"Is it true that you fainted, Potter?"
Draco's question caught Aria and Harry as they settled at the Slytherin table waiting for newest batch of first years to show up and be Sorted. In front of them were steaming mugs of hot chocolate which caused more than one exclamation of glee and relief around the Great Hall.
"You fainted?" Daphne cried, alarmed.
"Are you alright?" Tracey asked.
"He's alive," Theo pointed out. "Doesn't look any worse for wear."
"Thank you, Theo," Harry said. "I'm find, Tracey. The dementors just . . . I guess I just react to them worse than others."
"Always got to be different," Pansy snarked.
"It's not like I try!" Harry snapped.
"It's not like you were any better," Blaise pointed out to Pansy. "You were crying by the time the dementors left." Pansy glared at Blaise. Aria snickered behind her hand.
First years eventually led in an Sorted, with no first year drawing Aria or her friends' attentions, Dumbledore finally stood to give the start of term announcements. There was the usual: stay out of the Forbidden Forest, please check the list of Banned Items outside Filch's office, all normal things that had the students squirming and impatient for the feast to begin.
"And for our final items," Dumbledore said, "please join me in welcoming our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Hogwarts alumni, Remus Lupin."
Remus stood from his seat between McGonagall and Snape. McGonagall looked so pleased to see Lupin. She was clapping warmly and smiling at him, even as he bowed towards the students with a shy look on his weary face. Snape, on the other hand, was clearly only clapping because it was the polite thing to do.
"He's our new DADA professor?" Millicent questioned. "He looks like something a werewolf would eat."
"Those robes are atrocious," Pansy agreed.
"He chased off the dementors on the train," Aria snapped. "I'd say he's pretty qualified."
"And finally," Dumbledore continued, "I'm sure you are now already acquainted with the dementors of Azkaban who, in their zeal to find the escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, boarded the Hogwarts Express. At the Ministry's request, dementors will be stationed around the perimeter of Hogwarts until Black is caught. Dementors feed on all the happiness within you. Do not go seeking them out. Should you get in the way of a dementor and its target, a dementor will not pass you by. Any student found trying to engage with a dementor will receive detention with me directly."
That caused whispers. Dumbledore rarely, if ever, oversaw detentions. This was clearly something very serious.
Once the Slytherins had all returned to the dormitory and Professor Snape had given his usual start of term speech, the third years all gathered in the boys' dorm to chat into the night and eat a huge number of sweets that Draco had brought back from his European tour that he had taken with his parents. It seemed the Malfoy family was making the most of not having Lord Abraxas Malfoy around for a few more months while he finished out his jail sentence in a minimum-security area of Azkaban.
Aria tried not to feel bad for the man. After all, he just kept illegal dark object lying around for anyone to find. Draco, it seemed, did not feel bad for the man either.
"We spent some time in France at an old family château," Draco told them as they moved onto the macarons from Paris he had brought back. There were plenty of Aria's favorite flavors. "It belongs to Mother, but we haven't spent much time there. Grandfather doesn't like it when if we go abroad too often."
"I think it's wonderful that you get to go abroad," Tracey said with a sigh. "If only I could convince my parents to holiday on the continent. They seem quite content with the Lakes."
Seeing as the closest thing to a body of water Aria had been to this summer was the public pool, she bit her tongue to keep from making a sarcastic comment about the Lakes.
Maybe, she thought, if all the investing the goblins did with her money created more money, then she and her dad could take a holiday somewhere. The Lakes, or Cornwall, or even to the continent!
"What'd you do all summer?" Theo asked Aria after he, Draco, and Blaise regaled everyone with the week of adventures the three of them had had in Italy at the vineyard owned by Blaise's grandparents.
"I worked," Aria said. "I started modeling for a boutique. The main shop is in my town, but she's making quite a name for herself in the bigger cities and such."
"Is that how you were able to finally afford new robes?" Pansy asked snidely. "I couldn't help but notice it wasn't your usual secondhand sort."
"No," Aria retorted, perhaps just as snidely. "That's from the basilisk money. It made quite the pretty penny and I still have plenty of it left to sell at a later date. The goblins are taking good care of my vault."
"Well," Pansy answered, "you may have money now, but you'll never truly be one of us now will you?"
