"It comes down to this," said Hermione, rubbing her forehead. "Either Mr. Crouch attacked Viktor, or somebody else attacked both of them when Viktor wasn't looking."
"It must've been Crouch," said Ron at once. "That's why he was gone when Harry and Dumbledore got there. He'd done a runner."
"I don't think so," said Harry, shaking his head. "He seemed really weak — I don't reckon he was up to Disapparating or anything."
"You can't Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds, haven't I told you enough times?" said Hermione.
"Also if he thought a tree was Percy, he probably wouldn't know the safe way to run and not get seen or caught." Skylar admitted.
"Okay… how's this for a theory," said Ron excitedly. "Krum attacked Crouch — no, wait for it — and then Stunned himself!"
"And Mr. Crouch evaporated, did he?" said Hermione coldly.
"Oh yeah…"
It was daybreak. Harry, Ron, Skylar and Hermione had crept out of their dormitories very early and hurried up to the Owlery together to send a note to Sirius. Now they were standing looking out at the misty grounds. All four of them were puffy-eyed and pale after they had been talking late into the night about Mr. Crouch.
"Just go through it again, Harry," said Hermione. "What did Mr. Crouch actually say?"
"I've told you, he wasn't making much sense," said Harry. "He said he wanted to warn Dumbledore about something. He definitely mentioned Bertha Jorkins, and he seemed to think she was dead. He kept saying stuff was his fault… He mentioned his son."
"Well, that was his fault," said Hermione testily.
"He was out of his mind," said Harry. "Half the time he seemed to think his wife and son were still alive, and he kept talking to Percy about work and giving him instructions."
"And… remind me what he said about You-Know-Who?" said Ron tentatively.
"I've told you," Harry repeated dully. "He said he's getting stronger."
There was a pause. Then Ron said in a falsely confident voice, "But he was out of his mind, like you said, so half of it was probably just raving…"
"He could have been talking about the last time You-Know-Who was strong?" Skylar offered, not wanting to believe it was happening again. She was staring out the tower opening, half asleep still, slumped against the stone.
"He was sanest when he was trying to talk about Voldemort," said Harry, and Ron winced at the sound of the name. "He was having real trouble stringing two words together, but that was when he seemed to know where he was, and know what he wanted to do. He just kept saying he had to see Dumbledore."
Harry turned away from the window and stared up into the rafters. The many perches were half-empty; every now and then, another owl would swoop in through one of the windows, returning from its night's hunting with a mouse in its beak.
"If Snape hadn't held me up," Harry said bitterly, "we might've got there in time. 'The headmaster is busy, Potter… what's this rubbish, Potter?' Why couldn't he have just got out of the way?"
"Maybe he didn't want you to get there!" said Ron quickly. "Maybe — hang on — how fast d'you reckon he could've gotten down to the forest? D'you reckon he could've beaten you and Dumbledore there?"
"Not unless he can turn himself into a bat or something," said Harry.
"Wouldn't put it past him," Ron muttered.
"If Snape hadn't been there though, you might have been later. Due to Snape you started shouting and that drew Dumbledore's attention to your presence." Skylar reminded him. "Otherwise you'd have just stood there frustratedly until that made you shout and I'm sure that would have taken longer."
Harry made an annoyed face, not wanting to think Snape was any kind of blessing.
"We need to see Professor Moody," said Hermione. "We need to find out whether he found Mr. Crouch."
"If he had the Marauder's Map on him, it would've been easy," said Harry.
"Unless Crouch was already outside the grounds," said Ron, "because it only shows up to the boundaries, doesn't —"
"Shh!" said Hermione suddenly.
Somebody was climbing the steps up to the Owlery. The sound of two voices arguing, coming closer and closer could be heard.
"— that's blackmail, that is, we could get into a lot of trouble for that —"
"— we've tried being polite; it's time to play dirty, like him. He wouldn't like the Ministry of Magic knowing what he did —"
"I'm telling you, if you put that in writing, it's blackmail!"
"Yeah, and you won't be complaining if we get a nice fat payoff, will you?"
The Owlery door banged open. Fred and George came over the threshold, then froze at the sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"What're you doing here?" Ron and Fred said at the same time.
"Sending a letter," said Harry and George in unison.
"What, at this time?" said Hermione and Fred.
Fred grinned.
"So everyone's suspicious." Skylar said amused, being the only one to know what both sides were up to. "Shall we all come clean or…"
"Fine — we won't ask you what you're doing, if you don't ask us," he said.
