✧A VERY TELLING RIDE BACK✧

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To say the Holiday was the best was a lie, Aidan had sent a few owls as she wouldn't answer the door on the two attempts he tried. And by now he was back in Ilvermorny, so she was safe from another knock, but there was no ignoring the owls or his very long apology.

Although he trusted Aria and her instincts, he wasn't taking her words of caution for what it was. Unfortunately with him returning meant that all her other friends had returned as well, and so now it was just her family.

Michael stuck with his promise on the Quidditch game, something that Ben was all for. And thus it turned into a family event as everyone had decided to go.

The only issue was that Aria was still going to bed at night with Rabastan's gift sitting on her nightstand.

And she hadn't gotten him anything for Christmas.

Aria was a giving person, she adored seeing the light in people's eyes when being given something. Whether it was help on homework, a steaming cup of tea when needed or a gift during the holiday.

It always sat in the back of her mind now, how she failed to remember him in the long list of people. She did rectify the situation by purchasing him a few sweets when shopping with her sisters, surely they didn't even add up to a quarter to what he spent on the ring.

And it pained her immensely that she couldn't wear it, not only did she feel dirty in wearing something that was tied to pureblood families—Perhaps not direct blood money but it felt all the same.

What was also the issue was that a ring meant a lot more than what he was surely meant it as, but then when she caught herself looking to the one Aidan had gotten her. She hadn't a clue what it meant either until those around her explained.

It was a promise of sorts, so was she lying when Rabastan asked if she was betrothed?

No.
Centuries ago yes it would've counted as a future promise as children to adulthood to push a relationship—Or Marriage, but the idea of marriage was so far out of Aria's life plan that she couldn't imagine an engagement ring that could beat this?

Even the one Mrs.Crawford wore wasn't in comparison, and it made her utterly sick to know that he hadn't thought twice about buying her this.

But from her knowledge there weren't any jewelry stores in Hogsmead, well there were—But nothing that could produce this.

She just hoped she liked the one she made him, it took a bit of effort sure. But Alchemy was a turned about art, and if anything, it gave her an excuse.

Like Michael promised, both he and Eli had taken the liberty of bringing Aria to the platform. It was a glorious time as it was his first in the country with an efficient tour guide, sure he's come before...But it was a simple aid with his father to speed up Aria's adoption.

The three stayed in a hotel, a muggle one sure but it was luxuries to say the least. However the only issue is that Aria was still a few months away from acquiring a magical permit, it was a brilliant little license that would allow her to use magic both in Britain and in America.

Her records of perfect grades were sight enough to get the MACUSA to sign such a slip. And she did have a fairly large arsenal behind her, though she did need a few recommendation letters.

Perhaps she should gather them soon before OWLS start to take up most of her time.

"Platform 9 3/4, gods you'd think they make it any harder?" She grinned up to her brother and leaned in further. "It's okay, I'll hold your hand through the wall." She teased, and thus the two humored one another—And in walked Aria Roswell to the beautiful sight of the Hogwarts express.

"Maybe you should get a train installed at Salem pops." The father rolled his eyes, no matter how old the children were they still acted as though they still needed a babysitter.

All responsible in their own light of course but it made Aria look like a damn saint.

"Now I want return owls Ari, not this half-ass shit anymore."
"Michael." Eli warned, and the girl pouted to them both. "Do I get to make it to your wedding?"

"You think I'd get married without you? Ah come here bubbles." The two had yet another sibling moment, though this time it was in front of the entire student body and their families.

Granted nobody was paying attention, but this type of behavior was usually meant for September first.

"I expect an owl too every now and again, and if those girls cause any more trouble—"
"They won't." Aria defended, but it caused her to hug her adoptive father as well. The warning whistle of the train commenced and thus she had to weave through the crowds after the coddling she received.

And barely a few minutes after, the train started to press forward.

