Chapter Thirty-Five

"THEY'RE UP TO something, George." Aria twisted her wand between her fingers, staring across the Black Lake as her boyfriend traced shapes into the sand. "I just need to figure out what."

George sighed and looked towards the sky. "They're second years, Aria. What could they be up to? Besides, it's Ron."

"But people suspect me!" She countered and threw her arms into the air. "It's Potter, you heard him speaking to that snake. He's the heir."

"And..." George crooned, leaning in to kiss her. "That has nothing to do with us."

Aria exhaled in annoyance, but she couldn't stay mad for long with the feel of his lips on hers. She knotted her fingers in his hair to pull him closer. For a Gryffindor, he was surprisingly skilled at kissing.

"Merlin, Snape. Get a room."

Aria pulled away from George in annoyance and snapped her head around to glare at Malfoy.

"Is this your only hookup spot?" He pulled a face. "I'll need to use a charm to fix my eyes after that."

Aria rolled her eyes and stood to her feet, straightening out her tie. "Is there a reason you're bothering me?"

"No. I just came for a walk, I didn't plan on my eyes getting assaulted!"

"Then don't look you slimy toad."

George chuckled as he stood as well, "I should get back to Fred, he wants to go over some work or something." He kissed her head and began to walk in the direction of the castle, sparing the blond a glare.

Aria watched as he walked away, missing his touch already.

"Snape, get a grip. You're looking at him like a lost puppy."

"Why does it matter to you?"

He folded his arms. "Because he's a blood-traitor. It's gross."

Aria snorted and collected her bag from the floor, draping it over her shoulder. "I've seen the girls you hang around with, believe me, that's gross."

"If you mean Pansy-" He cut himself off. "She really only talks about how amazing you are." He spoke in a high-pitched voice, trying to imitate hers.

Aria glared at him. "I thought we were past this. You don't get to have an opinion on who I date."

"It affects the reputation of my house, so yes, actually, I do get to have an opinion and my opinion is that you should be with a Slytherin."

"I never once asked for your opinion. I don't care." Aria looked towards the castle. "Let's just... go to dinner." She sighed, realizing it wasn't worth the effort to argue with Malfoy. One, he wouldn't let anyone but himself have the last word, and two, he was the closest thing Aria had to a real friend.

ϟ

"You know." Aria snapped, throwing her fork down onto her plate with a sound that made the surrounding students jump in fright. "I am sick and tired of those nasty looks people have been sending me. I mean, the stupid Gryffindors I can deal with, but even Lockhart's been sending me weird glances all through dinner."

Malfoy mumbled a reply, his mouth full of chicken.

"What?"

He swallowed his food. "I said why don't you hex them."

Aria clicked her tongue in annoyance. She knew the blond was teasing her, but she had half the mind to hex him to teach him a lesson. Hexing him would only raise people's suspicions so she would have to control her urges.

As she looked around, she noticed a few people leaving the Great Hall. She noted that Potter and his friends were amongst them. "Come with me to the library, Malfoy."

He groaned. "Why me?"

"I just want some company."

He glanced between his plate and Aria a few times and then sighed in defeat. "Fine." He shoved one last spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth and grabbed a few chicken nuggets for the road.

They ambled along the corridors, Aria keeping an eye out for Potter.

"You know, Dumbeldore's a fool and all, but those dinners just keep getting better and better." He licked his fingers. "I'm surprised you weren't wolfing everything down like usual."

"I wasn't hungry." Not entirely the truth, but she had been too put off by the glares people were sending her to eat.

Malfoy mumbled something rude and as they came to the library, she realized it had all been for nothing. Potter and his friends had probably gone back to their common room. She internally groaned. She only needed to catch him doing something one time for her name to be cleared. "Let's go back."

"What?" Malfoy looked at her strangely. "We just got here."

"I changed my mind. Let's go to the common room."

"First we have to stop at the Great Hall, dessert should be on the table by now."

Aria followed him back, spotting Crabbe and Goyle leaving. She half expected Malfoy to stop, but of course, dessert was more important.

"I'm going to the common room."

"I'll see you there." He spared her half a wave before heading to the Slytherin table.

She walked past the Great Hall and spotted Malfoy's two friends again. Being stupid. "What are you two doing?" She noted how their arms were full of sweet pastries.

While she glared at them, a faint breeze carrying a whisper reached her ears. Someone was close by, someone who didn't want to be seen. It had to be Potter. "Who's there?" She curled her fingers around her wand.

There was no answer. With a sigh, she turned back to Crabbe and Goyle and scrunched her nose in disgust. "You two are so weird." She mumbled and marched off to the Slytherin common room, angry.

She needed to get something on Potter to prove he was the heir, or else she'd probably be expelled. That was an alternative Aria wasn't willing to dwell on as she climbed the stairs to her dorm and fell asleep.