her from behind.

"Aria?"

She recognized the male voice instantly, her muscles tensing and her hand automatically hovering near the pocket of her robes where she knew her wand was tucked away. Slowly, she turned around and met Bentley Fisher's wide smile with a cautious incline of her head.

"Bentley." Aria greeted him stiffly.

"I was just wondering if you were already going with someone to the Yule Ball?" To his credit, Bentley didn't hesitate at all as he took another bold step towards her, causing the impassive look on Aria's face to darken into a scowl. "Because if you aren't, then I was hoping that maybe, you'd want to go together?"

He reached out and tried to take one of her gloved hands in his, only for Aria's eyes to narrow as she immediately moved away, pulling her hand out of his reach.

"You know what, Bentley? I actually do have a date to the Yule Ball already." She told him, frowning when she saw the way Bentley's eyes darkened with displeasure at her words. "So unfortunately, I don't think I can go with you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go—"

"At least tell me it's not that Death Eater." Bentley called out after her.

The hateful accusation in his voice suddenly caused Aria to grit her teeth and freeze mid-step. She clenched her jaw and turned around slowly to face him, her hands curling up into tight, angry fists by her sides.

"Excuse me?" She asked quietly.

"Malfoy." Bentley's eyes narrowed, and the adoring smile on his face quickly transformed into a cold, vicious glare. "At least tell me it's not him you're going with. Or that you're not choosing to degrade yourself by accepting another filthy Slytherin's invitation." He snapped.

"Do you really think I care about your opinion? I can go with whoever the hell I want. Because frankly, who I choose to date or spend my time with is absolutely none of your business." Aria sneered at him.

"So it's not Malfoy then?" Bentley asked again, his eyes growing dangerously wide as he reached out and grabbed Aria firmly by the hand to prevent her from walking away.

Aria froze again, but instead of pulling her hand away, she glanced at him over her shoulder and gave him a dark look instead. "Didn't I warn you before about touching me without my consent?" She drawled.

"Why do you spend so much of your time with these Slytherins anyway?" He hissed at her.

To her dismay, the tight grip that Bentley had around her fingers was strangely much stronger than she would have expected from someone of his lean build, and she was having a difficult time trying to pull her hand away from him. Bentley didn't seem to notice her efforts, however, and went on.

"Are you doing it out of some kind of pity for them? Because frankly, Aria, after everything their lot have done, they don't deserve our pity. We can't trust any of them!" He insisted.

"I said let go!"

This time, Aria summoned all of her enhanced veela strength and tried to yank her hand out of his grasp, only to sputter in confusion when she still couldn't break free. Bentley continued to ignore her reaction, his blue eyes glowing inhumanly bright as he spoke.

"Fine then. If you're so fond of these Slytherins, then let me ask you one question." He scowled when Aria ignored him and began trying to twist her hand away. "Can you honestly look me in the eye right now and tell me that you completely trust all of your new friends?"

"Go to hell—"

Bentley smiled and leaned in closer toward her, speaking his next words directly into her ear. "You've never had any suspicions against any of them?" He whispered softly.

Aria felt a wave of revulsion at his nearness and pulled away, all of the veela blood in her veins churning with disgust.

"What the hell are you even talking about?" She snapped.

Bentley's eyes glinted as he continued to smile at her, his fingers caressing the gloved surface of her palm and making her skin crawl. "Can you honestly say that you trust each one of them as much as you trust Weasley and Granger? You don't have any lingering doubts about your new Slytherin friends hidden in the back of your mind?" He taunted.

He didn't say anything else, but the strange tone of his voice drew her in, causing Aria to look up and meet his gaze.

As she stared directly into his eyes, entranced by the bright swirl of colors in the middle of his irises, she felt lightheaded and her head began to feel fuzzy. Suddenly, without her consent, all of these obtrusive, unwelcome thoughts began to flood her mind.

Aria found herself replaying her conversation with Hermione a few weeks ago.

Hermione had mentioned that Blaise was the only Prefect who was patrolling the castle on the same night the other common rooms were vandalized. Not long before that, Aria had also suspected Pansy for the first vandalism case, because Pansy herself had admitted that she was the only Slytherin who had been in the common room that night.

At the time, Aria had let her suspicions go because Greg had told her the next morning about how Pansy had spent that night tutoring him, but now that Aria thought about it, the fact that Greg claimed that Pansy had tutored him that night shouldn't really have discounted her from being a suspect.

At least, not if Aria considered all of the possible circumstances that could have happened.

Of, if she was being really thorough and tried to analyze the situation as methodically as an Auror would, there was also the possibility that Greg could have simply lied to her about Pansy tutoring him that night. Though why Greg would do such a thing, or why Pansy (or Blaise for that matter) would bother cursing innocent students into vandalizing school property didn't make any sense, especially since doing so would only make people hate Slytherin even more.

If there was one thing Slytherins were good at, it was self-preservation; so Aria knew it was highly unlikely for her housemates to do something they knew full well would be a detriment to themselves, or their house.

And where exactly did Draco factor into all of this?

From personal experience, Aria knew that he was usually the mastermind in all of the other Slytherins' underhanded schemes after all. So if he was involved, was he the one who told Blaise or Pansy to do it?

Aria tore her eyes away from Bentley's, blinking rapidly to clear the fog from her mind. She shook her head a couple of times, furious with herself for even entertaining such thoughts.

When she looked up again, she found it strange how Bentley was staring at her with a mixture of frustration and stunned astonishment written all over his face. Aria's eyes hardened and she leveled him with a suspicious glare.

She didn't know why he was trying to get inside her head like this, but she wasn't stupid.

Because her instincts told her that if there was anyone she should be suspecting right now, someone who likely had an actual motive to make the rest of the school hate Slytherins, it wasn't Greg, Blaise, Pansy, or even Draco.

It was Bentley.

She didn't voice her thoughts out but the tension on her face must have given her away because Bentley was smirking at her. He spoke again, drawing Aria's attention back to the triumphant look in his eyes.

"Beginning to suspect someone?" He asked gleefully.

"Yes, actually."

Aria's eyes narrowed and, without saying anything, she drew from her veela magic and wandlessly cast a powerful stinging jinx on Bentley's hand, causing the Gryffindor to flinch in pain and finally release the grip he had on her fingers.

"Ow! How did you—"

"I'm beginning to suspect you."

She ignored the way Bentley's eyes flashed in outrage at her words and smirked at him, watching as he took a nervous step away from her and cradled his injured hand to his chest. "All this talk about trust and me suspecting my housemates, I'm beginning to think you know something I don't. Is there something you want to tell me, Bentley?" She mused in a light, dangerously casual tone of voice.

"Why?" Bentley asked back calmly. "Is there something you want to know?"

When Aria didn't answer and continued to stare intently at him, studying the carefully guarded look on his face, Bentley chuckled and took another step away from her, a strange, knowing glint in his blue eyes.

"Alright then, Aria. If that's the way you want to play, then I suppose we can do this your way for now." He jeered.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" She glowered at him.

"You'll understand soon enough." Bentley turned and began to walk away, but not before stopping just as he reached the end of the empty hallway and giving her one last, innocent smile over his shoulder.

"I'll make you."

Chapter Text

Aria was one of the few students who decided to stay behind at Hogwarts instead of going home for the Holidays.

She figured it was the best decision anyway, especially since Ron and Hermione would be spending their break separately with their families this year. Of course, as expected, they both offered to stay behind and keep her company at Hogwarts, but Aria had adamantly refused and had sent them away.

Hermione had plans to spend Christmas with her parents in Paris; and after having been deprived of their company for so long during the war, Aria certainly wasn't about to keep her friend at Hogwarts just for her sake. As always, Ron was going to spend Christmas with the rest of the Weasleys at the Burrow.

Before he left, he tried to convince Aria to come with him like she usually did, but Aria decided to decline. As much as she loved the Weasleys, she knew how important it was for them to spend their Christmas together alone as a family this year – especially since this was their first Christmas together after Fred's death.

Well, at least that was what she tried to convince herself anyway.

Aria knew the Weasleys would always welcome her into their home with open arms, but truth be told, the real reason she didn't want to celebrate with them that year was because of something more personal.

She couldn't help thinking about how, in the last couple of years, the Weasleys had also invited Remus and Tonks to celebrate Christmas with them. And given the circumstances, Aria really wasn't ready to celebrate Christmas in front of so many empty seats at the dinner table that year.

Not yet.

It was an entirely selfish and, admittedly, cowardly reason not to go; so Aria didn't bother sharing this with Ron or Hermione – even if she knew that they wouldn't judge her for it or take it against her.

Among her housemates, Aria was surprised when she learned that Pansy, Hannah, and Neville also decided to stay behind at Hogwarts that week. Meanwhile, the rest of the Slytherins, including Blaise and Draco, went home to spend their Christmas with their families.

In Pansy's case, she explained to them that her parents were planning to have her meet her potential fiancé (a man who was, apparently, 15 years older than her) so she decided to make up an excuse about having to stay at school. Neville, on the other hand, didn't want to go home because his grandmother had invited some of their distant relatives over, and he really didn't get along with them. Hannah had just stayed behind because she wanted to take advantage of the empty library and get some last minute cramming done for their NEWT exams.

Aria found herself relating very much to Hannah in that aspect.

She was alone in the Slytherin Common Room that afternoon, desperately trying to cram one of the more complicated chapters of her Advanced Potions textbook; all the while trying not to panic when she thought about how the NEWTs were only a couple more days away. Massaging her aching temples, Aria was just about to take a break when the entrance to the common room suddenly slid open, followed by the sound of two students arguing with each other as they approached where Aria was seated.

Even without looking up, Aria knew that it was Pansy and Neville.

She reacted instinctively by ducking down behind the couch, keeping her head low enough so that they wouldn't notice her there.

Pansy's footsteps were curt and agitated as she stomped into the room, her high heels clacking loudly against the dungeon floors. From the rushed, heavier footsteps that immediately followed, Aria guessed that Neville was probably trailing close behind her.

"I still can't believe you did that! Now we're both stuck doing detention this week! Did you not see that I had everything under control back there?! I didn't need you to come swooping in to rescue me!" Pansy shouted, her voice sounding clipped with barely restrained anger.

"Corner was making inappropriate remarks about you in front of all those other boys and you're mad at me for shutting him up?! Was I supposed to just stand back and let him talk about you like that?! That cocky asshole was asking for it!" Neville countered loudly, sounding equally furious with her reaction.

"I didn't need your help, okay?! Get that through your thick, stubborn head! I've always been able to handle that jerk—"

"I didn't hex him because I thought you couldn't handle it, Pansy. I hexed the bloody git because I wanted to." Neville retorted, his voice rising several levels in obvious annoyance.

"What is it about you lions anyway?" Pansy taunted, her voice dripping with a mixture of sarcasm and disdain. "Why do you all just have this insatiable need to play the valiant, noble hero? Do you all just — I don't know — get off on the idea of saving everyone all the goddamn time? Does it make you feel good about yourself? It's pathetic—"

"Don't try to turn this around and blame me! I didn't do anything wrong! I mean, what did you expect me to do back there?" He cut her off with an angry, exasperated sigh.

"Nothing! I told you I could handle him and that I had everything under control! That asshole wasn't even worth the attention!" Pansy snapped again. "But noo, you had to go all reckless Gryffindor and attack him! And because of your stupid little stunt, we both have detention! Are you happy now?! You should have just left it alone!"

"I can't do that, Pansy." Neville growled.

"Why do you care so much about what he said about me anyway?!" Pansy muttered bitterly, and Aria had to duck down further behind the couch when she heard Pansy stomping across the living area towards the stairs that led up to the girls' dormitories. "It's not like he was saying anything about me which I haven't heard before anyway. To be honest, some of it may even be true—"

"No, it isn't, okay?! Nothing he said about you was true; that's my point! Don't you get it?!" Neville suddenly exploded, causing Aria to wince at the uncharacteristic anger she heard in her friend's voice. "And not only am I angry at that tosser for talking about you like that, I'm furious that he actually made you believe in any of it! Frankly, I should have hexed his balls off for talking about you in such an ugly, disrespectful way!"

Aria winced again at the loud sound of a heavy door slamming shut, followed by a tense, awkward silence. More than a little curious at this point, Aria peeked her head out slowly from behind the couch and glanced around the common room.

She stared at the strange scene, her eyes growing wide when she was met with the sight of Pansy standing stiffly by the doors leading up to the girls' dorms. Neville towered over her, one of his hands resting on the door behind her to keep it shut while his other hand was on the wall above her head, effectively caging her in.

Pansy was blushing and was staring intently at her shoes, pointedly refusing to meet Neville's accusing glare.

"It's my fault anyway." She whispered softly, shaking her head at him in fervent denial. "I was the one who was stupid enough to trust a bastard like him. I know that's what almost everyone else in school is probably thinking, as if they all needed another reason to hate me anyway. I also know that they think I'm a slut and that I deserved what I got—"

"Stop it!" Neville snapped again, his eyes narrowing even further at her docile, humiliated expression. "Stop blaming yourself! You were the one who was taken advantage of, Pansy! You have nothing to be ashamed about, you didn't do anything wrong!"

From where she was watching them, Aria caught the unmistakeable shimmer of tears in Pansy's eyes just before the short-haired girl swallowed and looked away.

Pansy sniffed, trying her best to give him a haughty look but failing miserably when her voice broke and her lower lip began to tremble. "I don't need your sympathy, Longbottom."

"It's not about sympathy."

"Then why the hell do you even care?"

"Seriously?" Neville let out another weary sigh. This time, however, it was intermingled with an exasperated laugh as he stepped forward and brought both of his hands down onto Pansy's shoulders, jostling her gently. "Are you really asking me that?"

Pansy glared back at him with an affronted expression on her face.

"And just what is that supposed to mean—"

"Because I like you, you insufferable woman." Neville cut her off with another laugh, shaking his head in amusement when Pansy's eyes suddenly widened and she gaped at him, her pale cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He smirked at her reaction, clearly enjoying the flabbergasted look on her face.

"Wh—what?!" She blurted out.

"You heard me, Parkinson." Neville's lips twitched as he rolled his eyes and gave her another pointed look. "You know, for a Slytherin, you're surprisingly ignorant. I've been trying to give you all sorts of signals for weeks now. Are you honestly going to tell me that you didn't notice anything?" He asked bluntly.

"I—I just—" Pansy sputtered at him, her mouth opening and closing in shock. "I thought you were just trying to be nice to me. And that you just felt guilty over what you said to me in the Great Hall that one time."

Neville scoffed at that and shook his head.

"Do you see me treating any other girl the same way I treat you?" He countered.

"Well no, but—" Pansy hesitated. "—to be honest, I just thought that all Gryffindor boys have this annoying tendency to be nice all the time." She admitted, biting her lip and giving him a slightly sheepish look.

Neville smiled wryly, looking amused at her words.

"Well, I'm not exactly a Gryffindor anymore, am I?"

Instead of waiting for her to answer, he wrapped an arm around her waist, taking advantage of Pansy's surprise to pull her closer against him. When the shock finally left her face and she realized what he had done, Pansy smiled at him, her cheeks still flushed as she reluctantly lifted her gaze up to meet his.

"No. I guess you're not." She agreed, hesitantly reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. "I mean, you did just send Corner to the hospital wing with that nasty hex of yours."

"He deserved it."

Neville rolled his eyes at her remark and pulled her closer, bending down slightly so that his lips were inches away from hers. Before he could lean in, however, Pansy's eyes suddenly widened and she bit her lip again, looking unsure.

"Are you certain this is what you want?" She asked, lowering her gaze self-consciously to her feet. "You're a war hero now. You're almost as sought after as Potter is these days. You don't have to associate yourself with someone like me when you can get any girl you want—"

"Pansy, stop talking."

"Still, I just, after all that history between us, I don't know if we should—"

"I know."

Neville brought a hand up and cupped her cheek, silencing the rest of her stammered explanations. "But don't worry so much. We'll take this slow. I promise." He gave her a small, reassuring smile.

At his words, the uncertainty on Pansy's face finally began to clear away and she smiled back slowly at him, nodding.

"In the meantime—" Neville ignored her half-hearted protests and grinned, taking one of her hands in his. He lifted it up to his mouth and placed a kiss onto the back of her palm. "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

"Ugh."

Pansy rolled her eyes at him and yanked her hand out of his grasp.

"You Gryffindors."

She leaned up on her toes and kissed him, causing Neville to choke back a startled laugh as his arms immediately went to wrap around her waist to keep himself steady.

Aria's eyes widened and she immediately looked away, ducking back down behind the couch before they noticed her watching them.

She stifled a smirk, waiting anxiously until she heard the two break apart, followed by Pansy telling Neville in a hushed voice that they should go somewhere else before someone walks in on them. Just before they left, Aria peeked her head out from behind the couch again, smiling to herself as she watched the pair walk out, hand-in-hand, through the common room entrance.

As soon as they were gone, an amused voice to Aria's right suddenly spoke up, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Those two certainly worked their problems out much sooner than I expected them to."

Aria flicked her wide eyes over to see Blaise watching her from one of the tall, thick armchairs situated in front of the fireplace. He noticed her startled expression and smirked, walking over to her and plopping down onto the couch beside her.

"Oh well, at least that's one down. Now, I'm just waiting to see when either you or Draco will snap and push the other into a nearby closet to shag out your problems." He added, snickering.

"Were you there the whole time?" Aria glared at him, deliberately ignoring his last comment.

Blaise leaned back lazily against the couch, crossing his arms over his chest and casually resting an ankle against one knee. When he didn't answer and just continued to smirk at her, Aria rolled her eyes at him and decided to take his silence as a 'yes'.

"I thought you went home?" She asked, confused.

"I did, actually." Blaise admitted, shrugging. "But I took the train back to Hogsmeade this morning and walked back to school."

"Why?"

Blaise made a face at her before he reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a silver flask.

"Because my new stepdad is at home and, well, let's just say we're not exactly fond of each other." He took a quick sip from the flask and scoffed. "I didn't want to cause any trouble for him and my mom again so I decided to go back to Hogwarts before my mom tries to file for another divorce."

"You're really close to your mother, aren't you?" Aria arched an eyebrow and gave him a knowing smile.

He shrugged again, quickly looking away from her so that she wouldn't see the light tinge of pink on his cheeks. "It's not like I had much of a choice. We only had each other all these years, after all." He answered wryly.

"Uh-huh."

Aria wanted to tease him a bit more but Blaise made a dismissive gesture with his hand and hastily changed the topic.

"So what gives, Potter?" He gave her a particularly obnoxious smirk. "Why are you hiding out here this Christmas instead of spending it with your friends or with your horde of adoring followers? Or maybe even a quick, nameless shag or two? You know, to blow off some steam before the NEWTs?" He leaned back against the couch again, propping both of his feet up onto the table in front of them.

Aria looked annoyed at his words but when Blaise just grinned back at her, completely unrepentant, she sighed and answered. "I just felt like staying behind this year and taking some time to myself. I like how quiet the castle is without all the other students around."

Blaise accepted her answer and inclined his head in a brief nod before he held the flask in his hand out towards her.

"Firewhiskey?" He offered.

Aria stared at the flask in his hand with an impassive look on her face.

"Are you allowed to drink alcohol inside school premises, Mr. Prefect?" She drawled.

"Seriously?" Blaise snorted at her, giving her a smug, knowing look. "You're lecturing me about going against school regulations?" He pointed out.

Aria took the flask from him, taking a small, languid sip.

"Fair enough."

Neither of them said anything for awhile after that, and for the next few minutes, the both of them were content to just bask in each other's company while staring thoughtfully into the fireplace. Eventually, Aria broke the silence when she turned to him and gave him a grim smile.

"The secret's out, by the way."

When Blaise just arched an eyebrow at her in question, Aria smirked and decided to elaborate.

"Draco knows I'm a veela."

"Oh, I know."

Blaise looked amused at the surprised expression on her face. "Before he left, he actually threw another bitch fit and chewed both mine and Pansy's ears off for not telling him sooner."

Aria grimaced and opened her mouth to say something but Blaise just scoffed and waved her concern away. "He's really being a pissy little girl about this whole thing, isn't he? Don't let it bother you though. He'll probably confront you when he's ready to talk."

When she scowled at his words and looked away, Blaise smirked at her and continued. "Draco always blows hot at first, but once you give him some time to cool off, he eventually comes to his senses and starts thinking clearly. The git doesn't care to admit it, but he's actually very sensitive underneath all that cocky exterior of his."

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." Aria retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him before she snatched the flask from his hand and took another long swig.

"By the way." Blaise ignored her reaction and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I spoke to Greg a couple of days ago and he mentioned that you're going with him to the Yule Ball."

He waited until Aria lifted her gaze back up to meet his before he winked and gave her an appraising grin. "Personally, I think it was brilliant of you to do that, by the way. That bloke needed a serious boost of confidence after Astoria chose to go with Draco to the Yule Ball instead of him." He pointed out.

Aria suddenly tore her gaze away from the fireplace and turned completely to face him, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"Greg likes Astoria?" She asked.

"And she likes him." Blaise snorted at her question. "Those two are childhood best friends, actually. And they've liked each other since...forever, I think." He said wryly, taking another sip from his flask. "But they've been dancing around each other's feelings for years now. Frankly, I think the only reason they've been holding back is because Astoria's father really wants to match her with Draco."

"I see."

Aria didn't say anything else, merely turning her head away from him and mulling over his words. After another long moment of silence, she eventually looked up and turned to Blaise again, giving the other Slytherin a curious look.

"Who are you going to the Yule Ball with?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Luna Lovegood."

Aria had to pull the flask away from her lips as she ended up choking on the firewhiskey, coughing and wheezing several times as she tried to clear her throat. When she finally found her voice, she turned to Blaise again, staring at him with her jaw hanging open.

"You like Luna?" She croaked out.

Blaise grinned at her, leaning back against the couch pillows and lazily folding both of his arms behind his head.

"What can I say? She went up to me in the Great Hall a few days ago and asked me if all the tinklefaes swarming me all the time were bothering me and that she could give me a charm necklace to help ward them off. She also said something about how being around tinklefaes for too long wasn't good for my health, or something like that. Since I have no bloody idea what tinklefaes are—"

Aria couldn't help giggling at Blaise's bemused expression.

"—I decided to ask her, and she told me that tinklefaes are tiny, invisible female fairies that are always attracted to the most handsome, desirable male in the room and liked to drain his magical energy. Now, mind you, she said this to me with a completely straight face, without blushing or giggling." Blaise chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head at the memory. "The girl was just so…forward and direct and..unrepentantly weird that I realized it was also kind of...refreshing, actually." He admitted.

"And so you asked her out."

Blaise grinned again and answered her with another noncomittal shrug.

"For your information, Luna is brilliant." Aria told him, narrowing her eyes and leveling him with a threatening glare. "And I should warn you, Zabini, that if you do anything to hurt her, I might just have to castrate you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

He pretended to make a face at her statement, but Aria smirked when she noticed him inching a little away from her on the couch. She leaned back against her seat, watching as Blaise took another sip of firewhiskey before tinkering distractedly with the lid on his flask. After a few minutes of this, she sighed and glanced at him again, giving him a hesitant look.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

Blaise stilled at the unusual tone of her voice, but he turned to her and answered her with a brief nod.

"Why did your father reject your veela mother?"

As soon as the words had left her mouth, Aria instantly regretted them, especially when she noticed the way Blaise visibly stiffened. She was just about getting ready to sputter out an apology when he surprised her by speaking up in a low, tense voice.

"It's not really that interesting of a story." He muttered, shaking his head and giving her a strained smirk. "The day after I was conceived, my mom freaked out, dumped my father and ran away. By the time she realized she had feelings for him and that she was pregnant with me, my father was already in an arranged marriage with another woman."

Blaise sneered at the memory and looked away. "Not surprisingly, my mother didn't care about the fact that my father was already married, she's kind of selfish and pushy like that. And so, she extended a mate-bond to him anyway, and he was forced to reject her."

Aria stared at him for a long time before she slowly lowered her eyes to her lap.

"I'm sorry for making you bring that up." She said quietly.

"It's not that it bothers me, it's just that it's not exactly a story I find particularly pleasant." Blaise shrugged and made another dismissive gesture with his hand. When he noticed the somber expression that continued to linger on Aria's face, however, he chuckled softly and reached over, gently ruffling the top of her hair.

"Hey—"

She growled at him and slapped his hand away.

"Look, I know being a veela and having to deal with people expecting you to choose a mate all the time sucks, but if there's one thing you should learn from my mother, it's that you shouldn't listen to any of them. Whether you want a bond with someone or not is completely your decision." Blaise gave her a small, knowing grin and finally stood up from his seat, but not before placing his flask of firewhiskey down onto the table in front of her.

"For once in your life, Potter, don't be afraid to be selfish."

Draco stood nervously in front of the entrance to Hogsmeade Station.

He shuffled his feet a few times and fidgeted nervously with his collar before he stole another look at his watch, wincing when he realized that he was fifteen minutes too early. After casting a quick, perusing glance around the station, he took his wand out and placed a heating charm over himself, rubbing his gloved hands together in an effort to keep warm.

The cold, evening air around Hogsmeade had begun to strengthen into a chilly breeze, blowing constantly against his face and making him shiver every few seconds, even despite the thick coat, gloves and the scarf he was already wearing. Coupled with the tiny specks of snow that had begun to accumulate into a steadily growing pile on the ground, Draco was more than ready to go back inside any establishment to escape the cold.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait much longer because in the distance, he could already see the train coming from London making its way toward the village. The train stopped as it reached the platform, and within a few minutes, a small crowd of passengers began alighting from its doors, exiting the station one by one.

It wasn't hard to stare at the last passenger who exited the train — a tall, dark-haired girl who began to turn heads the instant she stepped onto the platform. She was too far away for Draco to see her face clearly, so he wasn't sure if it was her at first (especially since it's been more than four months since he last saw her) but when she finally turned around and looked up, meeting his eyes from a few meters away, his breath caught and he instantly felt his cheeks grow embarrassingly warm despite the cold.

Damn it.

Draco had forgotten how stunning she was.

She smiled at him just then and waved, and he felt a funny, fluttering feeling in his stomach as he smiled back, waiting patiently as she followed the remaining throng of passengers who were making their way towards the exit of the station.

As soon as she reached him and he found himself staring at her up close, Draco had to remind himself, again, that he was no longer interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with his girl – but, damn it, that still didn't stop him from staring dazedly at her face like a besotted, lovesick idiot.

It didn't help that she wasn't partially covered up by an ugly brown cloak this time.

Instead, she was wearing a long coat over a green turtle-neck dress that hugged her svelte figure perfectly, ending a few inches above her knees. As Draco gulped and unwittingly allowed his eyes to trail down, he noticed that she was wearing black tights underneath her dress, along with a pair of knee-high boots that matched the same tan color of the gloves on her hands.

All of her hair was pulled up, pinned neatly into pretty little curls that ended just below her neck.

As he studied her face, Draco couldn't help noticing how the pupils in her eyes seemed much larger than what was normal. It should have looked creepy, but when combined with her long lashes and glowing skin, it just made her look like a life-sized, porcelain doll.

She looked amused at his staring and leaned forward, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi."

Draco blushed when he felt the spot where she had kissed him tingle at the contact.

"H—hi….I er—um, you look, wow, uh…What I mean is, you—"

She smirked, arching an eyebrow at the way he shoved his twitching hands into the pockets of his coat.

"…It's good to see you again." Draco finally got out once he managed to untwist his tongue, fuming inwardly at himself for displaying the kind of embarrassing ineloquence that, no doubt, would have had not only his father, but all of his paternal Malfoy ancestors turning in their graves.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare at you like that. I just…I'd forgotten how gorgeous you were, to be honest." He added hastily, ducking his head and giving her an embarrassed smile.

She waved his apology aside and returned his smile with another dazzling one of her own. "It's good to see you too, Draco. Shall we?"

Draco nodded, choosing to ignore the rapid pounding of his heart as he lifted his arm and offered it for her to take. When she wrapped her gloved fingers around his elbow, he swallowed nervously and began escorting her through the snow-littered path, leading them both to one of the more private, expensive establishments at the northern end of the village.

It didn't take them long before they reached the small, cozy cafe that Draco had chosen for their evening together (he actually contacted the café in advance to make sure everything went smoothly). As soon as they stepped inside and removed their heavy coats, one of the cafe's servers led them to a private, well-lit alcove. Draco held her chair back for her, waiting patiently until she sat down before he settled himself into the seat on the opposite side of the table.

