They had a Hogsmeade trip the weekend after. Ron was going with Cho Chang again, so Dudley went with Luna, Ginny, Dean and Hermione. They returned to the common room later that evening. Ron was there, too.
"How was it?" Dudley asked, sitting next to him.
Ron shrugged. "It was Ok, we went to Madam Puddifoots," he said with a tone of disgust.
"That's that tearoom, isn't it?" Ginny asked. "Meant to be very romantic, lots of couples huddled close over the tables."
"Yeah," Ron said, slowly.
"What's it like?" Dudley asked.
"Ghastly," Ron said, simply. "Full of flowers and pink stuff and confetti being thrown everywhere by these creepy little angel things. I bet Lockhart would love it."
Dean laughed. "Still, I bet you got some good kissing in."
"Kind of," said Ron. "But it was pretty hard to concentrate with Fleur and Roger Davies doing the same thing on the table next to me and with a naked baby angel hurling confetti in my face. Cho loved it though."
"Yeah, girls tend to like that sort of nonsense I think." Dudley said, forgetting that both Hermione and Ginny were sitting with him. He got two punches on the arm for his trouble.
"Not you too, obviously. I mean, most girls tend to like that sort of thing—pink and girly and flowery,"
"I'll have to think of somewhere else to go next time," Ron said. "To avoid it. The Hog's Head maybe."
"I heard that place has a dodgy reputation," Dean said. "Fred and George mentioned it—did you know it used to be owned by Dumbledore's brother? It's a dirty, smelly little place."
"Sounds like taking your girlfriend there is quick way to not have a girlfriend anymore," Dudley commented.
"Where do you with Luna?" Ron asked.
"We just kinda walk around," Dudley said. "I don't think she'd like Madame Puddifoots. Thankfully. I bet Lockhart's taken what's her name, the quidditch player?"
"Yeah, Mako Suzuki," Ron said. "I regret exaggerating my connection with her to Cho. She's got it into her head that I can introduce her to even more quidditch players."
"You can introduce her to Bagman? You sorta know him, right?" Dean suggested.
"Yeah, I suppose I can," Ron said, brightening up a bit.
At their next Care of Magical Creatures lesson, they were dreading the return of Skrewts after a few good lessons with unicorns, but it seemed that Hagrid had finally given up on them. They had a lesson much in the same vein as last year—fun, interesting and with a cool creature. This time, it was Nifflers, which were furry black creatures with pointed snouts. The girls oohhed and awwed upon seeing them.
"These're nifflers," said Hagrid, when the class had gathered around. "Yeh find 'em down mines mostly. They like sparkly stuff...There yeh go, look."
One of the nifflers had suddenly leapt up and attempted to bite Pansy Parkinson's watch off her wrist. She shrieked and jumped backward.
"Useful little treasure detectors," said Hagrid happily. "Thought we'd have some fun with 'em today. See over there?" He pointed at a large patch of freshly turned earth. "I've buried some gold coins. I've got a prize fer whoever picks the niffler that digs up most. Jus' take off all yer valuables, an' choose a niffler, an get ready ter set 'em loose."
It was easily the most fun they had ever had in Care of Magical Creatures. The nifflers dived in and out of the patch of earth as though it were water, each scurrying back to the student who had released it and spitting gold into their hands. Ron's was particularly efficient; it had soon filled his lap with coins.
"Can you buy these as pets, Hagrid?" he asked excitedly as his niffler dived back into the soil, splattering his robes.
"Yer mum wouldn' be happy, Ron," said Hagrid, grinning. "They wreck houses, nifflers. I reckon they've nearly got the lot, now," he added, pacing around the patch of earth while the nifflers continued to dive. "I on'y buried a hundred coins.
"Well, let's check how yeh've done!" said Hagrid. "Count yer coins! An' there's no point tryin' ter steal any, Goyle," he added, his beetle-black eyes narrowed. "It's leprechaun gold. Vanishes after a few hours."
Goyle emptied his pockets, looking extremely sulky. It turned out that Ron's niffler had been most successful, so Hagrid gave him an enormous slab of Honeyduke's chocolate for a prize. The bell rang across the grounds for lunch and they all set off back to the castle.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked.
"Tell you what?" Dudley was puzzled.
"The gold I gave you vanished. You know, what I gave you for the omnioculars."
Dudley frowned. "I'd never noticed. I didn't know leprechaun gold vanished."
"That means I still owe you," Ron said.
"Nah, don't worry about it," Dudley said. "You can just buy me a better present next year."
Ron grinned. "Yeah, maybe I should ask dad for more pocket money or something."
"He's still doing well at the Ministry?"
"Yeah, I think so. It's been a quiet year really—surprising really. Mum said he's mainly been mainly doing management type stuff and reports this year than carrying out raids. But his head of department is really starting to rely on him."
