A delicate white quill moved across the scroll at rapid fire speed as Aremenia struggled to get the words down all at once. She wanted to finish, to be done with it. She wished she could get a pen and just write it down like a normal person but she wasn't a normal person, and that was the price she paid for being magical: pens. She sighed heavily as she continued to write.
"Nia!" someone bounced into the chair beside her as the table shook, ink splattered on the page and she looked up, growling, at her best friend, Honey. Sometimes Honey wasn't so sweet especially since she was refusing to go a certain event.
"Honey." she growled.
"What's up with you?"
"Work." Aremenia laughed. "You?" she looked up as Honey mentally got her speech ready. "And no, go bother Potter if it's that important to you, maybe he'll listen."
"Oh come on Aremenia!" she protested.
"Going back to my real name?" Aremenia laughed at her.
"Nia, please."
"Like I said go bother..."
"Me?" Harry broke into their conversation, sliding into the seat beside Aremenia causing her to give up on writing for the time being, with so many people shaking the table. "Because, I do think you should come to the concert tonight if that's what you're talking about. It's going to be loads of fun, really. It won't be the same..."
"Without me, I've heard the line." she laughed.
"Oh Nia come on, you can borrow my dress and we can walk in the snow, and do your hair and everything."
"I have work to do really." she countered.
"And so do you Ronald." Hermione chose this moment to break in as Ron stood behind Harry. "You'd be wise to finish it eventually."
"Oh come on Hermione, you've got to have some fun!" Ron began to protest but she huffed away with a pile of books before he could finish his sentence. "Bloody hell." he shrugged and walked away as Honey slinked away, leaving Aremenia sitting at the table.
"Come," he urged her.
She could feel her cheeks redden as he nudged her. "I don't know, I didn't even buy a ticket..."
"Buy one at the door, please?" he nudged her again and this time she looked up, to see him looking right at her, into her eyes. She could feel her entire face redding and her body go numb. He wanted her to go to a concert? Where they could dance and laugh, and possibly even start something between them? She'd been dreaming of the day he'd ask her out forever and now... well he wasn't really asking her out but he wanted her there, meaning he possibly wanted to spend time alone with her.
"Oh alright, I'll see you there then?"
"You most definetely will." Harry smiled and she could feel herself melting, her mind carrying her away. Screw school work, screw work in generally, Harry Potter wants to see me, he definetely will.
She waited until he was clearly out of view before making a run for her room, where Honey was getting ready in the mess of their roommates and best friends: Shauna and Magda.
"Ohmygod!" she screamed at the top her lungs, barely able to explain what had happened. But when she did finally finish explaining, they started screaming too. "We'll have to do your hair and your make-up and everything!" Shauna jumped around in a mass of excitement as she laughed. Honey was getting out every hair product she had as Magda searched through her make-up bag. This was going to be a fabulous night, at least she hoped so.
"Draco when are you going to learn that the world isn't just about you?" Blaise laughed as Draco sat, slumped in his seat, in the middle of the Slytherin common room, dark and moody. "You know you've been a royal ass lately, no wonder Pansy's refusing to even show her face..."
"And no wonder she's seriously entertaining the idea of dumping me for you right?" Draco growled as Blaise's expression remained stoney. "I still can't believe you went off and told me..." he watched Blaise pace in front of the fire as he eyed him, sipping a strong drink of something expensive his mother had sent him. "But you were smart, running the risk of alienating me if Pansy did decide to end it for you so you told me, figuring it could only go your way..."
"No." Blaise smirked. "That's where you're wrong Malfoy, I have a proposition for you, I came with an idea, not a plan."
"It's stupid isn't it." Draco glared as he took another healthy sip.
"A bet..."
Draco straightened up a bit. "A bet? Are you trying to entertain me or piss me off?"
"I'm trying to settle this... if you win, you get Pansy, I back off fair and square. You loose, I get Pansy, so injury or pain necessary."
Draco laughed.
"Cowardice?" Blaise guessed.
Draco scoffed. "Are you an idiot?"
"No... but you're afraid aren't you..."
"I have other things to be afraid of then loosing Pansy, like my father... things associated with my father, and other things associated with those things associated with my father." Draco rolled his eyes finishing his drink. "Pansy was just one of the good things..."
"So prove that you love her and fight for her..." Blaise gave him a look like he'd gone mad.
"How do you propose this?"
"Get another girl to fall in love with you, and break her heart in front of Pansy, tell her you'll never love anyone else... within forty days."
"That's your bet? Get a girl you choose to fall..."
"I never said I choose but if you insist I think we can arrange that... besides it'll be a bit of fun, what girl wouldn't love Mr. Draco Malfoy, rich..."
"Don't even finish that..." Draco felt a laugh struggle to get free. "And you're right... any girl would love me... but a Gryffindor... pick one of those."
"You want me to find the least likely girl to fall in love with you? Do you have a death-wish Draco?" Blaise eyed Draco as he downed more of the drink his mother had sent.
"Yes... apparently so."
