Draco, the next day left for Hogwarts. He tried to talk to his mother about why was she so determined to save Aria. She hadn't even met her, but then why did she still try to convince Draco not to kill her? Any which ways, she was hardly alone, sometimes with his father or Morana.
Draco had kind of researched on his task too, but it all was useless. All the dark magic books he read, consisted of nothing. There was no mention of a soul being in one's body and if we want it back, we have to kill that person in the right place. He imagined Aria in his mind, her movements, her voice, her talks, but again: useless. Draco wondered why Morana could trust someone with such an important thing.
Draco reached Hogwarts in the morning, just before the classes begin. He set his trunk aside and sat on his bed. He was already dressed for school so he didn't have much work. He thought about Aria. She had changed this year, she hardly ever bothered him. She was always with her friends or in her own world. Draco had a slight suspicion up to why she was so quiet these days but didn't think much on that. Draco spent all his time, thinking about his task which had caused him to become thinner and he feared he would soon go crazy too. But all his thoughts led him to only one solution: be friends with her, which were impossible. And even if some miracle took place, and he did become her friend, he would get attached to her and it would be harder for him to kill or betray her.
Draco took his textbooks and went downstairs to the great hall. He met Theo and Nico on the way.
"What's up Draco? You look stressed" asked Nico. "Nothing" he replied. They both went quiet knowing asking questions would only anger me more. They sat at their table and started eating their breakfast.
"Oh Gosh! why is Miller crying?" asked Theo, his eyes wide. Draco, confused, looked where he was looking and saw that he was right. She was entering the Great Hall, her eyes red and full of tears. Oliver was next to her, trying to comfort her but with no luck as he himself was pretty upset. They were both talking to professor Lynass, who was, well, herself in a crying mood.
"Wanna know why?" asked Nico. Draco nodded. The three made their way to them.
"....we can't do anything, Marissa." they heard Oliver saying.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked.
"Nothing" replied Marissa bitterly, between her sobs, as if I was the reason she was crying. Draco rolled his eyes and turned towards professor Lynass.
"What's wrong, Professor?" he asked. She sighed sadly,
"Dear, Ms. Rosewood is not healing. We tried so many potions, spells, and other medical stuff too but...her medical health is turning worse. She looks normal on the outside but her blood is turning green which means she is poisoned severely. It is hard to save her." And with that terrible notice, she left.
Draco stood frozen.
"H-how l-long will she l-live?" he asked Aria's friends.
"What have you go to do with it? You wanted the same thing for so many years. You hoped she would die and your wish is coming true." she said, crying more and more. "You know what? I think you poisoned her."
"I-I-" Draco stuttered.
"Marissa, just because we are enemies does not mean that. Aria convinced us that it is Morana's poison. He can't do anything. He is just another 16-year-old boy in school. No one but she or one of Morana's servants can do that." Oliver tried convincing her.
"Then he is Morana's servant!!" replied Marissa, crying and ran away, Oliver following closely behind.
"Is she gone crazy?" said Nico. "We should stop worrying about these idiots."
"Yeah, they literally blame anything on us" added Theo. Draco's brain was now buzzing. He felt bad, terribly bad. Marissa had just guessed that Draco was one of Morana's servants out of her spite. Oliver and Aria both had tried convincing her that Draco couldn't do it, but they didn't know what terrible things he had done. They didn't know that the mark they feared existed on Draco's forearm too and they certainly didn't know that Marissa was right...
Draco suddenly rushed towards the hospital wing, his friends running behind.
"Wait!! where are you going!!??" He heard his friends shouting, but Draco ignored it. He kept running towards it only stopping at the door of the hospital wing. His friends stopped behind him too, panting. Draco peeped inside, making sure no one was near her, and thankfully no one was.
"M-mate w-what was t-that? W-why were you r-running?" Asked Theo, but again Draco ignored them and went towards Aria, who was reading a book, but this time it wasn't a school textbook. It was a thick, brown book which looked like It was very, very old. Draco couldn't make out the title, but it had brown hair and a heavy coat of dust.
"What are you reading?" he asked. Aria nearly jumped out of her bed. She quickly tried to stuff it somewhere but realized it was too late: Draco had already seen it.
"N-nothing" she said, stuffing it under her pillow.
"Then why were you hiding it?" he asked, sitting on the stool next to it. His friends remained standing, confused.
"My wish, what are you doing here?" she asked, suspiciously.
"How are you?" he asked, ignoring her question.
