With or Without You

A Harry Potter Fanfiction: Book Two

1.

Aurelia Xiao was spending her First Year Holiday at the Malfoy Manor with her best friend Draco and his parents. It was such a nice break without the weight of her parents on her shoulders.

"Lia! How were your grades? We got our reports for First Year yesterday morning. I never saw yours," Draco remarked.

"Amazing, Draco! I aced Potions and everything else." Aurelia smiled, not a hint of bragging in her voice.

"I got literally everything, and aced Potions, like you! But Astronomy...ehh." Draco's voice slowed down and finally stopped entirely.

With that, the two went on, Draco looking unhappy whenever he saw his parents. Soon came the time to reveal their grades to their parents. Aurelia called her parents with a small phone she just purchased. Catalina didn't care. She had something else to take care of.

A new son. A new sibling for Aurelia! He was two months old and called Dorian.

They decided to not talk about Draco's grades. Since it was nearing the end of the holidays, the Malfoys decided that it was time to get the kids' schoolbooks and other things.

2.

"Gilderoy Lockhart," Aurelia squeaked as they approached the bookstore. Draco groaned. Molly Weasley was busy lining up to get Harry, Ron and Ginny's books signed. The three kids were walking out of the shop.

"Oh, look! Harry Potter," Draco spat with gusto.

"Stop, Malfoy." Harry had a defensive look on his face. Ginny recoiled in shock.

"Look Potter, you've got a girlfriend!" Draco smirked at Harry and then faced Aurelia. She frowned at him, but Draco did not stop.

"She's not my girlfriend," Harry spat back.

During this conversation, Aurelia Xiao saw Lucius Malfoy slip a small book into what was Ginny Weasley's cauldron. She did not say anything. Aurelia didn't even know what the book was. But the black cover gave off an evil aura. Maybe Aurelia was dreaming, but it seemed like some sort of Death Eater possession.

Draco and his father went somewhere else. But that also seemed evil. Aurelia didn't know what was happening

Aurelia followed them, along with Harry, Hermione and Ron, whom she was not aware of. Draco literally touched everything in the shop, though they all looked dangerous. The fun and games stopped when he touched a statue of some sort.

"Don't touch, Draco." Lucius's voice dripped with venom. Was he still angry at Draco for one his grades being back?

Narcissa had got Aurelia's books signed. Aurelia blushed at the messy signatures but could only think about Draco.

She was really looking forward to getting on the Hogwarts Express.

3.

Aurelia and Draco went into the compartment with Cadence, Theo, Blaise and Pansy. Cadence and Theo decided to go into another cabin. Apparently, they had come to Hogwarts a year later, but Hogwarts was anxious to receive them, so they were exceptions.

"Where are they going?" Aurelia asked inquisitively.

Pansy replied, "Lovebirds. They have a crush on each other, of course. Remember, they're a year older than us. They're together now."

Blaise grinned. "I caught them snogging. Laughed my head off in front of them. Red as tomatoes!"

The trip went on, the compartment bursting into snorts and giggles of laughter.

When the train finally came to a stop, Aurelia took in the full sight of Hogwarts being majestic yet again. The students dragged their trunks, put them in their dorms and went to the Great Hall for Dumbledore's speech and the new students' Sorting.

Aurelia, looking around, realised that Harry and Ronald were not present. Where were they? Fred and George, the pranksters grinned.

The Sorting Hat growled, "GRYFFINDOR!" As the Gryffindor table cheered, Fred and George whistled and shouted in glee.

4.

Aurelia went to see her favourite teacher, Professor Snape. He was in the classroom. She went up to him and said, "Professor, I'm sorry about Lily Evans."

Professor McGonagall came to the door. "Miss Xiao, what are you doing with Professor Snape. Never mind, the missing two are here. They came in a flying car."

The two Professors and Aurelia Xiao walked over to the place where Harry and Ron were. The two boys shuffled their feet as the professors tried to work out their destiny.

Snape said, "If I was the Head of House for you two, you would be immediately expelled!" But Professor McGonagall refused that type of punishment. Finally, it was judged that the boys would stay in Hogwarts but be under close supervision.

"Miss Xiao, may I ask you how you know about my past?"

"I am very sorry, Professor Snape, but I looked in your...Pensieve." The professor shook his head.

"You do know, I left that there for you. I knew Marcus Flint wanted to explain Quidditch tactics with you in my classroom."

"Oh." Professor Snape gestured for her to leave. Aurelia walked back to the Slytherin dorm.

On the way, she met Ginny Weasley.

"Aurelia, I'd like to give you this book. You could use it as a diary or something. Ron says that you like this kind of stuff." The black book was given over to Aurelia Xiao.

Aurelia wrote in it in bed.

5.

THE DIARY ANSWERED. Aurelia wrote, Hello. My name is Aurelia Xiao.

It answered, Hello there, my child. My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. Aurelia was happy. She finally was included. But everyone in the Slytherin house felt that she was becoming more distant. Draco was concerned. But Aurelia didn't care.

One day, Tom Riddle said many disturbing things. Aurelia didn't want the diary anymore. She threw it into the dreaded lone girls' toilet and ran.

But it was too late. Aurelia didn't know what she was doing anymore.

6.

Harry had just found out. Aurelia, one of his best friends had been captured. But that didn't make sense. Aurelia was a pureblood! Why would the Heir of Slytherin capture her? He pondered over this for a bit, then realised why...

... ...

Stupid Lockhart had Obliviated himself. Ron was left with the idiotic twit. Harry kept running on. Suddenly, a hand gripped his arm. Cadence. Cadence Li. She begged him to save Aurelia.

"She was so distant; she wouldn't even tell anyone what she was doing. She was writing in some kind of diary. With a black cover. Please get the Lia we all know back!"

"I will, don't worry." Harry looked confident, but he felt the opposite. Still, he couldn't, just couldn't fail the pretty Third Year.

He ran on. On the path, he saw a person. Tom Riddle! The very same guy that he had been writing to for the last few days. And on the floor...AURELIA!

"Harry, oh, Harry. As poor Aurelia grows weaker, I grow stronger." Tom cast a small spell. It said in golden words against the air, TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE.

Tom Marvolo Riddle slowly was scrambled into something that said, I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. The past figure of Lord Voldemort summoned a SNAKE! A Basilisk. What Hermione had been trying to convey to him and Ron!

Fawkes the Phoenix flew over randomly. He dropped a piece of cloth. Miraculously, it was the Sorting Hat. The Hat said, "Potter! Pull the weapon out of me!" The sword of Godric Gryffindor came out. Harry stabbed the Basilisk.

7.

Aurelia was a Parseltongue. It was the language she spoke when she woke up from her deep slumber. Draco sat next to her, randomly grappling the ability to Parseltongue.

"SsSSSS. Oops. Sorry, still speaking like that. I should talk to the professors about this.

So, Aurelia did. Harry was a Parseltongue too! Professor Snape suggested that Aurelia stay with him during the Second-Year holidays to get a hold of her powers. She happily accepted. Anything to get her away from her parents. But she would miss not seeing Dorian. Snape suggested Draco and Dorian come for a week to get a hold of how to speak Parseltongue as well, when Aurelia gave him the power too, of course.

Aurelia grinned. She liked that idea, especially because she couldn't stop thinking of the handsome boy. Another chaotic year of fun and games had passed.

She didn't know what would happen to her...