The Era of Aria Snape

93

Chapter Ninety-Three

"YOU NEVER TELL me anything anymore!" Aria snapped at George.

He rolled his eyes. "What a load of rubbish. I tell you everything you ask. Even about the D.A, though I'm not supposed to."

"Not supposed to? What does that bloody mean?"

"We're not really supposed to talk about it outside of the meetings, let alone to a Slytherin."

"Hermione's rules no doubt. Has that little toad forgotten I save her life back in third year? Maybe I should remind her." Aria whipped out her wand.

"Can you not?" George sighed and looked away from Aria as if begging someone to approach them and tear him away from their awful conversation.

"Fine." She shoved her wand back into her pocket. "What about your dad? You never told me he got hurt, I had to find out."

"It didn't concern you. We only told the family."

"I supposed Harry and Hermione knew, though."

"I can't force Ronald to keep his mouth shut."

"I'm not some Death Eater that you need to hide things from, you know?"

George hesitated before nodding. "I know that, but I can't say the same for everyone else. The Order, the D.A, you're not exactly popular amongst them."

"You could at least keep me in the loop. I've known Arthur as long as I've known you, I was worried."

"I know." George nodded and pulled Aria into a hug.

Harry appeared from around the corner and hurried over to them. "Got a minute?"

Aria nodded and said goodbye to George, walking away with Harry. "What is it, Harry?"

"Your father's gone mad."

"What happened now?" Aria sighed and handed out a detention slip to a Hufflepuff boy who had run past her. He sulked away.

"Dumbledore ordered him to teach me Occlumency."

"I have no idea what that means, Harry."

"It has to do with my mind and all that, I can't explain it to you, but it's weird. I saw bits of his mind as well."

"Do I even want to know what you saw?"

"Him and mum. They were friends when they went to Hogwarts, you know."

Aria nodded slowly. She had assumed as much. She was about to say something to Harry when she realized that her words would have been meaningless. He was much too occupied in staring at the Ravenclaw girl across the hall.

"Got a girlfriend?" Aria snorted. She wasn't what she had expected Harry to like.

"Uhm..." He trailed off as the girl walked closer to him.

She laughed. "I'll leave you alone, don't worry."

Aria ambled away, keeping an eye out for anyone else that she could give detention to when she overheard a couple speaking.

The boy had asked his girlfriend to be his valentine. Aria sneered, wondering if George would even bother. In doubt that he would even remember, she headed over to the couple, ripped their connected faces apart, handed them a matching set of detention slips, and bid them farewell with a sweet smile.

If she couldn't be happy, nobody could.

"She's like a younger Umbridge." She heard the girl say, and all Aria did was smirk.

ϟ

Valentines day was two days away and George had yet to ask Aria about it or even mention it at all.

Someone else had, however.

"You know I can't do that, Draco." Aria sent him one harsh glare before turning back to the numerous pieces of paper all marked with lines that she had instructed the first years to write out. She was reviewing them for any signs of magical help. If she found any she would force everyone to rewrite the lines, but double the amount.

"You said you don't have a Valentine. And neither do I! It's perfect."

Aria snorted. "No, it isn't. Now, please leave. I am very busy."

He sighed and made the bouquet of flowers that he had come in with disappear. "Fine, but don't come running to me when your dear boyfriend doesn't bother to ask you." He slammed the door on his way out.

Aria rolled her eyes, but as Valentines day arrived, she realized that he had been right all along. George had no intention of making her his Valentine.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" Aria wandered as they left the library.

George sent her a confused look. "Ask you what?"

"It's Valentines day!"

He turned white, about to speak, but Aria cut him off.

"Malfoy asked me. He actually cares about me. I wish I could say the same about you, but all you know is how to keep secrets from me." She folded her arms angrily.

"Oh, Malfoy asked you, did he?" George snorted. "I assume you said yes, having ignored every single one of the flowers and hearts I sent you, but no, you're right. I didn't ask you. Go snog your blond boyfriend then. I'll be at Hogsmeade when you've decided to open your bloody eyes." He snapped and stormed off.

Aria huffed off in the opposite direction. Flowers and hearts? What was he talking about? She hadn't received anything of the sort from him.

The more she thought about it, though, the more Aria realized that the bouquet Malfoy had brought for her looked an awful lot like the ones she loved so much that grew by the Weasley's house.

That dirty rat had stolen them and tried to give them to her as his own. Of course he would do that. It made George look bad and he didn't have to waste time picking daisies by the Black Lake.

As furious as she was, Aria had to admit it was a good strategy in terms of winning her over. Before she found out, anyway.

With a sigh of annoyance, she headed down to Hogsmeade. She knew George wouldn't let her hear the end of it and she knew that her pride would take a blow when she would have to apologize for falsely accusing him.

Oh her way down, she received a nasty glare from Hermione who was walking alongside Harry and Ron. Ron sent a sympathetic look her way, but Harry did nothing — not even acknowledge her. She thought nothing of it.

However, when she reached the Three Broomsticks and saw Harry's "girlfriend" running out, prompting her to peak in, she saw a very disturbing sight. A sight that made her sick to her stomach.

Of course, she had been right about Katie all along and now she had her tongue down George's throat.

Aria wasn't who he wanted. He wanted the perfect Gryffindor goody-goody who played for the Quidditch team and had perfect grades along with managing to cast a Patronus perfectly on her first try.

George didn't want the Slytherin head girl who cursed anyone that disrespected her or her house. He didn't want the girl who had sacrificed everything to be with him and he most certainly didn't want Aria's heart.

She gripped her wand tightly. She could have easily hexed both of them, but another punishment was more suited to the situation anyway.

"Hey, Cho!" She ran after the girl and upon seeing that she wasn't stopping, she hexed her and took her to Umbridge.

George wanted to cheat, then so be it. Aria could be just as nasty, even worse.