He was holding a sealed envelope in his hands. Harry glanced at it, but Fred, whether accidentally or on purpose, shifted his hand so that the name on it was covered.
"Well, don't let us hold you up," Fred said, making a mock bow and pointing at the door.
Ron didn't move. "Who're you blackmailing?" he said.
The grin vanished from Fred's face. Harry saw George half glance at Fred, before smiling at Ron.
"Don't be stupid, I was only joking," he said easily.
"Didn't sound like that," said Ron.
Fred and George looked at each other. Then Fred said abruptly, "I've told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but —"
"It's my business if you're blackmailing someone," said Ron. "George's right, you could end up in serious trouble for that."
"Told you, I was joking," said George. He walked over to Fred, pulled the letter out of his hands, and began attaching it to the leg of the nearest barn owl. "You're starting to sound a bit like our dear older brother, you are, Ron. Carry on like this and you'll be made a prefect."
"No, I won't!" said Ron hotly.
George carried the barn owl over to the window and it took off. George turned around and grinned at Ron. "Well, stop telling people what to do then. See you later."
He and Fred left the Owlery. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at one another and then turned to Skylar. "What?" she asked with a shrug.
"You don't think they know something about all this, do you?" Hermione whispered. "About Crouch and everything?"
"No," Harry answered instead. "If it was something that serious, they'd tell someone. They'd tell Dumbledore."
They looked at Skylar again.
"What?" she repeated with more urgency.
"You're sure this is about Bagman?" Hermione frowned.
"Are you doubting my skill or calling me a liar?" Skylar asked with a raised eyebrow.
Hermione frowned some more. "It just seems more serious than some money."
"They gave Bagman their entire savings and won the impossible odds on a bet," Skylar reminded him, "Besides, they told Mr. Weasley, they had plans for the money, remember. They then didn't get it back."
"They are obsessed with making money lately, I noticed it when I was hanging around with them — when — you know —" Ron spoke up, drawing all their attention.
"We weren't talking." Harry finished the sentence for him. "Yeah, but blackmail…"
"It's this joke shop idea they've got," said Ron. "I thought they were only saying it to annoy Mum, but they really mean it, they want to start one. They've only got a year left at Hogwarts, they keep going on about how it's time to think about their future, and Dad can't help them, and they need gold to get started."
"One reason to try Blackmailing Bagman to give what's owed to them." Skylar nodded.
Hermione was looking uncomfortable now. "Yes, but… they wouldn't do anything against the law to get gold."
"Wouldn't they?" said Ron, looking sceptical. "I dunno… they don't exactly mind breaking rules, do they?"
"Yes, but this is the law," said Hermione, looking scared. "This isn't some silly school rule… They'll get a lot more than detention for blackmail! Ron… maybe you'd better tell Percy…"
"Are you mad?" said Ron. "Tell Percy? He'd probably do a Crouch and turn them in." He stared at the window through which Fred and George's owl had departed, then said, "Come on, let's get some breakfast."
"D'you think it's too early to go and see Professor Moody?" Hermione said as they went down the spiral staircase.
"Yes," said Harry. "He'd probably blast us through the door if we wake him at the crack of dawn; he'll think we're trying to attack him while he's asleep. Let's give it till break."
History of Magic had rarely gone so slowly. Harry kept checking Ron's watch, having finally discarded his own, but Ron's was moving so slowly he could have sworn it had stopped working too. All four of them were so tired they could happily have put their heads down on the desks and slept; even Hermione wasn't taking her usual notes, but was sitting with her head on her hand, gazing at Professor Binns with her eyes out of focus.
When the bell finally rang, they hurried out into the corridors toward the Dark Arts classroom and found Professor Moody leaving it. He looked as tired as they felt. The eyelid of his normal eye was drooping, giving his face an even more lopsided appearance than usual.
"Professor Moody?" Harry called as they made their way toward him through the crowd.
"Hello, Potter," growled Moody. His magical eye followed a couple of passing first years, who sped up, looking nervous; it rolled into the back of Moody's head and watched them around the corner before he spoke again.
"Come in here."
He stood back to let them into his empty classroom, limped in after them, and closed the door.
"Did you find him?" Harry asked without preamble. "Mr. Crouch?"
"No," said Moody. He moved over to his desk, sat down, stretched out his wooden leg with a slight groan, and pulled out his hip flask.
"Did you use the map?" Harry said.
"Of course," said Moody, taking a swig from his flask. "Took a leaf out of your book, Potter. Summoned it from my office into the forest. He wasn't anywhere on there."
