Over the next two months, Aria's relationships with several people had done a complete turnaround. While her relationship with Draco was improving as they slowly became friends again, her relationship with Ben was getting worse. Ben was completely against her repaired friendship with Draco. He would bring up all the fights between them in the past and how Draco's father was the cause of the problems in her life. No matter how much Aria defended Draco, assuring Ben that he was not exactly like his father, it did not get through to him. Draco was not the only issue in their relationship. Ben had become unreasonably jealous if Aria spent time with any guy. He became very possessive of her, wanting to spend all of their time out of classes together and buying her gifts every day. Though she appreciated how much he cared for her, it was becoming very frustrating. Her breaking point was when he got angry with Ron for picking up her Transfiguration book that fell out of her bag.
To get some time away from Ben, she would sit in the library with Hermione. They continued to research magical methods of eavesdropping but had not found anything that could allow Rita Skeeter to get private interviews at the school. Aria kept a close eye on the Slytherins, waiting for one of them to slip up about Skeeter's secret. One day, she tried to bribe Crabbe and Goyle with food but even cupcakes the size of their fists could not get them talking. The only strange thing she had noticed was Blaise holding a bug in his hand as though he was speaking to it. When Aria questioned him, he claimed that he was going to do something stupid like set it on fire with his wand. After their visit to Sirius, Ron had sent a letter to Percy, who proved to be no help at all in giving them information about Crouch's whereabouts. Percy repeated the same statements as the Ministry, insisting that Crouch was taking a break from work and any other rumors were ridiculous. Aria's father was not much better, telling her the same things as Sirius. He warned her to not get involved in that mess and to simply let the Ministry handle it.
Aria was sitting in a small clearing in the Forbidden Forest. After dinner, she decided to go for a run with Ben. He emerged from the trees, still in his wolf form. Shifting back, he sat beside her and kissed her cheek.
"Aren't you glad that you came out with me?"
"Yea, this is always fun. I needed a break from the library. I was there all night with Hermione"
"Were Harry and Ron there too?"
"Does that matter? I don't know why you're being so weird lately. They're my friends. They don't even know about the real me"
"One day, they will and I just don't trust them. I think you should only hang out with Hermione"
She looked at him. "Are you telling me who can't be my friend? You're being such a hypocrite, Ben. You have friends that are girls…Fleur is part veela but you don't see me freaking out when you hang out with her"
"That's different"
"It is not. I'm going back to the common room"
Aria left the forest, not listening as Ben shouted for her. She cast her disguising charms and headed back to the castle. In her mind, Ben was being ridiculous for telling her not to be friends with a guy. She felt like he did not trust her. As she passed the quidditch pitch, she noticed Cedric and Harry. Cedric smiled, seeing her.
"Hey Aaron. What are you—is everything okay? You look upset"
"I'm fine"
"Did something happen?"
"It's nothing. I just got in this stupid fight with a friend from home and…he's being an idiot"
"I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure you'll work it out"
Bagman called out to them from the quidditch pitch. Harry asked her to stay near the pitch to talk later. She leaned against a tree, listening to Bagman explain the third task to the champions. Hagrid was growing extremely tall hedges in the pitch to form a maze. The champions had to face obstacles in the maze and the first to find the Triwizard Cup would be the winner of the tournament. Since Harry and Cedric were tied for first, they would get a headstart in the maze. Aria was curious about what obstacles would be used in the task. Hearing Bagman mention creatures, she thought of Hagrid's only remaining skrewt and felt bad for anyone who crossed its path. One by one, they left the pitch. Bagman was attempting to get Harry's attention but backed off when Viktor asked to speak to Harry privately. Viktor led him towards the forest. Remembering her promise to Sirius that she would protect Harry, she followed them, hiding her wand up her sleeve. She was distracted by the sounds of trees being rooted from the ground. Deep down, she knew it was not some hidden giant doing the damage. Viktor and Harry were under the shade of a large tree.
"Ve are having a private conversation" said Viktor, seeing her walk towards them.
"No offense to you but I'm not leaving Harry alone with anyone. Anything you want to say to him, you can say in front of me"
"It's okay. Aaron's my friend" said Harry.
To her surprise, Viktor interrogated Harry about his relationship with Hermione. It sounded like Viktor believed Skeeter's article. Harry immediately made it clear that he and Hermione were only friends. Aria listened to them bond over their flying skills. She heard a rustling sound in the trees. Instinctively, she took out her wand.
