When Myths Meet Magic || 4

24|| Annabeth

"What happened?" Annabeth asked as Harry and Nico came running into the Common Room.

"Mr. Crouch... Krum... Stunned... Snape is... jerk... Gone..."

"Repeat that very slowly," Hermione said, who had stood up in alarm.

"We saw Mr. Crouch," Harry panted. "He's gone mad, insane, thought Percy was a tree--"

Percy frowned. "What?"

"Percy Weatherby!" Nico waved his hands impatiently. "That's not important."

"Actually, it's very important!" Thalia said. "You say Percy was turned into a tree?"

"He seemed to think so! And he didn't notice that it wasn't Percy! Weasley!" Harry added quickly. "Then he went blabbing on about how he had to see Dumbledore, and how Voldemort was rising--" Ron flinched. "So I left to get Dumbledore-- Nico was waiting for me-- then the Gargoyle wouldn't open, then Snape was there being a slimy jerk, but Dumbledore came down and then we went to find them again, but Crouch was gone and Krum was stunned and then Krum came back and said Crouch attacked him from behind!" Harry drew in a long, drawn out breath as he finished.

Annabeth rubbed her temples. "So... you're saying that Mr. Crouch, Ministry official, was found drunk in the Forbidden forest? Then he attacked Krum and vanished?"

"Yep," Nico confirmed.

"That doesn't make any sense," Annabeth murmured. "First of all, what was he doing in the Forbidden Forest? Percy was pretty certain that he was on sick leave--"

"He probably knew," Ron grumbled. "But he's just so in love with Crouch that he made a cover story for him."

"And then what was all this about Voldemort rising?" Annabeth asked. Ron flinched again. "I know there've been a lot of events in the past years--"

"Sorcerer's stone," Hermione supplied.

"Riddle's diary," Jason added.

"Wormtail," Thalia said.

"And the Quidditch World Cup," Harry remembered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did," Annabeth said finally. "But when? And how?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out, is there?" Nico asked, smiling grimly. "We just have to wait."

Harry threw his head back over the couch and groaned. "I hate waiting. Especially when Voldemort's involved."

Ron flinched again.

"If Snape hadn't held me up," Harry said bitterly. "We would've gotten there in time. 'The headmaster is busy, Potter... what's this rubbish, Potter?' Why couldn't he have just gotten out of the way?"

"Maybe he didn't want you to get there!" Ron said quickly. "Maybe-- hang on-- how fast d'you reckon he could've gotten down to the forest? D'you reckon he could've beaten you and Dumbledore there?"

"Not unless he can turn himself into a bat or something," Nico said, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't put it past him," Thalia muttered.

Percy frowned at the fire. "Is it too early to wake up Moody?"

"Yes," Harry replied immediately. "He'd probably curse us through the door for waking him up at the crack of dawn; he'd think someone was trying to kill him in his sleep."

Despite it being three in the morning, they went to breakfast.

"Thank the gods for house elves," Ron said to the platters heaping with bacon and sausages and potatoes. Hermione frowned a bit. (I'm not having her as obsessed over SPEW in this because it was kind of hard to integrate it in here. Also it's not in the movie so there's another excuse.)