"Harry, what's happening?" Hermione whispered urgently.
Harry silenced her with a gesture and fixed his gaze on the source of the disturbance. His hand found his wand within his robes; he was certain someone was following them. But who could it be?
The forest fell eerily quiet, the only sound being the rustling of the night wind. Then, Ron suddenly cried out, "Oh my god, look at that!" He pointed in the opposite direction.
Startled, Harry and Hermione spun around to see a man stumbling out from behind a tall oak tree. At first, they couldn't recognize him.
Then it hit them—Mr. Crouch.
He looked as if he had been traveling for days; his robe's knees were torn and stained with blood, his face was covered in scars, his beard was unruly, and his once-neat hair and beard were in dire need of grooming.
But what truly alarmed them was his bizarre behavior.
Mr. Crouch seemed to be conversing with someone only he could see, muttering and gesturing wildly. Harry was reminded of a time when he encountered a deranged beggar while out shopping with the Dursleys. The man had been talking animatedly to thin air, causing Aunt Petunia to drag Dudley away from him in fear. Aunt Vernon had capitalized on the opportunity to lecture the family about the menace of beggars and tramps.
"Oh my God, it's Mr. Crouch! What's going on?" Hermione exclaimed in alarm.
"He seems to have lost his mind!" Ron added, his horror matching Hermione's.
"Watch out!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand at Crouch. He didn't have time to ponder why he had heard a voice from the opposite direction from which Crouch had emerged. He just had an inexplicable sense of danger.
For a moment, he hesitated but then cautiously approached Mr. Crouch.
Crouch paid no attention to him and continued speaking to the nearby tree. "Weatherby, when you're finished, send an owl to Dumbledore to confirm the number of Durmstrang students participating in the tournament; Karkaroff sent a message saying there are twelve..."
"Mr. Crouch?!" Harry ventured carefully.
"And then send another owl to send a letter to Mrs. Maxime; she may want to increase the number of students as well, and since Karkaroff's count is up to twelve, let's do that, Weatherby, shall we? Yes? Yes..."
Mr. Crouch's eyes bulged as he stood there, fixated on the tree, muttering and gesturing, seemingly oblivious to Harry's presence. Then, he stumbled a few steps to the side and fell to his knees.
"Mr. Crouch!"
"Mr. Crouch, are you alright?" Harry called out in concern.
Crouch's eyes rolled upward, and he stared at the three of them with a haunting gaze.
"We need to get help quickly!" Ron exclaimed, staring at Crouch in horror.
"Dumbledore!" Mr. Crouch gasped suddenly, lunging forward and grabbing Harry by his robes, though his eyes remained focused above Harry's head. "I need... I need to see D-Dumbledore..."
"Yes!" Harry assured him. "As soon as you're better, Mr. Crouch, we'll find..."
"I've done something foolish…" Crouch gasped, looking utterly unhinged, his eyes bulging, drool running down his chin. "Make sure you tell Dumbledore, make sure you tell him!"
Crouch's eyes rolled back, and he stared at Harry with a terrifying intensity.
"Who are you?" he whispered, alarm in his voice. "I believe I've seen you somewhere before."
"I'm a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Harry replied, casting a quick glance at Hermione and Ron.
"Mr. Crouch, this is Harry Potter, and I'm..." Hermione began to say.
"Harry Potter!" Crouch whispered. "You're the boy... this is Hogwarts, you're Dumbledore's man. Go, inform him..."
Crouch tightened his grip on Harry's robes, pulling him closer. Harry tried to free himself, but Crouch clung on desperately.
"Inform Dumbledore, Harry Potter..." Crouch continued, "Tell him... I want to see Dumbledore. It's my fault... my fault... my fault... my son... It's my fault. Inform Dumbledore, Harry Potter. The Dark Lord... he's powerful! Hurry, Harry Potter..."
"The Dark Lord?!" Harry gasped, frozen in shock. "As soon as you let go of me, Mr. Crouch, I'll go to Dumbledore."
With the help of Ron and Hermione, Harry finally broke free from Crouch's grasp.
"Stay here with him," Harry urged Ron and Hermione, who nodded in agreement. He sprinted out of the forest, across the darkened grounds, and back toward the castle. The night was pitch-black, and the grounds were deserted. Professor Moody, who had been standing by the lake, had also disappeared, but Harry didn't dwell on it. He raced as fast as he could towards the castle, determined to fetch Dumbledore.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ron and Hermione stood by Mr. Crouch as the woods grew darker around them. They had drawn their wands, casting two faint beams of fluorescent light that flickered in the encroaching darkness.
"How could Mr. Crouch suddenly go mad?" Hermione voiced her unease. "It's just too abnormal. Percy mentioned he was too ill to work and was recuperating at home. And he looks as if he's been subjected to severe torture or something."
