Hearing Bellatrix Lestrange cast the Summoning Charm, Neville instinctively gripped the Cloak of Invisibility tighter, only to remember something.
His grandmother had told him that the family's Cloaks of Invisibility had all been modified with a counter-charm to the Summoning Charm, allowing them to resist its effects.
Bellatrix Lestrange narrowed her eyes slightly and swept her gaze around, her eyes like a venomous snake lying in wait.
"Were we overthinking it?" Her tone was thick with suspicion. She remained poised on guard, her wand clenched tightly in her hand, ready to attack at the slightest disturbance.
"Bella..." Barty Crouch Jr. tapped Bellatrix Lestrange's arm with his wand. "The younger brother is lying on the older brother's chest. Would they really..."
There was some hesitation in his voice, as though he were searching for the right words. "Er... be that close as brothers?"
He was looking toward the living room, where Rodolphus Lestrange lay unconscious, with Rabastan Lestrange sprawled across Rodolphus Lestrange's chest.
Bellatrix Lestrange's voice was filled with disgust. "It only makes me sick!"
Tap!
A loud footstep exploded through the silent corridor. Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. spun around at the same time, aiming their wands toward where the sound had come from.
The moment Neville heard the footstep, his heart lurched. He knew full well that he had been exposed.
Could it have been when Barty Crouch Jr. tapped Bellatrix Lestrange with his wand... Was he actually casting a spell silently?
Neville recalled what his grandmother had told him: when Barty Crouch Jr. had studied at Hogwarts, his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. results had both been outstanding;
After graduating, Barty Crouch Jr. had quickly become a Death Eater—and a core one at that—highly valued by Voldemort;
Those two points alone showed just how capable Barty Crouch Jr. was,