"what do you think?" she pointing, moving her hands up and down.
"er...not fine...I guess."
"yeah," she said. "what are they doing here?" she gestured towards Nico and Theo. Draco didn't answer but did the same thing as Aria. He looked at them in a questioning manner as to why they were here.
"er...you could ask the same thing to Draco," said Nico. "It's not natural that he visits you daily, is it?"
"um...no but it is understandable. I don't complain about his presence, but I question yours," she said raising her eyebrows. Both of them looked at me and then at her as if saying, 'what is going on? did we end up on Mars or Jupiter?'
"um...we are his friends," they replied embarrassed as well as confused. She sighed but then turned to me.
"what?" she asked.
"You were reading a dark arts book weren't you?" Draco asked. Don't ask how he knew it, he just did. He had read the same types of books in his manor. They all were dark and hairy and dusty like this one and they definitely gave a very bad creepy feeling. Aria froze on whatever she was doing. Her eyes wide and her heart stopped.
"H-how d-d-do you k-know this?" she asked. Draco shrugged.
"Guessed...but then it turns out I was right," he said. She looked at me suspiciously as if I owned a dark arts shop, but said anyway, "yeah...just reading about Morana, you know. But there is nothing about her poison. I wonder how to cure it. But whatever I read about her using it, there was nothing about people getting cured after. They died a painful death and I think I can understand what they went through now."
"How did you come across a dark arts book?" he asked.
"I asked Marissa and Oliver to get it. The professors wrote a consent letter," she said.
"Oh," he said, "So t-there is nothing to cure it? nothing?"
"Oh no. I don't think so." she replied, "But I have a mild suspicion that we can cure it if Morana herself..." she looked at me knowingly.
"As if she is interested in saving our small, useless lives," said Draco, chuckling but not out of humor but bitterness.
"I am useless?" she asked, mockingly. She put a hand on her hand and tried to look hurt, "How dare you?"
Draco laughed, "What are you then? Queen of Olympus?"
She smiled and said, "I wish I was but sadly no."
"Are we friends?" she asked after a while. Draco widened his eyes at the sudden question.
"um...what do you mean?" he asked, knitting his eyes together in confusion.
"I don't know...you keep visiting me here as if you care about what happens to me and then all our previous arguments and attempts to kill each other goes useless," she said.
"I don't know...I mean we can be if you want to," he said, looking anywhere but her eyes, which were wide by his response. Nico choked as if he was not believing his ears.
"You and me? Friends? The Draco Francis and me?" she asked. Draco rolled his eyes annoyingly. Did she not know how much courage he needed to say a simple 'yes'?
"yes" he replied, not trying to hide his annoyance. He expected her to say no by his annoyed tone but then she burst out laughing. Draco and his friends exchanged confused looks.
"what?" he asked irritated.
"Nothing nothing," she replied trying to be obedient and stop laughing, but she failed and burst out laughing again. Draco looked at her in an amused manner. I mean, literally, literally..this girl is poisoned and here she is laughing as if she has all the time in the world? Draco now understood why she was the center of the attention, why everyone called her the best and, why did everyone like her. She was simply awesome. Laughing when she was on her death bed? possible? but here she was. After a few minutes, which seemed like years to Draco, she regained her posture and stopped laughing. She held up her hands in a surrendering manner.
"S-sorry." she said, still giggling.
"What is so funny? have we painted our faces?" He asked, obviously irritated.
"Well, it wouldn't be less funny but no. Don't worry, being my friend now, you will find this behavior completely normal."
"Really?" he asked.
"yes"
"you are impossible"
"I am your friend"
"You amuse me"
"I am honored"
Draco looked, at this impossible girl, unbelievingly. She looked back, without hesitating, smartly. Draco was at a loss for words. Their staring competition was interrupted by the bell ringing indicating that the first lecture had been completely wasted by us.
"Looks like you wasted your first class"
"Because of you" he replied.
"You can't blame your friend for everything," she said, smirking.
"Actually, if we have a friend like you, I can" he replied and smiled sarcastically.
"ALRIGHT!! A BYE WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE!" she screamed behind me as I reached the door.
"DON'T STRESS YOUR THROAT TOO MUCH. YOU WILL NEED IT FOR LATER" he screamed back and left.
Draco smiled to himself, pleased for what he did just now. And in case, you are wondering that I befriended Aria for my task, you are wrong. I simply befriended her because I wanted to and because I had decided that I will fight by her side and betray Morana. I had chosen the right side.