The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 434 Alibi

As the night deepened, no one could be seen on the field. Ada searched towards the edge of the field in the dim moonlight.

Although Hogwarts seems calm on the surface, it is actually undercurrents. Barty Crouch Jr. is very likely watching closely from the side. It is not a good idea to let Harry walk around alone at this time.

As for Krum who was with Harry, Ada didn't think that a student could stop little Barty, and she had no trust in the people of Durmstrang.

Following the direction where Harry and Krum disappeared, Ada groped and searched for the figures of the two people.

After a few minutes, Ada saw Harry jumping out from behind a tree alone, looking a little panicked.

Ada saw Harry, and Harry naturally saw her. Harry ran over and said breathlessly: "I saw... I saw Mr. Crouch... Barty Crouch, he seems crazy!"

"Where?" Ada asked anxiously. She still had some doubts about Old Batty and thought that Old Batty might have been involved. Now that she knew the news about Old Batty, Ada couldn't wait to ask the old guy some questions.

"Over there!" Harry pointed in the direction of a dense forest. "He said... he wants to see Professor Dumbledore. He has a secret to tell Professor Dumbledore."

Ada raised her wand high and pointed it in the direction of the castle. Then a silver-white Chow Chow jumped out, ran happily towards the castle, and disappeared in a flash.

"Lead the way, Harry!" Ida urged. "Quick!"

Seeing that Harry was still a little dazed, Ada pushed him directly. Harry finally reacted and took the lead to run back to the Forbidden Forest, with Ada following closely behind him.

From what Harry had just said, Ada could tell that old Barty might not be in a good mental state, and that he wanted to see Dumbledore.

There is only one possibility for meeting Dumbledore at this time. He wants to tell the truth about what happened in the past and reveal that Barty Jr. is still alive, which means that Barty Sr. is likely in danger.

In this world, only the dead can keep secrets forever. If a living person knows your secret, it is also very simple, just make the person who knows your secret shut up forever.

The two ran all the way into the Forbidden Forest, and after seeing Beauxbatons Pegasus, they stopped in a quiet open space. It was here that Harry and Krum had just had a private chat, and it was also here that Harry met old Barty.

But Ada didn't see Barty Crouch, didn't hear any sound, and she didn't even see Krum.

"Right here!" Harry's voice was a little flustered. "It was right here just now, but where is the person?"

As expected, something went wrong. When Barty Sr. said he wanted to see Dumbledore, Harry should have taken Barty Sr. with him instead of leaving him to Krum.

If it was Ada, she would definitely take old Barty away with her, both to protect and to monitor him. At the very least, she would knock old Barty unconscious and drag him to see Dumbledore.

"Mr. Crouch!" Harry shouted. "Viktor, Viktor Krum!"

It was pitch black all around, and the only sound in response to Harry's shouts was the rustling of layers of vegetation as the wind blew through them.

Ada threw the light from the tip of her wand in one direction, and the fluorescence cut through the night, illuminating the forbidden forest in that direction. Then Ada did the same thing, continuously emitting fluorescence in other directions to expand her visual range.

Finally, in a dark forest, Ada vaguely saw a figure lying on the ground.

Ada stepped forward cautiously and found that the figure she saw was Viktor Krum, who was curled up on the ground. Krum was found, but Barty Crouch was still not seen.

The night deepened. The Forbidden Forest was usually dark, but now it was pitch dark. It was not easy to find someone in the Forbidden Forest under such circumstances, not to mention that Old Batty might have been kidnapped, which made it even more difficult.

Harry squatted down and checked Krum's condition. He said, "He's still alive. Krum just fainted!"

"Resurrect quickly!" Ada pointed her magic wand at Krum who was unconscious on the ground.

Krum opened his eyes, his face blank. He struggled to get up, but his body was not strong enough for the moment, so his efforts were in vain. Harry, who was willing to help, helped Krum and let him lean against a tree.

"He hit me!" Krum covered the back of his head and muttered, "That old lunatic hit me! He attacked me right after you left."

"Are you sure it was Mr. Barty Crouch who hit you, or someone else?" Ada asked. She remained alert in case the criminal had not gone far and attacked her in the cover of night.

"I'm sure!" Krum said, "It was just me and that old lunatic at the time. If it wasn't him, who else could it be!"

