It had been a few days since the first Dark Arts lesson, the reality of their new life at Hogwarts well and truly having set in. The first years looked constantly terrified, walking through the castle corridors with their eyes cast downwards and their bodies trembling as they clutched their books to their chests. They didn't know the joy and wonder of exploring the grounds and learning new magic safely with their friends like the students before them had.
During a free period, Ariana sat in one of the courtyards with Lavender Brown, talking quietly with their Potions textbooks in front of them. The skies were clear, so there were several other students scattered about also.
Just as they were soaking up the small amount of warmth the sun was allowing them, a shadow was cast over them. Both girls looked up to see a now familiar Death Eater, Travers, standing above them.
"Why aren't you in class?" He asked, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Free period for study." Lavender replied, her voice small. Ariana nodded beside her.
Travers' eyes narrowed, his gaze lingering on the two of them for an uncomfortably long time. "You, blondie." He snapped his fingers and pointed to Lavender. "I wouldn't spend too much time around this one." He gestured towards Ariana. "The Commission will be coming for her soon. Surely you don't want to look like a blood traitor, right?"
Lavender pressed her lips into a thin line, her face reddening with anger. "I'd rather be a blood traitor than a blood purist."
Ariana's stomach dropped at her friend's response. She was suddenly filled with both pride and fear. She watched as Travers' face changed from amused to enraged, his mouth twisting in anger. He grabbed Lavender by the back her her head, his hand gripping her hair tightly. She let out a cry and Ariana jumped up, attempting to wrench his arms off of her.
"Fuck off!" He spat out, pushing Ariana off of him. "Listen, girl. You best watch yourself. Blood traitors are no better than half-bloods and mudbloods." Letting go of Lavender, he turned to Ariana, his wand pointed at her chest. "As for you-"
"Fucking hell, Travers. Is this seriously what your job is?"
All of their heads turned to face Draco, who stood nearby, flanked by Theo and Goyle, all three of them dressed in suits instead of their school uniforms. Ariana felt all the oxygen leave her body at the sight of him. He stood there, his hands on his pockets, a bored expression on his face. His clothes and hair were immaculate, and he looked a healthy weight again. It took everything in her not to run to him.
"Mind your business, Malfoy." Travers spat out, his wand still trained on Ariana.
"I just find it curious that your job was to find Potter, which you couldn't do. So now you're working with the Registration Commission and instead you're out here trying to prove to two girls how big your cock is. I don't think they believe you either, by the looks of it." Draco continued, not phased by Travers' order. Ariana was well aware that he had not glanced at her even once.
Travers turned away from her and focused his attention on Draco, somehow even angrier than before. "You think you're special or something, boy? You think because your daddy is at home with the Dark Lord you can talk to me however you like?"
Draco gave him a sarcastic smirk and nodded. "I do, actually."
Travers eventually stepped back from Draco, shaking his head and tutting. "You better watch yourself." He gestured towards Ariana and Lavender. "So, Head Boy, what are you gonna do with them, then?"
Draco scoffed, his lip curling. "What would I want with a blood traitor and a filthy half-blood?"
Ariana's blood ran cold at his words. He hadn't even looked at her, which had somehow hurt even more. He spoke of her with complete disgust, not even able to bring himself to glance at her for a moment. She watched as Goyle smirked beside him, and Theo remained expressionless.
They had changed.
The Malfoy's were hosting Voldemort in their Manor and Draco had changed because of it.
Ariana silently begged Draco to look at her, give her a sign that he was still there under that overconfident, smarmy expression.
Travers turned back to the girls, his face slightly red. "Get back to studying!" He barked at them before stalking off.
In the next moment, Draco, Theo, and Goyle had also turned to leave, not giving Ariana or Lavender a second thought. Ariana rushed forwards to clutch Lavender, not allowing herself to cry in front of anyone, especially Draco.
*****
A couple weeks went by, and a 'safe place' was developed by students. The Room of Requirement became a haven for students to get away from Death Eaters, a lot of people resorting to sleeping in there and even skipping classes.
The corridors had quickly become vandalized and unsafe, so it was rare to find anyone loitering around between classes.
Not everybody knew about the set up the Room of Requirement had provided, the room seemingly not presenting itself to those in favour with the Death Eaters. Beds, hammocks, and sleeping bags had been scattered around the large room for students, giving them a place to hide when their dorms weren't safe.
Draco had slept terribly since that day in the courtyard; having to refer to Ariana as a filthy half-blood had killed a part of him, and he couldn't even tell her it was all an act. He'd barely seen her since then. He had only glimpsed her in classes, hidden behind her long hair, her tiny frame trembling.
Where did she go in between classes? She was never in the Great Hall. Never the Library. He never saw her in the courtyard again. She and her friends had disappeared from the halls.
It had started to agitate him, because he knew she was in the school, and he couldn't see her. It was his own fault.
