Chapter Sixty-Four

"WELL NOW WE'RE 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 guests as well. You see, Hogwarts has been chosen..." Dumbledore stopped speaking when Filch rather comically ran across the hall towards him and whispered something inaudible.

He continued. "So, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: The Triwizard tournament." Aria's ears perked up. She'd only ever heard about that tournament. "For those of you who do not know, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school, a single student 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 the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their headmistress Madame Maxime."

The doors to the Great Hall burst open and girls dressed in tight blue dresses strode in, butterflies seemed to dance off their arms and boys swooned at their every movement.

Even Draco. Aria rolled her eyes at his obvious infatuation with the one in the front. "Maybe find yourself a girlfriend?" Aria suggested.

"Pansy and I are still very much together, I'll have you know." Draco snapped back once he had pulled himself together. "In fact, better than ever. Although she doesn't like you very much anymore, not after what you did to her last year."

"She knew better than to mess with me. She had it coming to her."

"I suppose," Malfoy mumbled and turned his attention back to the new girls.

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

"Father used to threaten to send me there, you know?" Aria informed Malfoy as a school of charming-looking men marched in. Aria was taken aback at how good-looking they all were.

"My father too. He said Hogwarts wasn't nearly good enough for his son. I had to agree, but mum got to him."

The boys created a series of sparks as they knocked their staffs into the ground and Aria found herself impressed and feeling a little flushed as one of them smiled at her. She had to look away to control her blush.

Draco gestured towards one of them. "Isn't that your boyfriend over there?"

Aria squinted to see if it really was Viktor Krum. "Couldn't be. I didn't even know he attended Durmstrang."

"Well, why don't you go say hello?" Malfoy smirked as Aria sent him a vulgar gesture.

Once the guests had settled, the feast appeared on the tables in front of them and as Aria ate, she made a point to search for George. For a reason unknown, her mind had immediately thought of him when she saw Krum, knowing how much he idolized the Quidditch player. She knew it was dumb and she wasn't nearly surprised when she saw that he was next to Katie, but it still saddened her as she tore her eyes from the two.

She found herself trying to locate Cedric next. Seeing him at the World Cup with George had sparked an idea in her head. She wouldn't mind having another casual fling with the Hufflepuff if only to piss off the Weasley.

"Your attention please!" Dumbledore called. "I'd like to say a few words."

Aria turned her eyes to the front of the room.

"Eternal glory. That's what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard 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."

The ceiling thundered as he stopped speaking and Aria jumped from fright, Malfoy laughed next to her and earned a backhand across his head. He groaned and glared at Aria, a smile still lingering on his lips.

A strange man entered the room noisily, all eyes were drawn to him and Aria had to admit-she had never seen a more horrific-looking person in her life. "Where is his eye?" She fretted.

He limped towards the teachers and stopped to take a drink once Dumbledore had greeted him.

"Lovely. A drunk."

Bartimus Crouch stepped forward to speak. "After due consideration, 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 Triwizard Tournament." People weren't shy when it came to expressing their displeasure with the new rule. "The decision is final."

"That's rubbish!" She heard George yell. "You don't know what you're doing!" Her heart ached at the sound of his voice.

"Silence!" Dumbledore demanded. The object to his right was lit in blue flames. "The Goblet of Fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament need only 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 chosen, there's no turning back. As from this moment the Triwizard Tournament has begun."

There was a low hum around the hall caused by all the excitement. Aria did not share the sentiment.

"I say you enter!" A girl across from Aria told her.

"Yeah! You'd bring so much pride to Slytherin if you won-"

"And we all know you'd win!"

Aria blushed. She would never willingly put her life in danger by entering a stupid tournament just for eternal glory. She had little to no interest in this tournament. Unfortunately, she couldn't say this out loud. "I'm underage. There's no way that I can enter." It was an excuse that she was going to stick with, one she was glad to have.

The people around her mumbled their protests but stopped when she glared at one of them.

"Here's an idea, Snape. Get someone in the seventh year to enter for you!"

"Are you mad? My father would kill me. Besides, I'm sure someone else from Slytherin will enter anyway, you don't need me."

But Aria would be damned if anyone took her thunder. Perhaps, instead of entering herself, she would just need to discourage anyone else in Slytherin from entering.

Or maybe... Dumbeldore was overreacting?

One glance across the hall and a look at her father's face told Aria that Dumbeldore was not. This was serious and she'd rather die than enter the tournament.