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Smile Like You Mean It	By : AeraVale Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 6676 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. DM/OC, M/F

Chapter List
- 42
- 43
Chapter 43 - Apparition
Aera shoved her books into her bag with a scowl. She was late for dinner, having earned herself a detention for snapping at Professor McGonagall during Transfiguration. Her temper was a bit of a short fuse since Draco was avoiding her. Again. The stern-faced teacher had not approved of Aera biting back scathingly when asked the definition of Emeric Switch’s Elemental Transfiguration.
She had informed Aera, in no uncertain terms, that Switch’s theory was not “the ignorant ravings of an old man who had discovered that if he did enough stupid things, people would eventually take notice of one or two of them.” She also informed Aera that a few hours wrist-deep in bird excrement after class would teach her an important lesson in manners and respect towards her Professors.
She stormed out of the classroom, not bothering to acknowledge McGonagall’s nod of approval. The professor had been somewhat impressed by the vigour with which Aera had scrubbed the cages. It had been almost satisfying to take her anger out on something. Satisfaction had been short lived. As soon as she was finished, the real reason for her bad mood had returned.
She glumly made her way down to the Great Hall, preparing herself for the now-anticipated stab of pain she would feel when she walked in, saw Draco . . . and was ignored.
Striding through the large open doors, she paused. Her eyes scanned through the bent heads along the Slytherin table, everyone hungry after a long day of classes. There was no platinum blonde there.
Her head twisted to look along the Gryffindor table and her chest clenched. Harry, Ron and Hermione were also missing. What were the chances of all four being as late to dinner as she was?
She took a step back, her mind racing, her heart thundering. Another step. The students continued their meals, unaware of the panic beginning to take over inside her. Holding back her fear, she spun on her heel and raced up the stairs.
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Aera raced through the castle, her heart pounding, her breath short. The air felt thick around her, slowing her down. She knew it was her imagination, but time was passing so slowly, every second drawn out, her destination seeming so far away. At last she rounded the corner and saw the Fat Lady reclining in her portrait.
"Flabberwort!" she shouted loudly and the Fat Lady jerked, eyes wide.
"You can't just shout out the passw-" she started indignantly, but Aera was already pulling the picture aside and stumbling in. The Common Room was nearly deserted, two or three people laughing together as they got ready to go down to dinner. They shot her curious glances as she stared wildly about the room. Her eyes fell on Ginny who was coming down the staircase to the girl’s dormitory.
“Ginny!” she gasped, hurrying forward to grab the girl by the arm. The younger woman stared up at her in surprise. “Where’s Harry?” 

Ginny opened her mouth, then went white. Eyes widened in horror and Aera felt her heart contract. “Oh Merlin . . . Oh Aera, he’s gone! He said he had to meet someone, downstairs. I knew something was up, but he wouldn’t say!” She reached out, her fingers digging painfully into Aera’s wrist. “He’s gone after You-Know-Who, hasn’t he?”
Aera swallowed harshly. He was gone. And he would die without her there. The vision from the Elixir seared itself like fire across her inner eye. Hermione and Ron, twisting in pain. A flash of green light. And Harry, eyes glazing over in death. “Stay here, Ginny.” she said quickly, releasing her grip and prying the other girl’s fingers off her wrist. “I’m going to go make sure. Maybe he isn’t really gone.”
The lie tasted dry in her mouth, but she didn’t give Ginny a chance to protest. Hoping the girl wouldn’t follow, she spun around and raced out of the tower.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Feeling as if her feet had wings, she ran again, flying through the castle, not stopping for anyone. Filtch shouted loudly when she passed him at a dead run, but she didn't hear. She had no time, damn it!
Reaching the dungeon she hammered on the blank stretch of stone wall that hid the entrance to the Slytherin House. Her breath was coming in short sharp bursts by now and a stitch curled her over, making her wince. It wasn't important, not now. She would acknowledge the pain later.
With a grinding of stone on stone, a doorway appeared and a small pinched face peered out at her in disapproval.
"M... Malfoy." she stuttered, biting down a groan at the new stab of pain in her side. The head turned back toward the interior and she heard voices conversing. People talked, slowly, too slowly. Finally the tight little face turned back and shook its head.
"He's not here." The doorway slammed closed, almost catching her hand where she had used it to steady herself against the wall. Despair welled up inside, bitter and strong. So, they really were gone, and Draco had helped them hide it from her.
Her eyes began to sting as tears rose. Maybe she could find Snape, dig the information out of him. That idea faded as soon as it came. He was most likely gone with them, or at least summoned by Voldemort before time. Dumbledore was as much of a dead end. He wouldn’t tell her even if he did know.
What now?
She slid down the stone wall, arms snaking around herself as if to hold in the fear. She couldn’t just give up, but she didn’t know what to do. If only Ginny had stopped Harry, or if she hadn’t lost her temper and been late for dinner . . .
"Aera?"
She jerked upright at the sound of the voice and found herself looking into Blaise's handsome face, turned down to her, a picture of concern.
