✧SHOULD'VE CHANGED THE LOCKS✧

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To say Aria was hungover was an understatement, but better yet she had woken up to a damn willed owl who was determined to give her a package. Though in what she could make out was that it wasn't from her Lestrange, it was from the one she had gone to dinner with just the night before.

As she laid partially awake in her bed, allowing the tonic to work it's magic, the memories of last night started to trickle in.

"Shite." She grumpled, letting her hands run down her face. That was not the best approach on either topic matter that wanted to be discussed, and that was one of the reasons why Aria called out from work.

Her health was dwindling faster than she could keep up with, and the amount of stress and anxiety that it came with was destroying her insides worse.

It wasn't all that wise to order her favorites from the Chinese take-out place, nor was it smart to binge-watch the entirety of her favorite shows. But it made her feel better, it made her realize that she'd feel awful if Rabastan went off to marry someone else.

Was that what happened to his father? He couldn't marry Linda so he went ahead to Clarissa?

No part of her wanted to admit it yet, but she certainly couldn't make Rabastan a widow. Not that young, not when Alphard was the prime example of it all.

But then the idea of wondering how long she and him could be dating caught a high rise of thought. It wasn't realistic to think they could keep dating—They weren't even dating now. It was the heat of the moment that tripped their hormones and they slept together.

This that and the other, it'd been how long since they were romantically involved?

The train ride before the summer of sixth year? That was too long, and now her soul was in turmoil because she couldn't keep herself in line.

Had he proven himself? Yes. But it wasn't enough, not with a war and not with the idea of the Dark Lord was still trailing her. Instead she found herself sketching ideas of how she wanted her manor to be, screw getting married. This would be her forever home.

The treat of a hot bath and face mask had ended with the night on her armchair with her light shining just over her shoulder. It was much harder to put her ideas on paper when all the intricate little details were up in her head.

And she was startled by the obnoxious barking of Loki as the sound of keys jingling at the door. "Damnit I forgot the key, Aria! Aria open up!" The panic in his voice caused her to scrambled up from her chair and whip open the door.

"What happ—"
"Prongs is hurt. Hell we all are, we need help." The stress in her brother's voice caused her to step aside, and once the door had closed, she apperented right upstairs to her loft.

Aria took a survey of everyone in front of her, but it was clear that James was in the worst condition. Thus having her race over to her medical bag, the one she had prepared for goddess knows how long.

She set it down beside the counter and had to pry Lily's hand's away to gain a better view. "Lily...Lily! I need you to sit with Remus, alright? I cannot work with you hovering, I don't know what sort of spell this is and I need you to cooperate with me when this won't alright?" The words did not sound like Aria, they were directly from Mistress Crawford.

She addressed Lily the way she would one of her co-workers. This wasn't a situation to allow for weakness, not when James was bleeding out on her couch.

It was an art to see Aria work so quickly, and Sirius remained tight lip on how brutal the curse to his shoulder had been. But he knew that his sister would get to him eventually.

The potions that she made him swallow smelled foul, but it was better that he was asleep and numb to the pain before feeling all of it. However Aria did get the clearer look, she gave them each a shot of the same substance—Just not enough to fall to sleep.

It allowed them to feel much less panicked and aware, rather than the nerves sending sirens to the brain for help. With the tension in the room starting to dwindle, as well as the bandages on Prong's shoulder, Aria had continued off towards Sirius, then Remus and then finally Lily.

"What happened?" The witch spoke, gaging the question to the entire room. She knew what happened, it was clearly written all over Sirius' face.

All of their bodies held the remittance of unsolicited duels. So she gulped and turned her attention back onto the task at hand. "They're getting more aggressive, like they're after something." Sirius issued, and he earned a warning glare from the two conscious members beside him.

"Where's Peter?" She questioned, hoping that he wasn't hurt or mixed up in another mission group. But it was Remus who explained that his mum's been sick and he hasn't been involved for the past two weeks.

"Wouldn't doubt Lestrange was there..." Sirius chuckled, hissing as Lily dabbed the cuts on his high cheek to his chin. And sure Aria had stopped working for a moment, it certainly didn't pass further than that as she trickling with guilt. Already.

