Part I: Reticent

Chapter IV: In Which the Yule Ball Occurs

If Corinna thought that talk of the Triwizard Tournament was bad before, it was about it get much, much worse. It was all anyone would ever talk about, and it seemed that everyone believed that Harry somehow did this on purpose and rumors were flying around just how he did it, each hypothesis more ridiculous than the last. The jeers from his classmates were enough to grate on Corinna's nerves. Was everyone so blind to the fact that he looked downright terrified about this whole thing?

But what was surprising about this whole thing was that Harry's best mate, Ron Weasley, was not even talking to him. Corinna saw him mostly hanging out in the library with Hermione Granger. Whenever Terry glared in their direction, she would kick him under the table.

"Oi, what was that for?" he demanded after one swift knock in the shins. "Can you blame me? He's not even supposed to be champion, so he's pulling the brooding hero card."

That earned him another knock. "Would you shut up? Does that look like a brooding hero? He didn't ask for any of this."

"You're just defending him because he's in your house."

Corinna rolled her eyes so hard they stung. "You know I don't give a damn about house loyalty."

"What about those things you say to Zach?"

"I only say that because it gets under his skin," she defended. She shoved her potions essay aside. "What is with you anyway? If I remember correctly, you were also trying to find a way to put your name in."

"It's one thing to talk about it, it's a completely different sort of creature to have actually done it."

"He didn't," Corinna hissed. "Only a powerful wizard could have bewitched the Goblet to give up two names to Hogwarts like that. I don't know about you, but I don't remember learning such a thing in charms."

"How do you know?" Terry asked. "Did you talk to your father about it?"

"Heavens no," Corinna said. She did not get a single chance to talk to her father before he left the Sunday after the fiasco. "I overheard Harry telling Hermione about it. I guess Moody went to bat for him."

"So, I guess you won't be able to find out about the first task for him. I'm kidding," he added before Corinna could disagree with him. "If you did know, you would also tell Diggory. It's only fair, right?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "But I don't, and I'm not about to ask."

"You've got to be at least curious."

"Who isn't?" Corinna may be sick of everyone talking about it, but she even had to admit she would like to know what was going to happen. Then again, she was not one for surprises. She liked things to be predictable. "Now, we better actually do our work before Pince kicks us out of the library."

It was a cold November morning when the entire castle made their way to the grounds for the first task. It seemed that they really wanted it to be a surprise, because there was not so much as a hint as to what the champions were going to do.

She sat with Terry and his friends, and she scowled at how many of them were waving banners supporting Diggory. Well, she would be fine with that, if they weren't also dragging Harry's name through the mud in various ways. Zacharias, who was sporting a "Potter Stinks" button that Malfoy was passing around, had also mentioned how Diggory was the real Hogwarts champion on his banner.

"Hope your champion knows what he's doing," Zacharias hissed in Corinna's ear and it took every ounce of self-control not to turn around and smack him. "Would hate for him to get another scar on his pretty face."

"Would you leave Corinna alone," said Terry forcefully. "We've had enough of it."

Corinna was about to argue that Terry did not need to defend her when Zacharias simply laughed. "Don't tell me she has you whipped to the point you are supporting Potter, Boot. I thought you had more balls than that."

Terry turned bright red and Corinna was thankful that the sound of a cannon brought all conversation to a halt. From the judges stand, Mr. Crouch stood and placed his wand against the side of his throat. She had not seen him at the Great Hall this morning with Ludo Bagman, but she figured he had to be here. She just hoped that, after the task, she would be able to corner him before he could disappear again.

It was then that he announced what the first task would be. Dragons. The champions had to get past the dragon that was randomly selected for them to get a golden egg from the nest. If they succeed, they will have a clue for the next task.

"I thought this was supposed to be safer," Corinna muttered as the dragon keepers were bringing a cage in with a very irate dragon inside. "What in the name of Merlin is safe about dragons?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't agree to this unless he was absolutely sure that no one was going to be killed," Terry said, but he didn't seem so sure as the dragon roared and shot out a stream of white hot fire. "Serious injured is definitely a possibility, though."

