The Era of Aria Snape

99

Chapter Ninety-Nine

THE FIRST TOPIC that the new students would be going over was how to cure werewolf bites. As Professor Snape droned on to the first years, Aria took precise notes. Her father seemed more than happy to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, although he had zero mercy when it came to the students. He had already made a Hufflepuff girl cry.

The lesson was halfway finished when Snape turned to Aria. "I've left a set of my quills in the Potions classroom. Fetch them for me?"

Aria stood up, happy to be of help, and hurried out of the room. The first years all appeared to be scared of her and her father, for some stupid reason. It wasn't as if she hadn't tried to smile at all of them when they walked into the classroom.

She remembered her first year at Hogwarts, it was a faint memory. A prefect had given her detention on the very first day. She had later hexed them.

Aria found herself outside of her father's old classroom. She could hear the low lecture of a professor from inside. If she was right, Professor Slughorn had taken over as Potions Master.

She let herself into the room, startling the old man, but a smile soon formed on his face. "Snape!" He grinned. "Come along here and smell this for us."

Aria scrunched up her face. "What is it?"

Draco was across the room, eyeing her. He sent her a nasty glare and turned his attention elsewhere.

"Let's just see what you smell." He lifted a small cauldron to her face as Hermione grimaced at her. Aria only hoped it wouldn't turn her into some sort of reptile. She took a whiff of the pink potion and thought for a moment.

She recognized the potion, but she couldn't remember exactly what it was.

"Well?" The Professor urged.

"I smell cologne, expensive cologne. And mint, yes mint toothpaste and citrus. Parchment and..." Apples.

Her eyes darted to Draco and then to the Professor. "What potion is this?"

"Amortentia." He smiled and lowered the cauldron. "I was just explaining to my students how this potion works. It smells different to every one according to what they are attracted to."

Aria's eyes turned to slits. Although Draco was under an extreme amount of stress he still managed to muster up his usual smug expression. A welcome contrast from how he'd looked at her when she'd come in, but she didn't show that it affected her.

She shook her head and sighed. "My father left some quills here." She looked around at Slughorn's desk.

"Oh yes." He handed them to her, appearing to want to say something else, but he waved it off as she left the classroom and returned to her one, half embarrassed and half annoyed.

She would never be able to live that down, Malfoy would remind her every chance he got.

And so he did.

Classes finished that day and Aria was exhausted after having taught, or at least tried to teach, a second-year class. They were incompetent and there was nothing worse than stupid people.

He leaned against the wall outside the Slytherin common room, smirking as Aria approached. "Professor." He greeted, mocking her.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

Draco grabbed her arm as she walked past. "Not so fast." He laughed.

She stopped and glared at him. "What do you want?"

"You love me."

"What?" Aria snapped, feeling her face heat up.

"Don't bother denying it, Snape. That potion gave it away, not that I didn't know already."

"Oh, you know nothing."

"That's not very professional of you."

She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "How's your task coming along?"

"Trying not to think about it."

"You have to think about it."

He sighed. "Honestly, you'd think he'd given you the task the way you stress over it."

A group of Slytherin girls walked past into the common room, giggling amongst themselves. Aria and Draco looked in opposite directions, trying their best to look innocent. Once the coast was clear, they resumed their conversation.

"I only care about your safety."

"You mean you care about me." He smirked.

"I didn't say that."

"Admit it."

He stared at her intensely. "Alright, fine!" She huffed. "I care about you. That doesn't matter now, though. I'm your professor. It's against the rules."

"When have you ever given a damn about rules?"

Aria was at a loss for words. He was right, she'd never cared about the rules, so why was she following this one?

He kissed her, but she quickly stepped away. "Are you insane? Anyone can see us!"

"Take me to your room, then."

She snorted. "As if. Just focus on your bloody task and I'll do my best to help you, aside from that, we shouldn't speak."

And so the weeks went on, Draco and Aria would occasionally speak to each other, she was close to determining a way to bring the Death Eaters into the castle, but she hadn't yet decided what to do and aside from that, she was becoming a greater professor with each day that passed.

One afternoon, she had a sixth-year class to teach and as much as she tried to avoid communicating with Draco during lessons, this time it was absolutely necessary.

He was sitting near the back of the class with Parkinson, playing footsie. Aria wasn't aware of which one of the two had started that little game, although she was sure it was the girl. Malfoy seemed to be enjoying it far too much. She hadn't seen him smile much, if at all for almost the entire year, but now he had a sly grin on his face that Aria believed needed wiping off.

Aria crossed her arms. "Am I interrupting you two?"

Pansy's eyes shot to the front of the classroom, her cheeks gaining a slight pink tint. "No, sorry Professor."

"Seeing as you know enough to not pay attention in my class, you won't mind sharing your knowledge of an Inferi then. Go ahead, to the front of the classroom."

"But—"

"I said to the front!" Aria snapped and stood to the side as Pansy ambled forward.

"Go on then. Repeat everything I just said."

The brunette girl stood still in the front, looking at the floor and twidling her thumbs behind her back. Aria glared at her and after a moment sighed.

"I didn't think so." She spat. "Ten points from Slytherin, each." She sent a glare to Draco. "Perhaps next time, Ms. Parkinson, you'll think twice about misbehaving while I'm teaching?"

She said nothing.

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good. Now sit, right here." She pointed to a desk right in the front, close enough so that she wouldn't bother Draco anymore and far enough so that she wouldn't have to deal with her foul stench.

Her father soon arrived and dismissed the class, congratulating Aria on yet another successful lesson.

"You're cute when you're jealous," Draco whispered as he slinked past her. 

All she could do was glare because he was exactly right — she had been jealous.