"Blaise!" she gasped. It hadn't even occurred to her to ask if he was in the dungeon common room. But his sudden appearance was like an angel from above. She scrambled to her feet and gripped the front of his robes. "Where's Draco? Where has he taken Harry!"
Blaise's dark brown eyes stared at her in amazement and his mouth gaped silently.
"Damn it, Blaise! Tell me!" she shouted, wrenching at his robes.
Pulled out of his astonishment, Blaise shook his head. "I don’t know where Harry is. Draco just said something about the Astonomy Tower - ”
The words were hardly out of his mouth before Aera was off again. It only took her minutes to reach the tower, but it seemed like the longest stretch of time so far. She pushed herself up the last few steps and almost collapsed in relief at the sight of Malfoy perched by one of the windows, staring out into the night.
He turned at the sound of her stumbling into the round room and his eyes went very wide. "Aera-"
"Don't!" she hissed, stepping forward and planting herself in front of him. "Just tell me where you sent them."
Draco sighed, his head hanging. Aera's heart hummed in her breast, her breath shaky. When he looked up at her, his usually blue eyes were a stormy grey. And stubborn. "Harry didn't want you to know. Neither do I."
Aera's full handed slap caught him flat across his cheek, making his head snap to one side. He didn't try to dodge it, nor did he raise a hand to rub the angry red mark her palm left against his skin. He simply turned back to look her straight in the eye.
"How dare you!" Aera breathed, "You know this is why I'm here! I came so far, I did so much and all for this? I am his sister, I deserve to be at his side."
"You think that's all there is to it? What if they kill each other and you are meant to stand aside, to pick up where Harry left off? Have you considered that?" Draco spat.
Aera's teeth ground in frustration. "He can't do this without me, Draco! I have to be with him, otherwise we lose!"
"Hey, what's going on?"
They both turned to see Blaise staggering up the spiral stairs. He had obviously followed Aera and in her haste she had never thought to tell him not to.
"It's nothing to do with you, Blaise, keep out of it." Draco said harshly. To Aera's surprise, Blaise did not do as he usually did and obeyed his oldest friend. Instead he stepped further into the room and crossed his arms stubbornly.
"Not going to happen, Drake. I want to know what's going on. Why did Aera come racing up here as if the hounds of hell were at her heels? Why are you two standing there staring murder at each other?"
"I don't have time for this!" Aera snarled, turning her focus back on the tall blonde. He was tall enough to tower over her but she refused to give way. "You tell me where they are right now!"
Draco was silent, looking between herself and Blaise, obviously thinking hard. She would know if he lied. If he tried to send her off somewhere safe instead of where Harry was, she would draw her wand, and to blazes with caution.
"I'm coming with you."
Aera gaped, trying to find a way to talk him out of it, but straight on top of Draco came Blaise's voice.
"So am I."
She rounded on Blaise, then spun back to face Draco. She didn't want either of them to come with her. They had no place in the midst of the fighting. It was her destiny to be there, not theirs.
She glared at Blaise. “You have no idea what you’re walking into, Blaise! You should leave, forget about this.”
He gave her a long, silent look. After a moment he arched one perfect eyebrow. “Are you done? I’m coming with. It’s not an argument.”
Aera opened her mouth to shout at him, try to make him understand. Then she hesitated. They were wasting time. Time her brother might be paying for dearly. “Fine,” she spat, rounding on Draco again. “Where are they?”
Draco gave a thin smile that did not reach his eyes. "They're at my parent's mansion. I can access it by direct apparition, but you will have to side-along with me."
"Well then, perhaps we should get going." said Blaise, rubbing his hands. Aera could detect the slight hint of anxiety however.
"You shouldn't come, Blaise." she said softly, hoping that he would finally understand. “We’re not going to some family get-together. We’re going up against Voldermort and - ”
"Aera there were times when I was ready to take your advice. But right now, I've made my decision and there is absolutely nothing you can say that will change that."
Aera nodded in acceptance, if not agreement. It was one thing to agree to a fighter like Draco to come with, but Blaise was a gentle soul. She did not want to see one of her friends end up hurt and this night was not going to be easy for anyone.
"We have to get outside the school grounds." said Draco, pulling his cloak around his shoulders. Aera and Blaise nodded and the three of them exited the tower.
It was tedious work trying to reach the Entrance Hall without being seen. After her crazed flight through the castle, it was common sense to presume that Filtch was on the prowl looking for Aera and twice they had to take detours to avoid him. As they hurried down hallways, Aera stepped up to Draco's side.
"If you do this, both your father and Voldemort will know you're not on their side." Aera said quietly. "If it doesn't end tonight, you're going to have to go into hiding."
"Thank you for stating the obvious, Aera." Draco intoned dryly. Aera grimaced but pressed onwards.
"Both you and Blaise would be of better use staying out of this. If things do go badly, word will need to be sent to Dumbledore and our side will still need their spies. When we arrive you two should apparate away and-"
Draco grabbed her roughly, halting her steps and pulling her around to face him. Blaise stopped impatiently ahead of them, waiting.