On Friday evening, Ariana was leaving a late detention with Alecto Carrow that she had shared with multiple other students. She had received the detention for refusing to used the Cruciatus Curse on first year students. She had been left with 'I will learn my place' and 'diluted blood' up her left arm, courtesy of the Blood Quills that were now regularly used within the school.
As she quickly walked through the halls, she held a conjured gauze to her forearm to slow the bleeding, tears pricking the corners of her eyes from the stinging. Ariana couldn't get to the Room of Requirement quick enough, knowing there were several students there who were experienced with healing spells who could help her.
As she turned a corner, her stomach plummeted as she nearly ran straight into Amycus Carrow. All she could do was plead with herself to remain calm; she couldn't take anymore harassment from Death Eaters.
"Winters." He began, a smile spreading across his face. "What a nice surprise. Why are you out so late."
Ariana kept her head down and held our her arm to him. "Just finished detention."
"But your common room is in the opposite direction." He stated, a patronizing tone in his voice.
Knowing she had to think on her feet, Ariana spoke quickly. "I'm bleeding pretty heavily, so I was just going to the closest bathroom."
Before she realized what was going on, Amycus had put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him. "Pretty. I should have you for detention in my office sometime." His eyes dropped from her face down to her chest, then trailed down to her bloody arm. "Pity you're a half-blood. I guess we could keep it a secret."
Ariana kept her eyes locked on his, refusing to let him scare her. She knew there was nothing she could do in this situation, so all she could do was pray he get bored of her and leave.
"Evening, Amycus."
That voice would have once brought her such peace, such a feeling of safety. Now Ariana didn't know how to feel.
"Malfoy, good to see you." Amycus said, his hand not moving from Ariana's chin.
Draco walked into her view, his expression as bored as always. It's like he didn't even notice she was there. "Who's your friend?" He asked without looking at her.
"Ah, little half-blood bitch I met on the first night." He explained, gripping her face tighter in his hand. "Think she likes me. She's a mess though." He gestured towards her arm that was quickly bleeding through the gauze and through her fingers.
Draco scoffed. "Disgusting, don't get her blood on your robes. Look, your sister was just leaving her office. I can take the girl and make sure she's not wandering the halls."
Amycus let go of Ariana and turned to Draco, slapping a hand to his shoulder. "Ah, I knew Head Boy duties would grow on you." He laughed loudly. "Don't get her blood on you either. The girl's bathroom is just down there."
Draco gave him a quick nod before finally looking at Ariana, his face shifting completely. "Move it."
She thought she would be rooted to the spot, but hearing Amycus' footsteps walking away in the opposite direction, her legs began moving of their own accord, making their way towards the empty girl's bathroom.
Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Ariana stepped inside and stopped, the large bathroom empty, the familiar sounds of dripping water echoing off the walls and floor. She heard Draco's footsteps behind her, the corridors outside now completely silent. Her heart thudded and she could hear her blood rushing in her ears. She hadn't been alone with Draco in months and she no longer knew him. He was dangerous.
Feeling her head spinning and blood seeping through her fingers, tears began spilling on to her cheeks. She couldn't do this.
Ariana felt the loose hair from her braid swept off her shoulder, the air on her neck giving her goosebumps. She was surrounded by his scent again and she couldn't breathe. The gentlest glide of a thumb down her neck and jawline.
"It's okay, love." She heard him whisper. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you."
Ariana froze, unsure whether she had imagined him whispering to her out of pure desperation. It was as if she couldn't even trust her own mind anymore. All she wanted was to go back in time and be with Draco again, to have what they once had together.
She hadn't even realized how bad she was trembling. Her hands and fingers felt numb, she was dizzy, her blood began to cover the stones underneath her.
"Ariana." Draco's voice sounded far away.
She let out a sob, the sound of it echoing around them. "I miss you-" She managed to choke out.
Before she could think, Draco was in front of her, his hands on either side of her face, his lips on hers. Her senses were drowning in him again and she knew she had to be dreaming. This was a new and cruel type of punishment that the Death Eaters had come up with. There was no way after all this time she was standing in this bathroom, kissing Draco Malfoy again. The place they always seemed to come back to one another, where each of them had now bled.
After all this time, it wasn't possible.
Gasping for air, Ariana pulled back to look at Draco to see if he was real. But before she could, her legs gave way and everything went blank.
*****
Draco had learned some basic healing spells during his time away from school. Enough to stop and replenish the blood from a Blood Quill. The words would have to fade and disappear on their own.
I will learn my place.
Diluted blood.
Rage had become such a familiar emotion inside of him recently. He wanted to tear every Death Eater, the Carrows especially, from limb to limb with his bare hands. For everything they had done to Ariana, for how they had forced him to behave around her.
Anti-apparition wards were still in effect on the school, but not for Death Eaters. Draco was the only student in the school who was a Death Eater, so he could apparate and disapparate as he pleased. So, after he had cleaned up Ariana's arm, he held on to her and apparated with her into his dorm room.
"What the fuck?" Blaise said, jumping from his bed.
