For a split second, Harry was too surprised to react. She kissed him with an urgency that stole his breath.
Then instinct took over, and his arms came up to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer as he kissed her back with equal fervor.
Natalia kissed him like she did everything else. Bold, confident, and taking what she wanted without hesitation or apology. Her hands were in his hair, tugging slightly, and Harry groaned into her mouth. She tasted like berries and something darker, richer, and so sensual that Harry couldn't get enough.
He backed her against a tree, one hand bracing against the trunk above her head while the other slid down to her hip. Natalia arched into him, her body pressed flush against his, every curve molded to him, and Harry felt heat pool low in his gut.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Natalia's eyes were glazed with desire. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, her hair mussed from his hands.
"That was the hottest thing I've ever seen," she said, her voice rough and breathy. "The way you fought, the power you have, the absolute control… Merlin, Harry, I've been wanting to do that since the moment I saw you today."
Harry smirked, his thumb tracing her jaw. "Only since today?"
"Cocky," she breathed, but she was smiling, her eyes dancing with heat and amusement. "I like it. I like it a lot."
"Good," Harry murmured, leaning in again. "Because I'm just getting started."
Their lips met again, and this time there was no hesitation from either of them. The kiss was deep, consuming, all teeth and tongue and desperate need. Harry's hands roamed over her body, feeling the curves beneath her clothes and the warmth of her skin even through the fabric.
Natalia's fingers worked at the buttons of his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders without breaking the kiss. Her nails scraped lightly against his neck, and Harry shuddered, pressing her harder against the tree. The rough bark had to be uncomfortable against her back, but she truly didn't seem to care.
She bit his lower lip, tugging gently, and Harry retaliated by sliding his hands beneath her jumper, feeling the smooth skin of her stomach. Natalia gasped into his mouth as his cold hands pressed against her hot skin, her body arching into his touch like she'd been waiting for it, which she had really been.
"Harry," she breathed against his lips, her voice husky with want. "Please."
He knew what she was asking for, and he could feel it in the way her hips rolled against his, the way her hands clutched at his shoulders desperately, and the look in those dark eyes of hers. The heat between them was building to a fever pitch, threatening to consume them both.
Harry's mouth left hers, trailing kisses along her jaw and down the column of her neck. Natalia's head fell back against the tree, her breathing ragged as he found the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder and sucked roughly.
"Harry, yes," she moaned, her fingers digging into his back hard enough to leave marks even through his shirt.
His hands were everywhere now but not where she truly wanted him to touch her. Even then, he was mapping her body, learning what made her gasp, what made her moan, and what made her pull him closer. Natalia was equally aggressive, her touch confident and demanding as she explored him in turn. Her hands slid under his shirt, her nails raking lightly across his abdomen, and Harry's breath hitched.
They were lost in each other, in the heat and the need and the overwhelming desire that had been building between them all evening. The forest around them ceased to exist. The dead spiders, the centaurs' warnings, the complications waiting back at the castle… none of it mattered. There was only this, the two of them pressed together as their hands and mouths moved with increasing urgency.
Harry's hand was on her lower back, and it slid higher beneath her jumper. Natalia arched into his touch with a breathless sound that went straight to his groin, and he pulled her flush against himself. One of her legs wrapped around his waist, tugging him closer, and Harry had to brace himself against the tree to keep them both upright.
"Natalia," he groaned against her neck as he sucked hard enough to leave a mark. His control was hanging by a thread.
"Don't stop," she commanded, her voice fierce and desperate. "Don't you dare stop."
Harry pulled back just enough to look at her, his breathing harsh and uneven. Her lips were red and swollen from his kisses, her eyes dark pools of want that threatened to drown him. Her chest heaved with each breath, her tits straining against the fabric of her jumper, and she looked thoroughly debauched already.
"Not here," he managed, his voice coming out rougher than intended. "Not against a tree with dead spiders everywhere."
Natalia's laugh was breathless and wild, her fingers clutching at his shoulders. "Then take me somewhere else. Anywhere. Just don't make me wait another second."
Harry's wand was in his hand before he'd consciously decided to move. A few quick spells cleared a space nearby, vanishing the spider corpses that littered the ground and smoothing the forest floor. Another conjured a thick blanket that settled over the earth. It wasn't romantic by any measure but Harry didn't care and neither did Natalia by the look in her eyes.
