Innocent | d. malfoy

- twenty six -

A/N- ISTG THIS CHAPTER GOES FROM 1-100 REAL FAST

-

Aria Rowen

"Where've you been?"

I took my seat at the dinner table, giving a small smile to my friends. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with us... we're not as stupid as you think we are," Dylan rolled her eyes at me as she spoke, viciously stabbing at her dinner.

"Wait— I'm lost. What's happening?" Jenna leaned over, awkwardly laughing as her gaze drifted between me, Indy, and Dylan.

Indy gave a loud huff. "She means that Aria... disappeared... after that fight in the common room—"

"What fight?" Jenna's slow mind took in all of the information.

"Are you oblivious to everything? We were just talking about it before Aria showed up!" Indy playfully smacked Jenna on the head, but it didn't. make the situation any less gloomy.

"You mean the one between Malfoy and Carrow? I'd barely call that a fight... from what I've heard it sounded like Malfoy beat the shit out of Luke before he even got the chance to respond," Jenna rolled her eyes as I awkwardly stared down at my plate.

"Anything you'd like to tell us, Aria?" It was Dylan's turn to interrogate me, making me wish I'd never come to dinner.

"Nope," I gave my blunt reply as I picked through my food with my fork.

"You sure?" Dylan leaned closer. "-Because it didn't seem like nothing when Blaise and I had to restrain Malfoy from killing Carrow for laying his hands on you—"

"What?" Indy raised her voice slightly as she placed both hands on the table. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you would've been mad—"

"Aria—" Dylan re-entered our conversation. "—don't you dare change the topic. Where did Malfoy take you—"

"Malfoy took her somewhere?"

"Yes, Jenna. Get with it," Dylan snapped back at her, making her flinch slightly.

"You three are delusional because nothing happened—"

"You, Aria Rowen, are a fucking liar," She gave an out-of-breath laugh, not believing one thing I was saying.

I scoffed and stood up. "I'm leaving."

"The hell you are not! You can't keep lying to us!" Dylan stood from her seat as well, which only resulted in Indy and Jenna standing up too.

I ignored their calls and calmly exited the Great Hall, but that didn't stop them from following me.

"Aria talk to us—"

"What?" I turned around, crossing my arms to see that the three of them were all standing in the hallway behind me. "What the fuck is it that you want to know? Hm?"

Dylan froze, almost as if she didn't know what to do, say, or ask now that I was willing to tell them anything.

"I just... want to make sure you're okay—"

"Me? You want to make sure that I'm okay?" I snapped back.

"Well, Aria. He— he's a death eater—"

"Oh my fucking god. No, Dylan. You don't get to call me out if you haven't checked yourself first..." I placed my hands over my face, wishing that this could all stop. "What's Blaise then?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "He didn't get the mark. Only his parents. It's different—"

"No. No, it's not. What do you think is going to happen after we all graduate?" I looked at them all, not just Dylan.

They just stared at me as if I was crazy.

"Dylan, do you honestly think that you and Blaise are going to last? That you're going to take him back to The States? Introduce him to your muggle mother? If you think Draco's family is bad, then Blaise's is just as awful."

She stared at me blankly, not knowing how to respond.

"And Indy— you can't even sleep in your bedroom overnight— let alone live by yourself without fearing that your fucking ex-boyfriend is going to show up..." It was true— and it hurt to say it but someone had to eventually.

We couldn't keep living in some fucking dream world where we could pretend that everything was okay until it wasn't. "And you, Jenna. You could have such a beautiful life if you didn't keep trying to ruin it on purpose..."

She stared at me and I could see tears forming in her eyes. "Aria—"

"You aren't the same... none of us are..." I looked between the three of them, watching as Indy nodded, but Dylan and Jenna just looked at the floor.

A few more uncomfortable but needed minutes of silence passed before Jenna spoke again.

"I'm going to be so fucking honest when I say this," She took a deep breath and stepped forwards so that she was closer to me. "I didn't want to see any of you again. I didn't. Because if we all came back to this bloody school, then that would make it real. We are terrible for each other and you all know that," Her voice became higher with each word, and I could even see the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

Without saying anything else, Dylan left, grabbing Indy by the arm and dragging her away as she did so.

They left the hallway, leaving Jenna and I awkwardly standing next to each other.

It took a moment before Jenna scoffed and began to walk away too, and I was left alone.

I felt like crying— not from what just happened, but from the overwhelming point of exhaustion.

I didn't need them. I was fine on my own.

-

-

-