"Percy's doing well, too," Hermione said. "Representing Crouch at the tournament."
"Yeah, well, Perce's always had brains," Ron said. "Don't let him know I said that," he added quickly."
"I wonder what's up with Crouch? Must be pretty serious for him to be ill for so long," Dean queried.
The next few weeks passed by normally. Lavender and Neville's relationship seems to have mended and no more articles appeared in Witch Weekly or the Daily Prophet about them. Dudley could cast a patronus pretty well by now and Luna could also cast a non-corporeal one. Hers was in the form of a hare.
Ron half-heartedly suggesting getting hold of a real dementor to practice on, but they all shot that idea down.
"You've got to be joking!" Dean said, indignantly. "I don't ever want to see one of those things again."
"Same," said Dudley, giving a shudder.
Luna nodded in agreement.
"It would be quite impossible anyway," Lockhart said. He had remained with them and they were having some snacks on the lawn since it was quite a nice day. Lockhart had brought selection of homemade cookies (made by his girlfriend, Mako Suzuki) and a flask of hot chocolate which he shared. Luna, for some reason, had a jar of pickled onions in her bag. Hermione had used a deft bit of transfiguration on a branch to turn it into a pile of cocktail sticks. So it was an unusual set of snacks—homemade cookies and pickled onions—but it was quite nice, Dudley thought. The cookies especially were delicious, filled with toffee.
"I've been wondering for a while—what does everyone see, you know, when the dementors are nearby?"
"you first," said Dean.
"When I was a kid, Fred and George transfigured my teddy bear into a spider," Ron said, slowly.
They all laughed.
"It's not funny!" Ron insisted. "Imagine, cudding your bear and suddenly its covered in hair and has eight legs and hundreds of eyes ..." he trailed off and shuddered.
"I remember this man who followed me home from my old muggle school," said Dean. "He was an utter creep. I remember running and him running after me with this huge smile on his face. Scared the tar out of me. Had nightmares about him for weeks."
"I see the basilisk," Dudley said.
They all nodded grimly.
"That was horrible," Lockhart said. "I couldn't believe it when that ... thing ... came slithering out of the pipe. One of the scariest moments of my life," he confessed. He straightened up a little. "And that's saying something—when you've confronted hags and yetis and werewolves, you'd expect to be used to that sort of thing," he said, sounding a bit more like his usual self.
"I relive my mum dying," Luna said in a soft voice.
There was silent at her words.
"It's not long until the easter," Hermione said, abrubtly changing the subject. "I find it fascinating that wizards till practice all of these muggle traditions ..."
Dudley quickly joined in the Easter talk, wishing Ron had never brought up the subject of what they all saw when the Dementors were near. Still, he felt glad that they had all learned the patronus. At least they wouldn't have to experience it again, if they worked the way they were supposed to.
In the last week of May, Professor McGonagall told Dudley and Neville to meet Bagman later that night to discuss the third task.
"What do you think it will be?" Dudley asked, as he and Neville walked together. Things were still tense between them. This was the first time that they had been alone since their falling out.
"Dunno," said Neville. "I hear Fleur Delacour going on about finding treasure."
"That wouldn't be bad," Dudley said, thinking a niffler would be useful. "Lockhart said Dumbledore has inquired about different magical beasts. Maybe they'll be guarding the treasure?"
When they arrived at the quidditch field, they saw that it was no longer smooth and flat. It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it that twisted and crisscrossed in every direction.
"They're hedges!" said Dudley, bending to examine the nearest one.
"Hello there!" called a cheery voice.
Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the field with Krum and Fleur. Dudley and Neville made their way toward them, climbing over the hedges.
"Well, what d'you think?" said Bagman happily as Dudley and Neville climbed over the last hedge. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high. Now, I imagine you can guess what we're growing here?"
No one spoke for a moment. Then -
"Maze," grunted Krum.
"That's right!" said Bagman. "A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."
"We seemply 'ave to get through the maze?" said Fleur.
"There will be obstacles," said Bagman happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures...then there will be spells that must be broken...all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the highest scoring champion will enter first," Bagman grinned at Neville. "Then Mr. Krum will enter...then Miss Delacour, and finally Mr. Dursley. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"
Dudley nodded. It seems that Lockhart had been right, so he had some idea of what creatures would be involved in the task.
"Very well...if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly..."
Bagman hurried alongside Neville as they began to wend their way out of the growing maze, as if he wanted a word with him.
However, Dudley say Krum tap Neville on the shoulder.
"Could I haff a vord?"
"Yeah, all right," said Neville, sounding slightly surprised.
"Vill you valk vith me?"
"Okay," said Neville curiously.
Bagman looked slightly perturbed.
"You ok, Nev?" asked Dudley.
"It's fine, I'll see you back at the castle," said Neville, and he left with Krum.
