The Malfoy Diaries (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

s i x t y - e i g h t 💛

Aria went with Harry and Hermione. 

She wasn't entirely sure what the plan was, but she trusted Harry enough to follow him. She just hoped that Draco was alright. She hadn't seen him for longer than she would have liked, now. 

She wasn't going to forget what he had told her the last time the two had seen each other any time soon. He had said to her that without her, he was nothing. Had  he really meant it? Aria's heart thudded in her chest, as she walked along behind Harry and Hermione. 

It wasn't as though she could talk to them about everything that had ever occurred between her and Draco anytime soon. She trusted Harry and Hermione, of course she did, but this was something that she was going to have to keep to herself for now. She had to keep quiet about Draco, more so than ever, now that Voldemort and Bellatrix and a whole group of Death Eaters were now present on Hogwarts grounds. 

When Harry turned to Aria, he gave her a charming smile. He seemed so...calm about everything. He seemed so warm. 

This only caused Aria to realise how cold she felt in comparison. It wasn't only a physical thing, either. The whole notion of Death Eaters now being present at her beloved school filled her with existential dread. Hogwarts was no longer the place she remembered. It had become a nightmare, rather than a dream. 

"It's going to be alright, Aria," Harry said to her. 

Aria had to wonder if he really meant his words or whether he was just saying them to be liked. That was one of the things about popularity- it led you to saying things that sometimes you really didn't mean, just so people would like you. If Harry admitted that there was a chance they wouldn't all make it out of the war alive, then Aria was sure he would have lost some friends. Of course, if those friends didn't fight alongside Harry during the most pressing times to do so, they couldn't have been very good friends in the first place. 

"We need to find him," Hermione chimed in, as they continued to walk through the castle's hallways. "We need to find Voldemort," she said. 

"Correction: I need to find Voldemort," Harry said. 

Hermione's eyes flickered with concern then. 

Although she didn't exactly want to go and talk to the Dark Lord any time soon, it didn't change the fact that she didn't want Harry to be alone. She was entirely devoted to looking out for him. He was like a brother to her. She couldn't simply let him wander into the Forbidden Forest alone. 

"Hermione- I know you want to come with me. Of course, I realise that. I just can't risk losing you. You're one of my best friends. I'm the one Tom wants. He'll hurt the people that I care about to get through to me. That's his grand plan. He wants me because I'm one of his last Horcruxes. We're all aware of this by now," Harry said. "I'm the one he wants, Hermione. You and Aria need to keep yourselves safe," he said. 

"Then what exactly are we going to do? You can't order me around, you know, Harry," Hermione said. 

Her will was as strong as Aria's, who had also decided to not leave Harry's side until he absolutely needed her to. 

"'Mione, maybe Harry is right," Aria spoke up, then. "Maybe we should let him go into the forest alone. He's the one Voldemort wants, after all. We're just...we can't be played off like pawns. That's what Voldemort wants to happen but we can't allow it. We should stay here. We should keep defending the castle. I think that's the best thing for us to do right now." 

Hermione's brown eyes locked on Aria's honey ones, as she considered her words for a moment. 

She soon shook her head, though. 

"No. I can't leave Harry. I refuse," she said. 

"I'm so sorry Hermione, but it doesn't really only concern you. It doesn't only concern me, either. There are far more people than just me that need help right now and I think you know that. You are to stay in this castle and help Aria. That's an order," Harry said with urgency in his tone of voice. His eyebrows creased together in his mild frustration, as flames of anger began to burn under the surface. He loved Hermione, of course he did, but sometimes she could be immensely stubborn. 

Then again, he knew that he had been guilty of that very thing often enough himself.  

"I understand that you want to go with Harry, Hermione, of course I do. We just can't right now. We have to stay here and fight for our friends. We have to stay here and fight for our family," Aria said. 

Hermione exhaled a long, drawn out breath of anxiety. 

"Alright. Fine," she said, with a nod, before she turned to Harry and swallowed hard. "Harry..." she trailed off. 

Harry stepped forward then and pulled both Aria and Hermione into a tight hug. 

"Look after each other. Look after yourselves. I'll be back," Harry said. Although there was optimism and confidence in his voice, Aria couldn't help but detect the subtle uncertainty there, too. 

"I love you, Harry," Hermione said, as she met his gaze. 

His green eyes warmed slightly, then, despite his anxieties. 

"I love you too, 'Mione. Look after Aria, alright? Aria, you've got this. I trust you," he said. 

Aria gave a nod of agreement at that. 

"I'll see you soon, Harry," she said. She really hoped that she was correct in saying that. 

Once Harry had walked away from the two of them, Aria turned to Hermione with an empathetic expression. 

"Listen to me- we need to go and defend the main courtyard. That's where they're most likely to come in from," Aria said. 

Hermione murmured in understanding. 

"Hermione, we're going to make it through this. I promise," Aria said. She just really hoped she was right.