"What happened between you and the house-elves in the kitchen?" Anne asked, though her eyes were fixed on Hermione. "I went there this afternoon, and they all said you're no longer welcome."
It was Sunday evening. Dinner had just ended, and Anne had intercepted the trio, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as they were heading back to their dorms.
A flicker of guilt crossed Hermione's face.
"What about Dobby?" Harry asked quickly.
"I asked him too. He said you're still welcome, but he doesn't speak for the others. He also wouldn't say why. Just told me he was keeping it secret 'for Harry Potter, sir,'" Anne replied.
Before the three could react, Fanny chimed in, her curiosity clearly piqued. "Does this have anything to do with you sneaking off yesterday afternoon to that deserted spot behind Hogsmeade?"
All three of them instantly tensed up. Panic flashed across their faces, especially Harry's.
"You followed us? Did you see anything?" he asked nervously.
Fanny shook her head. "No. I saw you three slip away, and I wanted to follow, but Anne…"
"Ahem!" Anne suddenly coughed loudly, cutting her off on purpose. A group of laughing lower-year students was approaching from around the corridor's bend.
"Let's talk somewhere more private," Anne said under her breath.
She led them into a small, rarely used classroom tucked behind a stairwell.
"No one comes here at this time. We should be safe to talk," Anne said as the door closed. "First off, we didn't follow you. And honestly, I don't think many people noticed. There weren't many students on the main street around 1 p.m. yesterday. Fanny only spotted you because you were wearing hooded robes, and the Gryffindor scarves and gloves didn't help. If you're going to sneak around, you'll need to be more subtle next time. Though, if you dress too differently, that'll attract attention too. Especially you, Harry, people are watching you closely with the Triwizard Tournament going on."
Fanny nodded emphatically, and the trio visibly relaxed.
"We were originally going to ask Winky some questions," Harry explained, "but then Hermione…"
"She went on and on about how house-elves deserve better treatment!" Ron interrupted, clearly still annoyed. "We could've gotten more answers if she hadn't, "
"She was drunk, Ron!" Hermione shot back. "They covered her with a tablecloth, like she was some filthy trash. That was wrong, and I had to say something!"
"Okay, okay, stop," Anne said, waving them both down. "I get the general idea."
She turned to Hermione and said more gently, "I know you're doing this because you care about the house-elves. But if you rush things, you might just push them further away. If you want to go back to the kitchen, let me come with you next time, but maybe give it a break for the rest of this month, alright?"
Hermione nodded reluctantly.
"Good. Well, if that's all, we'll be heading back to the dorms. Fanny?" Anne stood up, ready to leave.
But Hermione called out, "Wait, Anne. On Friday, after Potions, remember how you were curious about what Karkaroff wanted from Professor Snape?"
Anne paused. "Yes. Why?"
"Harry overheard part of their conversation that afternoon," Hermione said, glancing at him.
Harry's eyes lit up, finally, Anne was showing interest in what they'd discovered. She usually avoided their investigations altogether.
"Of course I'll tell you!" he said eagerly. "After class, I saw Karkaroff talking to Snape. He pulled up his left sleeve, just like this, " Harry mimed the action, ", and whispered something like, 'Can you see it? It's never been so clear before!' But then they noticed me and kicked me out. I didn't get to see what was on his arm."
As he spoke, a vivid movie scene flashed in Anne's mind. Suddenly, she knew why Karkaroff had gone to Snape.
"You know what it was, don't you?" Hermione asked, eyes narrowed. She recognized the look on Anne's face.
Now all four of them, Fanny, Ron, Harry, and Hermione, were watching Anne intently.
Does she really know me that well? Anne wondered, slightly alarmed. Should I say anything? I've seen it before, once during the World Cup, but is it smart to bring it up now?
A storm of thoughts whirled through her mind. In the end, she decided against it.
Maintaining a calm expression, she shook her head. "No, I'm just curious like you. If they have secrets between them, maybe I'm better off not prying."
Disappointment flickered across their faces, except Hermione's. She gave Anne a knowing look but said nothing.
Anne felt a little guilty under her gaze.
"Well," she said, changing the subject, "since you shared something with me, I'll return the favor. You were asking Winky about Mr. Crouch last night, right?"