"You think this time the ministry will cooperate?"
"Hopefully, and if not now then when she receives her permit. They like someone to blame son. Remember that." Michael nodded as he waved off to his sister, surely he wasn't able to see her or her him. But the idea of having to part with her so soon after her arrival was always difficult.

On another note, the embrace Micahel and Aria had was not only seen by randoms families. Regulus had caught the strangers huddling close to his friend, and he assumed outright that the elder fellow was her father.

But from a distance he couldn't rightly tell the age of the one holding her, was that Aidan?

"Absolutely no funny business this term, that goes for either of you. Is that understood?" He heard this lecture a dozen times just this morning, though it surely was engaged by Sirius' lack of attempt.

"Yes sir." Sirius spoke, and Regulus followed with the same approach. There were no hugs, no parting goodbyes, just a simple nod of dismissal before the two brothers wandered off to the train.

"Ari's here with her father." This caught Sirius' attention, and it was true. She was sharing a long embrace with one fellow and talking to an elder gentleman.

"I can't tell if that Aidan or not though."
"Bloke's dating someone, doubt he can just up and leave America either." Regulus hadn't thought of that at all, and so he concluded that it was either Ben or Michael.

"Who?" Sirius questioned, and Reg rolled his eyes. Perhaps the term acquaintance suited the two well if he didn't know either of those names. "Her brothers."

"Oh." Sirius was rather struck with knowledge right there, though he was still feeling the effects of this awful holiday.

"She has two sisters too." Regulus thrived in knowing something more than Sirius about the witch, but Sirius suspected that they were distant family.
As he recalled that Aria didn't rightly have parents.

So what was the witch's story?

The Black brothers went their separate ways, and it was close to instantly that Regulus found Aria. "Oh Reg! How was your holiday?"
"Alright I suppose, it's not as festive as you'd think." She shrugged, pulling him in for a greeting hug—Which caused her to sigh when he stiffened.

It was always like this.

"But it's a new year, also I adore the celestial scarf. I wore it when I was in the city." It was true, he had given her a set of star-related gifts in hopes of saying thank you in the time they spent in the Astronomy tower.

And although Aria hadn't the most income, he did enjoy the American Quidditch memorable: a Snitch. She meant it more as a decoration as she crafted a stand to go with it.

But he wouldn't mind trying to test out the difference between the one he was familiar with.

"I'm glad you like it, haven't rightly a clue what gals like."
"You hit the nail on the head Reggie." She cheered, and while his brother was sporting a foul mood at the holiday break, Aria was smiling tenfold.

"D-did you know Rabastan was going to get me a Christmas gift?"
"No, and if I did I would've stopped him. What'd the bloke get?" She dipped her hand into her satchel and offered up the box. Regulus scoffed at first, but then it turned into laughter.

"I thought I told him I didn't like gifts but clearly he didn't listen and this is nowhere near something I can accept." She rushed out, and Regulus realized close to instantly that jewelry was a very formal sign of promises in the realm that Aria involved herself in.

Which made Rabastan look either inconsiderate or very strategic in both senses.

"Tell him why, can't get angry at anyone but himself."
"I got him something in America, it's not that expensive though...But I truly don't know what he'd like."
"Wouldn't be surprised if he slept with that energy drink you gave him." She playfully swatted at him and placed the ring box back into her satchel, since Aria is a prefect she needed to get dressed, but she promised to seek him out later if she could.

Dropping off her satchel and Omen in the prefect's compartment allowed a moment of solitude. Reigning in her mind did she remember kindly that she would have to submit Eli's signature for the new dorm.

It was exciting sure, but it felt like she would still use her classrooms if anything.

Rabastan had been in a foul mood since he left the Malfoy manor this holiday, sure there was the in-between of parities and events that his parents made him attend out of the obligation that he was getting older.

It was only decent considering his mates were in attendance as well, and he knew that if anyone was having a horrible time it'd be Sirius right beside him.