"Pansy!" Daphne cried.
"I didn't realize getting new school robes meant I was trying to be like you," Aria snapped. "But you're right, Pansy. I'll never be like you. Harry's already promised to curse me if I ever begin to act like you."
Harry nodded, munching away at the torrone both Blaise and Draco had brought.
"Speaking of Harry," Theo cut in, "how's it feel to have an insane criminal coming after you?" Harry rolled his eyes.
"I spent most of the summer unaware that Black was coming after me specifically," Harry told them.
"You serious?" Tracey cried.
"Why is it that you seem to never know what's happening around you?" Draco demanded.
"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm stuck most of the time in the Muggle world!" Harry cried. "Plenty of people had the chance to tell me about Black but not a single one of them did. I had to hear it from Professor Snape when he showed up like the devil himself at the Leaky while I was staying there."
"You were at the Leaky?" Tracey asked. "For how long?"
"I . . . may've blown up my uncle's sister like a balloon," Harry admitted. "So, I ran away because Uncle Vernon was mad. Like . . . mad. Minister Fudge was there to greet me when I got to the Leaky Cauldron. The ministry paid for everything even. Not a single word about the fact that Black might be after me."
"That's downright awful!" Daphne stated. "My parents immediately connected the dots when the news broke out about his escape. They almost refused to sign my Hogsmeade permission form because of it."
"Well, they won't have to worry about you hanging around me at Hogsmeade," Harry said with a frown and slump of the shoulders. "I ran off before the Hogwarts letters arrived so I wasn't able to get anyone to sign my permission slip."
"Why do your Muggle relatives have to sign it?" Blaise asked. "I mean . . . who's gonna look closely at it?"
"Well . . . I assumed Professor Snape would, and he would know that there was no way anyone signed it. He's scarily smart like that."
"Good thing we don't need to hand them in until the first Hogsmeade weekend," Theo pointed out, looking smug at his wealth of knowledge. "Plenty of time to pretend you sent it to them and they sent it back signed. Even then, you could probably get away with just handing it to McGonagall or something."
Harry seemed to think over Theo's words.
"Come on," Aria agreed with a sigh. "Get your permission slip."
Harry dug through his trunk until he found the crumpled permission form. Crabbe pulled out a spare piece of parchment and Harry practiced his aunt's signature several times before signing the permission form with a flourish.
"None of you are allowed to tell anyone," he warned, waving the quill threateningly at them all.
"Wizards honor," Draco agreed. Even Pansy and Millicent nodded in agreement.
After that the snacks were put away with everyone complaining of sore stomachs. The girls headed back to their dorm and Aria crawled into bed, excitement at being back at Hogwarts mixed with thoughts about Remus Lupin – who had been Remington Johnson – playing in her mind. Should she talk to him? Tell her dad? Talk to him then tell her dad or tell her dad then talk to him?
It was a long time before she fell asleep.
In the morning Snape parceled out their class schedules. The third years huddled together, even Pansy, Millicent, Crabbe and Goyle, as their schedules were now diverging based off what electives they had selected just before summer.
"Why are we always partnered with the Gryffindors for potions?" Pansy whined.
"I think they've got more cause to complain since I hear some people try to sabotage their potions," Aria said, glaring at Crabbe and Goyle. "We're also partnered with them for DADA this year too though."
"Are all of us taking Divination?" Daphne asked, craning her neck to look at people's schedules.
"No," Draco cried. "Why'd I take Divination? I chose Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes."
"We did the same," Blaise said, gesturing to Theo and himself.
"It looks like you're the only three not taking Divination," Tracey observed.
"Good," Theo muttered, "everyone knows Arithmancy is where it's at anyway."
"I chose the opposite," Harry said, "Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes. Though perhaps I should've done what Hermione did and dropped Care of Magical Creatures. I still haven't figured out how to open my textbook without getting eaten."
"Well, it's not too late," Aria told him, "you could join me in Arithmancy then I wouldn't be stuck with those three idiots."
Theo and Blaise gasped in fake shock while Draco kicked Aria under the table.
"I'm not sure why you all decided to fill up your schedule," Tracey said, shaking her head. "I don't think I could handle three electives!" Aria noticed that she had chosen Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Millicent and Pansy had also opted to take two electives, as had Crabbe and Goyle. The latter two boys were taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination; Millicent had also chosen those two electives while Pansy had opted for Divination and Arithmancy.