Once they both finished placing their orders, she leaned back against her seat and smiled invitingly at him, obviously waiting for him to start the conversation. Unfortunately, all Draco managed to do was give her another strained smile, inwardly cursing himself in his head as he struggled desperately for something to talk about. After a few minutes of this, she immediately picked up on his awkward behavior and reached out across the table, placing her gloved hand on top of his and giving his fingers a light squeeze.

"Are you okay? I can't help but notice that you seem a little…distracted." She asked softly, causing Draco to flinch as he tore his eyes away from his glass of wine and stared contritely at her. "Is it me? Am I boring you? I'm sorry if I'm not very good company. To be honest, I don't go on dates like this very often, so I don't really know what I'm supposed to do or talk about." She added uncertainly.

Draco immediately felt guilty when he saw her disheartened expression.

"No, I'm sorry." He shook his head and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze back. "It's not like that – and it's definitely not you. In fact, I've actually been looking forward to having dinner with you like this for months now. It's just…I've had a lot of things on my mind while I was at school." He admitted quietly.

"I see."

She frowned, tilting her head to the side to give him a concerned look. "Is everything okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

At the genuine concern he heard in her voice, Draco felt like even more of an asshole.

He immediately looked away and forced out another laugh, reaching out and taking a long sip from his glass of wine. Once he managed to set the glass back down, he steeled his nerves and finally looked up, meeting her worried gaze.

"Actually, now that you mention it, there is something I want to talk to you about." He began slowly, biting his lip and drumming his fingers nervously against the table. When she gave him an uncertain smile and nodded encouragingly for him to continue, Draco sighed and went on. "The real reason I agreed to meet you tonight was actually because…I wanted to tell you something."

"Yes…?"

"Look, there's really no easy way for me to say this." Draco raked a hand through his hair, a self-deprecating smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. "Over the last few months, I actually came to realize that I may have...feelings for this girl in my school. And I…Well, frankly, I'm interested in seeing where those feelings will take me." He lifted his gaze again, meeting her wide green eyes with a remorseful look.

"I suppose, what I'm trying to say is…The reason I came to see you here tonight is because I wanted to let you know that I can't continue this – whatever this is – with you anymore."

"…Oh."

The look on her face was unreadable at first, and for a long time, Draco wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but when she finally lifted her chin and stared at him, he flinched and looked away. He felt a sharp stab of shame at the unmistakeable sadness and rejection that was now creasing her lovely, crestfallen features.

She must have noticed his guilt-stricken expression because she immediately shook the disappointment away from her face and managed to give him a small, tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Is it that girl then?" She asked softly.

"Girl?" Draco arched an eyebrow and frowned at her. "What girl?"

"You mentioned in your last letter that you were going to the Yule Ball at Hogwarts with this girl?" She blinked and looked away, but not before giving him another sad smile. "Is she the one you're talking about? The one you have feelings for?"

"Oh, no, she's not—" At her words, the confusion on Draco's face cleared and he shook his head, giving her a slightly amused smile. "—it's definitely not her. Astoria is just…well, she's an old family friend of mine."

"Why are you going to the Yule Ball with her then?" She asked again.

"She asked me to escort her and I said yes. I didn't actually mean to. I just agreed to go with her because…well, it's complicated." Draco flushed with embarrassment and decided not to elaborate. "Anyway, the girl I like, the one I really like…Well, she's…" He winced and allowed his voice to trail off, suddenly feeling very shy and self-conscious about what he was going to say.

"Yes?"

When she stared expectantly at him, Draco offered her a sheepish smile.

"You promise not to make fun of me?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Alright, fine. It's…Harriah Potter."

Draco swallowed the dry lump that had formed in his throat and let out a nervous laugh, pretending to busy himself with brushing away an imaginary speck of lint on his sleeve.

"The girl I like is Harriah Potter."

He felt warmth seeping into his cheeks at the intense way she was suddenly staring at him, her bright green eyes impossibly wide as she seemed to scrutinize each and every single one of his features. Draco was a little taken back when he saw the barely concealed amusement on her face.

"Harriah Potter?"

Her features were frozen into a perfectly composed, indiscernible mask. "As in the Girl-who-Lived, the Chosen One, the Savior of the Wizarding World and all that rubbish, that Harriah Potter?" She asked again.

At the obvious hilarity he heard in her voice, the scowl on Draco's face deepened.

"I know it's ridiculous! But I just—"

He flushed and immediately cut himself off when she suddenly slapped both of her hands over her mouth, her slim shoulders shaking as she desperately tried to muffle her laughter.

More than a little stung by her reaction, Draco glared bitterly at her and slumped dejectedly into his seat.

"You promised you wouldn't make fun of me."

"N—no, I wasn't—" Her eyes widened in belated realization and she shook her head at him, trying to stop laughing long enough so that she could give him an apologetic smile. "—I wasn't making fun of you, I swear! I was just thinking about how…It's…I can't believe that this whole time—" She broke herself off and collapsed into another fit of hysterical giggles, causing Draco to sigh in exasperation and cover his face with his hands.

"Look, I know how it sounds, okay?" He lifted his head to stare at his half-empty glass of wine, swirling the liquid around distractedly as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I know that it's pathetic and that you probably think I'm way out of my league here, but…I can't help the way I feel about her." He admitted, hanging his head in embarrassment.

"Why?"

Draco looked up at the bluntness of her voice, a little confused by her harsh reaction.

"Why what?" He asked dumbly.

"Why do you like Harriah Potter?" She asked again, her eyes flashing as she tutted at him in disapproval and shook her head. "She's nothing special, you know. She's just a girl; one who just happened to be born in the wrong place at the right time; probably had all of these unfortunate circumstances forced upon her by so many different people." She scoffed bitterly to herself, sneering. "In fact, I think the only reason she won that stupid war last year was because of sheer, dumb luck."

"Don't talk about her like that. Say what you want about Potter but she deserved to win that war." Draco's eyes narrowed slightly at her words. "And the way I feel about her has nothing to do with her being the so-called Chosen One. I don't even care about any of that rubbish." He countered.

She was giving him a very strange look.

"Then why do you like her?"

"Because she's so beautifully…flawed." Draco frowned and took another sip of his wine, struggling to think of the best way he could verbalize all of the confusing thoughts in his head. "It's hard to explain, really. It's just…I grew up with her. We were actually rivals in school. In fact, I think she absolutely hated my guts." He looked up and gave her a wry, half-hearted smile.

She arched an eyebrow at that but nodded, urging him to continue.

"Everyone else seems to think of Harriah Potter as this perfect, infallible heroine all the time. But when I look at her, all I see is a girl who's been trained to feel guilty for showing the slightest bit of weakness or imperfection. Trust me, I was her enemy for years, I'd like to think I've seen her at her worst more than anyone else. I've seen her when she was angry, scared, impatient, and even vindictive. And you know what? It's those parts of her that I find so much more attractive than the flashy, so-called heroic façade everyone expects her to have all the time."

He shook his head at himself, amused at the uncharacteristic sappiness of his thoughts.

"And when she looks at me and smiles at me, I just…I get all of these ridiculous, fluttering sensations in my stomach. When I'm with her, I forget every single shitty thing I've done in my life. She makes me feel like I'm actually worth something; and damn it, I just want to make myself a better person for her all the time."

Draco looked up, suddenly feeling very embarrassed (and more than a little horrified) at having revealed something so personal about himself to a girl he didn't know anything about.

"I didn't mean to gush about another girl in front of you." He rushed out, wincing in apology. "It was incredibly insensitive of me."

"N—no, it's okay. I—"

There was a shaky quality to her voice when she tore her gaze away from his and stared intently down at the table.

"You certainly have your feelings all figured out." She said softly.

"It wasn't exactly easy, believe me." Draco admitted ruefully, smirking to himself and shaking his head. "I've been mulling all of this over in my head for more than a week now."

When she nodded at him in understanding, he slanted his eyes over to hers again and gave her a curious look.

"Have you ever felt like that about someone else?" He asked.

To his surprise, she suddenly blushed and looked away, but not before he caught a glimpse of the helplessly amused smile on her face. "I think so. But it's a little different in my case." She told him.

"How so?"

She leaned back against her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a strange look. "The way he looks at me makes me feel more alive and real than I've ever felt before, and it scares me a little bit." She whispered.

Draco studied her expression closely, drawn in by her cryptic words.

"Why?"

"Because I'm afraid that the intensity of what I'm starting to feel for him might consume me—" She lifted her gaze again and Draco suddenly found himself drowning in the intensity of her green eyes. "—and when that happens, I'd probably let everyone and everything else in this entire world burn."

Draco's eyes widened and a soft, startled chuckle escaped his lips.

"Be careful." He swallowed nervously and tried to diffuse the seriousness of their conversation with a teasing grin. "The last time I heard someone speak that way, it took an entire war to bring him down."

She smirked at that, merely inclining her head at him in acknowledgment before she leaned back against her seat and took another calm sip of her wine.

Before either of them could say anything else, their orders arrived and Draco breathed a sigh of relief as he welcomed the interruption. Fortunately, they were able to make their way through dinner while engaged in significantly lighter conversation. After some time, once their plates were cleared away and their wine glasses refilled, she turned to him again and gave him a reassuring smile.

"By the way—"

She waited until Draco looked up from his glass before she chuckled and continued.

"Thank you for being so honest with me and telling me that you're not interested anymore. I mean, it sucks a little that you couldn't have just told me all this in a letter instead of rejecting me face-to-face and all—"

Draco flinched and opened his mouth to apologize but she didn't give him a chance to interrupt.

"—and you probably could have phrased your rejection speech in a much nicer, less direct way but that's basically why you're here tonight, right? You're here because you're officially ending this little 'thing' we have? So in other words, you're choosing Harriah Potter over me?" She teased.

Draco's eyes widened and he shook his head frantically at her words.

"That's not exactly why I—"

She giggled at his aghast expression and went on as though he hadn't spoken. "I understand, you know. Like I said, it's okay. If I had to lose to another girl, it may as well be Harriah Potter. And believe me, you have no idea how much that makes me feel better." She added playfully.

At this point, he knew she was just teasing him, but Draco still reddened and looked away so she wouldn't see the embarrassed cringe on his face.

"So why exactly haven't you told her all of this?" She asked.

"Do you really think it's that simple? I just told you that we were enemies, didn't I? Set aside the fact that we were on opposite sides during the war, I have no bloody idea if she feels the same way about me." Draco retorted, glowering at her as though he thought she was the most ignorant person alive. "Besides, I'm pretty sure she's already rejected me anyway. She told me she doesn't trust me."

"I seriously doubt that." Her eyes narrowed and she gave him a dubious look. "Did she tell you all of this herself?"

"Well, no, she didn't exactly reject me." Draco relented, looking away with a weary, downhearted sigh. "But I'm pretty sure she doesn't trust me. And to be honest, after everything that's happened between us, maybe I can't really blame her."

She was quiet for a long time.

When she finally spoke, her voice had become so soft that Draco had to lean in closer to hear her.

"Maybe she's just afraid to trust you because she's afraid of getting hurt." She whispered, her eyelashes fluttering as she lowered her gaze and stared at her hands. "She's probably been through a lot, and it's reasonable to assume that she's been taken advantage of one too many times already."

"I think I'm in love with her."

Draco felt his cheeks redden at the way her eyes suddenly flicked to his in alarm but he ignored her reaction and went on. "I would never willingly hurt her or take advantage of her in any way. I just wish she would give me a chance to show her that."

"What?"

She was staring at him again, but this time, the weird look on her face was something Draco wasn't sure how to interpret.

"I just realized how much I sounded like a sap. Do you think I'm pathetic?" Draco smirked and shook his head at himself. "But it's true, though. I think I've always been in love with her – ever since I was thirteen years old. She's always been this secret, childhood dream of mine, and I was just so afraid of admitting to myself how much I wanted her until it was too late." He added ruefully.

She continued to watch him with that soft, glassy-eyed look on her face.

"You should tell her all this, Draco." She whispered.

"Yeah right." Draco scoffed at her words and shook his head. "I'm not about to make a complete fool out of myself—"

"Trust me." She reached across the table, placing her gloved hand over his again and giving his fingers another comforting squeeze. "For all you know, she could feel the exact same way about you and not realize it just yet."

Draco's eyes narrowed as he studied the expression on her face. He couldn't explain why, exactly, but something in the way she looked at him was just so unnervingly intimate that it took him a few minutes before he was able to process what she actually said.

"I will."

She smiled and gave his hand another squeeze in reply before she straightened, her eyes flicking over his shoulder towards the exit.

"I should go then."

As she stood up from her seat and began reaching for her coat, Draco frowned and shot up after her in protest.

"No, wait!"

He snatched the coat from her hands, shaking his head and meeting her surprised look with an apologetic grimace. "We shouldn't end things this way. It's my fault – I shouldn't have talked so much about Harriah Potter like that. Will you at least let me walk you back to the station properly?" He rushed out.

She hesitated, blinking a few times as her eyes flicked back and forth between his abashed features and the coat he held in his hands. When he didn't relent, she sighed in defeat and nodded, turning around and allowing him to help her back into her coat. After he left the payment for their meal on the table and slipped into his own, she tucked her hand through his arm and they left the café together.

The brief amount of small talk they exchanged with each other on their way back to the train station wasn't as uncomfortable or awkward as Draco thought it would be (and he was relieved that she seemed to be taking his 'rejection' much better than he expected); but what he truly found surprising was that the air between them had become much lighter somehow. It was almost as though an invisible weight had been lifted off both of their chests, and suddenly they weren't nervous or shy around each other anymore.

They reached the train station at the other end of the village in a short amount of time, and eventually, they stopped in front of the entrance, turning to face each other with a warm, friendly smile.

"I suppose this is goodbye then?" She mused.

"It doesn't have to be, you know." Draco pointed out, shaking his head. "I mean, just because I'm no longer interested in you romantically, it doesn't mean we can't continue to be friends. We can still write to each other after all." He added wryly.

"And you don't think Harriah Potter is the jealous type?" She teased.

"I don't actually know if she's the jealous type or…Wait a minute." He cut himself off and glared irritably at her, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "You're making fun of me aren't you?"

"Maybe just a little."

She giggled at his deadpan expression and folded her hands coyly behind her, tilting her head up so she could look into his eyes. "But really, thank you for meeting with me tonight, Draco. And thank you for being so honest with me. It was…nice." She admitted, blushing.

"Is this the first time a guy's actually turned you down?" He smirked.

She didn't answer, merely smiling at him and lifting both of her shoulders in a noncommittal shrug.

"Anyway—" Draco shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat and glanced over her shoulder to stare at the train platform. "—are you planning to spend the rest of your Christmas break in London?"

"I'm heading back to school actually." She answered.

He would have asked her for more details but he was interrupted when the train suddenly chose that moment to pull up noisily onto the platform. Turning his attention back to her, Draco's face fell when he realized that she was already walking away from him.

In his panic, he called out to her just as she reached the entrance to the station.

"Wait!"

She froze at the urgency she heard in his voice and turned around slowly, staring back at him in confusion. Draco swallowed the dry, painful lump that had formed in his throat and gave her a slightly exasperated smile.

"Will you at least tell me your name now?" He asked.

Her lips twitched at his words and she tilted her head slightly to the side, as though she was reflecting very hard on his question. Finally, after a long moment, she smiled and began walking back slowly towards him, stopping only when her face was mere inches away from his.

Draco flushed and immediately tried to step back to lengthen the distance between them but she leaned in even closer, tiptoeing her feet up until her lips were dangerously close to his ear. His breath hitched, and alarm bells started going off in his head at her nearness, but still, the sweet scent of her hair drew him closer; close enough so that he was all too aware of the inviting heat emanating from her body.

"My name—"

His heart skipped at the sensual purr in her voice, and Draco had to force himself to remain completely still when she leaned in even closer; her soft lips teasingly caressing the sides of his ear.

"—is Sŷlleiníea."

She cupped his cheek and turned his face toward hers, pressing her lips against his in a soft kiss.

Draco stiffened at first, his eyes growing wide in shock, but when she hummed and licked her way into his mouth, his mind blanked and his eyes automatically fluttered shut. Out of their own accord, his arms wrapped themselves tightly around her waist and he pulled her closer, savoring the feel of the soft curves of her slender body pressed up against him.

They kissed, and kissed, and kissed, until finally, the need for air became much too urgent for either of them to ignore and they broke apart slowly, but not before she let out a breathless laugh and leaned in again, pressing another kiss against the corner of his lips. When Draco just blinked and stared back dumbly at her, his face still flushed and his eyes dazed with arousal, she smiled and reached up, caressing his cheek with her hand.

"Happy Christmas, Draco."

She turned and walked away from him without another word, quickly making her way back toward the station's entrance.

Draco didn't attempt to follow her, nor did he call after her this time. Instead, he just stood there and continued to stare after her retreating back in cold, stunned silence.

His entire body was still burning with want from the lingering feeling of her lips against his.

Lips that were so sinfully sweet, and addictive, and just so achingly familiar that Draco just knew he had kissed her more than once before, if only because he was absolutely certain that he would never, ever forget that perfect, exquisite taste of her mouth.

With bated breath, Draco's eyes narrowed and he brought a shaking hand up to touch his lips.

And then it clicked.

Chapter Text

Aria was sleeping peacefully in the girls' dormitory that evening when the fireplace at the very back of the room roared to life. She was startled awake at the sound of Hermione's voice suddenly echoing around the small room.

"Aria! Are you awake?!"

Acting instinctively, Aria jerked herself out from underneath her comforters and blinked blearily at her surroundings. "Who was that—Hermione? Is that you?" She asked dumbly.

"Oh for Heaven's sake, Granger!"

Aria heard Pansy's annoyed growl from the opposite corner of the room, followed by the sound of the other girl yanking the curtains around her bed open. "Some of us are trying to get some last minute studying done here! Couldn't you have floo-called Potter in the morning?!" She snapped loudly.

"Well, excuse me. But if you haven't finished your studying by now, I don't think any amount of cramming will help you, Parkinson." Came Hermione's loud, scoffing response.

"Why you bushy-haired—"

"Can you two not do this right now?" Aria grumbled, interrupting Pansy before she could finish her retort as she sat up and stretched, slowly retracting her wings.

She suppressed her true form and shoved her glasses onto her face, pulling the thick curtains back from around her bed. Afterwards, she wrapped a warm blanket around her shoulders and trudged sleepily across the room, yawning as she sank down onto the rug in front of the fireplace.

"Seriously, 'Mione. You'd better have a good reason for waking me up in the middle of the night like this." She muttered grumpily, rubbing her eyes and pushing her long hair away from her face.

"We do, we swear!"

It was Ron who had spoken this time, and the obvious excitement in his voice piqued Aria's curiosity enough that she forced her eyes open and straightened, leaning in closer to the fireplace to hear them better.

"Ron, is that you? Are you with Hermione right now?" Aria asked, confused. "I thought you two were going to spend Christmas separately this year?"

"Well, we were, but at the last minute, Ron decided to ask me out to dinner so we're both here in Paris right now." Hermione answered, sounding strangely exhilarated. "Anyway, we have something really important to tell you. Can you adjust the wards on your fireplace first so that we can see each other face to face?" She asked.

Aria sighed, trying to remember where she had left her wand the night before. When she realized that it was under her pillow, and that she was too lazy to walk back over to her bed to get it, she waved a hand over the fireplace instead, wordlessly adjusting the wards. From the other side of the room, Pansy arched an eyebrow at her, obviously never having seen her display wandless magic before.

She ignored the other girl's reaction and waited a couple of minutes until Ron and Hermione's flushed, disembodied heads suddenly popped into the fireplace. They both grinned at her and Aria couldn't help smiling wryly at the matching looks of excitement on both of her best friends' faces.

"Happy Christmas!" Ron exclaimed.

"Alright, alright…Happy Christmas to you too." Aria rolled her eyes at his exuberance and leaned back, wrapping her blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Now, exactly what was so important that you both couldn't wait to tell me until after you got back?" She asked.

"Well…" Ron hesitated, meeting Hermione's eyes and giving her a questioning look. When Hermione just blushed, Aria arched an eyebrow and flicked her gaze back and forth between them in question.

"What's going on?" She asked cautiously.

"We really wanted you to be the first one to know before we told anyone else." Hermione paused and allowed her voice to trail off, causing Aria to frown and give her a concerned look.

"Seriously, Hermione. You're freaking me out. What is it? Is something wrong?" She asked.

"No, everything's fine! It's just that…Well…" When Hermione paused again and bit her lip, Ron finally seemed to have lost his patience and turned to Aria with a wide, ecstatic grin.

"We're engaged!"

Aria's eyes widened and her jaw plummeted to the floor.

"Wh—what?"

"Like no one expected that to happen." Pansy suddenly scoffed loudly, reminding them of her presence as she looked up from her book and smirked at them from where she sat on her bed across the room. "Please don't have too many kids though, Weasley. You wouldn't want to end up in the same financial situation as your parents—"

"Nobody asked for your opinion, Parkinson!" Ron snapped, his blue eyes flashing as he scowled at her over Aria's shoulder. "Can I murder her, Aria? Please tell me I can murder her. I doubt anyone will miss her that much." He growled loudly.

Pansy's cheeks flushed and she glared back haughtily at him with an affronted look on her face. Before she could retort, however, Aria rolled her eyes and held a hand up to silence her, leveling her with a warning look over her shoulder.

When Pansy grimaced under Aria's glare and huffed, shrinking back against her pillows, Aria turned back to Ron. "Don't worry about her. She likes to run her mouth but she's actually harmless. And I really do think she was offering you advice, even if she phrased it as an insult. She's actually really sweet under all that snippiness. Isn't that right, Pans?"

"Oh screw you, you bird-faced harpy."

Aria smirked and turned back to Ron and Hermione, meeting their disbelieving expressions with an amused look. "Look, if she bothers you that much, I can cast a silencing charm on the rest of our conversation, if you like?" She offered.

"I think that would be best." Hermione shook her head when she saw the way Ron continued to glower at Pansy.

"Like I enjoy listening in on your conversation anyway." Pansy scoffed back at them.

Hermione waited until Aria waved her hand again, casting a silencing charm on herself and around the fireplace, before she and Ron shared another embarrassed chuckle and continued. "Anyway, as I was saying, Ron actually proposed to me this evening while we were having dinner—"

"How? Where?" Aria prodded, stifling a smile.

"I surprised her by meeting her in a café that overlooked the Eiffel Tower." Ron answered, blushing under Aria's amused smile. "I hadn't meant to propose until the end of the year, actually…After we graduate, I mean. But, well…The location was just too perfect and the weather and mood were just right so I thought…What the hell."

"And?" Aria prompted, shifting her gaze back over to Hermione.

"And…I said yes, obviously." Hermione laughed at Aria's gleeful expression, and her face disappeared from the fireplace for a second, only to be replaced with an image of her hand – where Aria could make out a simple but beautiful diamond ring on her finger. "Now, we haven't really talked about anything specific yet but—"

"Congratulations!" Aria finally let out a loud, embarrassingly girlish squeal and burst out laughing, bouncing happily against the floor. "Merlin's beard, I didn't actually expect to hear something like this tonight but…Bloody freakin' hell, congratulations! I'm so happy for the two of you!" She squealed again, grinning at them.

"Th—thank you, Aria!" Hermione's voice shook with emotion and when her hand disappeared and her flushed face reappeared into the fireplace, Aria noticed that her eyes were glassy with tears. "I only wish you could be here with us right now so we could celebrate together." She added wistfully.

"You want me to be the third wheel in the most romantic city in the world? No thanks, Hermione. I can't stand all the public displays of affection you and Ron get up to these days." Aria teased, smirking.

Hermione rolled her eyes and rewarded her with a mock annoyed look. "I hope you realize that I won't take that kind of attitude from my Maid of Honor." She pointed out.

"Ugh, right…Maid of Honor." Aria made a face and pretended to gag at Hermione's words. "Do I really have to, Hermione? Can't you ask Ginny or Luna to do it?" She complained.

"You could be Best Man if you want." Ron joked as he turned to Aria again and gave her a teasing grin. "That way, it'll save me the trouble of having to choose which among my brothers I need to ask to do it."

Aria rolled her eyes at Ron's statement and turned back to Hermione, giving the glowing brunette another soft, genuine smile. "I want to know more about what happened. Was it a spur of the moment type of thing? Have you decided on a wedding date yet?"

"Actually, we both decided that it would be a two-year engagement." Hermione told her, causing Aria's eyes to widen slightly in surprise. "That way, we'll have enough time to prepare, as well as plan out our budget for the wedding. We don't want to spend too much after all, there's still the matter of saving up enough money for a house to consider."

"If it's saving up for a house that's making you delay the wedding, you don't need to worry about that just yet. You're both welcome to stay in Grimmauld Place for as long as you need to. Nobody will be using it anyway, I'll be moving into a new place after graduation." Aria reminded her.

"I didn't think of that." Hermione blinked and seemed to consider the idea. "But are you sure you're okay with letting us stay there? I mean, it's your house after all—"

Aria rolled her eyes and waved her concerns aside.

"It's not just the house we've been thinking about though. There's also 'Mione's big internship this summer at the Ministry to consider." Ron added, wincing and giving Aria a weary smile. "I have to tell you, mate, I know we survived a war and all but I never would have thought that all this 'adulting' stuff that came afterwards would be much more difficult." He sighed.

"I'm sure it'll all work out somehow." Aria told him, giving the redhead a comforting smile. "I mean, just last year, we were trying to figure out how to destroy horcruxes, for crying out loud. I'm pretty sure we can handle whatever else life has to throw at us."

"I hope so." Hermione averred, her eyebrows fusing together with worry. "It's a little intimidating, actually. I've never planned a wedding before, I don't even know where to start or what I'm supposed to do first. You'll help me with all of this, won't you?" She asked nervously.

"Of course I will." Aria assured her, giggling when she noticed the excitement and giddiness that continued to linger in Hermione's brown eyes. "And seriously? I'm really happy for the both of you. You both deserve this after everything that's happened. So just…enjoy yourselves and try not to worry so much about the future tonight, okay? You should go find a nice hotel and have a celebratory shag or something."

She smirked when Hermione reddened and Ron leveled her with a deadpan glare.

"I'm just saying." Aria laughed and held both of her hands up at them in a gesture of surrender. "You're in Paris! City of Love, and all that rubbish. Go and have fun. But not too much, alright?" She gave them both a suggestive wink.

"Aria!"

Hermione glared at her, blushing almost as red as the scarf around her neck.

"I think you've been hanging around all those Slytherins too much." Ron added with a snort, shaking his head when Aria snickered at their reaction.

"Speaking of shagging." Hermione shook the embarrassment away from her face and turned to Aria, a smug smile tugging on her lips when she noticed the way Aria stiffened under her scrutinizing gaze. "Do you want to tell us about your Hogsmeade date, Aria?"

"You didn't shag him already did you?" Ron asked bluntly, turning green.

It was Aria's turn to blush this time as she shot Ron a withering glare and glanced quickly over her shoulder, ascertaining for herself that Pansy couldn't hear their conversation.

"Of course not!" She hissed back.

"Did you tell him who you really were?" Hermione arched an eyebrow at her.

"Well—" Aria winced at her question and bit her lip, her gaze sliding down to the floor. "—not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Ron frowned, his eyebrows fusing together in confusion. "Didn't you tell us last time that you were planning to confess and tell him everything?" He pressed.

"Um…"

Hermione's eyes narrowed and she glared reproachfully at the other girl.

"Aria."

"I know, I know! I promised I would tell him and I really did mean to, but something unexpected happened and it completely slipped my mind!" Aria blurted out, fighting the urge to shrink under Hermione's disapproving look.

"So you did shag him." Ron blurted out, his eyes growing wide in horror.

"No, you idiot!" Aria gritted her teeth and fought the urge to hurl her one of her slippers at Ron's floating head. "Honestly, Ron! Would you get your mind out of the gutter?!"

"So what exactly happened then?" Hermione demanded with a loud, impatient sigh.

"He…dumped me."

"What?! How could he—should I go and bash that little ferret's skull in?!"

Both Hermione and Aria winced at the sharp, furious tone of Ron's outburst, but when he opened his mouth to say something else, Aria shook her head and hastily cut him off. "Look, I know it sounds bad but he didn't actually dump me, Ron. He dumped Sŷlleiníea."

The anger on Ron's face instantly disappeared; only to be replaced with a grimace as he stared at her in confusion. He grunted and turned to glance at Hermione with a completely baffled look on his face.

"Um…Okay, is this something only girls would understand? Because I'm really not following here."