"Don't tell me you're worried about Potter."

"I swear, Smith, if you say one more thing about this, I will personally throw you into the dragon pit."

Zacharias looked like he had a few more choice words to say on the subject, but the cheers around them caused a distraction as Diggory came out from the champion's tent, looking as pale as the canvas.

Corinna could hardly stand to watch as the champions each faced their dragons. Although there were a few close calls and a few burned articles of clothing, each one had managed to grab the egg containing the clue. She felt like she was going to be sick when the biggest and meanest dragon was dragged out. The one that Harry Potter was going to have to face.

She could barely look between he fingers where she tried to hide her eyes, but the sounds made it seem much worse. Harry had summoned his Firebolt and was flying around the dragon to avoid the deadly fire and even deadlier claws. She cheered with many of the others in the stands when he had grabbed the golden egg in a faster time than the other champions.

"What was that, Smith?" Corinna could not help but goad. "What was that about Potter."

He ripped the "Potter Stinks" button from his jacket and threw it on the ground.

The Gryffindor common room was a loud affair that evening with everyone, even the doubters and naysayers, were celebrating Harry's victory. Corinna even accepted the butterbeer someone had shoved into her hands and decided against wondering where they were pilfered from. Corinna was relieved and, honestly, quite excited for what was to come. She had even forgotten that she needed to talk to Mr. Crouch about her brother.

Once the first task was finished, Corinna figured everyone would immediately jump into talking about the second task. Instead, it seemed that there was going to be a bit of an interlude between tasks as the reason why fourth years and above were going to need dress robes came to light.

The Yule Ball was to take place on Christmas Day in the Great Hall, and Corinna did not like the tonal shift across the whole castle. Instead of everyone looking forward to some sort of battle or the prospect of a game, it was all about who was going to the ball with whom, and who was wearing what.

Corinna now sneered at the color she picked for her dress robes. They were a pale gold, and the attendant at the robe shop thought that the color looked good on her, noting how it brought out the gold specks in Corinna's otherwise azure eyes. Now it seemed gaudy to wear such a thing.

Then there was the task of having to find a date. According to Lavender Brown, a girl she shared a dorm with, only losers were going to go stag. She secretly hinted that she was talking about Corinna, but she bit her tongue since she could have easily pointed out that her best friend, Parvati Patil, did not have a date as of late.

And, to be honest, Corinna did not even know if she wanted to go. She had thought about going to McGonagall and seeing if she could join the younger students to journey back to London on the Hogwarts Express. She was annoyed with herself for getting swept up in the moment and not going to go find her father. Now, she was going to have to check on her brother herself. She did not care about some stupid dance.

But she was intercepted as she was about to go to Transfigurations early just before the end of term. Terry was rushing down the hall, his face ruddy from the strain. "There you are," he said. "I was looking for you."

"Why?" Corinna asked. They always seemed to meet up at the library after classes and hung out until curfew.

"Because I need to do something before I lose the nerve," Terry admitted. It slowly dawned on Corinna that his shaky hands may not have been solely from running. "Corinna Crouch, will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

Corinna waited a breath, mentally freaking out. She felt like she was back at the campground with a decision to make. She had to decide if she wanted to have a friend or make sure her brother was okay.

"I'm sorry," Corinna said when she realized she had not answered, and Terry looked like he was going to explode. "But, I have to go home. I need to make sure my brother is okay."

Terry seemed to drink that information in and nodded. "Sure, you could do that," he said with a shrug. "Or, you could stay and ask your father. I'm certain he's going to be at the ball since he put together this whole thing."

Corinna somehow doubted it, but Terry did have a point. He would go solely to save face.

"And, listen, I'm sorry if I am overstepping, but I'm concerned," Terry continued. "Your brother isn't your sole responsibility. You are allowed to have a life outside of him."

