Round 8
THC
Ravenclaw, DADA
[Event] Platinum Wedding Anniversary
WC: 1006
The Golden Snitch
Nautical Ship Challenge
Mahoutokoro, Kaze
Rita Skeeter and Barty Crouch Jr. - S.S. Trickery
S.S. Trickery
Sitting on the table, he slowly lifted his cup and slurped the hot tea. A huge bouquet of red roses was throning in the center of the table. Croissants and berries were on the table just waiting for him to be devoured. The House Elf added pancakes and pudding to the feast. Everything looked perfect.
Barty took a deep breath. It had been almost three decades since he managed to evade the kiss, a second time. After everything that had gone on he was lost and confused and the only thing he could do was retreat back to the now-empty townhouse that had been in his family for quite some time.
With his parents dead and all the madness going on in the world, hiding at the very place where he was hidden for such a long time seemed like the right thing to do. With a new House Elf by his side and an empty house at his disposal, everything went well for the following couple of years.
But his relative peace couldn't last forever. Eventually, the war ended. After some time they managed to round up the missing Death Eaters and counted their inventory. Barty didn't know how, but somehow they must have realized that his body was missing.
He had been sitting on his couch, still in a half vegetative state, staring at the fire. At that point, he had no sense of time and was still heavily impacted by the damage the dementor attack had caused him. Maybe it would have been kinder if his mind had actually been wiped clean.
He barely registered the beetle flying around him. He only registered the shimmer and the light reflected from the green insect. If he had been in better health, he would have noticed the threat looming around.
But it took him a few regular visits of the same beetle to realize that he had never even opened a window for the insect to fly in. His damaged mind set into motion, he noticed that the wards weren't nearly as strong as they used to be when his father was still alive.
His heart was racing, blood gushed through his veins. The thrill of living took over him and he looked at the intruder with horror. He has been found. Tears formed in Barty's eyes. He didn't want to go back to Azkaban or worse be kissed again only this time in less of a rush with no way to go back.
Right before his eyes, the beetle turned into a witch. He couldn't say he was surprised and let out a sigh. This was it. He was barely back on his feet and hadn't even had a chance to enjoy his freedom yet and it was already taken from him. This was it, the story of his life. Always under the control of someone or something.
In an emerald green costume, she stood there right in front of him staring at him through her pointed glasses.
Rita Skeeter.
"Barty Crouch, why am I not surprised to find you well and alive?" she asked with a raised brow.
"An Animagus? Why am I not surprised to learn about you?" They hadn't seen each other much since she graduated from Hogwarts and they've never truly been at speaking terms, but one thing led to the next and…
Rita gracefully descended the staircase, still wearing her emerald green silk neglige. Her skin was still remarkably good for her age although it wasn't nearly as even as it used to be when they had met. "What's in the newspaper today, darling?"
She hugged him from behind and pressed a kiss on his cheek before picking up the Daily Prophet. Placing the thick glasses on her nose, she took her time reading.
Even on a day like that the first thing she did was to check how her story looked on the front page. Barty couldn't keep a smile from his lips. He was proud to have been of assistance.
As everyone thought that he was long dead, he had a jail-free card to interrogate people for his wife. With his long history of using Polyjuice all he needed was a hair of a Muggle and he was ready to retrieve information where Rita's disguise couldn't reach. Together they made a great team, the perfect couple.
Barty couldn't believe that it had been already 70 years. 70 years since they had decided to partner up and 70 years since they had gotten married.
On a day like this, Barty couldn't help but think back to all the adventures they've had together. He was so grateful that she had seen his potential that fateful day and instead of selling him out Rita had given him a chance to prove himself.
He gladly tortured everyone she asked him. Nothing made him happier than to see his wife smile and accelerate at her job. She was perfection and the lines on her face and the grey hair didn't change everything about that.
Still sipping on his tea he watched her until Rita placed the newspaper back down on the table.
Closing her eyes she inhaled the lovely aroma of the baked goods on the table. "You really outdid yourself today."
Barty smiled proudly. "Of course." He stood up and walked around the table. Slowly and carefully he went down on his knees next to his wife. Raising her hand he brushed his lips over her delicate skin. "Everything for my wife."
Smiling, Rita petted his head with her free hand. "You didn't forget about today? I was a little concerned about that. Hard to believe that it has been 70 years already."
"70 bliss full years, my darling." He placed his head on her lap.
Barty kept resting there with his eyes closed until his wife finished eating. He barely noticed his knees aching as he watched her enjoy the delights brought to her feet.