Chapter 79: Crouch Got Into Trouble
With Ron's uncontrollable burp, the battle for snacks finally came to an end.
Ron blushed, clearly embarrassed by his lack of manners. He quietly stashed the remaining sandwiches to the side, trying not to draw attention.
Harry, however, found Ron's straightforwardness refreshing. Unlike many pretentious people in the wizarding world, Ron wasn't trying to act like a savior or someone special. But there was someone else who had started to stand out…
Trying to change the subject, Ron brought up the latest news from the Daily Prophet.
"Harry, have you heard about Crouch?" he asked.
"No. Who is he?" Harry replied.
"It starts with Bertha Jorkins," Ron said. "Dad always said she was nosy but had a great memory. After graduating, she worked briefly at the Daily Prophet, then moved to the Ministry of Magic. But because she kept sticking her nose into everything, she bounced from department to department, causing more trouble than she solved."
"Eventually, Ludo Bagman—he's known for gambling—took her in, and she's been in the Department of Magical Games and Sports ever since."
"One time, while delivering documents, she stumbled upon Crouch Jr.—a Death Eater—who had escaped from prison. Crouch Sr. found out and cast a powerful Memory Charm on her."
"But for some reason, she suddenly regained her memory recently and rushed to report everything to Madam Bones," Ron continued, wide-eyed. Alexander just smiled slightly and remained silent.
"And then—ha! That little rat Crouch Jr. got thrown back into Azkaban. And old Crouch might not get away clean either!" Ron exclaimed.
"Death Eaters? You mean followers of Voldemort?" Harry asked. "And Azkaban?"
Ron gasped like he couldn't breathe. "You—you just said his name!"
"What's wrong?" asked Harry.
"You said his name! The—you know—You-Know-Who!"
"Oh, that?" Harry said. "It's not because I'm brave or anything. It's just… I never knew not to say it. I didn't grow up in the wizarding world, remember? I've got a lot to learn... I'll probably be the worst student in class."
"No way," Ron reassured him. "Loads of Muggle-borns catch on quick. You'll be fine."
Alexander, listening from the side, was surprised. He hadn't expected this conversation between Harry and Ron—so familiar from the original story—to take place again now. Originally, they should've been discussing the Gringotts break-in, but with the dramatic news about Crouch Jr., this new topic was clearly more compelling.
Just then, the compartment door slid open again, and three boys stepped in.
"Aha! Found you," said a pale boy.
"Red hair, freckles... must be Weasley. You've got that Skywalker gold card, haven't you?" he sneered.
"It's you?" Ron scowled.
"Apologize to Ron!" Harry said sharply. He immediately recognized the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop.
"Oh, it's you," the boy drawled. "I remember now—you're from a wizarding family. But you'll learn fast. Some wizard families are better than others. Don't mix with the wrong sort."
"I can help you with that. I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He offered his hand, clearly forgetting his original goal.
"Harry, ignore him!" Ron barked, slapping Malfoy's hand away. "His whole family's bad news—Slytherin, the same House You-Know-Who was in!"
The bulky boys behind Malfoy moved to intervene, but he raised a hand, stopping them.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. Weasley, give me that gold card. I'll give you ten Galleons for it. That's more money than your whole family sees in a month!"
"No need to thank me," Malfoy added smugly. "It's purely for the card."
"You—how dare you!"
"How dare you use Galleons to insult the great Skywalker!" Ron's face turned red in fury.
"Alright, that's enough." Alexander finally stood up. He had kept quiet until now, but seeing Ron defend his honor stirred him into action.
Before the three boys could react, they were suddenly lifted off the ground by invisible force and floated into the air. A moment later, they were thrown out of the compartment with a thud.
Draco landed safely, much to his surprise. Alexander hadn't hurt him—after all, Malfoy might've been annoying, but he was also a fan of the books.
A faint blush colored Draco's pale cheeks. Silently, he gathered Crabbe and Goyle and left, casting one last glare at Alexander and muttering something about "my father."
"Alexander, how did you do that?!" Ron asked, amazed.
"Read more books," Alexander said with a slight smile.
Hermione Granger entered then, drawn by the noise.
"What happened?" she asked, seeing Ron still fired up.
"Nothing much. Someone just tried to buy my gold card," Ron said.
"Wait, have you met Malfoy before?" he asked Harry suddenly, more worried about Malfoy poaching his new friend than anything else.
Harry explained what had happened at Madam Malkin's.
"I've heard about his family," Ron said grimly. "After You-Know-Who vanished, they were the first to come back to our side. But Dad never believed they were under the Imperius Curse. Said Malfoy's dad jumped sides too quickly."
Then he suddenly flushed again, realizing Hermione was still there. "Er... Do you need anything?"
"You'd better change into your robes," Hermione said briskly. "I just asked the driver—we're almost there. And don't go starting fights before we even arrive!"
She turned to Ron with a raised eyebrow. "First impressions matter, you know."
"Thanks for the heads-up," Ron said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Guess we should get changed. By the way... what's your name?"
"Hermione Granger. And I came in here because the other kids are running wild in the corridors. It's not because of any special reason," she added, catching Ron's surprised look. "Oh, and you've got a smudge of dirt on your nose."
"She must be shy, huh, Harry?" Ron whispered with a grin.
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