"Nia! For the last time if you don't come out of there I'll take you out of there myself!" Magda screamed at the top of her lungs, causing Shauna to cringe and Honey to put her hands over her ears. "I'm sure that dress looks fine on you but I can't tell since you won't get out of the washroom!"
"Shut-up Magda! You can't see me and you won't... I'm taking it off..." Aremenia screamed back.
"If you..."
"Shhh..." Honey broke in. "I'm sure Aremenia doesn't like the screaming either so if she would just let us see... since no one important is in the room, except for us, who would like to get to this Christmas concert already... thanks."
"Fine... if anyone laughs I'm shooting daggers." she opened the door and let them see it, that horrible blue dress in all it's glory, with the black empire sash. In truth it made her look impossibly, perfectly skinny. Her now wildly curled auburn hair was framing her face perfectly and what little make-up she'd let them apply looked as though it wasn't even there.
"Oh my god... Aremenia you look amazing!" Honey jumped up and down smiling wildly.
"What in the world were you talking about?" Magda started laughing as Shauna began to squeal with Honey, jumping up and down in their own little world.
"It's picture time!" Honey squealed and Aremenia knew she wouldn't rather be anywhere in the world but with them. It was one of those girl moments she couldn't help but get caught up in, almost as if she was normal. They squeezed in together in front of the camera Honey had squeezed on the windowsill by her bed. They all laughed magically in the tiny version of themselves as Honey tacked it on the wall by her bed magically.
"Time to go." they all huddled together, making their way down to the great hall where students were checking out and heading out the door into the snowing evening, making their way towards hogsmeade. Some of the girls could take carriages if they wished and Honey begged to wait for one.
"It's so cold!"
"Get a sweater!" Aremenia replied hotly. She glanced around the sea of students for a certain dark haired Gryffindor that was nowhere in sight. She kept looking around for him but the only guy with dark hair that was half as good looking as Harry definetely was not Gryffindor.
"Hello Nia." Blaise tossed her one of his casual grins. He was wearing a white collared shirt with a loose green tie and an evening sport jacket. Not too casual but dressy enough to look good. "You definetely clean up good, I almost didn't recognize you. I thought you weren't coming?"
"I got suckered in," she smiled. "I thought you weren't into the whole scene?"
He smiled back. "I got suckered in," mimicking her grin. "Are you sure you aren't part Veela? Because you certainly look it?"
Aremenia laughed. "No Blaise, I'm not..."
"Nia come on!" Magda called at her as they were about to get a carriage, she tossed a look at Blaise as she waved goodbye. "He's Slytherin, why do you talk to him?" she got in after Aremenia.
Aremenia laughed. "He's nice Mags, even if he is one of them..."
"And a friend of Harry's mortal enemy, if you two dated you know he probably wouldn't take kindly to a casual conversation with Blaise..." Honey added.
"Bloody don't jinx it," Aremenia laughed playfully, drowning in the jokes tossed between friends. She smiled as they got out of the carriage, handing over their tickets as they chirped their names.
"Name?" the man at the door stopped Aremenia.
"Oh, I don't have a ticket yet..."
"Name..." he ignored her.
"Aremenia St.James..."
"Go on in..." he nodded but Aremenia began to protest.
"I didn't buy a ticket or pay..."
"But you're on the list, go in, or don't. Not my problem."
"What was that?" Shauna pulled her little black dress down again as Aremenia followed them inside the crowded club.
"Apparently I paid... or there's some poor girl with the same name as me." she laughed as they walked in, immersed in the sudden darkness and the pounding music. Aremenia would've been content to just watch but Honey had other plans. She spied Harry first.
"He's with Ginny Weasley?" Shauna glanced over at them, as if something left a bad taste in her mouth.
"Go say hi!" Honey cut in, glaring at Shauna. "She's nice you know..."
"Until she steals your boyfriend she is..." Shauna rolled her eyes. "And she's going to dump Dean within a week too I bet... probably for Harry." she rolled her eyes as she started checking out Oliver Wood, who was chatting with Ron not far from Harry.
"Nia introduce me to him... you love quidditch, and snatch Harry up before little Weasley gets another word in..."
Aremenia watched as Harry listened to something Ginny said carefully and laughed. It was genuine and kind, and it made her stomach curl. "I think I'll have a drink first girls..."
"Wait!" Honey snatched off her glasses and put them in her purse.
"I can't see now!"
"How bad is it?" Magda laughed.
"Magda and Honey could be the same person..." Aremenia replied. This caused all of them to laugh liberally.
She wandered up to the bar where several of the boys from quidditch had gathered around. They stopped talking the moment the bar tender paid attention to her.
"Pick your poison lovely." he smiled.
She blushed. "Poison Ivy?" she reached over to hand him the money.
"This one's on me." he shook his head and made her the drink she blushed even more as she muttered a thank you. Then she realized that most of the boys she played quidditch with were staring at her. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you lot?"
"Nia?" Oliver Wood appeared at her side, an odd look on his face. "I haven't see you in a while you're all... grown up I guess. Wow."