Ron attempted a joke to lighten the mood, though his voice trembled, "Could it be Percy? Maybe he thought that by eliminating Mr. Crouch, he could secure the Director of International Magical Cooperation position."
Hermione shot him a stern look, "This is serious because he just mentioned the Dark Lord!"
The mention of the name cast a chilling silence over the woods, and the cold wind that blew through seemed even more piercing. Even Mr. Crouch stopped his rambling, and the darkness in the woods deepened.
"We should call Evon over; he and Krum aren't far away!" Hermione suddenly suggested.
"You're not thinking of leaving, are you?" Ron hesitated, glancing around nervously. "Don't leave me here alone!"
"I have a bad feeling about this," Hermione explained. "Remember, in our first year, Hagrid told us about the Forbidden Forest. If you run into trouble inside the woods, send up a red spark."
As she spoke, she raised her wand, and a bright light shot from its tip, rising slowly into the night sky.
With a thud, Hermione emitted a spark and then collapsed to the ground.
"Hermione, don't, don't joke with me!" Ron stammered, hearing something behind him.
He turned around hastily and was met with a sight...
.....................
Evan followed Krum to a quiet clearing, not far from Beauxbatons stables. Although he didn't think there was much to discuss with Krum, there was something that needed addressing.
Krum halted in the shade and turned to face Evan, his imposing height immediately noticeable.
"I want to know!" Krum said somewhat sullenly. "What's going on between you and Hermione?"
"I think it's quite obvious that she's my girlfriend!" Evan responded softly. "Her name is Hermione, not 'Hermione.'"
Krum's face flushed red upon hearing Evan's words.
"I'll make Hermione like me," he stated firmly, his demeanor growing more somber.
"That's your prerogative," Evan replied calmly, gazing at Krum. "But I hope you understand that it would be best to keep your distance from Hermione and leave her be in the future. Your actions in the library disrupted her ability to study, which was rather impolite."
Krum's angry expression intensified upon hearing Evan's words, and Evan couldn't help but feel that their conversation was pointless.
Discussing this matter with Krum seemed futile.
Furthermore, it lacked excitement. Why not head over to Hagrid's place to catch up on the recent Firetrail Snail developments?
Unsurprisingly, Krum's growing anger didn't escape Evan's notice.
As it turned out, talking about this with Krum was indeed a fruitless endeavor.
Thinking of this, Evan suddenly felt a sense of futility. He had wasted enough time on this topic.
"Krum, I've said all I needed to say, and I believe you understand that Hermione won't develop feelings for you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have approached me," Evan stated. "I won't yield on this matter. Hermione is already mine..."
At that moment, a red spark suddenly appeared not far away, catching Evan's attention. He remembered that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting for them there.
Could something have gone wrong? Evan felt a pang of unease.
Immediately, he recalled Moody standing alone at the lake's edge. Could it be that Barty Crouch Jr. had seized the opportunity to act? Moody could simply hide the Triwizard Tournament's portkey nearby to keep it out of Dumbledore's sight. Voldemort might not want to wait any longer and could be planning to abduct Harry. There was no need to wait for the tournament.
"Oh no!" Realizing the urgency, Evan quickly dashed towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Stop, Evan Mason!" Krum shouted, "I haven't finished speaking!"
Evan paid him no heed; there was no time to continue wasting with Krum here.
Seeing Evan's retreating figure, Krum wore a melancholic expression. He had seen the sparks in the air earlier and understood what had happened. However, today's conversation had been futile, yielding none of the results he desired. If Evan left now, he might as well have conceded defeat.
Krum knew that if Evan returned to discuss it further, Hermione would be exhausted from the ordeal.
For a moment, Krum hesitated, but he then retrieved his wand and aimed it at Evan, preventing him from leaving.
However, before he could fully grasp the situation, a red spell, thick as an arm, shot directly at him.
With a loud bang, Krum was thrown backward and landed heavily in the bushes.
Evan pushed through the undergrowth, making his way towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He arrived quickly, as it was not far away.
With a flick of his wand, he cast a few flames of light that illuminated the clearing and dispelled the surrounding darkness. Evan saw Ron and Hermione lying on the forest floor, but Harry was nowhere to be seen.
Was it already too late? His heart sank, and he noticed Mr. Crouch beside Ron.
"It's my fault, it's my fault!" Crouch muttered to himself, huddled against a large tree. His once-immaculate face was now contorted in terror.
Barty Crouch Sr. was here and not dead! Evan realized what was happening; he had arrived just in time. He tapped his wand, trying to loosen his stiff body. Barty Crouch Jr. must be nearby, and if a fight was inevitable, then let it begin!