An Analysis

Ravenclaw's Common Room was always quieter than those of the other houses.

Lucretia entered through the bronze eagle knocker without drawing any attention.

Most of the upperclassmen had their heads buried in books and homework, quills scratching softly across parchment.

Several armchairs by the fireplace formed a small circle, where someone was quietly discussing grammatical changes in Ancient Runes. Every so often, the sound of turning pages drifted over.

Blue-and-bronze curtains swayed gently in the breeze, while the Constellation Chart on the ceiling slowly rotated. The entire room exuded the tranquil atmosphere of knowledge.

Lucretia climbed the spiral staircase leading to the girls' dormitory, her bag carrying a small vial of the potion she had just improved.

She could hardly wait to tell Sophia the news.

Although the potion was not perfect yet, it should temporarily ease Sophia's headaches. At the very least, she might be able to get a good night's sleep?

When she pushed open the dormitory door, Lucretia found Emma lying on her bed, flipping through an issue of The Young Witch, while Helena sat by the window organizing her notes.

Sophia's bed was neatly made and empty. The water glass and notebook on her bedside table had not been touched, as though she had not returned all day.

"Where's Sophia?"

Lucretia set her bag on her bed and glanced toward the empty one.

Helena looked up and used her ink-stained fingers to brush back her hair. With a sigh, she said, "She's still in the Hospital Wing. She said her headache was terrible this morning, and she was even staggering when she walked. Madam Pomfrey told her to stay for observation."

Emma rolled over onto her back, holding the magazine over her chest. "Yeah. I brought her lunch from the Great Hall at noon and went to see her. She was still half-asleep. I don't know what Madam Pomfrey gave her, but she looked completely groggy. It was heartbreaking to see."

Lucretia instinctively touched the potion vial in her pocket.

She picked up her bag again. "I'll go see her. Maybe I can help."

Helena raised an eyebrow. "Now? Student curfew has already passed. Filch is patrolling everywhere. If you get caught, you'll lose points and get detention."

Lucretia smiled. "I'll be careful. If I get caught, I'll just say it's an emergency. Besides, points can always be earned back."

Emma seemed to think of some scene from the magazine and laughed so hard it fell onto her face. "A young lady of the Crouch family in detention? Oh, Merlin, your two brothers would charge straight at Filch without a second thought. I bet it would be an all-out war."

Thinking of Little Barty's expression if he found out she had been given detention, Lucretia laughed as well.

"All right. If I really don't come back, maybe you'll get to see it."

The Hospital Wing doors closed softly as Sirius and James returned to Lupin's bedside.

Though separated by curtains, they still lowered their voices so they would not disturb Madam Pomfrey or the other patients.

Sirius spoke in a low, dissatisfied voice. "What the hell was Peter doing? Hiding in the corner and secretly recording her conversation with Crouch."

James soothed him. "Shh, calm down. We haven't known Wormtail for one day. He never asks directly. He's always sneaking around."

Lupin looked at them weakly. "Did you hear anything?"

James shook his head. "We were too far away. But I vaguely heard Miss Lucretia and Crouch discussing gathering some kind of special material. It sounded like it was for a potion to help you."

Lupin hesitated before speaking. "About that night... perhaps I should tell her I didn't become like this because of her spell. She looked genuinely terrified."

Sirius sat down in the chair beside the bed. "Wait before telling her. I trust that she won't casually tell anyone, and in your current condition, it's better not to risk meeting her. She already looked exhausted today. The dark circles under her eyes haven't even faded."

James's eyes lit up, and a mischievous grin spread across his face.

He deliberately drew out his words and made a measuring gesture. "Oh? You observed her very carefully, Padfoot. Did you also notice the tiny scratch on her left index finger? About two millimeters long, probably from a shard of glass while brewing potions. And that lilac ribbon in her hair—it was silk, wasn't it?"

Sirius gritted his teeth, the tips of his ears turning red enough to seem ready to catch fire. "Shut up, Fork!"

James spread his hands innocently. "I'm only telling the truth. We followed them for half the day, and all I noticed was that Crouch looked like he wanted to wrap her in his Slytherin robe, terrified someone else might look at her. But you—you got to use the Invisibility Cloak to stare at her openly the entire time."

Sirius grabbed the pillow from the bedside table. "Are you done?"

James clapped his hands, growing more excited as he spoke. "Don't forget her blinking frequency! I counted. It was faster than when we usually see her, an obvious sign of sleep deprivation..."

The pillow struck him squarely in the face.

James shook his head and continued laughing as he slapped his thigh.

"Don't be in such a hurry! Don't you remember how reluctant Crouch was to leave at the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room? 'Remember to rest early...'"

He imitated Little Barty's voice, making it cloyingly gentle.

"He was like a completely different person! And you, my friend, were like a dog guarding its food, practically dying to—ah!"

Sirius lunged forward and pinned James to the bed.

His fists landed on James's stomach without mercy, every punch seeming to vent something.

Lupin deliberately waited a few seconds before giving a light cough, trying to bring the topic back on track. "About Peter..."

"Ow... Padfoot... I was wrong!"

James clutched his stomach and begged for mercy, but he could not hide the gloating in his eyes.

Sirius grimly straightened his clothes and glared at James. "He was skulking in the corner tonight, recording her conversation with Crouch. That really isn't right."

James curled up against the bedframe at the foot of the bed, pretending to look pitiful. "Yeah, yeah. The key now is figuring out why Wormtail is so interested in her. He's been acting strange ever since the new term started."

Sirius frowned deeply. "Since the new term? Did you forget that he was already asking whether you knew anyone from the Crouch family on the train? And the strange way he watched whenever Lucretia passed by—it felt like..."

Ignoring Sirius's murderous glare, James grinned. "Exactly like the way you look at her. Except you're infatuated, while he is..."

Lupin's voice turned grave. "Studying her... like he was recording important data."

The Hospital Wing suddenly fell silent.

Sirius seized on that thought. "Yes, that's what I was trying to say. Peter has never been interested in girls, at least not in that way. The way he watched her was more like..."

Lupin took over, tapping the blanket lightly with his fingers. "He was carrying out a mission. I think Peter's focus isn't Lucretia herself... but what she represents behind her."

James's smile vanished completely as he drifted into some wild speculation. "If that's the case, he can't have fallen for Crouch, can he? I think Peter really has that kind of potential, don't you? But if Crouch found out, then Peter..."

Sirius's expression twitched as though he had recalled an unpleasant memory.

Lupin sighed, covered his face, and said slowly, "Fork, not Crouch. The Crouch family. Or, more specifically... Mr. Crouch."

"You mean because of Mr. Crouch's position at the Ministry of Magic?"

Lupin nodded. "It's very possible. Think about it. Peter has recently been asking about the Crouch family, including the details of their adoption of Lucretia, though no one knows exactly what he found out. And ever since the new term began, he has paid particular attention to her every move."

"That does explain it. Wormtail usually either hides from her or stammers around her, yet today he was calm enough to hide in a corner and take notes. Doesn't sound like some shy secret admirer~"

Sirius ignored James's teasing, pulled out the Marauder's Map with a cold expression, and checked it after murmuring the spell.

"Anyway, next time we see him, we need to sound him out... wait."

He stared at a dot on the map, and his voice suddenly stopped.