Hermione gave him a fond, mildly exasperated look before she turned to Aria again, meeting the other girl's smile with a genuine one of her own.

"Go on." She urged.

"Well, like I said, he dumped Sŷlleiníea for me." Aria wrapped her blanket tighter around herself and tried not to squirm under Hermione's teasing gaze. "He likes me, 'Mione. Not as my veela self, not as the Chosen One but just…me. Aria. How crazy is that? That bloody ferret is such an idiot sometimes, I swear." She let her voice trail off and laughed softly, blushing as she lowered her gaze to her hands.

"Do you like him…?" Hermione asked softly.

"I do."

Aria spoke in a very quiet voice, as though she wasn't ready to hear the words out loud.

"I think I really do."

Hermione smiled again as she studied the myriad of mixed emotions on Aria's face. Meanwhile, Ron's features had creased into a slight frown and he was giving Aria a worried look.

"So will you actually consider him as your mate?" He asked.

The smile on Aria's face immediately faltered at his words and she looked away with a scowl.

"I don't know." She admitted, sighing softly. "I still don't know if I believe in that whole 'mate' thing, to be honest."

"You don't have to believe in it." Hermione pointed out, rolling her eyes at her words. "You're a veela, Aria. And like it or not, you are biologically and magically driven to mate. Ultimately, of course, the choice is still up to you and I will respect whatever your decision will be. But I won't deny that you being bonded to a mate you can trust will make things so much easier for you in the long run."

Instead of answering, Aria sighed again and stared down at her hands in contemplative silence.

"I'll think about it."

They were interrupted when the doors to the dormitory suddenly burst open, followed by Hannah storming inside and racing furiously across the room.

Aria didn't see her face at first, so she shrugged and was just about to resume her conversation with Ron and Hermione but when Hannah rushed past her, running towards the bathroom, Aria's eyes widened at the sight of the pig-tailed girl's tear-streaked, sobbing face.

Frowning, she looked up and glanced across the room at Pansy in question. When Pansy just shrugged back at her, and Hannah slammed the bathroom doors shut, Aria sighed in exasperation and turned to give her two confused best friends an apologetic look.

"I have to go." She told them uncertainly. "Hannah's locked herself in the bathroom for some reason and she didn't look too good. I'd better go and deal with this."

"Girl problems?" Ron winced at her words and gave her a sympathatic grin. "Good luck with that, mate. We'll call you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Happy Christmas!" Hermione added.

Aria gave them both one last smile before she finally waved her hand over the fireplace, effecively ending the call. She made another dismissive gesture with her hand to negate the silencing charm she placed on herself. Afterwards, she stood up, folllowing Pansy over to where the short-haired girl was cautiously making her way to the bathroom door at the other end of the room.

"Hannah?" Aria ignored the way Pansy was rolling her eyes and leaned forward, knocking softly against the locked, wooden door. "Is everything okay in there? You looked pretty upset when you rushed into the room." She began uncertainly.

There was a loud sniff on the other side of the door, followed by the sound of Hannah hiccuping and blowing her nose.

"Go away! I don't want to talk right now!"

"Are you sure—"

"Yes, I'm sure! Leave me alone, Aria!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Pansy ignored Aria's warning look and shoved her out of the way, stomping right up to the door and banging impatiently against it. "Abbott, quit whining like some pathetic little Hufflepuff in there and come out already! I don't have the time and patience to deal with your drama right now, okay?!" She growled out.

Aria's eyes widened and she gaped at the other girl as though she had grown an extra pair of limbs.

"What?! Honestly, Potter. She won't learn anything if we keep babying her all the damn time. She has to learn to stand up for herself!" Pansy pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, but you could afford to be a little less…you." She pointed out wryly.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?!"

"We both know your bedside manners aren't exactly the best, Parkinson."

"Better than you, obviously!"

"I just—"

The rest of Aria's snarky retort was cut off when, surprisingly enough, the doors to the bathroom suddenly clicked open. Unfortunately, before either Pansy or Aria could react, Hannah's loud, wailing scream caused them both to back away just as the former Hufflepuff yanked the bathroom doors open.

"You want to know what happened?!" Hannah snapped at them, reaching up and angrily wiping the tears away from her face. "Ernie was cheating on me, okay?! I went to the Hufflepuff Common Room tonight to give him his Christmas present, a—and I saw him making out with that….Mollie girl! H—he was cheating on me this whole time!" She blurted out, sobbing.

"...Oh."

Luckily, Hannah didn't seem to notice or hear Aria's deadpan reaction and she went on, her words barely audible in between the harsh, hiccuping sobs that were wracking her petite frame.

"A—and when I confronted him about it, he broke up with me! He actually broke up with me on Christmas, that no good, cheating bastard! I can't believe I ever fell for him—I just...I feel like such an idiot!" She wailed again, pushing past Aria and Pansy as she walked over to her bed and buried her face into her pillows.

While Aria just blinked and continued to stare awkwardly at the scene, unsure of how to proceed, Pansy let out a defeated sigh and walked over to stand at the foot of Hannah's bed.

She reached over and patted Hannah awkwardly on the shoulder. "Seriously, stop crying. Do you want me to ask one of the boys here in Slytherin to hex that pathetic twat for you?" She offered with a low growl.

When Hannah didn't look up and merely sniffled in reply, Aria finally walked over toward them and reluctantly sat down onto the bed beside Pansy. She patted Hannah lightly on her back and managed to force out an uncomfortable laugh.

"Look on the bright side, Hannah. At least you didn't shag him yet, right?"

Her grin faltered when Pansy flicked her eyes up and immediately silenced her with an exasperated glare.

"Potter!"

"I'm sorry!" Aria flinched and shrugged at her, reaching up and scratching sheepishly at the back of her head. "Look, I don't really know the appropriate thing to say in these kinds of situations." She admitted ruefully.

Pansy rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to berate her even further but that was when Hannah suddenly sat up on the bed. She sniffed a couple of times and reached up, using the back of her hands to wipe the tears away from her cheeks. When she finally lifted her chin and met their eyes, Aria was surprised when she realized that a small, amused smile was tugging on the corner of her lips.

"You two are really bad at this." She mused, chuckling softly.

Aria grinned at her while Pansy just scoffed, crossing her arms indignantly over her chest.

"To be fair, I did just offer to help you get revenge you know." She pointed out, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow at Hannah's startled expression. "If you don't want to send any of our boys after him, maybe I can teach you a nasty hex to use on him instead. I can guarantee that it's effective." She offered.

"I don't know if I can do that. I mean, Ernie and I were together for a pretty long time. If I'm being honest with myself, I still kind of have feelings for him." Hannah admitted grudgingly, oblivious to the way Aria and Pansy exchanged similar sneers of irritated disgust at her words. When neither of them chose to say anything, Hannah sighed again and lowered her gaze, staring glumly at her hands.

"And you know what's worse? Now, I don't even have a date to the Yule Ball. And Ernie will be there, all happy and slow dancing with that blonde bint. It'll be so humiliating." She grumbled, grabbing one of her pillows and hugging it tightly to her chest in comfort.

"You don't need a date." Pansy pointed out.

"That's easy for you to say!" Hannah retorted, looking up and glaring accusingly at her. "You already have a date, don't you? Can you imagine going to the Yule Ball alone while your ex-boyfriend is cozying up to the girl he cheated on you with in front of all your friends?!" She snapped, causing Pansy to wince at the sharp tone of her voice.

"Maybe you can ask Zach to escort you to the Ball?" Aria suggested, drawing Hannah's attention away from Pansy as she reached over and brushed a stray lock of tangled hair away from the other girl's tear-streaked face. "The last time I talked to him, I think he mentioned that he didn't have a date yet."

"No, that won't work. He's already's going with Demelza Robbins." Hannah answered dejectedly, looking away to hide the miserable tilt to her lips.

"Your other Hufflepuff friends?" Aria tried again.

"All taken."

"Hmm." Pansy ignored the despondent look on Hannah's face and smirked to herself, meeting Aria's curious expression with a haughty, half-lidded gaze. "I might know someone who's still free. Do you want me to ask if he can take you to the Yule Ball?"

Hannah lifted her chin up, meeting Pansy's questioning gaze with a mildly curious look.

"Is he hot?"

On his very first morning back at Hogwarts, exactly one day before the start of their dreaded NEWT exams, Draco decided to avoid the rest of his housemates and headed straight for the library.

He had his suspicions; he just needed to be absolutely sure.

And if he was right (and damn it, Draco was so absolutely certain that he was right), then his Dream Girl, the stunning, beautiful girl he had been fantasizing about for the last five months, was the same girl he'd been secretly in love with for the last five years.

If that really was the case, then it also meant that Aria had been deceiving him all along.

He should have been furious with her.

And he was, at first.

But then, the more he thought about it, the more Draco realized that given their whole, morbid history during the war, she didn't exactly owe him any semblance of honesty before all of this.

On the other hand, he was also strangely…amused.

Because as it turns out, Draco had been chasing after the exact same person all along, and not only was the whole thing so bloody ridiculous, it also proved to him more than anything how utterly helpless he was against his attraction to Aria Potter that he seemed to gravitate toward the infuriating girl no matter what bloody form she took.

In all honesty, he still had absolutely no idea how he should be feeling about all this; especially now that (if Draco had interpreted her actions correctly), she had actually given him what he could only presume to be her veela name.

It was strange.

He had been so stunned by her kiss and so focused on the shock of her revelation that he realised too late that he actually had no idea how to pronounce it.

The language had sounded too foreign; the accent and intonation of the syllables so unique and unfamiliar to his ears that no matter how hard Draco tried to recreate the sounds, he couldn't enunciate her name the same way she had whispered it to him – at least not without actually reading up on Ancient Veelish first.

Luckily, he remembered that he managed to copy her name down when they had both been stuck inside that cave in the Forbidden Forest a few weeks ago. All he needed to do now was to properly translate the symbols and learn how to speak her name properly.

Draco pushed through the double doors of the library, his fingers already curling with giddy anticipation at the thought of seeing Aria again and possibly addressing her by her veela name for the very first time.

Would she transform into her true form in front of him?

He felt his cheeks grow warm at the overwhelming thought.

Despite their rivalry, Draco had always thought of Aria as an attractive girl. Her eyes, in particular, always drew him in and could make him stare at her like a besotted idiot for hours (just as long as she didn't know he was looking, of course).

But when she was in her true form, as his Dream Girl, she was...something else.

Frankly, the thoughts Draco had around her were downright dirty; nowhere near as chaste or innocent as the lovesick, pining emotions that often floated around in his head whenever he was around Aria in school.

And to find out that they were the same person—

Draco's lips tilted upwards into a wicked smirk.

He was so going to make that blasted veela regret not telling him about all this sooner.

As he made his way to the back of the library, Draco roused himself from his thoughts and headed towards the row of aisles where he remembered most of the research materials on veelas were kept. He cast a quick, amused glance at the crowded tables of 7th and 8th year students as he passed them, snickering when he saw the dark circles under their eyes.

Unlike them, Draco was more than confident about his readiness for the NEWT exams tomorrow. After all, studying was pretty much all he did during his so-called holiday break.

Despite the fact that it was the very first Christmas they celebrated together as a family after the war, the past few days Draco had spent with his father and mother in Malfoy Manor hadn't exactly been an enjoyable affair.

Narcissa had taken to redesigning the entire manor, throwing out all of their furniture and repainting the walls of every single room. Not surprisingly, she avoided entering the formal dining room altogether, probably because she and Draco both still had nightmares about how the last time they were in there, they had to watch the Dark Lord murder that muggle studies teacher right before their eyes.

His father, on the other hand, was a different story.

The entire time Draco was home, Lucius hadn't once stepped out of his office; not even when Narcissa would knock insistently on his door and urge him to come out.

Though, admittedly, Draco didn't exactly go out of his way to speak to him either.

And it wasn't a situation he intended to remedy anytime soon; at least not until he was able to look back on all of the horrors he experienced as a Death Eater without feeling a surge of bitterness toward the man.

Draco shook his head, re-focusing his attention on the long, deserted aisle of veela-related books in front of him.

He spent the next few hours scouring through dozens and dozens of thick, dusty tomes in silence. Since he didn't find any mention of translating Ancient Veelish in any of them, it didn't take him long to go through the entire collection. By the time he slammed the cover of the last book shut, Draco cursed in defeat and ran a hand through his hair, unknowingly disheveling the blond strands in his frustration. With a heavy sigh, he shoved the useless book back into its place on the shelf and jumped to his feet.

On his way to the adjacent aisle, he happened to pass by two Ravenclaw girls sitting together near the restricted section of the library. As he glanced at them from the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but notice that the Slytherin studying behind them seemed awfully familiar.

It took him a few seconds to realize that the Slytherin was actually Morag and that she was sitting by herself, her petite form nearly dwarfed by the tall pile of books laid out on the table in front of her. Tearing his gaze away, Draco had just entered another long, deserted aisle of veela books when one of the Ravenclaw girls in front of Morag suddenly spoke up in a loud voice, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Isn't it disgraceful, Emily? Hogwarts should really start implementing stricter measures to make sure its students uphold themselves to higher standards of behavior. Nowadays, I hear all about this fellow schoolmate of ours who likes to disgrace herself by acting like such a disgusting slag, sleeping around with just about anyone she could."

"I know exactly what you mean. Honestly, you'd think that someone who was raised in a traditional pureblood family would have more breeding when it comes to such things. But apparently, chastity and feminine propriety isn't as valued in some families as they should be. Maybe that's why some girls just end up becoming shameless sluts."

Draco peered at Morag through the spaces between the bookshelves, noting the way she pursed her lips and the way her shoulders had gone completely rigid when the two Ravenclaw girls suddenly burst into mocking giggles.

"What do you expect? That's what happens when a girl grows up without her mother. Do you think that's why her parents divorced? Because her mother liked to sleep around too?"

"I even heard that her father lets her do whatever she wants and even actually encourages her independent behavior."

By now, Morag was clenching her quill so hard that even from where he was standing, Draco could see the way her fist was trembling.

Shaking his head, Draco was just debating with himself whether he should go over there and scare those silly girls away when a hand suddenly clamped down onto his shoulder.

Draco immediately stiffened in surprise and turned around to find Blaise standing behind him, a small, wicked smirk tugging on the corner of his lips. When Draco just blinked and arched an eyebrow at him in confusion, Blaise grinned and spoke to him in a soft, mischievous whisper.

"This should be fun."

He winked at Draco and brushed past him without another word, whistling cheerfully to himself as he strolled over to where the Ravenclaw girls were seated. Ignoring the wide-eyed, admiring stares they gave him, he walked right up to Morag, resting both of his hands down onto her table and bending down low enough so that his face was inches away from hers.

To her credit, Morag didn't look at all bothered by Blaise's nearness.

"What do you want, Zabini?"

Blaise's grin widened and he leaned in even closer, causing Morag to stiffen when his lips brushed against her cheek.

"So I had a lot of fun last night, Morag. When exactly are we going to meet up again?" He purred in a seductive voice.

From the poorly muffled gasps they heard from the next table, Draco was more than willing to bet that the two Ravenclaw girls had heard Blaise's words loud and clear; and he smirked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Morag's eyes narrowed and she moved her chair away from him.

Blaise just arched an eyebrow at her, obviously amused by her reaction, but before he could do anything else, Draco surprised them both when he suddenly slipped out from behind the bookshelves. He sauntered lazily over to them, crouching down against the table opposite Blaise and imitating his position by leaning into Morag from behind, effectively sandwiching her in between them.

"I agree with Blaise. When are we going to get a repeat performance of last night, Morag?" He teased in a low, suggestive drawl.

As he spoke, he flicked his eyes up and met Blaise's gaze over Morag's shoulder, both of them smirking when they heard the girls at the next table gasp again and sputter loudly to each other in disbelief. Unfortunately, Morag did not look at all amused by their efforts as she merely blinked at them and shoved them both away, hissing irritably under her breath.

"What do you two think you're doing?" She snapped.

Instead of answering her, Draco glanced pointedly to his right, waiting until Morag followed his gaze over to where the two Ravenclaw girls continued to stare enviously at her with their jaws hanging open. Luckily, that seemed to be enough for her to pick up on what exactly they were trying to do. She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, obliging their antics with a scoff and a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Sorry, but I don't really like repeat performances." She quipped, deliberately moving away from them and turning back to her books. "Besides, I've definitely had better and you two pretty boys aren't really my type." She added bluntly.

Draco's lips twitched with mirth as he watched Blaise pretending to clutch at his heart and give Morag a crushed, disappointed look.

"You can be so harsh sometimes." He huffed.

"I feel a little used." Draco pretended to scowl at her.

"Go away." Morag snorted at their theatrics.

Blaise winked at Draco, which Draco returned with another smirk before they both backed off, but not before they caged her between them again and they each pressed a kiss onto her cheek at the same time, Draco on her left, Blaise on her right.

"Hey!" She protested, swatting them away.

"If you change your mind, you'll know where to find us." Blaise purred again, giving her one last handsome smile before they sauntered off and slipped themselves back into one of the nearby aisles.

They waited until they were completely out of sight before they stopped and leaned against one of the nearby bookshelves, snickering under their breaths as they listened to the two Ravenclaw girls hissing loudly at one another.

"So let me get this straight, MacDougal slept with them both? Do you think it was at the same time?!"

"Wow, she's so lucky! I don't care what the Prophet says about them, Malfoy and Zabini are two of the hottest boys in school! Did you see the way she just brushed them off? It was kind of brilliant!"

" She's not brilliant, you idiot! Weren't we just talking about how much of a shameless tramp she is?!"

"B—but, still, I'm a little envious, to be honest—"

"Ugh, you're hopeless! Come on, let's just get the hell out of here!"

Chuckling to himself, Blaise straightened from the shelf and gave Draco a wry look.

"Well, I'm heading back to the common room." He drawled. "Are you coming with me?"

Draco shook his head and waved him off. "Go on ahead without me."

Blaise waved lazily at him and walked off, leaving Draco alone to his thoughts once more.

With a sigh, he knelt down and began perusing the dusty books along the shelves again, starting from the very bottom partition. He was just in the middle of going through the books on the topmost shelf when the soft sound of someone clearing her throat drew his attention, causing him to pause and look up.

He was a little surprised to see Morag standing behind him, the petite girl shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for him to turn around fully to face her.

"Something on your mind?" He drawled.

She hesitated, scuffling her feet against the floor, until finally, she let out a defeated sigh and looked up, giving him a slightly exasperated, albeit grateful, look.

"You and Zabini really didn't have to help me out back there." She began uncertainly, twiddling her thumbs. "Those girls were annoying but their words weren't really bothering me or anything, especially since I know how archaic their beliefs are. Not a lot of people are particularly accepting of a girl being sexually independent, after all. But still..." She rolled her eyes and nodded curtly.

"Thank you." She said stiffly.

In spite of himself, Draco couldn't help smirking when he noticed how uncomfortable she looked, especially since he had pretty much grown used to seeing nothing but a stoic, unruffled expression on her face most of the time. He decided not to make the situation any more awkward than it already was (he wasn't Blaise, after all) so instead of answering her, he shrugged and pointedly turned his attention back to the bookshelf behind him.

"No idea what you're talking about, MacDougal."

Draco ignored the sound of her amused snort and went on about his task, fully expecting her to walk back over to her books and leave him to his research. He was genuinely surprised when a few minutes later, she spoke again, nearly causing Draco to jump as he whirled around and glared at her in annoyance.

"What exactly are you looking for?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the book he was holding.

"Hmm? Oh it's...nothing. Just...any book on how to read and speak Ancient Veelish." He answered distractedly, turning back to the book he held and trying to wave her away with his hand.

"Ancient Veelish?"

That infuriating, completely deadpan expression on Morag's face was back as she simply arched her eyebrow higher, watching him with a smug, knowing look.

"Is this somehow related to Aria being a veela?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the heavy book Draco was holding promptly slipped from his hands and fell listlessly onto the floor, smashing painfully against his foot.

"Ow, fuck!"

"Ah, so it is."

"S—so all this time—?"

She shrugged at him and bent down, retrieving the book he had dropped and casually scanning through it until she stopped on a detailed section about how to recognize a veela in her true form by the size of her pupils. Draco would have snatched the book from her hands to read the section further but Morag flipped the page, leafing through the rest of the book's contents.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out. I realised it immediately after our first discussion about veelas in our anthropology elective. Besides, all of the clues were there. Aria's magically powerful and all but she's not exactly the most impressive when it comes to subtlety." She drawled.

"B—but still, h—how did you—"

She rolled her eyes at his incoherent responses. "I share a dormitory with her, okay? I see her casting all sorts of weird concealment charms around her bed curtains at night. Not to mention how she freaks out every time one of us walks into the bathroom when she's in the shower."

Draco immediately stiffened at her words. "You walk in on her while she's in the shower?"

"Well, I try." Morag smirked back at him. "She always manages to hex me just as I unlock the door though, so I never actually get to see anything good. Unfortunately."

Draco's eyes narrowed slowly and he gritted his teeth. "Now listen, you sex-obsessed little—"

"Anyway." Morag cut him off again with another derisive scoff and wave of her hand. "Why do you need a book about Ancient Veelish? Do you need help deciphering her veela name?"

Draco tried not to show how impressed he was at how quickly Morag was able to deduce his intentions. "She already gave me her veela name, actually. Well, at least I think she did."

He ignored the mildly suspicious look Morag gave him at that and went on. "But I just can't seem to recall how to pronounce it correctly. I need a book on Ancient Veelish so I can learn how to say her name properly." He explained.

"I see." Morag snapped the book she was holding shut and handed it back to him. "Well, you won't find any book on Ancient Veelish here. All of them are actually being kept in the Restricted Section of the library." She told him.

Draco scowled at her words. "I'm not authorized to go into the Restricted Section."

Morag just tutted at him, not bothering to answer as she turned around and stalked off before Draco could say anything else. She returned about five minutes later, a thick, leather bound black book held tightly in her hands. When Draco frowned at her and studied her nonchalant expression with a suspicious glare, Morag just shrugged and held the book out to him.

"Here."

She waited until Draco reluctantly took the book from her outstretched hands.

He gave her a nonplussed look. "And I'm supposed to believe you're just handing this out to me for free, now?" He drawled sarcastically.

"Well, you and Zabini did help me out with those annoying girls back there." Morag averred, crossing her arms over her chest and smirking at him. "So I suppose I'm willing to negotiate with you."

Draco sighed and obliged her with a weary look. "What do you want?"

"Hmm."

She seemed to stare off into empty space for a few seconds, as though seriously considering his question. Finally, she nodded to herself in affirmation and leaned up so she could whisper her next words discreetly into his ear.

Draco rolled his eyes and leaned down closer to listen, but as soon as what she had said registered in his head, his eyes flashed in outrage and he immediately pulled away, growling and shooting her a scathing look.

"Over my dead body!"

"Twenty seconds." Morag offered lightly.

"No!"

"Fifteen."

"I said no, damn it!"

"A little possessive, are we?" She snorted at his hostile reaction. "Ten seconds, Malfoy. That's my last offer."

"No bleeding way—"

"Fine then." Morag whistled as she reached out and yanked the black book out of his hands. "I'll just go back to the Restricted Section and put this book back where I found it—"

"Urghargh! Alright, fine! Okay!" Draco blurted out as he snatched the book back from her. "Ten seconds. And only if she consents. Any more than that and I'll feed you to the giant squid. Understand?!" He seethed.

"Agreed."

Draco scowled at the self-satisfied smile on Morag's face but he accepted her offered hand, giving it a brief shake. When it looked as though she wanted to say something else, he hurriedly tucked the books he held underneath his arm and stalked off without another word.

He made his way over to a small table in a more secluded section of the library and sat down, digging through his bag for the small slip of parchment containing Aria's veela name. Once he found it, he immediately opened the book Morag had given him and began scouring through hundreds of its pages, all filled with the same strange, rune-like symbols that made up a wide variety of veela names.

It took Draco another few hours of intense, focused studying, but once he managed to get a basic understanding of how the complicated language worked, he grinned to himself in triumph and began trying to decipher Aria's name. By the time he was finished (and by now, Draco only just realised that he had spent nearly 8 hours in the library already), his head hurt, he was starving, and his notebook was littered with phonetic symbols and translations, but it was all worth it.

He knew exactly how to pronounce Aria's veela name now.

Sŷlleiníea.

Sss-il-ai-ya.

The drawn out syllables left his lips in a way that vaguely reminded Draco of parseltongue, and he couldn't help but smirk at how oddly fitting it was.

Shaking his head, he slid the small piece of parchment containing Aria's name between the pages of his notebook before he stood up, tucking both his notebook and the book on Ancient Veelish underneath his arm.

He was halfway to the exit of the library when a familiar voice suddenly started calling out to him, causing Madam Pince (as well as a few other students studying near the entrance) to look up and silence them with a sharp, admonishing glare. Fighting the childish urge to shoot the students a haughty glare back, Draco looked up and sighed in mild exasperation when he saw a grinning Corey hurrying across the library towards him. The younger Slytherin stopped when he reached him, and Draco couldn't help meeting his sheepish smile with a wry look.

"Shouldn't you be eating dinner in the Great Hall by now?" He remarked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Corey retorted huffily.

"Fair point." Draco chuckled and acknowledged him with a brief incline of his head. "Are you headed to the Great Hall now? I'll walk with you."

"Great! Because I actually wanted to talk to you about some new quidditch strategies for our upcoming championship match against Gryffindor! I have a lot of ideas! I really think there are some areas we can improve on!" Corey began rambling as soon as they exited the library, practically bouncing on his heels as he trailed closely behind Draco.

"Is that so?" Draco stifled a smirk and obliged him with an amused grin instead. "Alright, I suppose you can tell me all about it on the way—hey! Watch where you're going, you filthy blighter!"

He ignored the surprised look on Corey's face and whirled around, sneering spitefully at the Gryffindor-robed student who had crashed roughly into his shoulder from behind. When he lifted his gaze and recognized who the Gryffindor was, the sneer on Draco's face immediately hardened and his eyes flashed with contempt.

"I think it's you who should be watching where you're going, Death Eater." Bentley Fisher spat back, his mouth twisting into a disdainful snarl as he leveled Draco with a malevolent look. "Especially since you and your pathetic excuse of a father should be rotting in a jail cell in Azkaban by now."

Draco clenched his jaw and both of his hands automatically tightened into angry fists but he kept silent, refusing to take the bait. Beside him, Corey's eyes had grown as wide as saucers and he was glancing back and forth between the two older boys with a look of worried trepidation on his face.

After a long, dangerously tense moment of Draco and Fisher glaring menacingly at each other, their hands hovering over their wands, Corey reached up and began tugging insistently on Draco's sleeve to get his attention.

"Draco, let's just go." He urged quietly.

Fisher smirked at the younger boy's uneasiness. He lowered his gaze, his eyes widening slightly when he caught sight of the book Draco was holding. Suddenly, without any warning, his eyes flashed and he shot a hand out, grasping Draco roughly by his collar and yanking him forward a few steps until he was peering right into his eyes with wide, overly bright blue orbs.

In his shock, it actually took Draco a couple of seconds before he realized what happened but when he finally noticed the way Fisher was still staring very eerily into his eyes, he stiffened in disgust and immediately wrestled himself free.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Get your filthy hands off me!"

Draco sneered threateningly at him and shoved him away, but not before he noticed the look of frustration on Fisher's face. He seemed to stare at Draco's left hand for a few seconds before his expression shuttered, his mouth twisting into an ugly scowl.

"This isn't over, Malfoy."

More bewildered than annoyed at this point, Draco was just about to ask Fisher exactly what the hell his problem was when the Gryffindor suddenly spun on his heel and stormed off without another word.

"What was wrong with him?" Corey looked up and met the confused frown on Draco's face with a similar one of his own. "Why did he grab you like that?"

"No bloody idea." Draco scoffed back, shaking his head as he and Corey resumed their walk to the Great Hall. "But take my advice and stay away from him. I don't know what it is, but there's something really creepy about that bastard."

"He's the crazy stalker who's obsessed with Aria, right?" Corey asked, snickering to himself. "Given how strong her magic is, I hope he knows that she'd probably be able to snap his neck if he ever tries anything funny on her."

Draco didn't answer him, the expression on his face still tense as a strange feeling of foreboding continued to linger in his chest.

He didn't have much time to dwell on it, however, because just as they were making their way up a flight of stairs that would lead them back to the main wing of the castle, Draco froze in his tracks. He suddenly realized that in his haste to make it to the Great Hall in time for dinner, he had inadvertently left his schoolbag (along with all of his carefully crafted study outlines for the NEWTs) in the library.

