Annabeth Chase the Triwizard Champion

Chapter Thirty Two

Harry didn't sleep much that night, and he was barely paying attention in any of his classes the next day. The way Crouch had just crawled out of the forest last night, delirious one second and then speaking clearly the next, it wouldn't get out of Harry's head.

Crouch hadn't had the presence of mind to stun Krum and duel Annabeth, and Annabeth had said that there was someone else. So who was it?

Harry had written to Sirius about it first thing in the morning while he discussed what had happened with Ron and Hermione, and he was waiting anxiously for a reply. In the meantime, though, he needed to talk to Annabeth.

At lunch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the Great Hall early. Harry had told them all about the night before, and though Harry's account was a lot, they needed to hear Annabeth's side of the story of what happened after Harry left, and Harry and Hermione (not so much Ron) were anxious to see if she was okay.

When they got to the hospital wing, the door was closed. Harry pushed it open and they went inside anyway.

Annabeth was lying on the bed closest to the door with her arms crossed tightly, glaring at the ceiling. She looked over at the trio and pushed herself up into a sitting position.

Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have an intuition for this, rushed out of her office and pushed Annabeth back down.

"Lie down, Chase, you have a concussion!" she said sternly. "You need rest!"

"I feel fine!" Annabeth protested, fighting Madam Pomfrey's grip.

"Where are your friends?" Hermione asked, moving to Annabeth's bedside.

"Why don't you ask her?" Annabet replied, glaring at Madam Pomfrey.

"Teenagers!" Pomfrey exclaimed. "You need three meals a day, especially when you're still growing! You three, go eat lunch!"

"We ate already!" Hermione, who had predicted this, said.

"Well, fine!" Madam Pomfrey shouted. She stepped away and pointed at Annabeth. "But you stay down!"

As soon as Madam Pomfrey had disappeared back into her office, Annabeth pushed herself into a sitting position, which Harry found incredibly brave.

"Where do you want to start?" Annabeth asked.

"Are you okay?" Hermione said immediately.

"Fine."

"How about we start with what you were doing out there in the first place?" Ron said crossly.

"What do you think?" Annabeth replied in the same tone. "That I'd just watch Harry and Krum wander over to the woods alone and do nothing?" She turned to Harry. "What exactly did Crouch say before I got there? Tell me everything."

Harry was reluctant, but Annabeth was in this now, whether he liked it or not. And Sirius trusted her, and Harry trusted Sirius. So he recounted everything Crouch had said, whether he had been babbling or semi coherent, about Dumbledore, Voldemort, his warnings, how he hadn't seemed to notice Harry or Krum when he was talking clearly. He told her everything Crouch had said, right up to the point when he had run into her on the grounds.

"And then someone attacked," Annabeth muttered, seemingly to herself. "He said Voldemort was getting stronger. How would he know? Unless..."

"God, you're as bad as Hermione," Ron said disdainfully. "Unless what?"

Annabeth looked up. "Unless whoever took him is working for Voldemort."

"The person you dueled in the forest," Hermione said urgently, eyes wide, "what did they sound like?"