The Era of Aria Snape

104

Hey guys so I've been editing the other chapters recently and I thought that once I got to the chapters that were already in third person pov they wouldn't need to be entirely rewritten but boy was I wrong it's okay though I'm having a lot of fun rewriting scenes I've practically forgotten about :)

Chapter One Hundred and Four

"DID YOU DO it?" Aria whispered viciously as Draco passed her in the hallway.

"Yes." He said — she heard the tremble in his voice as he spoke. It was getting worse every day. She needed this to be over.

"Good. You'll see, everything will be fine now."

Aria had slipped the idea into Draco's head to just poison Dumbledore. She didn't know how he had done it or what method he had used, but rest assured, not even that old man could survive being poisoned.

She had a sixth-year class to teach in a moment — Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. The mere thought of the Weasleys bothered her, not to mention that she had to act civil towards Katie Bell, a girl she had hated for years now. Professors weren't allowed to be petty towards their students, however.

And yet, Aria found a way to make Katie's lessons hell without ever giving her anything to report to Dumbledore. No, she would simply give her the rusty cauldron or ask her questions out of the blue that had nothing to do with the topic. She could never answer them and made a fool out of herself in front of the whole class.

Today — and the past week — had been different. Harry seemed all too interested in Katie, never tearing his eyes from her for long. Aria knew it wasn't her place to ask, nor did she want to know if he had finally found a girlfriend but chosen the worst possible candidate.

She headed down to the Great Hall for lunch, swirling the vegetable soup with her spoon as she eyed all the students. Aria wondered if any amount of time sitting with the professors would be enough to make her forget that she used to sit at the Slytherin table.

She thought back to those days with Anna, who was now traveling apparently. Matilda, she had heard, was knocked up and Madison had married Gale in the spring, they had gone to live in the muggle world, or so she had heard. Needless to say, she stopped listening after that.

Aria's eyes went to the entrance as Draco stalked in. She could spot him from a mile away — he was as pale as the snow that fell outside and always looked as if he were about to cry. Aria's heart skipped in sadness every time she saw him and most of the time, had to fight back tears of her own. Seeing him fade away was breaking her.

He stopped in his tracks, she looked to where his eyes were directed before he hurried out of the Great Hall. Aria's eyes flickered between the blond and her brother, who followed him out shortly after he had left.

She wasted no time in following the both of them. Aria would be damned if her brother, who hardly bothered to acknowledge her existence these days, was going to give Draco a hard time. Perhaps things would have been different if he wasn't such a judgemental Gryffindor.

It wasn't long before she lost the two. Although nearby sounds of spells being fired reached Aria's ears. She hurried to the closest bathroom and forced her way in.

She fell to her knees as she walked in — Draco on the floor, the pool of blood he lay in staining his white shirt as the after-effects of whatever spell Harry had fired.

"Draco!" She wanted to touch him, cradle him and comfort him, but she didn't want to hurt him. Her hands gripped onto the roots of her hair to keep her from reaching for him. "Draco, it's okay."

The pained noises were almost enough for Aria to be sick. She felt nauseous at the sight of him. Fortunately, Professor Snape arrived in the bathroom moments later and ushered her out.

"Harry!" She snapped and stormed towards him. "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Nothing. He shot at me first."

"I don't see you bleeding."

"Why do you care so much?" Harry snapped. "You spend an awful amount of time with him, considering how terribly he treats me and my friends."

She snorted. "Why I spend time with him is none of your concern, but if you must know I'm helping him, with his lessons." And it wasn't as if Harry didn't spend time with people who treated Aria as if she were less than dirt.

"Oh please, everyone knows you two are shagging."

"Harry!" Aria gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She didn't know how he knew, but she only hoped that he was wrong about everyone knowing. She could lose her job. "You're way off." She spoke calmly to throw him off. "He and I were friends before I became a professor anyway. Am I not allowed to have friends, now?"

He adjusted his glasses. "I'm not stupid, Aria. Who you shag is none of my business, but I know there's more to it. I know you've somehow gotten yourself involved with You-Know-Who. I—"

She grabbed his face with her hand, blocking his next words as she squeezed his cheeks between her fingers. "I suggest you stop talking. You think you know everything. You know nothing!" She released his face harshly. "You think that being my brother means anything in the long run. You're wrong."

His hands hurried to the red marks on his cheeks she had just left. He shook his head. "You may be my sister, but you'll never be my family."

With those as Harry's last hurtful words, he walked away, sparing Aria one last glare. She leaned against the nearest wall, afraid she may fall over as a few tears slipped down her face.

Perhaps Harry was right. Perhaps all those Gryffindors were right. She was bad news, a born Death Eater and perhaps it was time to make good on those rumors.