Cursing under his breath, Draco turned to Corey and gave him an apologetic grimace.

"I need to go back to the library, I forgot my notes." He told him. "You can go on ahead without me."

"That's okay. The library's not that far, I can wait for you."

"Are you sure?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, it's not a problem." Corey answered him with a careless shrug and made his way over to a small wooden bench that was situated along the perimeter of an adjacent courtyard. "I'll just wait over here until you get back." He added.

Draco hesitated for a few seconds before he sighed and placed the pile of books he held down onto the bench beside Corey. "I'll run down to the library and be back in three minutes. Can you watch over these for me?"

"Sure."

"Guard those books with your life, you understand? If you lose any of them, I swear to Merlin, I'll hang you upside down in the Slytherin Common Room by your ankles." Draco added, giving him a warning glare.

"Alright, alright...I got it." Corey grinned at him and scooted closer to the books in question.

Draco rolled his eyes at his reaction and stalked off, retracing his steps back to the library in record time. As soon as he found his bag (which was still folded up neatly on top of the table he had been using), he hastened his pace and quickly made his way back to where Corey was waiting for him.

When he got there, he was a little confused to find Corey staring off blankly into space with a dazed look in his eyes. The books Draco had left beside him were still there, but he was a little miffed when he noticed that Corey had obviously been looking through some of them, judging by the way the small pile wasn't as neatly arranged as Draco had left it.

"Did you go through my books?" Draco leveled him with an accusing glare.

"Huh?"

At the sound of Draco's voice, Corey seemed to snap out of his trance. He blinked a couple of times and stared up at Draco in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked dumbly.

"My books, Corey." Draco answered sharply, narrowing his eyes at his reaction. "Were you going through them? Because you should know that's rude. You're not supposed to snoop around in other people's stuff." He snapped, grabbing his notebook and immediately leafing through it to make sure the parchment containing Aria's veela name, along with all of his important notes on Ancient Veelish, were still intact.

Corey blinked again, biting his lip as he flicked his uncertain gaze back and forth between the books and Draco. "I—I suppose I was? I'm not really sure but...I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to go through your things—"

Satisfied that nothing seemed to be missing, Draco rolled his eyes in mild annoyance and began shoving all of the books into his bag.

He turned to give Corey another admonishing glare, but instead, it ended up as a worried frown when he noticed the distressed expression that continued to linger on the younger boy's face.

"Are you okay?"

Instead of answering, Corey just looked up and met Draco's worried gaze with another shaky smile.

"I'm fine."

Chapter Text

Unfortunately, Draco didn't get any chance to speak to Aria over the next five days; at least not one that would have given him enough time to talk to her properly without the rest of their housemates watching.

He decided to put off their confrontation until after the NEWTs were over.

It wasn't that long of a wait after all, and he figured that it was probably best for them both, especially given how Aria already looked completely on edge from all of the constant pressure of studying for their exams.

To be fair, none of the 7th years or 8th years were able to function properly that week.

And by the third day, everyone was so clearly exhausted that some students (mostly Hufflepuffs and a few Gryffindors) had even stopped caring about their appearance altogether, walking mindlessly around the castle with uncombed bedroom hair, ruffled clothing, and dark, ugly circles under their eyes.

It was amusing to observe how differently everyone seemed to be dealing with all of the stress.

For his part, Draco had been extremely antisocial that week.

When he wasn't holed up in a dark, secluded corner of the library, he isolated himself in his dorm room; staring off blankly into empty space as he went over his outlines over and over again in his head. Unlike the rest of his housemates, he was actually confident about his NEWT subjects, but the exam he was particularly anxious about was his last one — Magical Law, because it was widely known to be one of the most difficult of all the NEWTs.

Meanwhile, Pansy was literally drinking almost six cups of tea each day to stay awake and was stuffing her face with chocolates, all the while trying not to show anyone how much she wanted to break down. Zach, on the other hand, actually did have a nervous breakdown right before his Astronomy exam. The git had to be escorted out of the Great Hall because he started screaming about how he couldn't find his lucky quill. Luckily, McGonagall eventually allowed him to take the exam a few minutes later, but only after he had calmed down.

The day after that, during the NEWT exam for Arithmancy, Draco saw Hannah hyperventilating and having a panic attack of her own outside the entrance doors of the Great Hall. Luckily, Pansy and Neville were with her and managed to calm her down before the actual exam started — nevermind the fact that Neville didn't really look all that good either. In the days leading up to his Herbology NEWT, Neville had actually taken to ignoring everyone and walked around with a thick, enchanted earmuff on his ears, repeatedly muttering all of the notes he was trying to memorize under his breath.

And as for Aria—

Draco smirked to himself at the memory.

Other than that one time they took the same NEWT (which, ironically, was Potions) and she happened to be assigned to the seat behind his, Draco didn't get to see Aria much; and those few times he did manage to catch a glimpse of her, she looked surprisingly calm.

It wasn't until he saw her alone in the common room two nights ago (scaring the younger Slytherins by casting reducto at an empty firewhiskey bottle to make it shatter, repairing it, then making it shatter all over again) that Draco realised she was probably just as stressed over the NEWTs as the rest of them were.

Maybe even more.

When Aria finally stopped making the bottle shatter and let out an exasperated groan, slumping forward until her forehead hit the table in front of her with a loud 'thunk', Draco snickered and hurriedly slipped back into the 8th year boys' dorm before she noticed him watching her.

To Draco's annoyance, Morag was the only one among them who didn't look nervous about the NEWTs and just went about her daily routine like she usually did. Even Blaise, who would have normally enjoyed pestering Draco and Pansy out of their studying, was unusually quiet and grim-faced all week.

By the last day of the NEWTs, the atmosphere around Hogwarts had gotten so tense that to relieve stress, the Gryffindors inadvertently ended up instigating a ridiculous prank war among the other houses.

It started when Seamus Finnigan decided to spike the drinks of all of the Slytherins with a Weasley concoction during dinner, while everyone was eating in the Great Hall. Within a few minutes, every single Slytherin (including Potter, because apparently Finnigan didn't even think to spare the bloody Chosen One from his ridiculous tomfoolery) began hiccuping like crazy, and colorful, quaffle-sized bubbles began coming out of their mouths.

The entire Great Hall, led by the Gryffindors of course, had burst out laughing and watched with glee as the Slytherins glared at them and struggled to continue with the rest of their dinner that night, hiccups, bubbles and all. Thankfully, the effect had worn off in a few hours and by the time everyone was back to normal, Aria and Blaise had already planned out a counter attack.

And so the next morning, every Gryffindor who came down to breakfast had shiny white hair, black teeth, and looked like they were suffering from a bad case of the chicken pox —only the spots on their face were silver while the rest of their skin was dark green.

Slytherin green, to be precise.

That same day, over dinner, a grinning Ron Weasley (still green-skinned and all) decided to retaliate by hurling a small, bomb-like package at the Slytherin table. Fortunately, Aria had seen him and deflected the bomb easily, smirking as she levitated it over to the Ravenclaw table instead - dropping it directly in front of Hermione Granger.

Before Granger could react, the bomb exploded into a thick cloud of bright yellow smoke.

Eventually, the dust cleared, but when Granger began shouting at Weasley and Aria in a high-pitched, chipmunk voice, her eyes widened and she immediately clamped her hands over her mouth, glaring furiously at her two best friends as they burst out into hysterical giggles. Pretty soon, all of the Ravenclaws were speaking in a chipmunk voice and they glared accusingly at the Gryffindors, silently plotting revenge.

Of course, since Blaise pretty much knew that the Ravenclaws would retaliate on the Gryffindors (and somehow, he got wind of exactly how they planned to do it), he decided to spice things up by intentionally ordering the house elves to switch Gryffindor and Hufflepuff's desert plates the following morning.

Sure enough, by lunchtime, even Slughorn, Flitwick, and some of the other teachers were laughing when they noticed that all of the students from Hufflepuff were walking backwards along the corridors as they made their way to and from their respective classrooms.

By evening, Theodore Nott had become so pissed at having to walk backwards the whole day that, during dinner, he and a few other Hufflepuff 8th years set off an explosion of fireworks in the Great Hall, filling the entire room with an enchanted smoke that caused students from all four houses (including their own, the bloody idiots) to only be able to speak to each other by singing in colorful prose.

Needless to say, Draco didn't dare open his mouth, much less speak to anyone, until the damn spell wore off.

Fortunately, the pranks had ended there because that was when McGonagall finally decided to step in, having grown annoyed with all of their antics. Of course, by that time, all of the NEWTs, including the exams of the younger students, were over and everyone was in such a festive mood that most of them forgot about the prank war altogether; planning out little celebratory outings with their friends instead.

So Draco wasn't all that surprised when, the next day, while he and the rest of the 8th year Slytherins were lounging in the common room, Blaise suddenly jumped to his feet and announced that they were all going to have another drinking session in Hogsmeade to celebrate the end of their exams.

"You want to go drinking again?" Morag rolled her eyes and shot Blaise an exasperated glare. "The Yule Ball is literally only three days away, Blaise. There will be plenty of opportunities for us to get drunk there."

"What do you mean again? We haven't gone out drinking since the start of the year." Blaise pointed out with an indignant huff. "Besides, if it's anything like fourth year, the Yule Ball will most likely only be serving wine. And remember, Pansy wasn't with us last time. Don't you think it's only fair if we invite her with us now and ask her all sorts of personal, incriminating questions?"

"Questions like what?" Hannah asked curiously.

"You know, like details about her and Neville's sex life." Blaise shrugged.

"Fuck off, Zabini." Pansy snapped at him from where she was lying, exhausted and half-asleep, on the couch, her legs draped comfortably over Neville's lap.

"That's private." Neville added, slanting his gaze over to Blaise and meeting the other boy's wicked grin with a warning look.

"Well I, for one, could use a drink." Zach averred, glancing over at them from where he was sprawled out on a lush armchair. "Before the Yule Ball, there's still that big championship match against Gryffindor coming up. My father even said he'll be there to watch me play. Ugh, just thinking about it now is making me sick." He muttered.

"You'd better not fuck that up for us again, Smith. Or I swear to Merlin, I'll knock you off your broom in front of the entire school." Draco drawled in a mocking tone of voice.

"Way to make me feel better, Malfoy."

"I agree, let's all go drinking!" Hannah suddenly exclaimed, looking up and giving Blaise a determined look. "With any luck, if I drink enough alcohol and get drunk, maybe I can forget about the fact that I was dumped last week." She huffed.

"Abbott, I'd take it easy on the alcohol if I were you." Blaise drawled, smirking at her. "The last time you were drunk, you tried to molest me."

"How dare you?" Hannah's eyes widened and she glared indignantly at him. "I most certainly did not—"

"Me too." Neville quipped.

"Oh my god, Neville! I'm so sorry—"

"And me." Zach snorted.

"Are you serious?! But I would never—"

"You were also trying to play footsie with Malfoy under the table." Neville added, laughing at the look of absolute mortification on Hannah's face.

"That's true, I'm afraid." Draco deadpanned.

Pansy covered her mouth to stifle her giggles when Hannah's cheeks burned bright red in horror.

"Oh my god, I'm so humiliated!" She wailed, covering her face with both of her hands.

"Seriously, Abbott." Zach began wheezing with laughter at her reaction. "Tell us the truth. Are you actually a promiscuous little flirt under that innocent, virginal mask of yours? Please don't tell me you're just as horny as Morag."

Morag blinked and gave him a straight-faced look. "I'm not as horny as Hannah. I just happen to like sex."

"Hey, fuck you both! I am not a flirt or horny—"

The rest of Hannah's indignant retort was cut off when both Blaise and Draco suddenly looked up and glanced at someone over her shoulder. Everyone turned to follow their gaze, watching as Aria entered the common room from the stairs of the girls' dormitories. When she glanced up and saw everyone staring at her, Aria arched an eyebrow at them and gave them a nonplussed look.

"What are we talking about?" She asked, adjusting the scarf around her neck and drawing Draco's attention to the fact that she was wearing her casual winter clothing instead of her school robes.

"Hey babe." Blaise grinned impishly at her, pointedly ignoring the way Draco's eyes flashed and flicked to glare at him in annoyance. "We were just talking about heading over to Hogsmeade and getting some celebratory drinks. Would you care to join us?" He asked.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to pass this time." Aria walked over to where Blaise was sitting and clamped a hand down hard onto his shoulder. From the way Blaise winced under her tight grip, it wasn't hard to guess that she was probably paying him back for that 'babe' comment. "I'm heading out to London tonight to do some errands." She added.

"That's unfortunate." Blaise looked a little disappointed at her response. "I was kind of hoping to get you properly drunk this time."

"You wish." She snorted, releasing her grip on his shoulder and giving him a mocking pat on the head. "Anyway, you all enjoy yourselves. But you, and you—" She cast a pointed look at Neville and Zach, giving both boys a teasing grin. "—make sure to hold your liquor this time."

Zach rolled his eyes at her quip while Neville reddened and gave her a sheepish grin, deliberately looking away when Pansy turned her head to glare reproachfully at him. Chuckling, Aria gave them one last smile and wave before she walked off, heading towards the doors of the common room. As she left and everyone resumed their earlier conversations, Blaise turned to Draco.

"How about you, Drac? Are you going drinking with us?" He asked.

"You know what? I think I'll pass too." Draco answered distractedly, nodding towards the direction of the doors.

Blaise followed his gaze and they both watched as Aria exited the common room, the doors gently sliding shut behind her. When Draco noticed the leer on Blaise's face, he rolled his eyes and stood up from his seat before the other boy could say anything.

Ignoring the curious looks he received from the others, he went upstairs and changed quickly out of his school robes, throwing on his winter clothes and a long, gray coat. He was already hurrying his way out of the common room to chase after Aria when he suddenly heard a chorus of wolf whistles behind him, followed by Blaise hollering after him in an obnoxiously loud voice that echoed around the entire common room.

"Don't forget to cast a contraceptive charm!"

Draco managed to catch up to Aria just as she reached the entrance to Hogsmeade Station.

He couldn't help but take a few seconds to pause at that, shaking his head as he was overcome with a feeling of déjà vu at the familiar scene. After all, it was only a few days ago when Aria, in her true form, had kissed him in the exact same spot he stood now right before she boarded the train back to London.

The irony of it all was almost ridiculous.

Chuckling to himself, Draco hastened his steps and hurried after her; purchasing a ticket and following her into the platform. The train arrived just then, and Aria was just about to step onboard when he called out to her from behind, causing her to stiffen in surprise.

"Do you want some company?"

"Draco?"

She spun around to face him, her eyes widening slightly as she looked up and met his amused smirk with a confused frown. "What are you doing here? You didn't go drinking with Blaise and the others?" She asked.

"Obviously not." Draco made a face at her and walked over to where she stood near the train's doors. "You'll forgive me if I'm not particularly eager to listen to another one of Morag's lectures about the most optimal sex positions to prolong..er...what was her term?"

"Coitus." Aria laughed at his disgusted expression and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't tell me she actually offends your delicate, gentleman ears?" She teased.

"My ears are hardly delicate." He drawled, rolling his eyes and giving her a miffed glare. "But when you combine that with Blaise's lewd jokes, Pansy and Neville making eyes at each other all night, and Hannah trying to molest me under the table, frankly, I'd rather spend my time getting eaten by a blast-ended skrewt."

Aria's shoulders were shaking with mirth as he took another step towards her.

"And you didn't answer my question, Potter. Do you want some company?" He asked, trying his best to keep the expression on his face as nonchalant as he could.

She gave him a dubious look. "Are you actually offering to accompany me?"

"That depends." Draco shrugged, reaching up to rake a hand through his blond hair. "Exactly what kind of errands are you planning on doing in London anyway?" He asked.

"To be honest, I kind of lied about that part, a little bit."

When Draco looked amused at her answer, Aria rolled her eyes.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a lie, but I wouldn't call it an errand. The reason I need to go to London is because my contractor owled me this morning. She told me that my new flat in Westminster is all finished and that I should go check it out so that I can tell her if I want any additional changes."

"I see." Draco blinked at that, genuinely surprised at her words. "New flat in Westminster...So you're selling the house that Black left you?"

Aria gave him a rueful smile and shook her head. "Of course not. I could never sell that place. It's one of the few things I have left that remind me of my godfather."

"Then why don't you live there?"

"Too many painful memories, I suppose." Her smile faltered slightly and she looked away, avoiding his eyes. "It's not exactly the best place to have a fresh start after the war."

She let her voice trail off after that but Draco didn't press her for more details. Given the fact that he himself had moved out of the manor, away from his parents, and started living in a new flat of his own just to get a 'fresh start', he knew exactly what she meant, and he wasn't about to push the sensitive issue any further.

"Well, you're in luck, Potter." Draco gave her a haughty smile and spoke up in a deliberately arrogant voice to lighten the mood. "Architecture happens to be a particular hobby of mine, so I can help you assess if your flat is ready." He drawled.

"Is that so?" Aria chuckled at the exaggeratedly self-assured look on his face. "Alright then, Malfoy, I suppose you can tag along with me if you want." She shrugged and gestured for him to follow her into the train.

They sat together in one of the empty compartments near the back and spent the rest of the trip in comfortable silence.

Draco noticed the way Aria kept blushing and sneaking curious looks at him from the corner of her eye. From the bewildered look on her face, it was obvious that she was wondering why Draco was suddenly acting the way he was. To be honest, he couldn't really blame her for being confused, especially since this was the first time Draco had actually spoken to her since their embarrassing little spat in the library.

Feeling a little vindictive, Draco stifled a smirk and decided to prolong her agony a bit longer.

Instead of engaging her in conversation, he leaned an elbow on the window, rested his chin onto his palm and watched the passing scenery outside, all the while keeping a completely impassive expression on his face.

They reached London in a surprisingly short amount of time, and as they alighted from the train and onto the platform of King's Cross station, Aria grabbed him by the wrist, tugging him along with her towards the exit that would lead them to the Central part of the city.

"Ow, bloody hell, someone just stepped on my shoes!" Draco complained as he trudged after her, scowling when he found himself being pushed, elbowed and shoved as they weaved their way through the unruly sea of wizards, witches and muggles who were entering and exiting the many different train platforms of the station.

"Are we going to walk all the way there?" He huffed.

"Well, yes. The place isn't really all that far."

Draco's eyes widened and he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and yanked his arm free, causing Aria to turn to him in surprise.

"It's two miles away, Potter!" He blurted out, glaring at her as though she was crazy. "It'll take us more than an hour to get there! Couldn't we just apparate or use the floo or something?"

"Forty minutes actually, assuming we walk fast. That's how long it usually takes me. And I don't want to apparate or use the floo. I happen to like the walk, Malfoy. It's quite relaxing." She answered, giving him a completely impenitent smile. "Now quit whining! You were the one who wanted to tag along. Let's go."

She ignored his grumbled protests and snatched his wrist again and Draco sighed, allowing himself to be dragged along.

After they exited King's Cross station, Aria began leading them through a series of streets and alleys that Draco didn't recognize, so he presumed that they were probably non-magical neighborhoods. Thankfully, they were both out of their school robes and wearing relatively casual clothing so it wasn't hard for them to blend in with the crowd of muggles around them.

As they were making their way around the perimeter of Russel Square, Draco stopped underneath a large tree and gently pulled his hand away from hers.

"Aria, wait."

The urgency of his voice caused Aria to freeze mid-step and turn to him with a worried look on her face.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

Draco stared intently at her, struggling to form the correct words inside his head. He eventually gave up when he realized that it was nearly impossible to think clearly while Aria was staring up at him with those big green eyes of hers like that, so he ended up blurting out the first thing that came to his mind.

"I'm okay with it."

At the utterly confounded look on Aria's face, Draco winced and quickly rushed to explain himself.

"What you said before...About how you didn't want a mate. I've decided that I'm okay with it." He told her, blushing slightly when he noticed the way Aria's eyes softened.

She sighed and opened her mouth to speak but Draco shook his head and cut her off before she could say anything.

"Whatever decision you make, whether you eventually change your mind or not, it won't matter to me. It's entirely your choice, and I promise to respect what you want."

Aria continued to stare at him, but Draco wasn't quite sure what the expression on her face meant.

"And what exactly do you want, Draco?" She asked quietly.

"You."

He heard her breath hitch right before he reached out and took one of her gloved hands in his, intertwining their fingers together. When she didn't pull away, he took a step towards her and lifted his other hand, cupping her cheek.

"All I've ever really wanted is you, Aria. It's always been you. And frankly, it doesn't matter to me if you don't ever want a mate, because all I want is to be with you." He leaned in and pressed their foreheads together, causing her to shiver at the small amount of skin to skin contact.

Draco smiled at her reaction and leaned in even closer, his lips brushing so gently against hers that the brief touch felt more like a very light tickle than an actual kiss.

"Besides." He added playfully, chuckling at the frustrated look on her face when he drew his mouth away. "I've realized that there are other, more interesting titles I'm willing to accept instead of 'mate', anyway."

"Titles?"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Close friend, boyfriend, lover—" Draco grinned when he saw the way her nose wrinkled cutely with distaste at the word 'lover'. "—and maybe, hopefully, in the future, fiancé...husband? Assuming we don't, you know, act like us and fuck this up somehow." He laughed at the incredulous look on her face.

"Whatever you decide, I'll go along with it. All I really want is a chance." He swallowed nervously and squeezed her hand again. Biting his lip, he finally steeled his nerves and met her half-lidded gaze. "Give me a chance to show you that I'm good enough...That I can change, and that I can be a good enough person for you." He whispered.

There was a small frown that marred Aria's features, and she looked strangely upset as she stared at him, still not saying anything. Finally, when the silence became unbearable for them both, she sighed and lifted their joined hands, pressing her lips against his fingers.

"Oh Draco. You don't understand, do you?" Her voice was soft, and full of so many unspoken thoughts that Draco was almost afraid she was going to reject him. "I don't want you to change, because I don't want you as anything other than who are. And that includes every goddamn wonderful, perfect, and terrible part of you." She lifted her eyes again, meeting his gaze with a slightly crooked smile.

"You are more than enough."

Draco's hands were trembling and his throat felt so raw and constricted that it took him a long time before he was able to speak.

"So are you saying—"

"Yes."

Aria's smile widened and she stepped closer, tilting her chin up so that they were staring directly into each other's eyes.

"I want to give this a chance too. I like you, Draco. I really, really do, and I like the person I am when I'm with you." She reached both of her arms up, wrapping them around his neck and pulling him down so that their foreheads pressed together once more. "And I'm more than willing to see if we can make this work."

Draco finally let out the shaky breath he had been holding in and allowed his shoulders to sag under the weight of so many different emotions — relief, doubt, fear and so much overwhelming happiness that he was certain that his chest was going to explode. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer, pressing her form snugly against his. He ignored the curious stares they were receiving from the many Londoners passing by and leaned in closer, pausing only when his lips were inches away from hers.

"So...We're actually doing this then?" He asked softly.

She groaned at his nearness and tried to lean up higher on her toes to reach his mouth.

"Bloody hell, yes, we're doing this." At the sound of his amused chuckle, Aria arched an eyebrow and gave him a playful smile. "But first, enlighten me about something, Malfoy. Was I hallucinating or did you actually say husband?"

When Draco reddened and tried to hide his embarrassment with a haughty glare, Aria laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Let's do this one step at a time." She teased, nipping his ear.

Instead of answering, Draco leaned down and pressed his lips against hers in a soft, sweet kiss.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she hummed appreciatively when he coaxed her mouth open, refamiliarizing himself with her sweet, addictive taste. She caressed his tongue with hers, flicking and swirling and evading playfully around his mouth until Draco laughed and decided to end her teasing by growling and yanking her closer to deepen the kiss. Aria eventually smiled and melted in his arms.

They stood there in the middle of the street, kissing and laughing and hugging each other in the cold, and the sight of them — two young lovers standing along the sidewalk of Russel Square — must have made such a pretty scene that pedestrians started to stop and stare at them. From the corner of his eye, Draco saw a small crowd of muggle onlookers beginning to form nearby, some of which were even holding a strange, rectangular contraption in their hands and pointing it in their direction.

Curious, Draco pulled away from Aria and turned his head to look at them, frowning at the object they were waving around in their hands.

"What are those muggles holding?" He asked.

Aria followed his gaze, chuckling when she saw what he was staring at. "Those are just portable cameras, Draco. I think they're taking pictures of us." She explained.

"Why?"

She grinned and shrugged.

"Presumably because we're the two idiots who decided to kiss in the middle of a busy street?"

Draco's scowl only deepened at her answer. He continued to glare warningly at the people still watching them until Aria smiled and shook her head.

"Come on."

She slipped her arm through his and began tugging him towards the other side of the street.

"We should probably get inside anyway before it starts to snow."

Five years ago, if someone had told Aria that she'd be strolling down a quaint muggle neighborhood in London, hand-in-hand with Draco Malfoy of all people, she would have probably had that person sent to St. Mungo's for a psychological evaluation.

But as it happens, here she was, doing exactly that — walking, hands tightly intertwined like an actual couple, with Draco down a quiet muggle street. And because there was no one there to recognize who either of them were, it all felt so wonderful and exhilarating that Aria was almost horrified when she realized that she was smiling like an idiot and blushing like a giddy, lovesick schoolgirl.

Luckily, Draco didn't seem to notice her embarrassing behavior (and thank Merlin for that, because Aria was certain that the bloody git would never let her hear the end of it) because he was much too busy staring and being amazed at all the strange new sights. His eyes flicked from one muggle contraption to another, and every now and then, he tugged on Aria's arm, demanding that she tell him exactly what it was.

"What's that thing that man is pressing against his ear?!"

"It's a cellular phone, Draco. Muggles use it to communicate with each other."

"How about that kid over there?"

"I think that's a gameboy."

"A gameboy? What's a gameboy?"

"It's a device muggle children use to play games."

"Games? Like it's their version of chess or exploding snap or cards?"

"Err...something like that."

"And that device that little girl over there is using, I take it that's a gamegirl?"

Aria suddenly paused mid-step and turned around slowly, meeting the genuinely confused look on Draco's face with a fond smile.

"You're adorable, Malfoy."

"Are you mocking me?"

She giggled at his disgruntled expression and tugged on his arm again, pulling him further down the sidewalk until they finally neared one of Aria's favorite food carts parked along the side of the street.

Ignoring the curious look on his face, she stopped them at the corner of a block and gave him a warning glare. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Draco's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to complain but Aria had already run off, heading towards the food cart and purchasing a large order of chocolate-filled churros. A few minutes later, as she was munching on a churro and returned to where Draco was waiting for her, she couldn't help rolling her eyes at the expression on his face.

"What is that monstrosity you're eating, Potter? Did you really just buy that from a vendor along the street? How can you even be sure that it's sanitary?" He wrinkled his nose at the large cup of churros in her hand.

Aria scoffed at him and pointedly took another bite of the churro. "You really need to get out of your posh little pureblood world every now and then, Malfoy. Here. Why don't you try it?"

She ignored his half-hearted protests and lifted the churro she was holding up to his mouth, arching an eyebrow at him in challenge. With a sigh, Draco obliged and leaned down, taking a small bite.

Aria stared up at him, waiting impatiently for his reaction.

"Well?"

Draco just rolled his eyes at her and made another face.

"It's too sweet." He deadpanned. "I don't like it—"

She grabbed him by his scarf, yanking him down and silencing the rest of his words by capturing his lips in an intimate kiss. When she pulled away, Draco blinked and continued to stare at her with a dazed look on his flushed face.

"Ah well, I suppose it's not that bad if I eat it that way."

Aria giggled at the suggestive grin on his face but she didn't get the chance to say anything else because Draco descended on her again, drawing her close and meeting her lips in another shameless kiss.

By the time they reached Aria's neighborhood, the churros were long gone and Draco was back to glancing around the streets in a mixture of confusion and avid fascination. Chuckling under her breath, Aria decided to answer the unspoken question in his eyes.

"Yes, I bought a flat in a muggle neighborhood."

Draco turned to look at her in surprise but Aria just shrugged and began leading him to the tall building at the very end of the street.

"I figured it would be much quieter for me that way. Less chance of attracting attention and all." She told him, shrugging. "Besides, the location is actually perfect for me. It's very close to the Ministry. And at the very end of that block over there, there's actually a phone booth that goes right down to the Ministry's atrium."

"Well, that's certainly better than having to take the underground toilet entrance regularly in Whitehall." He said wryly, earning a laugh from Aria as they entered her apartment building and she led him towards a small elevator near the corner of the lobby.

