Chapter Forty Two
Harry felt much better after a good nights sleep. Well that's what he told himself. Harry had, in fact, been tossing and turning all night, strange dreams of grave yards and screams filling his head. Breakfast, however, he was sure would help.
He's happily loaded his plate with as much food as he could without risking it collapsing and tucked into his first pancake.
"I just don't understand why Mr Crouch would attack Viktor." Daphne said, adding treacle to her porridge.
Harry shrugged, "Me neither. He was meant to be ill as well, Hogwarts is a long way from his home."
"From what you've said he was ill, very ill from the sound of things." Pansy said.
Draco nodded, "I suppose he could have apparated, not into Hogwarts of course, but to Hogsmead maybe?"
Harry shook his head, "I don't think he was strong enough, and it looked like he's been travelling for days."
"No matter why, or how, he got here, it still doesn't explain why he would attack Krum." Hermione said.
She'd heard from Harry that he'd been hurt and hoped she'd be able to check on him over breakfast but all the Durmstrang students were absent from the hall, as were those from Beauxbatons.
"Maybe it wasn't him." Daphne suggested, "Maybe someone else attacked them both. You said Mr Crouch was in a bad way, could someone of been chasing him?"
"Maybe." Harry nodded, "I didn't see anyone else, doesn't mean they weren't there though."
"I wonder if Professor Moody found Mr Crouch in the end?" Draco said.
"We've got a lesson with him later today." Pansy pointed out, "Maybe we could ask him?"
"I'll try and find out if Viktor is all right as well." Hermione said, "He might have remembered something more."
Harry nodded, at the moment, any information was better than nothing. The post owls arrived, swooping into the hall and pushing half eaten breakfasts aside to deliver their post. Armilda landed neatly next to Draco, delivering a large parcel filled with cake and sweets as well as several letters and new books.
Hedwig was also there, carrying a much smaller parcel and a letter.
Draco rolled his eyes, "You'd think they weren't going to see me in a few months."
"Be grateful they care." Pansy said rolling her eyes back at him, "You can be so spoiled."
Draco nodded, "Of course, I don't deny it. In fact I wouldn't have it any other way."
Harry smirked and opened his own letter. It was from his mother, Sirius and Nikka. There was nothing of great surprise in there, just expressing there concern for Harry's well being.
"Any clues?" Daphne asked.
Harry shook his head, "Not really. Mum says that Mr Crouch isn't the sort to attack someone unless he thought they were a threat, but then she doubts he would have just stunned Krum. Nikka says Mr Crouch hasn't been seen in the ministry for months now. All of his instructions are coming through Percy Weasley who is most… forceful in making sure they are carried out to the letter."
"Maybe it was Weasley." Pansy suggested, "He seemed power hungry enough. He could have been holding Mr Crouch hostage and then setting him up so he could get Mr Crouch's job."
Draco snorted a laugh, "Don't be silly. I don't think a lot of Mr Crouch but I don't think he could ever be held hostage by a Weasley."
Pansy grinned, "Good point. Although Percy did seem rather obsessed by his roll in the ministry so I don't think we should totally discount the idea of him having some involvement."
Harry nodded and sighed, "At this point, I don't think we can totally discount any idea."
Harry trudged through classes, completely distracted. He barely heard a word of what was said in Herbology and nearly got a finger stabbed by a rather moody Snap Lupin that was annoyed Harry wasn't paying it enough attention.
Next was Defence Against the Dark Arts though, and a chance to ask Professor Moody if he'd managed to find Mr Crouch.
All four of them decided to skip the end of lunch and go to find Professor Moody as soon as possible. Harry knocked on the door to Moody's office and stepped back.
The door swung open, "Come on in Potter." Moody said, he had his back to them, reading something and taking a long gulp out of his hip flask.
"What can I do for yeh all today?" Moody asked, putting a copy of Witch Weekly down on his desk and turning to face them.
"We were wondering if you'd managed to find Mr Crouch last night." Draco asked, "Harry told us all about it."
Professor Moody looked them over, smirking, "Aye I thought he would. No I didn't manage to find him."
