"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Dull blows echoed through the silent stone chamber, accompanied by Bill's commentary, like that of a devilish instructor.
"Your punches have no technique... your footwork is a complete mess... you're the worst class of Death Eaters I've ever seen."
Finally, Bill drove a precise elbow strike into the back of Barty Crouch Jr.'s neck. His vision went black, and he crumpled limply to the ground, completely unable to resist.
This was not a fight at all. It was a one-sided beating filled with humiliation and mockery.
"Whew... that felt good!"
Bill blew on his fists, as though merely blowing the dust off them.
"I've wanted to do that for ages. Holding it in was killing me!"
He bent down and easily picked up the exquisitely carved wooden box beside Barty Crouch Jr.'s limp body, along with Moody's clunky wooden leg and the Magical Eye that had stopped spinning.
"The Diadem, a wooden leg, an eyeball... not a bad haul."
He stuffed his spoils into a waist pouch enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
"All right, Mr. Crouch, that concludes our interactive session."
Bill straightened, glanced at Barty Crouch Jr., who lay on the floor like a dead dog, and turned to leave.
However, when he reached the "door," he stopped.
He looked up and saw the lines of text engraved on the stone wall beside it, along with an illustration of a pose whose artistry could only be called "uniquely inspired."
"Hogwarts Young Wizards' Glorious Declaration."
Bill's face fell instantly.
"Merlin's stinky socks... Douglas, you're an absolute devil!"
He let out a groan mingled with shame and despair.
Lying facedown on the floor, Barty Crouch Jr. raised his head with difficulty and looked at him as though he were mad.
He watched the Weasley who had just