Later that night, the portrait hole opened and a frantic looking Neville returned to the common room in a state of shock and excitement. He even ignored Lavender to hurry towards Dudley, Ron, Dean and Hermione.
Dudley looked up as he approached. "What happened? Was it Krum?"
"You'll never guess ..." he said breathlessly and filled them in on what happened.
Barty Crouch had turned up out of nowhere, ranting and raving and out of his mind. Then, when Neville had gone to fetch Dumbledore, Crouch had seemingly attacked Krum and disappeared.
"Crouch? As in THE Barty Crouch?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, he looked a complete mess," Neville said.
They all looked at each other. "Do you think someone attacked him and he was coming here to get help?" said Dean.
"Yeah, but why wouldn't he go to the Ministry or the Aurors?" Hermione said.
"And why would Crouch attack Krum and disapparate?" Dudley asked.
"You can't apparate or disapparate ..." Hermione began.
"Yeah, yeah—we know," Ron said, impatiently. "Go through it again, Nev. What did Crouch actually say?"
"He was raving," Neville said. "He seemed to think someone called Weatherby was there. Then he kept saying he needed to warn Dumbledore that Bertha Jorkins was dead ..."
"That's that ministry witch who has gone missing isn't it?" said Dean.
Hermione nodded.
"Then he kept going on about his son, and how it was all his fault," Neville continued. "Then ..." Neville took a deep breath. "He said that he escaped, that the Dark Lord was stronger and ... me, he kept repeating my name, and yours, Dud."
Ron, Dean and Dudley all exchanged glances.
"You said he was raving though," Ron said.
"He was making more sense when talking about You-Know-Who," Neville said.
"It sounds like Crouch was captured by You-Know-Who," Hermione said, thoughtfully. "And somehow escaped."
"Maybe he was, well, cruciod?" Dudley suggested, with an apologetic glance at Neville whose parents were subjected to that same curse.
"Why attack Krum though?" Hermione said.
"He could have been out of his mind and thought Krum was an enemy," Ron said, fairly.
"Or someone kidnapped him," said Dean. "Was there anyone else nearby?"
"Nobody I saw," said Neville.
"That's another thing," Hermione said, suddenly. "Right, so someone put Nev's and Dud's name in the Goblet to kill them. So, it can't have been them who attacked Krum and Crouch—they just had the chance to kill Neville now."
It was a puzzler.
"And what did Dumbledore do?" Dudley asked.
"Moody went to search the grounds, I think Dumbledore went to get in touch with Fudge," Neville replied.
"Fat lot of good that will do," Ron said, bitterly. "Fudge is useless."
"The Aurors aren't," Hermione replied. "If Fudge sends the Aurors looking for Crouch, they'll find him."
"If Fudge thinks to do that ..." Ron said, darkly. "But that would require him using his brains ..."
The next day, Neville asked Moody if he had found any sign of Crouch, but the grizzled ex-Auror shook his head. "Nothing," he growled. "Whatever happened, he's long gone."
"Do you think it was kidnap?" Hermione asked.
"Who can say," replied Moody, eying her. "According to Neville here and Viktor Krum, Crouch was in no position to make off by himself. So someone must have took him. But, why not take Neville too?"
He looked suddenly at Neville and Dudley. "It was accident that your names appeared in the Goblet of Fire. Something's afoot that we're not seeing. Constant vigilance."
He looked at Dean, Ron and Hermione. "You three, stick close to your friends. I'm keeping an eye on things, but you can't have too many eyes out."
He looked back at Neville and Dudley. "Are you too getting ready for the third task? It's a tough one."
"Yeah, Lockhart's been helping me,"
Moody gave a small snort. "Be wary of that one. I don't trust him."
"Lockhart's always been good to me," Dudley said, defensively. "And he's taught me a lot."
"That may be so, but he's unreliable. Don't count on Gilderoy Lockhart in a pinch, Dudley. Now, Neville, how about you?"
"I'm practicing with Hermione," he said.
At this, Moody looked approving. "A good choice. She's a bright, young witch. Plenty of useful books in the library to prepare with." he said.
He looked at Dudley and frowned, "What's that around your neck?" he asked.
"Luna gave it to me," Dudley said, taking it off and handing it to Moody who examined it closely.
"It's supposed to glow when there's dark beasts around," he added.
Moody turned around, seemingly to hold it in the light of the sun coming through one of the castle's windows so he could see it better. "They're rare these are," he said finally. "Do you mind? I want to see if it's legit?" he pulled out his wand.
Dudley gave a nod, a little confused.
Moody gave the amulet a rap with his wand and it shimmered slightly. He smiled. "It's a proper one-these are very rare, you can only find these stones around leviathan nests," he said. "She must care about you a lot to give you such a gift," he said, handing it back over.