✧THE END OF AN EIGHT YEAR BATTLE✧

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Aria couldn't believe the sound when it hit her heightened senses, the sound of the wooden hammer had sealed her fate and all she could do was sit in shock.

Michael had turned to her with such a grin that he held her close and waited patiently for the moment to hit her properly.

Aria O'Hera Roswell had been recognized by the courts and was adopted. She was no longer Roswell, she is now Aria O'Hera Crawford.

When the courtroom cleared out, the lawyer had shaken Eli's hand. Pure thankfulness had shined on the father's face, and he couldn't be more happy.

"I—" She tried to form a sentence, and sure Eli was slightly confused as to what Aria could thinking so hard on. Until she erupted into tears and cried into Eli's chest.

"Thank you...Dad." His arms squeezed around her tightly as it was the first time he's heard her say that, he knew—of course he knew that she was scared in accepting it only to be ripped away.

But finally...Finally it was set in stone.

A struggled breath had escaped him as he too felt the gravity of the situation, and he hadn't any regret in the world.
"Hey! Don't I get a hug?" Michael said feeling extremely left out, but Aria had wrapped her one arm around him as well to get him to come in. Of course Eli and Michael were hopeful—Their lawyer had talked a big game.

Yet they were prepared for another few months. That was all behind them now, and when Aria had opened her eyes she caught that either of the wizards before her were crying as well.

"Well, I suppose this calls for a party," Eli said, clapping his hands together after he offered Aria a tissue.

"A party? That's not necessary to—"
"Eight years bubbles, it took eight years to have you legally join the family. There's going to be a party." She pouted, the idea of missing classes at Hogwarts was fine, but missing them at the Academy would set her to fall behind.

So they compromised, she went to class that following night and packed. Eli had gone on ahead and gotten to work setting up the party. Even though she attempted to get the hell out of it.

She hated when the attention was on her.

She felt rather awful leaving Michael is her dorm room, but he was rather entertained with getting it a little sorted. And of course he chided that a cleanroom held a clean mind.

"Where's...Dad?" It was surely going to be a difficult shift to not calling him by his first name, and she groaned after letting her bag fall to the couch beside her.

"He went ahead and got home, well he went to Orphanage to check if there was anything left from you and then wiped the women's memory. I must've put the box off in your room when I was cleaning up."
"It's alright, it's probably just my report cards and other things. I'll look at it later." He offered her a smile but he didn't want to leave the room a cluttered mess—but he also wanted his dad to have enough time to get things set up.

"Bubs?...What if it takes hours like the last time? Wouldn't it have been easier if dad was here to—"
"We're picking up your renewed license and passports there too, probably good to give them another half hour anyway." With that she was able to finish a bit of work, hand it in before returning back to the ministry to get the portkey.

And Merlin she felt relieved when the bloke behind the counter accepted the passport within seconds.

Is that what it normally felt?

She shared her passport once arriving once again in America and it was up to Michael to apparent them back home—As he claimed it was too far for her to do it, though Hogwarts and Darethmont was much farther distance to travel for, but she supposed it was better to let him have this moment and instead held onto Omen tightly.

Aria knew there was going to be a party, but damnit she didn't realize just how many people were here to celebrate. Chrissy had been the first to come over, wrapping her into a cocoon of love and it caused Aria to cry once again.

And it was the first instance of calling her 'mum' all the same.

Her siblings were up next, until Aidan leaned against the corner with his arms crossed. "Hey sunshine." She turned to Eli with a grin on her face, it was such a blessing to have this get together—She surely needed it after the work she's committed herself too.

And thus the entire night was filled with hugs, tears, a bit of drinking and damn good food.

Aidan had stayed over that night, not having a care in the world that he had class the next morning. Writing in the notebook hadn't been enough to keep in contact with Aria and so they enjoyed each other bare embrace.

She felt more than content, she felt reborn in the best possible way. Especially when Aidan was tracing patterns on her shoulder. "Could you say it again?"

"Aria...O'Hera...Crawford, my perfect ray of sunshine. I love you." He adored her reaction when he said it, and a rather demanding part of him was sure to leave a hickey on her neck.

Not so he could get his ass whooped by everyone in the house, but that was for Rabastan. And Aria wasn't hesitant in allowing to do it, it wasn't every day that she could simply go back to America.

She'd be getting a few days with the family before having to head back, though she was sure once Christmas came the celebration would really come.

"I don't want you to go back."
"Everything's there Bubly, but I want to move to America after...After I establish a career." He grinned pulling her closing to his chest and kissing her forehead to close his eyes in bliss.

"This summer I'll get a job, get enough to maybe move to be out there with you hun. Could maybe double up on all the classes to graduate with you?"
"It's possible, I'll keep all my notes for you—And I'm sure it's easier if that's all you're doing. Though I think I'm a year in front of you love." Love.
Oh he couldn't get enough of when she said it.