"We're gluttons for punishment," Daphne told her.
Hermione and Ron appeared at the table, Hermione squirming her way between Aria and Harry. Harry scooted over with a playful roll of his eyes, nearly knocking Theo into Ron.
"What's your schedule look like?" Hermione asked, flourishing her schedule. Aria handed her parchment over to Hermione, knowing it would be faster for Hermione to just look at them both.
"We have Potions and DADA together," Hermione said, "and Divination! Ron's taking Divination too, so all four of us will be there. Looks like your Ancient Runes are with the Ravenclaws and your Arithmancy is with the Hufflepuffs. Mine's the opposite of that." She frowned. "I'd hoped to take more classes together."
"I was kinda hoping to have Herbology with the Gryffindors," Harry commented. "If only to have Neville as my partner."
"You just can't stand the fact that I'll steal Justin as my herbology partner and leave you to Sally-Anne," Aria retorted with a laugh. Harry groaned. After last year's debacle with Zacharias Smith, and how some of their Hufflepuff year mates had acted towards them, no third year Slytherin was looking forward to sharing classes with the Hufflepuffs.
"At least Susan, Hannah, Justin, and Ernie aren't too bad," Aria continued. "I think I can survive Arithmancy if they're there too."
The very first elective Aria had was Divination. The classroom was held up in the top turret of the North Tower, the tallest tower at Hogwarts after the Astronomy Tower. It felt, however, more difficult to get to. The spiral staircase was narrower and the turns tighter. Eventually they had to clamor up an attic ladder to get into the classroom.
The first breath in the divination classroom made Aria cough and wheeze. There seemed to be a permanent haze of incense in the classroom. She counted four different incense burners placed around the classroom.
Instead of desks there were round tables placed neatly in rows on risers along one of the round walls of the tower. She and Hermione took one of the center tables in the middle row of the risers. Ron and Harry took the table right below them. Lavender and Parvati took the table right next to Aria and Hermione, greeting both of them enthusiastically.
"I didn't realize you were taking Divination," Lavender said to Hermione, twirling a piece of hair around her finger.
"I didn't plan to," Hermione answered. Aria noted Fay Dunbar and Sophie Roper glance at them while they settled at a table nearer the front. It was not the greatest of looks from the two girls. Over the few years they'd been at Hogwarts, Fay and Sophie had never tried to befriend any one in their year. Aria always got the distinct impression that they did not like her, but she had no idea why.
"I wasn't planning to," Hermione told them. "But then I saw the book needed for Care of Magical Creatures and decided that it was not worth it. I'm still not sure I'll stay, since I'm talking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, but it doesn't hurt to give it a chance."
"What's up with Fay and Sophie?" Aria asked. The three Gryffindor girls rolled their eyes.
"Fay's sister finally graduated," Parvati told her. "All their friends are gone."
"They think they're better than us," Lavender stated with a sniff. "The Dunbars and Ropers are well-respected families."
"Pureblood families?" Hermione asked.
"No," Lavender replied, "but wealthy enough to have the self-importance of one."
"Welcome students!"
Professor Trelawney gave the distinct impression that she was either very eccentric or very high. Aria wondered if wizards did drugs. When she was younger there had been a couple on Spinner's End that ended up getting arrested for producing and selling drugs. Trelawney reminded Aria of that Muggle woman, someone was "free-spirit" who just wanted to "be themselves."
"Is your grandmother well?" Trelawney asked Neville.
"I . . . I think so?" Neville stammered, glancing at Dean. Trelawney moaned and shook her head. Neville began to look very worried.
"And you!" Trelawney pointed at Harry. "Beware! Your death has been foretold!" Harry glanced back at Aria. She tried not to laugh but a snort still escaped.
"Death is no laughing matter, young lady!" Trelawney cried, pointing now to Aria. "You too should take care. There are those that would rather see you gone than here!"
"Tell me something I don't know," Aria muttered to Hermione.
By the end of class, Aria was wondering if she really wanted to continue with the class, or if she needed to give the class the full week before deciding whether or not to drop it. If it was mostly going to be predictions about calamities and death, then she did not want to listen to them. It was bad enough having to face death with a basilisk coming at her, she did not need a professor on questionable substances telling her about it.
