Mischief - Book Two of the RP Saga

28. Ticking Time Bomb

The news of Barty Crouch's death soon spread around the school causing such an uproar of panic and rumours, Rachel began to wonder what had actually happened to cause his untimely death. Some said it was a heart attack, others say he was attacked by an animal (though the largest creature Rachel had seen in that part of the woods was a squirrel and that seemed incapable of killing such an impressive wizard) and some said he was murdered. Although it was a scary concept, Rachel believed he had been murdered. There had been no marks on his body to suggest he had been mauled to death but of course she couldn't say who was responsible.

But it wasn't like she hadn't got an idea.

For some time, Rachel had noticed how strange Crouch and Mad Eye had acted around each other, this clearly was not enough reason to believe that Alistor Moody was the cause of death but there was some compelling evidence. Rachel remembered the one DADA lesson she had had with the strange ex-auror. He had showed them the killing curse and how quick and easy it was to instantly end someone's life. Despite everyone's protests, Mad Eye Moody had no problem with killing the creature he had just been torturing. He seemed quite capable of killing someone.

But something else Rachel had remembered was when Crouch had been talking to Harry about the Ministry, Mad Eye seemed to appear out of nowhere and yell something at Crouch. When the, now deceased, man had walked past he suddenly look startled at Mad Eye, as if he had seen a ghost. What Mad Eye had done to make Crouch react in such a way was something Rachel did not know, but all she knew was that he - as far as she knew - was the last person she recalled seeing Crouch with.

However the rumours soon ended with Dumbledore vaguely telling everyone what had happened, Crouch had died on school grounds but 'there was nothing to fear'. Rachel had scoffed at that. The students hadn't even known how he was killed, all they thought was he was attacked; though that was true in some ways.At one point, there had been talk that the tournament would end but as Fudge had, quite disgustingly, put it: 'the show must go on'. 

At least Fudge had stopped accusing Harry and Rachel of murder, it was a stupid accusation a fool would make in a blind fury. In any case, they had no reason to murder him. Crouch seemed to like the Potter twins and in all honesty, Rachel didn't mind him all too much. Of course there were other people she preferred over him, she still hadn't quite forgiven him for shooting curses at Rachel and her friends at the quidditch world cup. But he was dead now, so Rachel couldn't exactly be disrespectful about the poor fellow and decided instead to drop her grudge and hope Barty Crouch would find some peace.

Of course, by everyone talking about him Rachel wouldn't be surprised if he were to suddenly wander the school grounds as a ghost.

"Rachie." Fred and George said together, sitting either side of her at the breakfast table in the Great Hall.

She looked up from her bowl of soggy cornflakes and up at the two redheads, she smiled a little; quite pathetically, really. "Fred, George." She greeted, nodding at the boys.

"How's my favourite murderer?" Fred teased but he soon shrunk away under Rachel's agitated gaze.

"You must be talking about someone else," she turned back to her cereal and poked it with a spoon, "because I didn't kill anyone."

"Well, you're killing me." He started to smirk and so did George on the other side of Rachel.

Rachel looked at him confused, "How so?"

"Because you're look so damn fine." Fred burst out laughing, smirking stupidly and high fiving George.

She rolled her eyes and shoved Fred, a little too hard, which caused him to fall backwards off the bench. That made Rachel laugh, George and herself sat looking down at the sixth year who struggled to untangle his foot from the bench while he glared up at her, pursing his lips. Once Fred's foot had been successfully untangled, he lunged forward and grabbed Rachel. Just like Fred, she then ended up falling off the bench and onto him. George was beside himself, laughing at the two biggest idiots he knew.