The speech of needing to marry was laid heavily this holiday, he hadn't had a dinner where his parents hadn't discussed it. In addition, Claudette made an appearance. Luckily she hadn't stayed in the Lestrange manor this time, but the day would come when he wouldn't be able to escape her.

She had arrived after Christmas, but made it for the New Years Eve party. Though he tried to find other things to reign in his attention, everything seemed to point into Aria's direction.

Especially when he looked down to his own rings and he'd wonder if she liked it.

This was probably the only time he ever felt giddy in leaving his parents roof, was this what Sirius felt?

Granted Rabastan found himself searching for Aira, and in seeing Omen protecting said satchel he could only assume she volunteered herself to help those in other carts. Just before he was about to depart, he heard commotion in the cart's lavatory.

And judging by Omen's attention to the door, he could rightly assume it was Aria.

He grinned, feeling elated in seeing how she liked his gift, again it was this odd sensation deep within the pit of his stomach that was making his knee bounce in retaliation.

Sweet Merlin he needed to get it together.

When Aria had removed herself from the lavatory his prepared grin was fighting a slight shock. It was indeed Aria, but she looked so bright and colorful that he had to do a double-take.

"Well hello to you too. Good holiday?" 

"Y-yeah, it was alright." It felt like a sick twist of events when she approached him like this on the first of September, and he'd been a git.

"I did want to talk to you...And I would've sent your gift but I didn't have an address." He was startled by all the words that fell out of her mouth at once and he held up his hand.

"There's no need to get me something Roswell."
"Well that's not right if I say I don't like gifts and you don't listen, that's not at all fair." She was a second from stomping her foot to the ground, but she reached into her bag and retrieved the small gift bag. Though when he took up her offering he noticed she wasn't wearing the ring.

"I can get the ring resized if it doesn't fit—" She bit her lip, nervous wracking her entire body as she shook her head. "I don't think I explained the importance of rings in the religion I follow."

"You've lost me darling." She sighed, leaving Omen's side to sit beside him on the booth across from her.

Holding out her hands did she begin to list the basic summary of what they all mean.

"And...My giving you a ring meant...?"
"What did you want it to mean? Because it could mean a variety of things, though blue is a neutral color." He was thankful in that regard, but when he picked up the ring from the small box's pillow he smiled.

"I dunno. When I saw your rings they didn't look as vibrate as the ones I'm used too. Perhaps I thought they were fake."
"Oh they aren't, perhaps they more real than that. But the blessings on them make them look fragile." It was an explanation, but that didn't mean he could understand the method of the Sanctuary.

"McNair said something of the sort, that they all come from your sanctuary."
"Well almost all of them, which is why I was confused as to what you wanted the ring to mean."
"What if it didn't have a single meaning other than being a gift, blue and as beautiful as you are." She shook her head, taking one of the more pricer of the rings and offered it up.

"Aidan gave this to me when we first started dating, perhaps it's an American thing...But I never did find myself taking it off, or not when he started dating that bi—er that gal." Rabastan titled his head in suspicion, had Aria Roswell almost called a gal a bitch?

He didn't know she had it in her.

"What was that darling, didn't catch that."
"Nothing."
"Oh come now, new year new—" She clapped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes.

"I've heard that bloody enough as is Lestrange, not you too." She was rather playful, but he nudged her as he was deathly curious as to what a gal could do to constitute Aria for calling her a bitch.

"This sounds like I'm complaining if I tell you."
"I'll be the judge of that, but if you want me to be brutally honest we could make an unbreakable vow."
"Out of all the things I wouldn't do with you, that'd be one of them." He rose a brow at her bluntness, and she squeezed her eyes closed again—Though he blocked the attempt of her hiding away from his voice.

"And what would you do with me?"
"I would give you good smack if you weren't holding my wrists." He sure as hell kept hold of them now as he laughed, she hadn't meant to say such a thing, but a slip of the tongue never wronged him yet.

"Cannot leave me curious about either of those now darling, now then. What shall it be?" She pulled her hand up a tad and zipped her mouth closed, and this playful attitude was what surely spiked his neck reaction.