He turned back to find her watching him with an expression that made his pulse spike. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth, her gaze tracking over his body with unconcealed hunger.
"Come here," Harry said, his voice dropping to something darker and more commanding.
Natalia moved toward him with exaggerated slowness, her hips swaying with each step in a way that had Harry's mouth going dry. When she reached him, she didn't stop, pressing her body flush against his and tilting her face up. Harry met her halfway, capturing her mouth in a searing kiss that had them both groaning.
They sank down onto the blanket together in a tangle of desperate limbs and grasping hands. Natalia pushed Harry onto his back and threw her leg over his waist, straddling him in one smooth motion, settling her weight on his hips. Her hands went straight to the buttons of his shirt, working them open with surprising dexterity given how her fingers trembled.
"You have no idea what you do to me," Natalia breathed as she finally got his shirt open and pushed it off his shoulders. Her hands splayed across his bare chest, her fingers tracing the defined muscles there. Her nails dragged lightly over his skin, making him shudder. "Watching you fight like that, so powerful and deadly and in complete control. I've never wanted anyone more in my life."
Harry sat up abruptly, bringing them chest to chest, and grabbed the hem of her jumper. "Off. Now."
Natalia raised her arms obediently and Harry pulled the garment over her head, tossing it somewhere behind them. Underneath she wore a sheer black bra that did incredible things for her curves. Harry's hands traced her waist, feeling the dip and flare of her hips, the smooth expanse of her back, and the heat radiating from her skin.
"You're stunning," he murmured, his mouth finding her collarbone and placing open kisses there. "Absolutely stunning."
"Less talking," Natalia gasped, her head falling back to give him better access. "More touching."
Harry chuckled against her skin but complied readily. His fingers found the clasp of her bra and undid it, and Natalia shrugged out of it eagerly. Harry's mouth moved lower, kissing down the valley between her breasts before capturing one peak between his lips. Natalia's cry echoed through the trees, sharp and wild, her hands fisting in his hair and pulling hard enough to sting.
"Harry, yes! Yes, just like that!"
He lavished attention on her, his tongue swirling around her hard nipple and his teeth grazing gently, while his hand cupped her other breast. Natalia was writhing in his lap now, grinding her pussy down against his hard length in a rhythm that had Harry seeing stars. The friction was maddening, not nearly enough but somehow too much at the same time.
Natalia's hands left his hair to work at his trousers, fumbling with the belt in her desperation. Harry helped her, lifting his hips so she could push them down along with his boxers. The cool night air hit his heated skin but then Natalia's hand wrapped around his cock and all thoughts of hot and cold fled his mind entirely.
"Fuck, Natalia," Harry groaned, his head falling forward against her shoulder as her hand moved in slow, careful strokes, jerking him off.
"That's exactly what we're doing," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.
Harry retaliated by sliding his hand up her thigh beneath her skirt, his fingers tracing higher and higher until he found her center. She was already soaked through the thin fabric of her knickers, and when Harry pressed against her through the material, Natalia gasped and rolled her hips into his touch.
"So wet already," Harry murmured against her neck. "All for me?"
"All for you," Natalia confirmed breathlessly. "Only you. Please, Harry, I need more."
Harry hooked his fingers in the waistband of her knickers and pulled them down. Natalia lifted herself enough for him to slide them off completely, and then his fingers were back, exploring her properly this time. She was slick and hot against his fingers, and when he slid one inside her, Natalia moaned his name like a prayer.
He worked her slowly at first, learning her body and what made her gasp and what made her moan. When he added a second finger and curved them just right, Natalia's back arched and her nails dug into his shoulders hard enough to leave marks.
"Right there, Harry, don't stop, please don't stop."
Harry had no intention of stopping. He worked her with his fingers while his thumb found the sensitive bundle of nerves above, circling it in time with his thrusts. Natalia was unraveling above him, her movements becoming jerky and uncoordinated as pleasure built inside her.
"I want you inside me," she gasped suddenly, her hand tightening around him. "Now, Harry. I need you now."
Harry didn't need to be told twice. He shifted their positions, laying her back on the blanket and settling between her spread thighs. Natalia's legs wrapped around his waist immediately, her heels digging into his lower back and pulling him closer.
Their eyes met in the dim light and for a moment the frantic urgency paused. Harry could see everything in her gaze. The desire, the need, the trust. It was intoxicating and terrifying all at once.