"Hope you're getting the bigger picture of this Ari, it's—"
"It's what? I don't give a damn about Dumbledore. I told you what I told him."
"So you don't give a damn about the cause? For us?" Her eyes burned, she certainly didn't want to do this tonight.

Not when she outted herself and her damnable ticking timebomb.

"You wouldn't understand Sirius, Dumbledore actually liked you. As if he's innocent either."
"Dumbledore? Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of all time!" Aria scoffed and looked to her brother.

"Really? So his affair with Grindlewald was what?...A parting ways? Or perhaps you should go dig up some information about his sister! I'll do you the favor, she's dead! She's dead because of his incompetence! So congratulations on that front brother, but Dumbledore isn't the man you think he is." She threw the rest of her supplies down all in a need to get dressed, and as she made her way down one flight of stairs to head to her room—Lily had been close on her tail.

"He doesn't mean it Ari, men can't handle pain and—"
"Lils I respect you a lot, but I'm about a minute from throwing you out of my house. Give me a few minutes." She beckoned before slamming the door on her friend, she still believed that they had the relationship they once had in Hogwarts. But one of the many things she did in fact took from the Lestrange's was that there were different types of friends.

And the sinking feeling of how they came to her in a time of desperation and need was looming in her mind.

Why was Dumbledore considered such a saint? Sure a quick conversation with Grindwald would put that in a better perspective, but then come to think of it, even Newt had always nice things to say about the fellow.

She decided that they were all brainwashed, however after having washed her hands from James' blood and damning her eyes to distract the others into thinking she didn't cry, Aria was just about to head upstairs until she heard a bang down below.

Loki's barking had been silenced by a familiar yell, and what started as a smile had then turned into a damning frown. The words of her brother fueled her, and while she suspected that perhaps they were here in the off chance they assumed it be easier to finish them off...

Instead she walked carefully down the steps only to see that McNair had been placed on the couch before Avery motioned for the very chair Aria had used.

"What the hell..." She whispered, and that earned her a glance from the two conscious wizards. Finishing the remaining distance she hurried to McNair's side and ran a diagnostic spell, letting out a mumbled curse.

Someone used the very spell they used on James to McNair, which didn't make sense. How the hell— "I gave them both something from Snape already, this." Avery motioned to the bottle and she quickly read the cramped font of the Slytherin potion master—Or that's what she assumed he'd go for the last time she saw him.

"Ar—Aria...I want—Aria." The voice of Rabastan caught her in worry, especially when she rose back up and tried to count. "How much did you give out?"
"Uh, the whole bottle...Was that or they were going to—"
"To start convulsing yes, good work. We just need to expel the extra, are you hurt at all?" He shrugged it off, though the way he was leaning on one side was telling that perhaps he wasn't in the best shape either.

After just a few more tests, Aria discovered that it was the same user against this group to those upstairs. Though she hadn't a clue how to discuss that, with either side. Not when McNair was in worse condition if not the same than James.

When she finished checking McNair, she returned back to Rabastan and cleaned him up. Smiling lightly that he was surely enjoying snuggling the pillow she used for the majority of the day.

"I...I really appreciate this, Crawford. Maybe you're not that much of a snobby bitch than I thought." The compliment hardly turned out to be one once he finished his thought, and she chuckled.
"Thanks Avery, though I think you only hate me because of Harper." It was heart heavy to see the guilt flash in his face before he looked away.

"N-not entirely no. But that's part of it."
"It's a shame, I thought we had been friends for a few years. If it's any help, she doesn't deserve you." She honestly issued and he huffed with a small shine of emotion.

"She's mine, mate." A voice gruffed, all before she was being pulling into a lowering embrace to trap her there and she groaned. "I didn't think you could turn into more of a bear, Raba. Can I go and heal McNair? He should be waking up soon." She spoke softly and went ahead to go and check on the still unconscious wizard, though the way Avery shivered caused her to lose the attention on McNair.

"Don't give me that look, Crawford. I'm fine." She rolled her eyes and went ahead to get some glasses and a pitcher of water, pouring out three glasses before taking a few drips of the leftover prescribed potion to Avery.

