11 year old Barty being called to Slugghorn’s office:
"You got 100% correct answers on the Potions test. I also heard you did very good on the Charms- and Defence Against the Dark Arts-tests.”
Barty straightens his back a little with pride.
“Mr Crouch, I want you to be honest with me. Did you cheat?”
“What? No!”
"I just don’t understand how you can do so well. You ask a lot of basic questions in class. They say there are no stupid questions, but you clearly show you lack the understanding needed to do so well on the tests. I spoke to the other teachers, and they are telling me similar things.”
“What?! Am I not allowed to asked questions now? Aren’t that what class is for?”
Slugghorn sighs. “Of course, you are. I have no evidence, I just think it is a little suspicious, is all. I advise you to take care to not cheat in the future.”
In the Slytherin Boy’s dorm:
Barty throws his pillow across the room. His blanket follows. He hurls his heaviest book into the opposite wall with a loud thud. He shoves everything down from his desk and watches it spread over the floor with bangs and clatter. He curls his hands into fists and hits the mattress until he is out of breath.
“What’s wrong?” Evan asks quietly from his bed.
“Nothing.”
“Are you mad?”
Barty sighs and curls in on himself on top of his empty bed. “Not at you.”
Evan picks up Barty’s blanket from the floor and drapes it around Barty’s shoulders. He dusts off the pillow and carefully places it where it should be. He stacks everything neatly on Barty’s desk.
He grabs his own blanket and a piece of parchment and sits quietly beside Barty and starts to draw.
“Here”, he sticks the impressively realistic drawing in front of Barty, “it’s a Tibetan Exploding Bug. They have chemicals in their back body that can create a small explosion when mixed. Kind of cool.”
“Thank you. That is cool.” Barty fixes the drawing in the row of other bug-drawing lining the inside of his upper bedframe. Then sits down beside Evan again, leaning affectionately against his shoulder.
“What if I never get’s the courage to speak in class?” Evan asks after a while.
“Then you keep writing your questions, and I keep asking them. It has worked well so far, hasn’t it?”
“People will think you are stupid.”
“I don’t care. They are stupid.”
Even nods hesitantly.
Barty grabs his shoulders and looks sternly at him. “I don’t care. Okay?”
Evan smiles. “Okay.”
