Chapter Eighty-Four

ARIA STORMED INTO the headquarters angrily. "No one thought to tell me that the hearing was going to be three hours early?" She snapped, glaring around at the Weasleys and everybody else in the room.

"We didn't know either. Come sit down." Arthur made space for her on the couch.

She sat down in a huff and glared at Harry. "Well?"

He shook his head. "I'm not expelled."

A smile formed on Aria's face. "That's wonderful!"

"It is, but there's something else going on. The ministry..." Harry trailed off.

Arthur stood up, interrupting the conversation and announcing that he was going to make tea, wondering if anyone wanted.

Aria glanced at Harry and then across the room, looking at each face and noticing how everyone avoided her eye, be it purposefully or not.

She frowned and made her way back up to her room. It was going to be a painfully long year if no one trusted her enough to confide in her.

ϟ

Aria had found Anna on the platform and chosen a compartment with her. They sat in silence, for the most part, only mumbling a few words out of politeness.

Anna had not been happy when it came out that Aria's mother was a muggle. Or, as she had put it, "you used to hex people for being half-blood."

Needless to say, Aria had not been happy with her best friend's lack of sympathy for the situation and had given her the silent treatment for the rest of the year.

She glared at her from across the compartment. "How was your holiday?"

She nodded. "Fine, my parents wouldn't let me out really."

"Why not?"

"Well ever since Potter and you have claimed that you-know-who is back, they're skeptical. Don't know why, though."

Aria snorted. "Maybe because it's the Dark Lord?"

"He's not actually back. Come on, Potter just wanted to stay relevant, right?"

Aria felt her jaw drop at the ignorance of the statement. "Are you mad? I was bloody there, Anna. I saw him too!"

"Alright, alright, calm down. I'm only saying that not everyone believes either of you. I'd advise against cursing every single student who says otherwise. It might be the whole school that you curse."

She frowned. "Shut up."

The rest of the journey was silent, except for when Madison and her boyfriend came to sit in the compartment as well. They squeezed in next to Anna. The three whispered amongst themselves.

Aria eyed the group angrily, playing with her wand between her fingers and contemplating on whether to turn them into frogs or not.

She thought better of it, after all, she didn't want to start the year off in her father's office yet again.

Upon arriving at Hogwarts and leaving her bags at the front, Aria noticed that almost every student that passed her by either gave her a funny look or began to walk faster.

She made her way to the carriages and was taken aback when instead of the usual nothing that pulled them, a large black beast was in its place. She stepped away from it and hurried into the carriage, wondering if Annabelle would notice as well.

She didn't.

And so Aria stayed quiet about it. She didn't want to give anyone any more of a reason to send her funny looks.

"Hey, Draco." She squeezed in next to him once she was in the Great Hall.

"Suprised you're sitting with me. Wouldn't want your boyfriend to get jealous."

Aria rolled her eyes. "I'm sitting with you because every other student has lost their damn mind and you're the only person I can stomach having a conversation with right now. Don't make me change my mind."

He smirked but kept his mouth shut as Dumbeldore began with his usual announcements.

"We have two changes in staffing this year." He began. "We're pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who'll be taking care of Magical Creatures while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave. We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Dolores Umbridge. And I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing the professor good luck."

Aria glanced at her father—he seemed to be holding back vomit as he clapped for the woman in pink.

"Now, as usual, our caretaker Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you—" Dumbledore stopped when the new professor made some sort of noise and all eyes went to her. She stood, remaining quite short even in the pink heels she wore.

"Thank you, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome." She said. "And how lovely to see all your bright happy faces smiling at me." Aria wasn't smiling, neither was Draco. Nobody was. "I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends." She paused and Aria grimaced. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved. Perfect what can be perfected and prune practices that ought to be prohibited." 

Dumbledore began to clap as the pink lady walked back to her seat.

"Well, she's annoying." Draco mumbled.

Aria agreed. "Quite, yes."

Especially considering the fact that yet again, her father had not gotten the Defense Against the Dark Arts post and instead this toad had. Looking at him again reminded Aria of the things she had to speak to him about regarding Lucius's offer. She only hoped he would be understanding.

Once the assembly was over and everyone was thoroughly pissed off with the new teacher, Aria headed back to her dorm room.

Matilda wad already there, gossiping to Madison.

Aria paid them no attention as she made her way to her bed, but stopped when she heard her brothers name.

"Little Potter, only trying to stay relevant. Eternal glory not enough?" Matilda snorted. "Of course, the Dark Lord is back, only to get his stupid name to have any meaning again. He would have been better off if he died just like his parents, wouldn't that be lovely?"

"What did you say?" Aria ripped her wand from her robes. "That is my brother you are talking about and you will show some respect!"

Matilda smirked. "He's a lying little orphan boy who deserves nothing but death for all the trouble he's brought the Wizarding world."

"Furnunculus!" Aria screamed and watched as Matilda's skin morphed, developing pimples and boils the size of cauldrons. Only, it wasn't enough. She had said that she wanted Harry dead, there was to be a severe punishment for that.

"Incarcerous!" Ropes appeared above Matilda, swimming down and knotting themselves around her as she screamed. They tightened as she screamed, digging into her skin.

Madison screamed too, running out of the room. Aria was too focused to stop her.

"You want to say that Harry should be dead?" Aria mused. "You think it's funny that the Dark Lord is back. Believe me, I'll do worse to you than he ever could if I hear you speaking bad on Harry's or my name ever again!" She raised her wand one last time. "Anapneo." Matilda began to choke. "Mobilicorpus."

Her body moved at the will of Aria's wand, soon crashing through the window. Aria released her spell and listened patiently to hear the sound of Matilda's body hit the ground.

Only, it didn't.

Instead, her body flew right back through the window and landed at Aria's feet. It became apparent that someone had stopped her from falling.

Aria turned around in a huff and was greeted by the disapproving face of her father.

He undid all of Aria's previous curses. Matilda's skin turned back to normal, the ropes untangled themselves and disappeared and her throat opened up again. She jumped back when she saw Aria, a few tears running down her cheeks.

"My office, Aria."

"But—"

"Now!"