"So he did Disapparate?" said Ron.
"You can't Disapparate on the grounds, Ron!" said Hermione. "There are other ways he could have disappeared, aren't there, Professor?"
Moody's magical eye quivered as it rested on Hermione. "You're another one who might think about a career as an Auror," he told her. "Mind works the right way, Granger."
Hermione flushed pink with pleasure.
"Well, he wasn't invisible," said Harry. "The map shows invisible people. He must've left the grounds, then."
"But under his own steam?" said Hermione eagerly, "or because someone made him?"
"Yeah, someone could've — could've pulled him onto a broom and flown off with him, couldn't they?" said Ron quickly, looking hopefully at Moody as if he too wanted to be told he had the makings of an Auror.
"We can't rule out kidnap," growled Moody.
"So," said Ron, "d'you reckon he's somewhere in Hogsmeade?"
"Could be anywhere," said Moody, shaking his head. "Only thing we know for sure is that he's not here."
"Or he is…" Skylar frowned. "Someone did get to him in the forest, and did something to him… could have been something really bad." Everyone turned to her. "He was talking about You-Know-Who after all, I don't think we can rule out the darkest of acts, he wouldn't show up if he wasn't alive would he?"
Everyone was silent and both of Moody's eyes were on Skylar in contemplation. She didn't like the look and frowned further at him, him and his guarded mind.
He then yawned widely, so that his scars stretched, and his lopsided mouth revealed a number of missing teeth. Then he said, "Now, Dumbledore's told me you three fancy yourselves as investigators, but there's nothing you can do for Crouch. The Ministry'll be looking for him now, Dumbledore's notified them. Potter, you just keep your mind on the third task."
"What?" said Harry. "Oh yeah…"
He hadn't given the maze a single thought since he'd left it with Krum the previous night.
"Should be right up your street, this one," said Moody, looking up at Harry and scratching his scarred and stubbly chin. "From what Dumbledore's said, you've managed to get through stuff like this plenty of times. Broke your way through a series of obstacles guarding the Philosopher's Stone in your first year, didn't you?"
"We helped," Ron said quickly. "Me, Skylar and Hermione helped."
Moody grinned. "Well, help him practise for this one, and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't win," said Moody. "In the meantime… constant vigilance, Potter. Constant vigilance." He took another long draw from his hip flask, and his magical eye swivelled onto the window. The topmost sail of the Durmstrang ship was visible through it.
"You three," counselled Moody, his normal eye on Skylar, Ron and Hermione, "you stick close to Potter, all right? I'm keeping an eye on things, but all the same… you can never have too many eyes out."
Sirius sent their owl back the very next morning. It fluttered down beside Harry at the same moment that a tawny owl landed in front of Hermione, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet in its beak. She took the newspaper, scanned the first few pages, said, "Ha! She hasn't got wind of Crouch!" then joined Skylar, Ron and Harry in reading what Sirius had to say on the mysterious events of the night before last.
Harry — what do you think you are playing at, walking off into the forest with Viktor Krum? I want you to swear, by return owl, that you are not going to go walking with anyone else at night. There is somebody highly dangerous at Hogwarts. It is clear to me that they wanted to stop Crouch from seeing Dumbledore and you were probably feet away from them in the dark. You could have been killed.
Your name didn't get into the Goblet of Fire by accident. If someone's trying to attack you, they're on their last chance. Stay close to Skylar, Ron and Hermione, do not leave Gryffindor Tower after hours, and arm yourself for the third task. Practice Stunning and Disarming. A few hexes wouldn't go amiss either. There's nothing you can do about Crouch. Keep your head down and look after yourself. I'm waiting for your letter giving me your word you won't stray out-of-bounds again.
Sirius
"Who's he, to lecture me about being out-of-bounds?" said Harry in mild indignation as he folded up Sirius's letter and put it inside his robes. "After all the stuff he did at school!"
"In all fairness, nobody was ever actively wanting to kill him… except maybe Snape and I doubt that counts as the same." Skylar said and seeing Harry's face at her taking Sirius' side she added, "Though you could remind him about how he's not being safe now… hiding in a cave and all from the world."
"He's worried about you!" said Hermione sharply. "Just like Moody and Hagrid! So listen to them!"
"No one's tried to attack me all year," said Harry. "No one's done anything to me at all —"
"Except put your name in the Goblet of Fire," said Hermione. "And they must've done that for a reason, Harry. Snuffles is right. Maybe they've been biding their time. Maybe this is the task they're going to get you."