They stepped out on her floor, and after casting all of the required unlocking charms outside her flat, Aria used her muggle key to open the doors, motioning for Draco to follow her inside.

She hung her coat inside the closet beside the entrance and pointed her wand at the ceiling, switching on all of the lights. Afterwards, she flicked her wand again, casting a nice, warming charm around the entire flat. She turned back around and glanced at him, amused to find him staring around the apartment with wide, startled gray eyes.

"This is...some place, Potter." He whistled, following her example as he shrugged off his coat and hung it beside hers inside the closet.

Aria grinned at him and shrugged. "My contractor is a witch too, so I asked her to magically expand the place to make more room." She explained.

"Isn't this a bit big for just one person though?" Draco pointed out as they removed their shoes and he followed her into the living room.

"I like big open spaces." Aria averted her gaze from his and walked over to the window to avoid looking at him. When Draco continued to stare at her, obviously waiting for her response, Aria turned around again and gave him a teasing smile, changing the topic.

"So...Mister 'I'm pretty good at architecture', what do you think?" She asked, smirking.

Draco took another long, scrutinizing look around the place before he eventually returned his gaze to hers and gave her an awkward nod.

"It's...nice."

Her lips twitched at the carefully guarded tone of his voice, but when Draco just smiled nervously at her and didn't say anything else, they both eventually burst out laughing.

"Alright, so I lied." Draco admitted, rolling his eyes and giving her a sheepish look. "I actually know nothing about architecture. I just made that rubbish up as an excuse to go with you."

Aria smiled at that, and she didn't protest when he sat down onto a nearby couch and pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face into her neck. He nibbled on the sensitive skin just below her ear.

"But to be honest, I'm a little surprised. Your flat is a lot more...lavish than I would have expected from you." Draco murmured into her neck, causing Aria to shiver at the touch of his lips against her skin. "Based on the design, I'd say this place cost a lot. I actually even think it's more expensive than my flat." He mused, chuckling.

Aria was careful to keep the expression on her face blank as she answered him. "I didn't really have nice memories of home while I was growing up."

At the somber tone of her voice, his arms tightened around her waist and he tried to look at her but Aria deliberately turned her head away.

"When I was young, my muggle relatives made me sleep in a really tiny cupboard under the stairs. And afterwards, an old dusty storage room with a tiny window."

She paused when she noticed the way Draco clenched his jaw at her words, but when he tried to tilt her chin up so he could look into her face, Aria's expression shuttered and she gently pushed his hand away.

"So after the war, I promised myself that I would splurge and invest in a beautiful home for once. One with a really nice view, and lots of space and fresh air and sunlight." She met his angry frown with a small, self-conscious smile. "That's the real reason I don't want to live in Grimmauld, actually. That house is lovely, but it's all enclosed spaces and it has too many memories of the war and Sirius. I needed to get away from all that." She whispered.

Draco was unusually quiet, and when Aria finally mustered up the courage to look up and meet his eyes, she was surprised to find that he wasn't staring at her with pity like she was expecting him to. Instead, the expression on his face was ominous and he was muttering something under his breath. Though she couldn't actually hear what he was saying, she vaguely recognized the words 'filthy muggle relatives' a few times, along with the words 'cruciatus' and 'azkaban'.

"Anyway, enough of that." Aria bit her lip and hastily decided to change the topic by standing up and pulling him to his feet. "I think I have some wine left in the kitchen. Do you want some?" She asked, giving him a disarming smile.

He didn't protest when she began leading him to the large kitchen adjacent to the living area. Aria went straight to the refrigerator and took out a half empty bottle of wine, pouring it into two glasses and handing one of them to Draco.

As she sat down onto the stool beside his, Draco suddenly gave her a teasing grin.

"Is this also part of your seduction technique, Potter? Are you trying to get me drunk?"

In her shock, Aria's eyes widened and she accidentally tipped her glass over, spilling the wine all over the front of her shirt. He leaned back against his seat and snickered, causing her to shoot him an indignant glare.

"Don't flatter yourself. I don't need to get you drunk to seduce you, Malfoy." She growled.

Draco's languorous, half-lidded gaze actually swept up and down her body, causing the skin on the back of her neck to prickle with warmth.

"I won't argue with that." He murmured, smirking as he took another languid sip of his wine.

Aria faked a cough at his words and nervously looked away, still squirming under his heated gaze. She managed to force out a strangled laugh and set her empty wine glass down onto the kitchen counter.

"I'm going to take a shower."

"Because you spilled wine on your shirt? Why don't you just cast a drying charm?"

She gave him a plucky smile and stood up, already heading towards the kitchen doors.

"I also want to test if the warm water works in the bathroom. Make yourself comfortable. Go ahead and explore if you want. I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

Draco set his empty glass of wine down gently onto the kitchen counter.

He stood up, intent on exploring the rest of her beautifully decorated flat. After some time, he realized that he didn't exactly give the place the credit it deserved when he told Aria that it was nice because the truth was, the flat was actually quite lovely.

It was a very spacious loft.

Apart from the room upstairs (which Draco guessed was probably the bedroom), the rest of the rooms of the apartment (a living room, a kitchen, and a cozy looking study) had a very high, spacious ceiling.

As he walked around, he noticed that all of the rooms were painted with a bright, very clean shade of white. The walls of the flat that actually faced the outside were made entirely of tall, glass windows, giving the place an impressive, panoramic view of the surrounding buildings. When he stepped out into the small balcony in the living room, Draco was greeted with a beautiful view of the streets of Central London, particularly of Whitehall.

He walked back into the living room, shutting the balcony doors gently behind him.

In the middle of the room, a long row of framed photographs on top of the fireplace caught his attention, and Draco strolled towards them, inspecting each one closely.

There was a picture of Aria with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and another picture of Aria carrying a purple-haired baby (which Draco could only assume was his cousin, Teddy Lupin). He also saw a picture of Aria with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, and a few more pictures of Aria with the rest of the Weasleys. Draco frowned slightly when he came across one picture of a young couple he didn't quite recognize, but after a few minutes, when he studied the photograph closer, he realized that they were actually Aria's parents, James and Lily Potter. The last picture on the shelf (the one that was obviously taken during their Yule Ball in 4th year) was one that Draco didn't particularly like seeing, because in it, Aria was smiling beside her date that night – none other than George Weasley.

He scowled and immediately tore his gaze away, barely resisting the petulant urge to knock the last photograph off the shelf as he exited the room and headed up the stairs. When he reached the doors to her bedroom, he hesitated, unsure if Aria had actually given him permission to explore the second floor.

In the end, his curiosity won and Draco pushed quietly through the doors.

Her bedroom wasn't as lavishly decorated as the rest of the flat, but Draco decided that this room was probably his favorite so far.

The room was also quite spacious, the floors lined with soft, gray carpet, and much like the living room, three of the room's four walls were made entirely of tall glass windows, all of which were partially covered by long, sheer white curtains.

What he liked the most, however, was the fact that the centermost window was exchanted. Instead of London, it actually had a beautiful landscape view of Hogwarts Castle in Scotland. In the very center of the room, facing the window that overlooked Hogwarts, was a large, queen-sized bed that was wrapped in clean white bedsheets and a thick, white comforter.

Draco walked over to stand in front of the window and took the time to stare out at Hogwarts for awhile before he turned and strolled into the adjacent room in the corner, which actually turned out to be Aria's walk-in closet.

He was just about to walk back out when one of the dresses hanging in the corner of her closet caught his eye, looking awfully familiar. Curious, he reached for it, removing it from its rack. He smirked when he realized that it was actually the green turtleneck dress that Sŷlleiníea had worn during their dinner date in Hogsmeade a few days ago.

Chuckling at the thought, he had just finished hanging the dress back up when the door to the closet suddenly swung open. Draco froze and slowly turned around, his eyes growing wide when Aria, with her hair piled loosely on the top of her head and wearing nothing but a fluffy white towel, strode into the closet.

She obviously didn't notice him as she bent down, digging through a drawer of her undergarments, and Draco was unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do so he continued to watch her with an awkward grimace on his face. From where he stood, he could see that some parts of her skin were still a little wet and Draco was unable to prevent himself from staring as a tiny droplet of water on Aria's cheek rolled all the way down the seductive curve of her neck.

He swallowed and hastily averted his gaze.

When she finally looked up and noticed him standing there, Aria's eyes widened and a light tinge of pink stained her cheeks.

"Oh!"

"I didn't see anything, I swear!" Draco blurted out as he immediately whirled around, fixing his gaze intently on the walls. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come in here, I should have realized that you needed to change—"

"It's fine."

To his relief, Aria actually sounded more amused than horrified at seeing him there, and when she just chuckled and went on with what she was doing before she noticed him, Draco frowned and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Do you want me to step out?" He asked.

"If you want."

He could have sworn he heard a smirk in Aria's voice.

She ignored his obvious discomfort and opened another drawer behind him, causing him to wince at the soft, creaking sound.

"You can stay too. But just, you know, don't look."

Draco scoffed at her teasing tone.

He didn't walk out, but he did as she requested and kept his gaze firmly on the wall in front of him. A few minutes later, while he heard her flipping through the row of dresses hanging along the cabinet, he cleared his throat and spoke up in a soft, deceptively casual voice.

"What ever happened to that ugly brown old-lady cloak of yours?"

Behind him, Aria let out a startled laugh.

"I threw it away."

Draco smirked and began counting down the seconds in his head.

It took her awhile, but when Aria finally realized what she had done, her laughter immediately died down and she fell silent. Unfortunately, Draco couldn't find it in himself to feel even the least bit apologetic over his dirty tactic. He turned around slowly to face her, noting the way Aria's face had gone unnaturally pale and that she was staring at him with wide green eyes.

Draco leaned back against the wall behind him, folding his arms over his chest and crossing one ankle over the other in what, he knew, she would perceive as an obnoxious stance.

"Hello Sŷlleiníea."

As soon as her veela name left his lips, Aria flinched, and Draco had to force himself not to stare too much when her shaking hand almost lost its grip on her towel, very nearly causing it to slip off and expose her naked frame. She lifted her chin to meet his eyes and they stared silently at each other, their bodies tense and both of their gazes so unyielding that, for a moment, Draco was vaguely reminded of their duel in second year; back when he and Aria had glared each other down with the same, electrically charged intensity as they were doing now.

To his surprise, Aria was the one who caved in first.

She closed her eyes and stepped away from him, her entire body going completely still as her skin began to emit a faint yellowish glow. Draco squinted, blinking a couple of times to see her better, but when the light finally faded away, he found himself staring at Aria as a fully transformed veela for the very first time.

He felt warmth beginning to spread into his cheeks.

Sŷlleiníea.

Aria was Sŷlleiníea.

It was Aria in her true form who stood in front of him.

And yet, what drew most of Draco's attention wasn't the fact that a beautiful veela was practically half-naked before his very eyes, but rather, it was the two magnificent white wings that extended from below Aria's shoulders, stretching all the way up to graze against the ceiling.

Draco took a careful step toward her, his eyes wide as he stared up at her wings with a look of awe on his face.

She immediately stiffened at his nearness and took a cautious step back, folding her wings protectively behind her. He stilled at her reaction, meeting her anxious gaze with a calm, reassuring look.

"I'm not going to hurt you or your wings, Aria." He said gently.

She bit her lip and seemed to hesitate at first, but Draco waited patiently until she sighed and nodded, unfolding her wings and allowing them to stretch back out behind her. His eyes were soft as he stared shamelessly at them, admiring the pristine white feathers.

"Can I touch them?" He asked softly.

His words caused Aria to tense again and Draco thought she was going to use her wings to slap him in the face but to his surprise, she answered him with a curt nod. Her fingers were still shaking as she used both hands to clutch the towel tightly against her chest before she closed her eyes and slowly turned around, presenting him with her back.

Her wings flared out again, the feathery appendages trembling as Draco reached out, reverently caressing the soft feathers along one wing with his fingers. When he began tracing the outer edges of her left wing, Aria shivered. He bent his head, placing a soothing kiss onto her bare shoulder.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He whispered.

"No, it's not that." Aria's cheeks flushed and she managed a slightly embarrassed laugh before she answered. "Veela wings are just incredibly sensitive. That's all."

"Can you use them to fly?"

"Yes." She sighed when Draco leaned down and kissed her shoulder again, nibbling gently against the soft, creamy skin. "But I'd rather not. It'll draw too much attention."

Draco gave a hum of acknowledgment, his fingers tracing the symbols written across her nape.

"How did you learn about your veela name?" He leaned down and followed the path his fingers had made on her skin with his lips.

"Hermione helped me to translate it properly over the summer." Aria whispered, biting back a tortured moan when Draco began sucking at the juncture between her neck and shoulder. "Other than you, she and Ron are the only ones who know my name." She added quietly.

"So you manifested last summer?" Draco finally gave in to the overwhelming urge to touch her and wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her close against him so that her wings folded up as her back pressed against his chest.

"Yes." She answered, placing her hands on top of the arm he had wrapped around her waist and caressing his skin. "I actually manifested a few days before you met me in that pub."

"I see."

Somehow, Draco managed to separate his mouth from her delectable veela skin long enough to gently turn her back around to face him. Her eyelashes fluttered as she lifted her gaze to meet his, allowing him to look deep into the large green pupils in her eyes.

When she opened her mouth to speak, his eyes darkened and he leaned down, pressing his lips hungrily against hers. She immediately kissed him back, her body going pliant against him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His hands caressed her wings and Aria shuddered again, parting her lips and eagerly inviting his tongue to slip inside. They teased and leisurely explored each other's mouths, until Aria reluctantly pulled away, causing Draco to blink and frown at her in concern.

"What's wrong—"

Aria pressed a finger against his lips to silence him.

She reached up and carefully removed the thick clasp that held her hair up, allowing the long, silky strands to tumble down onto the floor. Draco's eyes narrowed and he felt his pulse rapidly begin to quicken when Aria placed both of her hands on the loose knot of her towel against her chest.

She paused just then and stared up at him with wide eyes. Draco just stared back at her, meeting her questioning gaze with a very heated look.

"Aria." He warned in a low voice, shaking his head.

She smiled and, very carefully, undid the knot of her towel, shivering as the damp cloth immediately slid down her body and curled into a crumpled heap on the floor.

Draco's heart stopped beating.

For a split second, he was almost afraid to look, but he did, and damn it all to hell, if this blasted veela wasn't the most physically desirable woman he had ever laid eyes on. In that moment, all his malfunctioning mind could really think about were her sensuous curves, those long, slender legs and oh just so much of that soft, perfectly glowing, unblemished skin.

He felt absolutely ravenous with lust.

His mouth watered and he licked his lips, struggling to keep enough oxygen in his brain despite the fact that all of the boiling blood in his body was rushing down to pool somewhere below his belt.

Aria took a bold step towards him, causing Draco to snap out of his trance and glare at her with a half-warning, half-pleading look in his eyes.

"For your sake, you'd better not be teasing me right now."

Aria just gave him another smile.

"I'm not."

She pressed against him, placing both of her palms against his chest and sliding her hands upward, her fingers curling around the collar of his shirt. Draco leaned down again, desperate to kiss her, but then Aria spoke, and the strangely anxious tone of her voice caused him to pull away.

"About that night."

She bit her lip, her lovely features creasing into a worried frown.

"When you saw me at that pub, I wasn't...I didn't mean—"

Her voice trailed off, and for a long time, Aria just stared at him, her bright eyes swirling with so many unspoken thoughts and questions, not one of which made it past her lips. When she lowered her gaze again and looked away, Draco reached down and caught her chin, tilting her head back up so he could press a kiss onto her lips.

"It's okay." He told her, caressing her flushed cheek with his thumb. "If you're not ready to talk about all of this right now, then we don't have to."

The uneasy look on Aria's face softened into a smile at his words. She was just about to press another kiss to his mouth when this time, it was Draco who suddenly pulled away.

"Can I ask you to do something for me?"

He met her curious look with a teasing grin.

"Can you suppress your true form?"

Aria froze, and she blinked at him, as though she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

"I can certainly try." She managed an uncertain laugh and stared at him again, giving him a perplexed look. "But...I doubt that I'll be able to suppress it for very long if you keep touching me like this."

"That's okay." Draco chuckled at the bemused look on her face. "Just try to hold out as long as you can for me."

"May I ask why?"

"Because." Draco tried not to look away in embarrassment at the way she arched her eyebrows at him. "If we're doing this for the first time, I want...I want Aria."

The confusion on her face cleared and she blushed, rolling her eyes at his sheepish expression. With a sigh, she obliged, and Draco waited patiently as her magic seemed to glow again, enveloping her in another yellow light as she retracted her wings and transformed back into her normal appearance. When she finished and Draco found himself staring once more at Aria's familiar face, with her softer, more natural features and the unmistakable bolt-shaped scar on her forehead, he smiled at her.

"Beautiful."

"Shut up."

She squealed when he pulled her closer, spinning them around until he had her pressed up against the wall. Their lips met in another kiss (though this one involved a lot more groping and definitely became much, much filthier than Draco cared to admit) and when they broke apart for air, he lowered his head and spoke to her in a lewd whisper.

"You can transform back into your true form after the first round though." He nipped suggestively at her ear.

"That's awfully presumptuous of you—Draco!"

The rest of her protests dissolved into a startled giggle when Draco suddenly hoisted her up into his arms, smirking as he hauled her towards the bedroom.

Chapter Text

Aria tried not to wince as she followed Draco up the sloping path from Hogsmeade on their way back to Hogwarts.

She was forced to stop when they reached the bottom of the stairs that led up to the castle, however, because as soon as she took the first step, she ended up letting out a sharp hiss of pain and had to grasp onto Draco's arm for support.

"Fuck!"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Draco said wryly as he took her by the arm and helped her climb up. "In fact, if you recall, I think that's what got you into this predicament in the first place."

"Shut up, Malfoy."

"Would you like me to sweep you off your feet and carry you?"

"I can walk, you smarmy git!"

Draco looked amused at her reaction but he didn't say anything else as they climbed up the rest of the way in silence. After taking a couple more steps, Aria couldn't help but notice the strange, wolfish way he kept glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Annoyed, she gave him an irritated glare.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" She snapped.

"Don't judge me. But is it weird that I'm incredibly turned on from watching you limp like that right now?" Draco purred, his gaze sweeping up and down her body in an unabashedly lecherous way.

Aria leveled him with an unimpressed look and shoved him away as soon as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Really? What are you, a caveman?"

Draco just smirked at her as they pushed past the school's entrance and began making their way back to the dungeons. As they were walking past the open courtyard in between the east and west wing, Aria squeaked when she suddenly found herself unceremoniously shoved up against the wall in the middle of the corridor.

"Draco!" She blurted out, her eyes wide as she glanced over his shoulder at a small group of blushing first year students who were staring awkwardly at them as they passed. "What are you doing? We're in the middle of the hallway! Everyone can see us!"

To her dismay, Draco ignored her and leaned down to nuzzle her chest.

"I can't believe you've been hiding these from me all this time." He murmured in a suggestive voice. "It's a shame to keep them covered up like this."

"Get off, you pervert!"

In spite of herself, Aria couldn't help laughing at his antics. She squirmed against him and swatted lightly at his blond head. "Seriously, have you no shame? There are first year students staring at us!" She pointed out.

"So? We can give them an anatomy lesson then." Draco retorted, his voice slightly muffled as his face was still buried against her chest. "Besides, they should thank us for it. There isn't any sex education here at Hogwarts after all, so they'd be learning a lot from watching us."

Somehow, in the middle of her protests and helpless giggles, Aria finally managed to shove him away, but not before Draco retaliated by growling and blowing a raspberry into the crease between her neck and shoulder.

"Malfoy!"

They were both laughing when Aria practically ran away from him, scurrying down the corridor before he could try anything else. She had already gotten a good couple of meters ahead of him when her eyes suddenly widened in alarm and she froze in her tracks, hastily squeezing her legs together underneath her skirt. Grumbling, she made a face as she looked up and glanced around, looking for the nearest bathroom. Fortunately, there was one nearby, and before Draco could say anything, she shoved past him and rushed toward it without another word.

A few minutes later, as she exited and returned to the corridor, she found a smug looking Draco waiting for her from where he was leaning against the wall beside the bathroom doors. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had one foot propped up backwards against the wall in such a pretentious pose that Aria actually considered hexing the handsome prat.

"Still?" He teased.

"Yes. How the hell is there so much anyway?!" Aria growled at him, scowling at the way his lips twitched at her words. "And this is your fault so don't you dare laugh. It feels gross and icky every single time."

"I wasn't laughing." Draco's eyes darkened and his heated gaze slid down until he was staring intently at her skirt. "I think it's really hot, actually."

"You are sick."

"It's a guy thing."

"Ugh."

Draco chuckled at her disgusted grimace and held his hand out to her, waiting for her to accept it before they began descending the long flight of stairs down to the dungeons. They were a few meters away from the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room when Draco suddenly tugged on Aria's hand, leading her into a small, secret nook behind a tall suit of armor.

"Malfoy, seriously, you have to stop doing this—"

He pressed her up against the wall, silencing her by leaning in and meeting her parted lips in a searing kiss. She growled and tried to push him off for a bit, but when Draco eased his tongue into her mouth, Aria immediately stopped struggling. Their tongues met, and she hummed in delight and arched up against him, linking her arms around his neck.

Draco smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her body closer against his.

"You're not a lion at all, are you? You're just a little kitten." He teased.

"A kitten still has claws, you know."

Aria growled and bit lightly at his lower lip in retaliation, and she heard him stifle a groan when she lifted one of her legs and hooked it seductively around his waist. Draco broke his mouth away from hers and leaned down, burying his face into her neck. She shivered when his hand moved to grip the skin underneath her thigh, hoisting her leg up higher and pressing closer against her to force more intimate contact between the lower half of their bodies.

She gasped and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his hands against her bare skin.

Draco's eyes were heavy-lidded as he bent down to whisper softly into her ear. "What are the chances that you'd actually let me shag you twice right here, right now, before we go back to the common room?"

His hand slipped boldly underneath the hem of her skirt and began grazing upwards along her inner thigh.

Aria melted against his touch for a while and pressed herself eagerly against him, desperate for more, before she suddenly realized exactly what he said. She forced herself to snap to her senses and hastily pushed his hand out of her skirt.

"Draco, no."

She winced and stepped away from him, putting a good couple feet of safe distance between their flushed, aroused bodies. "You horny prick. Haven't we established that I'm still sore?" She grumbled.

"And whose fault is that?" Draco scoffed at her, rolling his eyes at her sheepish expression.

"Besides, twice?" Aria arched an eyebrow as she tugged on his hand, easing them both out from behind the suit of armor until they were back in the hallway. "Isn't that a little bit ambitious of you?" She teased.

"I'm a Slytherin, of course I'm ambitious." Draco intertwined their hands together, squeezing her fingers as they resumed their walk to the Slytherin Common Room. "Besides, it's your fault I'm like this. Since you showed me your little veela allure trick, I just realized that I don't exactly have to worry about refractory periods anymore, do I?" He pointed out, smirking.

"You men really are so simple-minded, aren't you?"

Draco just smiled at her, not even bothering to refute her statement.

Aria rolled her eyes and yanked her hand out of his grasp, stalking towards the entrance to the common room. After muttering the password ("basilisk fang"), the door slid open and Draco followed closely behind her as she walked inside.

They both froze by the doorway as they were immediately greeted with the sight of the entire Slytherin house in disarray.

All of the 8th years and 7th years were already there, looking agitated as they huddled together near the fireplace. The younger years had crowded near the entrance and were talking loudly amongst themselves, though most of their conversations were too panicky to be coherent enough for Aria to understand.

Frowning, she shared a troubled look with Draco before they pushed past several teary-eyed 1st years and walked over to where the 8th years were sitting by the couches.

When they reached them, Aria noticed that Neville was comforting a crying Pansy in his arms while Hannah was sitting on the couch beside her, trying to console her by patting her on the back. Blaise, Zach and Morag all looked uneasy as they talked to Austin Flint, Harper Edgeworth and a few other 7th years in hushed voices.

"Pansy."

At the authoritative tone of Draco's voice, all of the 8th years and 7th years looked up, watching as Draco stopped in front of Pansy and stared down at her seated form with a serious look on his face.

"What happened?" He asked calmly.

"Draco, it's h—horrible!" Pansy stammered, and Aria noticed how pale she was and the way her eyes were red-rimmed from crying too much. "They think he did it! They all think he's guilty!" She sobbed.

"Who did what? What are you talking about?" Draco asked again, his voice clipped with impatience. "Try to calm down and tell me what actually happened."

"What's going on?" Aria pressed, her eyebrows fusing together as she turned her attention to Neville.

"There was another vandalism incident this morning." Neville answered, his arms tightening around Pansy as he looked up and met Aria's stunned gaze. "This time, someone's trashed the entire Great Hall. And it's bad because they just finished decorating it for the Yule Ball this Sunday. Now, all of the decorations are ruined and the Headmistress is thinking of cancelling the Yule Ball as punishment." He explained.

"And let me guess." Draco's eyes narrowed and a sarcastic sneer curled his lips. "Whoever did this used Slytherin colors and paraphernalia again, right? So in other words, they're blaming us again for what happened?" He drawled.

"My friends told me that the other houses are pissed at us again for what happened." Zach said, wincing and shaking his head. "Some of them are even talking about asking the board to suspend us from participating in the championship quidditch match tomorrow."

"It gets worse." Blaise added, drawing Draco and Aria's attention to him as he approached them. He sighed and raked a hand through his dark hair in frustration. "The Headmistress summoned Corey this morning for questioning. Apparently, all of the evidence this time points to him."

Draco clenched his jaw and sat down on one of the coffee tables, cursing under his breath.

"The evidence is clear this time too. Corey supposedly left his wand at the scene, so he's the obvious suspect." Morag added as she plopped down onto the couch beside Hannah. "Personally, I don't think anyone would be that stupid to leave their wand like that, so it's obviously just a set-up." She shrugged.

Aria sank down onto the table beside Draco and furiously shook her head. "This doesn't make any sense. Corey is…That kid cares about nothing else but quidditch—he couldn't have done something like this. I mean, why would he even do it, it doesn't add up—"

"Th—they're saying he might be expelled for this." Pansy stammered, lifting her head from Neville's shoulder and staring up at Aria with big watery eyes. "This isn't fair! I know my little brother and he would never do something like this! He doesn't deserve to be expelled! Can't you do something about this, Potter?!"

"And what exactly would you have me do?" Aria asked, massaging her temples with a weary sigh.

Pansy's lower lip trembled slightly before she continued. "I—I don't know, anything! Isn't it your bloody vocation in life to save people all the damn time?! Maybe you can convince everyone that this isn't our fault – that none of this is our fault!" She blurted out, her voice cracking as another sob tore itself from her throat.

"Now hold on a minute, Pans." Neville looked uncertain as he flicked his gaze back and forth between Aria and Pansy. "I think that's a little unfair; Aria has nothing to do with this incident. You can't just ask her to do something like that—"

"She's the bloody Chosen One! Everyone loves her so of course they'll listen to her!" Pansy raged back, glaring at him through her tears.

"Pansy." Draco's eyes narrowed and he leveled her with a warning look. "I know you're hysterical right now, but I'm with Neville on this one. You can't just ask Aria to do something like that—"

"She saved you from Azkaban, didn't she?! And we both know how many horrible things you were guilty of during the war!" Pansy shouted angrily at him.

Draco's eyes flashed and, very slowly, he rose to his feet, towering over Pansy's crying form on the couch. To her credit, Pansy seemed to realize that she might have taken things a little too far with her comment and she immediately cowered away from him, shrinking back into Neville's arms.

"What did you just say to me?"

"I—I didn't—I'm sorry Draco, I just—"

"Malfoy, she didn't mean it." Neville stood up as well, placing himself directly between Draco and Pansy before an argument could break out. "She's just worried about her brother right now, okay? Just let it go."

Draco sneered back at him.

"You expect me to just—"

"Draco, stop." Aria placed a hand on Draco's arm, shaking her head as she calmly pulled him back down to sit beside her.

She waited until Neville eventually did the same before she continued. "Neville's right, she didn't mean it. And what Pansy said actually does make sense. It's not even just about Corey – those other kids from last time didn't deserve to be expelled either. And if I can, I should at least try to put a stop to all this nonsense anyway." She looked up and stared intently at Pansy, carefully considering her words.

After a long moment, she turned to Blaise again and gave him a questioning look.

"Where's Corey now?" She asked.

