The Era of Aria Snape

46

Chapter Forty-Six

THINGS, AS ARIA had presumed, had not changed upon arriving back at Hogwarts.

As she stepped into the Hogwarts Express and followed George to his usual compartment, an assortment of glares from multiple students with golden ties were shot in her direction, along with a string of nasty comments that had her reaching for her wand.

Aria realized that she didn't want to spend the first month of her fifth year in detention, so she refrained from cursing them, but sent George a nasty glare and told him to sit with his bloody Gryffindor friends while she went somewhere that she wouldn't be stared at like a Death Eater.

Eventually, after still searching for a place to sit even once the train had begun its journey, Aria spotted the platinum blond head of hair that she had so desperately been searching for.

She slid into the compartment, sitting in the empty seat across from Draco and taking in his appearance. Even while he was sitting, she noticed that he had grown significantly, his hair was different too. She wasn't sure she was sitting opposite the correct Malfoy. The smug grin on his face in response to her expression of awe told her that it was indeed Draco she was staring at.

"You look different." She said.

He shrugged, "I needed a new look." A moment of silence passed, "Snape, whatever happened to that promise you made to visit me?"

"Sorry, I was busy." The sound of the trolley approaching distracted her. "Give me some money."

"What for?"

"Quickly, Draco. I want a chocolate frog!"

With a displeased grunt, he handed Aria a few coins and allowed her to purchase whatever it was that she wanted. "I see you haven't changed a bit." He snapped once she had sat down. "Still demanding and still... Dating a Weasley."

"Still?" The short-haired girl beside Malfoy gasped. She instantly reminded Aria of Matilda. She chose to ignore her for that reason.

"Well, I see you haven't changed either. You're still bitter. If I was as single as you-"

He snorted and slung his arm across the girl to his left, "This is my new girlfriend."

Aria almost gasped. She didn't expect Malfoy to have such... poor taste. "Well, whatever makes you happy, Draco." She laughed and finished off the chocolate frog, receiving a glare from the blond.

No one spoke for the next few minutes, an awkward silence overcoming their compartment before the girl decided that the whole train needed to know she was cold.

Aria had to admit the sky had turned several shades darker and the window had even begun to frost over slightly. She had been about to mention it when the train came to a halt.

Her eyes instantly met Draco's, both laced with fear. Aria wanted to cry, she felt every bad memory she had rushing to the surface.

That time she had slipped and grazed her knee when she was younger, another when she had received her first detention, then when Cedric had cheated on her, the most prominent memory of when she was in the Chamber.

The longing to find her mother grew significantly... And then it was over.

Aria blinked and all her bad feelings sunk again, a few tears left her eyes, but that was the only proof she had to believe that what she had just felt was real.

"Did you... feel that too?" She whispered.

Draco nodded, "I did." His hand tightened around his girlfriend's. "And I did not appreciate it. Wait until my father hears about this."

Aria remembered what she had heard Arthur Weasley saying to Harry. Had this been the danger he was talking about?

With a shiver, Aria forced her attention to remain on her lap, now scared more than ever for the year ahead.