"She got hurt pretty bad in detention. I managed to get Amycus to leave her alone with me, but she passed out." Draco explained, laying her on his bed.
Blaise rushed over to look at Ariana, his eyes wide. "You probably scared the shit out of her."
"Shut up man, I know!" Draco shouted. "I fucking kissed her instead of healing her straight away, I'm a fucking git."
Blaise hesitated before snorting with laughter. "The girl is bleeding to death and you kiss her? Bloody hell, mate."
"She wasn't bleeding to death!"
Suddenly, Ariana stirred before opening her eyes and glancing around. She was clearly confused before her gaze landed on both Draco and Blaise and she let out a small gasp.
"Ariana, wait." Draco began.
She sat up, clearly too quickly, because she swayed slightly and had to steady herself. "I'm sorry." She whispered, swinging her legs off the side of the bed. "I shouldn't be here."
"Whoa, whoa." Draco held his hands out to halt her. "I brought you here. You passed out."
Ariana sat there, slowly processing his words. She blinked in confusion, her face seemingly permanently etched in fear.
"I'll give you kids some space." Blaise said, opening the door and stepping out. "It's good to see you again, Winters."
After Blaise had closed the door behind him, Ariana sat on the bed, her eyes adverted from Draco as if she was expecting him to yell at her. The look on her face made Draco's heart ache and he knew he only had himself to blame for it. He sat down across from her on Theo's bed, moving slowly as if he'd startle her.
"Ariana?" He began.
"Did I imagine what happened in the bathroom?" She asked him suddenly. "Please tell me I didn't."
Her question surprised Draco, but he was glad she asked it. "You didn't." He replied immediately.
Drawing in a shuttered breath, Ariana narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"
Leaning in closer to her, Draco reached out and gently touched her hands with his own. "I'm so sorry. I've been trying to protect you. I didn't want them knowing how I felt about you."
Ariana stared at him, flinching at his touch. "Ignoring me? Calling me a filthy half-blood? What do you mean 'how you feel about me'? I don't know how you feel about me, anymore."
Draco felt a rush of adrenaline within him all of a sudden. It pushed him off the bed and towards her. Sitting beside her, he took both of her hands in his, leaned forward, and kissed her again, deeply. He had missed her so desperately, his hands aching to touch every part of her. He felt her kiss him back, her body still tense, but slowly starting to relax.
Pulling back from her, his lips brushing against hers, he couldn't let her leave and be confused about his feelings for her ever again.
"I have thought about you every moment of every day." He began, their foreheads pressed together and hands clasped tightly. "I missed you from the moment you left this dorm room on the last day we saw each other. I dream about us running away from all of this and starting a new life." He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, feeling Ariana grip his hands tighter. "I couldn't risk anyone finding out that I'm in love with you."
Draco could feel wetness against his face, and it took him a moment to realize that Ariana was crying, her tears falling on to both of their cheeks. He softly and slowly placed kisses on the side of her mouth as she cried, still processing his confession. He didn't deserve her acceptance or forgiveness, but he prayed for it, nonetheless.
"I thought I'd lost you to this war." She finally said, her voice small.
Draco shook his head, biting his bottom lip in an effort not to cry also. "I was worried we wouldn't have a choice."
As he used his thumb to wipe a fresh tear from her cheek, Ariana gripped his wrist with her small hand, just like she had months and months ago in the girl's bathroom and fixed her gaze on him. "I love you, too."
Draco felt as if he could either collapse in on himself with relief or launch himself at her, intent on tasting every inch of her. He couldn't decide what was more appropriate. All he knew was that he had never felt more whole or had more purpose now, than he had had in his entire life.
In the same breath, he'd never felt so scared.
*****
After a few hours of the two of them simply laying together and being around one another again, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Draco called out, both of them sitting up.
The door opened and Theo stuck his head in, his eyes immediately landing on Draco and Ariana on the bed. He grinned. "You're finally back in here."
Ariana smiled, jumped to her feet and darted towards Theo. He opened his arms and hugged her tightly as she wrapped her arms around his middle.
"I didn't even get that kind of a greeting." Draco grumbled, getting to his feet.
"I didn't insult her." Theo teased as Ariana released him.
She grinned up at him, grateful to see his face again. "How have you been?" She asked, her eyes studying him for any injuries.
Theo's face fell slightly at her concern. "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me." He gently picked up her bandaged arm. "Blaise told me what happened."
Ariana ducked her head slightly, again pushing the thought of her arm to the back of her mind. "Draco cleaned it up for me."
Giving her a warm smile, Theo nodded and gestured towards Draco who was watching on, a worried expression on his face, as if he thought Ariana would suddenly panic and dart out of the room. "He got decent with dealing spells over the break."
Ariana turned to Draco, relief washing through him as she smiled. "How?"
He knew this moment would come. Their time apart had been full of things he wouldn't have even been able to imagine three months ago, and how he had to explain it all to her.
"We've got a lot to catch up on."