Aria's been at Hogwarts for three weeks now, and she's sure it's felt like ages. She's taken to practically living in the library in all of her free time, Draco whining and groaning about how she never wants to do anything fun.

Now, Aria found solace in an abandoned classroom at Hogwarts, working on her latest project—a small robot she was determined to make flip. As she meticulously tinkered with wires and circuits, her blue eyes focused intently on her creation. The room was silent, except for the soft hum of machinery..

Unbeknownst to Aria, dark forces were at play within the school. As she focused on her project, a presence loomed behind her, sending a shiver down her spine. The brunette turned around, her eyes widening as she locked gaze with Professor Quirrell, whose once meek appearance had been tainted by a lurking darkness. His scarlet eyes bore into her, and a slight headache began to gnaw at her temples.

Quirrell's gaze fell upon the intricate device before Aria, curiosity flickering in his eyes. He took a tentative step closer, his voice laced with a faint hint of curiosity and trepidation.

"What is this device you're working on?" he inquired, his voice laced with an undercurrent of malice.

Aria's grip on her robot tightened as she instinctively guarded her work. Her mind raced, recognizing the danger emanating from the professor. She didn't like him. Not at all.

"It's just a robot," she replied cautiously, her voice steady despite her unease.

Quirrell's eyes flickered with a sinister glint as he circled around her, his presence growing more imposing with each passing moment.

"Just a robot, you say?" he sneered. "In a world of magic, you choose to tinker with muggle contraptions. How... quaint."

Aria's blue eyes narrowed, a mixture of defiance and suspicion gleaming within them. She remained silent, refusing to divulge any more information.

Quirrell's gaze intensified, his voice now a low hiss. "You should be careful, Miss Stark. Not everyone appreciates your... unconventional pursuits. Some may find them dangerous, even threatening."

Aria's heart raced, her instincts warning her of the impending danger. She experienced something like this before...with Loki...when he was still possessed by the stone's powers.

"What do you want from me?" Aria finally demanded, her voice laced with a blend of determination and apprehension. Why was she the only one Quirell acted like this with?

Quirrell's lips curled into a sinister smile as he leaned closer, his breath chilling against her skin. "Oh, my dear, I simply want to ensure your safety. The path you tread is a dangerous one. Perhaps, we can find a way for your talents to be put to better use."

Aria's gaze hardened, her resolve strengthening. She could sense the malevolence underlying Quirrell's words and knew better than to trust him. There was obviously something wrong with everyone in this school, but so far, this guy was the worst.

"I'll find my own path," she retorted, her voice tinged with defiance. "I don't need your guidance."

Quirrell's smile faded, replaced by a flicker of annoyance, with one swift motion, he had his wand pointed at the girl. Though before he could even blink, some sort of two weapons materialized down Aria's arms and were pointed at him.

"Professor, your hostile act has triggered the defensive protocols of my Techsuit. Lower your wand before you get hurt."

"What are those things, Stark?"

"They are the weapons module of my Techsuit. The one aimed between your eyes is currently set to disable and will deliver a milliliter of a very painful blinding agent, and the other is a Stark International force beam projector, commonly known as a 'repulsor', which depending on its intensity will either knock the wind out of you, cut you in half and everything inbetween. Which of the weapons used is decided by the Artificial intelligence of the Techsuit, in proportional response to any offensive act on your part." Aria smiled ruefully. "I know that the weapons I have described are outside your understanding, but allow me to assure you that you do not want them to be used on you. Lower your wand, sir."

"Ha!" snarled Quirell, in a rather boyish way, the voice of a different person almost resounding from his lips, "do you really think you can scare me with your filthy Muggle toys?"

Aria felt the telltale tickle of someone testing her mental defenses, just like Sirius and Strange has taught her to recognize . "Ah, you are a legilimence. That won't do you any good Professor, the Techsuit's AI will respond whether I am conscious or not. Do I think I can scare you? I guess that depends on whether you are smart enough to know that there are things you dont know."

"Just like there are things that you do not know.I will have you expelled for this, Potter."

"You will try Sir, I suspect that it will come down to who the Headmaster wants here more, you or me." Aria smirked, trying not to flinch at the wrong use of last name, her jaw ticking. It was a wild bluff, considering no one cared about her.

"You have no idea who you're messing with, Potter. We'll see how you fare without your damned objects"

With a final lingering gaze, he retreated, leaving Aria alone with her thoughts and her unfinished robot.

