The Era of Aria Snape

105

Chapter One Hundred and Five

TONIGHT WAS THE night.

Tonight was the night where everything would end. Draco would complete his task and then he and Aria would leave.

She tapped her foot impatiently against the concrete floor of the Room of Requirement, leaning against the Vanishing Cabinet as she waited for Draco to arrive.

"You're here." Aria breathed, barely above a whisper as she saw Draco enter the room. Her heart sped as she saw him in a black suit, his skin cold as she wrapped her arms around him and held tight.

The poison hadn't worked. This was their only option.

She pulled away and stared up into his eyes, giving him a small nod and stepping aside for him to remove the tapestry off of the Vanishing Cabinet.

Aria always knew she would end up helping Draco, but never had she felt so little remorse for those who would end up hurt after this evening. Harry's words had struck something within her that there was no returning from.

She'd love to hurt him the same way.

The door to the cabinet was forced open, revealing Bellatrix, grinning as usual as she stepped onto the floor. "Aria!" She squealed and threw her arms around her.

Aria smiled back at her, watching as more Death Eaters stepped into the Room of Requirement.

"Are we ready, Draco?" Bellatrix rested her arm over Draco's shoulders.

He glanced at Aria, who nodded, he looked back to his aunt and nodded once.

"Excellent." She grinned. "Lead the way."

Aria grabbed Draco's hand as they led Bella and the others towards the Astronomy Tower.

"It's okay." She whispered to him. "It's all okay. I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere. It will all be over soon." She repeated those words as they seemed to soothe him as they ascended to the top of the tower.

She spared him another smile and let him go first, waiting behind with the others.

Aria paced back and forth, running her hands through her hair and then biting her nails before repeating the whole process until Bella snapped at her to stay still.

Finally, Aria could take it no longer and walked closer, not yet revealing herself. She could hear them speak now. Draco was talking, his voice cracking as he spoke.

"I once knew a boy who made all the wrong choices," Dumbledore said. "Let me help you, Draco."

"I don't want your help! Don't you see? I have to do this. I have to." He cried. "I've got to kill you, or he'll kill her."

Aria's breath stopped at the words. She didn't know what to make of them, although she had a pretty good idea of what they meant. She felt herself grow angry. She didn't care, he could have let her die and moved on with his life but he chose to endure all of this just to save her? She gripped her wand tightly and forced herself forward, followed by Bella and the others.

Bella taunted the old man as Aria raced to Draco's side. Dumbledore hardly spared her a glance— he wasn't surprised to see her. It made Aria wonder why he had allowed being so close to him at all if he already knew.

Bella looked toward Draco. "Do it."

Draco lifted his wand, hesitating as Bella urged him again.

"Severus." Dumbledore breathed.

Aria turned and saw her father. "Dad." She breathed, allowing her eyes to linger on him for a second longer before tearing them away and focusing on Dumbledore again.

"Severus, please," Dumbeldore begged as Aria's father raised his wand.

Aria's eyes darted between the two, realizing what was happening. No, her father couldn't be the one to kill him, she didn't want him to have to live with that. He always spoke so highly of Dumbledore.

Aria reached for her wand, prepared to take the task on by herself as the killing curse escaped her father's lips and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest, sending him over the edge of the tower.

"Dad!" Aria screamed as Bella let out a laugh. His face went pale, almost the same shade as Draco's. "Why did you do that? I was about to—"

"Now is not the time." He grabbed both her and Draco's arms, leading them down the stairs and towards the courtyard.

Aria realized that the first time she had ever seen someone die was in that graveyard. It had been Cedric and now she had witnessed another death. She wondered how many more were to come because of course, she couldn't leave now that her father had done the unspeakable. She had to stay with him, be there for him. She couldn't leave his side now.

Aria heard Harry's voice above the rest, yelling out for her... or her father.

"Go on." Her father ushered her and Draco along, she nodded but stood her ground. She watched as Harry fired spell after spell at her father, screaming and shouting. She heard her name among the mix but turned before she could hear anymore and followed Draco.

Aria wasn't sure what to feel, so she felt nothing as she reached for Draco's hand in the dark and squeezed it in her own. The only thing that mattered was that they were together and that she had her father.

As long as she had them, everything was going to be fine.

After all, there was no going back now.