"Did you use the map?" Harry asked.
Moody nodded, "I did, he wasn't on it though."
"He must have left the ground then. Strange, I wouldn't have thought that he was strong enough to move so quickly." Harry frowned.
Draco took a seat on a near by desk and nodded.
"Maybe someone else moved him then." Pansy suggested, also taking a seat.
Professor Moody looked between them, Harry had the uncomfortable feeling he was sizing them up, "Could have been. I've got to say you four all seem to think like Aurors, might be worth you adding it to the list of thing you want to be when you grow up."
Harry nodded, he hadn't really thought much about what he would do after he'd left school, every year seemed to have to much other stuff that got in the way of him being able to think it though. Being an Auror was an idea though, Nikka was an Auror and she was pretty cool.
"I'm not sure my parents would be too thrilled at that idea but thank you." Daphne smiled.
Moody nodded, "Yeah, pure-blood families can be a bit controlling over their kids. Anyway it's not something you're going to have to worry about for a couple of years yet at least."
"Do you have any ideas what happened to Mr Crouch?" Pansy asked.
"No." Moody said, "We've informed the ministry though. They'll have folk out looking for him now. Right, Dumbledore says that you four tend to go poking around things, getting yourselves into trouble; so listen to me. Don't. Not this time. You've all got far to much other stuff to be getting on with to be getting into trouble. The ministry will take care of it."
"But Professor-"
"No ifs, ands or buts Potter." Moody said, "I mean it. I'd have thought you'd be too busy thinking about the last task to be worried about Mr Crouch, Potter."
Harry felt a wave of guilt pass over him, in truth he hadn't thought about the task since Ludo Bagman told him what it was last night.
"Umm… yes..." Harry said, racking his brain trying to think of something more sensible to say than Yes.
Moody smirked, "Don't worry Potter, from the sounds of things you've done this sort of thing before plenty of times. Getting through obstacles and such?"
Harry nodded, that was true. It wasn't the first year he would have to make his way through several challenges that were really above his age range. But he'd always had someone else with him, he'd never been alone; not really.
"Don't suppose they're going to let me take my friends in with me?" Harry said, forcing a smile.
"You'll be fine Harry, you can do this." Pansy said.
Daphne and Draco nodded. Harry grinned,
"Thanks guys." He said, "Will you let us know if there is any word about Mr Crouch?"
Moody nodded, "Aye, if it'll stop you from getting into trouble."
Harry, Draco, Pansy and Daphne grinned.
"We make no promises." Daphne laughed.
The bell rang, signalling the start of class, Harry grabbed his bag and made his way to his desk; he was sure that Moody was still watching him.
The next week brought beautiful sunshine, warm breezes; even the water in the lake started warming up enough for swimming in.
Harry was however stuck inside. He was training, every free minute he had, for the third and final task. He didn't care if he won, not really, however he did care about being made to look like a young, pathetic child in front of the three biggest schools in Europe.
He was also fairly advanced in his spell work, but practice was always for the best. Between his five friends he always had someone to practice with in the empty classroom Severus had let them use.
"Harry you have the stunning spell down, can we please start on something else?" Daphne said, pulling herself up, "Apart from anything else I would like to put my shoes back on, it's dusty in here."
Harry smirked, "Well if you didn't wear heels you wouldn't hurt your ankle when you fell."
Daphne glared at him, "I don't have any other shoes, you know this. Get someone else have a go if you want to keep practising."
Harry forced himself to look serious, "Right, I'm very sorry."
Daphne smiled and shook her head, "It's all for a good cause I suppose. You'll need to take us all out for dinner when you win."
"I'm not sure I'm going to win, I just don't want to come last if possible and make it through the maze for sure." Harry said, "I will take you all out for a butter beer though, I think my pocket money could stretch to that."
"You're such a charmer." Daphne said, "Come one, we should get to Divination, it's nearly the end of lunch."
Harry sighed, it was another hot day and the Divination classroom would be burningly hot. Professor Trelawney always had the fire going, Harry was seriously considering skipping the lesson.
"Harry? Are you coming?" Daphne asked.
