The Wolf's Lion ~ Harry Potter (Editing)

Chapter Seven | The Goblet of Fire

Ariana didn't eat much, due to the nausea she felt, which was inflicted upon her by the moon. Her friends knew better than to ask after her health in front of other people, so they refrained from doubt so.

This would be the first time Harry and Hermione had been in her company during a full moon, therefore would witness how ill she was afterwards.

During the last full moon, she had accidentally scratched her face with her claw, which gave her a permanent one on her human face, since wounds inflicted by a werewolf always scar.

The thin, pink line ran through her left eyebrow and continued to just below her eye. At first, Ariana had completely disliked it, but she had adjusted to it over the last month.

The ceiling above was cast with the enchantment it was every day, making the top of the room invisible, as it was covered up with a spell that reflected the weather outside.

The sky was a twilight blue, stars twinkling beautifully. The moon shone above them, incredibly close to being full. It felt as if it was mocking Ariana in a way, but she also appreciated how gorgeous the enchantment was.

After the wonderful meal, Dumbledore had, once again, rise from his throne-like chair to address everyone in the hall.

"Your attention please! I would like to say a few words. Eternal glory, that is what awaits the student who wins the tri-wizard tournament. But to do this that student must survive three tasks. Three extremely dangerous tasks. For this reason the ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. To explain all this we have the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Mister Bartimus Crouch."

Before anyone could be introduced to the man who Ariana recognised to be the same man who had accused her and her friends of conjuring the Dark Mark, the enchantment ceiling spiraled into chaos.

All of a sudden, thunder roared overhead, lightening cracking. All of the candles that had flickered overhead were extinguished as rain began to trickle down onto them. Younger students screamed as this happened, but Ariana simply raised her hands to cover her head.

She spotted a red bolt of magic being fired up into the massive ceiling, restoring order and peace. Her eyes rested upon a man with thinning shoulder-length blonde hair, and an elaborate false eye strapped across his face.

"Bloody hell, it's Mad-Eye Moody," said Ron in awe, watching as the man and Dumbledore embraced briefly.

"Alastor Moody? The auror," Hermione questioned.

"Auror," Dean Thomas asked from beside Hermione, looking for someone to explain.

"An elite, highly-trained wizard who catches Dark Wizards," Ariana explained, her eyes following Moody as he limped over to the side of the room.

"Half the cells in Azkaban are full thanks to him. He's supposed to be mad as a hatter though these days," added Ron.

The ex-Auror faced the wall and took a quick drink out of a flash he had pulled from his dark trench coat, which made Ariana suspicious.

Seamus, who was seated beside Ariana, leaned his head towards the centre of their little group. "What's that he's drinking do you suppose?"

"I don't know but I don't think it's Pumpkin Juice," Harry replied, his eyes unmoving from Mad-Eye.

Ariana shook her head in agreement, not bothering to peel her narrowed eyes away grin the man until Barty Crouch began to talk.

"After much deliberation the ministry has concluded that for their own safety no student under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the tri-wizard tournament. This decision is final."

The crowd before him began booing vigorously, but George Weasley was louder than everyone else, "That's rubbish! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Silence!" Dumbledore bellowed, causing the offending students to shut their mouths instantly. He cast a spell over a box by his side, which then melded into a large goblet containing a crackling blue flame. "The goblet of fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves for the tournament merely write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if choosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the Tri-Wizard Tournament has begun."

A bolt of dread shot through Ariana when her headmaster said this, causing her to grimace slightly. It faded as quickly as it had appeared, but it concerned the witch all the same.

The students were soon dismissed from the hall, instructed to return to their Common Rooms. As per usual, the house Prefects escorted the first years to show them the way.

The visiting students were going to sleep in the vehicles they had arrived in. The Durmstrang students had arrived to Scotland in a large ship that travelled underwater, whereas the French ladies had arrived in a beautiful carriage drawn by a team of winged Abraxan Horses.

Ariana had not seen inside the two vessels, but she presumed they had an Extension charm placed on them, just as Mr. Weasley had done with their tent at the Quidditch World Cup.

When the four Gryffindors returned to the Common Room, they all gathered in front of the warm fire. Ariana felt the sense that she was home whenever she stepped foot in Hogwarts, since it was the first place she had considered a home.

They discussed the upcoming tournament and their new companions for the year. Ron voiced some concerns about the mindsets of the Durmstrang boys; how they're so similar to those of the pure-blood crazed Slytherins.

Ariana also pointed out how Durmstrang was known for its prominent education in the Dark Arts, making its reputation quite dubious.

After coming to the conclusion that they would keep an eye on the Northern visitors, they began to chat about their classes and what to expect from them.

As per usual, Ron had whined about having to see Snape for his Potions class, prompting Harry to groan. Ariana chuckled lightly at their depressed reactions, finding then quite amusing.

Right now, she didn't care about the onslaught of sarcasm from their fellow students or teachers. The witch was just thankful to be back at the castle with her friends.

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A/N: Hello. Thank you for reading. I know Remus hasn't featured in this story much, but trust me, he and Ariana will reunite very soon!