"It must be the easiest, to hide amongst monsters in a maze than in an arena with a dragon or under the lake with merpeople. There's no one to rat them out this time." Skylar said thinking. "Would have to be someone involved in the planning though then, to risk leaving it to the last opportunity, they'd have to have known it was the best."
"Look," said Harry impatiently, "let's say Sirius is right, and someone Stunned Krum to kidnap Crouch. Well, they would've been in the trees near us, wouldn't they? But they waited till I was out of the way until they acted, didn't they? So it doesn't look like I'm their target, does it?"
"They couldn't have made it look like an accident if they'd murdered you in the forest!" said Hermione. "But if you die during a task —"
"They didn't care about attacking Krum, did they?" said Harry. "Why didn't they just polish me off at the same time? They could've made it look like Krum and I had a duel or something."
"Harry, I don't understand it either," said Hermione desperately. "I just know there are a lot of odd things going on, and I don't like it… Moody's right — Sirius is right — you've got to get in training for the third task, straight away. And you make sure you write back to Sirius and promise him you're not going to go sneaking off alone again."
Harry looked almost murderous and Skylar nudged him slightly when Hermione wasn't looking. "Note the word 'alone'. I'll go with you anytime you want to run off, apparently, Ron, Hermione and I are enough protection for Moody and Sirius." she smirked ever so slightly and Harry returned it, feeling slightly more relieved that someone was on his side.
For the next few days the four of them spent all of their free time either in the library looking up hexes, or else in empty classrooms, which they sneaked into to practice. Harry was concentrating on the Stunning Spell, which he had never used before. The trouble was that practising it involved certain sacrifices on Skylar's, Ron's and Hermione's part.
"Can't we kidnap Mrs. Norris?" Ron suggested on Monday lunchtime as he lay flat on his back in the middle of their Charms classroom, having just been Stunned and reawoken by Harry for the fifth time in a row. "Let's Stun her for a bit. Or you could use Dobby, Harry, I bet he'd do anything to help you. I'm not complaining or anything" — he got gingerly to his feet, rubbing his backside — "but I'm aching all over…"
"Well, you keep missing the cushions, don't you!" said Hermione impatiently, rearranging the pile of cushions they had used for the Banishing Spell, which Flitwick had left in a cabinet. "Just try and fall backward!"
"Once you're Stunned, you can't aim too well, Hermione!" said Ron angrily. "Why don't you take a turn?"
"Well, I think Harry's got to try against Skylar now anyway," said Hermione hastily and Skylar gaped at her. "You're a legilimens, beating you has some real skill." Hermione explained.
Skylar grumbled as she took position before the cushions and faced Harry. Hermione was right though, Harry lacked the element of surprise when against Skylar and she was able to disarm him just before the thought to act reached his voice.
"Just don't think about it," Hermione offered.
"How am I supposed to not think about it?" Harry asked, annoyed.
"That's the wrong advice anyway." Skylar butt in, silencing Hermione who'd opened her mouth to return. "It's not about thinking or not thinking. First of all, your expressions give you away, I don't need to touch your mind. You scrunch up your eyes and nose slightly before you go to lift your wand. Either flatten out your face or move your arm first."
"I don't think the person attacking me will know my face like you do though." Harry defended.
"Unless it was me," Skylar shrugged, earning a snort from Harry and a gaped expression from Ron. "Or unless they are a legitimens, then they'd be able to connect the action, face and thought together like I can."
"Well, apart from against a legilimens I think Harry's got this one." Hermione interrupted. "We should probably move on. And we don't have to worry about Disarming, because he's been able to do that for ages… I think we ought to start on some of these hexes this evening."
She looked down the list they had made in the library. Harry tried to surprise Skylar with Hermione offering the distraction but she ducked and the spell flew over her head.
"Well don't shout the thought at me." she rolled her eyes with a smirk, taunting him. He huffed back.
"I like the look of this one," Hermione said, continuing as if nothing had happened. "this Impediment Curse. Should slow down anything that's trying to attack you, Harry. We'll start with that one."
The bell rang. They hastily shoved the cushions back into Flitwick's cupboard and slipped out of the classroom.
