The Era of Aria Snape

113

Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen

WHEN ARIA AWOKE she was lying on a soft bed, she looked outside - the sky was still dark. She didn't know how much time had passed, but it couldn't have been a lot.

She recognized the room, it was her old dorm from when she had taught as a professor at Hogwarts. Some of her old things still littered the shelves and in the cupboard she spied some clothing.

No one was with her, she hoped her father was okay, and Draco. She hadn't seen Draco in hours, he wasn't in the Great Hall when she had been.

Outside, she could hear screaming and shouting, explosions and heavy thuds, there was chanting, spells and curses colliding. Glass shattered somewhere nearby. There was not one moment of silence.

The war had started. Harry must have still been alive, then. She hoped she could say the same for the people she cared for.

As Aria stood, it became very apparent that her back was in continuous pain, so much so that she had to sit down again. She needed the toilet as well.

Aria left her room, wandering down the half-crumbled hallway, avoiding pieces of rock that fell from the cracked walls and glass shards from the windows. The portraits were empty, no one left to glare at her.

She wondered who was winning.

The question didn't bother her for long as stepped outside, Death Eaters had swarmed the grounds. A giant stood, slashing about his weapon and right in the midst of it, running as usual, were Harry and his friends. She followed them. There was no way that he was going to get away this time.

Aria didn't have the worries that they did, no spiders or giants were trying to kill her as she strutted across the grounds, her black hair and dark cloak flowing in the winds as she moved towards them, wand in hand. She didn't need to run to catch them.

She stunned a few students who had tried to curse her. "Carpe Retractum!" She shot at another student, Katie Bell. A rope of light sped from Aria's wand and wrapped itself around Katie, pulling her in. "Nice seeing you again," Aria smirked and connected her fisted hand with Katie's jaw. "Bet you wish you hadn't tried to steal my boyfriend now, don't you?" Aria punched her again, keeping an eye on Potter and his friends. "You're only lucky I don't have the time to torture you." She threw Katie to the ground and spat on her. "Duro!" Aria watched as Katie's skin turned hard and eventually to stone. Katie Bell was frozen in place, a terrified look on her grey face. It was nothing if not a wonderful sight.

Unfortunately, Aria had more important matters to attend to. She spotted Potter and headed towards him, faster now. Down a narrow staircase that lead to only one place that Aria could think of: the boathouse. She couldn't imagine why they were headed down there, probably to hide, as he did best. The coward.

The stairs were a pain, Aria struggled to keep up, ignoring the pain in her back as she trudged down them, one by one, losing sight of Harry and his friends. Luckily, there was only one place they could be going to.

Out of breath and needing the toilet again, Aria finally reached the bottom and hurried after the trio.

She watched them crouch outside of the boathouse. They had stopped, so she did as well. Aria pressed her hands to her lower back, leaning into them to try and stop the pain. She tried rubbing her stomach to soothe the baby, she leaned forward, trying to catch her breath, but nothing would work.

She looked into the boathouse to try and distract herself from the pain and caught the familiar sight of her father. She breathed a sigh of relief, he was alive. She had wanted to run to him, to throw her arms around him and apologize for fighting with him before. As she stepped forward, Voldemort stepped into sight by her father and stopped her in her step.

Aria released a scream as her father fell to the floor, only muffled by her hands that cupped around her mouth as she sunk to her knees. Please don't be dead. She prayed to anyone that would listen.

Aria fought for the strength to stand to her feet, but once she could, it was then a fight to get them to move.

Her father's body thudded against the wall of the boathouse repeatedly. "Father, I'm coming." She tried to call, the pains in her back becoming worse as she tried to walk. Finally, he stopped. Voldemort stopped whatever brutal attack he had chosen and vanished.

Aria pushed past Harry to reach her father, using the last of her strength to pull herself to his side as she cradled his head. "Dad. Dad." She said as Harry crouched beside them. He begged Harry to take his tears while squeezing onto Aria's hand and not looking away from her eyes.

His eyes darted slowly between Aria and Harry. "You have your mother's eyes." He said. "Both of you." His eyes lingered on Aria. "I'm..." He let out a sigh. "Sorry." His head turned to the side, his breathing stopped and Aria felt a small piece of her heart die.

"Dad," she whispered. "Dad, please." She refused to let the tears fall. He wasn't dead. He couldn't be dead.

Nothing came of her pleading, Harry and his friends had to cover their ears as she screamed for her father.

Voldemorts voice filled their ears, but she could hardly hear it above her own loud thoughts and screams of sadness and terror at the man who lay dead before her.

"Aria, Aria, come on." Harry lifted her to her feet. "We have to leave."

She wanted to say no, to not leave her father, but no words came out of her mouth, all she felt was numb as Harry led her from the boathouse and back up to the school.

Her father was dead, and at that moment, when the realization set in, water began to flow from between her legs. She looked Harry dead in the eye, hardly able to stop herself from trying to kill him as she said, "The baby's coming."