"Padma! Thank Merlin, you're here." Barty couldn't help reaching out and gripping her arms, just to reassure himself that she was real and not a figment of his desperate mind. "I'm not injured. At least, not physically. I need your help. You're the only person I can turn to. My only friend, except Debi, and she... I..."
Barty squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed convulsively against the wave of sickening hatred that rolled over him. He swayed on his feet, letting go of Padma so that he could grab hold of the nearest table and steady himself. He was running out of time!