Chapter 672: Angry Hagrid
Evan quickly put his hand on her shoulder and told her to lie still.
“What happened?” Hermione asked softly. “After Harry left, I felt something was wrong, as though someone was hiding in the dark and peeping at us. I just cast a red spark of warning and I was knocked down...”
"You did a good job, Hermione!" Evan recapitulated what happened just now.
He did not say that the person who fought with himself was Barty Crouch Jr., but that he did not know him.
"Who’s that man, why does he want to kill Mr. Crouch?" said Hermione, turning to the direction in which Mr. Crouch disappeared. "Evan, what should we do now? We have to go and save him…"
Just then, there was a sound of footsteps. Dumbledore and Harry had come.
The two of them ran in a hurry, a narrow beam of light traveling from black trunk to black trunk.
"What happened, Evan?" Dumbledore asked calmly. "Where’s Crouch?!"
"He ran away, either wandering in the woods, or else..." Evan said again what had happened.
Dumbledore listened to Evan’s account, staring thoughtfully at the dark woods, understanding what Evan meant.
"Professor, shall we go to him or go back and ask for help?" Harry asked.
"No," said Dumbledore quickly. "Stay here, Harry, all of you."
He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid’s cabin. Something silvery darted out of it and streaked away through the trees like a ghostly bird.
Then, Dumbledore bent over and awakened Ron.
Ron woke up and put a hand up to his head.
"It hurts!" he shouted. "He attacked me! The old madman attacked me! Hermione suddenly fainted, I was about to go over and see what happened, the old madman attacked me from behind!"
"Not Mr. Crouch, someone else!" Harry explained to him.
In a short while, the sound of thunderous footfalls reached them, and Hagrid came panting into sight with Fang at his heels. He was carrying his crossbow.
"Professor Dumbledore!" he said, his eyes widening. "Oh, you four, what happened here?"
He looked around uncomfortably, watching the traces left by Evan and Barty Crouch Jr. after the battle.
"Hagrid, kindly alert Professor Moody..."
"No need, Dumbledore," said a wheezy growl. "I’m here."
Moody was limping toward them, leaning on his staff, his wand lit.
He had changed his clothes and there was no sign of any battle with Evan on him. Behind him floated a stretcher on which Krum was lying unconscious.
"I would’ve been here quicker, if it wasn't for this damn leg!" said Moody furiously, pointing at his fake leg.
"Professor, what happened to Krum?" said Ron in surprise, looking at Krum behind Moody.
"Stunned … as though he’d been attacked by someone." said Moody with a rough voice, his magical eye rolling.
Evan remembered he had been burned by the magical fire, but now he looked as though nothing had happened, it was really...
"Krum is badly hurt; I think someone wanted to kill the child. Fortunately, I was patrolling in the woods, and here he is! "
Hearing Moody's words, Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned their heads to look at Evan.
"Well, I did attack him, but he didn't faint and didn't get hurt when I left." Evan sighed and said what happened between him and Krum and the last Shield Charm he used.
He did not expect that Krum would meet Barty Crouch Jr., this guy was really unfortunate!
"Professor, it was not Evan who did it. It was the man who was after Mr. Crouch," said Harry in a hurry. "He must have met Krum in the woods and attacked him."
"Yeah!" said Hermione anxiously. "I can prove Evan..."
"Quiet, Miss Granger!" Moody shouted. "You just mentioned Crouch?!"
"Yes, he disappeared into the woods, we must find him!" said Dumbledore, examining Krum. "Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff, he must be informed about this."
"Oh yeah … right away, Professor!" Hagrid looked anxiously at Evan and the other three. Then he turned and disappeared into the dark trees, Fang trotting after him.
Moody also learned the story from Harry and Ron. He raised his wand.
"Damn, I was here just now, but I didn’t see them. I’m going to find Crouch!" he said, limping off into the forest.
The others did not speak, and Dumbledore calmly looked at Moody's back and did not stop him.
No doubt, he was going to deal with Mr. Crouch’s body now.
"Professor, is Krum okay?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"No problem, but he’ll have to rest for a while!" said Dumbledore.
After a while, they heard the unmistakable sounds of Hagrid and Fang returning. Karkaroff was hurrying along behind them. He was wearing his sleek silver furs, and he looked pale and agitated.
"What is this?" He cried when he saw Krum on the ground. "What’s going on?!"
"Igor, he has been attacked," said Dumbledore. "This..."
He hadn't finished yet, and Karkaroff had drawn himself up, clutching his furs around him, looking livid.
"Enough, treachery, all treachery!" he bellowed, pointing at Dumbledore. "I see. It is a plot! You and your Ministry of Magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore. This is not an equal competition! First, you sneak Weasley into the tournament, though he is underage! Now, you want to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences … here’s what I think of you!"
Karkaroff spat onto the ground at Dumbledore’s feet. In one swift movement, Hagrid seized the front of Karkaroff’s furs, lifted him into the air, and slammed him against a nearby tree.
"Apologize…" Hagrid snarled as Karkaroff gasped for breath, Hagrid’s massive fist at his throat, his feet dangling in midair.
"Hagrid, no!" Dumbledore shouted, his eyes flashing sharply.
Hagrid removed the hand pinning Karkaroff to the tree, and Karkaroff slid all the way down the trunk and slumped in a huddle at its roots; a few twigs and leaves showered down upon his head, and he looked very embarrassed.