"Oliver it's so nice to see you, how's being out of school?" she laughed. Easily sidetracked and quite a few drinks later she'd almost stopped watching them out of the corner of her eye. He'd danced with her a few times and as her mood dipped lower, the drinks got stronger. Eventually she had to wander off to the washroom and when she came back she was looking for more, even though she knew she'd have a deadly hang over the next day. It would be a saturday.
Draco watched the girl with long perfect silky reddish hair wait to order a drink. She seemed to be in excellent shape and was obviously a little tipsy... or completely tipsy. He'd drunk too much by now to really make sure. She ordered a drink and reached to her purse to pay for it but something inside him made him break into her conversation with the obviously half muggle bartender.
"This one is on me siren."
"Siren?" she giggled as she let him pay.
"I don't know your name so I'm going to call you the best name I can think of... what's a gorgeous girl like you doing alone at this concert, with no one to dance with?" he smiled. "What are you doing with no boy to hold you siren?"
By now Aremenia had it in her mind that he didn't want her. "He'd decided that he doesn't want me..."
"Then he's mentally insane." Draco declared.
"According to you, who's name I don't know."
"If I tell you to call me Drake can I still call you Siren?" he smiled, laughing. Aremenia giggled, soaking up the attention of some stranger who oddly thought she was gorgeous.
"Call me Ari."
"It's a pretty name." he smiled. "Ari fits you perfectly, we should have a celebratory drink together."
She smiled and giggled as he ordered them a couple shots of fire whiskey. "We are celebrating that I finally met a beautiful intelligent girl who doesn't seem to have a man in her life, which means there's room for a man like me... you don't need a boy like whoever he is."
"I need a man like you Drake?"
"My name sounds good coming from you." he fingered one of her curls. As he continued to grab her attention, the mysterious blonde stranger called Drake she felt her defenses weaken. As he continued to flirt with her, rather shamelessly, she wasn't afraid to touch an arm, or a shoulder, or turn away when he leaned in closer. When he led her to dance with a hand on the small of her back all she could was smile as she felt herself fade into the crowd of students wrapped up in Drake's arms. She didn't know who he was just as well as he didn't know who she was and she had a feeling, this night was going to be a lot better off if they both kept their little secrets.
Blaise wandered around searching for some sign of Draco who had finally detached himself from the bar, but he couldn't find him. The impossibility of it all just stunned him, then he spied one of Aremenia's friends, knowing she couldn't possibly be far since potter was around with them as well he decided it wouldn't hurt to approach them, even if they were far less accommodating then she was.
"Shauna isn't it?" he smiled at the blonde.
"It's Honey," she shook her head. "You're looking her Nia aren't you?"
Blaise nodded. "Or Draco, whoever I find first..."
"She's probably left, we lost her and haven't seen her since the boys from quidditch at the bar lost track of her, she's probably long gone..."
"I might as well be then." he tossed Honey one last smile before he disappeared into the night, long after most of the Slytherin crowd had deemed this concert unworthy, Draco was probably with the rest of them.
It was late and the sky was still starry but with the falling snow and the only light being given off by the moon Aremenia couldn't resist going for a walk with all too handsome Drake, who she couldn't see all that well even, without her glasses. She knew he was blonde and dressed completely in black, the top couple buttons of his shirt undone. And she knew he didn't have any reservations about wrapping his arms around her to keep her warm, hiding her in his coat. She was so lost in the loose feeling alcohol had provided and so drunk in the feeling of this one person she couldn't think straight.
And neither could Draco Malfoy himself. Ari had stunned him completely. Yes he was screwed, drunk, and depressed but she seemed to fix all of that. He was so possessed with the need to touch her and so wanting to taste her lips that he was almost... afraid. It was an impossibility yet there it was. There were a few times he came close to it, their faces so close he could really get lost in her deep blue eyes, he could feel her warm breath on his cheek but he couldn't do it. He was afraid, but he had a desperate need to kiss those lips. It was a crazy but true story.
"Drake..." she laughed, breathing in his name. "You're crazy..."
"And why is that Ari?" he smiled, emphasizing her name.
"Because you want to kiss me, but you don't... and you say I'm beautiful but I don't know if you mean that."
That's when Drake decided to kiss the breathtaking Ari, afraid or not he suddenly couldn't bear the thought of her thinking she wasn't beautiful. And his mind went spinning, because he wasn't about to let her go any time soon. Draco Malfoy was no longer afraid of anything because this woman he was kissing made him everything he wanted to be and more, the taste of her lips that he was dying for was more then he bargained for. All bets off, he didn't anyone, just Ari. Ari, Ari, Ari. He said her name over and over as they kept on kissing, he could feel himself shake ever so slightly every time he leaned in to touch her lips with his, he could feel this immense relief every time she kissed him back. And he could feel his body coursing with power and happiness, almost like a drug, every time he felt her shake under his touch. Every time he kissed her it was like the first time, and he wanted it to feel like that always. He'd never kissed anyone like that, not Pansy, not any of the mindless Slytherin girls he'd given a chance to.
So when he finally did let her go, off the opposite way of him he knew only one thing: Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, she was one of them. He only fell asleep when he passed out, and he could picture his Ari asleep on the common room couch, surrounded by black.