"Vot is it?" asked Viktor, confused.
She stepped closer to the trees, her wand tip lit. Suddenly, a man staggered from behind a tree. As she shined the light in his face, she realized it was Mr. Crouch. He looked completely different than his usual prim and proper self. His robes were torn at the knee and covered in the blood, his hair was disheveled and dirty, and his chin was covered in stubble. Besides his bizarre appearance, he muttered to himself, sounding like a mental patient.
"Vosn't he a judge? Isn't he with your Ministry?"
Harry nodded, taking a step towards Crouch while holding his own wand. Staring at the tree, Crouch continued to talk to himself, muttering about owls to Dumbledore and the Triwizard Tournament.
"Mr. Crouch? Are you all right?" asked Harry.
Crouch fell to his knees , his eyes rolling around in his head. Harry and Aria looked at each other, unsure of what to do about him. He suggested that they find someone at the castle. Crouch seized the bottom of his robes.
"Dumbledore! I need…see…Dumbledore!"
"Okay. If you get up, we can go see"
"I've done…stupid…thing…must tell. Who are..you?"
"We're students at the school, sir"
"Warn…Dumbledore…" he whispered.
"If you let me go, we can get him"
"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly. We are attending a concert tonight with Mr. and Mrs. Fudge. My son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.s, most satisfactory. Thank you, very proud, indeed. Now if you could bring me the memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic..."
Harry told Aria and Viktor to stay with Crouch. He hurried up to the castle to find Dumbledore. Viktor stared at Crouch, who was still babbling to an invisible Percy.
"He is mad"
Aria bent down to Crouch, examining the dazed expression on his face. "No. A curse did this to him. I've seen this before…I can't remember where"
Crouch grabbed her shirt collar. "Don't…leave me. I…escaped...must warn…see Dumbledore…my fault…Bertha…dead…my son…my fault…Harry Potter…the Dark Lord…stronger…"
"Mr. Crouch, just take a deep breath. Who did you escape?"
"All my fault…my son…the Dark Lord…"
"It's okay. Just"
Listening to Crouch's babbling, she recognized the signs of an imperius curse. It had been cast on him so many times that his mind was scrambled. When she was living with Sebastien for a short time, she saw something like this firsthand. Sebastien had been covering up for a crime by casting the imperius curse on a man twice per day. After a week, the man was stuck thinking he was still a teenager at Beauxbatons. Similar to this man, Crouch could barely distinguish between the past and present. It explained why he talked about past events like his son and setting up the Triwizard Tournament. She was more concerned by his mentions of Voldemort and a dead Bertha Jorkins.
"What are you doing with him?"
Ben emerged from the forest. His hands were covered with dirt and blood. She noticed tear stains on his cheeks. He glared at Viktor, his eyes beginning to change color. Aria moved between them.
"Ben, this isn't the time. Crouch is"
"Why are you alone with him?"
"I'm not. We're—Viktor, can you watch Crouch for a minute?"
He nodded, looking at Ben warily. She led Ben over to the Beauxbatons carriage.
"Have you completely lost it? What were you doing in the forest?"
"I was upset"
"So you decided to go all Incredible Hulk and start smashing stuff? I don't have time for this right now. Crouch is here. He's out of his mind. We'll talk later"
"No. We're talking about this now"
Harry was walking towards the forest with Dumbledore and Snape. Dumbledore lit his wand, shining it on a body sprawled on the ground. Aria hurried over to them. Viktor was unconscious and there was no sign of Mr. Crouch. Ben stood behind her, looking down at the scene.
"Shaw, Dolon, what are you doing out here?" asked Snape.
"Aaron was with me too, professor. He was watching over Crouch with Krum"
"Well, he did a poor job. Is your hand all right, Dolon? You're bleeding"
"I tripped. Aaron was about to heal it before you came" lied Ben.
Dumbledore cast the patronus charm, sending a silvery phoenix in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Pointing his wand at Viktor, he revived him. Viktor's eyes popped open and he looked around in a daze. Panicking, he told Dumbledore that Crouch had attacked him from behind while he waited for Aria to return from her conversation with Ben. A second later, Hagrid arrived, holding a crossbow, with Fang at his heels. Dumbledore asked him to find Karkaroff and Moody at the castle.