"You're doing alright with schoolwork? How're your friends?"
"Fine, though I wish I had more time for Quidditch practice. It's mostly running down last practice right before a game...Think I have to take a break the second half of the semester."

"That's a shame Sunshine, your last part of the season?" She shrugged and let out a drastic sigh in the idea of leaving and having this be her last season of Quidditch.

"Might have to stay for it then, because I don't know if I'll be coming back to America during the summer. No Quidditch in-town team either." He copied her last action and sighed, they slept for a few hours before Aidan had to return back to Ilvermorny.

He had managed to give her one final kiss before hurrying out of her window and making it far enough down her driveway to apparent without setting off any alarms.

She woke up that morning to a knock at the door, she was rather thankful that she got dressed when Aidan had left or else she would've been scrambling to get dress.

"What's up?" She called out, peeking an eye at the door to see Michael coming in with a tray. It earned him a snort as she started to rise up from her position under the covers as she pushed her hair to the back of her head.

"Well aren't you adorable."
"Of course I'm adorable!" Michael shot back, placing it before her on the bed though he took his cup of coffee from the platter and sat across from her on the bed.

"Bubs you really didn't have to—"
"After last night? I'm surprised you aren't hungover."
"I took a hangover tonic this morning." She bustled, taking an embracing sip of her tea to skip the topic.

"Well, we have to head to town hall and all that."
"For what?"
"You're a Crawford now, the no-maj's need to know that and so does the magical community...That and it'll help with the scholarship for you, out of country and everything right? Isn't that what Mr.Hanson said."
"He said not worry about anything about the cost." She pouted, taking a nibble of bacon and a quick bite of her egg sandwich.

"And then dad wanted you to be added to the bank account."
"But I have my own if I need—"
"For emergencies bubbles, and he said no arguing too, cause now he could actually ground you." Her mouth fell open as Michael just patted her head and let her be to enjoy her meal.

Course the legal matters weren't done, and it felt like the town was trying to pry their way into the full story that it pushed Aria to feel discouraged to leave the property, not that she really had anything to do.

There was no internship, no friends as they're all at school, her family was working and she realized that even if she was apart of the family.

It was still outcasting in the off-seasons.

So instead she cooked a meal for the family, and Eli complained that she should've enjoyed her time here. Though she finished all her assignments in a timely manner that she didn't know what else to do.

But of course, like most times, she was leaving far too early for the likes of her family. She refused anyone from coming to drop her off in the fear that they might get sick from the portkey. Especially her parents.

When she arrived at the British Ministry she felt very overwhelmed, she missed four days of school for both the Academy and Hogwarts.

It was surely going to bite her arse later, so she went ahead and gone to the Academy—Greeting her friend Victor and Monty as they followed her to her dorm. "How was America Ari?"

"Oh brilliant, I brought a bunch of snacks back." The two groaned in a sigh of defeat as they traded class lecture notes for the chips and whatever other types of food Aria had brought in compensation.

But she knew they'd give her the notes regardless, as she would do the same if they missed class. She had done it in the past.

It wasn't much work missed, it was just heavily math and formulas that she needed to study. Thankfully she managed well enough and wouldn't be arriving at Hogwarts all that late...

However, days prior—When Aria's attendance had been in question and it was only Clem who could answer that she had been called from Ministry that everyone calmed down.

Sirius however, wasn't used to getting mail, nor was he familiar with the address. But he opened it anyhow, and smirked at how thoughtful Proctor was.

He turned towards his mates and shared the contents of the parcel, and it was up to the Gryffindors to throw a party. Even though Remus specifically repeated Aidan's words multiple times that Aria was going to be furious in having another party.

But Sirius knew what she needed, she needed to celebrate the victories ass they come because he knew she'd work until the very last minute and never turn back to see all that she accomplished.

So he went directly to both his head of house and hers, asking for a favor or two. And they both happily complied, which caused Regulus to grow interested.

For the first time Regulus could remember, he had been invite to the Gryffindor planned event. But he couldn't deny this invitation, not when he realized the good news.

He felt so bloody elated that he had forgotten that the speed of Hogwart's gossip train could travel, meaning it wasn't long until Lestrange and McNair had gone up to him in question.

"And you assume I know everything about Aria and what she's doing?" He bustled, it was true in one regard, Rabastan had been the one with her when McGonagall had ushered her to the headmaster's office.

That didn't discourage the two, but it was Avery's connections that caught that it was a Gryffindor party. Which they passed as not concerning Aria—Thus not concerning them, but that didn't stop Rabastan feeling worried.

It wasn't like her to be gone for so long, was she in America?

No, she was already heading back to Hogwarts. But she decided to purchase a train ticket as she was rightly exhausted, she just couldn't tell Michael or anyone else.

Especially Zane as he would've tried to accompany her.

The train was rather quick—Or because she had slept through the majority of the ride without having to watch over the younger years.

Her backpack, or her 'sack' as Aidan had named, had been thrown over her shoulder. While Omen was held underneath her travel cloak.

