Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

141

Hermione felt her entire insides freeze up as her eyes landed on him. He was sitting right behind a table with his hands out in front of him, chained to the tabletop. He appeared like he hadn't slept for weeks but still was sharp with wit. A dementor floated just a few feet away from him like it was Barty's own lawyer. Hermione walked over to the chair on the other side of the table and had a seat as Mr. Weasley and Percy stood right behind her. 

"I heard you wanted to speak to me. Why?" Hermione asked him. Barty shrugged his shoulders. 

"Why not? We have history with each other." Barty stated to her with a tilt of his head. Hermione rolled her eyes. 

"I wouldn't call stalking me history," Hermione shot at him, "Now what is it you want to tell me?" 

"No, no, no-- we're going do this in a form of a game," Barty said, leaning forward against the table. Hermione could hear Percy mumbling words under his breath as Barty continued on, "You know the Muggle Game 21 Questions? We each asked our own questions and we must answer truthfully." 

"If that's how you want to play it, you can go first," Hermione stated to him. 

"Can you really believe Rita Skeeter had paired the two of us together?" Barty asked her. Hermione felt her face turn bright red. She couldn't believe that that was the first question he asked her. 

"Given that it was Rita Skeeter who wrote the article, I'm not entirely surprise she would make something so crazy up." Hermione  explained to him, "Last time I saw you, you said that 'she' wanted me. Who is she?" 

"You still don't know?" 

"Clearly," 

"I gave you a hint." 

"Telling me, I supposedly know this woman, isn't a hint." 

"Oh, but it is plenty of a hint is you use that brain of yours." 

"So you're not going to tell me at all?" Hermione asked him. He shook his head that he wasn't going to answer. 

"My turn... so, do you think we would have make a cute couple if we met under different circumstances?" Barty asked. 

"Hey, keep it to the topic!" Percy shouted at Barty. Hermione shot a glare at Percy as Mr. Weasley was pulling him back from the table. Percy roughly pushed Mr. Weasley's hands off him before fixing his suit. Hermione turned back to Barty. 

"Probably not. I mean you're what? Forty?" Hermione asked him. 

"Thirty-four." 

"Yeah and I'll be sixteen in September," Hermione explained to him. His eyes widened. 

"So you're fifteen? Whoa-- talk about mature for your age. I would have put you down at least seventeen," He claimed to her. She shrugged her shoulders. 

"What are the plans of You-Know-Who?" She asked him, ignoring Percy's glare on the back of her head.  

"I'm not entirely sure. Probably whatever to help him rule the world," he stated to them. 

"You don't know?" 

"I'm not exactly on his side after I met my new friend," 

"So what's her plan?" 

"She keeps that mostly to herself. To ensure I don't blurt out any information of it to you guys," Barty stated to her. She shook her head.  

"Your turn," Hermione stated to him. 

"Which one do you think will die first?" Barty asked, motioning towards Percy and Mr. Weasley. Hermione could feel Percy and Mr. Weasley stiffen at his question. 

"What's that suppose to mean?" Hermione asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice. Barty began messing with his fingers before locking his eyes with hers. 

"A war's coming, Hermione... and not everyone's going to survive it. So who do you supposed between these two will survive and who will perish? The muggle-loving goof-ball or the ungrateful child, who rather have a career than his family?" Barty said. Hermione could feel the tension rising as a sense of panic feel the air. How did Barty know about Percy abandoning his family and it had to deal with the fact it was due to his job. 

"I think Arthur will be most likely to survive because he's more experienced... but then again, if Percy, here, just keeps that big nose of his out of everyone's business he might actually have a chance of getting through the war himself," Barty snickered, with his lips tilted up in a twisted smirk across his face. Hermione jumped when Mr. Weasley slammed his hand against the table. 

"You say one more threat against either one of us three, I will not hesitate in blasting you to pieces!" Mr. Weasley threatened Barty. Barty gave them a shock filled face like he didn't know what he was even referring to. 

"I'm only asking a simple question, Arthur," Barty said, batting his eyes. 

"You have one more question, ask wisely," Mr. Weasley told Barty. He nodded his head. 

"Okay, then this question is for Percy," Barty said tilting his head to the side as his eyes shot over towards Percy. Hermione felt her gut twist inside, knowing this wasn't going to go down well. 

"What," Percy hissed at him. 

"If all your family end up dead, would you cry over their bodies? Or would you be overjoyed?  After all they won't be in your way of your career, anymore--" Barty was cut off when suddenly Percy jumped across the table, nearly pushing Hermione off her chair. She stood up  as she watched Percy wrapping his hands around Barty's throw as Mr. Weasley was trying to pull him off of Barty. It felt like an hour till Mr. Weasley got Percy off Barty and was dragging him outside. Hermione turned on her heels as she headed out of the room, still hearing the echoing of Barty's laughter ringing into her ears. 

"He knew about Percy abandoning us? How did he know?" Ron asked, his mouth wide opened with shock. Hermione had finished telling Harry and him what happened with Barty during the interview after Harry had informed them he was cleared of all charges and celebrated his victory. 

"I'm not sure, but word got to him. It might be nothing, I bet everyone has heard Percy has left home and it just somehow slipped to Barty." Hermione suggested to them, "Also his dementor friend might have been roaming around and picked it up and somehow Barty is able to understand what the dementor had said." 

"But then he would have to have some sort of gift like you Hermione to be able to hear them. I highly doubt Barty is remotely tied with your family." Harry suggested to her. 

"Whatever it is, I doubt we should think on it too much." Hermione suggested. 

"Well besides that, it's clear you didn't really get much out of Barty." Harry said, "So are you going to go back in again? What happens now?" 

"I don't know. I'll just have to wait and see what happens." Hermione suggested to them. Silently though, she hoped she didn't have to be in the same room as that man again.