"See you at dinner!" said Hermione, and she set off for Arithmancy, while Harry and Ron headed toward the North Tower, and Divination. Broad strips of dazzling gold sunlight fell across the corridor from the high windows. The sky outside was so brightly blue it looked as though it had been enamelled. Skylar remained standing by the classroom for a moment, she had to vacate it for the Charms class about to start but pondered as she thought. Her mind went over the list Hermione had, as many of the spells as she could remember, one caught her fancy, the shield charm. Whoever wanted to hurt Harry likely would be an adult and adept at such things, meaning whoever Harry was trying to stun might be able to block him. It was good for Harry to practise against this as well as to know it.
With this in mind she went to the library to find a book that taught it to her, and then for her to find a classroom and give it a go. She was walking along the passage however, muttering to herself when she almost bumped into Harry himself.
"Woah," she paused and looked confused. "Hold on, what's wrong?" She became very concerned very quickly, not only because he was outside of divination, but also because his face was concerned and his scar was apparently hurting.
"I need to see Dumbledore." he said.
"Okay." she nodded, not at all arguing. He didn't move for a moment.
"What were you doing?" he asked.
"Practising a spell to help you with."
"Why aren't you getting caught up on homework?"
"You're more important." Skylar said obviously. "Do you want me to come with you though instead?"
He paused, he'd been told not to go anywhere alone, but he didn't want to come off as scared or worried.
Skylar leaned slightly closer to him, "Harry, you're already worried." she whispered before she hooked her arm through his to guide him. He didn't argue with her and so she went with him the whole way.
He was silent as they walked, his mind turning over what had just happened to him. Skylar picked up the gist. He'd fallen asleep in Divination but the dream he had had was no ordinary one. Sirius had told him to go to Dumbledore if and when his scar had hurt again.
Skylar pulled on his arm, as he was about to walk straight past Dumbledore's office while so enrapt in his thoughts and he stumbled slightly from her doing so. They both stared at the gargoyle for a moment.
"Do you know the password?" Skylar muttered.
"No." Harry said.
The gargoyle did not move.
"Okay," said Harry, staring at it, "Pear Drop. Er — Licorice Wand. Fizzing Whizbee. Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans… oh no, he doesn't like them, does he?... oh just open, can't you?" he said angrily. "I really need to see him, it's urgent!"
The gargoyle remained immovable and Skylar glanced between it and Harry until he suddenly kicked it, achieving nothing but an excruciating pain in his big toe.
"Oh jeez," she muttered. This wasn't going to achieve anything.
"Chocolate Frog!" he yelled angrily, standing on one leg. "Sugar Quill! Cockroach Cluster!"
The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside. Harry blinked.
"Cockroach Cluster?" he said, amazed. "I was only joking…"
"Well don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Skylar said and she nudged him forwards. Harry however reached back and grabbed her hand and yanked her with him.
"Hey…" she grumbled. They stepped onto the foot of a spiral stone staircase, which moved slowly upward as the doors closed behind them, taking them up to a polished oak door with a brass door knocker.
"I didn't need to come all the way, even if I'm nosy enough to be glad I am," Skylar said quietly. Harry simply gave her hand a squeeze.
They could hear voices from inside the office as they stepped off the moving staircase and hesitated, listening.
"Dumbledore, I'm afraid I don't see the connection, don't see it at all!" It was the voice of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. "Ludo says Bertha's perfectly capable of getting herself lost. I agree we would have expected to have found her by now, but all the same, we've no evidence of foul play, Dumbledore, none at all. As for her disappearance being linked with Barty Crouch's!"
"And what do you think happened to Barty Crouch, Minister?" said Moody's growling voice.
"I see two possibilities, Alastor," said Fudge. "Either Crouch has finally cracked — more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, given his personal history — lost his mind, and gone wandering off somewhere —"
"He wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Cornelius," said Dumbledore calmly.
"Or else — well…" Fudge sounded embarrassed. "Well, I'll reserve judgement until after I've seen the place where he was found, but you say it was just past the Beauxbatons carriage? Dumbledore, you know what that woman is?"
"I consider her to be a very able headmistress — and an excellent dancer," said Dumbledore quietly.
"Dumbledore, come!" said Fudge angrily. "Don't you think you might be prejudiced in her favour because of Hagrid? They don't all turn out harmless — if, indeed, you can call Hagrid harmless, with that monster fixation he's got —"
"I no more suspect Madame Maxime than Hagrid," said Dumbledore, just as calmly. "I think it possible that it is you who are prejudiced, Cornelius."
"Can we wrap up this discussion?" growled Moody.
"Yes, yes, let's go down to the grounds, then," said Fudge impatiently.
"No, it's not that," said Moody, "it's just that Potter and Rosenwald want a word with you, Dumbledore. They're just outside the door."