Chapter Eighteen:

Ariana looked over at Draco then bolted towards the door the teachers and Harry had gone through. She didn't bother knocking she just opened it and went right in. A bit further ahead she saw the dark figures of the teachers surrounding a fireplace. Fleur was standing next to Madam Maxime with her giant arm around her. They were all arguing, saying that Dumbledore was trying to cheat. "He isn't trying to cheat!" Ariana said stepping out from where she had been listening. "He was just as surprised as you are! Can't you tell?"

" 'e is jus' surpri'ed heez plan worked!" Madam Maxime said. "We did not come all zeez way for nothing. If Dumblydorr getz two champions zo will we!"

"That's not the way it works I'm afraid," Dumbledore said. "The Goblet will not reawaken until the next tournament."

"Of course that is your excuse Dumbledore." Karkaroff sneered.

"Maybe, Potter really had nothing to do with it." Snape said suddenly. "But he does have a great passion in not abiding by the rules other do."

"I don't know why you lot are so keen to blame Potter, it would have taken an extremely strong confundas charm to trick the Goblet, way beyond the talents of a fourth year." Moody huffed as he limped into the light. "I think someone put Potter's name in the Goblet in hopes he will get killed."

"Honestly!" McGonagall said.

"Confessing to something Moody?" Karkaroff asked looking down his nose at the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor.

"It's my job to think as Dark Wizards do, maybe you remember Karkaroff?" Moody said glancing down at Karkaroff's left arm. Karkaroff quickly smoothed over the sleeve that was over the spot Moody had looked at. He turned back towards Dumbledore, but his blue eye stayed staring at the spot on Karkaroff's arm. "Albus?" He asked, wanting to know what Dumbledore thought.

Dumbledore thought for a moment and looked towards Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch. "What do you say Barty?"

"The Goblet is a magically binding contract, Potter will have to participate, there isn't any other choice." Mr. Crouch said looking from brother to sister then back to Dumbledore.

"This is stupid!" Ariana said quite suddenly. "It shouldn't count because he didn't do it! So it should be whoever put his name in has to do it!"

"Ariana, don't..." Harry said quietly, he didn't need her saying everything he was thinking.

"But... this isn't right!" Ariana said looking from face to face, none of them showed her any sign that what Mr. Crouch had said was wrong. "I can't believe this, people have died in this thing and you're going to bend the rules just because that is the way it has to be..." Ariana looked at every face besides Dumbledore and Harry's. "Whoever did this should have to deal with ten times worse than what Harry's going to have to do. And if I find out who it was, I'll make sure of it." She turned storming off out of the room.

Ariana's fury followed her all the way back to the Slytherin Common Room where she saw Marlin standing outside, obviously waiting for her. She quickly ducked behind a suit of armor cursing the way the night was going. She was just starting to wonder how long he was going to stand there until she heard the path to the Slytherin Common Room open up and Draco's voice speak, her heart started pounding.

"What are you doing out here?" He sneered she could almost see the look on Draco's face as he spoke, she dared not look around because she didn't want to be caught in case she would ever have to hide here again.

"I vas vaiting vor Ariana." Marlin said. "Vhy do vou care? Vou said she vasn't vour girlfriend."

"Yeah well I lied, she's my girl and I don't like watching you sniff around her like a dog waiting for scraps, so piss off." Ariana's heart lept into her throat. Why was he saying that?

"Or vhat'?" Marlin asked.

Ariana heard the passageway to the Slytherin Common Room open once again and she heard heavy footfalls, Crabbe and Goyle, she just knew it. "Or I'll have my friends take care of you." She heard the smugness in his voice. "And I'll curse you myself."

Ariana heard Marlin cuss something in Bulgarian, just as she was going to take a quick peak out from her hiding place as Marlin rushed past. She watched him turn the corner at the end of the hall as listened until she could hear his steps no longer. Standing up, she dusted her legs off and peaked around the corner, Draco, Crabb, and Goyle were no longer there. She listened quietly for the sound of footsteps, but decided that the boys had gone back inside. As she started back towards the Common Room a dark hand darted out from behind a statue and pulled her backwards, she let out a small yelp of surprise as a hand clamped around her mouth so she wouldn't yell out again.

She twisted around and met the eyes of Blaise, her body relaxed a bit and he removed his hand from her mouth now that she wasn't going to scream again.

"What the hell Blaise? You scared me almost to death!" She whispered harshly, why she was whispering she wasn't sure.

"I wasn't trying to. I just wanted to ask you something." He said standing up looking down at her.

"And you have to do it behind a dirty statue?"

"There is a trip to Hogsmeade next weekend, I was wanting to go with me." He said, it wasn't a question it was a statement.

"Hogsmeade? Um, yeah sure. I'd love to." Ariana said not knowing what to say. "Why'd you ask me?" She asked quickly before he slipped away getting to her feet.

"I told you Ariana, I like you. And I know somewhere you like me too. I'm just asking for one day, let me show you that you can." He leaned over her resting his arm on the wall behind her above her head.

"Blaise, I've told you, I just don't like you that way..." Ariana sighed, she was tired of getting pinned to walls by him.

"If you just give me a chance. I can make you love me."

"You can't make someone love you, either they do or they don't, look I like you as a friend. I just don't like you that way." Ariana said, softly. "I'm already seeing someone..." She lied, desperate for anything that would get him to stop.

"You can't lie to me Ariana, I've been watching you. The only person you've been around is Malfoy."

"Yeah, well we've been keeping it a secret." Ariana said, hoping Blaise had heard what Draco had said to Marlin to back up her story.

"He can't give you the life I can. His family is going to fall, and he's going to go down with them." Blaise ran a single finger down Ariana's cheek. "I can make you happy, happier than he possibly could." His face moved closer, lips barely an inch away from hers, she felt his breath on her lips.

Without thinking she slipped her hand into her pocket gripping her hand around the end of her wand pulling out she yelled, "LUMOS DUO!" blinding Blaise long enough for her to slip away. He was just regaining his sight when she had said the password and the opening for the Common Room opened up and she quickly slipped inside hearing Blaise cuss her out as it sealed shut behind her. As she leaned against the resealed wall she looked around, a couple of other Slytherins were watching her but looked away at she made eye contact with each of them. She ran her hand through her hair ruffling up the back not wanting it to lay too flat and walked over towards the fireplace where she saw Draco sitting, Crabb and Goyle sitting across from him. She walked over and slumped down onto the floor in front of the fireplace looking into it.

Draco sat watching her for a few moments before speaking, "You alright?" He asked.

"He has to participate..." Ariana said, she was glad Draco had waited to talk, she wasn't sure she wanted to tell him she had heard what he said or the incident she had with Blaise out in the hall, she was able to think up something to say when he would eventually speak to her. "Harry, even though he wasn't the one to put his name in, they said its magically binding... Stupid really..." She got up as she heard as someone came into the Common Room, she didn't need to know to look to know it was Blaise. "I'm going to bed. Night." As she disappeared up the stairs to the girls dormitory.