The map showed Barty Crouch, and Ron thought it was Mr. Crouch. However, Evan knew without a doubt that it was Barty Crouch Jr., the craziest Death Eater. The school's Foo Networks was not yet under control, and with the cooperation of one of the teachers, Barty Jr. could come and go from Hogwarts as he pleased. It was easy, unguarded, almost unbelievably so. He didn't even have to take the risk of sneaking into the castle in disguise, lingering in front of Dumbledore's watchful eyes, and risking discovery. As long as he was met by Keresys, he could easily control everything. But Keresys had only recently told Evan he had no contact with young Barty Crouch. The vampire had repeatedly claimed ignorance about the other side's plans as if he were on a leisurely vacation at Hogwarts.
It seemed that wasn't the case at all, and he might have been in contact with young Barty Crouch. If Ron hadn't suddenly seen the name on the Marauder's Map, Evan would have remained in the dark.
The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it became, and he stopped paying attention to Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Evil and deception were the nature of vampires, and their existence was considered taboo. Evan recalled the descriptions of vampires in magical books; they might be plotting a larger conspiracy. Through the Foo Network, these vampires could exploit the chaos and relaxation during the Triwizard Tournament to infiltrate Hogwarts, launch an attack, capture Harry as they had done at the Quidditch World Cup, and then retreat to the Forbidden Forest to escape. Making Ron a Champion might be a diversion to divert everyone's attention.
The only obstacle to this plan was Dumbledore's presence, but they had Barty Crouch under control. With Crouch's position in the Ministry of Magic, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find an excuse to remove Dumbledore from the school. It was a crazy plan, but it was possible. It didn't matter whether it was Voldemort, Barty, or the vampires; they were all ruthless. Evan rambled on for a while before forcing himself to calm down.
He knew it was possible, but there was also nothing wrong with his magical contract with Keresys. From a magical standpoint, Keresys couldn't deceive him before breaking the abandonment contract. Furthermore, there seemed to be no reason for the other party to do that; vampires were evil but not fools. If they did, they would risk everything with Voldemort and could never escape his grasp. Evan still remembered the nightmare he had accidentally glimpsed in Keresys' memories in the classroom, but their clan was in a life-and-death struggle, guarding an even more critical secret. There was no reason for them to fully align themselves with Voldemort.
In the end, Evan decided to talk to Keresys the next day and then make a decision.
By this time, the four of them had returned to the common room, which was empty except for the quietly burning fire.
"Ron, if what you're saying is true, then the person we saw with Evan must have been the vampire!" Hermione said. "How did he infiltrate the castle? And why did he sneak into Snape's office in the middle of the night?"
"Who knows, maybe there's some connection between them," Ron said.
"And Crouch, why did he pretend to be ill?" Hermione mused, more to herself. "It's suspicious that he couldn't attend the Yule Ball but could sneak into Hogwarts at will in the middle of the night and appear in Professor Moody's office."
"Very suspicious indeed!" Harry added with a puzzled expression, looking at Evan. "Evan, what do you think is going on?"
"It could be anything; you guys should be cautious these days," Evan said absentmindedly.
Judging by the expressions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, they were not satisfied with Evan's response.
"Well, perhaps Ron was mistaken!" Hermione suggested. "Barty Crouch was in the fireplace; maybe he used Floo Powder to leave. But what about that vampire named Keresys? Why did his name flash on the Marauder's Map and then disappear?"
"Don't look at me; I don't know," Evan replied.
"What do you think? Should we inform Professor Moody about this?" Harry asked.
"Don't. How would you explain the Marauder's Map ?" Ron quickly interjected. "Forget it, Harry; Hermione's right. Maybe I was wrong. You know I've been stressed lately because of what happened in the second task."
"Speaking of the Triwizard Tournament, you should tell us exactly what clue you got from inside the golden egg," Hermione suggested.
"Tomorrow, Hermione!" Ron waved his hand weakly. "Right now, I just want a good night's sleep."
Evan woke up early the next morning and headed to Professor Moody's office. The corridor was quiet in the early morning, with no one around, not even the portraits on the walls. Evan knocked on the door on the exceptionally secluded third floor.
"Come in!" Keresys' voice sounded, followed by the sound of the unlocked door.
Evan pushed the door open and entered, seeing Keresys lowering his wand. He had been waiting for him and was sitting in a chair facing the door, looking like he hadn't slept all night.
The first thing Evan noticed as he entered the familiar office was the cold temperature, much cooler than the rest of the castle. His eyes then fell on the open windows above, through which the cold wind was pouring, creating a whirring sound. Evan wondered if Keresys couldn't feel the cold or if he deliberately allowed himself to freeze.
Evan took a few steps forward, ready to close the window, but suddenly stopped. Although the scent was faint, he could detect a hint of blood in the air. He frowned and took several more steps forward until he saw a large mug on Keresys' desk.
Inside the mug, only a small amount of blood remained at the bottom. Evan sniffed it and recognized it as a dragon's blood. It seemed that Keresys had been badly injured and needed to replenish his blood to recover.
Keresys' face was pale as he spoke breathlessly, "I apologize for letting you see me like this."
"Was it Snape's magic?" Evan asked softly.
"I was careless at the time. That magic was cleverly designed and powerful. It was hidden behind the storge room. Almost the moment I opened the door, it broke through all the protections on my body, and the next magical attack came hard," Keresys explained.