"Drink, the longer it festers it—I don't have to tell you about the effects Avery. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for." She explained, and he certainly didn't want to lose his mind in the effect of the curse.

He slowly drank through the water and allowed the potion to do its work, which allowed Aria the moment to breathe—But also hurry back upstairs in hopes that neither Order members knew that the Death Eaters were just downstairs.

How could she not see this becoming a reality?

Out of all the calculations this is where she was at fault, course on top of that she wondered if they would be polite and know that this was considered neutral grounds.

She didn't care who started it, if they couldn't be decent all of them were getting the boot.

So when she hurried along upstairs, she found that having healed Lily was the best approach as the witch found the means of getting everyone else sorted. Though moving James was in the same category as moving McNair, they'd have to stay where they were until they were healed enough.

"Where were you off to?" Sirius questioned and Aria rolled her eyes. "It's my house, Sirius. I can go wherever I please. And you're about to get a cold handed boot if you keep up this attitude. You know I'm on the Dark Lord's watch list, I don't need him knowing that you're my brother or that you're getting my help." It occurred to him right then and there that all of this was putting her more at risk, the same type that if she was a member.

"Siri, I love you. I've loved you a long time—Before I knew we were siblings. But what you said hurt, I care about you more I care about myself..."
"Ari—"
"Please let me finish. We both have a lot of anger in us to our parents for what they did, this war is not that. This war is about a Hilter enraged maniac who thinks he can better the world like Grindwald. You know better than anyone that Death Eaters have it ingrained in their head to be the best, that they are the best."
"Aria you can't be serious!"
"I'm deathly serious. I'm not on either side, but I'm still in trouble aren't I?" She made a point, damn she always made it a point and he huffed. Groaning into his hand as he turned to the married couple towards the couch.

"You alright then? Gone a while..."
"I haven't really had that type of training Siri, pretty horrifying actually. I need to brush up on my healing studies if this keeps up. And I'm moving, this won't be home base anymore." The spark in Sirius' eyes shined bright, causing her to narrow her brows.

"Could we use it as a safe house?" He questioned and she shook her head. "I said I'd help heal you, and I'm already hiding you Siri. This is my apartment for witches in Darthmont."

 "I guess I can live with the bare minimum of your help." She hummed before taking a look at the potion stock.
"I'll be back, I think it's best if I grab a few more of these," Aria explained, segwaying to be able to go back downstairs, though in carrying the bottles had been a reasonable defeat as she'd been slammed against the wall quiet quickly—Only to have a wand and forearm against her throat. Choking her.

"Wha—"
"Who's upstairs?" Avery hissed, and Aria began to stutter for a breath. She'd been caught.

"N-nobody!"
"You're a bloody liar. Wearing that for nobody? Is it Proctor? How about Scamander? I heard he broke your heart just the other month." Had Rabastan told him that? In that instant her anger drove her to start scratching and clawing at his skin, hoping it'd give her just a gasp of air.

But the black patches were weighing thing on her vision. "F-uck—ou." She said in a hazy breath, but influenced rage was easy to spot. His protectiveness of Rabastan was the reason for all this, and the man was just sitting on her couch.

"D-do it...Do it." She egged him on, perhaps then she wouldn't have to deal with the war, with her brothers pinned against each other. And Rabastan wouldn't have the chance to keep going after her—Perhaps it's for the better.

"W-what the bloody hell—?!" The voice had been her saving grace, and when the force had been lifted away, she fell to the floor in a tumble and coughed at the coolness of the air. Sweet goddess, she had almost lost consciousness.

Perhaps she had, because when she looked up she caught either Rabastan and Avery going at it just a few steps in front of her.

"She's helping us! Why the hell are you assaulting her like—"
"I heard noises upstairs mate, I don't trust the gal you're sleeping with much farther than I can throw her." Aria glared at Avery as she touched the site of her neck, it stung and she'd surely need to get it healed before her meeting.

"N-nobody's up—s-stairs." She coughed, her voice completely strained as she tried to use the stair's railing as a boost to her feet. However she jumped away from Rabastan as he attempted to come over, something about blood on his white shirt sent her in a frenzy. And it certainly didn't help with what just happened prior to his interference.