The Slytherins entered into Transfiguration next, settling down in their seats. They must have had some look on their faces as Professor McGonagall took one look at them and asked,
"What is the matter with all of you?"
"We just came from Divination," Daphne answered. McGonagall gave a soft "ah-ha" as if they explained everything.
"I see," the stern woman said, glancing over her spectacles with a sigh. "Which one of you is to die this year?"
This year? Aria looked with some horror at Daphne. This happened every year?
"Me," Harry admitted. "And maybe Aria? It was unclear."
"Well, Professor Trelawney has been predicting the deaths of students for over a decade," McGonagall told them, "and not a single student has perished. I assure you, that if you do die, you need not turn in your homework."
When classes ended for the day, Aria slipped away to Snape's office. She would not have Potions until tomorrow, along with DADA, and she wanted to talk to her Head of House before then.
"Remington Johnson is Remus Lupin," she said the moment the office door was closed behind her. "Or Remus Lupin is Remington Johnson."
Professor Snape nodded, setting a stack of summer essays down on his desk.
"What should I tell my dad?" Aria asked.
"That's hardly something I can answer," Snape said. Aria flopped into a chair, folding her arms in a sulk. "That is a conversation you will have to have to Professor Lupin." There was both a warning and a sneer in Snape's tone, telling Aria that perhaps he was not pleased to have Lupin as a collegue.
"I thought that'd be the case," she sighed. "I was kinda hoping you'd just give me directions. Much easier that way."
"Life is not easy. Neither are relationships."
"Yeah, but this isn't really my relationship now, is it? It's my dad's. On top of that he was literally kidnapped from our house. Now he's suddenly a professor at Hogwarts? Don't tell me you don't find that at least a little bit weird."
Snape raised an eyebrow, pulling out an inkwell of bright red ink.
"It's not my business," he said, settling down behind his desk.
Aria groaned dramatically. Snape pulled the first essay to him and began correcting. Knowing that was a dismissal, Aria slunk from the office, going off to the common room. Ginny waved to her from where she sat with some of the second-year boys, and Aria waved back.
"I'm going to go visit Professor Lupin," Harry said, catching Aria at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the girls' dorms. "Want to come with me?"
Well, Aria mused as she hurried up the stairs to change out of her uniform. Better get this over with.
"I can't believe he's actually a professor here," Harry said as they walked along. "Another person who knew my parents – was a friend of my parents! Of course, some of the professors don't mind talking about Mum and Dad, and Professor Snape is always willing to talk about Mum . . . but he and Dad weren't friends. I get the feeling they didn't get along."
Aria took a deep breath.
"I met Professor Lupin over the summer," she blurted out. Harry stopped short.
"You did? When? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know he was Remus Lupin. I knew him as Remington Johnson." Harry frowned, thinking.
"Is that they guy you talked about in your letters? The one your dad was dating?"
"Yeah."
"Why was he going by a different name?"
"I don't know. But it's not the weirdest thing about him." The events of Remi's disappearance seemed to vomit out of her, including his reaction to Sirius Black's escape. It felt good to tell one of her friends about what had happened. While she and her dad had told Professor Snape, she had not felt right telling any of her friends, as if the knowledge of what had happened needed to be kept on the down-low, on a need-to-know basis. Now, with Professor Lupin at Hogwarts, she knew Harry needed to know.
Harry was, understandably, as perplexed by the whole thing as she was, as well as concerned about these Snatchers and what they might've done to him and who had sent them.
They arrived at the DADA professor's office and heard music. Entering the office, they saw a phonograph in the corner of the room. The music playing was a gentle classic type of music, though Aria had the distinct thought that it sounded magical and not anything she would have had to listen to in music class like Mozart or Beethoven.
On the other side of the room there was an aquarium tank with a strange creature inside it. Aria recognized it from the DADA textbook which she had already perused, as well as descriptions from older folk when she was a young child. A grindylow, a creature she had always assumed was some made up monster that the adults used to keep the children from getting too close to the river when they weren't supposed to.
