Through the Darkness | Draco Malfoy

Fifteen

"Aries! where were you? you missed the view, we had carriages flying with horses and large ships, it was wicked." Ron exclaimed as soon as he saw her.

"Sorry, I got caught up with something." she took a seat next to Hermione. "So... flying carriages and a ship? is that coming from your bedtime story or what, Ronny?"

Ron used a fork and threatened her with it "I will never share my excitement with you, ever again."

She laughed at him and then turned to Hermione who didn't look so amused at all. She was just watching them with his arms crossed. Aries' smile quickly dropped and she looked down to behave herself. "Sorry, Herms."

"Aries Black." Snape stopped by their table.

Aries looked up to see Professor Snape standing right in front of them with an angry face, as usual. He must've missed her.

"Professor Snape, how nice of you to grace us with your presence. How have you been, sir?"

"I was well until I spotted your face and Potter's."

"I hope my face made you more well. I mean, Harry's face would give you depression because he's a pain in the arse but not me, my face cures the ill and I'm sure everyone including you agrees with me, am I right?"

The rest of the table snickered while Hermione groaned loudly.

Snape sighed. "As always, your sense of humor doesn't end, does it? As a result, detention with me tonight. And 20 points from Gryffindor will be taken because your foul mouth can't stay sealed without saying something stupid."

Her face dropped. Everyone laughed in the Great Hall except for the Gryffindors, most of them groaned and glared at her.

Hermione pinched Aries' hand under the table while whispering, "Stop talking back."

As soon as he walked away, Aries looked at the other angry Gryffindors. "He did that on purpose!"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and started with his daily speech. "Now were all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year, but home to some very special as well. You see, Hogwarts has been chosen—"

The door slammed open. Everybody looked towards it. There ran Filch up the aisle limping in a comical way.

The Professors and few others students stared at Aries, she was confused, why was everyone suddenly looking at her? until she heard someone speak. "Aries probably set his robes on fire."

"What's that got to do with me?" she asked quietly.

As soon as Filch said what he had in mind to Dumbledore, he left in the same funny way and let Dumbledore continue.

"So Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event. the Triwizard Tournament. Now for those of you who don't know, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single contestant is selected to compete. Now let me be clear, if chosen you stand alone. And trust me when I say, these contests are not for the faint hearted, but more of that later. For now please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of Beauxbatons Academy of magic and their headmistress Madame Maxime."

A group of girls dressed in blue danced up the aisle and released butterflies into the air. They bowed and everyone applauded. Until a big, tall woman came in and dropped some jaws.

"Bloody hell." Ron said while looking at their bottoms.

Aries glared at him for a minute straight until he noticed. "Creep." she threw that word into his face and looked away.

"And now for our friends from the North, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their high master Igor Karkaroff."

"Durmstrang?" Aries quickly turned her head to look at the door entrance.

A series of older boys walked up the aisle, brandishing bo staffs, twirling them around and periodically stabbing them into the ground with a spark effect.

"Blimey it's him, Viktok Krum!" Ron almost even squealed like a teenage girl seeing her crush.

"Forget about Viktor Krum, look it's Lev Zograf." Aries could not contain her excitement. Lev noticed her and sent her a wink with a charming smile.

"Did he just wink at you?" Hermione and Ginny asked at the same time making both look at her in confusion.

"It was a polite gesture, it's a common thing among Durmstrang boys." she said and nodded, agreeing with herself.

"You just made that up." said Ginny. "Aries got herself an admirer, a Durmstrang admirer."

The boys looked at Aries, who pretended she did not notice. Their older brother mode got activated, especially with Harry.

"Your attention please! I would like to say a few words. Eternal glory, that is what awaits the students who wins the Triwizard Tournament. But to do this, students must survive three tasks, three extremely dangerous tasks. For this reason, the ministry has been fit to impose a new rule, to explain all this we have to head of the department of international magic cooperation, Mister Bartimus Crouch."

"That git."

"Mad-Eye Moody staring at you, Aries."

"Who?" she asked, looking around to see who's he talking about, and she spotted the new Professor. "Who is that?"

"Mad-Eye Moody, he's going to teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts this year." Ron explained.

"He seems... nice?"

Crouch stepped forward and spoke "After much deliberation, the ministry has concluded that for their own safety, no students under the age of seventeen shall be allowed to put forth their name for the Triwizard Tournament. This decision is final."

The crowd is unsettled, people started booing.

"Nice, I was actually expecting me and Harry to join, and this guy keeps ruining my day. Want me to murder him, Harry? it'll be quick and out of sight—"

"No. I don't want to join either way." Harry told her.

"You're boring."

"Silence!" Dumbledore said loudly, then he casted magic over a box which melded into a goblet containing a 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 hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen there's no turning back. As from this moment the Triwizard Tournament has begun."

"Taking notes, enter the championship and become the champion of the Triwizard Tournament." Aries wrote that on a small piece of paper.

Hermione looked at her slowly. "Did you even hear a word they just said?!"

"No. I don't want to hear anything coming from Barty Grouch so I 'll keep writing whatever is inside my mind at the moment." She replied. "As I was saying....I'm going to enter the championship and—"

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Ron asked.

"Well, I can use the Polyjuice Potion and—"

"Aries, for the love of god..." Hermione had enough.

"Kidding, kidding!" Aries she laughed then turned her head to the twins. "Fred, George." she winked twice and they winked back twice.

"If you don't stop it with your mischief, I swear to Merlin... you're sleeping outside tonight." Hermione said.

"I apologize." Aries behaved again.

They finished eating their food and went straight to their dorms. Aries remembered she was supposed to go to Snape' s office because she has detention but she decided to ditch, Merlin help her.