"Aera I will only say this once. I am coming with you. I will not have you facing this danger without me to watch your back and I think Blaise feels the same. Either we are going together or not at all and I think you're smart enough to realise you'd never get inside the Malfoy grounds without me. So can we please finish this discussion now?"
Aera swallowed down the lump in her throat. She knew he was right, but she didn't want him to be. She wanted to keep him safe and it was no easier knowing that he was thinking the same thing. She raised a hand, not sure if she was going to pull him into her embrace or push him away but she was stopped by Blaise hissing loudly.
"Come on!"
Blinking hard she pulled away from Draco and followed after the Italian. She saw the concerned look he gave her and she smiled back in an attempt to reassure. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it as Draco joined them. He glanced once at the blonde man and turned away, leading them towards the grounds.
Thankfully the great double doors were not locked and the three of them slipped out into the night, three shadows racing across the grass. They reached the gates and Aera threw her weight against them. They were bolted tight.
"Looks like we'll have to find a different way." said Draco. He sounded relieved. Aera growled under her breath. Every moment it took them to reach the mansion was a moment in which Harry, Hermione and Ron were fighting alone.
"No, wait." Aera said, and focused her will on the wrought iron barrier. There was no specific spell in what she used. An unlocking charm would have little effect here. Instead she used magic on the gate itself, feeling the grain of metal and finding the weak spots, twisting them and turning them until they bent. It took strength to use magic this way, but finally the bars gave way with a heavy groan, snapping enough to allow them to slip through.
"Quick, someone will have heard that." Aera said, leading the way and missing the look exchanged by the two boys behind her back. Once outside the grounds, herself and Blaise turned to Draco expectantly. She couldn't make out much in the darkness but she could see his eyes, fixed on her. They held her frozen for a moment, as if carving the image of her standing there in his mind. Then he held his hands out to them.
"It'll be easier the closer we are. And no more talking, I need to focus for this."
Aera stepped forward first and felt one of Draco's thick warm arms wrap around her waist. She entwined her own around his neck and gripped him tightly. Then Blaise joined them, with Draco's other arm against him. His arms held onto Aera and she felt them slide about her hips. For a moment Draco's grip on her tightened minutely, then relaxed again.
"Hold on." he whispered and everything shivered around them before bucking sideways. Aera felt a scream tear from her lips as pain filled her. It felt as if every particle of her body was being squeezed tighter and tighter and tighter...
Everything stopped spinning and Aera staggered to one side, her head heavy. Hands that had been holding her pulled her another way and she held onto the broad chest that presented itself, something solid in a swaying world. The hands pulled her closer for a second, then she was released. Thankfully she had by then regained her footing and so did not simply sink to the ground. Her eyes found Blaise in front of her but he turned quickly away. She frowned. She had thought it was Draco who had caught her, but he was bent over double a few feet away, retching.
"Are you all right?" she whispered. He nodded, wiping his mouth.
"I'm not used to doing that. It can be a bit... jolting."
Aera gave a weak smile. Jolting wasn't the half of it. Blaise waved a hand to get their attention and they followed his pointing finger. A building was in front of them with all the lights out except one. In that they could make out the silhouettes of a number of people. The house was huge.
"We'll take the servants' entrance." said Draco, leading the way. He brought them through some low shrubbery and then down a few steps until they came to a narrow doorway, half hidden by a curtain of vines. It wasn't locked.
"What's the plan?" Blaise asked, keeping his voice as low as he could. Aera couldn't help the grin that tugged at her lips. Almost there.
"We go in there and hope for the best, I suppose." she whispered back. Draco waved a hand at them, motioning for silence and they went quiet. Now inside they could make out the muffled drone of voices above them. Draco felt his way through what seemed to be a kitchen. Aera felt a flicker of surprise under the nerves. She hadn't expected him to be familiar with the servants' area, though at this point she should have known his upper-class air was mainly a farce. They kept their wands ahead of them but didn't light them up. Avoiding notice for as long as possible could keep them alive.
Sweat was beginning to trickle down Aera's back as they ascended a tapered set of stairs. Fear and anticipation mingled together until she couldn't tell one from the other. At the top of the stairs she touched Draco and Blaise on the arm, halting them.
"I'm going in first. You two keep spells off my back long enough and I'll make some damage." she whispered. They nodded though they looked uncomfortable. She hoped they would take her orders.
They inched along the hallway, past shadowy portraits that followed them with their eyes. Expensive vases and busts of men and women lined the walls. Aera could nearly smell the money.
Light crept from under a pair of large double doors. Shadows moved through the light and they could hear individual voices coming through the wood. This was it.
Aera took a deep breath and stuffed her wand inside her robe. Blaise gave her a startled look but Draco merely raised an eyebrow. She offered no explanation. Standing tall she had one last thought.

All I want is for Draco, Harry, Ron, Blaise and Hermione to get out of this alive. I am ready for anything else.
Face set with determination she raised her hands and pointed them at the doors...
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- 42
- 43
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