Again, Corinna had to agree with Terry. The Yule Ball did not come around very often. She let out a tense breath. "As long as you aren't asking me out of pity," she said.

"Merlin no," Terry said quickly. "I've been wanting to ask you since the ball was announced. I just never got up the nerve."

Corinna tried to think back to their last few hang outs. Terry did not seem nervous. Maybe quieter than usual. That may be how he shows it.

"Then yes," Corinna said before she could mentally convince herself otherwise. "Yes, Terrance Boot, I will go to the Yule Ball with you."

A goofy grin broke out across his face. "Great, great, awesome," he said in quick succession. "I'll see you then. I mean, I'm sure we will see each other before then, but…you know what I mean."

"'Course I do," Corinna said with an amused smile. She went into the Transfigurations classroom with a light heart, trying to ignore the guilt wanting to deteriorate her happiness.

Corinna never thought she would be one of those girls who cared about her looks, but now that seemed to be the only thing she could focus on the day of the Yule Ball. She did not even let the fact that she did not receive any presents from Mr. Crouch bring her down. She was too busy deciding how she was going to do her hair.

Her hair was something she never really liked. Growing up, her hair was fair, but now it looked more like the color of dishwater. It also didn't help that it was thin and wispy, and the only thing she ever did with it was throw it into a plait so it stayed contained. But, now, she wanted to do something with it. What, exactly, she had no idea.

It seemed that Hermione had the opposite problem as she was trying to sleek down her unruly curls. If they could trade hair for the evening, it would make both of them happy. Corinna had borrowed Lavender's set of curlers and she was attempting to curl her hair in the way that the guide in Witch Weekly had shown. Even though Corinna had followed the instructions more closely than she might have a potion, the ends looked bent and the top of her hair was still pin straight.

"Here," Hermione said, tossing Corinna an odd-looking potion. "Put that in your hair before you curl it. It should actually hold."

Corinna looked relieved. "Thanks," she said as she did as instructed. The second attempt went much better, and she had the large curls that the picture said she would. Now she just can't touch it for the rest of the evening.

As eight o'clock approach at an alarming rate, Corinna slipped into her dress robe. She kept everything else simple since she did not have the time nor the patience to do up everything. She just made sure to put in the diamond studs that used to be her mother's.

Corinna felt like she had been struck by a stunner as she followed the crowd out of Gryffindor Tower and made their way down to the entrance hall. Many people will milling around looking for their dates when Corinna spotted Terry sporting midnight blue dress robes. He glanced up as Corinna stepped down the flight up stairs and his face lit up. Her heart seemed to give a little hiccough as she stopped in front of him.

"Wow," Terry said breathlessly as he looked Corinna over. "I knew what your robes would be, but it's nothing compared to you in them."

She felt heat rising to her cheeks. "Thanks," she mumbled and cleared her throat. "You look nice as well."

"Thanks," Terry stammered as he offered Corinna his arm. She easily took it and they made their way towards the Great Hall, which was transformed into a winter wonderland with evergreens and never-melt-snow falling from the ceiling and leaving piles along the edges. The long tables were gone, save for the staff table, and were instead replaced by smaller, circular tables that could hold eight. Terry lead them over to a table that had some of their friends at it already. Even Zacharias decided to behave himself tonight, but that mostly looked like Mandy was not going to let him be anything but serious.

The hall slowly filled in with people, and Corinna kept looking around for Mr. Crouch. After a few sweeps, Terry grabbed Corinna's hand. "He'll be here," he whispered in her ear. "He'll be here, and you'll get your chance to talk to him."

Corinna nodded and she resisted the urge to constantly look around. Soon, there were only a few seats left and she noticed Ron and Padma looking around for a spot. Since they had a couple of seats left at their table, she got their attention and Ron grudgingly joined them, sneering at Zacharias as he did so. It seemed that Corinna was not the only Gryffindor he annoyed.