Rabastan Lestrange had ordered a full-blown attack on Aria Roswell.
One that involved being tickled.

And if there was one thing that Aria couldn't fathom in the world, it was tickling. A loud shriek graced his ears as she tried to fight it off, and good goddess was she losing.

"I yield! I yield! My gods you're such an arse."
"And you are a tease, getting me all excited on what you would do with me to calling a gal a bitch. Now then darling, what've you got to share?" She slumped, and he knew straight away It wouldn't be the ladder as he didn't think they'd be close enough to share anything intimate.

Yet.

"I'm not the best at it, but when a person's thoughts are loud I can pick them up.... It's rather difficult to control, and almost rarely when I want it to—"
"You're a legitimate."
"Yeah, but I wouldn't even call myself a beginner. But a healer suggested that's why panic attacks are so amplified." He sat back for a moment in thought, the only one he knew that was skilled was his sister in law, Bellatrix.

She used it in more of a sense to aid the Dark Lord when he called for it, a dangerous tool. But very useful when used correctly, though he was caught surprised that the person he thought to be a mudblood turned out to be a very powerful half-blood.

Perhaps America was breed differently.

"And what does that have to do with the bitch, as you've almost called her."
"Ah well Aidan wanted me to meet his girlfriend." Rabastan scoffed, shaking his head whilst pinching the brink of his nose.

"That lad you fancy thick or something? Even I'd know that's just asking for trouble."
"I suppose, but that's if you and I were together but you were still good friends...What's her name? Barns?"

Aria sat in silence to watch him fuddle at the idea, had he been caught?

"And? Meet her then?"
"After hearing her thoughts from across the way I couldn't. I couldn't even take the amount of hatred from there let alone her trying to put on a fake smile." He chuckled it must've been a strange interaction between the two.

"We're in the same friend group you see, and they were rather upset with him for spending time with her friends than with us. Then he has the bloody audacity to come to my house and try to talk to me." Rabastan had felt strongly ridged at hearing this now, so much so that he crossed his arms.

"Oh? And what'd he want?"
"I wouldn't know, I haven't spoken to him since. I was fast asleep and heavily hungover." He eyed her in suspicion before he realized she wasn't lying.

"That hung up that lad are you?"
"I've known him a long time, I just don't have the heart to him he's being foolish and too trusting for that gal who's just in a relationship for the sake of his name."
"Ah, I know that all too well." She turned back to him fitfully, her knees coming up onto the seat as she lapped her hands, a clear sign she's caught up in the conversation.

"From Amelia?"
"A long list of gals, and lads too...Wanting to befriend a Lestrange."
"Then how could you trust anyone?... It must be hard to...To make friendships."
"Nah, I've stuck with my mates for a while now. And Snape just wants recognition in Slytherin, not that I don't blame the lad, he's a half—... Blood."
"Hm, yes we just stive to be recognized. Such a shame I couldn't do that on my own." He groaned, wiping his hand down his face as he ushered a very late apology.

Which she shrugged at.

"It's one thing where words come into play Lestrange, but America thinks the way things are falling that even half-bloods will be targeted after muggle-borns...Part of the reason they want me to settle in America after Hogwarts."
"I doubt that'll happen, half-bloods are still respected."
"Are they? Or did you just shun your roommate?" He swallowed unsurely now, damn was this difficult.

Barns wouldn't dare talk to him or challenge him in this way...To be quiet honest he couldn't remember the last time he had a conversation that wasn't anything more than a polite 'how was your day' before getting down to business.

"Oi, you started it. And none of this whishy washy nonsense. Don't think I know you gave me the once over when you saw that I'm a halfblood and a legitimate."
"Would you take my sincerest apology in saying I misjudged you from our first encounter?" She thought silently for a moment, her eyes turning down to the ring he had gifted.