"Granger brought him to the Headmistress' office a few minutes ago." He answered. "Why?"

Aria didn't bother answering him as she stood up and headed towards the exit of the common room. She heard Draco and Blaise calling after her but she ignored their confused protests as she hastened her steps and made her way back towards the main wing of the castle.

Granted, it took Aria a few minutes longer than usual since she had to limp her way through all the flights of stairs she encountered (she only just realized how annoying it was that there were so many of them around the school), she eventually reached the Headmistress' Tower just in time to see Hermione walking away from the Stairwell Gargoyle guarding McGonagall's office.

"Hermione, wait up!"

At the sound of Aria's voice, Hermione looked up, her features creasing with mild surprise.

"Aria? What are you doing here?" Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head when she saw the expression on the other girl's face. "Oh no, wait. I know that look. What are you going to do—"

"I need to talk to the Headmistress." Aria cut her off with an impatient wave of her hand.

"What's the password for the gargoyle?" She demanded.

"Aria, I really don't think you should get involved in this—"

"The password, Hermione."

"Vires in Unitatis." Hermione answered with a defeated sigh. "But what exactly are you planning to do—"

Aria pushed past her without another word, barking out the password to the gargoyle and climbing up the spiral staircase leading up to the Headmistress' office. After knocking sharply on the doors, she stormed recklessly into the room and was immediately greeted with the sight of Corey sitting in front of Headmistress McGonagall's table.

"Miss Potter."

McGonagall didn't even look surprised as she peered at Aria over her glasses. "Shouldn't you be in your common room with the rest of the Slytherins right now? I'm in the middle of an important meeting with Mister Parkinson, and I wasn't aware you made an appointment to see me." She said sternly.

"Aria?" Corey looked up and blinked at her through teary blue eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I apologize for the intrusion, Headmistress." Aria answered as she walked into the room anyway and plopped herself down onto the seat beside Corey's. When McGonagall didn't react and simply arched an eyebrow at her, Aria set her jaw and spoke up in a clear voice.

"If you're planning to expel Corey because of what happened in the Great Hall, don't. He didn't do it. In fact, I seriously doubt that any of these kids are guilty."

Corey looked shocked at Aria's statement while McGonagall just gave her a censorious look.

"That is a very bold conclusion to make, Miss Potter." She pointed out, folding her hands on top of the table and leaning back against her seat. "The evidence clearly points to Mister Parkinson as the culprit this time. So where exactly are you basing your assumptions on?"

"It's just that—"

Aria faltered for a few seconds, biting her lip as she paused to gather her thoughts.

"—intentionally leaving his wand in the middle of the scene? Those two 2nd years stashing the evidence in their trunks for everyone else to see? Those 1st years leaving obvious traces of their magic for us to find? It's all just too easy, isn't it? Everything just seems so blatantly…deliberate. And besides, isn't it strange how none of these kids ever seem to remember what happened—"

"I don't remember doing anything either, I swear!" Corey blurted out, his voice breaking when a half-sob, half-hiccup wracked his frame. He turned his attention back to McGonagall and gave her an imploring look. "It wasn't me, Headmistress! I didn't do this! Please don't expel me, my father will disown me if I get kicked out of Hogwarts! Please—"

"Calm yourself, young man." McGonagall reached across the table and handed him a box of tissues. As Corey sniffed and wiped frantically at his eyes, she sighed and turned her attention back to Aria. "Exactly what are you trying to tell me then, Potter?"

Aria lifted her chin and went on. "I'm more inclined to believe that someone is trying to set this all up. Someone who intentionally wants to make the entire Slytherin house look bad, and is probably taking advantage of the fact that everyone else seems to have it in for Slytherin these days because of the war."

To her surprise, McGonagall just gave her a weary look and adjusted her spectacles onto the bridge of her nose. When she didn't say anything, Aria shared a look with Corey from the corner of her eye, meeting his anxious grimace with a small, reassuring grin.

After a long moment, McGonagall eventually spoke up. "If it's any consolation, Potter, I wasn't actually planning on expelling Mister Parkinson here just yet."

"You weren't?"

Aria froze in her seat and blinked at her in surprise.

"No, I wasn't." McGonagall's lips twitched when she saw the dumbfounded expression on Aria's face. "I too believe that there is another culprit behind all of these…frustratingly juvenile incidents. In fact, I actually talked to the school's board of governors this morning and asked them for a little more time to investigate the matter. Unfortunately, given the actions of Mister Parkinson's family during the war…Well…"

McGonagall let her voice trail off and Aria cast a look at Corey again, noting the way his shoulders visibly slumped at the mention of his family. "…let's just say that most of the members of the school board, particularly those whose families fought the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters during the war, aren't so keen on the idea of letting him off the hook." She finished with a sigh.

Aria's eyes narrowed and she straightened in her seat.

"Then tell them that I personally vouch for his innocence."

At her words, Corey gaped at Aria again while McGonagall just gave her a long, scrutinizing look over her glasses.

"And just so we're clear, Miss Potter." McGonagall arched an eyebrow at her. "When you say 'personally', do you mean—"

"Yes."

Aria's voice didn't waver as she continued.

"I'm the Girl-who-Lived, after all. If we're talking about fighting the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, then I'd like to think that my opinion has got to count for something among these people. I was, after all, the one who killed Voldemort, was I not?" She pretended not to notice the way Corey paled at the mention of the Dark Lord's name and went on.

"Tell them that I say Corey is innocent."

"Potter."

McGonagall gave her an exasperated look and reached a hand up to massage her temples. "I'm afraid the situation is a lot more complicated than that. Do you honestly wish me to go up to the school board and simply argue your case by telling them that you think you're right and that they're wrong?"

"I can talk to the Minister of Magic directly and ask him to back me up." Aria retorted, raising her chin and meeting McGonagall's frown with a defiant glare. "And if that doesn't work, I'll tell the whole bloody Prophet that Hogwarts is discriminating against its students and that I myself experienced it firsthand. Better yet, tell the board that if they don't agree, I'll make a big public spectacle about this whole thing. I have no doubt that the entire Wizarding World will eat this up, and I know that most of them will take my side." She ground out.

"Potter, I do believe you've made your point." McGonagall answered wryly, shaking her head. "I shall relay your words to the school board tomorrow about Mister Parkinson's expulsion."

Aria lowered her gaze as she considered McGonagall's words. She nodded to herself and looked up again, meeting the Headmistress' gaze with another bold stare.

"And while we're at it, Headmistress, please tell the school board that I also want them to revoke the expulsion orders of the other Slytherins who were expelled for the previous vandalism incidents too. In fact, I want these incidents wiped from their academic records completely."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed and she frowned again, leveling Aria with a grave look.

"Now that is a very serious request, Potter." She warned, looking alarmed. "One that I sincerely hope you can support, because it'll take a little bit more than the influence of the famous Girl-who-Lived to convince them to agree to something like that. The school board is comprised of a lot of influential people, after all. And you have already risked your reputation by testifying in defense of the Malfoys during the Death Eater trials. Are you certain you want to put your name on the line, again, for something like this?"

Aria hesitated for only a brief moment, before she answered with a resolute nod.

"I think I may have a lead on who's responsible for all of these incidents."

"You do?" Corey's eyes went wide as he turned in his seat to stare at her. "You know who's doing all of these horrible things?" He squeaked out.

McGonagall, however, merely blinked and gave Aria a skeptical look. "And do you have proof?"

Wincing, Aria bit her lip and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well, no, not exactly—"

"Then I'm afraid I can not—"

"Give me one month." Aria cut her off with an adamant glare. "I'll find out who it is. I just need to catch this person in the act. It'll obviously happen again, because there's most likely an objective behind all of these incidents. And besides, by allowing all the expelled Slytherins to return to school, the culprit is likely to become frustrated enough to try something else." She added.

"And how certain are you that this person will act out again?" McGonagall countered.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take, Headmistress."

"Very well then, Potter." McGonagall removed her glasses and returned Aria's expectant gaze with a defeated nod. "I can hold off on deciding the terms of Mister Parkinson's expulsion for one month until you find out who did it."

Aria heard Corey's sob of relief beside her before McGonagall continued.

"However, regarding the other Slytherins who were implicated in all this, I'm afraid that amending the circumstances of their cases is outside my authority. If you really want to help them, you'll have to meet with me tomorrow afternoon and convince the school board yourself that you think they're innocent and that you want their academic records wiped clean." She explained.

Aria looked a little disappointed at McGonagall's words but she nodded in agreement.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence as McGonagall stared at her for a long time, her elderly features creased with worry. When she finally spoke, there was a hint of caution that lingered in her voice. "You should know, Aria, that if all of this backfires, it will undoubtedly reflect negatively on you. Like it or not, you are a public figure now, after all. You should be very careful about making any kind of personal stance that could be interpreted wrongly by everyone else."

"I understand, Headmistress."

"As for the Great Hall—"

"Please don't cancel the Yule Ball because of what happened." Aria rushed out, leaning forward in her seat and placing her hands on the table. "I know a lot of people were looking forward to it, it would be a shame to cancel it now."

McGonagall frowned. "I don't want to; but unfortunately, the house-elves will be busy with a lot of other activities in the next few days so no one will be able to get all of the decorations up again in time."

"Then we can fix it." Aria offered, giving the older woman a rueful smile. "All of the vandalism incidents so far have always pointed to Slytherin anyway, so we might as well own up to it and clean the Great Hall ourselves. We'll get rid of the mess and put all the decorations back up."

It might have been Aria's imagination, but she could have sworn she saw McGonagall's lips twitch very briefly into a fond smile at her words.

"And are you authorized to make that kind of decision for the rest of your housemates, Miss Potter?"

Aria hesitated again, but as she was trying to think of an answer, the doors to the Headmistress' office suddenly swung open. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched in surprise as Blaise and Pansy both hurried into the room and headed towards them.

Blaise stopped behind Aria's chair and patted her lightly on the shoulder.

"As my house's highest ranking Prefect, I believe I'm authorized to make that decision, Headmistress." Blaise averred loudly, grinning as he glanced at Aria from the corner of his eye and gave her a wink. "I can talk to the rest of our housemates. And I can guarantee that we can clean everything up in time for the Yule Ball this Sunday." He told her.

"Yes, Headmistress. Just…please give us the benefit of the doubt." Pansy stood behind Corey's seat, clutching her brother's outstretched hand tightly in hers.

"Well, if that is the case, then I see no reason not to agree." McGonagall answered, giving them a curt nod. "I shall apprise the prefects of the other houses of the situation."

At her words, Aria finally leaned back against her seat and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. Behind her, Blaise's grin widened and he squeezed Aria's shoulder in support. Pansy, on the other hand, continued to stare at the Headmistress, obviously waiting for her to say something else.

Fortunately, McGonagall seemed to understand the reason behind Pansy's anxious expression and she gave her a bemused look. "You can relax for now, Miss Parkinson. Miss Potter and I have already come to an agreement; so in the meantime, your brother here is off the hook. Let us hope that we can find the person who is truly responsible for what happened."

Pansy let out a choked sob of relief and hugged her brother tightly against her.

"You may all return to your dormitories now." McGonagall stood up and began fixing the papers on her desk. Before she turned away, however, she glanced at Aria again and gave her a stern look. "As for you, Miss Potter, I expect to see you in my office tomorrow afternoon. You'll be joining my meeting with the school's board of governors."

"I'll be there, Headmistress."

McGonagall gestured them towards the doors and the four of them hurried out of the office in silence, rushing down the Gargoyle Staircase and heading back out into the school's corridors.

Aria waited until they were safely back down in the dungeons near the Slytherin Common Room before she turned to Corey, grabbing him gently by his arm and turning him around to face her. When he blinked up at her in confusion, Aria placed both of her gloved hands on his shoulders and bent down slightly so that she could peer into his face.

"Corey, I want you to be honest with me." Aria began slowly, and the seriousness of her tone caused Blaise and Pansy to stop in the middle of the hallway and turn around to watch them. "What's the last thing you remember? Is there anyone you remember speaking to before you blacked out?" She asked in a hushed voice.

For a few seconds, Corey could do nothing else but blink up at her with such a nervous expression on his face that Pansy made a move to intervene; only for Blaise to grab her firmly by her elbow to keep her in place. When Corey didn't look as though he was inclined to answer, Aria sighed and reluctantly released her grip on his shoulders. Just as she turned away, however, Corey suddenly grabbed at her sleeve and lowered his gaze to stare intently at his shoes.

"It was Draco."

Corey's voice was so soft that Aria wasn't even sure she heard him correctly. "I didn’t tell McGonagall, but the last thing I remember before it all happened was that I was talking to Draco." He admitted quietly.

"What?"

Aria went completely still as she stared at him.

She took in Corey's ashen features, trying to ascertain for herself whether he was telling the truth. When he didn't relent and just stared back up at her with a genuine look of worry on his face, Aria's eyes narrowed and she shook her head.

"No, that's not possible. Draco was with me last night, and we weren't even at Hogwarts so he couldn't have been here." She blurted out, pointedly choosing to ignore the fact that Blaise smothered a smirk behind her at her words. "I know this for a fact, Corey, so it couldn't possibly be him you were talking to. It must have been someone else, possibly under the guise of a polyjuice potion."

"I'm just telling you what I remember." Corey answered in a shaky voice, biting his lip and wrapping his arms around himself. "I remember Draco talking to me, then his eyes got all red and weird, and then, the next thing I remember, I was waking up in my bed and my housemates were telling me that I was being summoned to the Headmistress' office." He added miserably.

"Corey."

Aria leaned down closer towards Corey so that she could study the look in his eyes. "The other students, the ones before you, do you recall if they ever mentioned seeing Draco before they blacked out?"

"No." Corey's eyes widened and he frantically shook his head. "Actually, now that I think about it, they never mentioned seeing anyone before. All they talked about was seeing red before it happened." He told her.

"Potter, where exactly are you going with this?" Pansy whispered, giving her an anxious look.

Aria released Corey's shoulders and stood back up.

"My guess is, this time, whoever this guy is, he probably used polyjuice potion to disguise himself as Draco. Or some kind of glamour? And then he…I don't know, bewitched Corey somehow. The same way he did those other kids. But I'm not sure how, exactly, possibly an Imperius and then a Confundus? Or a memory charm? " Aria frowned again and shook her head.

"But that wouldn't explain how even the paintings don't remember anything. It's impossible to use a memory charm on the paintings. And it doesn't explain why he always targeted the younger students either. Why not any of the upper years?" Aria added quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

"If he did use an Imperius, then it makes sense. The effectivity of any form of imperative magic is always dependent on the willpower of the person being controlled. And controlling kids is much easier than controlling an older student." Blaise told her, shrugging.

"That does makes sense." Aria muttered her breath. "But I don't think he did this using an Imperius Curse though. If this guy is only going after kids, then I doubt he's magically powerful enough to hold an Imperius Curse for longer than a few seconds."

"How do you know that?" Corey looked pale as he stared up at Aria.

"Because I've done it before." Aria met his shaken expression with a strained smile. "It's a very complicated spell, and it requires a lot of magical effort to exert complete control over someone – even a kid."

When Corey just swallowed and continued to stare nervously at her, Blaise decided to break the awkward silence by drawing Aria's attention back to him.

"If it wasn't an Imperius, then how—"

"I don't know." Aria sighed again as she removed her glasses and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes in frustration. "To be honest, I'm just drawing at strings here. I have absolutely no idea either."

"Why would this person even bother trying to disguise himself as Draco anyway? And why only now?" Pansy asked again, looking confused.

"Who knows?" Aria shrugged again, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the dungeon wall behind her.

"Maybe he wanted people to suspect Draco this time? Just like he wanted people to suspect you that first time." She gave Pansy a pointed look, suddenly calling to mind how she had suspected Pansy as being responsible for the first incident. Then, she frowned and glanced over Pansy's shoulder to stare at Blaise.

"And just like he may have wanted people to suspect Blaise for the second incident."

Blaise's eyes grew ridiculously wide at her words. "You actually suspected me?!" He blurted out, looking slightly offended as he glared at her. "And here I thought we had such a connection going here, Potter!" He added, scowling at her and letting out a dramatic huff.

"Oh don't be so sensitive." Aria rolled her eyes at him, quelling his outburst with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's not like you're the pinnacle of innocence, Blaise."

"Well, I never—"

"Anyway." Pansy interrupted them, looking annoyed at their banter. "If this jerk was trying to frame Draco this time, shouldn't we tell him about this?" She pointed out.

"Draco's already on the Ministry's probationary watch list right now; having something like this on his record could reflect very badly for him." Blaise added, frowning.

"No, don't." Aria shook her head and silenced them with a hard look. "I don't want him worrying about that just yet. At least not until I figure out the reason behind this guy's behavior."

"You keep referring to this person as a guy." Blaise's eyes narrowed and he gave her a suspicious look. "Do you know who's doing this?"

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions without any evidence." Aria admitted.

"So what do we do?" Pansy looked worried as she reached for Corey again, pulling him closer to her. "Do we just let this bastard get away with this? He's been trying to set us up all year." She growled angrily.

"At this point, there's nothing for us to do but wait." Aria told her, sighing in defeat. "I'm willing to bet that he'll act again soon, anyway."

"And how are you so sure of that?" Pansy demanded.

"Because there's obviously something he's trying to accomplish with all these elaborate schemes. Something he wants." Aria lifted her gaze again and met Pansy's anxious expression with a grim smile.

"I'm just not sure what that is yet."

It took more than a few hours, and most of the Slytherins ended up having to spend their entire day doing nothing but clean, but somehow, they were able to remove all of the offensive drawings, phrases, and even all the green and silver paint that had been splattered haphazardly around all four walls of the Great Hall.

By mid-afternoon, they slowly began putting the decorations for the Yule Ball back up.

At some point, Draco had gotten so bored from having done nothing else but cast cleaning charms in the last couple of hours that his thoughts began to wander — and without meaning to, the lascivious image of him shoving Aria into a nearby closet and doing all sorts of wicked things to her suddenly came to mind.

He stood up and cast a surveying glance around the Great Hall.

Eventually, he found Aria talking to Hannah near the windows, both girls busy as they helped the 7th years hang up a row of lanterns along the walls. As he watched her from across the room, Draco's eyes darkened and he bit his lip when Aria bent down to retrieve a mistletoe from the floor, inadvertently rewarding him with a good peak of her legs underneath her school skirt.

Smirking to himself, Draco was already making his way towards her when, to his annoyance, Hannah suddenly grabbed Aria by the wrist and whisked her off to the opposite side of the room. He was just deciding on whether or not he should even attempt to go after them when Neville suddenly appeared beside him, drawing his attention by nudging him lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey Draco, do you mind helping me hang this banner up along the walls over there?" Neville asked, holding one end of the long, glittery banner in his hands out to Draco.

Sighing in defeat, Draco reluctantly followed him to the opposite side of the room, weaving their way past Pansy, Zach, Morag and a couple of 7th years who were beginning to decorate the small round tables that were scattered around the Great Hall in place of the house tables.

As they began levitating the banner up to drape over the windows, Blaise suddenly walked over to them. He grinned widely and slung a heavy arm around Draco's shoulder.

"So Draco." Blaise arched an eyebrow and glanced curiously at him from the corner of his eye. "I couldn't help but notice that the sexual tension between you and Potter seems a lot more subdued than usual. Is it safe to assume that you two are now—"

"Together, yes." Draco answered easily, not even bothering to look at him as he kept his attention focused intently on the banner he and Neville were still twisting around in the air.

"It certainly took you two idiots long enough." Blaise drawled wryly, smirking at him in amusement. "Now this may just be my imagination, but Potter looked like she was having a bit of trouble climbing up the stairs this morning. So does that mean you two—?"

This time, Draco was unable to keep a smug smirk from breaking out onto his face.

"Oh yeah."

"So that's why you're not all cranky and bitchy anymore." Blaise clapped him hard on the back, causing Draco to wince and nearly drop his wand. "So all you needed to do was get laid?"

"Shut up."

"Exactly how many times—?"

"I stopped counting, honestly." Draco shook his head, his lips curling into a grin. "Veelas are just...crazy."

Blaise snorted at the dazed expression on Draco's face.

"That good, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"Merlin's pants, I am not hearing this!" Neville suddenly blurted out, the tops of his ears noticeably pink as he stepped away from them and furiously shook his head. "Ugh, please stop talking about this in front of me! Aria's one of my friends, and I will never be able to look her in the eye again without thinking about everything you just said!"

"Oh don't be such a prude." Blaise quipped, looking amused at his reaction.

"Wait a minute." Draco froze and he turned to glare suspiciously at Neville, belatedly realizing that he hadn't even reacted to something else Draco had mentioned when he and Blaise had been talking. "Longbottom, did you actually already know that Potter's—"

"A veela?"

Neville just shrugged at him and resumed his task of hanging up more banners along the wall.

"She accidentally fell asleep in front of me in the library one time while we were studying. Her guard dropped for like a few seconds; but it was long enough that I saw her true form."

"Don't get any ideas." Draco growled.

"Really, Malfoy?" Neville scoffed at him. "Like I said, she's my friend and I'm not interested in her that way. Besides, I already have a girlfriend, remember?"

"Oh yeah, speaking of girlfriends, that reminds me." Blaise narrowed his eyes and pretended to give Neville a chastising look. "I do believe I saw Pansy trying to sneak out of the boys' dormitory this morning. Obviously, all that alcohol you both drank last night must have made you two a bit more promiscuous than usual." He whistled innocently.

Neville reddened under their teasing smirks.

"That is, we uh...We just—"

Blaise continued. "As a school prefect and all, I'm obligated to remind you that sneaking your girlfriend into the boys' dorm and letting her sleep with you on your bed at night is strictly forbidden."

"Seriously, Zabini! It's not like that—"

"But as your housemate and your friend, what I'd really like to say is—"

The censorious look on Blaise's face was quickly replaced with a wicked smile.

"—very nice."

Neville blushed darker when Blaise and Draco began laughing at his reaction. Grumbling under his breath, he shook his head and shot them both a glare before he stomped away without another word.

The rest of their afternoon proved to be uneventful after that, and Draco was more than a little disappointed when, after the Slytherins finished setting up all the Yule Ball decorations and settled back into the common room, he realized he was too exhausted to do anything other than sink down onto one of the couches, pull Aria onto his lap and bury his face into her neck.

Thankfully, Aria didn't seem to mind his unexpected public display of affection.

She relaxed against him and yawned, closing her eyes and resting her head against his shoulder. Meanwhile, the rest of the 8th years settled into the surrounding seats around them and began conversing softly amongst themselves.

Draco suspected that it was Hannah he heard squealing and cooing at them, followed by the sound of a camera clicking a couple of times and Zach poking lightly at his head to check if they were actually there; but he was much too tired to open his eyes and snap at them.

Strangely, none of the other Slytherins in the common room seemed to be reacting to them — as if the strange sight of Draco Malfoy and Harriah Potter snuggling together on the couch was something they saw everyday.

He wasn't worried though.

Draco knew that none of them were likely to gossip about him and Aria to the other houses anyway. One of the most well-kept, unspoken rules of being in Slytherin was that you weren't supposed to gossip about your housemates to anyone outside your house. Not that Draco was afraid to reveal their relationship to anyone or anything, but he and Aria hadn't exactly talked about whether she was okay with going public about dating him yet, and he certainly wasn't about to embarrass himself by being the one to bring it up.

Once everyone else had gone up to their dorms and Draco and Aria were the only ones left in the common room, they eventually decided to bid each other good night; though not before Aria smiled affectionately at Draco's sleepy, disgruntled expression and kissed the scowl away from his face.

Draco decided to make up for the wasted opportunity the following morning.

He ambushed Aria just as she was coming down from the girls' dorms and dragged her towards his favorite armchair (the same one they had fought over at the beginning of the year). Afterwards, he ignored her laughing protests and pulled her down onto his lap, greeting her with a smile followed by a ravenous kiss.

They never actually made it to breakfast after that; so a few hours later, the two of them ended up having a late brunch together in the kitchens.

Aria had barely finished her meal when Draco couldn't seem to help himself and pulled her close again, spinning them around so that he was pinning her against one of the kitchen counters. Before she could say anything, he bent down and pressed his lips against hers, tasting the sweetness of the treacle tart she had just eaten from her mouth.

She eventually groaned in complaint and pressed her palms against his chest in a feeble attempt to push him away.

"I really have to go." Aria murmured breathlessly. "I have to meet with McGonagall and the rest of the school board, remember? I can't be late for that." She added in a half-whine, half-moan when Draco didn't respond.

He bent down, trailing a path of soft kisses along the skin of her neck. His hands snaked up her back, fingers digging into her hair and untangling the tight braid on the top of her head until all of the long, black locks came tumbling over shoulders, down her back, all the way down to dangle above her shoes.

Aria cursed against his mouth.

"Damn it, Draco."

"Five minutes."

"You said that ten minutes ago.

Instead of answering, Draco took the hands she had pressed against his chest and adjusted them so that they were resting on his shoulders instead. Afterwards, he grabbed the back of her thighs, hoisting her up so that she sat on the edge of one of the kitchen counters behind them. When she made no move to stop him, he smirked and stood in front of her, positioning himself between her legs and leaning in again to meet her lips. She shivered and wrapped her legs wantonly around his waist, drawing him even closer.

Draco hummed in approval and kissed her over and over again until Aria's skin began to glow a faint, shimmering yellow.

He entwined one of his hands into her hair, playing with the silk strands and twirling them lazily around his fingers until Aria reached up and pulled his hand away, lacing their fingers together instead. Growing impatient, Draco broke the kiss and unclasped the first two buttons of her school shirt, pushing the fabric aside to expose her shoulder. He recognized the healing bite mark he had left on her skin the night before and kissed it gently, causing Aria to close her eyes and let out a soft, rapturous sigh.

Just as Draco pulled away and was about to return his attention to Aria's mouth, the loud sound of a door violently slamming shut startled them both, and they pulled away from each other in alarm. Glancing across the room, they stared in confusion at the kitchen doors which, Draco distinctly remembered, had been wide open just a few minutes ago.

"What was that?" Aria asked as she peered suspiciously over his shoulder. "Was someone watching us just now?"

"I don't think so." He answered, frowning to himself when he realized that none of the house-elves around them had even bothered reacting to the strange noise. "Nobody ever comes down here."

"We shouldn't even be doing this here anyway. Even if nobody comes down here, I still feel a little self-conscious having all of these house-elves around us." Aria pointed out, rolling her eyes when Draco just chuckled at her words and pulled her close again.

"They don't care." He answered smoothly, slipping his hands up into her skirt and running them up and down the smooth skin along the back of her thighs. "House-elves are single-minded in finishing their tasks, so they'd never let themselves get distracted by something like this. I doubt they even notice us right now."

He chuckled when one particular house-elf carrying a tall stack of dishes just stepped around them without even batting an eyelash and simply deposited all of the dishes into the sink beside the counter where Aria was sitting.

Aria turned back to face Draco, scowling at the smirk on his face.

"See?" He teased.

"You seem a little too accustomed to all this, Malfoy. Is that why you insisted on eating down here instead of in the Great Hall?" Aria countered, narrowing her eyes at him. "Exactly how many girls have you brought here with you?"

"Dozens actually."

"That's not funny."

"Don't worry, you're the first veela."

"You prick. Now I'm really leaving."

With a growl, Aria shoved him away and jumped off the counter, furiously trying to fix her disheveled hair back up as she stalked towards the doors. Laughing, Draco rushed after her and grabbed her wrist to prevent her from walking away.

He ignored her icy glare and chucked her chin up gently, waiting until she met his eyes before he spoke.

"Seriously, Potter."

Draco flicked her playfully on the nose, causing Aria to slap his hand away.

He smiled at her irritated expression and used his grip on her wrist to pull her back into his arms. "You've kept an eye on me for years, didn't you? Did it look like I spent a lot of my time with girls?" He pointed out, arching an eyebrow at her.

When Aria just scoffed and continued to glare spitefully at him, Draco went on. "Of course not, because if you recall, I was much too busy hating you, wasn't I?" He teased.

"You say the sweetest things, Malfoy." Aria drawled back in a sarcastic voice. "That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one of these days."

"Then why don't I put it to better use?"

He kissed her before she could answer.

Aria rolled her eyes but linked her arms around his neck and kissed him back, and for a minute, Draco was almost proud of himself that Aria seemed to have forgotten all about having to leave to meet with McGonagall — that is, until she suddenly cursed and pulled away from him, glancing at the giant wall clock on the other side of the kitchen.

