Patience

chapter two : in which harry meets a new friend

"Durmstang!"

Harry hadn't expected them to be here already, however they seemed well prepared as they tumbled into the Great hall. It was an impressive but incredibly lame gymnastic show. Harry coyld barely contain his giggles at the serious faces of students who did not seem to be aware they were twirling ribbons.

"Vi-hcktor Kru-m!" Ron spluttered.

Harry glanced at the boy beside him who was bright red and gaping.

"What?" He wasn't entirely sure that was english.

"Vicktor Krum! Harry he quidditch do good so much, I mean, he plays pro, the guy invented the wronski feint!"

Harry chuckled. Ron's outward display of adoration was beyond amusing.

Then the ginger's state changed again, the Beaubatonx students entered. Ron practically became a puddle, though he was far from alone.
Harry found it interesting who was stricken by the part veela girls and who kept their heads, though he tried not to keep names.

The Beaubatonx students were even more showy, Harry was flabberghasted when one came in riding an actual horse, it all seemed rather exessive. Though noone else in the hall seemed to be finding it amusing at all, well except Alastor Moody, who appeared to be hiding giggles behind a silver flask.

Peculiar.

Dumbledore stood up and Ron wiped a sliver of drool from his chin.

"Hogwarts is very lucky to be hosting the Triwizard Tornument this year. But we would not have been able to set this up if our neighboring schools hadn't so kindly agreed"

Harry wondered briefly if Durmstang and Beubatonx were Dumbledore's first choices.

"And so to welcome you to our school, we will sing our school song"

Harry smirked slightly when he saw Karkaroff, the Durmstang head teacher, glance mockingly at Snape who just sheltered his face in his hands. Harry couldn't agree more with the Professor, and the groan that had swept the hall when Dumbledore announced it.
It was beyond embarrasing after the flashy show the other schools had given, to wail their confusing and mildly revolting song.

The other schools applauded polietly anyway.

"I am sure you are tired and hungry, so I will keep it brisk. To enter you must be of age, so over seventeen. And you shall write your name of a peice of parchment and put it in this goblet.

The winners will be drawn in a week, and please, dont try outsmarting the goblet. I personally will be making sure no one gets in who should not be. Durmstang students will be joining Slytherin house during their stay and Beubatonx will be joining Ravenclaw. Classes will also be postponed for the upcoming week to give our guests some time to adjust"

Ron looked deflated, he had probably never had so much bad news told to him at once. Atleast school was off for a week.

Finally the feast appeared on their tables and the other schools settled down among Hogwarts students.

Before long they were marching back upstairs. Ron was whining and Harry was almost completely zoned out.
"RON SHUT UP!" Hermione shouted.

They began to argue and Harry waved on the group they had been walking with, who gladly scurried away.
"Guys come on..."

"COME ON!? REALLY MATE!? SHE TOLD ME TO SHUT UP!"

"You were WHINING!"

Harry backed away as his two closest friends got completely lost in their screaming. Neither of them noticed as he ducked into a passageway and jogged away.

He didnt know where exactly he was going, merely following his feet. This was the most Gryffindor he had felt for a long while.

He smiled sadly at the door he had come to. The defence teacher's office. He missed Remus, and perhaps it was just the fact he hadnt seen him, but Harry felt like the werewold was one of the few people he still truly cared for.
Without thinking he pushed open the door, hoping to see Lupin sipping tea and reading a large book, hoping to see the man smile kindly at him and tell him excitedly about whatever was going on, tell him that the itch was just from an ear infection and he could learn a spell and magic it away. Maybe tell him that his dreams aren't his fault and offer him some chocolate.

He was shocked, to say the least, when he found a man who wasn't Moody or Lupin, lounging in the office.
He was skinny, proper skinny, he was pale and his brown hair was a bit of a mess, he wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and Harry gawked at the familiar tatoo on the man's arm.
Then. He knew where he had seen him. In the nightmares, about Voldemort... but how was he here? Was he going to kill Moody? Or was he one of the ones who play nice?
Harry decided to play dumb until he worked it out.

"Oh, sorry sir. Are you waiting for the professor too?"

The man jumped and then his eyes gleamed. His tounge flicked across his bottom lip. Harry smiled.

"Aren't you Harry Potter?"

"Yeah, obviously. Aren't you a death eater?"

Where the bloody hell did that come from?

The man looked startled. "No such thing anymore boy. Dark Lord is dead"

"It looks mighty dark for a dead lord" Harry hummed. A stab in the dark, based off a vague memory of Snape's mark a few years ago.

The man's mark was much darker, though still not completely black. What the hell was the noseless bastard doing?

"What are you on about Potter?"

Harry paused. Why was he doing this? This was a death eater for Merlin's sake! And then he felt it, or really didn't feel it, because the itch on his fingertips and the pull in his chest... weren't there.
Which was strange. He had felt the itch all year, all day, and now he was talking to a death eater it was gone. He had assumed it was the violence that got rid of it with Malfoy, but maybe it was something more.

"Potter?"

"Why arent you trying to kill me?"

"Ah!" The death eater patted about his pockets. "Whatever I will do it later, can't find my wand" then the death eater looked at him and smirked. "Honestly Potter, you are so thick, do you even know what the death eaters are fighting for?"

"Yeah, you want to kill all muggles and muggleborns and rule with pure blood supreme, also you guys definitely want to kill me"

"Well, there's some prophecy my Lord is worried about with you, he's a weirdly superstitious guy. And who told you that?"

"Dumbledore ofcourse"

"We want all magical species to live in harmony, the light are supressing half of the magical world because they dont understand it, you really think your werewolf buddy should have been fired?"

"What?"

"Look... come back for tea tomorrow or something and I will explain it all, let's see how long you can keep your trust in the light"

"Okay, goodnight Professor" He hummed smugly, turning away.

The man jumped again and Harry smirked as he was grabbed by the back of his shirt.

"How do you know?"

"Well. Your little tick, the tounge across the bottom lip, giveaway, I am guessing you keep poyjuice in your flask, not wise the Gryffs will steal it if they think it's alkeehol"

Harry grinned as he watched the man's face distort.
"You are hard work Potter"

"Yeah probably... do you have a name?"

"Yeah Barty Crouch. You are going to be such a pain arent you?"

"Depends on how quickly you kill me, better get 'round to it"