"No need, Dumbledore. I'm here"
Moody limped towards them, leaning on his wooden staff. Aria and Ben looked at each other. Both had the same questions on their minds, wondering how Moody just happened to be near the forest. Hagrid headed for the castle with Fang.
"I don't know where Barty Crouch is but it essential that we find him" Dumbledore told Moody.
"I'm on it" he growled, limping into the forest.
Dumbledore questioned Aria about Crouch. She did not leave out any details as she explained what he muttered to them. Hagrid finally returned with Karkaroff, who looked very agitated. His annoyance turned to fear at the sight of Viktor on the ground.
"I vos attacked! Mr. Crouch or votever his name" said Viktor, rubbing his head.
"Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?"
"Igor" started Dumbledore.
Karkaroff angrily accused Dumbledore of treachery. He went on a long tirade about the injustice in the tournament, including Harry as an additional Hogwarts champion and a British Ministry official attacking his prized student. He spat on the ground at Dumbledore's feet. Hagrid seized Karkaroff by his furs, lifting him into the air.
"Apologize!"
"Hagrid, no!" shouted Dumbledore.
Grumbling, he released Karkaroff. "Kindly escort Harry, Aaron, and Ben back up to the castle, Hagrid. Harry and Aaron, you are to remain in your common rooms. Any owls you might want to send can wait until morning. Do you understand me?"
Hagrid offered to leave Fang with Dumbledore. He glowered at Karkaroff, who was still sitting on the ground. Aria walked over to Dumbledore, wanting to tell him about her suspicions.
"Sir, I think Crouch was kidnapped by someone"
"Why would you say that, Aaron?"
"Because he mentioned escaping from somewhere. Krum thought he was just crazy but the way he was talking, I'm definitely sure it was an imperius curse. Whoever had him locked up was casting it on him a lot and it messed with his head. I don't think it was just some random wizard. I think Voldemort is behind it"
Hagrid and Ben tensed up at the sound of Voldemort's name. Dumbledore stared at her for a few minutes in complete silence. Snape was the first person to speak, calling Aria's suspicions preposterous.
"Shaw, that is a foolish accusation to make. I think you need to rest"
"Maybe it wasn't him but I know the imperius curse when I see it"
Hagrid pushed on her back lightly, taking her, Harry, and Ben to the castle. He was still angry over how Karkaroff treated Dumbledore. When he questioned Harry why he had been alone with Viktor, Aria defended him. She assured Hagrid that Viktor would not hurt Harry with her there.
"The less you lot 'ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be. Yeh can' trust any of 'em"
"You were getting on all right with Madame Maxime" said Harry.
"Don' you talk ter me abou' her! Tryin' ter get back in me good books, tryin' ter get me ter tell her what's comin' in the third task. Ha!"
As they entered the castle, Harry turned to Aria. "Are you sure you'll be all right? Do you want to stay with me tonight? There's an extra room in the boys' dormitory"
"He's fine" replied Ben.
"I think I'll be okay, Harry. I'll see you in class"
Hagrid and Harry walked up the staircase. Ben followed her to the Slytherin common room.
"Ben, I'm not doing this tonight"
"Yes, we are. Did you see him just now?"
They were standing in front of the common room entrance. She looked at Ben, incredulously.
"He was worried about me as a friend! Harry is not interested in me, Ben! He thinks I'm a guy! Have you completely lost it?"
"I'm not crazy"
"You are being so unfair. I don't understand why you're getting so jealous over nothing. Do you seriously not trust me? You're my boyfriend. I love you but I can't deal with you hounding me all the time"
"Aria"
"I think we should take a break"
"No, we're—everything is fine"
"It's not fine!"
"What's going on?"
Draco was walking down the corridor. He had been in detention with McGonagall for teasing Neville in class. Seeing him, Ben's nostrils flared and Aria could practically feel the anger rising inside him. It was the worst possible moment for Draco to be there.
"Private conversation, ferret. Just leave us alone"
"I don't think I will. Is he bothering you, Collins?"
"No. I was about to go inside"
He recited the password at the wall. As it slid open, Ben grabbed her arm in a tight grip. His nails were digging into her skin.
"Aria, this conversation isn't over"
"Let go of me, Ben"
"You heard her, mate. You need to back off" warned Draco.