Then Natalia pulled him down into a kiss that tasted of desperation and promise, and Harry positioned himself at her entrance. He pushed forward slowly, feeling her body stretch to accommodate him, hot and tight and absolutely perfect around him. They both groaned at the sensation, the sound swallowed by their kiss.
Harry held still for a moment when he was fully seated inside her, letting them both adjust. Natalia's hands roamed over his back, her touch both soothing and inflaming.
"Move," she breathed against his lips. "Please, Harry, I need you to move."
Harry pulled back slowly and thrust forward again, setting a steady rhythm that had Natalia gasping beneath him. Her nails raked down his back, definitely leaving marks this time, but Harry didn't care. He'd wear them as a badge of honor.
He angled his hips, searching for the angle that would drive her wild, and when Natalia's back arched clean off the blanket with a sharp cry, he knew he'd found it. Harry hit that spot again and again, his thrusts deep and controlled, and Natalia was babbling beneath him now in a mix of English and Bulgarian that he didn't need to understand to know what she meant.
"Harder," she finally gasped in English. "Harry, harder, please."
Harry obliged, his control beginning to slip as he drove into her with increasing force. The sounds of their raw fucking filled the forest around them. Skin against skin, harsh breathing, Natalia's increasingly desperate cries, and Harry's own groans. It was primal and raw and absolutely perfect.
He could feel Natalia's body starting to tense beneath him, her inner walls beginning to flutter around him. Harry knew she was close. He reached between them, his thumb finding her center and circling it in time with his thrusts.
"Harry, I'm so close, I'm going to..."
"Let go," Harry growled, his voice gravelly and strained, and his hips slamming harder. "Come for me, Natalia. Come on the cock you're cheating on your boyfriend with."
The filthy reminder snapped something inside her.
Natalia's scream tore through the air—raw, broken, and loud enough to echo off the castle walls miles away. Her back bowed off the ground, her spine curving like she was trying to fuse herself to him. Her cunt clamped down on his cock viciously, her inner walls fluttering around him and milking him in tight, desperate pulses that felt like a fist around his shaft.
The sensation was overwhelming, and Harry's control shattered.
He drove in to the hilt, his hips locked flush against her, and came with a guttural groan that vibrated through both their bodies. Thick, hot spurts of his potent cum flooded her, each one pulsing in time with her contractions and painting her walls until she was overflowing, until his slick heat was leaking out around his buried cock.
Her nails raked down his back, drawing red lines he'd feel for days. Her thighs trembled violently around his waist, her heels digging into his ass as if she could pull him even deeper. Wave after wave crashed through her, her clit throbbing against his pubic bone and her inner muscles spasming so hard it dragged another low, ragged moan from his throat.
She kept clenching, kept coming, greedy little flutters that wrung every last drop from him until his balls ached and his vision whited out at the edges.
Finally, her body went limp beneath him, her large breasts heaving, and her skin slick with sweat. Harry stayed buried inside her, still twitching, both of them trembling in the aftershocks as their mingled release dripped slowly down her inner thighs.
They collapsed together, both breathing hard. Harry managed to roll to the side, pulling Natalia with him so she was draped across his chest. Her fingers traced idle patterns on his skin while his hand stroked up and down the elegant curve of her spine.
For several long minutes, neither of them spoke. There was only the sound of their gradually slowing breaths and the distant sounds of the forest around them. Harry felt utterly spent and completely satisfied, his body humming with pleasant aftershocks of their passionate sex.
Natalia propped herself up on one elbow eventually, looking down at him with satisfaction written clearly across her face. Her hair was a mess, falling around her shoulders in tangled waves. Her lips were swollen, her cheeks flushed, and there were marks blooming on her neck and collarbone. She looked thoroughly ravished.
"That was incredible," she said softly.
Harry reached up to cup her face, his thumb stroking across her cheekbone. "You're incredible."
She laughed and leaned down to kiss him, soft and sweet this time. When she pulled back, her expression had gentled into something warmer and more intimate.
"I meant what I said before," Natalia murmured. "About wanting someone who sees me. Who challenges me. I think you might be exactly that person, Harry Potter."
"Even though this is probably the most complicated thing either of us could do?"
"Especially because of that." Her smile turned wicked, her eyes sparking with mischief. "I told you I like danger."
