"He really thought he would still have a shot with me!?" Hermione growled angrily.
"Everything I just said and that's the thing that bothers you the most?" Harry asked her.
"I'm sorry, but Viktor Krum's audacity about it infuriates me!" She yelled in the empty Common Room.
It was the afternoon of the day Hermione found out her Grandfather was hospitalized, and finding out that Viktor asked Harry if Hermione still didn't want to go out with him struck a nerve in her that made her temporarily forget about everything, "Tell him he can shove his question up his arse!"
"I like this side of you ," Lucifer said, causing Hermione's face to heat up, "She takes no shit from anyone."
"Guys, can we get back on topic? About how I found Mr. Crouch wandering the Forest?" Harry asked them.
"It's concerning, Harry, trust me. I'm more aggravated that Snape prevented you from seeing Dumbledore, and I'm mad that I wasn't there... I'd have either forced him aside, or I'd have forced the
spiral staircase down so we could talk to the Headmaster," Lucifer said.
"But you weren't, so there's no point in being angry about it," Hermione said.
Ron was being unusually quiet.
"You alright, Ron?" Harry asked him.
"Yeah, I'm just trying to wrap my head around the situation... I think it had to have been Crouch..." Ron said, looking up at them, "that's why he was gone when you and Dumbledore showed up. He'd done a runner."
"No, I don't think so," Harry said, shaking his head, "he seemed really weak, too weak to do anything like running."
"Then I've got nothing..." Ron said, throwing his hands in the air.
"We don't have all the information... I'm sure of that... then again, when have we ever had all the information?" Lucifer said spitefully.
"It doesn't make anything easier, that's for sure," Hermione said in agreement.
With nothing else to add to the discussion, they all agreed to put it aside for the night and talk about it with fresh minds tomorrow.
xxxxx
Just as day broke the next morning, the four of them hurried up to the Owlery to send Sirius another letter about what happened.
They chose to wander out to the misty grounds to talk about it again without a chance of any interruption or someone overhearing them.
As they walked, Lucifer looked towards the Beauxbatons Carriage; Eve hadn't said a word to him since that night, when she tried to make him feel better, but refused her advances.
"Just go over it again, Harry..." he had heard Hermione say, "What did Crouch actually say?"
"I've told you, he wasn't making much sense," Harry said, "he said he wanted to warn Dumbledore about something. He also mentioned Bertha Jorkins, I know he did, and he seemed to think her to be dead. He kept saying stuff was his fault... and he mentioned his son."
"Well, that was his fault," Hermione said testily.
"He was out of his mind," Harry said, "Half the time he seemed to think his wife and son were still alive, and he kept talking to Percy about work and giving him instructions."
'I wonder... What if some of what he said was true about it? What if one of them is still alive?' Lucifer thought to himself.
"And... remind me what he said about You-know- Who?" Ron asked tentatively.
"That he's getting stronger... with each passing day," Harry said, a slight worry to his voice.
There was a pause. Ron's face was contorted into something resembling fear, then he said in a falsely confident voice, "But he was out of his mind, like you said, so half of it was probably just raving..."
"He was sanest when trying to talk about Voldemort," Harry said, Ron winced at the name, "he was having real trouble stringing two words together, but that was when he seemed to know where he was, and know what he wanted to do. He just kept saying he had to see Dumbledore."
"And then that greasy-haired bastard held you up in seeing Dumbledore, and I guarantee you he won't be held accountable for his actions..." Lucifer said venomously, "he never seems to be held accountable for anything he fucking does."
"We need to see Professor Moody... at Lunch Break. Sounds good?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, sounds fine to me," Lucifer agreed, but his focus was on the Beauxbatons Carriage in the distance.
Breakfast was to start in five minutes, and the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students would be making their way up to the school soon.
He kind of wanted to torture Krum into insanity, but he also wanted to talk to Eve.
Lucifer had to talk to her, and put this to rest. He was getting worried.
When he did talk to Eve, they would either rekindle whatever they had between them in the past, just become friends and nothing more.