"This isn't any of your business"
Weeks of pent-up frustration were begging to be unleashed. Aria punched him across the face. Ben stumbled back, covering his left eye. A large purple bruise was beginning to form on her arm.
"Maybe your past girlfriends put up with this bullshit but I'm not like them. You are not going to touch me like that, Ben. If you do it again, it's not going to end well for you. Stay away from me"
She went into the common room and sat on the couch, staring into the fireplace. A million emotions were racing through her at the same time. She felt angry at Ben for not trusting her around other guys, yet upset about their fight and hitting him. A bowl of ice cream and a DVD appeared on the table in front of her.
"What the hell is this?"
Draco sat next to her. "When Pansy's upset, the girls give her ice cream and they watch romantic muggle movies. It's the only thing they like about the muggle world. You're a girl too so I thought it's just a thing that all girls do"
"This movie looks stupid. Why would girls watch this?"
"You're the girl, not me"
She conjured a spoon and ate some of the ice cream. In a split second, she spit it back into the bowl.
"What is this?"
"It's my favorite ice cream flavor. It tastes like apple pie"
"I like chocolate. This tastes horrible"
"Collins, why would I know your favorite? Try it again. It's really good. You should be happy with the gesture"
Aria let out a small laugh. "You suck at this, Malfoy. How the hell do you get any girls?"
"If you're not going to have it, can I? That detention was horrible"
Shaking her head, she handed him the bowl. She let out a soft whistle. Speedy flew down from the room. He had been resting there after delivering a letter to her father the previous day. Writing a quick note to her father, she tied it to Speedy's leg and sent him out of the common room.
"So are you and wolf boy over?"
"I don't know"
"How do you not know? It's not complicated. He hurt you so dump him"
"You are the last person to give advice on relationships. You cheated on Pansy"
"But I would never hit her. My mother raised me better than that. Clearly, Dolon didn't get the same lesson"
"Can we not talk about Ben?"
"Fine. Teach me everything about the giant wars in Scotland for the test tomorrow. I never pay attention in that class"
"What a shock" she replied, sarcastically.
Aria conjured her history textbook and her notebook. For the rest of the night, she explained the giant wars to him. She had to keep repeating the small details. Honestly, she had not been surprised that he did not study even when the test was announced last week. She never thought that studying history would be more enjoyable than spending time with Ben.
The next morning, she woke up, still sitting in the common room. Draco was passed out beside her. She whacked him with a pillow, causing him to fall onto the floor. Blaise and Theodore walked down the staircase, already dressed in their uniforms.
"You two were here the whole night? What happened?" asked Theodore.
"I was trying to teach this blonde idiot something useful"
Draco scoffed. "History is pointless. It's not like someone is going to corner me in an alley and threaten to kill me if I don't know the head of the giant clan during the 1500s"
After getting dressed and gathering their books, they headed to the Great Hall. She silently hoped that Ben would not attempt to get her alone. As every fourth year was busy studying for the history exam, she zoned out, pushing the food around her plate with a fork. The morning owls flew around, dropping off packages. Speedy landed in front of her, holding a letter in his beak. Last night, she had written to her father about the incident with Crouch. She fed him a treat and opened the letter, skimming its contents. Her father agreed that Crouch could have been placed under a powerful imperius curse and whoever attacked Krum was the one to make Crouch disappear from the grounds. He suggested that Aria sniff out the culprit, explaining that all spells had a unique scent. With their enhanced senses, a shifter could figure out the most recent spell cast by a wand.
A few minutes before the end of breakfast, Aria snuck out of the Great Hall. She quietly cast the imperius curse and focused on the scent. Once she caught it, she slipped her wand into her pocket. The bell rang and people left the Great Hall. She walked among the large crowd, heading up to the history classroom. Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived shortly after her. After Hagrid returned him to the Gryffindor common room, Harry told them everything that happened with Crouch. They had a plan to talk with Moody after class to see if he found Crouch last night. Aria agreed to go with them.
"You really think Voldemort captured him?" asked Harry.
"Or someone working for him. It's possible. He kept bringing up Voldemort even after you left. If I saw him, I'd go straight to Dumbledore too"
History of Magic seemed to drag on for hours. After they finished their exams, Binns decided to use the remaining ten minutes of class to start a new lecture about more giant wars. Aria did not even listen to him, enchanting her pen to take notes for her. Everyone was either asleep, doodling in their books, or staring at the clock, waiting for the end of class. She took her time with putting her book away, hanging towards the back of the group with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Instead of going outside to enjoy their break between classes, they walked to the DADA classroom. First year students were leaving the classroom, looking anxious. Moody greeted them and already knowing what they wanted, he nodded his head towards the door. Aria started to follow him into the classroom until someone grabbed her waist. The person pulled her into an empty corridor. Ben was in front of her.
