Chapter 13 One Step Backward, Two Steps Forward
“What are you doing here? Where are your friends?” Aria, clearly startled by Harry, uttered coldly and immediately turned away.
“Aria, can I talk to you?” he pleaded, walking closer to her. But she backed away and bolted back inside the classroom. She tried to push the door shut but he overpowered her and pushed his way through. After banging the door shut, he tailed her inside.
Aria maintained her distance and said stiffly, “I don’t have your jacket with me right now but I’ll arrange to send it back to you.”
“ARIA!” Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her around to him. Her belongings and the sword fell out of her grip.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?” she blasted. She was struggling to break free but he was clutching both her shoulders now.
“ARIA! LISTEN TO ME!” he shook her by the shoulders.
“DIDN’T YOU HEAR WHAT MADAM POMFREY SAID?? YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE WITH ONE GIRL AT A TIME??” she shrieked, trying to pull her face as far away from him as possible.
“LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME, ARIA!” he screamed and shook her by the shoulders so hard her hair became undone.
“LET GO OF ME!!!” Aria shrieked and slapped Harry in the face, sending his glasses crashing to the floor. Panting very hard from shock, Harry immediately let her go. With his mouth hanging open, he quickly stepped back and covered his burning cheek.
Aria immediately reached down for the sword and pointed it at his heart, “STAY AWAY FROM ME! I CAN’T PLAY THIS GAME ANYMORE, HARRY! IT’S KILLING ME! DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND? I GIVE UP! PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!”
Harry’s feet were glued to the floor. He was staring at her without his glasses, brandishing the sword viciously at him. She was gripping it tightly with both hands. Behind her tear-filled eyes were fires of rage and despair. With the mirrors around him, it was as if there were a thousand pairs of eyes, all focusing their anger at him.
“You hurt me so bad that night, do you know?” she hissed, inching towards him with the sword. He forced himself to slowly inch backward.
“Of course you know. It’s because you felt my pain. Every ounce of it! You cried with me! You matched every teardrop that I shed, didn’t you, Harry?” she continued to inch forward furiously but Harry was now pinned to a mirror on the wall. He could no longer go backward.
“The heartache and pain when you abandoned me by the trees that night, the loneliness that I endured my entire life… you felt it, you heard it… how did it feel?”
Harry didn’t reply. He just kept his shocking gaze at her, refusing to let himself think of that night when he was curled up on the floor sobbing when her cries echoed in his mind.
“I lost control of my telepathic powers that night and my mind and emotions were channeled all to you, and do you know why?” she stopped inching forward but the tip of the sword was now pressed against his chest.
“It’s because I love you so much. You are engrained in my mind and emotions. My thoughts are all you. You are everything to me. You are all I have…
“But why did you hurt me so bad… of all people… why did it have to be you…
“Why…Harry…why…
“Goodbye… Harry Potter…” her tearful voice pleaded hopelessly in his head.
“DO IT, ARIA! IF IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER! DO IT! KILL ME NOW!” Harry, widening his eyes, snapped fearlessly.
With cold sweat all over his face, he felt the unforgiving blade now pressed forcefully against him. Without his glasses, his wide eyes were glued to her angry gaze. He could no longer see anything else. The vicious blade, the empty classroom, and the angry mirrors all suddenly disappeared from his vision. All he could see was the fire and pain in her eyes.
“AARGH…” she roared violently.
Harry heard a sound from his chest as if a piece of cloth was being torn. Then he heard a crisp clanking sound echoing from the floor, ricocheting across the empty room.
Panting heavily, Harry slowly began to recover his blurry vision. He saw Aria curled up on the floor, sobbing profusely. She had thrown the sword across the room. When he looked at his chest, he noticed a piece of cloth on his school robe was dangling strangely. It had been awkwardly torn apart undoubtedly by the sword.
“You know I can never hurt you…” she sobbed despairingly and buried her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry, Harry…”
Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, he hurried over to her and helped her to her feet.
“Please just leave me alone,” she pleaded, trying to fight off his hands. He ignored her and pulled her up.
“Is it my fault that I fell in love with you?” she whimpered weakly, thumping his chest wearily with her fists. “I knew you have Ginny already but I still fell in love with you… I couldn’t control my feelings for you anymore…
“Please tell me what to do to get rid of this pain. Please…” she begged. “Madam Pomfrey thought I only had a head cold… If only it were true…”
Harry gently pushed her hair away from her weeping face and embraced her. He could feel her entire weight leaning into him, as well as her pain and internal struggles. They remained like this quietly for a while, with her face buried on his shoulder. The only sounds in the room were her muffled cries.
“I felt it when I was in your mind… you do have feelings for me… I know you do… From the very beginning when we met that night at the Leaky Cauldron, I could hear your heartbeat, I felt it,” she whimpered tearfully to his ear. “It is the first time someone felt like that about me… So genuine and pure… And it feels so nice…”
Harry didn’t respond. Struggling internally, he refused to believe he had romantic feelings for both her and Ginny at the same time. She finally lifted up her head and met his apologetic gaze with her tear-filled eyes.
“But your feelings for me were nowhere near the same level as the feelings you have for Ginny…” her face contorted in pain.
“I’m sorry… for what happened that night,” Harry finally whispered faintly, holding her in his arms. “I… should not have pushed you like that… But Ginny…”
He abruptly stopped. He didn’t want to tell her about his feelings for Ginny. He wanted to spare her from more agony, so he quickly changed subjects.
“Thanks for getting Ron talking to me again…
“I really want to be your friend… I did promise that to you… You really need a friend now…”
Aria slowly pulled herself up and steadied herself. He held on to her arms to support her. Wiping tears off her face, she whimpered sadly, “That is not possible… after what has happened. We can’t be friends after all this…”
He gazed at her reddish green eyes and whispered, “But I did promise you…”
“I won’t force you to uphold your promise. It’s okay, Harry. I understand. I’m used to it,” she interrupted.
“Everything that has happened is not your fault. The fact that you came to me today… It speaks volumes about you… You’re a good man, Harry. Your loyalty to her… Ginny is indeed very lucky to have you…” she grinned faintly, tenderly stroking his hair.
“You must think I am some kind of lunatic, going ballistic on you like that, but I feel better now. I really do,” her smile gradually broadening.
“I almost got killed twice today but it’s okay, as long as you feel better,” Harry joked as he finally let go of her arms.
“Harry, I’m going to be okay,” she said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “You don’t owe me anything.”
He kneeled down on the floor and retrieved an envelope.
“Is this your letter of resignation?” he asked. She nodded, rubbing her reddish eyes.
Harry tore it in two and tossed the letter on the floor.
“Harry, no…” Aria reached for it.
“Too late, Aria. We want you to stay. I want you to stay. You’re a terrific teacher,” he grinned. “As long as you promise to not bring the sword to our next lesson. I don’t think my heart can handle another stab.”
“Can we forget about what happened that night?” he whispered hesitantly. “And we’ll start over… as friends?”
Aria didn’t respond. A light smile appeared on her face as she was gazing at his sparkling green eyes.
He walked towards her, “As a best friend.”
When I See Only You by gossipweaver
Chapter Notes: Aria wants to forfeit, or does she really?