The next morning, Draco was woken up by a continuous, loud knocking on the door.
"Who IS IT?" he shouted.
"Draco!!! It's me!" came his mother's voice. He cursed and opened the door.
"Draco! It's 7 in the morning. There is a meeting today and you much not miss it." said his furious mother. Draco rolled his eyes and got dressed. As he climbed down the stairs, he spotted several people sitting at the dining table.
Morana's Servants
Draco slowly walked towards the table, his eyes down, and started eating quietly.
"How are you Draco? Any progress on your first-ever task?" came a voice.
"I-I thought that's what we were going to discuss today," he said slowly, still not looking for the source of the voice.
"yes yes," said the voice again and the table went silent, except for the clanking and clinking of spoons and folks.
"I see...everyone has arrived." came another, dangerous hiss. This time, Draco knew whose this was.
Morana.
But this time, another hiss was accompanied. He slowly pulled up his courage and looked up but then regretted it immediately. Morana was looking straight at him with her snake coiled around her hand. She sat at the head table and smiled evilly.
"Well, I am sure everyone here is confused. I had first assigned Draco to assassinate Aria Rosewood, but the recent events didn't sit right. She is soon going to be 17 and we must act before that. I took a long time to return because of which we do not have much time. My soul is connected to hers." Draco nearly dropped out of his chair.
WHAT!!??? ALL THESE YEARS DRACO BULLIED MORANA???
"A few years back, the Rosewoods were one of my loyal followers, and generally I needed someone who I could trust, for me to put my soul into. If I die...I needed someone to restore my soul to me and sacrifice themselves. And so I ordered Mr. and Mrs. Rosewood to give me Aria but they were cowards. They were terrified of my idea and so they flee. Well, whoever crosses me, doesn't deserve to be in this world and naturally, they died. I then transferred my soul into hers, believing that she will be loyal to me as her family. Her grandmother surely taught her to be loyal to me but...she chose to fight against me. Not with me. I would have killed her years ago if it weren't for my foolishness to believe that she will be loyal to me. If I try to kill her, I myself will not be alive...But yes that does not mean there is no way." After this huge speech, she turned towards Draco and smiled evilly....again.
"Draco, you must be wondering why I poisoned her and how? Draco you see....our little friend here." she pointed towards her snake. "has helped us a lot. Professor Gladstone...your dear potions master is now spending his time in our dungeons while my snake goes and takes his form and serves me. He does all my hard work as I want. From now on Draco, your dear professor Gladstone will be spending his time in our dungeons and his place will be taken by our little friend." She said petting her snake, who hissed at Draco.
"And now, My soul exists in her body but I am not sure where...It has taken a resting place and Draco, I want you to find it. Her hands? perhaps? if that you have to watch her hands and see if they have anything similar to mine but if they don't.....it's not that. The same way Draco...you have to examine her....find out what about her is similar to me. If you find.." She smiled victoriously, "point your wand over that spot and kill her."
Dead silence. Everyone seemed to me in shock. Draco's insides were clenched into a knot, which wasn't untying. He could hardly breathe...A-Aria's soul was mixed with an evil one like Morana...
"D-does s-she know anything, my lady?" Draco asked, building up his courage.
"No Draco. She would have killed herself if she knew," replied Morana.
Draco froze. His head was aching as if someone was hammering his temples. He literally felt as if someone had tied all his organs and he was not able to do anything.
"DISMISSED" Said Morana and she left.
"I must say Draco is extremely lucky. Getting to kill that dirty mudblood-traitor. She deserves a slow and painful death like the dark lady's poison. Gets right." said one of Morana's servants.
There was a murmur of agreement and rage-filled Draco-like fire. He didn't know what had caused it but he got out of his chair and punched the idiot in the nose, but it wasn't enough. He punched him so much so that next time, he will be ashamed to show his face. Draco's knuckles were covered in his blood while his parents tried to pull him back.
"Proud of this blood, are you?" spat Draco, pointing at his knuckles. "Then let it flow to the ground." He then punched him again and stormed off to his room.
He slammed the door shut and sat on the edge of the bed, burying his head in his palms. He felt broken and he finally had accepted the fact that he couldn't bear it. He couldn't kill her. No never. Even if they had a hard past, that does NOT mean he is going to kill her so cruelly. But how can she heal? S-she will die because of the poison. The first time they met...