"Draco! I can't believe you—I'm almost late! McGonagall is going to wring my neck!" She blurted out, frantically trying to fix her hair as she pushed past him. She nearly crashed into an unsuspecting house-elf as she raced towards the exit.

"You might want to button your shirt." Draco called out to her in a smug voice, causing Aria to pause briefly by the doorway and reach a hand over her shoulder to flip him off.

Smirking, Draco waited until she exited the room before he leaned back languidly against the counter and finished the rest of his tea.

Once he was done, he straightened his robes and set off, heading quickly towards the east wing of the castle. Since Aria couldn't attend their European Magical Anthropology class with him that afternoon, Draco had promised to attend so that he could lend her his notes (though she did have to negotiate a very interesting deal with him before he actually agreed).

As he was walking past a large, noisy group of Gryffindors in the courtyard, he suddenly felt someone glaring a hole into his back.

Draco looked up and glanced over his shoulder, frowning when he saw Bentley Fisher glaring hatefully at him from where he sat in the middle of the group. The rest of the Gryffindors were too busy talking and laughing amongst themselves, so they didn't see the malevolent look on Fisher's face, but Draco certainly did, and he stiffened, narrowing his eyes at the other boy.

What the hell is his problem?

Draco sneered tauntingly at him and looked away, refusing to acknowledge him any further.

When he finally made it to the classroom, he caught sight of a couple of his female classmates hovering by the entrance, squealing and giggling amongst themselves as they peered through the doors. Glancing around the room, Draco walked over to his usual seat beside Neville and Pansy and gave them a curious look.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Neville took one look at him before his lips twitched upwards into a smirk.

Shaking his head, he averted his gaze and gestured vaguely to his own mouth. "Draco, you have a little bit of something on your er—" He cut himself off, unsure of how to continue, and glanced at Pansy for help.

She obliged by rolling her eyes and arching an eyebrow at Draco, her lips curling into a disgusted grimace.

"Sweetie, that shade of lipstick really isn't your color."

Draco immediately flushed at Pansy's mocking drawl and glared at her. He ignored her amused smirk as he reached for his handkerchief and hastily used it to wipe his mouth. Fortunately, he was saved from the need to think of an equally sarcastic retort because Neville decided to take pity on him by patting his shoulder and changing the topic.

"To answer your earlier question, apparently our instructor on vampires this week is a famous quidditch star. And he's hot, or so all the girls say." Neville said wryly, shaking his head as he and Draco both looked up and watched as Susan Bones and Padma Patil suddenly joined the throng of girls and began whispering excitedly to each other in hushed voices.

"Is he?" Draco arched an eyebrow at Pansy.

"Hmph." Pansy just scowled at him and sniffed, crossing her arms and purposely turning her head away from the growing crowd of girls by the entrance. "If you like tall, pretty Gryffindor boys, I suppose."

"Pretty Gryffindor boys—who—?"

Draco didn't get to finish his sentence as all the girls hovering near the doors suddenly squealed and scurried back to their seats just before a tall, dark-robed wizard strode into the classroom. He stopped by the teacher's table, placing his bag and a few other stacks of parchment on top of it before he turned around and greeted the class with an annoyingly handsome smile.

"Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Oliver Wood, and I'll be your instructor for this afternoon."

Ignoring the gushing looks and shy waves he received from most of the girls in the room (including Pansy and Granger, apparently), Wood sat down, cross-legged onto the table and peered at them with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

He rewarded them with another smile - and this time, everyone saw the unmistakable gleam of the long, sharp fangs where his canines should be.

"I'm here to teach you all about vampires."

Chapter Text

Oliver Wood crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his fingers against his bicep.

"Vampires have been given many names throughout history. We've been called nosferatu, lamia, ghouls, children of the night, and all sorts of rubbish. Oh and by the way, I would like to emphasize that vampires are most certainly not undead."

"So your biology is still the same as ours?" Ron Weasley asked.

"In a manner of speaking." Wood acquiesced, grinning slightly and answering him with a brief incline of his head. "But don't worry, we'll get to that. Before anything else, I'd like to begin our discussion by dispelling a very common belief about us."

He jumped off the table and walked over to stand in front of the blackboard. Behind him, a piece of chalk floated into the air and began writing the flow of their discussion down onto the board.

"We are, by no means, as flashy, hedonistic, or as extravagant as popular culture portrays us to be. So not to disappoint you all, but all those books that like to romanticize vampires by portraying us as gorgeous beings who like to spend their immortal lives in broody isolation? I'm sorry, but none of that is true."

Wood's lips twitched in amusement at the despondent looks he received from most of the girls in class.

"Just because someone's a vampire, it doesn't automatically mean he or she is gorgeous. We're not veela, after all. And we're not all broody, sexy or mysterious either. That's just in fiction."

"What about Count Dracula?" Seamus Finnigan suddenly blurted out, causing Draco and a few other purebloods in the classroom to roll their eyes.

"What about him?" Wood countered.

"Was he real?" Finnigan asked again, ducking his head and giving Wood a sheepish grin. "Just curious. My dad's mentioned him a few times in some muggle literature."

"Oh no, Dracula was actually quite real." Wood averred with a grimace and a slight shake of his head. "But only muggles like to refer to him as Count Dracula. We just call him by his real name — Vladislav III, and he was actually a Prince of Wallachia. Eventually, he became known as the Dracula that muggles know of today." He explained.

"Wow. So he actually existed?" Hermione Granger remarked.

"Yes, he did."

Wood walked back over to stand behind the teacher's table and slowly sat down. "And yes, he was a vampire. But he was also, to put it mildly, clinically insane. And it was because of him that so many of those ridiculous urban legends and beliefs about vampires came to be."

"Like what, Instructor?" Megan Jones asked curiously.

"Well, to name a few—" Wood paused and frowned to himself in thought. "—he liked to sleep in coffins, believing he was actually dead. He also believed that he needed to feed exclusively on human blood to survive, which of course, is certainly not the case."

"You don't need blood to survive?" Terry Boot asked incredulously, his eyebrows arching up in disbelief.

"We do, but I'll explain more on that later." Wood clarified with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, as I was saying, this bloke, Vladislav — or Dracula, if you prefer. Since he was also a wizard, he liked to play a lot of ridiculous pranks on the muggle villagers who lived near his castle. He liked to make himself invisible in mirrors; he transformed into a bat in front of them; he pretended he was afraid of garlic; that he needed an invitation before he could enter homes — he made up all sorts of rubbish, really. Eventually, all of his asinine pranks became so notorious to muggles that a lot of them wrote books about him. And so all of these false beliefs about vampires became immortalized." He explained.

"That's very interesting." Granger mused, looking surprised. "So in other words, none of the old muggle lores about vampires were actually true?" She asked.

"I wouldn't say that." Wood answered, winking at her.

As soon as he stood up from his chair, most of the students in the room gasped in alarm when Wood suddenly vanished into thin air — only to reappear a few seconds later at the very back of the room. He smirked at their startled expressions and sat down onto one of the empty student seats in the corner, forcing everyone to turn around in their seats to face him.

"There are a lot of legends that speak of how vampires were created — but since you've all done your research by now, I'll assume you've read up on all the stories." Wood rolled his eyes and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Every single one of them is absolutely rubbish. Who can tell me what vampirism really is?"

Wood nodded at the student seated nearest to him, who incidentally happened to be Morag.

"Vampirism is a genetic disease." She answered in a calm, assertive voice.

"Precisely. Five points to Slytherin." Wood grinned at her, giving the class another view of his fangs. "Vampirism is simply an inherited condition, an incurable infection of the blood. It is hereditary, and both wizards and muggles can get it."

He paused and looked up when Lisa Turpin raised her hand.

"What about those accounts of vampires being turned?" She asked.

"Yes, I was just getting to that." Wood stood up, vanished, and reappeared once more at the very front of the room. He ignored the disoriented looks on everyone's faces and stood in front of the teacher's table, leaning backwards against it.

"There are two kinds of vampires. The first kind, like myself, are called Natural Vampires. Naturals are born with the condition. Since the vampire gene is more common in males, they usually inherit it from their paternal ancestors. It is worth noting that there are certain bloodlines in Europe who are famous for having vampirism in their family history."

Wood paused and waited until everyone had finished copying down what he had just said before he continued.

"The second kind of vampire, are called Rogue Vampires. These are the ones you normally read about in a lot of muggle literature. Rogues are the ones who became a vampire because they were infected from the bite of another."

"Instructor." Granger spoke again, drawing Wood's attention to where she sat near the front of the classroom beside Weasley. "Exactly how are humans infected with vampirism anyway? Does someone become immediately infected from a single vampire bite?" She asked.

"Good question, Hermione. And the short answer is, it depends." Wood answered. "Not every person who is bitten by a vampire will automatically turn into one. Some are just more naturally prone to being infected with vampirism than others."

"How do you mean?" Granger asked, looking confused.

"Well, to illustrate, a vampire can bite say...10 different people, and it would be impossible to tell which of them will become infected and which will not. It's completely random." Wood explained.

"So all that drinking from a vampire's wrist bit isn't true?" Finnigan asked, looking a little disappointed.

"Nothing nearly so dramatic, I'm afraid."

When the class fell silent and stared expectantly at him, obviously intrigued by his discussion, Wood smiled and went on.

"One thing I can say that muggles did get right about us vampires is our enhanced strength, speed and agility. In fact, all vampires have this; though admittedly some are stronger, faster or more agile than others, but that depends on the individual vampire." Wood glanced at the blackboard again, watching as the floating piece of chalk continued to write down everything he mentioned so far. "More importantly, we also have a very powerful sense of smell. Now, can anyone tell me why it's crucial to emphasize this?"

Several hands went up into the air again and this time, Wood called on Granger to answer.

"Because of their keen sense of smell, vampires usually have the ability to sense another magical being if he or she is close enough. In fact, the stronger the vampire is, the bigger his sensory radius." She answered.

"Excellent, Hermione. Five points to Gryff—I mean, Ravenclaw." Wood grimaced and gave Hermione an apologetic grin. "Sorry, everyone's new house is messing me up a little bit." He admitted, ducking his head sheepishly behind his hand.

There were a couple of amused snorts and chuckles around the room.

"Anyway, I myself can walk into a room and immediately sense if any of the occupants are wizard or witch, muggle, werewolf, veela, mermaid, well...you get the picture."

"Is there anyone interesting in here right now?" Michael Corner suddenly asked.

Draco stiffened at the other boy's question, and he couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him at how incredibly lucky they were that Aria wasn't in the classroom. Obviously, Granger and Weasley seemed to be thinking the exact same thing because Draco saw the way they glanced uneasily at each other, their gazes flicking to Aria's vacant seat.

"Other than the fact that you're all wizards and witches?" Wood scoffed and waved his hand dismissively at Corner's question. "There's really nothing else I sense for now. So, moving on—"

Wood walked back to the teacher's table and sank down into his seat.

"Since we're on the subject of vampire abilities, one important thing you have to know about vampires is that some — and take note, I said some and not all — may gain a special ability from their vampirism. Now, this doesn't happen often, but when it does, these abilities, or 'gifts' as we like to call them, are usually very powerful."

"What are some examples of these gifts, Instructor?" Morag asked curiously.

"Well, off the top of my head, some vampires may gain the ability of flight, some may acquire the skill of hypnotism or mind compulsion — though this is very rare. There's also the skill of telepathy, which is also another very rare gift. Some, like my grandfather, have the ability to heal incredibly fast - even faster than normal vampires. It all depends on the individual vampire, to be honest. No two vampires are alike when it comes to their abilities."

Wood leaned back against his seat and drummed his fingers on the table.

"Naturals are the ones who usually get these rare gifts;, as their bodies have better adapted to the infection. However, this does not mean that Rogues cannot get unique abilities too. In fact, strangely enough, though it is uncommon for Rogues to manifest unique skills, those that do are actually the ones who tend to be more powerful." Wood admitted grimly.

"These bloodsuckers are sounding more and more pleasant by the minute." Draco muttered sarcastically under his breath. Beside him, Pansy and Neville looked away and hastily stifled their smiles.

"I would strongly suggest you refrain from using the term 'bloodsuckers' when you're out in public, Mister Malfoy. Not unless you want to incur the wrath of an angry, offended vampire, that is."

Wood smirked as he glanced at him from the front of the classroom, and everyone followed his gaze until Draco found himself the unwilling recipient of all of his classmates' stares. Belatedly remembering that vampires had enhanced hearing, Draco reddened and sneered back at them before he slumped down into his seat and covered his face with his textbook.

"As I was saying." Wood chuckled as he continued, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Our powers tend to become stronger as we age. And before you ask, yes, we do age. Unlike what muggles would have you believe, vampires are not immortal. We just live slightly longer lives than normal - not unlike veelas, actually."

The class fell into another silence at that, and for a while, Draco heard nothing except the soft sound of everyone's quills scraping against the surface of their notebooks.

"Any questions so far?" Wood asked cheerfully.

Terry Boot nodded and raised his hand. "What about that whole 'no reflection' bit? Is that true?"

"Bollocks."

"Stake through the heart?" Anthony Goldstein pressed.

Wood snorted in amusement. "That would kill anyone."

"Silver?" Kevin Entwhistle chimed in.

"That's for werewolves."

"Sunlight?" Morag asked.

"Ah yes. Sunlight." Wood paused as he considered her question. "Sunlight isn't actually lethal to us, but we are sensitive to direct sunlight, yes, and it causes us enough pain and discomfort to be a nuisance. To solve this, we just drink a sunscreen potion or use sunscreen charms whenever we go out during the day."

"How about holy water and crosses? Is it true that vampires are terrified of them?" Susan Bones asked.

The expression on Wood's face was tinged with a hint of annoyance as he answered. "Why in Merlin's name would we be terrified of holy water or crosses?"

Granger raised her hand again, and the seriousness of her voice caused the rest of the class to look up.

"Do vampires actually need blood to survive? And does it have to be human blood in particular? Or can you live off the blood of animals?" She asked.

"Ah yes, that brings us to the crux of the matter, doesn't it?" Wood smiled at Hermione's question and leaned back lazily against his seat. "In actuality, vampires can, in fact, live without taking any blood. Contrary to popular belief, we do not actually need blood to survive and we can perfectly live off on normal food, same as everyone else. We do, however, need to consume blood, human or otherwise, in order to use our vampire abilities. In fact, the more we use our powers, the more we need to drink blood." He explained.

Granger frowned at him, clearly not satisfied with his explanation.

"So then why—"

"Because it's not a matter of needing blood, Hermione. It's a matter of wanting blood."

Wood straightened in his seat and interlaced his fingers together, folding both of his hands onto the table. "The most important thing you need to remember about today's discussion is that there are two truly negative symptoms of vampirism. The first one is the most popular. It is what we vampires refer to as the Blood Thirst."

He reached into his shirt, pulling out a small vial of dark crimson liquid that hung from a thick black strap around his neck. The class watched as Wood lifted the vial up and stared intently at its contents until his eyes flashed. He looked up, allowing them to see the bright red in his pupils and the crazed, hungry look on his face before he blinked rapidly and shook his head to clear the expression away.

When Wood finally looked back up and met their anxious stares, his eyes were back to normal. He waited until he had everyone's full attention before he continued.

"As you can see, though we may not physically need blood to survive, there is always the Blood Thirst. And unless it is sated, it will build and build and build until a vampire loses control. We will always crave blood, because it is simply in our nature to do so. It is the most horrible side effect of the vampirism infection. Fortunately, over the years, we have invented ways to fight this. The most effective of which is the Sanguine potion."

"Is it similar to the Wolfsbane potion?" Neville asked curiously.

Wood smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, exactly. But unlike Wolfsbane, which needs to be taken once a month, vampires need to drink the Sanguine potion once a day to keep their Blood Thirst at a manageable level. Taking the potion regularly will subdue the Blood Thirst and we get to live the rest of our lives as normally as possible. Luckily, the potion is very easy to make and readily available nowadays."

"Instructor." Granger was frowning as she raised her hand again. "I'm assuming this potion isn't as accessible to muggle vampires as it is to the vampires in our world. So how are they able to cope with their Blood Thirst?"

"Another interesting question, Hermione. And the answer is, they don't. Which is why the vampires you supposedly hear about in stories attacking other humans are usually muggle vampires. If I'm not mistaken, our Ministry has made offers to muggle governments to regularly provide Sanguine potions to their vampire community but, being the bigoted muggles they are, I don't think they've quite acknowledged the fact that there are vampires living amongst them just yet." Wood snorted and offered her a halfhearted shrug.

Draco smirked at the irritated look on Granger's face when most of their classmates chuckled at Wood's mention of muggle bigotry.

"After the Blood Thirst, the second negative symptom of vampirism is actually less commonly known. Can anyone venture a guess as to what it is?"

As there weren't any other students who raised their hands, Wood ended up calling on Granger again to provide the answer.

"The second negative symptom is called the Fixation." She began, and everyone looked up, listening intently to her as she explained further. "All vampires will, at some point in their lives, acquire a fixation. Vampires are, by nature, incredibly obsessive and will eventually fixate on something. It is usually a lifelong fixation, and it becomes like a drug to them, similar to an addiction."

"That is absolutely correct, Hermione. Ten points to Ravenclaw."

Wood stood up from his seat and walked back over to stand in front of the table, crossing his arms and leaning the back of his hip against the edge. "You've seen this over and over again in a lot of muggle stories, yes? Of course, muggles tend to romanticize it, again, to such ridiculous extents, but this obsessive nature of vampires is actually also a side effect of our condition. Sometimes, if a vampire does not learn how to control his or her fixation, it can become so bad that he or she is consumed by it." He said grimly.

Morag suddenly raised her hand. "Does the fixation always have to be an object? Is it possible for a vampire to fixate on a person?" She asked.

"That is very possible." Wood answered her with a slow nod. "And it happens quite often, actually. In fact, a fixation can be anything. A hobby, a job, a goal, and yes, even a person. Luckily, most vampires are able to turn their fixation into something healthy; like an art or a sport or something else that's creative."

"And what's your fixation, Instructor?" Lisa Turpin suddenly asked, looking up and flashing Wood a particularly flirtatious smile.

"My fixation?" Wood just blinked at her and arched an eyebrow, clearly not impressed. "I'm not nearly as complicated as other vampires out there."

He grinned roguishly at them.

"My fixation is quidditch."

Draco snorted derisively to himself, and judging from the way most of the Gryffindors in the room (including Granger, Weasley and even Neville) were stifling smiles behind their hands, they were probably just as amused as he was.

Wood ignored the snickers that echoed around the classroom and continued.

"Moving on; the last thing I'd like you all to remember about vampires is one very important weakness we have. And please do take note of this because you can use this information to protect yourself against a hostile vampire in the future. Does anyone know what it is? I'll give you a hint. It's not garlic."

Both Morag and Granger raised their hands and Wood looked amused as he glanced back and forth between the two of them. He eventually decided to call on Morag.

"Juniper berries, Instructor."

Morag noticed the confused looks she got from most of her classmates and explained further. "Juniper is known to be incredibly toxic to vampires, and if they accidentally eat it — or ingest the blood of a human who has consumed enough of it — they could end up in a rigor mortis state and will be unable to use their powers."

"I don't even have to add anything to that. Ten points to Slytherin."

Wood smiled approvingly at her and nodded before he glanced at the clock on the other side of the room. "Well then, I believe that pretty much wraps up everything you need to know about vampires. Were there any questions at this point?"

There was no answer as almost everyone was still busy scribbling into their notebooks.

"Well, I have a question then. This Sunday, the night of your Yule Ball, is actually a significant day for us vampires. Does anyone know why?" Wood asked.

Draco lifted his head and glanced around the room, waiting for someone to provide the answer. When everyone just stared back blankly at each other, Wood eventually shrugged and decided to answer his own question.

"This Sunday is actually a night of the Vampire Moon."

Wood walked over to stand in front of the blackboard. He took a piece of chalk and drew a rough sketch of the moon on the board; then he paused and added another, much lighter circle around it.

"When there is a lunar halo around the moon, similar to this, then it is what we call a Vampire Moon. Werewolves are usually terrified to go out during this time, and for good reason. During a Vampire Moon, a vampire's powers and abilities are significantly amplified. In fact, we become almost thrice as strong."

Wood noticed their ashen faces and he chuckled at them before sitting back down behind the teacher's desk.

"Oh don't look so worried, you lot. Like I said, vampires are rarely aggressive anymore these days, especially wizard or witch vampires." He pointed out, offering them a cajoling smile. "It's very unlikely that a vampire will attack anyone; vampire moon or otherwise."

With that, Wood clapped his hands once and gave them all another grin.

"So, that ends our lesson on vampires then. No more questions or clarifications before we wrap up?"

He tried to gauge everyone's reactions for a few seconds before he nodded to himself and stood up, shoving his notes back into his bag and rearranging his things on the desk. "Before I dismiss you, the Headmistress did instruct me to remind you that your next essay assignment will be on elves next; and as usual, it is due before your next class." Wood smirked when he heard several grumbles echo around the small classroom.

"Thank you for your active participation, everyone. Class dismissed."

Draco didn't bother waiting for Pansy or Neville as he immediately stood up and began shoving all of his things into his bag. He rolled his eyes at how some of his female classmates immediately crowded around the teacher's table and followed Wood out of the classroom. They smiled flirtatiously as they accosted Wood in the hallway and pestered him with all sorts of seemingly innocent questions; none of which were even remotely related to the lesson they just discussed.

Shaking his head, Draco walked out of the classroom and began heading towards the Great Hall.

He had just made it to the end of the hallway when Wood suddenly disengaged himself from the crowd of girls around him and turned to someone on his right, his face lighting up with friendly recognition.

"Potter?!"

"Wood?!"

Draco immediately froze in his tracks and spun around.

His features darkened into a scowl as he watched Aria suddenly stop in the middle of the hallway and make a beeline for Wood, squealing with laughter when he greeted her by hoisting her up into the air in a long, full-body hug.

"Seriously, Potter, is that you?! I almost didn't recognize you!" Wood blurted out, grinning as he set Aria back down and gave the top of her head an affectionate ruffle. "What happened to that tiny, scruffy-haired kid I remember from 7 years ago?!"

Draco gritted his teeth and found himself walking closer towards them so that he could hear the rest of their conversation.

"Gone but not forgotten, apparently." Aria drawled back as she stepped away and rolled her eyes at Wood's teasing comment. "What are you doing here? This isn't something quidditch related is it? Are you recruiting for Puddlemere?"

"I just finished teaching an elective class on magical anthropology." He shrugged.

"Wait, you taught the class today? So that means you're a—"

"I'm afraid so." Wood smiled at her, and Draco saw the way Aria's eyes widened in shock when she noticed his fangs.

"Don't stare, Potter. Would you like it if I gawked at your wings?"

"Wha—hey! How did you even—"

"It's a vampire thing." Wood laughed at her flustered expression and waved her concern away. "But enough about that! What have you been up to these days? Do you still play quidditch?"

He didn't wait for Aria to answer before he continued. "And funny you should mention Puddlemere, actually, because you should know that we'll have an opening for Seeker soon. Is that something you'd be interested in? Because we'd love to have you join us."

"Don't they have any rules against people like us playing professional quidditch?"

"As long as we don't use any of our special 'skills' during the match." He answered, winking at her. "So are you interested?"

"Oh no, I can't, Ollie. I already promised Kingsley that I'd join the Aurors after I graduate."

Wood looked exceptionally disappointed at her words, but when he looked as though he was going to say something else to convince her, Draco finally decided that he had enough. He walked over to them and stopped directly behind Aria, but when she didn't immediately notice him and continued talking to Wood, he scowled and cleared his throat.

She didn't turn around to look at him as Draco would have wanted her to, but she did reach back and take his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers together and giving his a comforting squeeze.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to join?" Wood asked again, completely oblivious to the way Draco was sneering at him from over Aria's shoulder.

"I'm already scheduled to take the Auror qualifying exam next month."

"So you're absolutely set on that huh?"

"I'm afraid so—"

Draco couldn't resist clearing his throat again, much louder this time, so that both Wood and Aria were eventually forced to stop their conversation to look at him. When Draco's eyes narrowed and he scowled petulantly at Aria, she rolled her eyes at him and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry. Ollie, you remember Draco right?" She stepped aside and gestured both boys toward one another.

"Of course I do." Wood automatically answered, finally turning his attention to Draco and acknowledging him with a nod of his head. "You were the Seeker for Slytherin back when Marcus Flint was Captain, weren't you?"

"I was." Draco drawled back, and he couldn't help injecting a bit of malice into his voice as he went on. "Though I play as a Chaser now; and our Seeker is actually Potter here. I'm her Captain, by the way."

Not to mention her boyfriend, you good-for-nothing bloodsucker.

He knew better than to say the words out loud; especially since he had just spent the last two hours listening to Wood explain to them exactly how powerful and dangerous a vampire could be.

"Malfoy, I told you not to use the term bloodsucker."

Draco's eyes widened in horror.

"Y—you have telepathy?!" He blurted out, glaring indignantly at the other boy.

To his annoyance, Wood had the gall to actually look incredibly amused at Draco's stunned reaction. Instead of answering him, Wood just smirked and shrugged before he took a step away from Aria and shoved both of his hands into the pockets of his robes.

"Well, anyway, it was good seeing you again, Aria. Let me know if you're ever interested in joining professional quidditch, alright? I'd be more than happy to pull a few strings for you." He mused.

"I'll keep that in mind, Ollie, thanks."

Aria gave Wood one last smile before she finally allowed Draco to pull her to him and yank her down the corridor - as far away from Oliver Wood as possible. Just as they were about to turn into the adjacent hallway that led to the Great Hall, however, Wood's indignant, disbelieving voice calling out behind them suddenly stopped them both in their tracks.

"Wait a minute — did I actually hear Malfoy right?! Potter, you agreed to play as Seeker for the Slytherins?!"

Aria's eyes widened and she quickly turned to Draco, meeting his confused expression with a nervous grimace.

"Walk a little bit faster, Malfoy."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Draco glared at her and opened his mouth to argue, but when they both heard Wood shouting furiously at them from the other end of the corridor; Aria grabbed Draco's hand and dragged him along with her as she ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

"Potter, how could you?! After everything we've been through — is there no honor left in quidditch anymore?! Come back here and face your old Captain like a proper Gryffindor, damn it!"

To Aria's surprise, the Board of Governors actually agreed to grant her request regarding the expelled Slytherin students.

Their approval, however, came with a caveat.

They agreed to reinstate the students and let them come back to school, but only if, one, Headmistress McGonagall allowed the Daily Prophet, Witch Weekly, as well as a slew of other reporters and journalists to visit the school this weekend to cover the quidditch match and the Yule Ball; and, two, Aria entertained the reporters for pictures and interviews while they were there. Something about promoting Hogwarts as a prestigious, educational institution to the rest of Wizarding Britain or whatnot.

Aria had refused at first, furious at their audacity for trying to manipulate her; but eventually, when the Board even agreed to wipe the academic records of all the Slytherins involved, she had no choice but to agree.

The reporters didn't waste any time either.

They arrived early that morning, swarming the entrance of the Great Hall with their flashing cameras, rolls of parchment and fancy quills; ready to accost any poor, unsuspecting student who happened to catch their interest.

Having grown somewhat accustomed to dealing with the press that summer, Aria was careful to keep her expression completely neutral as she entered the Great Hall that morning.

She sighed and decided to ignore the incessant flashing of the cameras from the group of reporters waiting for her from behind the doors. Luckily, they seemed to be leaving her alone for now; but Aria knew that they were just biding their time, waiting for the right opportunity to strike before they descended upon her like the pack of vultures they were.

She cast a quick, surveying glance around the room, scouring the many smaller, individual round tables that had replaced the house tables around the Hall in search of her housemates.

Eventually, she found Draco, Blaise, and Morag sitting around a table near the windows and strode over to them, all the while continuing to ignore the flashing cameras and the trail of hushed whispers that followed her across the room. Like her, Draco and Blaise were already wearing their quidditch uniforms; both boys unusually reserved as they struggled to ignore the attention of the many reporters who continued to watch them.

With a sigh, Aria plopped herself down into the vacant seat beside Draco.

He didn't look up and kept his self-conscious gaze trained intently on his plate, obviously in an effort to avoid the cameras pointed at them. Aria placed a gloved hand discreetly on his under the table, giving his fingers a light squeeze. Draco's entire demeanor relaxed instantly and he squeezed her hand back, intertwining their fingers together.

