Harry couldn't believe he was stuck between his bond mate and the International Quidditch star. Here he was asking Harry about the woman Harry loved and he couldn't tell him so. He turned to the Bulgarian seeker, let out an internal sigh and started. "Uh...Viktor, well I know that Hermione likes you as a friend, but I think she thinks you might have wanted more than she wanted," Harry let out another internal sigh before continuing with a partial truth. "She is...uh...she's actually committed to a long term relationship."
"She didn't mention that to me," Krum replied coolly. "In fact she said she vasn't seeing anyone."
Harry was becoming annoyed. He felt like Krum had just called him a liar. The glare his green eyes leveled on Krum caused the Durmstrang Champion to lose his own glare. "It's simple; she wants to be your friend, but only your friend," Harry said. "If you want more than that, it won't happen. Don't take my word for it, ask her."
"I vill ask her and ve shall see what she says."
"Hermione's is my best friend and a lot more," Harry said with his voice still icily calm. "When you do ask her, do not do anything that might hurt her."
Krum nodded curtly as he stared at Harry for a few more seconds and then he said, "I like you. You say what you think unlike a lot of people," A few seconds of silence fell between the two before Krum continued. "You fly very vell. I vos votching at the first task."
"Thanks," said Harry as he suddenly felt much taller. "I saw you at the Quidditch World Cup. The Wronski Feint, you really -"
But something moved behind Krum in the trees, and Harry, who had some experience of the sort of thing that lurked in the forest, instinctively grabbed Krum's arm and pulled him around.
"Vot is it?"
Harry shook his head, staring at the place where he'd seen movement. He slipped his hand inside his robes, reaching for his wand.
Suddenly a man staggered out from behind a tall oak. For a moment, Harry didn't recognize him . . . then he realized it was Mr. Crouch.
He looked as though he had been traveling for days. The knees of his robes were ripped and bloody, his face scratched; he was unshaven and gray with exhaustion. His neat hair and mustache were both in need of a wash and a trim. His strange appearance, however, was nothing to the way he was behaving. Muttering and gesticulating, Mr. Crouch appeared to be talking to someone that he alone could see. He reminded Harry vividly of an old tramp he had seen once when out shopping with the Dursleys. That man too had been conversing wildly with thin air; Aunt Petunia had seized Dudley's hand and pulled him across the road to avoid him; Uncle Vernon had then treated the family to a long rant about what he would like to do with beggars and vagrants.
"Vosn't he a judge?" said Krum, staring at Mr. Crouch. "Isn't he vith your Ministry?"
Harry nodded, hesitated for a moment, then walked slowly toward Mr. Crouch, who did not look at him, but continued to talk to a nearby tree.
"... and when you've done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve. . . ."
"Mr. Crouch?" said Harry cautiously.
"... and then send another owl to Madame Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she's bringing, now Karkaroff's made it a round dozen ...do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will..."
Mr. Crouch's eyes were bulging. He stood staring at the tree, muttering soundlessly at it. Then he staggered sideways and fell to his knees.
"Mr. Crouch?" Harry said loudly. "Are you all right?"
Crouch's eyes were rolling in his head. Harry looked around at Krum, who had followed him into the trees, and was looking down at Crouch in alarm.
"Vot is wrong with him?"
"No idea," Harry muttered. "Listen, you'd better go and get someone -"
"Dumbledore!" gasped Mr. Crouch. He reached out and seized a handful of Harry's robes, dragging him closer, though his eyes were staring over Harry's head. "I need... see ... Dumbledore. ..."
"Okay," said Harry, "if you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the-"
"I've done ...stupid ...thing..." Mr. Crouch breathed. He looked utterly mad. His eyes were rolling and bulging, and a trickle of spittle was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke seemed to cost him a terrible effort. "Must... tell...Dumbledore..."
"Get up, Mr. Crouch," said Harry loudly and clearly. "Get up; I'll take you to Dumbledore!"
Mr, Crouch's eyes rolled forward onto Harry. "Who...you?" he whispered.
"I'm a student at the school," said Harry, looking around at Krum for some help, but Krum was hanging back, looking extremely nervous.
"You're not... his?" whispered Crouch, his mouth sagging.
"No," said Harry, without the faintest idea what Crouch was talking about.
"Dumbledore's?"
"That's right," said Harry.
Crouch was pulling him closer; Harry tried to loosen Crouch's grip on his robes, but it was too powerful.
"Warn...Dumbledore..."
"I'll get Dumbledore if you let go of me," said Harry. "Just let go, Mr. Crouch, and I'll get him..."
"Thank you, Weatherby, and when you have done that, I would like a cup of tea. My wife and son will be arriving shortly; we are attending a concert tonight with Mr. and Mrs. Fudge."
Crouch was now talking fluently to a tree again, and seemed completely unaware that Harry was there, which surprised Harry so much he didn't notice that Crouch had released him.
"Yes, my son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.S, most satisfactory, yes, thank you, yes, very proud indeed. Now, if you could bring me that memo from the Andorran Minister of Magic, I think I will have time to draft a response. ..."
"You stay here with him!" Harry said to Krum. "I'll get Dumbledore, I'll be quicker since I know where his office is -"
"He's mad," said Krum doubtfully, staring down at Crouch, who was still gabbling to the tree, apparently convinced it was Percy.
"Just stay with him," said Harry, starting to get up, but his movement seemed to trigger another abrupt change in Mr. Crouch, who seized him hard around the knees and pulled Harry back to the ground.
"Don't...leave... me!" he whispered, his eyes bulging again. "I...escaped... must warn...must tell...see Dumbledore...my fault... all my fault...Bertha...dead...all my fault...my son...my fault...tell Dumbledore...Harry Potter...the Dark Lord...stronger...Harry Potter ..."
"I'll get Dumbledore if you let me go, Mr. Crouch!" said Harry. He looked furiously around at Krum. "Help me, will you?"
Looking extremely apprehensive, Krum moved forward and squatted down next to Mr. Crouch.
"Just keep him here," said Harry, pulling himself free of Mr. Crouch. "I'll be back with Dumbledore."
"Hurry, von't you?" Krum called after him as Harry sprinted away from the forest and up through the dark grounds. But he had only run a few hundred meters when he realized there was a much faster way. "FLEUR, HERMIONE!"
"Yes Harry."
"I need one of you to get Dumbledore. Tell him Mr. Crouch just stumbled out of the Forbidden Forest and he's all mad as in crazy mad."
"We'll both go."
....
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