bookpower 188: Barty Crouch Sr. and Jr.
188: Barty Crouch Sr. and Jr.
188: barty crouch sr. and jr.
dark clouds silently gathered in the sky.
the camp buzzed with lively energy as the leprechauns darted through the air overhead, waving their lanterns and letting out raucous laughter mixed with cheerful songs.
it had been an incredibly joyful day.
harry had never experienced such a vibrant atmosphere before.
the weasley family enthusiastically discussed the quidditch world cup. charlie even attempted to demonstrate krum's feint himself.
harry joined in the lively chatter, passionately debating the technicalities of fouls like cobbing.
even mr. weasley got involved, arguing with charlie in a heated yet humorous exchange. by the end of it all, ginny had fallen asleep at the small table, her cup of hot chocolate spilling onto the ground.
realizing it was time to call it a night, mr. weasley herded his children back into their tents.
harry lay on his bunk, still savoring the lingering excitement.
he felt a warm sense of belonging, as though the weasleys were his own family and mr. weasley was like the father he'd always dreamed of—funny and full of life.
staring at the ceiling of the tent, the noisy sounds from outside gradually turned into a soothing lullaby.
as his eyelids grew heavy, he drifted into dreams where he saw himself standing on the winners' podium, clutching the world cup as a champion.
in the dream, he was reenacting krum's feint when a loud shout jolted him awake—"ugh.."
it was mr. weasley.
mr. weasley ran to each child, shaking them awake as he struggled to pull a pair of jeans over his pajamas.
"something's wrong. there's no time—harry, grab any coat you can find and get outside, quickly!"
the sounds outside had changed. the singing had stopped, replaced by screams, shouts, and the chaotic noise of people running in panic.
sensing danger, mr. weasley had immediately woken everyone.
the children hastily threw on whatever clothing they could find and rushed outside, only to be met with utter chaos.
all around them were loud jeers, maniacal laughter, and drunken yelling.
a group of people was advancing toward them. suddenly, a flash of green light illuminated the scene.
it was a group of wizards wearing hooded cloaks and masks. above their heads floated four struggling figures, twisted into grotesque shapes.
it was the campsite manager, mr. roberts, and his family.
the group of masked wizards was growing, with more joining their ranks as they moved forward.
they tormented mr. roberts, using wands to set fire to the tents, leaving destruction in their wake.
seeing this, mr. weasley quickly told harry and the others to head into the forest while he went to assist the ministry in restoring order.
bill and charlie had already run off ahead. they spotted percy standing in front of the advancing group, trying to hold them back.
other ministry wizards were responding swiftly to the escalating situation.
fred, as the older brother, understood the gravity of the situation and grabbed ginny, pulling her along to safety.
the "golden trio" stayed in the middle, while george deliberately brought up the rear.
as they slipped into the woods, harry glanced back over his shoulder.
he blinked a few times and raised his voice, "there's someone in the sky!"
"what are you talking about? that's the roberts family..." george began, but when he turned, he too saw the figure hovering high in the air.
his voice dropped, and then, loudly, he exclaimed, "fred! it's the silverhand!"
fred stopped as well, and everyone turned to look.
the silver mask on the figure's face was unmistakably conspicuous.
...
the clouds overhead had already finished gathering.
john gazed down from high above.
his expression was cold and indifferent, almost glacial.
he had no personal connection to the roberts family, but what had started as small-scale chaos had now escalated into a massive spectacle.
this form of amusement filled john with deep disgust.
on his left hand, a silver ring glinted, adorned with a large blue gemstone and five smaller purple crystals.
the wand continuously channeled magic through the silverhand.
john spoke, his voice steady and commanding: "percy, step away from there."
"relax, i don't harm kindhearted wizards," john said, shaking his head as he walked past them.
bill exhaled sharply, the tension finally leaving his body. percy, meanwhile, stared at john's retreating figure, lost in thought.
hagrid, who was typically late to realize anything, came barreling out of a tent, shouting, "john! john!"
he had sensed the danger but couldn't find john, so he began yelling and lifting tents one by one in a frenzy.
john couldn't help but feel both touched and exasperated by the sight. hagrid's strength was absolutely absurd.
hagrid grabbed one of the troublemakers and shook him so violently that the man passed out. without hesitation, hagrid tossed him like a rag doll, sending him flying over ten meters.
that was a full-grown man—easily over a hundred pounds—and hagrid had tossed him as if he were a lightweight ball.
kim approached hagrid, calmly explaining that john had gone into the forest.
watching from afar, john sighed, only for a figure to silently appear behind him.
it was heinrich.
without surprise, john remarked, "well done. it seems kim has figured out my identity."
heinrich nodded, his expression awkward as he reluctantly admitted, "he's clever."
it was rare to hear a compliment from heinrich.
john was just about to change his disguise and leave when suddenly, the sky lit up with a flash of green light.
a skeletal figure appeared in the sky, its gaping mouth releasing a serpent.
the dark mark!!
gasp!!
the moment it emerged, tension filled the air, and everyone's nerves were stretched taut.
ministry officials immediately began apparating to the location, with at least twenty wizards arriving on the scene.
john's face darkened. he knew that mark too well—it was the one engraved on lucius malfoy's left arm.
the dark mark.
"wait here," john instructed heinrich before vanishing with a loud pop as he apparated.
reappearing at the scene, he saw harry, ron, and hermione surrounded by ministry officials.
barty crouch looked like he was on the verge of a meltdown. today had been an absolute disaster.
amos diggory, cedric's father, stormed into the area, grabbing hold of a house-elf.
"here! it was her! she conjured the mark!" amos declared loudly, holding the trembling house-elf up as evidence.
unfortunately, the house-elf belonged to barty crouch sr.
the moment he saw winky, something clicked in his mind.
his eyes widened, his face turned pale, and he stammered, "this... this can't be... impossible..."
he quickly bypassed amos and hurried forward, as if to confirm something.
watching this unfold, john recalled the invisible person sitting near winky in the vip box earlier.
his expression immediately darkened.
"mr. crouch," john called out, his voice firm and commanding. "handle your responsibilities!"
barty crouch sr. halted in his tracks. his face was pale, and he swayed slightly but eventually returned to the scene.
john nodded to him before turning and leaving.
he arrived at the spot where amos had discovered winky. there was nothing visible at first glance.
eh?
but through john's sharp vision, he noticed something—a shimmering invisibility cloak.
he reached out and pulled it away, revealing a young man.
the youth's pale skin suggested years without sunlight. his face was speckled with faint freckles, and his messy, light-yellow hair was overgrown.
seeing the young man and recalling barty crouch sr.'s earlier panic, john quickly pieced together the situation.
it was unmistakable—this was crouch sr.'s son, barty crouch jr., the very person who had caused him to falter years ago.
grabbing the unconscious young man, john immediately disapparated with a loud pop, vanishing from the scene.
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