He refocused on the present, only to find that Hermione was the only one still there, "They already went to Breakfast?"
"Yes," Hermione said quietly.
He said nothing, but he nodded to her and they both walked to the Castle side-by-side.
History of Magic class had gone rarely slow, even to Lucifer, and he was the least likely to complain about the class as he was always using Auto-quills to copy down his notes.
He saw that Harry kept checking Ron's watch, but it obviously wouldn't make the time go any faster.
Lucifer was as usual making his quill do the job, that seemed to infuriate Hermione every time she saw it.
She thought about breaking it again.
Lucifer had yet to fail an exam for the Ghostly Professor, and he wouldn't anytime soon.
Even Hermione hadn't been taking notes like she usually would.
Her chin rested in her palm as she stared out of focus at Lucifer's quill on the shared desk.
When the bell finally rang, the four of them jumped and bolted towards Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
They found Moody leaving the room, "Professor Moody?" Harry called over to him.
"Hello, Potter," Moody growled and he looked as tired as they all felt, even Lucifer was feeling sleepy.
Moody's Magical eye stared at a group of First-Years as they walked in front of him.
He caused them to break into a run and they rounded the corner, where his Magical eye had rolled into the back of his head, watching them as they got far enough away, "Come in here," he motioned them into his empty classroom.
He waited for them to enter before he closed the door and limped towards his desk.
"Did you find Mr. Crouch?" Harry asked at once.
"No," Moody said as he sat down with a groan and pulled out his flask, taking a swig.
"Did you use the map?" Harry asked.
"Of course I did. I took a page out of your book, Potter. I summoned it from my office," Moody looked pleased with himself, "but he wasn't anywhere there."
"So he did Disapparate - ow!" Ron yelled as Lucifer punched him painfully on the arm.
"You cannot fucking apparate or disapparate from the School Grounds! How many times do you have to be told that before it gets through your thick fucking skull!?" Lucifer asked, his anger spiking from Ron's ignorance.
"There are other ways he could've disappeared, isn't that right, Professor Moody?" Hermione asked him.
His Magical eye quivered away from Lucifer and it came to a rest on Hermione, "You're another one who might think about a career as an Auror,"
Moody said to Hermione, sitting up in his chair, "Your mind works the right way, Miss Granger."
Hermione flushed pink.
She had considered a career as an Auror, and now she believed she was right to think that.
"Well, he wasn't invisible," Harry said, "the map shows you on it if you are at all on the school grounds, so he must've left them."
"But under his own steam," Hermione said eagerly, "or because someone made him?"
"Kidnapping a high ranking Ministry Official is risky," Lucifer said, 'but honestly, I don't think he was kidnapped... I'm pretty sure he was killed... but if that's the case, who on the grounds of Hogwarts would want him dead?'
"The only thing we know for sure is that he's not here," Moody said, yawning widely, causing his scars to stretch, and his lopsided mouth revealed a number of missing teeth. "Now, Dumbledore tells me you four fancy yourselves as investigators, but there is nothing you can do for Crouch. The Ministry'll be looking for him now, Dumbledore's notified them. Potter, you just keep your mind on the Third Task."
"What?" Harry asked, seemingly forgetting the Task even existed, "Oh, yeah..."
"Should be right up your street this one," Moody said with an almost sinister grin, "From what Dumbledore said, you've gotten through things like this before, like getting the Philosopher's Stone and fighting a Basilisk?"
"Well..." Harry said slowly, "if it weren't for my friends, I wouldn't have gotten the Stone, and Lucifer's the one who took down the Basilisk..."
Moody eyed Lucifer carefully, almost analytically, "You would be one of the best Aurors, Morningstar. Have you given a thought about your Future yet?" Moody suddenly asked him.
"I already have my duties," Lucifer said with a distant look.
Hermione's brows twitched on realising what he meant.
"Damn," Moody growled, not taking his magic eye off him. "Constant Vigilance, the four of you, constant vigilance. Potter, if Morningstar here helps you prepare for the Third Task, there's no way you can lose it."
xxxxxx
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