The arrival of the Ministry wizards transformed the chaotic campsite into a scene of official, panicked investigation. Aurors in dark robes spread out, securing the perimeter and tending to the traumatized Muggles. In the center of the clearing, under the ghastly green light of the Dark Mark, a tall, rigid man with a perfectly trimmed toothbrush mustache and an air of intense, stressed importance was barking orders. This was Bartemius Crouch Sr., Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
It was into this scene that the Greengrasses and the Weasleys, having finally found each other in the woods, came rushing. Daphne, her face pale with worry, spotted Ariana shielding her younger sister behind a still-shimmering Protego charm.
"Astoria!" Daphne cried, rushing forward and enveloping her sister in a fierce hug.
Lord and Lady Greengrass followed, their faces a mixture of terror and immense relief. At the same time, Mr. Weasley, Sirius, and Remus arrived, their wands still drawn, their expressions grim. They saw the three unconscious Death Eaters lying bound and frozen on the ground near Ariana.
Barty Crouch Sr. strode over, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. He took in the scene: the powerful, lingering magic of the shield, the three incapacitated Death Eaters, and the impossibly calm young girl at the center of it all.
"You," he said, his voice sharp and accusatory as he pointed a finger at Ariana. "You were found at the epicenter of this. And three fully grown wizards are incapacitated at your feet. Explain yourself, girl."
Before Ariana could offer her calm, logical report, Lord Greengrass stepped forward, placing himself protectively beside her. "This girl, Mr. Crouch," he said, his voice cold with aristocratic authority, "just saved the life of my daughter. I would advise you to adjust your tone."
"She is a child who has somehow taken down three dark wizards," Crouch retorted, his suspicion overriding his political sense. "It is highly irregular. It requires an explanation." He was a man who believed in rules and order, and Ariana's display of power was a variable he couldn't compute.
Just as the tension was about to escalate, a new set of Apparition cracks echoed through the clearing. A formidable, monocled witch strode into view, flanked by Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks. It was Amelia Bones.
"What is the situation here, Barty?" she demanded, her gaze sweeping over the scene with the practiced eye of a seasoned investigator.
"Amelia!" Crouch said, flustered. "I have the situation under control. This… girl… is under suspicion for unorthodox use of magic."
Amelia Bones's gaze fell upon Ariana, and her expression shifted from sternness to immediate recognition. She then looked at the three neutralized Death Eaters.
"Under suspicion?" Director Bones said, her voice dripping with incredulity. She walked over and addressed Crouch as if he were a slow-witted student. "Barty, are you quite well? Do you not recognize the person you are attempting to interrogate? This is Miss Ariana Dumbledore. Holder of the Order of Merlin, Third Class, for services to magical law and justice. The witch who was instrumental in the exoneration of Sirius Black and the exposure of Peter Pettigrew. The witch whose research is currently revolutionizing magical medicine at St. Mungo's."
Crouch's jaw dropped. He stared at Ariana, his mind struggling to reconcile the calm, young girl with the formidable reputation Amelia Bones had just laid out.
"My Aurors will take it from here," Bones continued, dismissing him completely. She nodded to Shacklebolt and Tonks. "Secure the prisoners and get them to holding cells. I want them interrogated under Veritaserum before the night is out." She then turned to Ariana, her expression softening into one of pure professional respect. "Miss Dumbledore. A good night's work. Your report, when you are ready."
"Three unidentified assailants, wearing masks, advanced on a lone, underage witch," Ariana stated calmly. "I intervened to protect her. I used a Maximal Stunning Spell on the first, a full-body Incarcerous Charm on the second, and an Impediment Jinx on the third. The engagement lasted approximately three seconds. Then the Dark Mark was cast from the direction of the woods."
Bones nodded, accepting the report without question. It was concise, professional, and logical.
It was then that Hermione, her face streaked with dirt and worry, finally pushed through the crowd with Harry and Ron. "Ariana! We couldn't find you! Are you alright?" She then saw the three downed Death Eaters and her eyes went wide.
At that moment, an Auror emerged from the woods, holding a terrified, squeaking house-elf by one of its large ears. It was Winky, the Crouch family house-elf. And clutched in her tiny, trembling hand was Harry's wand.
"We found this one in the woods, Director," the Auror reported. "Right under where the Mark was cast. And she was holding this."
Barty Crouch Sr.'s face went from pale to a ghastly white. "Winky! What is the meaning of this?"
The ensuing scene was a chaotic mess of accusations, denials, and the firing of a loyal, terrified house-elf. Through it all, Ariana watched, her mind piecing together the truth. Winky had not cast the Mark. But someone else had. Someone who had been near her. Someone who had taken Harry's wand. Someone who she knew well-enough, that she will be meeting soon.
When the chaos finally died down, the prisoners had been taken away, Crouch had Disapparated leaving his disgraced elf, and the Ministry was beginning the long, arduous process of memory modifying the Muggles and cleaning up the campsite.
Their own group huddled together, exhausted and shaken. Daphne, her duty to her parents done, came straight to Ariana. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around her, a hug that was fierce with gratitude and a newfound, deep-seated loyalty. "You saved her," she whispered. "Again." "It was the logical course of action," Ariana murmured back, patting her friend's shoulder.
Hermione was fussing over her, checking for injuries, her face a mask of worry. "Are you sure you're alright? A three-on-one magical engagement, even a short one, must have taken a toll on your reserves."
"I am functioning within acceptable parameters," Ariana assured her, though she did feel a faint, familiar weariness deep within her core.
The night was over. The World Cup, which had begun with such joy, had ended in terror and mystery. But as their weary group prepared to make their way back to their tents for a few hours of restless sleep, Ariana's mind was already at work. The Death Eater attack, the Dark Mark, Winky the house-elf… they were all variables in a much larger equation. An equation that she knew, with a chilling certainty, would have its solution within the walls of Hogwarts itself. The Triwizard Tournament was coming. And someone was determined to make it a game of four players, not three.