"I was looking for Hermione," Ron said, which Padma did not look happy about. "She claims to have a date and I want to see what the poor bloke is. Probably doesn't even exist."

Right then, the champions along with their dates were filing into the hall to a round of applause, and Ron's question was answered in what appeared to be an almost physical blow. Hermione Granger with slicked back hair and wearing simple yet complimentary make up, was walking arm and arm with Viktor Krum.

Ron looked like he was going to have a fit, and any other moment, she would have found it entertaining. However, with everyone seated, with the heads and judges joining the champions, Corinna's heart sank when she realized her father was not there. Instead, it seemed that his assistant, Percy Weasley, fresh from graduation just this past year, was seated next to Harry.

Her father should be here. One of the reasons why she did not rush home at the end of term was so she could see him.

"Corinna, we should order," Terry said. Around them, others were looking over the menu and then speaking into their plates where the food would magically appear on the plates. She opted for a lighter pasta dish, knowing that was all she was going to be able to swallow.

Back up at the head table, she saw Percy talking animatedly with Harry while Parvati talked with Hermione and Cho. Ron's ears had gone as red as his hair as he watched them, barely touching his own food in the process.

Corinna just listened to the idle chatter around her and she forced forkfuls of food down her throat. She relaxed a bit once the food and plates magically cleared away, but then the music started picking up and the tables were whisked away to reveal a dancefloor. Terry took her by the hand and led her to the middle of the floor where she woodenly followed along as they mostly swayed to the rhythm. Now that they were much closer, Corinna could feel Terry's sporadic heartbeat against her own. As they both got more into it, Corinna let her worries melt away. She did not think about Mr. Crouch or Barty or Winky or anyone else. She just lost herself in dancing with Terry.

After a while, Terry broke away and offered to go get them some drinks. Corinna agreed and made sure Terry was retreating before going over to one of the side tables by the doors. Percy was talking with Flitwick about his work at the ministry. "Ah, Corinna," he greeted, which surprised her. At school, she didn't think anyone but professors and Penelope Clearwater existed to him. "I was about to come find you."

Flitwick took that as an invitation to finally get away from Percy and went over to talk with some of those from his house. Corinna sat down in the seat that Flitwick vacated. "What's going on?" she asked, looking worried.

"I don't know what your father has said in your correspondence." Corinna wanted to snort, but kept it civil. "But as you may know, he has been ill and has asked me to fill in for him tonight to show that our department is still committed to the tournament." She was silent as she absorbed what Percy was saying, and he took that as an invitation to continue. "He also mentioned that he looked forward to seeing you for the second task."

Corinna bit her lip and debated whether she wanted to laugh or cry. "Thanks," she said tersely. She was glad that another professor had came up to Percy as she was able to take her leave without saying anything else. Since she noticed Terry still in line for drinks, she quickly ran off to the bathroom as guilt threatened to explode through her chest.

She leaned against the sink as she tried to regain control of her nerves. She felt so lost and confused at that moment, she did not know what to think of everything. All she knew was that she wanted to break down and she couldn't. She couldn't because she did not want to let Terry down and she had left enough people down in her life as it is.

With a shaky sigh, she splashed some cold water on her cheeks to help reduce how red and blotchy they were. The mascara-stained tears were easy enough to wipe away and it did not seem to have done too much damage to her made up face. But she knew she had lost the moment of beauty when she first put it on and believed that things would go well for her tonight.

"Corinna?" A fifth year Hufflepuff had popped her head into the bathroom. "I'm sorry, but Terry is looking for you. I can tell him if you need another minute."

"No, no," Corinna said quickly as she grabbed a towel to pat dry her face. "I'm fine."

She did not look so convinced. "I can tell him you had some bad food if you need to leave."

"No," Corinna said, but appreciated what this nameless fifth year was willing to do for her. "But, thanks. It's not about him, I promise."

