Unwritten Destiny | Drarry

Chapter 19

The next week passed quickly, filled with an exhausting routine and an ever-present sense of dread. I still didn't stop taking the dreamless potion. I knew that it could help me figure it out whatever laid next. But I was terrified of the answer and hating going back to bad nights of sleep.

Professor Moody continued to be a constant pain, taking every opportunity to say something nasty about me. It was almost as if he had a personal vendetta. Harry, bless him, kept jumping to my defense, and I had to hold him back more times than I could count. He was losing house points at an incredible speed, and with the Triwizard Tournament coming up, he couldn't afford to be even more hated by his colleagues.

Harry was a good change in my routine. Nowadays, I spent most of my time with Harry. He had most of his meals at the Slytherin table now, sometimes sitting at his own table with Granger – he still didn't talk with Weasley. Either way, it was nice to have him around more often.

Muggle Studies was surprisingly enjoyable thanks to Heather and Imogen, my two new friends. Heather was lively and did most of the talking, filling the room with her infectious energy. Imogen, despite her intimidating demeanor, turned out to be a sweetheart. Their company made the class far more enjoyable.

It was Friday, and I found myself chilling by the lake with Harry. I had no idea where my usual friends were, but I bumped into Harry earlier, and he asked me to hang out. As we sat by the water, I noticed a conflicted expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Harry glanced at me, his brows furrowing. "I've been thinking about our theory that a Death Eater put my name in the Goblet. I discovered that Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang, used to be a Death Eater."

I pondered this slowly. The idea of Karkaroff being involved seemed too obvious, too on the nose. My mind raced through the possibilities, considering the kind of person Karkaroff was known to be. As the headmaster of Durmstrang, he had a reputation to uphold, and exposing himself by doing something so blatant didn't add up.

Also, Dumbledore was incredibly perceptive and cautious. If Karkaroff were truly behind it, Dumbledore would have likely taken immediate action. Plus, it would be strategically foolish for Karkaroff to draw attention to himself so openly being such an obvious suspect.

"Karkaroff is a known figure," I mused aloud. "It doesn't make sense for him to act so overtly, it would be too risky" I explained my opinion. "Also, it would be too obvious, if he were truly behind this, Dumbledore would have already done something."

Harry nodded but then asked, "Do you think he could still be a Death Eater?"

"It's hard to say. Some ex-Death Eaters avoided condemnation by claiming they were under the Imperius Curse or by providing vital information. Karkaroff could have done one of those two things. But with Voldemort gone, he might have changed alliances."

"What if he wasn't gone?" Harry's voice was almost a whisper.

"If that were the case, it would be hard to resist the Mark. But even then, it would be too obvious if he were the one to blame for your name being in the Goblet."

Harry seemed to agree, though the conflict in his eyes remained. After a pause, he added, "What about Barty Crouch? I heard he sent his own son to Azkaban. Do you know anything about that?"

I was taken by surprise. "I've never heard of it, but maybe someone in my family has. I could ask around, perhaps my aunt Andromeda."

"That could be good," Harry said, though he still looked troubled. There was a long silence, and I could see the conflict in his eyes deepening. "What is it?" I pressed.