"Harry, Aria." Remus' soft voice greeted them from the teacher's desk. "I wondered how long it'd take before you two came to visit." He got up and crossed over to a little tea table near the phonograph. He tapped it with his wand and seconds later a tea service appeared complete with a cute tea set and finger sandwiches. Remus carried the tray over to his desk. Aria and Harry pulled chairs closer and helped themselves to the sandwiches while Remus poured the tea. He had to ask Harry how he took his tea, remembering how Aria took hers.
Once the tea was served, Remus sat in his chair, his movement slow and he gave a soft sigh of relief as if being on his feet hurt him.
"I told Harry about you," Aria said, deciding to break the silence first.
"I'm glad," Remus answered. "He's told me in his letters that you're his best friend."
"Well, I am," Aria stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And he's mine."
Remus smiled.
"I'm glad the both of you have someone you can count on," he said. "It does make life easier." He sipped his tea. "I'm sure you have questions."
"Lots," Aria agreed. "What happened? Who took you? Where'd you go? Are you okay? What should I tell my dad? Should I tell my dad that you're here?"
Remus chuckled, yet it was one of the saddest sounds Aria had ever heard.
"I was taken by Snatchers," he answered her. "They're . . . I believe Muggles call them bounty hunters. I'm fine though. I managed to escape them. Unfortunately, due to my time with them . . . returning to the Muggle world is not an option."
"What? Why? Dad's been so worried about you!"
Remus blushed.
"As much as I would like to . . . it really is not an option, Aria. Please . . . accept that."
Aria drank her tea to try and hide the deep frown on her face. He had managed to both answer and not answer her questions. He had been taken by Snatchers, all right then, but by who? Sirius Black? Was he trying to keep Kenneth safe by staying away?
"How was your first day of classes?" Remus asked. "Did you have any electives today?"
"Divination," Harry answered. "Trelawney said Aria and I would die."
"That's horrifying!"
"McGonagall's already assured us that we need not turn in our homework should we manage to perish," Aria added with a dramatic sigh. "Also, apparently, Trelawney predicts students' deaths every year and so far, no one has died."
"That is a relief."
"But not without trying," Harry stated. "I mean . . . there was the whole basilisk debacle last year and the troll before that."
"I vaguely remember you mentioning some of these in your letters. Except for the basilisk?" Remus poured them more tea, looking increasingly worried the more Harry and Aria recounted their last two years at Hogwarts. His face grew white and his eyes wider in shock.
"You should be dead," he told Aria.
"I know," Aria replied. "I really hope nothing happens this year, but Professor Snape's already pointed out Sirius Black's probably coming after Harry, and I've already had to deal with you getting kidnapped, so I'm not really holding my breath."
It would be nice though, to have a normal school year.
"Sirius Black will have a hard time getting past the dementors," Harry pointed out to Aria. "Hogwarts is pretty secure, so unless he hires a troll and finds a basilisk, I think I'm good."
"You'll have to be extra careful when you go to Hogsmeade," Remus told Harry. "It might even be a good idea to not go to Hogsmeade, at least, until Black is captured."
There must have been some sort of look that crossed over Aria and Harry's faces, because Remus sighed.
"But I suppose there's no expecting thirteen-year-olds to willing sacrifice their Hogsmeade weekends. You better hope Professor Snape doesn't think of it, because I can assure you, if Professor Snape gets it in his head to not allow you to go to Hogsmeade, you won't be going."
"How do you know that?" Harry demanded.
"I can't imagine Professor Snape being any less stubborn than he was when we were students."
Aria thought about the forged signature on Harry's permission slip. Hopefully Professor Snape would not request to see it before Harry had to hand it in to McGonagall.
On their way back to the common room, Harry asked,
"What're you going to tell your dad?"
Aria thought about it for a few minutes.
"Right now, nothing," she decided. It did not feel good, keeping this from him. Which was strange because she did not feel bad keeping things from Kenneth, especially when it came to things at school that would make him mad or upset. She did not want him to worry or to actually go through with the ever-looming threat of possibly withdrawing her from Hogwarts. "I don't even know how I'd tell him anyway."
Still, the decision sat heavily on her mind. Was it really the best thing? Would her dad get mad if she didn't tell him? What would she say anyway? It wasn't like Remus seemed eager to get back with her dad, and that seemed to be what bothered her the most at the moment.