The Wolf's Lion ~ Harry Potter (Editing)

Chapter Forty-One | The Article

The second task was a raging success. People were congratulating Ariana and Harry for days afterwards, even one or two Beauxbatons girls gave them a brief thank you for saving Gabrielle Delacour.

After Madame Pomfrey had seen to them, Barty Crouch came to personally congratulate Ariana and Harry. He spoke the kindest words Ariana had heard come from his mouth, apologising for not talking to them sooner and that their parents would be proud. Those last words meant a lot to Ariana, and she knew Harry was pleased, too.

One of the most amusing things to happen in the aftermath was Ron's account of how he ended up at the bottom of the lake. For the first time, he was able to bask in some of the fame Ariana and Harry recieved, and was loving it. His first few stories were the same as Hermione's: Professor McGonagall had called all of the hostages up to her office and Dumbledore put them in a Bewitched Sleep, after assuring them they would be perfectly safe and would awake once they were above the water.

That seems perfectly feasible, but it spiralled into Ron, who had been kidnapped, having to single-handedly fight off fifty merpeople before being beaten into submission. It was indeed a thrilling tale, but Hermione thought it was absolutely ridiculous, and she mocked the story, making Ron cease telling the false version.

By the time March rolled around, Ariana hadn't heard from Remus. In fact, he had not been in touch since Christmas night. Despite her efforts, the witch missed the slightly slanted writing that made her lips curve into a smile. Ariana also knew that post was delayed due to the cruel winds that beat anyone who stepped outside, but what are the chances the owl had been delayed for a couple of months?

'Slim to none,' Ariana thought, distractedly prodding scrambled eggs with her fork.

She had also recieved a note from Dumbledore instructing her to return for another lesson with Snape. For the first time, it sent chills down her spine. So far during Potions, which was the only time they spoke, and even then it was the bare minimum, neither of them had brought up the situation. Ariana knew shed have to tackle it at some point, making her many thoughts conflict each other.

That chilly Friday morning, Harry recieved a letter from Sirius. It was carried to him by brown owl, its feathers sticking up in all directions, who had flown off as soon as the scroll had been taken off of its leg, in fear that it would be sent out in the harsh wind again.

"Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can," Harry read quietly, leaning in towards his friends.

"He hasn't come back to Hogsmeade?" Ron asked incredulously, over a particularly large bowl of cereal.

"It looks like it, doesn't it?" said Hermione.

"I can't believe him," Harry groaned tensely, "if he's caught..."

"Harry, if he had been caught, there would be signs," Ariana reasoned calmly. "Dementors for a start. They would be swarming around Hogsmeade."

"She's right, mate," Ron said, trying to reassue Harry.

The day continued as normal and Harry was more cheery than he had been for a while, all thanks to the prospect of seeing Sirius in twenty-four hours time. Ariana, however, was ill from the last full moon. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep it off but obviously she couldn't, so she continued on with her classes.

The last two periods of the day were consumed by double Potions. The only thing that irritated her about that class was the insufferable Slytherins they shared it with, who made it their personal missions to make the four Gryffindors' lives hell.

Gryffindors and Slytherins hated each other on principal, there really was no other option. The Heir of Slytherin, as the quartet discovered in their second year, was none other than Lord Voldemort. Ariana felt as if she had a natural hatred of him, it was deep inside of her, as if it had been lying dormant until activated by being in the presence of him.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were huddled outside the classroom, making snide remarks as the quartet walked past, having appeared in the dungeons for their next lesson. Beside them was the pug-faced Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls, all staring at something Ariana couldn't see. She figured it wasn't worth her time, so remained with her friends outside the door.

"There they are, there they are!" she giggled, and the knot of Slytherins broke apart. Ariana was finally able to see what she had in her hands: a magazine. She had never been one for gossip or celebrity news. "You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!" Pansy said loudly, and she threw the magazine at Hermione, who caught it, looking startled. At that moment, the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside.

Ariana and the others took their usual table at the back of the room, nothing but shelves topped with coloured bottles behind them. Snape, ever a man of few words, didn't talk for long before turning his back to write ingredients in the blackboard, so the Gryffindors took the opportunity to flick though the colourful, glossy magazine. They leaned in to Hermione, watching as she found the page she was looking for, proceeding to read it.

Harry Potter's Secret Heartache

A boy and girl like no other, perhaps - yet a boy and girl suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of their parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter and Ariana O'Connor found solace in each other. Little did they know that they would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in lives already littered with personal losses.

Muggle-born Hermione Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with his emotions by attempting to steal Harry Potter away from his girlfriend, the Heir of Gryffindor. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss. Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl."

However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured his affections.

"She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."

Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potters and Ariana O'Connors well-wishers must hope that they do not allow such heinous actions to destroy what they have.

Ariana picked her jaw up off of the floor. During their last trip to Hogsmeade, Hermione had been furious with Rita regarding her article about Hagrid and was not shy about showing it. The others had snapped at her as well, but Hermione took it to another level, since Skeeter insulted her.

The witch was still irritated by the articles about her, but in time she learned to dismiss them. After her heritage and title had been outed, many people were desperate to learn of her backstory. They hadn't learned much, just that Voldemort murdered her parents and that she lived with two a Squib (non-magical person who is born to at least one magical parent) and a Muggle.

"I told you!" Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down at the article. "I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you out to be some sort of- of scarlet woman!"

Ariana's eyes shot up to Ron, snorting slightly in laughter. "Scarlet woman?" she questioned, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"It's what my mum calls them," Ron muttered, his ears going red.

"If that's the best Rita can do, she's losing her touch," said Hermione, still giggling at Ron's previous comment, as she threw Witch Weekly onto the empty chair beside her. "What a pile of old rubbish."

She looked over at the Slytherins, who were all watching her, Ariana and Harry closely across the room to see if they had been upset by the article. Hermione gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave, and she, Harry, and Ron started unpacking the ingredients they would need for their Wit-Sharpening Potion.