The Disappearance of Crouch

Cedric did not stay in the common room long. Clara heard him tell Ernie that Mr. Bagman had summoned the four Champions to the Quidditch Pitch to tell them what the Third Task would be.

Clara watched him disappear through the barrel entrance, then lowered her head and reopened her spellbook. The words on the page danced in the firelight. She stared at them for a long time, but did not take in a single one.

Rowle shifted over from the other end of the sofa and gently bumped her shoulder against Clara's. "Are you all right? For a moment just now, you looked like someone had drained all the strength out of you."

"I'm fine." Clara came back to herself and shook her head, though her fingers unconsciously folded the corner of a page, unfolded it, then folded it again.

There was only one month left until June twenty-fourth.

She knew the Third Task was a maze, that it contained many Fantastic Beasts, and that there was deadly danger inside. But she did not know what You-Know-Who's plot was, whether everything she had done over the past six months had really been of any use, or whether the amulet would really take her to Cedric's side.

Dumbledore was right: she had to treat every time she went back as the last. She could not assume there would always be a next time.

Seeing her friend's silence, Rowle did not press her. She simply picked up a chocolate cookie from the table and put it in Clara's hand, then sat quietly beside her, opened Clara's crumpled spellbook and smoothed out its folded corners one page at a time.

About half an hour later, the barrel entrance was pushed open again. Cedric returned, followed by an excited-looking Ernie Macmillan.

The moment Ernie came in, he started shouting, "It's a maze! Ced said the Quidditch Pitch is full of hedges, and Mr. Bagman said there are all kinds of Magical Creatures and spell obstacles inside. Whoever touches the Triwizard Cup in the middle first wins!"

Several younger students immediately crowded around, firing questions at once. Surrounded by them, Cedric made his way toward the fireplace with a patient but helpless smile, answering, "Yes, it's a maze," "I don't know how big it is," and "Mr. Bagman said the hedges are about twenty feet high."

Clara looked up, and their eyes briefly met across the firelight and the shifting heads. She gave him a slight nod, the faintest curve touching her lips. Cedric smiled back, then Ernie pulled him into the middle of the discussion.

The excitement did not last long before the barrel entrance was pushed open a third time.

The person who entered this time brought the entire common room to silence for two seconds. Snape stood at the entrance, the silver trim on his black robes glinting in the firelight. His gaze passed over several tables and a few gaping younger students before settling unerringly on Clara in the corner of the sofa.

"Miss Albert," he said, his voice quiet but oppressive. Clara quickly rose from the sofa, a bad feeling coming over her. "Headmaster Dumbledore needs to see you about an important matter. You are to go to the Forbidden Forest at once. And Mr. Diggory, I advise you not to celebrate too soon."

With that, he left, moving as quickly as if there were a Troll in the room.

The Hufflepuffs looked at one another for a few seconds, then resumed whispering among themselves. The subject shifted from the maze to "Why did Snape come to the Hufflepuff Common Room?" but soon shifted back again.

Cedric extricated himself from the crowd and walked over to Clara.

His brow was slightly furrowed, and his gray-blue eyes still held the confusion and concern he had felt on hearing Snape's words. Ernie called from behind him to continue talking about the maze. Cedric looked back and gestured for him to wait, then lowered his voice. "Are you in some kind of trouble? Does it have anything to do with the article Skeeter wrote before? I can help explain if you need me to."

He had clearly noticed the hostility in Snape's words just now—and perhaps the unfamiliar owl post she had occasionally received in the common room during this time as well.

"Probably not. Professor Dumbledore wouldn't send Professor Snape all this way over something so trivial and boring. Besides, that matter hasn't had any real effect on me." Clara took her wand from her bag, stood up and brushed the cookie crumbs from her robes. "It's probably about my special training lessons. Don't worry."

She paused and met his slightly worried gaze, a reassuring smile appearing on her lips. "And don't take Professor Snape's last remark to heart. Most likely, he just saw how much fun everyone was having with the discussion. That's just how he is."

Cedric's brow relaxed a little at that, though his smile was still somewhat strained. He nodded and asked no more questions, only adding as she turned to leave, "Come to me anytime you need help. No matter how late."

Clara did not look back. She merely raised a hand and waved to him, then climbed out through the barrel entrance and hurried along the stone corridor toward the Forbidden Forest.

On the way, she encountered Harry, whom Hagrid was escorting back. Harry looked a little surprised to see her.