Harry nodded quickly. "We've noticed something strange about him. Just before the second task, I was searching for clues about the golden egg when I saw Mr. Crouch, Barty Crouch, on the Marauder's Map, pacing in front of Snape's office…"
"You're sure it said Barty Crouch?" Anne asked sharply, her tone more intense than she intended.
Harry nodded. "Positive. I was going to go see what he was doing, but I got stuck on a staircase. Professor Moody showed up just in time and pulled me out."
"Moody?" Anne echoed, raising a brow. Harry nodded again.
"Alright, that is strange. Here's what I know, Mr. Crouch is a complete workaholic. The kind of man who thinks life is pointless if he's not working."
"Just like Percy," Ron muttered, earning a sharp glare from Fanny.
"I heard all this from my Aunt Diana. She's Deputy Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, so when Mr. Crouch fell ill, she paid close attention," Anne continued. "But it's hard to get information on someone that high up. Diana's still in France, and all she's learned is that Percy's been acting as Crouch's spokesperson, relaying all his messages by owl. That's highly irregular for the Ministry."
"The Ministry's in chaos over it, but with the Triwizard Tournament already off to a rocky start, and Crouch still managing his duties remotely, there's no concrete reason to investigate. And remember, before Crouch headed the Cooperation Department, he was almost appointed Minister for Magic. He used to run the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he's got supporters all over the place."
"That's why things are the way they are. But even The Daily Prophet reported that he's been confined to his home. So, if you did see him inside Hogwarts… something's definitely off."
Anne toyed absently with a silver Sickle as she spoke. "Either something even more important than his job brought him here, or the person on the map wasn't actually Mr. Crouch."
"The Marauder's Map doesn't lie," Harry said firmly.
"Maybe not," Anne said thoughtfully. "Then there's only one other possibility, it wasn't that Mr. Crouch. It was another one."
"You mean his son, Barty Crouch Jr.? But he's dead," Ron said quickly.
Both Anne and Fanny turned to look at him.
"Uh, old newspaper!" Ron blurted out. "I read about it in one of the Daily Prophets at home. That's all."
Ron didn't want to mention Sirius, who'd shared that information. He and Harry had promised to keep Sirius's secret. The fewer people who knew, the safer Sirius would be.
"Crouch Jr. was sent to Azkaban years ago during a Death Eater roundup. His father turned him in. He died about a year later… It was big news at the time. My parents were talking about it for days, they got really into the whole parenting discussion," Ron added.
"If that's true, then we've got another mystery," Anne said. "You all know Hogwarts can't be entered by Apparition. You'd have to use the Floo Network or a broomstick. But the Floo Network is monitored by the Ministry, and Dumbledore would definitely know if someone flew in. So how did he get in without anyone noticing?"
"Maybe he has some sneaky method, like that nasty Rita Skeeter woman," Ron suggested.
Anne shook her head. "No. Crouch and Skeeter are nothing alike. A high-ranking official like him wouldn't resort to petty tricks. He'd use something more direct, and he wouldn't be this careless. Right now, both the Ministry and the press are watching his every move."
"Then what is going on?" Ron asked in frustration.
"Sometimes you can't know the truth right away," Anne said calmly. "It's like reading a mystery novel, you won't understand the full picture until the last chapter. Right now, we don't have enough information. Too many gaps."
She stood up and added casually, "But just a heads-up, my gut tells me there's something off about Professor Moody. Don't trust him too easily."
"What? Why? I think he's great!" Harry said, surprised.
"Just a hunch," Anne said playfully. "Maybe it's because no Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher ever seems to last more than a year…"
She stretched and headed toward the door. "Well, that's enough for tonight. We'll be heading back. Goodnight."
She and Fanny left the room together.
Once they were out in the corridor, Fanny whispered, "Anne, I think those three are definitely hiding something. Especially Ron, what he said earlier… we were just little kids back then. How would he remember that so clearly?"
Anne shrugged. "It's normal. Everyone has secrets they'd rather keep. I'm sure they have their reasons for not telling us. And honestly, even if they did spill everything, I might not want to hear it."
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A/N: Book 4 will likely wrap up around Chapter 100, then we'll move into Book 5.
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