Aria Lestrange

the return of bellatrix lestrange

over the course of the next few years she settled into school life. She finally got everyone to accept her. She had lied to her family. As far as they knew she had purposefully been sorted into gryffindor to spy on harry potter. As far as they knew she was loyal only to them. as far as they knew.

Im smiling as I walk into the great hall. But my smile instantly drops when I see neville. He looked terrified.
I don't think I want to know why. But I move towards him.
"Neville. Neville what's wrong" I ask.
He nods towards the paper beside him. I pick it up and after reading the title I feel my face go pale white. I feel sick to my stomach.
My mother was out of azkaban.
I have to force myself to eat through breakfast. Not that I really ate much. I only answered in one word answers scared I would burst into tears. Or worse puke everywhere.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to madam pomfrey aria" harry asks.
"I'm sure"i reply.
I'm quiet through all of my classes. Which lately isn't me. So by the time double transfiguration ends at the end of the day professor mcgonnigal holds me back.
"Miss lestrange. Wait a moment" she calls.
I wince at my last name. No matter how often I hear it. It still makes me wince.
She notices it so the next time she speaks she doesn't say it again.
"I noticed you've been extremely withdrawn from class today. The other professors have noticed too. Is something the matter" she asks
I shake my head hoping not to have to tell her.
"Come on aria. There is something going on" she encourages. Again I just shake my head.
"You're friends actually brought this to my attention" she admits "they're worried about you"
Finally I sigh "my mother" I say quietly "she broke out of azkaban"
"I know that yes" professor mcgonnigal says. "If that is what you're worried about there is nothing to worry about"
I shake my head "in my first year. After I was sorted into gryffindor. She umm. She sent me a howler. She threatened. She threatened to torture me the next time she saw me"
Mcgonnigal had been marking papers at the same time as listening to me. When I finish she puts her quill down and looks up at me.
"Aria. I can assure you. As long as you are in this school there is no way you're mother can get to you"
"It's not here im worried about" I mumble so only I could hear.
But as she left the room mcgonnigal couldn't help but stare worriedly after her.

Christmas came much too quickly for my liking. i still worried bellatrix would torture me for being a gryffindor. i didn't know if she would accept i was a 'spy'.

My fear disappears slightly as i step off the train and find a house elf standing there. like normal. i glance at draco who is coming out the slytherin carriages himself.

"i hope this is a good sign"i mutter moving across to him.

"me too aria. me too" he replies quietly.

the house elf takes us back to the house. when we arrive my aunt and uncle sit at a table facing us. there's 4 extra seats. 2 of which are occupied.

"Aria, draco" narcissa calls as we arrive. "take a seat"
draco and i exchange glances. they seemed on edge. before we take the two extra seats.

its only then i get a better look at who was in the seats. beside draco sat my mother. beside me. sat voldemort.

"my lord" my mothers voice was the same as i remembered it from the howler. maybe slightly colder. "this is my daughter, aria lestrange"

ok well that was a good sign, she hadn't started cursing me. yet.

"it's an honour" i say instantly playing the child of a death eater part.

he's watching me. as if looking to see if i'm lying. he doesn't see through me however and a snake like smile creeps onto his face.

"i hear you have been spying for us?" he asks

"yes my lord" i nod

"and what have you found out?" he asks

"potter has started to create an army" i lie. "however he plays it off as a harmless school club. he doesn't even take credit for it. he calls it Dumbledore's army"

"and you. are you a part of this 'army'?" he asks

"yes" i reply truthfully. "they would suspect something if i didn't"

"good" he replies sitting back in his seat. "however we will no longer need you to spy for us. i suggest you get out of the house before they can corrupt you"

my heart skipped a beat. he wanted me to leave gryffindor. i didn't want to leave my friends

"of course" i reply bowing my head slightly. "i will arrange a meeting as soon as i get back to school"

"you two are dismissed" even his voice sounded like a snake.

nodding i get to my feet. draco following closely behind we both leave the dining room.

By the time the Christmas holidays roll around i'm more nervous than i have ever been in my life. more than when my mother escaped. i knew if i couldn't get out of gryffindor i would probably be tortured. they would know i wasn't really spying for them. or think i was disrespecting orders.

as soon as i walked into Hogwarts i headed straight for mcgonnigals office. i knocked twice and she opened.

"miss lestrange?" she asks in confusion "what brings you here so early. shouldn't you be in the great hall for dinner?"

"i have to change houses" i blurt out,

"what?" she asks her confusion only getting worse.

i completely lose it then. i break down sobbing, all the fear and terror floods through me at once.

"why don't you come inside and you can explain this all to me" she asks

"no" i say quickly backing up "i...i can't tell you"

"Aria you're not making sense" she asks

"i can't tell you. please professor. just let me switch houses. its literally a difference between life and death"

"alright aria" she says gently. "what house do you need to change to?"

"slytherin" draco says from behind me. "she needs to change to slytherin"

"and why is that mr malfoy?" mcgonnigal asks coldly.

"because you-know-who is making her"

thats how 20 minutes later i found myself sitting at the slytherin table. thanks to pansy's amazing make up skills it looked as though i hadn't been crying.

i could feel the glares of the gryffindors on my back and it took everything in me not to race over and apologize.

as we leave the great hall neville grabs my arm and spins me around.

he's not the only one there. harry, hermione, ginny and ron all stand there glaring at me as well.

draco and pansy instantly move to my side.

"it's all right, this will only take a moment" i say to them with a lazy smirk.

"what the hell happened to you?" neville snaps.

"i finally got to stop playing innocent little gryffindor" i reply with what i hoped was a convincing smirk. "what. did you honestly think a child of two of the most infamous death eaters could actually be a gryffindor?" i laugh cruelly when he doesn't reply. "you're more naive than i thought longbottom. how could i ever. be anything like you? you all ate it all up. oh boo hoo i'm nothing like my parents. why can't you get it through your thick skull longbottom. i was playing you. i was a spy. i was you-know who's spy and you never suspected a thing"

"you traitor" ginny yells. every word i said made it harder not to burst into tears.

"says the person that opened the chamber of secrets and almost killed her friends"

i knew it was low. i had stooped so low i knew they would never forgive me.

"now if you'll excuse me" i leave them in shock as the word spins round in my head. traitor.

I was a traitor.