It was the second-to-last Saturday before the exams.
Douglas had just finished making the rounds of the Practical Lesson Classrooms for each year and stepped out through the Castle's main doors.
He spotted two people from the Ministry of Magic. One was circling the Demon-Suppression Tower in front of the Castle, holding up a student beside him and asking for another explanation.
Douglas looked over curiously and asked in puzzlement:
"Uh, is the Wizarding Examinations Authority here this early this year? All right, no, it isn't."
One of the wizards was probably in his fifties. He stood ramrod straight, wearing an immaculate, crisp suit and a tie. His short mustache looked as though a slide rule had gained a mind of its own, climbed onto his face, and carefully trimmed it. It was so precise that even a salon stylist would have wept with envy! His shoes were polished to a shine, too.
If the man had not been standing at Hogwarts, Douglas would have taken him for a typical Muggle manager. His outfit was that authentic.
Though Douglas had never dealt with him, he recognized him at a glance as Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic. He had seen him in the Daily Prophet before.
The man paid no attention to the looks from passing students, instead urging his colleague on with a hint of impatience:
"Hurry up, Ludo. It's almost time for our appointment with Headmaster Dumbledore..."
Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, was a very lively man.
Douglas did know him. He had often asked Douglas for signed books and had even approached him indirectly through Charlie.
Ludo turned back to Crouch and said casually:
"Barty, it's hard to imagine. This is even