"I need you to leave." She bustled out, the pain being unbearable but the even worse notion was that she couldn't take anything. Monday she was set to go to Germany for her first part of treatment and that meant a clean system.

Fuck it all!

"Aria, love he didn't mean—"
"He attacked me for what?! I can't wear anything nice to bed without being labeled a whore?!" She shrieked, instantly regretting it once she recalled that there was people upstairs and her voice was loud enough to signal to those above.

Of course the heavy stomps of Sirius' boots would be the first to call out, and while Avery had the smirk plastered on his face. It certainly went off and away once the two Slytherin's had caught eyes with a fiery Gryffindor.

Aria remained leaning on the stairway as she sighed, her want of staying out of it still caused her body harm and internal aggravation.

"Going after my sister now?! Really?!" His yell was damned as Aria flinched further, still having trouble breathing in and out. Gods if her throat was damaged she's screwed.

"It wasn't like that at all, Black." Rabastan tried to deescalate the situation but it was no use. Either held the battle scars of tonight's events, and as Sirius' eyes flickered to McNair—The disappointment trailed back to Aria.

"Look what happens when you open the door for animals Ari, they're the reason Prongs is upstairs!"
"Oi, McNair's suffering all the same. You're not so innocent either Black, want to tell your sister that you attacked our poker game?" Aria turned towards Sirius in confusion, is that really what happened?

"As if it was just a card game, the lot of you just happened to be all grouped up and—"
"And what? I can't play a hand at cards without being attacked? Is that it? High and bloody mighty." Aria felt herself shaking at the idea of the two males yelling at each other.

The lights soon began to flicker, but it was drowned out by the overpowering voices of two Alpha male dominate wizards. It was only Avery who saw it, as with the changing hair on Aria's head.

"ENOUGH!" She hissed, the lights turning beyond bright before crashing, letting the small flecks of electricity to fall from the ceiling. Not to mention the glassware anywhere within ten steps having been exploded and shattered on the floor.

"I did not sign up for a civil war in my home, I have enough going on to deal with the utter bullshite you lot have against each other. Avery you have about another breath before I call the Auror's on your arse and I will press charges. And you..." She exclaimed, pointing a finger in his direction.

"Just because I slept with you once does not mean you get to showcase what you learned. Yes Scamander broke my heart but that does not give you the excuse to gossip about my life!" A huff pushed her to turn back over to her brother, and while his smile had been genuine. He too was in the dog house.

"And I cannot even begin to discuss how pissed I am at you. Forget it. Everyone out of my house! Lily can stay with James upstairs in the guest room and I'll move McNair into the other myself. As for the rest of you, out!" She shouted at the top of her damaged lungs could manage, but the last bit had come out as a croak—Especially since the bruises on her neck were starting to show now.

Rabastan glared to his best mate, for obvious reasons he was now placed back onto Aria's shite list. It was rather hilarious to see that it was Avery who the first to leave, but as Aria turned expectedly to either her brother and Rabastan, the first tear had dropped down from her face.

Out of all the things to have happened!

"Ari—" She moved away and avoided his stretched out hand, one of which was shoved to the side as Sirius moved to the side. "You slept with my sister?!" The true Black heir announced, and that certainly called for two other sets of footsteps to follow in pursuit.

Aria pinched the brink of her nose as she watched the two duke it out. "I would've had her anyway! She was my betrothed before!" That certainly was not the right thing to say in the midst of Aria when she was already in pain, if anything, she was sporting an already pissed mood.

Now...Now she's livid.

She took the strides and pulled Sirius off behind her, Rabastan surely wouldn't hurt her anymore than that. "Why is it, that every. Bloody. Time I trust you! It's thrown back in my face?!" She shrieked, her vocal cords tearing further in distress.

The crazed look was certainly not the best look, not when she had acted as healer for the past hour to seven people in her house. All pitted and rooted against one another.

"Love...I hardly told Avery a bloody thing. And you dated Scamander before it was harmless—"
"Was it?! I can't take it anymore, it's always so back and forth with you. Isn't it?!"
"Aria..."
"Get out of my house Lestrange, and don't come back." She whispered out, but as she turned her back he attempt to reach forward towards her.