"Ben, a break means time apart. It hasn't even been a full day"
"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I was getting so jealous. I didn't mean to get you mad. I just—I care about you so much. I've had other girlfriends but none of them are like you. You're special to me. I need you. You're all I think about, Aria"
Aria stared at him, silently. He cupped her cheek.
"I love you. When your father got released, I kept thinking about how soon enough, you won't need this disguise. Everyone will see you like I do and I can't stand the thought of losing you to someone else. I know you said you wouldn't do that but it could happen. Maybe you'll find someone that you think is better. Just please forgive me. Don't say that we're over"
She was fighting an inner battle with herself. One part of her wanted to forgive Ben instantly and just forget about their fight. She felt the same about him, being completely in love with him. Ben knew her better than anyone else. He made her happier than she had been in a long time. The other part of her countered that Ben could just be saying what she wanted to hear to make her happy. There was no guarantee that he would go back to being jealous over her friendship with other guys.
"Ben, I just need a few days, okay? I need to think about it"
Aria returned to the DADA classroom. Hermione looked at her, concerned. To calm her down, she lied that she was breaking up a fight between two first years. Harry told her that Moody had not found Crouch and the Marauder's Map, which Harry had lent to him, did not show him anywhere on the grounds. They were discussing the idea that Crouch was kidnapped after Viktor was hit with a stunning spell. Ron suggested that someone put Crouch on a broom and flew him out of Hogwarts.
"There's no way, Ron. I wasn't that far from the forest. Ben and I would've seen a broom"
"It was dark" he argued.
"I still think he's somewhere near Hogwarts. Let us check the map again"
"No need for that, Shaw. I'll keep an eye out for him" replied Moody.
As he opened his hip flask, Aria was confused by the scent of potions ingredients. She watched him take a swig from the flask. He commended her for her theory about Crouch being under an imperius curse.
"You've got a sharp mind, Shaw. Doubt we'll know who did it to him though. Crouch always had a lot of enemies. Now, Dumbledore's told me that you three fancy yourselves as investigators and I suppose Shaw is a new member to your little team. There's nothing you can do for Crouch. Best to let the Ministry handle it. Dumbledore's notified them, Potter. You just keep your mind on the third task"
Moody did not seem the least bit worried about Harry getting through the maze. Dumbledore had mentioned to him that Harry was used to getting through obstacles, such as first year when they went after the sorcerer's stone. As Moody spoke to Harry, she walked over to Moody's desk and picked up his wand. Her eyes widened, smelling a scent similar to the imperius curse she cast in the morning.
"What are you doing, Aaron?" asked Harry, confused.
She put the wand down. Moody looked at her, his magical eye on his wand.
"Just admiring the wand. It's been through a lot, hasn't it, professor?"
"That's right. As I was saying, you lot help him practice for this task and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't win. Just remember, Potter…constant vigilance. Keep a close eye on Potter, you three. You can never have too many eyes out"
Ron glanced at his watch, telling them that they should get to Charms class. They waved goodbye to Moody, hurrying towards the staircase. Moody gripped Aria's shoulder.
"Everything all right with you, Shaw?"
"Yes, sir. I'm just curious. Did you let Dumbledore get a good look at the map too?"
He leaned closer to her. "I like you, boy. You remind me of myself when I was your age. Don't cross me. Bad things happen to people who cross me. Do you understand?"
"Are you threatening me, sir?"
"Just some good advice"
"Well here's some for you. I'm not someone to mess with either. People learn the hard way that they should never underestimate me. The last person who did found out exactly what I am capable of…but you don't need to worry about that, sir. We're on the same side"
Aria gave him a fake smile and left the classroom…
A/N: Thanks for reading. I really appreciate all of the reviews. The next chapter is going to focus on the third task of the tournament. It's going to have a lot of action-packed scenes and scenes where Aria is a badass. Other characters will show that they should not be messed with either and secrets will be revealed. Also, you'll see that Aria and her father have a lot in common in their ways of thinking.