"Alright," she said as she stepped aside so Corinna could leave. "Just say the word and I'll kick his arse if he hurts you."

Corinna was glad to laugh at something. She slipped out of the bathroom and made her way back over to Terry, promising herself she would send a letter to her father in the morning to deal with this mess.

Even though she did not make it back to her dormitory until the early dregs of the morning, Corinna found herself up right at dawn. She penned a letter that she thought sounded much too forward and bossy, but she needed to be. She had gone months without answers, and it was about damn time she did something about that.

Once she sent the letter using one of the Hogwarts owls, she watched the owl post come in each morning to no avail. The owl she had sent never arrived, nor had her father's own. Owls never fail to deliver post, unless they were intercepted or killed. The day before break was set to end, Corinna decided to check the Owlery. Sure enough, the barn owl she had borrowed was there, looking annoyed to have been woken up when Corinna had nothing to send.

There was also the problem of Terry Boot. He was a good friend to Corinna, and she had a brilliant time during the Yule Ball, sans the chat with Percy and the subsequent waterworks. But now, it seems, without much warning for Corinna, they were dating. Sure, according to many sources, some already believed they were dating, but it was a completely different matter when it was suddenly happening.

The dynamic didn't seem to shift much, but it was the little things that Corinna had noticed, like how Terry now sat on the same side of the library table, or how he would hold her hand as often as possible.

Corinna loathed it, but she did not know how to end things without ruining their friendship. So, if she had to snog with him in an abandoned hallway just so she had something she could talk to about her family, she will do it.

But as winter continued to rear its ugly head, she had not received a letter from her father. She had thought about sending another one, but it was only a week until the second task. She would see him at the judge's table, he will be well, and Corinna will finally talk to him about Barty.

The week turned out to be one of Corinna's longest. Between homework getting piled on, inability to sleep, and the fact that she could not stay awake during classes was just a recipe for disaster. By the day before the task, Corinna was a nervous wreck.

And it seemed that she was not the only one. Harry seemed to be on edge as well, and she chalked it up to nerves over the next task. Corinna fully understood the scope of his predicament when she was studying with Terry in the library. Well, she was trying to study while he wanted to do other things. But she noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione crowding around a table with stacks and stacks of books, none of which seemed to pertain to the subjects they were currently learning.

"Maybe he hadn't figured out the clue," Terry said when he noticed how Corinna was distracted. "Poor bloke. I heard that Diggory had figured it out ages ago."

"Well, he also has three more years of schooling than Harry," Corinna pointed out, unable to stop herself from being short with Terry.

"I was just saying," Terry muttered. "Besides, with Granger, the playing field is level."

That was, until they saw McGonagall approach the trio. In some hushed voices so Corinna and Terry could not decipher what was being said, she had ushered a confused Ron and Hermione away from Harry.

"Do you think there's some rule that they broke?" Terry asked.

Corinna shook her head. "I don't think so. There's rules against the heads of the schools from helping their students, but nothing against friends helping them." When it seemed like Harry was just wildly reading from textbook to textbook, she turned back to Terry. "Why don't we go help him. We aren't getting very far with our homework." She did not mention it was because he kept creeping his hand up her thigh.

"I don't know," Terry said hesitantly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Corinna asked, glaring at him.

"Potter's the champion. He was chosen, so it is obvious he should be able to figure these things out on his own. It would only be fair."

"Fair?" Corinna repeated, trying not to look disgusted. "Fairness went out the damn window the moment his name came out of the cup for Merlin knows why. I'm not telling you what to do, but I'm going to see if Harry wants my help. You can either join me or not."

Corinna did not give Terry a chance to reply as she slammed her book shut and grabbed her bag. She made her way to Harry's table. "Do you need any help?" she asked him without preamble.

Harry took a moment to stare at Corinna. He looked as tired as she felt. "Honestly? Yeah. I need to find a way to breathe underwater for an hour. Do you know anything that could help with that?"

