The Wolf's Lion ~ Harry Potter (Editing)

Chapter Fifty-Two | Return to Hogwarts

For what seemed like the hundredth time that night, Ariana smashed into the ground. She was home. The crowd clapped went crazy cheering and applauding, and the band began to play the Hogwarts march. After all, they hadn't realised that one of the champions were dead.

Harry was hunched over Cedric's body, sobbing. Ariana had clasped his  slightly warm had in her own cold ones, kneeling in the ground, pressing her lips to Cedric's hand. Her eyes remained screwed shut as a few girls screamed once they realised that Cedric was unmoving, his eyes, once full of life, were fixed on one point. The band screeched and died, the entire crowd falling silent as they watched the staff rush onto the grounds.

Dumbledore attempted to pry Harry away from Cedric's corpse but the boy protested and remained exactly where he was. Ariana felt Dumbledore settle beside her, kneeling in the ground beside them. She had been desperately holding back tears; the reality of what just happened was kicking in. In the graveyard, adrenaline and the will to survive distracted them, but now the traumatic experience was sinking in.

"Tell me what happened!" Dumbledore insisted.

"He's back, he's back! Voldemort's back!" Harry sobbed, his voice resounding around the entire arena.

Ariana looked up, still cradling Cedric's hand in her own, fighting tooth and nail to stop herself from crying. "Cedric asked us to bring his body back. We couldn't leave him, not there, not with him," she said, her voice quivering.

"It's alright, Harry," Dumbledore said softly, cupping his cheeks to raise his head up. "It's alright, he's home, you all are." He pulled Ariana into his side for a brief moment, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before releasing her.

The audience had overcome their shocked silence and gasps rippled though the stands. Girls were crying hysterically and others were in distraught silence, each one dealing with the scene in their own way.

Ariana clenched her jaw hard, her bottom lip shaking with the effort she was putting in to avoid breaking down. She had just watched a boy, who she had come to like and respect, loose his life because he dared stray into the graveyard. He never done anything to deserve such a terrible fate, nothing at all. It wasn't fair. If Ariana could of swapped places with him, she would of in a split second.

Fudge appeared, his face pale and his eyes wide. He lowered his choice, "The body must be moved, Dumbledore, there are... too many people."

"Let me through!" Amos Diggory shouted, running down from the stands as fast as he possibly could.

"I'm sorry," Ariana whispered, holding Cedric's hand to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Cedric. You didn't deserve this, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," She kissed the back of his hand and staggered to her feet, breathing so heavily in her attempt to keep her calm that she felt dizzy.

Amos's legs buckled when he reached Cedric, wailing in despair. "That's my son! That's my boy!" He screamed, tears pouring down his cheek as he cradled his son's corpse, making it almost impossible for Ariana to keep the tears that welled in her eyes from falling.

The girl's body was shaking, the metallic taste of iron in her mouth as she burst her lip open again. She felt warm, sticky blood run down her chin, but it was the last thing on her mind. She remained standing on weak legs, listening to the haunting sounds of Amos Diggory hysterically crying over his only son's corpse.

People from the stands had began to slowly come down from the stands, screaming and wailing, terrified. Fleur was crying with her classmates, and Viktor was looking miserable, bowing his head in respect as he watched the horrific scene play out.

Professor McGonagall appeared next to Ariana, lying a hand on her shoulder. The elder witch was also finding the scene harrowing, as she seemed to be holding tears back, just as Ariana was. She looked at Ariana's bloodstained, scratched face. "You should go and see Madame Pomfrey," she said, her voice a little uneven before she corrected it.