Harry chuckled and pulled her down for another kiss. They stayed like that for a while longer, trading lazy kisses and gentle touches. The earlier urgency had been replaced by something slower and more exploratory, almost tender. Harry's hands mapped her body at a leisurely pace while Natalia's fingers traced the scars on his skin, each touch a question she didn't voice. She had a feeling she'd be getting to know more in the future.
Eventually, though, the cold began to seep in. Harry cast a warming charm over them both, but Natalia still shivered slightly.
"We should probably get dressed," she said reluctantly. "Before we freeze or something else decides to attack us."
"Probably wise," Harry agreed, though he made no move to get up.
Natalia laughed and pushed at his chest. "Come on. Besides, you promised to show me more of the forest."
They disentangled themselves and began searching for their scattered clothes. Harry watched as Natalia dressed, admiring the long lines of her body and the graceful way she moved. She caught him staring and smirked.
"See something you like?"
"Very much," Harry said unabashedly.
Once they were both dressed again, Harry vanished the conjured blanket and cast a quick cleaning charm over them both. Natalia twirled her wand to fix her hair while Harry buttoned his shirt, and in no time they were ready to continue their exploration.
It was obvious that the dynamic between them had shifted. There was an ease now that hadn't been there before, a comfort that came from the intimacy they'd just shared. Natalia took his hand as they walked, lacing their fingers together, and Harry found himself enjoying the simple contact.
"So," Natalia said as they made their way deeper into the forest. "What else can you show me out here? Besides your impressive magical abilities and even more impressive stamina."
Harry laughed. "There's a unicorn clearing not too far from here. If we're lucky and quiet, we might catch a glimpse of them."
"I've always wanted to see a unicorn up close."
They walked in comfortable silence for a while, Harry navigating by memory and the faint moonlight filtering through the trees. Natalia stayed close to his side, her thumb rubbing circles on the back of his hand.
"Can I ask you something?" she said eventually.
"Sure."
"Those spells you used earlier. Some of them were quite dark, weren't they? From Hogwarts standards, that is."
Harry was quiet for a moment, considering his answer. "Some of them, yeah. Not illegal exactly, but definitely not taught in standard Defense classes here."
"Where did you learn them?"
"Books mostly. The Restricted Section has some interesting material if you know where to look. And I've had access to some private collections."
Natalia squeezed his hand. "I'm not judging. You did what you had to do to keep us safe. I'm just curious about you. You're not what I expected, Harry Potter."
"What did you expect?"
"Honestly? I'm not sure. Someone more naive maybe. More innocent. The Boy Who Lived has this image, you know. The golden hero who always does the right thing and never breaks the rules."
Harry snorted. "I break rules all the time. Ask anyone who knows me. The golden hero thing is just what people want to see."
"And the real you?"
"The real me does what he wants to do. Sometimes that means following the rules and sometimes it means breaking them. Sometimes it means using magic that people would find questionable."
Natalia was quiet for a moment, processing his words. "I like the real you better than the image."
"Good," Harry said simply.
They continued walking, and Harry pointed out various plants and creatures as they passed. A family of bowtruckles peeking out from their tree. A patch of alihotsy that Harry warned her away from, explaining how the plant's leaves could induce uncontrollable hysteria. A small group of fairies darting through the undergrowth, their wings leaving trails of golden light.
Natalia was fascinated by all of it, asking questions and actually listening to his answers rather than just pretending to care. Harry found himself enjoying playing tour guide, sharing his knowledge of the forest that he'd accumulated over the years.
"You really do love it out here," Natalia observed. "Despite the danger."
"It's honest," Harry said. "Everything in here is exactly what it appears to be. A spider is a spider. A unicorn is a unicorn. There's no pretense, no games. Just survival and instinct."
"Unlike the rest of the world."
"Unlike the rest of the world," Harry agreed. "Where everyone has an agenda and you never quite know who to trust."
Natalia pulled him to a stop, turning to face him. "Do you trust me?"
Harry considered the question seriously. Did he trust her? They barely knew each other really, and she was involved with Krum. But there was something about Natalia that felt genuine. She'd been upfront about what she wanted from the start, no games or manipulation.
"Well, I trust you more than most," he said finally. "You've been honest with me about what you want. That counts for something."
Natalia smiled and leaned up to kiss him softly. "Good. Because I plan to be very honest with you about what I want going forward."
