It was 6:30 AM in Upper Hogsmeade Village, and light snow had been falling all night.
In front of Crouch Villa, the old butler was directing servants to clear a path through the accumulated snow.
Weilan and his two friends, all three squeezed under an Invisibility Cloak, stood behind the holly bushes on the main road, intently staring at the gate of Crouch Manor.
Weilan took out the scale amulet and placed it in the palm of his right hand.
He let Ron and Hermione hold his right hand, and the three of them collectively enjoyed the warmth and heat provided by the amulet.
At 6:20, the villa gate opened, and a servant drove a small carriage slowly from the side path.
The carriage stopped in front of the villa, waiting for its owner to board.
At 6:30, Mr. Crouch, dressed neatly, carrying a briefcase, and holding a thermos, emerged from his home punctually.
He got into the carriage.
The servant drove the carriage slowly towards Hogwarts.
Weilan and his friends quickly followed the carriage.
The carriage wasn't fast, and they could barely keep up by jogging.
"Good thing it's not one of those flying carriages," Ron complained while running. "Otherwise, even if we grew wings on our feet, we might not be able to keep up."
"Where did the rumor come from that Mr. Crouch cares deeply about this younger son of his?"
Hermione was out of breath, though not entirely from running. She was furious that this father was so indifferent to the tragic death of his own son.
The carriage creaked its way towards Hogwarts, which indicated that Mr. Crouch's schedule for today was most likely still his work as the Triwizard Tournament organizer.
The Christmas Ball was about to begin, and it was part of the Triwizard Tournament.
Mr. Crouch was responsible for organizing this ball, which promoted friendship among the three schools—an event with diplomatic implications.
However, what angered Hermione was that Mr. Crouch's younger son had only been found tragically dead last night! How could he go to Hogwarts and work as if nothing had happened?
Weilan placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder, signaling her to remain calm and focus her attention on the carriage Mr. Crouch was in.
"It's precisely because Mr. Crouch's behavior is so abnormal that we need to pay close attention to him, isn't it?"
Hogsmeade Valley is not far from Hogwarts.
Hogwarts' magnificent Castle gradually revealed its outline through the distant mist.
They maintained a distance that was neither too far nor too close, watching Mr. Crouch alight from the carriage, pass through the gate, and walk towards the main entrance of the Castle's Great Hall.
At 7:00, Mr. Crouch arrived at Hogwarts.
At 7:20, he, carrying his briefcase and thermos, met with the three Principals in the conference room to discuss the specific details of the Christmas Ball.
During the meeting, Mr. Crouch mentioned that the Ministry of Magic would appoint a new official to fill Mr. Bagman's vacant position and serve as the new judge for the Triwizard Tournament.
At 8:30, Mr. Crouch concluded the meeting. After drinking some water and resting for a while, he went to the office specially set aside for him at Hogwarts.
He handled some documents until 9:20.
Drinking water, resting, and then another meeting, this time with some subordinate staff, to arrange for the procurement of supplies and security personnel during the Christmas Ball.
The time reached 11:00.
Mr. Crouch met with several more people.
He was urging them to get the new judge on duty as soon as possible to organize the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Mr. Crouch spoke eloquently in his rigid, unchanging voice. Weilan, however, stared intently at the opaque black thermos beside him.
Weilan told Hermione to keep an eye on the pocket watch.
This time, Weilan was extra careful, specifically paying attention to the time.
The first time Mr. Crouch drank water from his thermos after leaving home was at 8:30. There was exactly a two-hour interval.
The second time he drank water from the thermos was around 9:20, less than two hours after the last time.
Now, Weilan was waiting for Mr. Crouch to drink water from the thermos for the third time.
It was almost 11:20.
Mr. Crouch coughed a few times, looking parched after a long conversation.
He reached for the thermos, unscrewed the lid, and took a large gulp of the liquid inside.
"It's exactly two hours since he last drank water," Hermione, who was watching the pocket watch, reminded him. "The Polyjuice Potion's effect lasts exactly two hours; Mr. Crouch might very well have been replaced!"
"I know."
Weilan rubbed his right eye; his 【Subtle Observation】 had just closed.
Polyjuice Potion can replicate a person one-to-one, including all of their magic characteristics.
For example, when that Veela took Polyjuice Potion to disguise herself as Lily, she temporarily lost her charm magic.
This meant that 【Subtle Observation】 couldn't directly observe magic traces through appearance to identify who was the imposter who had taken Polyjuice Potion.
As for the liquid in that thermos… it couldn't be seen clearly due to distance limitations. So, whether Mr. Crouch had actually drunk Polyjuice Potion or not, it really couldn't be determined at the moment.
Weilan decided to try a different approach.
The Seer's cooldown was ready.
Weilan originally wanted to divine: Has the Mr. Crouch he is currently tracking drunk Polyjuice Potion today?
Then he thought, why not go straight to the point.
Clutching the Knut for the divination tightly in his palm, Weilan silently chanted in his mind:
"Has the Mr. Crouch I am currently tracking participated in, and directly or indirectly, intentionally caused the disappearance and death of Bader Crouch?"
The coin landed. Heads up.
The divination once again gave a "No" answer.
Weilan truly couldn't understand this situation.
Since taking on Mrs. Crouch's commission, every divination result had been so unexpected.
Weilan even felt a bit of regret—he should have asked the Polyjuice Potion question first.
"Next time, I must prioritize divining whether this 'Mr. Crouch' has actually drunk Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself!"
While Weilan was troubled by the divination result, Mr. Crouch made a new move.
He finished his conversation and headed to the Great Hall for lunch.
Weilan tore off the Invisibility Cloak. The three of them also took the opportunity to fill their empty stomachs in the Great Hall.
After lunch, Mr. Crouch did not return to his office.
He walked towards the Forbidden Forest.
"I need to communicate with the Beauxbatons people."
Mr. Crouch said this to Hagrid, the gamekeeper of the Forbidden Forest.
Weilan and his friends put on the Invisibility Cloak again and saw Mr. Crouch being allowed to approach the Beauxbatons carriage at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
He walked to the steps at the carriage entrance, his left foot already halfway extended towards the steps, but it suddenly veered mid-air, landing on the ground to his right.
His body then turned 90 degrees to the right, bypassed the Beauxbatons carriage at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and quickly walked deeper into the Forbidden Forest!
"He really is problematic!" Ron said this, looking at Weilan.
He was hesitant about whether to follow.
Weilan held Ron back.
"If we go deep into the Forbidden Forest now, if we encounter any danger, no one will be able to save us!"
Weilan dared not enter rashly. Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest was full of dangers; a moment of carelessness could cost them their lives.
Weilan scanned the muddy ground of the Forbidden Forest, caused by the fresh snow.
The footprints left by Mr. Crouch were unmistakable.
Even if Mr. Crouch went first, Weilan was absolutely confident he could follow the footprints and catch up to him.
So Weilan stood still, and after careful consideration, made a decision:
"Our tracking ends here today. There's no need to follow Mr. Crouch into the Forbidden Forest and take risks."
"But we must report this to Dumbledore and the Aurors. We need to let them know that Mr. Crouch has a secret, and his secret is hidden in the Forbidden Forest."