"Clara? Are you going to the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore sent for me." Harry did not look well, and Clara felt increasingly uneasy. "Did something happen?"

"Mr. Crouch has disappeared, and Krum was attacked." Harry wanted to say more, but Hagrid's large hand landed on his shoulder, interrupting him. "Professor Dumbledore's waiting over there, Miss Albert." Hagrid tilted his head toward the Forbidden Forest, then turned back to Harry and gave him a gentle push in another direction. "Harry, you need to go back to Gryffindor Tower now."

Clara took a deep breath, tightened her grip on her wand and quickened her pace toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Torches brightly lit the clearing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore stood at the front, his dark blue robes stirring slightly in the night breeze. His usual kindly smile was gone, replaced by a grave expression. Karkaroff stood before him, his face livid and his hands waving in the air, his voice as shrill as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Dumbledore! My Champion was attacked at your school! In the Forbidden Forest! Krum can't even get a complete sentence out now! You're in league with Crouch, aren't you? You want to weaken the Durmstrang Champion!"

"Igor, I understand your anger." Dumbledore's voice was steady and deep, like a stone worn by years of flowing water; no matter how Karkaroff roared, he stirred no ripples. "But Barty Crouch's disappearance is as confusing and worrying to me as it is to you. As for what happened to Mr. Krum, my first priority is to ensure his safety and find out the truth, not to suspect my colleague without any evidence."

Karkaroff seemed about to say more, but Dumbledore had already spotted Clara. He gave her a slight nod, then gestured for Karkaroff to wait.

"Igor, we will talk later. I have another urgent matter to attend to now."

Karkaroff glared at him, then at Clara, before turning and striding away, still muttering something in Bulgarian. Krum stood nearby in the shadow of the trees, looking dazed, with several bloody scratches from branches on his forehead. He clearly had not fully recovered from the attack.

Once their figures had disappeared in the direction of the castle, the edge of the Forbidden Forest fell considerably quieter. Torches flickered in the night breeze, casting alternating light and shadow across Dumbledore's face. He gestured for Clara to step aside with him, away from the few teachers still talking in low voices, then took a magical photograph from the inner pocket of his robes and handed it to her.

The photograph showed a middle-aged man with impeccably combed hair and well-tailored dark robes. He wore a serious expression, with a hint of the calculation and scrutiny characteristic of a politician.

"Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore said. "He has disappeared. According to Harry, he was already delirious when he was found in the Forbidden Forest, repeatedly mentioning 'master' and 'warning.' Unfortunately, by the time Harry informed me and we returned, he was gone, and Krum, who had stayed with him the whole time, had also been attacked with a jinx. The professors are searching, but so far they have found no trace of him."

Clara looked down at the serious-faced man in the photograph, her brow furrowing slightly. The lines on his face, his impeccably combed hair, and those deep-set eyes.

She felt she ought to have seen him somewhere before. But she was certain she had not, at least not anywhere other than in newspapers.

Dumbledore did not miss the subtle change in her expression.

"Miss Albert, did you ever meet Mr. Crouch when you went back before? Or rather, did Mr. Crouch ever appear at Hogwarts before the Third Task?"

Clara shook her head. She had only seen Mr. Crouch once from a distance during the first two tasks, and she could also be sure that he had not appeared at the Third Task.

"Professor, I didn't see Mr. Crouch at the Third Task, but I also never heard of him appearing in the Forbidden Forest today. It might be because I wasn't involved before." She hesitated, then voiced her suspicion. "But Professor, this photograph looks very familiar to me. I don't know if it's because I saw him at the judges' table before, but I keep feeling that the features of this face remind me of Fake Moody. But I'm certain it isn't him."

She paused. "Could Mr. Crouch have any relatives? A younger brother or a son, for example?"

Dumbledore's fingers paused at the edge of the photograph. He looked up at Clara, and a sharp glint flashed briefly in his blue eyes before being replaced by deeper contemplation.

"Barty Crouch did have a son-also named Barty Crouch. Barty Crouch Jr. But according to the Ministry of Magic's official records, he died in Azkaban." He put the photograph back in his pocket. "I will look into this. Thank you, Clara. You have given me a direction I had not considered before."

He turned back to her, his expression returning to its usual gentleness. "Clara, please keep tonight's events secret for now, including Mr. Crouch's disappearance and the attack on Krum. I think the fewer people who know before the truth comes to light, the better."

Clara nodded.

"I understand, Professor."