Corinna shook her head. "No, but I can help you look." She picked up one of the books at random and tried to ignore the stab or annoyance with Terry as he had packed up his things and scurried out of the library.

Harry gave Corinna a quizzical look at Terry's behavior. "Don't ask. We have to find a way to prevent you from drowning."

"I'm sure Ron and Hermione will be back," said Harry, but even he did not seem certain.

"And then we'll have a few extra sets of eyes," Corinna muttered, desperately trying not to think about Terry. "Besides, I could use the distraction."

Harry left it at that as they both went right to work. It seemed like they had gone through most of the books in the library by the time Madam Pince kicked them out well after curfew. They loaded their arms with as many books as they could carry and took it back to the common room. There were only a few people hanging around, and they left Harry and Corinna be. They took up refuge in the back corner where no one could really see them, and they went back to work.

It was the wee hours of the morning when Corinna seemed to pass out, leaning on a large stack of textbooks. A crack startled her awake and she winced from the bright light, wondering when someone had turned on the sun.

It was a house elf and, even though he looked nothing like Winky, her addled mind immediately thought he was.

"Weezy," the house elf was telling a tired Harry as he fought to keep his eyes open. "Harry Potter must save his Weezy."

"What the hell is a Weezy?" Corinna asked as she unstuck her arm from a page about Saharan plants and their uses. She happened to glance at her watch, and she was instantly awake. "Merlin's beard! Harry, Harry! We have fifteen minutes to get you down to the lake."

"But I haven't got nothing," Harry barely managed to say around a yawn as the two of them scrambled to stand up. "I can't hold my breath for an hour."

"That's why Dobby bring you this," the house elf held out a clump of what looked like seaweed. "Gillyweed, sir. You take it and you save Weezy."

They still had not figured out what a Weezy was, but they hadn't the time. They ran down the numerous flights of stairs, dodging all the trick steps as they went. They rushed passed a group of stragglers, and Corinna realized about halfway down the grounds towards the docks that she was rather out of shape. A stitch in her side caused her breathing to hitch, but she kept pushing herself to keep up with Harry.

They did not slow until they met up with the crowd. Ludo Bagman interjected about how Harry was cutting it close as he ushered him towards the other champions. Corinna leaned against the nearest post, breathing heavily, and trying not to pass out.

Once Corinna had managed to slow her breathing, she joined the judges who were milling around on the main dock instead of going up to where the students were sitting. No one really paid her any mind as she kept towards the back, looking around for Mr. Crouch. When she spotted Percy standing around with Bagman, she knew that he would not be there, and she was going to pass out all over again.

She did not know what to do at this point. She could try to send another owl, but she did not expect another reply. She could not outright ask Percy what her father was sick with. He might start asking too many questions.

Since she was on the edge of the group, Corinna started to move off the dock when a cold voice stopped her. "And where do you think you're going, Miss Crouch?"

She swallowed thickly as she turned to face Moody. He gripped his staff tightly as his eye seemed to look her over. "I'm not feeling well," she admitted. "I'm just going to go back to my dorm and lay down."

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to how Potter is going to do?"

"Of course," Corinna said, wanting nothing more than to just walk away from the conversation. "But I'm sure he will do well and will understand."

Corinna did not like the look Moody was giving her, especially since she couldn't even get a read on it. It also did not help that she couldn't focus. "Can I give you a word of advice?" When she did not say anything, he continued. "Be careful on who you trust. You never know who is going to stab you in the back."

Corinna may be young, but she thought it would be rather silly to take advice from a man who would only drink from his own hip flask. She just walked away and made her way to the castle. She did not bother going inside, opting to sit on the entrance steps as she let the February wind bite through her. It helped a little, and she did not move until she saw a mass of people heading towards the castle, so she stood up and made her way to her dorm.

She stayed in her dorm room while all the other Gryffindors were keen on celebrating. From what she could gather, Harry had done well enough that him and Diggory were tied for first place. It seemed like a good sign that someone from Hogwarts was going to win, at least.