Harry looked around, Daphne had put the pillows she had been falling on away and was holding her bag and his.
"Yeah sorry, I must have zoned out." Harry smiled and took his bag.
As he had predicted, the classroom was so hot it made his eyes water, the air filled with the heavy incense she used.
Harry walked across the classroom and tucked himself into a corner chair, he wasn't in the mood to deal with Ron today and this way he could bask in the slight breeze coming from the glass. Also meant he could look out the window and watch the students who weren't stuck in class enjoy the weather.
"My dears," Professor Trelawney said, standing, wrapped in many shawls, in the centre of the room, "We have almost finished our work on planetary divination. Today, however, will be an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of Mars, for he is placed most interestingly at the present time. If you will all look this way, I will dim the lights..."
She waved her wands and all of the lights dimmed, sending the room into twilighty darkness. Professor Trelawney sat down and reached down under her chair, pulling out a little model of the solar system. It was beautiful, each little planet floating in the air under a glass dome.
Harry tried to focus on the little moving planets, and whatever Professor Trelawney was saying about how Mars and Neptune were reacting with one another. It was warm though, and the perfume in the air was making his sleepy.
Harry felt his eyes droop…
He was riding on the back of an eagle owl, soaring through the clear blue sky, heading towards an old, ivy-covered house set high on a hillside. They flew lower and lower, the wind rushing across Harry's face, until they reached an old, broken window towards the top of the house, it was all boarded up and clearly neglected.
They kept flying, through the house, through old and gloomy passageway. Through another door and into a room with boarded up windows and a musty smell. Harry jumped off the owls back and looked around.
There were two dark shapes on the floor, one was sobbing quietly the other barely moving. Harry also saw a small hunched over shape in the corner of the room, all three of them facing the chair.
Harry took a step forward to see better.
"You're in luck Bellatrix, your little mistake has been fixed. He is dead." said a cold and high pitched voice coming from the chair.
"I am so sorry My Lord!" Bellatrix sobbed, "I was trying."
"Your blunder could have ruined everything." the voice hissed, "If it weren't for your… condition, you would be feeling my displeasure."
"I know My Lord and I really was trying. The spell slipped only for a moment, between him and the girl-"
"I do not like excuses Bellatrix, I like results." The voice snapped, "You are out of luck Nagini, we will not be needing your services today."
The huge snake on the rug sifted, her tongue flicking out angrily. The girl in the corner flinched and let out a tiny noise of fright.
"Bring her forward." the voice ordered.
Bellatrix finally stood up from the edge of the chair and went to the corner. The girl screamed and struggled against Bellatrix's grip on her arm. Harry remembered her, from a dream he'd had, her name was Lucy.
She wasn't looking well though, she had lost a lot of weight, her ragged and dirty clothes hanging loosely off her frame. Her arms were covered with finger print bruises and it looked as though she hadn't slept in days. Bellatrix threw her to the ground.
"Yes… yes sir? Do… do you want… um… feeding?" Lucy whispered.
The person in the chair gave a cruel laugh, "No. You notice, my Bella, how she is all concerned while you are here? She didn't seem to care so much when she ran off, leaving me all alone, and then poor Bella here had to chase you, allowing him to escape."
Lucy sniffed, "I… I..."
"Speak!" Bellatrix snapped, giving Lucy a sharp smack.
"I just want to go home." Lucy sobbed.
The room went quiet, Harry wasn't sure what to do.
"You've learnt your lesson now though haven't you?" the cold voice asked.
Lucy nodded.
"Your family doesn't want you, and if you run again… well, Bella will just have to find someone else close to you to hurt and kill." the voice said, it was so empty, like it was enjoying the pain the poor girl was feeling.
"I know." Lucy said, wiping her nose on the back of her arm.
"I do think that maybe one more lesson would be a good idea..." the voice laughed.
"No… NO! Sir I beg you!" Lucy screamed.
"Crucio!" the voice said.
The girl's scream grew louder, she was flailing around the floor. Harry felt the pain as well, it burst though his scar leaving Harry screaming as well. No… Voldemort would hear him. He couldn't think through the pain, it was horrific, every nerve was on fire.