Chapter 670 The Approaching Battle
Ron and Hermione stood beside Mr. Crouch as the woods grew darker.
They had to draw their wands, and two faint flashes flickered in the darkness.
"How could Mr. Crouch suddenly become so deranged?" Hermione said nervously. "This is truly abnormal. Percy clearly stated he was very ill, recovering at home and unable to work. Now it seems as though he has been subjected to some cruel torture."
"Perhaps Percy did it!" Ron joked, his voice trembling. "He might think that if he were to kill Mr. Crouch, he would be appointed head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
Hermione stared at him intently. "This is very serious because he mentioned the Dark Lord."
There was a silence, perhaps due to the mention of the name, and the cold wind became more biting.
Even Mr. Crouch halted, and the darkness in the forest deepened.
"We should call Evan! He and Krum are not far away!" Hermione suddenly said.
"You don't want to go, do you?" Ron said hesitantly, looking around cautiously. "Don't leave me here alone!"
"I have a bad feeling. When I was in my first year, I had detention with Harry in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid told us..." Hermione said, raising her wand suddenly and swiftly. "If anyone's in trouble in the forest, send red sparks!"
Her voice had just trailed off when a brilliant beam of light shot up from the tip of her wand and slowly rose into the sky.
With a pop, Hermione sent off the spark, and it fell to the ground...
"Hermione, don't... don't joke with me," Ron said, shuddering, hearing something behind him.
He turned around hurriedly and saw...
... ... ...
Evan followed Krum to a quiet spot near the Beauxbatons' horse paddock.
Although Evan thought there wasn't much to discuss with him, something still needed to be cleared up.
Krum stopped in the shadow of the trees and turned to face Evan.
He stared at Evan, who realized he was really tall.
"I want to know," Krum said, his face serene. "What's between you and Hermione?"
"I believe you should already know, she is my girlfriend," Evan said softly, "And her name is Hermione, not Hermy-own-ninny."
Krum's face flushed at Evan's words.
"I will make Hermy-own-ninny want me," he said stiffly, his face growing darker.
"Obviously, you are free to try. But I hope you stay away from Hermione and leave her alone," Evan said quietly, looking at Krum. "What you did in the library made it hard for her to read in peace, and it was very rude."
Seeing Krum's angry look, Evan suddenly felt uninterested. Discussing this matter with Krum was actually pointless. In fact, it was quite dull. It was better to go with Hagrid to hear about the recent situation with the Blast-Ended Skrewts.
As expected, Krum became enraged upon hearing Evan.
He kept saying that Evan had no right to stop him or prevent Hermione from visiting him at his house.
"At the Quidditch World Cup, I fell in love with Hermy-own-ninny the first time I saw her," Krum said, vigorously waving his arms, trying to make Evan understand, "She's the girl I was meant to wait for. If you don't give up, I will fight you. At Durmstrang, only the strongest have the right to choose."
"This habit is not good, better get rid of it!" Evan said, "At Hogwarts, we emphasize freedom, not brute force. That's all I have to say. I think you know Hermione won't like you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to me. I won't give in to something like this. Hermione is my girl..."
At that moment, a bright red spark suddenly rose not far away, very conspicuous.
Evan looked up. It was the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He remembered that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting for them.
Was something wrong? Evan suddenly had an unpleasant feeling.
Immediately, the image of Moody standing alone by the lake appeared before him.
Damn, Barty Crouch Jr. did it, didn't he?!
As audacious as it was, it was plausible. He wouldn't be found by Dumbledore as long as he kept the Portkey close.
Voldemort could wait no longer. Seizing this opportunity to take Harry away, he wouldn't have to wait for the task.
"Cursed be it," Evan thought as he hurried towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Stop, Evan Mason," Krum shouted. "I am not done yet!"
Evan paid him no mind at all, there was no time to waste with this fellow here.
Watching Evan's back, Krum appeared sorrowful. He had just seen the red spark in the sky and knew something had happened.
But today's conversation had ended fruitlessly, not yielding the desired outcome. If he let Evan go like this...
He would rather confront Evan than let it all end that way. Krum knew Hermione would be fed up with him if Evan brought it up again.
He hesitated, drew his wand, aiming it at Evan, wanting to detain him here...
The red light flickered and dissipated quickly.
His magic had failed. Before Krum could grasp what was happening, he saw a thick magical red light as thick as an arm flying towards him.
With a crash, he was thrown backwards and fell heavily into the bushes.
Evan passed through the trees and ran swiftly towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Due to its proximity, he arrived soon.
The tip of his wand glowed with light, illuminating the open space and dispelling the darkness around him.
Evan saw Ron and Hermione lying on the forest floor, and Harry was not there...
Was he late? His heart sank heavily. Then he noticed Mr. Crouch beside Ron.
"It's all my fault... my fault!" Crouch murmured.
He was hunched over at the edge of a large oak, his meticulous face contorted as if he were greatly frightened...
Barty Crouch was here, not dead!
Evan had a slight inkling of what was happening. He had arrived at the right moment.
He lowered his wand and relaxed his tense body.
Barty Crouch Jr. must be nearby. If he wanted a battle, he would have it!