On that fateful Halloween night, Lily and James survived while Voldemort apparently 'marked' Harry Potter as his equal.
Aria Potter, twin sister of the boy-who-lived was proclaimed a squib, abandoned by her family and given to the care of the Dursl...
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As soon as Aria stepped into the Slytherin common room, she was tackled by a blur of dark hair, accompanied by a high-pitched squeal.
"Aria!" Pansy shrieked, practically squeezing the life out of her in a tight embrace.
"Quiet, Pansy!" a voice barked from behind her. As Aria returned her friend's enthusiastic hug, she caught sight of none other than Draco Malfoy standing behind Pansy, his arms crossed but a relieved look on his face.
Blaise Zabini was next, stepping forward to wrap her in a more subdued hug, though his grip was firm with concern.
Pansy still didn't let her go, clutching onto her like she might disappear if she loosened her grip. "I missed you so much, Aria! Merlin, I can't believe you're here."
Aria managed a small smile, despite the exhaustion weighing her down. "I missed you too, Pansy."
"You didn't tell me you were bringing her!" Pansy hissed over her shoulder at Theo, who stood behind the group with a nonchalant grin.
He shrugged, clearly amused by the scene.
"Honestly, you could've warned me," she snapped, though her irritation was softened by the joy of having her friend back.
Draco, still standing with his arms crossed, finally spoke up. "You look like hell, Aria." Despite the blunt comment, there was an unmistakable concern in his voice.
"Thanks, Malfoy. Always know just what to say," Aria replied dryly, though her lips quirked up at the corners.
Blaise chuckled, giving Aria a once-over. "Seriously, though, it's good to see you. We've been hearing all sorts of things, but nothing's been clear. What the hell happened?"
Aria sighed, finally extracting herself from Pansy's clingy grip. "It's a long story. And I'm not even sure I have the energy to tell it right now."
"Come, let's go sit." Her friend pulled her into one of the Slytherin common room's cushions, where they were joined by the boys.
Aria took a deep breath, her exhaustion pressing down on her, but she forced herself to recount what had happened.
She started slowly, explaining how her name had been drawn from the Goblet of Fire, something that should have been impossible. Then she retold what Dumbledore had told her, piecing together the information as best as she could.
By the time she finished, Pansy's jaw was practically hanging open, her eyes wide with disbelief. "This is bloody insane. How could they force you into something like this?"
Draco's usual composed expression had slipped, his eyes wide as he tried to process what he was hearing. "Not how. Who."
Blaise, who had been silent throughout Aria's retelling, was staring into the fireplace, his brow furrowed as if he were trying to puzzle out a way around the situation. "This is bad," he finally muttered. "Really bad."