What Corinna did not expect was to suddenly be tackled into a hug by Hermione Granger when she entered the room. "Thank you," she said, almost desperately. "Thank you for helping Harry when Ron and I were taken for the task."

It was another thing Corinna had to figure out through context clues since she did not stick around until the end. "I didn't help him though. Some house elf named Dobby did."

"Still, you tried," Hermione reminded. "He said you stayed with him all night."

"Well, I wasn't going to let him fail," Corinna added with a shrug. "Besides, it was only fair."

"You should come down and celebrate," Hermione said. "I know Harry would want to thank you for your help."

Why were these people so keen on thanking me for something I didn't even help with? Corinna asked herself. "I'd rather not, I'm not really in the mood to celebrate."

"Why not?"

Corinna bit her lip. "I got some bad news today. I don't really want to talk about it."

Hermione seemed to finally get the hint and left the dormitory.

Corinna stayed there until Monday morning, where it was either go to class or explain to Madam Pomfrey what was wrong with her. Neither of them sounded pleasant, so she opted for the lesser of the two evils.

But she forgot that meant having to deal with Terry in the Great Hall.

"Where have you been?" Terry asked. "I've been worried."

Corinna debated how long she could go back and lay in her dorm room until someone noticed. "I'm not doing great, okay?" Corinna said bluntly, not caring about her tone. "My dad wasn't at the task and he never replied to my owl. So, please, I just need some space right now."

"Wait, Corinna!" Terry called out when she turned sharply and headed for her first class instead.

It was hard to believe the time that went on. Terry refused to even look at her during meals, and she hadn't been by their spot in the library. She supposed it was no longer their spot.

Even with the weather growing steadily warmer and the sky a pleasant blue, Corinna stayed inside. She was either in class, the Great Hall, or in her dormitory. The days all seemed to bleed together until one day, out of what seemed like the blue, Hermione joined Corinna in the girl's dormitory. It seemed like she had purposefully chosen a time when Lavender and Parvati were gone.

"I just wanted to ask you if things were okay with your family?" Hermione asked after their usual awkward exchanges. "I mean, your father hasn't shown up since the second task."

Corinna wondered for a moment if Terry had asked her to do this, but that did not make much sense. Terry was never chummy with Hermione. Corinna should have figured the "insufferable know-it-all" as Snape called her last year would have caught on if other students hadn't.

The problem being how honest Corinna should be with Hermione. "He just said that he's been sick and is doing what he can from home while he recovers," she said with a slight shrug. "He's sending that Percy Weasley bloke to be the judge and basically made him his liaison." She tried not to show how much it hurt that he had time to write to some assistant he's only had for a few months, but couldn't so much as reply to his own daughter.

Hermione looked like she wanted to ask more, but she hesitated for just a moment. "What is he sick with? Is it serious?"

Corinna glanced away from Hermione as she closed the book she was reading. "He's not making it sound like it is."

"But you're not convinced," Hermione said, finishing what Corinna wanted to leave unsaid.

Corinna sighed heavily as she looked out the window at the darkened sky. She saw her faint reflection and wondered when the bags under her eyes had become luggage. "I don't know what to think, Hermione. I honestly don't know."

Corinna's head swam that night as she went over and over her conversation with Hermione, being more honest than she cared to admit.

She felt like a zombie for the rest of term and hardly noticed the transition to the summer term and the increase in homework as exams approached. She took the workload in stride since there wasn't much of anything else she could possibly do beside worry so much she became ill.

At least, until she the night she was being woken up by McGonagall.

She had just gotten to sleep when she was being roused.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Miss Crouch," she said. It was almost a relief that she was still in her usual robes instead of her dressing gown, which was something that Corinna has had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing. "It's about your father. Let's get you to Professor Dumbledore's office. He will be able to explain it."

