Through the Darkness | Draco Malfoy

Twenty seven

Aries was sleeping in the hospital wing, her arm where they formed the mark on was bandaged, and by her side was Snape, who had been there ever since she came back from the cemetery.

He couldn't forget how she grabbed her arm once she returned and how she was panicking, hoping no one would see the mark and send her back to Azkaban. Snape reacted quick and covered for her before anyone saw anything.

Aries opened her eyes and stared at the white ceiling above her, she immediately knew she was in the hospital wing, she ends up here more than anyone in this school.

Suddenly, she felt someone's hand moving against her arm, she turned her head and saw Snape holding her arm while looking concerned.

"Professor," she murmured. "Are you alright Professor? you look pale."

Snape looked down on her, he didn't say anything but his grip tightened around her arm.

She chuckled and looked back at the ceiling. "I'm kidding, you've always been pale." then her face softened. "I tried protecting Harry, I tried... but this is what I gain?" she looked at her bandaged arm.

Snape sighed "Don't be absurd, you are still alive and that's enough." He paused "I can tell you did everything you could to protect Potter."

She covered her eyes with her unharmed arm, looking disappointed. "Yes but... I failed proving that I'm a good person, I was trying my best to let everyone know that I'm not the bad person everyone believes me to be."

"Just because you have this mark does not mean you're a bad person, you are not one of them."

She tried sitting up and winced at the pain in her arm, and sighed when Snape helped her sit up.

"Professor, why did you cover for me?" she asked, looking directly into his eyes.

His face softened and she knew he was struggling to find the right words to respond, so she interrupted him. "It's fine, you don't have to tell me."

Madam Pomfrey entered the room with a bottle of what it seems to be medicine. "Are you feeling well now, Aries?" she asked.

"I think so, yeah."

Pomfrey placed the bottle on the night stand abd sighed, "About twenty students visited you while you were unconscious, saying some words as if it's your funeral. Blimey child, even Slytherins were worried."

"Slytherins?" Aries questioned.

Snape rolled his eyes, he also knew how even Slytherins are fond of Aries, she was very popular among all of the four houses of Hogwarts, popular for her mischief of course.

"Slytherins." Pomfrey nodded. "Well, anyway, you're fine now, so you can leave the hospital wing if you want." she told her before she left.

"Black, I'm afraid you have to return home early for some medical purposes." Snape said, interrupting their conversation. "And safety purposes." he added.

She knew what he meant, but did not like it. "But I'm fine– I will be fine I swear, I won't get into any trouble I promise–"

"You will return home today, those are Dumbledore's words." He stated, his voice laced with an underlying tone that told her to do as he says.

"And..." he continued. "Do not tell your father about it, not until I figure out how to remove it from your arm." Snape told her quietly.

Aries had no choice but to obey, she knows that Snape knows better. "I promise I won't say a word to anyone about it."

After that, Snape made her use the Floo network to travel to her home, Grimmauld place, where she was greeted by Kreacher next to the chimney, who somehow knew she was coming.