Moths to a Flame

5. Back to School

Aria pov

September the first came around and I couldn't be more excited about it. I quickly dressed and packed my trunk and dragged down the stairs and left in front of the front door. I greeted my mother in the kitchen who was making a lovely breakfast and I greeted my father who was reading the latest Daily Prophet newspaper. Mother set a plate of food in front of me and I ate.

"So dear are you excited about your seventh and final year at school" father asks me.

"Definitely, I know this is going to be a great year!" I say excitedly. What a difference from last year.

Last year I was depressed and mourning the loss of Professor Fig, and didn't want to go back, but the thought of my friends at school is what got me going there, and made me happy again and got through that year, but now, I have my friends and my boys waiting for me this time around and I was excited about it. At ten o'clock we left the house and father got us onto the platform and soon I was saying goodbye to them and I was on the train waiting to see Poppy and Adelaide or whoever else decided to join us, then I get to see my boys again.

It wasn't long that I saw Poppy entering the compartment I was sitting in. I eagerly gave her a hug and we exchange excited hellos. I go on and tell her all about my summer in London. I exclude my time in Feldcroft, just until I know what to tell her. She tells me all about her summer and even though she couldn't disclose where she was hiding out I was so excited to hear all about her summer. She apparently was still able to help her gran with saving beasts in the new area they were staying and she told me about her grans new way of hiding the beasts. From the sounds of it was like the nab sack I had been given from Deek. Only hers is a briefcase. This way her beasts won't be exposed and no one will think much about it, so Poppy spent many hours a day tending to them. She was so excited telling me all about it.

"So have you decided on what you told me about with the Slytherin boys?" She asks.

"Oh uh about that" I say nervously.

"Oh! Who did you pick!" Poppy squeals in excitement.

"If I tell you the truth will you please keep it a secret I don't want things getting out before I have a chance to tell people" I say.

"Of course you're my best friend your secret is safe with me" she says.

"Alright, well I didn't pick either of them" I say.

"What?" She say's confused.

"I picked both of them" I say.

"What does that mean?" She asks

"Well actually it was Ominis' idea that I date them both and they were both okay with it so I'm dating both of them" I say.

"You're dating two boys at the same time?" She asks to clarify.

"Yes" I say.

"Well I can say I didn't see that coming but as long as you're happy and they're happy with it then who cares" she says.

"Thank you Poppy, really it means a lot that to me"

"Well have you seen them at all this summer?" She asks.

"Yes actually, that's when this all started I spent a weekend with them just one night I arrived Saturday morning and left Sunday evening it was lovely. They are such gentleman that's when they told me about this after I wrote to them about not being able to pick and all that I was so grateful to hear this idea. I love it and here we are all we've done is exchange letters for the last few weeks and I can't wait to see them at Hogwarts" I explained.

"Oh how wonderful for you Aria. You deserve nice things after the last two years of hell" she says.

"Most appreciated Poppy, I just hope there's someone for you too" I tell her.

"Me too, and whoever he is I'm sure he'll be perfect" she says chuckling.

We spent the rest of the train ride talking and laughing telling stories and when the trolley witch came around we shared candies and treats. We talked about school and the classes we were going to take and possible careers for after school. She tells me she wants to study beasts mostly hippogriffs or be the beasts professor after Howin leaves the school. I think that would be brilliant for her. I've tossed around the idea of being a professor myself but I wasn't sure. The time came when the prefects told us to put on our robes and we did and soon enough we were at Hogsmeade station and taking the thestral drawn carriages.

We are back on Hogwarts grounds. Poppy and I went to sit at the Hufflepuff table and I couldn't help but glance at the Slytherin table to find the two boys but I didn't see either of them. All I saw was Imelda chatting to a few girls over there. I looked at the Gryffindor table and there was Natty and Garreth chatting with a boy I wasn't sure of but looked to be our age, Adelaide had joined us at the table and she was telling us all about her summer. I looked along the Hufflepuff table now, Poppy was next to me but the other girls of our year Charlotte and Lenora who I wasn't to close too were sitting a ways down and chatting to the prefect of our house Arthur Plummly.

"Don't worry I'm sure they're going to be here you know Sebastian is notorious for being late so don't worry" Poppy says.

"You're right" I say and focus back on Professors Black and Weasley who are doing the sorting ceremony. When it was all over we were laughing and smiling all the way to the common room. We walked back to the common room and went to bed after putting our night clothes on.