Chapter 672: Angry Hagrid
Evan quickly put his hand on her shoulder and told her to lie still.
“What happened?” Hermione asked softly. “After Harry left, I felt something was wrong, as though someone was hiding in the dark and peeping at us. I just cast a red spark of warning and I was knocked down...”
"You did a good job, Hermione!" Evan recapitulated what happened just now.
He did not say that the person who fought with himself was Barty Crouch Jr., but that he did not know him.
"Who’s that man, why does he want to kill Mr. Crouch?" said Hermione, turning to the direction in which Mr. Crouch disappeared. "Evan, what should we do now? We have to go and save him…"
Just then, there was a sound of footsteps. Dumbledore and Harry had come.
The two of them ran in a hurry, a narrow beam of light traveling from black trunk to black trunk.
"What happened, Evan?" Dumbledore asked calmly. "Where’s Crouch?!"
"He ran away, either wandering in the woods, or else..." Evan said again what had happened.
Dumbledore listened to Evan’s account, staring thoughtfully at the dark woods, understanding what Evan meant.
"Professor, shall we go to him or go back and ask for help?" Harry asked.
"No," said Dumbledore quickly. "Stay here, Harry, all of you."
He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid’s cabin. Something silvery darted out of it and streaked away through the trees like a ghostly bird.
Then, Dumbledore bent over and awakened Ron.
Ron woke up and put a hand up to his head.
"It hurts!" he shouted. "He attacked me! The old madman attacked me! Hermione suddenly fainted, I was about to go over and see what happened, the old madman attacked me from behind!"
"Not Mr. Crouch, someone else!" Harry explained to him.
In a short while, the sound of thunderous footfalls reached them, and Hagrid came panting into sight with Fang at his heels. He was carrying his crossbow.
"Professor Dumbledore!" he said, his eyes widening. "Oh, you four, what happened here?"
He looked around uncomfortably, watching the traces left by Evan and Barty Crouch Jr. after the battle.
"Hagrid, kindly alert Professor Moody..."
"No need, Dumbledore," said a wheezy growl. "I’m here."
Moody was limping toward them, leaning on his staff, his wand lit.
He had changed his clothes and there was no sign of any battle with Evan on him. Behind him floated a stretcher on which Krum was lying unconscious.
"I would’ve been here quicker, if it wasn't for this damn leg!" said Moody furiously, pointing at his fake leg.
"Professor, what happened to Krum?" said Ron in surprise, looking at Krum behind Moody.
"Stunned … as though he’d been attacked by someone." said Moody with a rough voice, his magical eye rolling.
Evan remembered he had been burned by the magical fire, but now he looked as though nothing had happened, it was really...
"Krum is badly hurt; I think someone wanted to kill the child. Fortunately, I was patrolling in the woods, and here he is! "
Hearing Moody's words, Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned their heads to look at Evan.
"Well, I did attack him, but he didn't faint and didn't get hurt when I left." Evan sighed and said what happened between him and Krum and the last Shield Charm he used.
He did not expect that Krum would meet Barty Crouch Jr., this guy was really unfortunate!
"Professor, it was not Evan who did it. It was the man who was after Mr. Crouch," said Harry in a hurry. "He must have met Krum in the woods and attacked him."
"Yeah!" said Hermione anxiously. "I can prove Evan..."
"Quiet, Miss Granger!" Moody shouted. "You just mentioned Crouch?!"
"Yes, he disappeared into the woods, we must find him!" said Dumbledore, examining Krum. "Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff, he must be informed about this."
"Oh yeah … right away, Professor!" Hagrid looked anxiously at Evan and the other three. Then he turned and disappeared into the dark trees, Fang trotting after him.
Moody also learned the story from Harry and Ron. He raised his wand.
"Damn, I was here just now, but I didn’t see them. I’m going to find Crouch!" he said, limping off into the forest.
The others did not speak, and Dumbledore calmly looked at Moody's back and did not stop him.
No doubt, he was going to deal with Mr. Crouch’s body now.
"Professor, is Krum okay?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"No problem, but he’ll have to rest for a while!" said Dumbledore.
After a while, they heard the unmistakable sounds of Hagrid and Fang returning. Karkaroff was hurrying along behind them. He was wearing his sleek silver furs, and he looked pale and agitated.
"What is this?" He cried when he saw Krum on the ground. "What’s going on?!"
"Igor, he has been attacked," said Dumbledore. "This..."
He hadn't finished yet, and Karkaroff had drawn himself up, clutching his furs around him, looking livid.
"Enough, treachery, all treachery!" he bellowed, pointing at Dumbledore. "I see. It is a plot! You and your Ministry of Magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore. This is not an equal competition! First, you sneak Weasley into the tournament, though he is underage! Now, you want to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences … here’s what I think of you!"
Karkaroff spat onto the ground at Dumbledore’s feet. In one swift movement, Hagrid seized the front of Karkaroff’s furs, lifted him into the air, and slammed him against a nearby tree.
"Apologize…" Hagrid snarled as Karkaroff gasped for breath, Hagrid’s massive fist at his throat, his feet dangling in midair.
"Hagrid, no!" Dumbledore shouted, his eyes flashing sharply.
Hagrid removed the hand pinning Karkaroff to the tree, and Karkaroff slid all the way down the trunk and slumped in a huddle at its roots; a few twigs and leaves showered down upon his head, and he looked very embarrassed.