"NOW LEST—" Her voice had blew, and the panicked look in her eyes at started with horror before bulging out. Sirius had pushed the Slytherin away, but Aria had stepped further back to take hold of McNair and apparent upstairs.

There she set him in the guest room and made sure he was comfortable, muted of course. But as she hovered over him for a moment, smiling contently that there was at least one kind Slytherin amongst them. His hand moved to hold onto hers and squeezing his into hers, better yet his tired eyes found his way to hers.

He wasn't completely unconcious from the world, but the method of understanding as his question of 'who' caused her to trace Avery's name into the back of his hand.

Causing him to hum.

"He...Loves you Ari—Loves a lot." She hummed, and then began to trace the starting letters to her friends name into his skin, causing him to chuckle.

"I miss her...I haven't heard from her since..." Aria nodded and patted her hand back over his hand before bringing it to her lips. A silent goodnight as she left the door a crack open, and it hadn't been that hard to hear Lily upstairs, which left Aria to peek inside.

The words surely carried up here, and the look Lily had given her said it all. Aria had wrote the words she wish she could speak into the air, and that's when she departed back to her bedroom.

Instant tears were met as she sobbed her heart out into the pillow, it hurt, every fiber in her hurt.

And if it hadn't been the amount of noise she had been making, she would've heard the door open and two sets of footsteps coming in along with Loki.

Turning around she caught sight of a stranger, but in struggling to sit up—She had been thankful to see Senior Lestrange.

"This is our private healer, I heard there was an altercation...He's going to check on your neck, darling." It was awfully nice for the Lestrange family to put out like this, but that meant Rabastan probably made a show at home. Or reprimanded Avery.

It was a shame, for once she thought that she met the bloke at a cross road.

As the fellow had taken a survey, he started to shuffle through his large leather bag to fish out the potion on his mind. But Aria had stopped him, shaking her head.

"It's not worth the pain sweetheart, let him—"
"I c-can't." She managed to get out, and it was much more easier to see the doctor's note. And as she handed it over, the healer had sighed.

"There can't be any medication in her system for this, Mr.Lestrange. I cannot prescribe or administer, and I don't recommend waiting for rescheduling this appointment Ms.Crawford." Her eyes burned as she nodded, though it was kind for him to provide her an everlasting heating and cooling rag, it certainly helped.

It was Mr.Lestrange that was now standing awkwardly in the room now that the healer was checking on McNair.

"The boy's foolish, I'll speak to his father." Her eyes flickered up towards him, and the girl simply looked miserably and tired. The father of two had to tear his eyes away.

Orion would kill regardless, he wouldn't need a reason. Not when Aria had faced enough pain in her life. This certainly didn't need to be added to the list.

"My son—"
"No." She grumpled, having spoken against the doctor's orders in not speaking so much or when it was unnessiary. But it proved to be just that as she couldn't fathom talking about it.

So Lestrange had sat at the edge of her bed. "He loves you, Aria, I can no longer deny it...You cannot keep doing this to yourself or him." But there was another reason why she felt defeated, had it been such a defense to just accept death?

Her hands continued to twist around her wrist, it was painful to relive those half sought memories, and the fact that she was starting to relay them meant that Aidan's charm in blocking them had returned.

"You'll heal...You'll recover." She shook her head, the silence between them spoke more words than need be. Aria knew much more about her health than he did, and if her reaction said anything then it's futile that she gets the best treatment.

"I have your will all set, whatever changes you wish to make come directly to me." All she could do was nod her head one way or the other, and thus the wizard caved. He offered the small amount of comfort as well as settle the rag better on her neck, though he took another look and sighed.

"He's a dead man... Believe me when I tell you, I'm sure my son is reigning hell on him right now." And it was true, but Avery's main defense was why was Aria angry with Rabastan more than himself?
Oversharing about Scamander?

It meant that it was still a unforeseen topic, and damn it all if Rabastan was going to lose her again!

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Date Posted: 01-03-2021

Time: 12:17

Words: 4538