"And what's that?"
"More of this." She gestured between them. "More of you. I know it's complicated with Viktor, but I'll figure that out. Right now, I just want to enjoy this. Enjoy you."
Harry pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her waist. "I think we can work with that."
They kissed again, slow and sweet this time, without the earlier desperation. When they broke apart, Natalia was smiling.
"Come on," Harry said. "Let's keep moving before something else tries to eat us."
They walked for another twenty minutes, hand in hand, trading stories and stolen kisses. Natalia told him about growing up in Bulgaria, about her family and her life before Durmstrang. Harry found himself sharing more than he usually did, telling her about his time at Hogwarts.
It felt natural talking to her. Easy in a way that talking to most people wasn't. She felt like another Fleur or Daphne or Tracey or Susan.
Natalia didn't treat him like a celebrity or a hero. She just treated him like Harry, and that was surprisingly refreshing.
"I can't believe this night," Natalia said suddenly, laughing. "Started with you showing me the forest, nearly got eaten by giant spiders, watched you be absolutely incredible, had amazing sex, and now we're just walking and talking like this is totally normal."
"It could be more uneventful," Harry quipped with a grin.
Natalia swatted his arm playfully. "Would you really have preferred that?"
"Not even slightly," Harry admitted. "This night has been pretty perfect, complications and all."
"Perfect," Natalia repeated, testing the word. "Yes, I think that fits."
She stepped closer and pulled him down for another kiss, her hands sliding into his hair. Harry responded eagerly, his arms tightening around her. The kiss deepened, heat building between them again, and Harry's hands started to wander.
Natalia made a soft sound of pleasure and pressed closer, her body molding against his. Harry walked her backward until her back hit a tree, his mouth never leaving hers. One of her legs hooked around his hip, pulling him flush against her, and Harry groaned.
"Again?" he murmured against her lips.
"Definitely again," Natalia breathed. "But maybe not right this second. I can barely walk as it is."
Harry chuckled and placed one more lingering kiss on her lips before stepping back.
"A numbing charm always works."
"Don't even think about it," she said firmly. "I want to feel this for as long as I can."
Harry smirked. "Later then."
"Promise?"
"Absolutely."
Natalia gave him a satisfied smile and reached up to fix his collar, her fingers lingering on his neck. Harry caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm, making her breath catch.
"You're dangerous," she accused.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it keeps being true."
They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, and Harry marveled at how quickly things had shifted between them. A few hours ago, they'd barely known each other beyond surface attraction. Now it felt like something more. Something with real potential if they could navigate the complications.
It was not love, not even close. But it felt oddly familiar to what he shared with the others, and that was exactly what he wanted.
Natalia seemed to be thinking along similar lines because she suddenly grew serious. "Harry, about Viktor. I need to handle that properly. I won't keep sneaking around behind his back indefinitely. That's not fair to anyone."
"I know," Harry said. "Take whatever time you need. I'm not going anywhere."
"Thank you." She squeezed his hand. "Now come on. Show me more of this forest of yours."
They continued their exploration, the comfortable intimacy between them only growing stronger. Natalia would occasionally tug him to a stop for a kiss or he'd pull her close to point out something interesting, and each touch felt natural and right.
Harry was showing her a cluster of glowing mushrooms, explaining how they could be used in certain potions, when he noticed something odd. Through the trees ahead, there was a faint mist rising from the ground near the roots of a particularly thick oak.
"That's strange," he muttered.
"What?" Natalia followed his gaze.
"That mist. It's not natural."
They moved closer cautiously, Harry's hand going to his wand. The mist was thicker as they approached, curling around the base of the tree in unnatural patterns. And there was a smell too, something chemical and wrong that didn't belong in the forest.
"Harry?" Natalia's voice was uncertain.
"Stay behind me," he said quietly, all traces of their earlier playfulness gone.
They crept forward slowly, Harry's wand raised and ready. The mist seemed to be coming from behind the tree's massive root system, and as they rounded it, Harry's breath caught in his throat.
There was a body.
It was wrapped in vines, the magical plants having grown around it in a protective cocoon. The mist was rising from the body itself, vaporous and strange. Harry could see pale skin through the gaps in the vines, and the unmistakable cut of expensive robes.
"Merlin," Natalia breathed. "Is that…?"