The stubborn cat didn't want to go into the satchel, leaving Aria to having to hold her the entire walk down the path that lead to the front gates of Hogwarts.

She hadn't bothered with heading to the grand hall for food, and instead she had gone straight to her dorm room and gotten underdressed into jeans a large oversized sweater.

Having worked through a problem or two had she realized she signed her name wrong at the top. Her hand was so used to writing Roswell that it was going to be a harder change than calling Chrissy mum and Eli dad.

But part of her knew that they always were going to be her parents, it was just a security blanket that warmed her heart further.

"Ari! You're back!" Clem cheered, rushing over and hugging her through the chair. And it was a rush of laughter between the two friends, for as long as the Ravenclaws knew each other, Clementine knew of Aria and her family's struggle in the legal system for this adoption.

It was finally over, and she was damn happy for her friend.

"What'd I miss?"
"Nothing much, rather boring...Oh, Black wanted me to give this to you." She said, producing a small slip of parchment before heading off to the wardrobe to change out of her uniform into something more comfortable.

As Aria was about to question which Black, she recognized Sirius' script instantly. Perfect, no matter how quickly he wrote.

It was annoying how perfect it appeared.

Could you meet me in the Astronomy tower? I need to talk to you.
-S.B

Turning to her work she shrugged off the idea of having to continue tonight with it, her brain was fried if anything and so she grabbed her want and slipped on her pair of sneakers.

"Going somewhere?"
"Yeah, Astronomy tower...Are you going to see Liam?" Aria teased, and Clem turned into a rather bright red shade and turned away.

"Maybe...Get something to eat yeah?" She claimed she'd get something with Sirius if she was feeling hungry, but Chrissy had cooked her a goodbye lunch and it was still holding her over.

On the other end she was curious as to how Sirius even knew she was back?

"Damn that map." She cursed, grabbing her wand and putting her glasses on the top of her head.

She caught a few people greeting her, but it hadn't been all that long until she was at the base of before tackling up the metal slabs and smiling as this location had been such a therapeutic location in the castle to her.

Before her classroom especially.

Stepping to the floor and seeing how dark the room was caused her to frown, she hadn't bothered to check if Sirius was up here waiting or not. "Siri?" She called out, but there hadn't been a peep in response. Causing her to come further into the room away from the ladder.

"SURPRISE!" Dozens of voices had called out from all over, causing her hair to shift into its silver grace as she stumbled back to see so many of her friends around her.

But then her eyes locked onto Sirius with full blame to pin on him. Yet he only laughed and came over towards her, leaving a sloppy kissing to her cheek and pulled her into a tight hug.

"What the bloody hell is all this?" She said, both in a shocked voice but she was gaining her firm hatred for parties.
Especially when she was at the center of attention.

"Well, I received a rather adorable parcel from Proctor, he said he'd take the blame off of me."
"OH HE MOST CERTAINLY WILL!" She said, her hair turning red and it caused Lily to cheer.

"Oh Ari we have to take pictures!" And from there the party had taken the endless weight that appeared to trap the Ravenclaw.

It wasn't hard to gather a bunch of her friends, it was a group of a little more than a dozen people. Some from her team, some were from other houses. But it was the overall upbeat that they were there for her, and Aidan had hinted that she would need that.

Especially after realizing she was so disconnected to those in America.

Remus—Who was trying his damn hardest to flirt with a gal off in the corner, had to fight off the teasing googly eyes that Prongs and Padfoot had attempted.

While Wormtail was in charge of the snacks, something that both head of houses provided.

But it was time for the main gift, and Sirius came on over towards her with the biggest shit-eating grin she's ever seen in her life. All while she was talking to Regulus, but even he was excited for her to see it.

"Um...I-I don't need a gift Siri it's really—"
"Open the damn box Aria." He said, not having this type of attitude continue. Not when they rushed this order within the time of reaching Proctor's letter to tonight.

So she opened the box, pushing aside the tissue paper to see a Ravenclaw jumper paired with a new jersey. It was clear that she was confused, and while Sirius was about to say something right alongside James and Remus...It was Regulus who groaned into the air.

"For fuck sakes Ari, turn it around." She shot him a glare before turning it over, truthfully she hadn't gotten herself a new Ravenclaw jumper since second year. Since then she's mended it and such, but in seeing the new and bright fabric shining with the stitched in name of 'Crawford' on the back?

She couldn't contain her tears.

Her team had gotten her a new Jersey, while everyone else had pitched in for a jumper for her house.

"Well hold it up!" Lily cheered, holding a camera while her teammates and Ravenclaw Classmates were in the picture teasing her to the high heavens.

And that high had managed for days, leaving the box that Eli had taken from the Orphanage.

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Date Posted: 07-12-2020

Time: 10:41

Words: 3262

Happy Birthday to me and Happy birthday to Aria O'Hera Roswell--Or Crawford I should say:)