The Era of Aria Snape

59

Chapter Fifty-Nine

ARIA HAD RUN into Malfoy as she had been subtly following Lupin and Sirius on the map and despite her numerous attempts to get away from him and continue her search, he persisted and on the grounds of trying to look as innocent as possible and not on the way to turn two people into Azkaban, she eventually gave in.

Crabbe and Goyle accompanied them as they ambled across the grounds and to the castle. Aria had glanced back numerous times at the setting sun that signaled just how much time she was losing.

"Buckbeak's going to be beheaded tonight," Draco spoke triumphantly from beside her.

"Oh." She couldn't think of much else to say that didn't include her telling him how disgusting his behavior was.

Crabbe and Goyle's reactions were those of amusement and they cheered at the announcement. Even if Aria was concerned with Draco's news, she wouldn't be able to find it in herself to celebrate the death of an animal, especially one so majestic. That, and her mind was elsewhere.

"Hagrid can't be too pleased," Aria mumbled. She tried to make conversation to distract from her growing aggravation.

"I don't give a damn." Malfoy snorted and spoke louder so that Crabbe and Goyle could hear. "Did you see the big, fat blubbering oaf? Oh, this is going to be rich. Did I tell you, Father said I can keep the head."

"I will never come to your house again," Aria warned, turning up her nose in disgust as she pictured the hippogriff's large head plastered on the wall of his living room.

Draco was about to reply, but he was immediately distracted by the appearance of Harry and his friends. Aria almost waved, but she stopped herself. Draco would most certainly not approve and that meant that the whole of Slytherin would not approve after he would surely go blabbing about it. Now that she suspected George was cheating, her house was what mattered. She didn't need to have enemies in every corner of Hogwarts.

Hermione raced forward and pointed her wand at Malfoy's neck. "You foul loathsome evil little cockroach!"

Aria found herself slightly amused by the creative name. She made a mental note of it. It wasn't a bad choice of words... for a Gryffindor at least.

Malfoy whimpered as she pressed the wand closer to his neck.

"What the bloody hell are you doing, Hermione?" Aria snapped upon seeing Draco's pale face lined with fear. She shoved the girl's wand away from his neck.

She liked Hermione, but no one disrespected Malfoy in front of her. No one.

Ron shot Aria a glare. "He's not worth it, Hermione."

Aria knew what that glare meant-it meant that the next time she spoke to George her standing up for Draco against Hermione would be brought up and there would be another fight about him. She internally sighed at the thought of what was sure to come.

"I thought George told you to stay away from him. You are such a Slytherin."

"Wha-" Malfoy's question was cut off by Hermione's right hook to his nose.

His head jerked backward on impact and although Aria assumed he was overreacting, as usual, his nose had begun to bleed.

They hurried him away from Potter and his friends, although Aria spared a glare of utter disgust in their direction before following Draco. She had half the mind to stay and punch Hermione in the face, but she didn't need another lecture from her boyfriend.

"Are you alright?" She forced Malfoys head back so that the blood from his nose wouldn't leak everywhere.

"What does it bloody look like, Snape?"

"It looks like you're overreacting, again."

"Your mudblood friend just physically abused me. Wait until my father hears about this."

"She's not my friend." Aria clarified. At least, not at the moment. The thought of Gryffindors and Weasley's and perfect Gryffindor girls on the Quidditch team who fancied George made Aria sick to her stomach. "And even if she was, I stood up for you! The least you could do is show me some bloody gratitude."

He snorted. You took the side of your fellow Slytherin one time. It's bad enough that you date outside your house-"

"Malfoy." Aria let out an incredulous laugh. "If you finish that sentence your nose won't be the only part of you that's bleeding."

He quietened down as the four of them proceeded back to the common room.

Throwing himself on the couch, Draco groaned.

"Why don't you go to the hospital wing like your beloved girlfriend?" Aria suggested and stared through the window. The sun was almost set and she had yet to track down Lupin.

"I'd rather die here than hear her fuss over me in there where I can't get away."

"Well, it sounds to me like your relationship is perfect." She muttered ironically. "And I'd love to hear more, but I have to be somewhere."

"Where are you going, Snape?" Draco sat up and arched a quizzical eyebrow. "It's almost curfew."

Surely a lie about George would get Malfoy off of her back. "I'm going to see my boyfriend."

Draco rolled his eye and lowered his head onto the back of the couch before mumbling, "He has a stupid haircut."

And with that, Aria slipped out of the common room, peeked at the map, and continued to follow Remus Lupin's footsteps that were now somewhere in Hogsmeade, somewhere that she dreaded. The Shrieking Shack.