In third-year halls, their paths first crossed,
A Raven boy, a Blonde girl lost.
"Stay out of my way," she warned with a glare,
But something lingered in the frosty air.
Crimson with his scar and fame,
Emerald with her secrets untamed.
Two worlds ap...
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The days flowed slowly, spring gradually shifting into the mellow warmth of May. Hogwarts' grounds came alive with the greening of trees, and as the flowers bloomed in bursts of color, so did the energy around the castle. May's arrival brought longer days and a sense of both renewal and urgency, the promise of summer tingling in the air even as exams and responsibilities loomed.
Aria could feel the change in each morning's light, the sun now casting warm, honeyed beams across her bed before she even opened her eyes. She'd blink awake to find that golden light spilling in, filling the room with a soft glow. Outside, the grounds were vibrant with the sounds of the lake lapping gently against the shore, birds chirping from the Forbidden Forest, and students laughing as they strolled to class.
With each passing day, she felt a sense of anticipation bubbling, a mixture of excitement and dread that seemed to seep through the school. The end of the term was near, but more than that, Aria could sense the heavier undercurrent of things shifting beyond Hogwarts' walls. She saw it in the furrowed brows of professors during meals, the whispering of her friends late at night. And yet, life at Hogwarts continued, brightened by the blooming flowers and the new, sunlit afternoons.
On the first morning of May, Aria woke early, savoring the stillness that filled the castle before most of her peers had stirred. She slipped out of bed quietly and dressed, feeling the weight of her thoughts lighten as she stepped out into the cool corridor. The world beyond the tall castle windows was awash in pink and gold as the sun climbed above the hills, illuminating the dew-soaked grass. Deciding to take a rare moment alone, she wandered down toward the lake, breathing in the fresh air and letting the solitude ground her.
The lake's surface glimmered under the morning sun, clear and calm. Aria found herself tracing patterns in the pebbles near the shore, each stone chilled and smooth against her fingertips. She stayed there, watching the way the light reflected off the water, thinking of everything she had learned in the past year—about her family, her friends, the war.
As May unfurled, the castle grew more alive with the energy of students eager to finish the school year. The days became a blur of classes, exams, and stolen moments with Harry by the lake or in quiet corners of the library. Each day felt precious, filled with the sensation of lingering possibilities and a kind of urgent happiness, knowing that soon the safety of Hogwarts' walls would be left behind. The reality of what waited for them beyond the grounds was both terrifying and strangely exhilarating, and it seemed to heighten everything. Even the simplest moments took on new depth.
Aria spent her free time with her friends, often laughing and bickering with Onyx and Blaise, their banter and small moments of joy feeling like anchors to normalcy. She would catch herself looking around at them—laughing at their teasing, rolling her eyes at Blaise's easy charm, smiling at Onyx's thoughtfulness—and feel a pang of bittersweet nostalgia. There were moments she wished she could freeze in time, hold onto these days where they could just be students.
