the snake who lied [1] | a nagini story

Chapter 16

Nagini swore she'd kill whoever was spying on them.

Was this Dumbledore's plan? Perhaps he established how Crouch Junior escaped and was now following him.

Whoever was behind that bush could potentially endanger their mission. Nagini tried to contain the sickness formed in her throat and the chills which made her human hair stand up in fright.

Crouch Junior rose to his feet, sending a determined look to the girl, as if he was asking his Master for permission to act. Nagini nodded slowly and low to him.

Gaining his consent, the man jumped at full speed towards the thick bush, throwing his arms in front to catch the culprit. Ruffling in the leaves and receiving small cuts caused by the sharp roots, he struggled a bit, seeming as if his hands did not catch the figure yet. 

Behind, Nagini woke up on her feet, but not remembering when exactly she stood up. Her breath was hitched, caught in the pit of her neck, quick curses running through her anxious mind, wondering which one of them would be most effective. Of course, she wasn't worried of losing in a combat - she was very well aware of the intensity of her powers and physical fighting skills, plus alongside her was the loyal Barty Crouch Junior, professional dark arts wizard, ready to fight her battles if needed. What distressed Nagini was the possibility of her secret being revealed  and risking losing all the trust she succeeded to gain from Harry Potter - she must not let anyone or anything interfere with the grand plan.

At last, Crouch finally pulled himself out of the bush, but this time in his arms could be found a rather ugly creature, wrestling and trying to break free from the man's grasp. Huge brown eyes covered its face and a nose the exact size and shape of a large tomato. Nagini exhaled the breath she desperately needed to lose and chuckled in relief. This was Winky, the loyal  house-elf of the Crouch family.

"I should have known it was you." said Crouch, laughing manically.

Winky kept squeaking, her self so panicked that enormous tears started streaming down her wrinkled face. 

"I worry about Mr. Crouch Junior, I went looking for him when he was not in the tent!" the elf tried to explain while Crouch set her down on the ground, but Nagini quickly used wandless magic to bind her arms and legs.

"This could go a lot easier if you stay quiet, Winky." said Nagini calmly, looking down and her and smiling softly. In this kind of situations she was never showing signs of kindness, but she figured that in this moment Winky felt  hopeless, just as she herself used to feel in her past life, before Voldemort saved her. 

The small creature turned to stare back at Nagini and her eyes widened. "You is Harry Potter's friend! I see you at the stadium."

"Indeed you did." she retorted, keeping her front.

"B-but, how is you know Mr. Crouch? Mr. Crouch Senior told Winky nobody know about the son!"  the house-elf cried.

"Well Winky, I aren't really nobody, but you don't have to bother yourself with all of that." Nagini slouched on her knees and glared directly into her eyes, her sweet smile dropping and instead forming a loop-sided grin. "Now tell me what is your business with spying us." she sneered.

Winky nodded her head in 'no', meaning that she won't talk to Nagini. The human snake threw her gaze to Crouch, signaling him to order her. 

Crouch received the sign and turned Winky around to force her petite figure to stare directly at him in utter fear and horror.

"Winky, I order you to tell me why you were spying us!" he yelled.

Now the house-elf had no other choice than to just answer, her voice trembling slightly. "I-I is not spying, sir! I is looking for you, sir! I is deeply worried for you, sir!" she pleaded, her eyes watering once again.