Before Aria could say anything, the silence around the table was broken when Hannah suddenly sat down into the seat between Blaise and Morag. When she looked up and saw Draco and Aria shifting uncomfortably and avoiding her gaze, Hannah blushed. She mumbled something unintelligible under her breath and wordlessly began helping herself to some breakfast.

Blaise arched an eyebrow at them.

"What's going on?" He asked, smirking as he leaned back against his seat and turned questioningly to Aria.

When Hannah just blushed darker and Aria responded by stuffing half a treacle tart into her mouth, Blaise glanced at Draco instead. To Aria's dismay, Draco just rolled his eyes and gave Blaise an impassive glare.

"She caught us last night."

Blaise continued to stare at Draco, his lips twitching with barely concealed mirth. Across the table, Morag looked up from the textbook on her lap and stared interestedly at them with a knowing smirk on her face.

"Doing what—?"

"Having sex, obviously." Draco deadpanned.

"Malfoy!"

Aria growled and tried kicking Draco under the table but it was too late. Blaise's eyes widened and he burst out laughing at the exact same time Hannah let out a horrified wail and covered her face with both of her hands.

"Can we just not talk about this please?! I'm already scarred enough!" She whimpered.

"You were the one who walked in on us!" Draco growled at her.

"In my defense, you two were going at it in the common room, for Merlin's sake!" Hannah hissed back.

"It was 2am in the morning! Nobody was supposed to see!" Draco countered.

"Again, you were in the common room! How was I supposed to know?!"

"Well why the hell didn't you tell us right away that you were there?! Why did you skulk around in the shadows and watch us like some kind of creepy pervert—"

"Wait a minute." Blaise cut Draco off in the middle of his tirade and turned to Hannah again, giving her an amused smirk. "You mean to tell me, you actually watched the whole thing?" He asked incredulously, struggling not to collapse into another fit of hysterics.

"Uhm...Well..."

The blush on Hannah's cheeks reddened even more as she looked up and met Aria's unimpressed look with an apologetic half-smile, half-grimace.

"To be honest, I was curious, and you both looked like you knew what you were doing so I just—"

She stopped when Blaise nearly fell backwards in his chair from wheezing too hard in between his laughter. Beside him, Draco just cursed under his breath and shook his head, glaring at the other boy with an irritated look on his face.

"Did you see anything interesting?" Morag chimed in, her eyes gleaming as she snapped her textbook shut and leaned across the table towards Hannah. "Who was on top?"

"Jealous, are you?" Blaise smirked at her.

"I already know how sex works, Zabini." Morag retorted, rolling her eyes at him.

"Well, they were on an armchair, so Aria was—"

"Seriously, Hannah."

Aria finally spoke up for the first time since their conversation started. She looked up from her plate and leveled the other girl with a particularly menacing glare. Unfortunately, given the utterly embarrassed flush on her face, she knew it probably didn't have the same effect.

"Let's not do this, alright? It happened, and it was embarrassing for everyone involved, believe me. So if we can just forget about the whole thing, please?" Aria growled, still blushing as she turned back to her plate.

There was a blessed moment of relatively peaceful silence as everyone reluctantly followed her lead and resumed eating their breakfast.

After a few minutes, however, Aria noticed that Hannah was still staring at her from across the table; and it eventually came to the point where Aria couldn't stand it anymore. She gritted her teeth and looked up, meeting Hannah's doe-eyed smile at her with an exasperated glare.

"Alright then. Since everyone around this bloody table already knows." Aria set her fork back down onto her plate and sighed. "Go ahead and say what you want to say. You've obviously seen way too much of me than I'm comfortable with anyway."

"Okay, now, I'm jealous." Morag remarked to Blaise.

"Shut up." Draco snapped at her.

Hannah reddened at Aria's words but she managed a sheepish laugh and gave her a genuinely curious look.

"So you're really a...?"

"Yes." Aria answered wryly.

"And you have...?"

"Yes."

Aria's lips twitched at the way Hannah stared at her shoulders as though she half-expected something grotesque to come out of them.

"Oh...wow."

The stunned expression on Hannah's face disappeared instantly. She squealed and practically shoved Morag out of the way so she could peer closer at Aria across the table.

"Oh, this is so wicked! I've always wanted to meet a veela!" She blurted out happily, ignoring Blaise and Draco's amused snorts as she reached out and began poking incessantly at Aria's shoulders. "So how do your wings retract? Can you fly? Your true form was so pretty, by the way! How does the veela allure work? Is that why you always keep your hair tied up?"

Aria laughed nervously and looked up to make sure that the reporters were too far away from them to hear anything. When Draco, Blaise, Morag and Hannah all seemed to smirk at her, she returned their smug looks with a helpless smile.

"So does everyone know now?" She asked, sighing in defeat.

"Well, everyone but Zach, I think." Morag told her. "But Merlin knows how slow that git is, I doubt he'll figure it out on his own." She added with a scoff.

"Speaking of Zach, where is that bloody tosser anyway?" Draco growled, looking up and searching the Great Hall with a scowl on his face. "We're supposed to be at the pitch in ten minutes."

"I think he's down there already." Blaise answered, taking a sip from his tea. "He said he had to meet his father early this morning."

Draco blinked at that and glanced at his watch. "Then we should probably get going too. We still need to run a few drills and go over our strategy before the game starts."

Had Aria not just bit into another treacle tart, she would have argued against them; but before she could complain, Draco snatched her fork away and finished the rest of her treacle tart in one bite.

"Hey! I wasn't done with that—"

Draco ignored her protests and grabbed her hand, yanking her up to her feet.

"Good luck in the game!" Hannah exclaimed, waving enthusiastically at them.

"We'll be watching by the stands." Morag added.

Aria noticed that most of the reporters waiting by the doors automatically followed them, trailing closely behind as she, Draco and Blaise made their way out towards the school grounds.

Unfortunately, Draco seemed to have noticed this too because he sighed and reluctantly let go of her hand. He stepped away from her, keeping himself at an acceptable distance so as not to give the reporters any hint as to their relationship. Aria frowned at that, unsure of how to interpret his behavior, but before she could comment on it, they arrived at the quidditch pitch and Draco quickly disengaged from her, making his way over to where some members of the Slytherin Quidditch Team were already waiting.

Still frowning, Aria was about to follow after him when Blaise suddenly caught her attention by gently grabbing her elbow.

"Looks like Gryffindor didn't have any problems getting replacement Beaters after all." He commented, smirking.

"What do you mean?"

Following Blaise's gaze across the field, Aria couldn't help chuckling in agreement when she saw exactly who the new Gryffindor Beaters were. One of them was a 7th year named Caelum McLaggen; while the other Beater was someone Aria certainly didn't expect to see.

And as though he felt their stares on him, Greg suddenly stiffened and looked up. When Aria and Blaise just grinned and waved at him, the embarrassed grimace on Greg's features visibly relaxed and he smiled before slowly waving back.

As Greg turned around and joined the rest of the Gryffindors, Aria caught a glimpse of Ron standing behind him. He looked as though he was in the middle of giving their team a pep talk, so Aria didn't expect him to notice her at first, but when he did, Ron winked and stuck his tongue out at her — and Aria responded by rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out right back.

She was just deciding on whether or not she had enough time to run over there and wish Ron good luck when the sound of Draco's loud, annoyed voice suddenly caused both Aria and Blaise to flinch.

"What are you two useless gits still doing standing there?! Get your asses up in the air now!"

Halfway into the game, the Slytherins were losing very badly against the Gryffindors, and Draco could pretty much attribute it to three things.

First, Demelza Robbins was an insanely skilled Chaser; and as good as Blaise's Keeper skills were, he only managed to block about half of her throws. Within the first fifteen minutes of the match, the Gryffindors had earned a lead of sixty points over Slytherin, and that gap had persisted over the last hour.

Second, Greg had managed to aim one of the bludgers straight into Draco's right arm. He had to spend the rest of the game struggling to throw the quaffle into the goal posts with only his left arm after that, so he ended up missing a lot of his shots. And despite the apologetic shrug Greg gave him during one of their time-outs, Draco suspected that his friend was also feeling a little bit vindictive about the whole thing - if the way he was obviously trying not to smile was any indication.

Lastly (and this was the one that pissed Draco off the most), Zach had turned into a pathetic, jittery mess of nerves the moment the game started. And this time, his performance was far worse than any of his previous games because not only did the idiot end up fumbling every time Draco or Austin tossed him the quaffle, he also kept accidentally flying into some of the other players (including some of the Gryffindors) because he kept glancing nervously at the stands where the teachers and some important visitors were seated.

The last straw for Draco, however, was when Zach had been so distracted that he flew right into Aria and Ginny Weasley, sending him and both female seekers crashing so violently into the commentator's stand that they ended up knocking out Justin Finch-Fletchley, the announcer for the match.

One look at the nasty-looking cut above Aria's left eyebrow as she stood back up to help Zach and Ginny to their feet was all it took for Draco's blood to start boiling. As Aria and Ginny bent over to inspect Finch-Fletchey's unconscious form on the ground, Draco signalled impatiently to Madam Hooch for a time out and flew over towards them.

"Draco, it was an accident—"

"You, get that wound cleaned up." Draco snapped, cutting Aria off as he walked right past her and hauled Zach up to his feet.

"And you—" Before the other boy could protest, Draco shoved him towards his broom. "—get on your broom. You and I are going to have a talk in the locker room."

He didn't wait for Zach to respond before he sped off, leading him back towards the boy's locker room on the other side of the pitch. As soon as they were alone and Zach alighted from his broom, Draco rounded on him instantly.

"What the hell is your problem?! You're a goddamn mess out there! Is it nerves? Or are you honestly just this bloody terrible at quidditch?! What about all that crap you said to us at the start of the year?!" He raged.

"I'm sorry, alright?! Bloody hell, I told you! I made all that stuff up about me being good at quidditch! I'm absolutely rubbish at it!" Zach shouted in a high-pitched voice as he shoved Draco away and slammed his fist against one of the lockers.

"Then what the hell are you still doing on this team?!"

"Because of my father, damn it! Okay?!" Zach blurted out, his features crumpling with shame as he sank down onto the bench behind him. "He's the bloody head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports in the Ministry, so of course he expects his son to be a big quidditch star! He's out there right now! As if him spending the entire morning criticizing me wasn't pressure enough, the fact that I see him up in the stands, glaring at me and shaking his head all the time is making me play even worse than I normally do." He added miserably, his cheeks flushed with humiliation as he looked away.

Raking a hand through his sweaty blond hair in frustration, Draco let out an exasperated sigh and sank down onto the opposite bench. He shook his head and watched as Zach slumped down lower into his seat and groaned, covering his face with his hands.

After a long moment of silence, Zach spoke again in a calmer, albeit slightly defeated voice.

"Look, I'm really sorry that I'm messing this up for everyone, okay? I'll try to do better in the next half. Believe me, I'd drop out of the match and quit the team right now if I could, but my father would never—"

"You know, Smith." Draco sighed again, meeting Zach's dejected expression with a grim smile. "I don't mean to sound like a hypocrite here, but you don't always have to do what your father wants all the time."

He waited for the unspoken meaning behind his words to sink in; and when it did, Zach stiffened in realization and gave him a disconcerted look.

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and forced himself to continue. "I would know, of course. I learned that the hard way. I was a model son, after all. I followed my father blindly for the first seventeen years of my life, and well, look where that got me."

He let out a soft, empty laugh and leaned back against the lockers behind him.

"So after the war, I swore to myself that I'd learn from that mistake. I'm going to make my own damn decisions from now on; and I'm never going to let anyone else influence my choices ever again."

When Zach's eyes widened and he continued to stare quietly at him, Draco stood back up and held a hand out to him.

"So what exactly do you want to do now?" He asked quietly.

Zach blinked at his outstretched hand, his eyebrows fused together in thought. Finally, after a long moment, he clenched his jaw and nodded before he took Draco's offered hand and pulled himself back up to his feet.

After they flew back out to the quidditch pitch and joined the rest of their teammates in the air, Zach's next words caused Aria, Blaise, and the rest of the team to gape at him in alarm.

"You're dropping out of the team now?!" Austin gaped and stared at Zach in stunned dismay. "B—but, doesn't that amount to an automatic forfeit?!"

"Not if you manage to find a replacement Chaser within the next fifteen minutes. And if you can't, well then fine. I suppose I can still play to keep us from forfeiting the match." Zach winced under all of their accusing glares. "Look, I'm sorry for doing this in the middle of a game but really, you guys have seen me play. You know how terrible I am at this. The best chance we have of winning this match is if you can find someone much more qualified to replace me." He pointed out.

"So what do we do now?" Blaise frowned and turned to Draco. "How exactly are we going to find a replacement Chaser in time?"

Draco winced and wiped the sweat forming above his eyebrow with the back of his hand. "For starters, does anyone know a decent enough flyer? One who has a basic knowledge of quidditch rules and gameplay, at least?" He asked halfheartedly.

When none of them answered him, Draco sighed.

He was just about to fly over to Professor Slughorn to get his advice when Aria suddenly grabbed his uninjured arm. Draco glanced at her over his shoulder.

"What is it?"

"I have an idea."

Aria flicked her gaze over to the green and silver sea of Slytherin supporters, her wide eyes already scouring through the crowd in obvious search of someone.

She must have found who she was looking for because she suddenly sped off; and Draco had no choice but to grumble as he flew after her, following her across the pitch all the way to the very end of the Slytherin side of the stands. Once they reached the part of the bleachers where the 8th years were seated, Aria maneuvered her Nimbus 2001 down and headed towards them.

"Hey kid!"

There was a roguish, sideways grin on Aria's face as she stopped directly in front of Corey, hovering her broom a few feet above where he was sitting between Pansy and Neville. When Corey just blinked and stared up at her in confusion, Aria offered him a conspiratorial smile.

"A spot's just opened up on the team for the position of Chaser. Do you think you're up for it?" She called out, ignoring the incessant flashing of the cameras from all the reporters who were watching the scene.

"Really?!" Corey's eyes widened at her words and, ignoring Pansy's horrified gasp beside him, he immediately flicked his gaze over to Draco. "Is that true, Draco?! Can I really join the team?!"

Draco grimaced as he glanced back and forth between Aria and Pansy. "Well, I suppose. But only if your sister agrees—"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Pansy screeched as she stood up from her seat and walked over to the railings to glare furiously up at Aria's form in the air. "Potter, I don't know if you remember this, but my brother has a heart condition! He can't go around flying like that—"

"Yes, I can." Corey cut her off, turning around to give her a miffed glare. "Aria's actually been helping me with my flying after every DADA tutoring lesson." He told her.

"She's been—what?!"

Pansy snarled as she rounded on Aria again; and Draco couldn't help smirking as he watched Aria hastily move away. Instead of backing down, however, Aria just shrugged and met Pansy's irate expression with a defiant look.

"Well, in my defense, Parkinson, Corey did tell me that even his Healer says that playing quidditch isn't bad for his condition. I think you're just being way too overprotective of him." Aria pointed out.

"Overprotective?! You reckless harpy—"

"I'm not a harpy!"

"Potter, he's my brother—"

"Okay, okay." Neville reached over and placed a hand on Pansy's shoulder, carefully pulling her away from Aria before a fight broke out. When Pansy just scowled and glared accusingly at him, Neville offered her a disarming smile. "Look, Pans, I think ultimately, the decision is up to Corey here. If he wants to play, then you should let him play. Besides, if he and Aria have been flying for weeks now and there hasn't been any negative impact on him, then don't you think it's fine? I mean, if his healer did say it would be safe, then there should be no reason to worry." He reasoned calmly.

"I agree." Draco drawled, still smirking as he flew closer towards them. "If Corey survived flying around with Potter, of all people, then he should be able to handle a few hours during the match. Besides, we're all up there with him anyway, we can keep an eye on him." He told her.

Pansy hesitated, but Draco could tell from the way her expression had softened that she was beginning to relent.

"I—I suppose...But only if you all promise not to let anything happen to him—"

Aria didn't even wait for Pansy to finish as she raised a hand up into the air.

A few seconds later, another Nimbus 2001 came flying all the way across the other side of the field towards them, and Aria grinned as she caught it easily in her hand. Draco waited until she offered the broom's handle out to Corey before he shrugged and rewarded the younger Slytherin with a knowing smirk.

"What do you say, kid? You want to help us win the championship?" He asked.

Corey jumped out of his seat and snatched the Nimbus 2001 from Aria's outstretched hand.

"Let's go kick some Gryffindor ass!"

By some stroke of luck (or fate, as Aria knew Draco and the rest of her teammates would have preferred to believe), Slytherin actually made a complete turn-around during the latter half of the match.

In the end, Slytherin ended up winning the championship against Gryffindor.

Despite being the youngest member of their team, Corey was an incredibly skilled Chaser and an even more exceptionally skilled flyer. And it was obviously noticeable enough that Zach (who ended up being the replacement commentator in Finch-Fletchley's place) had smugly announced to everyone that in a few years, Corey could very well give both Aria Potter and Ginny Weasley a run for their money.

At the thought of Ginny, Aria couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt.

She remembered the last ten minutes of the match.

Gryffindor and Slytherin had reached a stalemate in their scores; so the only deciding factor left in the game was dependent on which team's Seeker could find the snitch first. By then, Aria realized that the only way she'd be able to catch the snitch with Ginny hot on her tail was to feign a very sharp, dangerously vertical dive towards the ground.

As expected, Ginny had dived down after her; and that was when Aria released her wings for a split, half-second, not long enough for people to notice but certainly long enough that she was able to use them to propel herself back up without losing her speed or momentum. And while Ginny was busy trying not to crash into the ground, Aria took advantage of her distraction and made a direct beeline for the snitch.

The entire Slytherin side of the stands had erupted into cheers and screams after that.

As soon as Zach had announced that Slytherin had won the quidditch championship, Aria found herself immediately crushed right in the center of a group hug by all of her sweaty, male teammates. When her veela senses became too overwhelmed by all the different male scents, she gagged and tried to wrestle herself away, only for Draco to laugh as he caught her wrist and yanked her back into the circle, pulling her face down against his neck so that it was only his scent she could smell.

Blaise had immediately jumpstarted a big celebratory house party after the match.

Once the students from the other houses exited the stands, and after the Slytherins kicked out all the reporters and journalists hoping to get an interview with Aria, they set up a massive tent in the middle of the quidditch field. It should have been a bad idea, given the fact that it was still winter and all, but after Blaise and Pansy finished casting all of the necessary warming charms around the tent (Morag also set up a few impressive wards to keep out any nosy reporters), they barely felt the effects of having their post-quidditch celebration outdoors in the middle of the cold, snowy field.

It was much later that evening, while Draco, Blaise and the other members of the quidditch team were busy drinking and laughing with the rest of their housemates, when Aria excused herself from the group and walked over to the more secluded side of the tent.

She sat down on one of the empty tables near the back, smirking as she watched Hannah flirting with Austin Flint a few meters away. Pansy and Morag were with her, both girls looking completely worn-out as they tried to keep Hannah from molesting Austin in public. Luckily, Austin didn't seem to mind Hannah's drunken advances either way, and when Hannah giggled and clutched onto his arm, Austin just grinned and introduced her to the rest of his friends.

Shaking her head, Aria was just about to go over to the refreshment table to get another bottle of butterbeer when a familiar voice suddenly called out to her from behind. She turned around slowly and blinked when she found herself staring up at Zach's friendly grin. He handed her the extra bottle of butterbeer in his hand.

Aria accepted it with a grateful nod, and she moved aside to let him settle down into the seat beside her. They sat in companionable silence for awhile, quietly drinking their butterbeer as they watched the rest of their housemates dancing around the field to some music device that Blaise had set up somewhere in the middle of the tent.

Eventually, Zach spoke up.

"That was some impressive flying you did out there, Potter."

Aria frowned at the strange, deceptively innocent tone of his voice.

"Er...Thanks."

Zach smirked at her before taking another sip from his drink.

"I meant your veela wings, actually."

He chuckled when Aria immediately began choking on her drink and continued, turning to her and meeting her stunned expression with a mischievous wink. "I'm not judging you or anything, by the way. I mean, it would have been virtually impossible to pull out that smoothly from a dive like that otherwise, right?"

"Oh good god." Aria groaned as she turned away from him and closed her eyes, covering her face with her hands. "Was it really that obvious?"

"To anyone else? I doubt it." Zach shrugged at her, his lips twitching upwards into another grin. "Despite not being talented in the damn sport myself, I do come from a quidditch-inclined family after all, so I kind of have an eye for these things. I doubt anyone else would have noticed."

Despite herself, Aria noticed the lingering bitterness in Zach's voice and reached out, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. "I'm not sure if anyone else has asked you this already but I'll ask anyway. And no, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

She waited until Zach met her gaze before she continued.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'll be alright." Zach managed an embarrassed laugh and looked away to hide his blush. "Besides, like I said, just because I'm rubbish at quidditch, I still have a pretty damn good eye for it. So a friend of mine says he might be able to get me a job as a professional quidditch announcer after we graduate."

Aria grinned back at him before pulling her hand away.

"That's great, Zach. I'm happy for you."

Zach inclined his head at her in a brief nod before he leaned back against his seat and took another sip from his drink. "And don't worry, by the way. I won't tell anyone about your secret; or that you cheated."

Aria flinched at his words.

"Most especially Ginny Weasley. I think she was really distraught that you beat her."

"I did not cheat." Aria retorted hotly, her cheeks flushing with shame as she glared indignantly at him. "There's absolutely nothing in the rulebook that says I can't use any part of my body to help me maneuver myself properly in the air."

"Spoken like a true Slytherin."

Zach snickered at her affronted expression. He stood back up and patted her mockingly on the shoulder.

"Like I said, Potter. I won't tell."

He gave her one last wink and smirk before he walked off, leaving Aria fuming as she glared irritably after his retreating back.

Zach eventually re-joined the loud, cheering horde of Slytherins gathered in the middle of the tent; and after a few minutes of Aria watching him and Neville get goaded into another ridiculous drinking contest against Blaise and Draco, she shook her head and let out an amused chuckle.

While everyone was distracted, Aria quietly slipped away from the crowd and made her way up to the very top of the quidditch stands.

The silence that greeted her was oddly comforting; and she eventually sank down into one of the empty seats. Tucking her legs under her lap, she wrapped her arms around herself and stared down at the field with a contemplative look on her face.

More than a couple of minutes went by; and Aria was so lost in her own thoughts that it took her awhile to notice that someone had sat down into the seat beside her. She didn't have to look up to know who it was, however, because the touch of his hand on her leg and the warm press of his lips against her nape was enough for her to know that it was Draco.

She looked up slowly, meeting his worried look with a sheepish grin.

Draco rolled his eyes at her and scooted closer, taking a sip from the bottle of firewhiskey in his hand before he arched an eyebrow and offered it to her. She took the bottle and obliged him with a long, satisfying sip. As Aria felt the liquid burning a trail down her throat, she passed the bottle back to him and swallowed slowly before leaning her head against Draco's shoulder.

"Why are you out here by yourself?" He asked quietly, sliding an arm around her waist and drawing her closer against him. "It's bloody freezing."

"Just thinking."

Frowning, Draco slid his cloak off and draped it carefully around her shoulders. When he took his wand out afterwards and cast a warming charm on them both, Aria laughed and lifted her head to give him a playful smile.

"You know, Malfoy, if I had known that letting you into my pants was the way to get you to be this nice to me, we might not have fought so much as we did back then." She teased.

"Shut up, Potter."

Draco huffed at her words but instead of retorting, he pulled her against him instead, adjusting their position so that she was sitting between his legs and her back was resting against his chest. When she melted against him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and snuggled against her, leaning down so that his chin rested against her shoulder.

They stayed in that position, nestled closely together as they watched the rest of the Slytherins still celebrating down by the field. Every now and then, they took turns drinking from the bottle of firewhiskey Draco had brought with him; and when Aria finished the bottle, Draco gripped her chin and turned her head to the side, pressing his mouth against hers so that the last few drops of the firewhiskey left a tingling, burning sensation on their tongues as they kissed.

Aria could tell that Draco was a little drunk, if not tipsy, by his blown pupils and the way he was being more handsy than usual, but she didn't mind. They eventually pulled away before things got too heated, but Aria shivered when she felt Draco's warm hand climb up into her shirt, lazily groping and feeling his way around before eventually settling against her chest with all the smug, self-satisfaction of someone who was so unrepentantly sure of what was his.

And Aria knew she was in deep right then, because although Draco didn't know it yet, she was his now. She was hopelessly and pathetically and completely his; and Aria wasn't even talking about her veela self anymore.

That realization stunned her more than she cared to admit.

"Is everything okay?"

Draco's voice broke Aria out of her thoughts. She blinked and turned her head to the side, meeting his gaze with a smile.

"It's nothing." She removed her gloves and placed one hand on top of the one he had inside her shirt, her fingers tracing the back of his palm. "I was just lost in thought."

"About?" Draco pressed another kiss against her neck.

"A lot of things." Aria answered, leaning back against him and lifting her gaze up to stare at the night sky with a pensive look on her face. "I was just thinking about how wonderful this all is. Just...being normal for once. No threat of the war hanging over our heads. No questions of loyalties or prophecies or blood purity tearing people apart from their friends or family."

She chuckled and turned around to face him, giving him a small, self-conscious smile.

"I was just thinking about how nice it feels to be so carefree and happy for a change. I...never had this."

At her words, Draco's expression softened.

Instead of saying anything, he pulled her closer, burying his face into her neck to hide his reaction. It was a long time before either of them spoke again after that, but eventually, it was Draco who broke the silence first.

"Aria?"

He was pale and trembling as he pulled away from her and gently turned her around to face him. Aria watched as he swallowed nervously and lowered his gaze, staring very intently at their intertwined hands.

"I'm madly in love with you."

Draco's voice was unusually small and meek as he spoke, and the way he couldn't seem to meet her eyes as he said this — as though he genuinely expected her to laugh in his face and send him away — caused the corner of Aria's eyes to sting and her chest to ache with so much raw emotion that she almost pulled away.

His hand tightened desperately around hers as he continued.

"You're my Dream Girl; you always have been. And during the war, when my life was so terrible and every day, I kept thinking I was going to die at the hands of the Dark Lord, all I thought about to get me through it all...was you. That you were going to win; and that you were strong enough to survive all this. And I knew you would. Even if I was on the wrong side, I knew you would win."

Draco's hand shook as he reached out and cupped her face, using his thumb to gently brush her cheek.

"I love you."

Aria stared back at him, her eyes wide and her features frozen in a pained smile because for the life of her, she never thought she could feel this many emotions all at once.

She was drowning, overwhelmed by so much happiness that she realized she was also scared; so excruciatingly terrified of what would happen — that something horrible would take all this way from her again; take him away from her — if she admitted to herself just how much she needed him too.

I love you.

Aria shook her head and closed her eyes, unable to make her lips form the words.

She couldn't.

And she felt even worse because Draco seemed to understand.

Her heart clenched at the hurt look on his face, but before Aria could say anything, Draco managed to force out a sad smile. He shook his head and reached out, taking both of her hands in his.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything."

When Aria stared back at him with wide, glassy green eyes, Draco lifted her hands up to his lips, pressing a soft, reassuring kiss onto the back of her palms.

"I'll wait."

Chapter Text

Draco stared intently at his reflection in the full-length mirror.

He raked a hand through his blond hair a few times, styling it carefully with gel until he was satisfied that it fell perfectly over his eyes. Afterwards, he adjusted the cufflinks on the sleeves of his coat, fastening them securely over his wrists.

"You're looking sharp."

He looked up to see Zach exit the bathroom and make his way over to his bed on the opposite side of the room. Unlike Draco, who had chosen to wear mostly black that evening, Zach's dress robes were a deep blue color. As soon as he reached his dresser, Zach stood in front of his mirror and began fidgeting with his tie.

Draco glanced at him and arched an eyebrow.

"I never got to ask — who are you going with tonight?"

"Demelza Robbins." Zach answered him just as Blaise (who looked annoyingly immaculate in an expensive set of black and gray dress robes) strode into the room.

"That Chaser girl in Gryffindor with the insanely strong throw?" Blaise shook his head and pretended to give Zach a serious look. "You should probably keep your hands to yourself tonight. I should know, she hit me several times in the crotch during the match."

"You'd better make sure it still works then." Draco mocked.

"It seemed to be working just fine with Potter last night."

"Oh fuck you, Blaise."

Zach rolled his eyes at them and shrugged himself into his long coat.

"Demelza happens to be very sweet and pretty and I just might score tonight, if you know what I mean." He winked at them and walked out of the room, leaving Blaise and Draco smirking after his retreating back.