Blood rushed to her ears as she shoved on her dressing gown and followed McGonagall out of the dormitories. Not many students were up, but all of them watched the two of them with curious glances. Corinna could not look at them, not even at Harry sitting in the corner with Ron and Hermione.

Once they were heading down the hall, Corinna couldn't help but ask: "Is he alright? What happened?"

"As I said, Professor Dumbledore will be able to explain it better."

They approached the gargoyle and McGonagall said, "Cockroach Cluster," causing Corinna to think this was all some sick joke. But the gargoyle leapt to the side to reveal a staircase leading up. "I'll be out here so I can take you back to your dormitory."

Corinna figured it must not have been serious if she was expected back as she walked up the staircase and opened the heavy door at the top.

As she had never been in Dumbledore's office before, she did not know what to expect. Along the walls were portraits of what she could honest guess were those of headmaster's past. A wide desk stood in the circular room, as well as tables displaying various mechanisms that Corinna could hardly place.

The wizened wizard sat at his desk in his sweeping robes. "I apologize for drawing you out of bed at this late hour," he greeted somberly. He was usually a jovial man with his serious side saved for moments that truly needed it. Corinna supposed this was one of those times. "Please sit down, Corinna. I am going to cut to the chase as I find it much easier to handle, I'm sure you would agree. Earlier this evening, Harry Potter and Viktor Krum were at the edge of the woods when they came across your father, Barty Crouch. According to Harry, he seemed very out of it and that he needed to apologize for a grave error he made. Before Harry could come back with help, he had stunned Viktor and ran off."

None of this made sense to Corinna, and she was at a total loss as to what to say about any of this.

"A team from the Ministry is combing the grounds for him as we speak," Dumbledore continued. "I thought it appropriate to talk with you about this. I will share what you have to say to those that need to know within the Ministry."

Corinna swallowed thickly as she looked out the window without really seeing. It almost seemed impossible that her father was out there when he was gone for so long. "I don't know what to say," she admitted. "All I know is that he was sick."

"Did he tell you this himself?"

Corinna might as well have been forced to drink veritaserum as she did not think she could lie to this man. "Not in so many words," she admitted. "I heard from his assistant, Percy Weasley."

Dumbledore nodded. "How about any correspondents?"

"I only sent him a letter, to which he never replied. We aren't the communication sort, I suppose."

"I have to ask. When was the last time you saw your father?"

"During the first task," Corinna admitted, feeling guilty. "I stayed over the holidays for the Yule Ball, and he hasn't been back to judge as he's supposed to.

He seemed to take the answer in stride and nodded. "Am I to assume that you do not know anything about what transpired tonight?" He asked it in a way that he had already knew the answer, so Corinna simply nodded. "I am sure someone from the ministry will want to talk with you, Corinna, but I will ask them that they will not bother you any further tonight. If you can think of anything. Anything at all, let someone know. We are here to help and we all want Barty found safe."

Corinna hesitated a moment, trying to think past the headache building behind her eyes. "What's going to happen?" she asked.

"We will continue to look for him," Dumbledore said. "If you need some time, you are welcome to miss out on classes tomorrow. I can notify your teachers as such. I can also send you to Madam Pomfrey for a sleepy draught if you require."

She declined it all. "Just remember, Corinna," he said in a gentle voice, "that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

She silently walked with McGonagall back to Gryffindor Tower. Even fewer students were inside now, leaving only Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting by the fire.

"Shouldn't you all be heading for bed?" McGonagall demanded. "Unless you were planning on sleeping in my class, that is."

They all had scrambled to bed. Hermione kept glancing over at Corinna as they readied themselves for bed, but she remained silent. Corinna was silently thankful for that as she felt like she was going to explode at any minute.

I normally don't like author's notes, but I thought I would let everyone know that since it seems like FF has been messing up with new chapter uploads, I will now be crossposting this story on AO3. It's under the same username, except the first part Reticent is it's own story under The Last Crouch series.