Harry moved closer, his wand already working to dispel the mist. It resisted at first, clinging stubbornly, but Harry pushed more power into the spell and it finally dissipated. The vines loosened slightly at his approach, as if recognizing him as not a threat.
He knelt down beside the body, his wand steady in his hand as he carefully chipped away some of the vines to get a better look at the face beneath. The magical plants resisted slightly but eventually gave way to his touch. What Harry saw made his blood run cold and his stomach twist.
"Fucking hell," Harry said, his voice hollow and tight. "It's Barty Crouch."
Barty Crouch Sr., Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and one of the tournament judges, lay before them entangled in vines. His face was deathly pale and gaunt, the skin stretched tight over his bones like parchment. His lips had a faint blue tinge to them. The vines had wrapped around him in an almost protective manner, like they were trying to preserve something precious.
"The judge from the tournament?" Natalia asked, her voice shaking as she moved closer. "Harry, what's he doing out here?"
Harry leaned in, trying to detect any sign of breathing. He couldn't tell. Crouch's chest wasn't moving from what he could see, but with the vines wrapped so tightly it was hard to be certain. Harry pressed his fingers to the man's neck, searching for a pulse. The skin was cold to the touch, far too cold, but whether that meant he was dead or merely in some kind of stasis, Harry couldn't determine.
"I don't know," Harry said grimly, pulling his hand back. "But something's very wrong here."
He looked closer at the vines themselves. They weren't any species he recognized immediately, and they seemed to pulse with their own faint magical energy. The mist that had been rising from Crouch's body was gone now but Harry could still smell that chemical wrongness in the air.
"Is he..." Natalia couldn't seem to finish the question.
"I don't know," Harry repeated. He cast a quick diagnostic spell, one Madam Pomfrey had taught him during one of his many visits to the Hospital Wing. The result was confusing. The spell couldn't determine Crouch's status definitively. There were signs of magic at work, preservation charms maybe, but also something darker underneath that Harry couldn't identify.
Crouch had been acting strangely lately. Everyone had noticed. He'd missed several tournament events, and when he did appear he seemed distracted and unlike himself. But to find him here, wrapped in unknown magical vines and possibly dead in the depths of the Forbidden Forest? Nothing about this made any sense.
Harry's mind raced through possibilities. Had Crouch been attacked? Had he fled here for some reason? The vines suggested he'd been here for some time, but how long? And why had no one found him until now?
"We need to get help," Harry said, standing up. "Now. Dumbledore needs to know about this immediately."
He looked down at the body again, at Crouch's pale face and the mysterious vines holding him. Something about this entire situation felt deeply wrong. The centaurs' warnings echoed in his mind. Blood and fire and death. A storm building.
"Yeah," Natalia said quietly, her hand finding his.
Harry looked down at the unconscious or possibly dead man before them, and then back at Natalia's worried face.
Their perfect night had just taken a very dark turn, and Harry had a sinking feeling that this was only the beginning, and that he was right in the middle of it, just like the centaurs had said.
The lightning rod around which the storm was gathering.
"Come on," Harry said quietly, giving Natalia's hand a squeeze. "You should get back to your ship. There's no need for anyone to know you were here with me."
"Unnecessary questions and all that," Natalia agreed. "You take care, okay?"
Harry nodded as he flicked his wand, illuminating the path back to the Black Lake for Natalia to follow. He gave her a nod, and she looked uncertain for a moment before throwing herself at him. Their lips met in a desperate kiss, their arms wrapping around each other.
Finally, Natalia pulled away from him. Harry gave her a nod and gestured toward the illuminated path. Natalia glanced at Crouch for a final time, and she gave his hand a soft squeeze before turning to head back toward the Black Lake.
Harry stood there, staring at her retreating figure until she was out of sight beyond the tree line. He turned back to Crouch with a frown. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that finding Crouch like this was exactly what someone had wanted. That he'd been left there deliberately so that he'd be found, but by whom, and for what reason, he couldn't fathom.
"Expecto Patronum," he whispered, the magnificent stag emerging in front of him.
He gave it the message he wanted it to carry, and as the stag galloped away, he stared once again at the pale face and mysterious vines, unable to tell if the man would ever open his eyes again. The uncertainty of it gnawed at him.
Whatever was happening, whatever game was being played, Harry had just stumbled onto a piece of it. And he had the distinct impression that things were about to get much, much worse.
TBC.
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