11-years Draco was making his way on the platform, his parents beside him.
"what are we waiting for mother?" he asked in his 11-year old voice.
"We are waiting for your friends dear. Theo and Nico Ellison, isn't it?" replied his mother.
"oh yeah," he said bored. Draco could see many people arriving on the platform, with their parents, but one caught his attention. She was a small golden-haired girl walking alone, looking confused and scared. She was struggling to hold her heavy trunk. She scanned the whole platform, for a second locking eyes with Draco but she didn't specifically pay attention to him.
"HEY!!" yelled two voices. Draco drifted his attention from the girl and to his friends who were grinning broadly.
"hey there! how're you?" said Theo.
"Fine. You?" Draco asked, trying to match their cheery tone.
"Same. ready for school? Theo asked.
"Definitely" he replied and drifted his attention back to Aria while his friends talked to his parents.
"mother? mind if I excuse myself for a second?" he asked his mother.
"um...sure dear. but wait a minute. We are leaving anyways." she replied.
"Well, Draco. Study well. We will leave." his father said and left with his mother without giving Draco an embrace or a warm goodbye. Draco didn't even expect it though.
"er....I'll come in a minute," he told his friends and walked towards the girl.
"er...want help?" he asked. She slowly looked up at him, shyly.
"if you don't mind," she said in a small voice. She tucked a loose strand of her golden hair, which had red strands. Draco took her trunk and looked over to see where was his and he found it with Theo and Nico.
"what's your name?" he asked her.
"Aria, Aria Rosewood," she replied. "You?"
"Draco, Draco Francis." she nodded.
"um...Ilvermorny?" he asked.
"yes...you too?" he nodded.
"how do you g-go there?' she asked.
"Well, you go through a portkey. when all the students arrive, the head boy and the head girl enchant something as portkey and then we reach there." he told her. "at least that's what my parents have told me."
"oh," she replied. Draco looked around.
"where are your parents?" he asked, confused.
"t-they a-are dead," she said. Draco's eyes went wide.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to. b-but your family?" he asked.
"my grandmother, but she just left me here without instructions...that is why I was confused."
"Oh," they stood in silence until they the head boy and head girl calling them.
"Come one! excited for the first year?" he asked her, smirking.
"definitely" she said, returning the smirk.
"To the present"
16-year old Draco was still sitting on the bed, frustrated. At that time, Draco didn't know that one day, he would have to murder the innocent girl in front of him. Before the sorting Draco and Aria had been friends until she had been placed in Wampus and me in Thunderbird. We never got along. After the sorting, we tried to be friends but our surroundings forced us to be enemies, and eventually, because of the difference of opinion, they ended up being hard enemies. He still remembered her looking at Draco expectantly as she was sent to sorting. She had hoped to be with me but...
Whatever that was, Draco had made up his mind not to murder Aria. He was scared that Morana will kill him and his family but...
A knock was heard on the door. He focused on the unlocking charm and the door clicked.
Wandless magic
The door opened and mother stepped in. She was looking tired and scared too, but there was a hint of concern in her eyes.
"Draco" she called. Draco hummed in response. "what happened? why did you attack Ronald Douglas downstairs?"
"He was insulting," he replied truthfully.
"yes but insulting Aria Rosewood. Not you," she said.
"whatever. I-I don't like insulting anyone. What did you tell downstairs?" he asked.
"well, your actions definitely raised some questions but I shrugged it off by saying you were stressed." said his mother.
"I don't think they bought or even liked it," he said.
"doesn't matter" she replied quietly.
"hmm"
"Are you leaving today? for school?" she asked after a while.
"If I am free," he said.
"Then you must." he nodded.
"Draco..." his mother sighed. It looked like she wanted to say a lot of things but couldn't. Draco raised his eyebrows.
"What do you think, mother? about A-Aria?" he asked.
"Draco I-I c-can't say much...but remember, if I were you, I would have given it some thought," she said.
"Father wouldn't have liked your thoughts" he noted.
"Doesn't matter anymore. Do what your heart tells you," she said and left. Draco had the feeling she wanted to say a lot but she was imprisoned. She was tied. She couldn't let out her feelings freely.
But then a thought struck him. His mother was a diviner. At her time of school, she had mastered Divination more than the teacher herself. He wondered if she had seen something of the future...