Krum didn't look like he was lying, and there was no need for him to lie. But Ada still felt that it was someone else who knocked Krum unconscious, not Barty Crouch.

After a while, a thunderous sound of footsteps reached their ears, and Hagrid appeared panting with a giant crossbow in his hand, and Dumbledore was behind him. "How is it?" Dumbledore looked at Ada and asked.

"It's too late. Barty Crouch is missing." Ada replied, "Krum said Barty Crouch knocked him out, but..."

"No buts!" Krum interrupted Ada loudly, "It's that old madman, he's the only one with me, only him!"

Ada curled her lips and stopped talking. It was enough for Dumbledore to understand what she meant. As for Krum, he should just stay lying there. Waking up would only cause trouble.

"Hagrid, go and call Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore said, "his student has been beaten. Then, please notify Professor Moody..."

"That's not necessary, Dumbledore," a deep voice whimpered. "I'm here."

Moody, limping toward them on crutches, said he had run into Snape, who had told him. The headmaster was with Snape when Dumbledore received the message.

"Then go and inform Karkaroff, Hagrid," said Dumbledore. "Go quickly."

Hagrid nodded vigorously, then turned and ran out of the dark Forbidden Forest, causing the earth to shake.

"I don't see Barty Crouch here. I'll go look for him," said Moody gruffly, and then he raised his wand and limped into the Forbidden Forest.

Dumbledore and Ada did not look at Moody's back. His magic eye should be observing everyone's every move through the back of his head.

The Forbidden Forest was very quiet. Krum leaned against a tree with his head covered. Dumbledore and Harry didn't speak, but Ada was thinking.

After seeing Krum fainted, Ada thought that the fake Moody had knocked Barty Crouch unconscious and took him away, or killed him directly. But Moody said that he came to the Forbidden Forest because he saw Snape in the castle, and it seemed that he was too late.

From the time Harry ran into Barty Crouch, to the time Harry ran out of the Forbidden Forest and met Ada, to the time Ada and Harry returned to the Forbidden Forest, these short minutes did not seem enough for the fake Moody to do all this.

It seemed that there was not enough time to knock out Krum, take Crouch away, return to the castle to meet Snape, and then return to the Forbidden Forest from the castle. Snape became Moody's best alibi.

Unless... unless the fake Moody knew where Barty Crouch was all along, he had already made preparations, and he had to calculate the time accurately without making the slightest mistake, otherwise Ada would catch him committing the crime.

Again, it would have been nice if Harry hadn't abandoned Barty Crouch, and had taken him back to the castle with Krum.

The sound of thunderous footsteps echoed again in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid returned, followed by Karkaroff, who was still wearing his smooth silver fur robe, looking pale and anxious.

"What's going on?" Karkaroff exclaimed, seeing Krum lying on the ground. "What happened? How are you, Viktor?"

Krum, who was leaning against a tree, still covered the back of his head. He said, "I was beaten by an official named Barty Crouch."

Hearing this, Karkaroff immediately went berserk and started to make a fuss. He shouted in dissatisfaction: "Crouch hit you? The referee of the Triwizard Tournament hit you?"

Then, Karkaroff pointed at Dumbledore and said bluntly: "This is a scam! It's a conspiracy! You teamed up to trick us here and use a so-called fair competition to let your students gain fame and fortune!"

Karkaroff pointed at Harry and continued, "Potter, he's not old enough, but you guys forced him in! This is the first injustice!"

Karkaroff pointed at Ada and said, "And this, you tell me she is still a student? She is just a tool to clear obstacles for Potter! Can you be any more despicable!"

"Bullshit about improving international wizarding cooperation! Bullshit about restoring the good relations of the past! Today I know what kind of person you are, Dumbledore!" Karkaroff roared almost madly, venting all his dissatisfaction and depression.

Ada looked at Karkaroff with sidelong eyes. She really didn't want to pay attention to this big idiot.

It was he who betrayed Snape at the hearing at the Ministry of Magic, but this year he still had the nerve to ask Snape for help. He is so shameless.

Amid everyone's astonished gazes, Karkaroff had the guts to spit at Dumbledore's feet!

I respect you as a man! Ada was so shocked that she even forgot to teach this lunatic a lesson.

Ada didn't react, but someone else did. Hagrid rushed straight towards Karkaroff like a bolt of lightning.

(End of this chapter)