As the door closed behind him, Aria's headache began to dissipate, a sense of unease settling within her. She knew she had narrowly escaped a dangerous encounter. Did a professor actually just point a wand at her? If the whole prospect of being in a threatening situation didn't excite her, Aria would've told someone. But hey, it's been boring so far around here,so might as well see where this was going to lead to. With renewed determination, she turned back to her robot, her amused blue eyes reflecting a resolve to let things unfold. Who knows, maybe Quirell didn't like Dumbledore or the Potters either. She'll overlook the enemy of her enemies for now.

Never mind that, fuck Quirell.

Aria stood frozen, eyes wide and lips parted in shock as she watched her belongings fall from a filthy old bag, which Filch was carelessly shaking up and down.

her two-way mirror, tools, robots, tablets, and all her other gadgets fell, scattered on the headmaster's desk.

"Be careful with that!" She cried out, advancing toward the son of a bitch when James Potter's hand pulled her back from her shoulder.

Good thing she kept her weapons hidden with her at all times.

"What's the meaning of this?" She asked, a frown of worry taking over her features as she looked back and forth between the adults. Albus was staring pensively at the technological devices on his desk.

It was nearing the weekend, and she had been planning on calling her dad, telling him to come to Hogwarts along with Loki and some of the others, but when she got to her dorm, all she found was a smirking Daphne, standing next to Filch who had gathered almost all her things in a bag.

He had taken the marauders' map too before.

It seemed he liked taking things that weren't his.

"I apologize for this less-than-courteous way of handling the situation, dear child. But I must confiscate these belongings." Dumbledore spoke suddenly, blue eyes twinkling as they stared down at the outraged eleven years old.

"Why?!" She demanded, roughly shaking off James' hand.

"These...trinkets are unfortunately not allowed at Hogwarts, and as the headmaster, I cannot allow you to keep them."

"Listen to Dumbledore Aria," James whispered from beside her, using an authoritative tone that he had no right to use on her.

"You have no right to take my things." The witch seethed, shoulders tensing just as Bucky's would've in this kind of situation.

"You'll find that I do. Your belongings will remain with Filch here, until the end of the year." Dumbledore calmly replied, helping in putting all her stuff back inside Filch's bag.

"Or maybe I can take them to Potter Manor, and you'd find them when you come home for winter break?" James suggested with a small smile. Before Aria could reply with a very respectful 'what the fuck?', Dumbledore chimed in.

"Wonderful idea!"

"My stuff isn't going anywhere. I am not going anywhere. You don't want to cross me or my family, headmaster." Aria warned, not deflating at the dismissive chuckle Dumbledore gave her.

"This behavior of yours worries me quite a lot, dear child. You should spend more time with your brother."

"I don't have a—"

"Though I heard you're doing quite well in class. Even better than Harry..." The white-bearded man boldly observed, eyes pensive as he stared at Aria.

He was regretting ever getting rid of the girl when she was a baby. He made the wrong decision all those years ago, and the clock is now ticking to get Aria back on their side before it's too late.

The girl is powerful, he could sense it, so much that some horrifying doubts started clouding his mind.

It won't work in his favor if Aria fights on the wrong side of the war.

The Potters needed to step up their game. And fast.

As she left the headmaster's office along with Filch, fuming, her blue eyes suddenly caught sight of a certain map hanging halfway outside of the man's robe pocket.

"Hey, Filch!" She called out, making the almost-balding man turn toward her, looking all too smug to have her stuff in his possession.

"what do you want?" He sneered, spitting on the ground next to him. Aria chose to ignore that.

"You know...the Potters abandoned me because they thought I was like you. must be tough working in a place you'll never really be a part of huh?" She asked sympathetically, causing the man to growl some animalistic-like sound, before suddenly turning around to stomp away.

Just in time though, Aria reached over and grabbed the map from his pocket, not wasting one second before scurrying away with it.

She was going to her things back, and no one was going to stand in her way—

Or well, no one other than the four Slytherins standing face to face with her.

"What is it?" She asked, blue eyes flickering from Pansy, Draco , Blaise to Theo.

"We were looking everywhere for you! Divination is starting soon, come on."

The Astronomy Tower stood tall against the night sky as Aria found herself reluctantly dragged by Pansy and the others to their astronomy class. She had always harbored a certain skepticism toward divination and fortune-telling, dismissing them as mere superstitions. (Never mind the fact that Strange had a knack for those)

However, the allure of the crystal ball and the curiosity within her couldn't resist the temptation to give it a try. She'll just retrieve her stuff later.

So, really, why not?