The Era of Aria Snape

52

Chapter Fifty-Two

ARIA AND DRACO had left the Slytherin common room and were heading down to Hogsmeade, it was the first day of the trip, they had both handed in their permission slips and Aria had begged to go an alternate route to avoid George. She planned to tell him today-what she had decided. Who she had decided.

It had been one of the hardest decisions she had ever had to make and she still wasn't sure about the answer. The thoughts she had lingered on for days still swimming around in her head.

Hagrid's house was on route, the Hippogriff grazing as they approached. Aria was once again taken aback by his beauty, how majestic he was. She had learned his name was Buckbeak, fitting, considering his features.

"That stupid bird." Malfoy spat, "Told father all about it trying to kill me and he's furious."

"Really?" Aria humored him, not having listened to what he had said, her attention focused solely on Buckbeak as she slowly approached him. She flinched as the Hippogriff flared its wings.

"Yes." Malfoy went silent as Buckbeak allowed Aria to pet him. "I really want to ride that."

"I thought you hated him."

"I wasn't talking about him."

Aria closed her eyes and exhaled, wondering if she had heard him correctly. "Listen here you little toad." She turned away from Buckbeak and stared at Malfoy, marching towards him. "That's like the third bloody time you've come onto me in the past few days and I do not appreciate it. You think that now that you have a fancy new haircut and grew like ten feet you can just flirt with me. I have a boyfriend, Malfoy." She found herself growing angrier as she stepped closer towards him and found herself having to look up at him, instead of down like she had the past two years.

"So you noticed the haircut?" He smirked.

Aria rolled her eyes, "That's really all you got out of what I said?"

"No, I heard the stupid boyfriend part, but I chose not to listen because I think it's irrelevant."

"It's not irrelevant to me."

"If you weren't dating him would you fancy me?"

"No, Draco." She released a sigh and looked towards the ground. She had no idea where his sudden flirty attitude had spawned from, but she wanted it to leave. Immediately.

He grabbed her arms, "You hesitated."

"I meant it, Malfoy, please just stop."

"I can't." He pulled Aria towards him, crashing his lips against hers and slipping his tongue into her mouth.

"No!" She squirmed out of his arms and wiped her lips with the back of her sleeve.

"Why not?" He frowned, slightly shocked by her response.

"Because Malfoy!" She snapped and turned her back to him, staring out into the distance. "There's something I should tell you."

"What is it, Aria?" He reached up to stroke her cheek, but she pushed his hand away in disgust.

"I can't be your friend anymore."

"Because of what I just did?" His eyes widened in shock. "No, please Ari, I won't do it again."

"No, it's not because you kissed me. It's because I... I don't like the way you treat my boyfriend and his family."

"What?"

"You heard me, Malfoy. You're rude to the people I care about and it's not okay. I can't be your friend anymore because of that, I'm sorry."

"You're ending our friendship because I say some mean things to your little ginger friends?" Draco scoffed, "I mean, I knew they'd rub off on you eventually, but I didn't know you'd become so pathetic so soon. Honestly."

Aria glared up at him. "That is the exact reason that I'm doing this! You're terrible."

"Like you're any better." He snorted. "You conveniently don't recall what you used to say about the Weasleys? Before you started shagging one anyway."

"I've changed." Aria ignored his last comment.

He snorted ironically, "Sure, tell that to yourself and everyone around you, but we both know the truth. Everyone says the same things about us, me and you, Aria. There's nothing you can do to change that. Believe me, it won't be long until your blood-traitor boyfriend leaves you for some Gryffindor girl who doesn't curse people for looking at her the wrong way. Don't come crying to me when he does."

"George won't do that."

Draco began walking back to the castle.

"He's not a foul, arrogant git like you, Malfoy!" She called after him but doubted that he had even heard. His hands were tucked into his pockets as he stalked back to the castle. She wanted to throw something at him but settled for screaming a string of curse words and kicking a nearby pumpkin.

She didn't understand how Draco, the person who she considered to be her closest friend, someone who she assumed understood her to a fault, had been so rude to her.

A few minutes after her temper tantrum, Aria arrived in Hogsmeade and was greeted by George's grinning face.

"I made my decision, George." She took his hand in hers.

He stared down at her, eyes searching hers as he waited.

"It's you. It always would have been you, even if I did say that I needed to think about it."

A relieved smile appeared on his face. "I love you so much." He breathed, pulling her into his chest.

"I love you, too."

But deep down Aria knew that she had almost chosen Malfoy. She knew that the way she and Draco clicked was different from the way she and George did. It was somehow better. Draco understood her in a way that George never could, but George brought out the good in Aria and all Draco did was encourage her to do awful things and treat people terribly, but when he wasn't being a pain, he was the closest thing Aria had ever had to a real friend.

She feared that she wouldn't be able to stay away from him for long.