The Wolf's Lion ~ Harry Potter (Editing)

Chapter Twenty-Two | The Beginning of the Task

Ariana awoke feeling like a bundle of raw nerves that were being punched repeatedly. She couldn't concentrate in the classes she had to attend, her mind was focused entirely on the task that could very easily kill her.

Time seemed to speed by until Ariana was in her way to lunch, meeting up with both terrified Harry and an extremely anxious Hermione. Neither of the Champions managed to eat much at all, feeling too sick to even think of food.

They had already changed into their robes for the competition. They weren't unlike their Quidditch robes; red and black with a small Hogwarts crest embroidered on their chests, tailored to fit, with their surnames pasted on the backs in dark yellow letters. Of course, Cedric's were yellow and black, representing his house.

The witch felt the weight of everyone's eyes on her body as Professor McGonagall strode towards them, making Ariana's anxiety pique even higher.

"Potter, O'Connor, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now... You have to get ready for your first task," she stated.

"Okay," said Harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.

"Alright," Ariana hummed, also getting to her feet.

"Good luck," Hermione whispered. "You'll be fine!"

"Yeah," said Harry in a voice that was most unlike his own.

They both accompanied Professor McGonagall out if the Great Hall. Ariana didn't think she didn't seemed herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione. It was definitely a peculiar sight.

As she walked him down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Now, don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head... We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand. The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you... Are you both all right?"

"Yes," Ariana said, lying through her teeth.

"Yes," Harry said. "Yes, I'm fine."

She was leading them toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Ariana saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them.

"You've to go in here with the other champions," said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice, "and wait for your turn. Mr. Crouch will be in shortly, he'll be telling you the - the procedure. Good luck."

"Thanks," said Harry, in a flat voice.

"Thank you," Ariana replied, her voice completely free of all happy emotion.

They entered the tent.

Ariana saw Fleur Delacour was sitting in a corner on a wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Viktor Krum looked even surlier than usual, which Harry supposed was his way of showing nerves. Cedric was pacing up and down. When the pair entered, Cedric gave them a small smile. Ariana returned the gesture, although using her facial muscles seemed to be painful.

For what seemed like forever, Ariana paced back and forth. Her stomach was in a painful knot, her fingers trembling in her black fingerless gloves. At this point, she would rather of gone through a full moon cycle, and that's saying something.

As she and Harry passed the flapping tent door, they heard Hermione, "Pssst! Harry? Ariana? Are you there?"

"Yeah."