It was evident that the magic that made Keresys' name briefly visible on the map was exceptionally powerful. From Snape's tone, he seemed proud of the magic he had employed.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Evan had fought with both of them and had a general understanding of their strengths. In Evan's opinion, in terms of actual combat ability, Keresys was stronger than Snape. However, this wasn't an absolute comparison. Each had their own strengths in mastering spells and magic theory, and the gap wasn't that significant. Particularly in the area of magic traps, there were many uncertainties. In the face of Snape's carefully arranged magic, Keresys had been accidentally injured, which wasn't an impossibility. If Snape had been more ruthless and left a few curses in place, Keresis might have been in grave danger by now.
"What exactly happened?" Evan asked. "Why did you go to his office?"
"To retrieve this," Keresis whispered, taking something from his pocket and tossing it to Evan. It was gill sac grass – a rare and valuable magical plant from the Mediterranean Sea, known for its use in cold magic medicine. It was difficult to come by and typically only found in the storage cabinets of skilled potion masters.
"Did you intentionally break into Snape's office to steal this?" Evan inquired.
"Yes, it was the only way for Ron to pass the second task, wasn't it?" Keresis replied. "Snape likely suspected that I would attempt to obtain it, so he made preparations. That man is quite formidable!"
"Don't look at me like that. Yes, there might have been an easier way, but I didn't have the luxury of time," Keresis explained.
Repeated thefts from Snape's private storeroom had raised his suspicions. However, the level of dangerous magical traps he had set there indicated that they were not meant to deter students. Snape had seemingly anticipated that the person who had entered Ron's name into the Goblet of Fire would come to his private storeroom to steal the gill sac grass. Many believed that Ron's name had been entered to eliminate him during the tournament. But Snape didn't share that view; he suspected that someone had infiltrated Hogwarts with a broader conspiracy in mind.
Making Ron a Champion was a crucial step in this plan, and it couldn't merely be to kill him – that would be too straightforward. Snape believed that someone lurking in the shadows would aid Ron during his challenging moments in the tournament. The second task, which took place in the lake, required Ron's ability to breathe underwater, a feat made possible with the help of gill sac grass. Snape knew that Ron wouldn't have the time to learn other spells required for the task, so he deduced that the missing gill sac grass would be a key factor.
In the original storyline, Harry acquired the gillyweed with the help of Dobby, and Barty Crouch Jr. didn't make an appearance. House-elves like Dobby had a different magical system that allowed them to bypass Snape's protective spells without triggering them. Barty Crouch Jr. had been cunning, operating from the shadows and using others for his dangerous tasks. This approach allowed him to avoid exposure.
In contrast, Keresis' actions of breaking into Snape's office were riskier. By revealing himself to Snape, he risked being discovered over time. Snape would eventually notice what was missing from his storeroom and could deduce that Moody was involved. Keresis' current identity could potentially be exposed, making it a foolish move.
"Don't worry. Before I left, I destroyed Snape's storage room, took many items, and left behind some decoys," Keresis assured Evan, trying to ease his concerns. "He'll need time to figure out what's missing and determine my true motive. This should buy me enough time. Plus, I have no use for these magic potion materials; they're all yours."
He tossed a cloth bag filled with various herbs and materials to Evan. Keresis had essentially emptied Snape's stash, and Evan realized that there were several precious items inside. Among them were a dozen Jade Voice bird feathers, used in the creation of essential potions like the Spit Agent and Memory Enhancer. These feathers were exceptionally rare and valuable, with a market value of up to five hundred gold galleons each. Their rarity limited the production of these potions, making them highly sought after.
Evan had never managed to collect these rare magical materials, nor could he afford to purchase them. Snape's private storeroom was likely the only place where such items could be found.
With these Jade Voice bird feathers, Evan could attempt to brew the Spit Agent and Memory Enhancer potions. He carefully stored the cloth bag away, appreciating the valuable materials it contained.
However, Evan couldn't help but observe Keresis closely. Something about his behavior seemed unusual. While it would normally be foolish to break into Snape's office, Keresis appeared unconcerned.
"What do you mean you didn't have time? What are you planning?" Evan pressed, wanting answers.
"Don't be in a rush. I'll explain everything," Keresis replied with a smile. "In case you aren't aware, Barty Crouch Jr. paid me a visit last night!"
Seeing Evan's lack of surprise, Keresis' smile grew more pronounced. "It seems you're already aware of this," he said, his interest piqued. "You came here to inquire about it, didn't you?"
"What was Barty Crouch doing here?" Evan asked calmly. "And how does it relate to your visit to Snape's office?"
Evan was surprised by Keresis' frankness but found it unexpectedly beneficial.
"It's not good news," Keresis began, his fingers idly tracing the rim of the cup in his hands. "Last night, Barty Crouch Jr. informed me that the Dark Lord couldn't wait any longer. He urgently needs us to bring Harry to him so he can regain his strength. The original plan has been abandoned at his insistence, and Barty Crouch Jr. intends to take action during the upcoming second task – it's not too far away now."
"The second task?" Evan inquired with a furrowed brow. "How does he plan to do that?"
"He proposed quite a daring plan, but I declined to cooperate," Keresis said slowly. "I couldn't risk the lives of my people, so he's going ahead alone. If my assumptions are correct, he'll be using the Portkey."