The Malfoy Diaries (A Draco Malfoy Fanfiction)

e i g h t y - f o u r 💛

It didn't take them long to return to the Great Hall, which was where Aria quickly discovered that Harry was right. The reparation spells that had been performed upon the Great Hall had certainly done the trick. The place looked much better. It was almost back to normal. 

Once they were there, they wandered over to the Gryffindor table and went to sit with the others. Aria was relieved to see that so many of her friends were still alive and healthy. Sat nearby were Hermione, Ron, the twins, Ginny, Angelina, Katie and many other Gryffindors that she had become close to during her time at Hogwarts. 

As they sat there, Draco and Aria listened as Hermione spoke. 

"Of course, McGonagall doesn't want to open the school back up to the younger year groups just yet. We'll need to do a lot more work on the school beforehand. The ministry want to visit to check that our defense spells are good enough...which I think is quite frankly ridiculous, but I understand it," Hermione said. "Either way, I just can't wait for things to be back to normal." 

"You and me both, 'Mione," Fred said, as a small smile played at his lips. 

"Everything is going to be fine! We'll be back to playing Quidditch before you know it!" Ginny said with excitement in her voice. 

"I won't have you going out there and playing Quidditch with your broken arm!" George said then, in his best Molly Weasley voice. 

Ginny rolled her eyes. 

"Hermione and Cho helped me out loads with their healing spells and potions. I'll be fine," she replied. 

"If you say so," Fred and George said in unison.  

After the battle of Hogwarts, time had seemed to slow down and everything had felt so strange and different. Aria was relieved to know that one thing was still there for her- her group of friends, her second family and her home away from home. 

As they sat eating, Aria's eyes glanced towards one of the large windows of the Great Hall to find that she could now see the full moon. She swallowed hard as she looked at it because she couldn't help but think about Lupin and Tonks. 

Draco noticed the shift in her expression and reached out to squeeze one of her hands under the table. 

It was a simple gesture, but one that filled Aria's heart with warmth and reassurance all the same. 

Harry's green eyes soon found Aria's honey ones and he gave her a look of curiosity. 

"Are you alright?" he mouthed. 

Aria gave a slight nod of her head, even though she wasn't quite sure how confident she was with that answer. The was was still affecting her more than she might have liked to admit. She had seen countless souls fade away right in front of her. How was she supposed to just forget about that any time soon? She couldn't. 

"Is everyone doing alright?" Harry asked, as his warm eyes glanced over his friends. 

Most nodded or gave murmurs of agreement, while Draco didn't say a word. 

"It'll be alright," he said. 

Draco glanced up to find that Harry was looking right at him. 

"How can you be so sure, unless being the chosen one gives you psychic abilities? I sadly wasn't aware of that one," Draco said, with sarcasm evident in his voice. 

Harry sighed. 

"I just know that it will be. Voldemort is gone," he said. 

"Exactly, Draco, the bald asshole is gone; Bellatrix is gone; most of the Death Eaters are going to be sent to Azkaban. Things are going to be okay," George said. 

Draco's eyebrows creased together slightly then and he wordlessly stood up from the table. 

"Are you just forgetting that many of those 'Death Eaters' that you hate so fondly were members of my own family?" he asked. He gave a slight shake of his head, before he stormed out of the Great Hall. 

"I'll go," Aria said decisively, before she stood up from the table to follow Draco out of the Great Hall. 

It didn't take Aria long to find Draco in the hall outside of the Great Hall. 

"Draco, be honest, are you okay?" she asked. 

Draco's throat bobbed slightly before he gave an answer to that question. 

"Oh yes, Aria, I'm bloody excellent. I'm really enjoying myself, sitting around your friends while they all feel smug and good about themselves," Draco said. 

"Draco, you're on our side. They know that. They didn't mean any harm by what they said-" 

"You're ashamed of what I've come from. You're ashamed of the fact that I used to be a Death Eater. Just fucking admit that, Aria," Draco said. 

"Draco, I-" 

"And that's the reason why I pulled away earlier. I was kissing you but I didn't feel as though I should be. I will always be the outsider. Don't you understand that?" he asked. "I'm no good, Aria." 

Aria sighed. She should have predicted that Draco would be, well, as unpredictable as ever. She knew him well enough to know that he could be incredibly changeable. 

"Leave me alone," he said, as he turned and began to walk away from her. 

"No, Draco, I can't do that," Aria said aloud, which prompted Draco to freeze. "You know that there's a lot that I just tolerate but you've always been different." 

"I get it. Tell me how much you hate me, Honey. That sounds great right now," he said. 

"I don't hate you, Draco. I have never hated you and I will never hate you," Aria said. 

Draco's eyes darkened before he replied to that statement. 

"I'm beginning to believe it would be easier if you did," he said. 

"I'm beginning to believe it would be easier if you weren't so damn inconsistent with your feelings," Aria said nonchalantly. 

"I'm not inconsistent," he said. 

"Yes, you are. One moment you're like my friend, the next it's like you want nothing to do with me," Aria replied. 

Draco considered her words for a moment and then gave an emotionless smile. 

"We were never meant to be friends, Aria," he said, "And we never will be." 

As his words had stunned Aria into silence, she didn't even try to make another remark, as she watched Draco walk down the hallway away from her.