"Misjudged yes, but the years that follow I'm not so sure it'll be that easy Lestrange."
"And the ring?"
"I cannot wear it while I'm wearing Aidan's." Her face scrunched up, she had been used to the honesty up until this point. Seems like they both had given the full-blown truth on either side.

"You still wear the lad's ring when he's with another?"
"I'm not with you either...So perhaps I shall start with no ring on that finger." Rabastan could see the record of regret when she took the ring off her finger, it was odd...To feel so naked without the heavy feeling settled on her right hand, and although she tried to settle the frown with a smile.

It hadn't worked.

"Now is that gift for next Christmas or for the one that just passed?" She bustled, he had almost forgotten the wrapped gift in his lap, and so he turned his attention to the adorable gift bag that she crafted.

"Should I know when your birthday is darling?"
"Oh no, we're not going down that road." She waved her hands up into the air, leaning back towards the window as she glanced at it. They were barely half minutes into the ride, but it felt like no time had passed at all.

He tried to hold back his eagerness but Aria caught it close to instantly. When he parted the paper he too was met with a similar little box, though this one was wooden.

Flicking it on open was he met with a snack wrapped in a coil, though it was in the shape of a ring. His thumb moved along the green sapphire that occupied its eyes. The detailing was beautiful, the scales and teeth all outlined and visible to the touch.

"It...It's—"
"Not my best work I know, you'll have to excuse it, I only had two days to work on it and barely any materials."
"W-what? You made this?" She turned up to meet his eyes and she smiled, though not saying it readily out loud as she was slightly embarrassed in not being able to purchase him a gift at a high cost.

"I've put some American candies in there too, Reg says he rather likes the sour quills."
"Oi Regulus gets a nickname and I don't?" Rolling her eyes did think long and hard for a moment, then another. Nothing having come to mind as she hummed.

"Nope, your name's difficult. And 'Bas is for your mates. I'll think of something."
"I don't believe my name is that difficult." She did have one in mind, but it felt strangled to pronounce.

"Rory! Come play tag!"

Rabastan had caught her in a dazed expression, and he called her name. But it didn't bypass in her name, it sounded childish, familiar but foreign.

But it sounded like— "Aria?" She had leaned forward, a swift and painful spike seemed to have sparked to engage such a reaction. And when he caught this gesture with his palm turning to cup either of her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" He questioned, but it was met with a sharp inhale as she couldn't seem to pinpoint how it happened or why. She pointed off to her satchel and he still managed to hold her up while pulling it into his grasp.

It didn't take long before Aria fished out a small canteen and swallowed three gulps in seconds. And sure it leveled out some of the pain, but there was still a heavyweight.
"Have anything for the pain darling?" She hummed, and thus he decided to look into her bag, and once he located a pouch she took it without another thought.

The small little vial had turned the cap to take two of the small little pills. Or what he assumed to be pills at the very least.

It took a moment for them to enact, but not at the full extent as it would take a few minutes. So Rabastan remained quiet, and Omen remained at the alert.

And when she seemed to be returning, his touch becoming utterly clear to her senses did she start to pull away. Leaning her back against the wall, even pushing the bottle of water to her head in an attempt to cool the excessive burn.

"Don't suppose that's a normal thing?"
"Normal for me at least...Healers gave me these if it happens. They don't have a reason to occur." Starting to rub her temples in a soothing tempo.

"Oh thank Merlin! Aria, could you—"
"Oi. Now's not the time." Rabastan called out, of course the slamming of the sliding door echoed throughout the compartment and caused Aria to flinch. In seeing this Derrick listened to what Lestrange had said and agreed that Aria should remain here.

And better yet, Rabastan with her.

Even though she wasn't fit for company, Rabastan remembered one of their first civilized conversations where she would prefer silence over conversation.

As it meant there was trust between the two parties, and sure enough he felt ecstatic. With a new ring and a pile of candy to show for it.

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Date Posted: 03-28-2020

Time: 5:00

Words: 4297