Some months ago, I wrote a fanfiction called Gödel's Incompleteness that covered the idea of the Doctor and Barty Crouch Junior being the same person without the influence of a chameleon arc or amnesia. In particular, that meant he would end up on the slow path with an actual life in Wizarding Britain and would ultimately ally with Voldemort.

This story lives in the same, err, multiverse, but I'll try to include enough information on the original plot for this to be able to stand relatively independently. That means that theoretically, you don't need to know Gödel's Incompleteness or remember that much to follow, but if you want to read that story at one point and haven't done so yet, you'll get spoiled if you read on any further here.

So what is this, exactly? Technically, we're dealing with a sequel, but it can also count as an alternate ending. If you prefer the latter, it will branch off the original plotline in the middle of chapter 1994 (7) E in the Doctor's subjective timeline, that is after Dumbledore offered him a teaching position at Hogwarts. In order for everything to fit into the events of the Goblet of Fire, the Doctor had to teach undercover as Alastor Moody, but because he'd just make such a good teacher on his own, let's just override that decision here and find out what could have happened under those circumstances, shall we? :)

There will be an actual explanation for things progressing differently all of a sudden, but more importantly, events will start diverging rather dramatically from the Harry Potter plot (and also get a bit more, well, Whovian).

So now, I'm not really sure what else I wanted to say except for a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the story so far and has been waiting so patiently for this, and a special thanks to TheJoyOfZombies for encouraging me to just start uploading. I'm still far from finished writing this down, but I guess it can't hurt to let you know that I'm still working on this :)

After all the introductory ramblings, let's finally get to the story - or its prologue, for now. Which is more of a summarizing teaser, really. Which is, in fact, meant to be a daily prophet article...sans the horrible bias we know from Rita Skeeter. Maybe I'll end up layouting it properly one day, but oh well, for now the usual formatting will have to do. Enjoy!

RELATIVITY: Prologue

~ THE DAILY PROPHET ~

"I could tell you how magic works on a fundamental level, but are you willing to listen? Exactly, you're not, and that is the problem. Most wizards grow up without developing any drive for research, and that is a pity, really, because there is just so much potential." - Bartemius Crouch Junior

OUT OF PRISON, OUT OF DOUBT?
The truth about Hogwarts' new professor

He made it from prison to professorship. Rarely ever has a comeback been more shocking than that of Bartemius Crouch Junior.

London, August 25th 1994. Some students call it a curse, some call it a blessing. In any case, it has become a sad tradition at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: after every year, the seat of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is left vacant. Throughout the decades, professors ended up hospitalized, dead or in other undesirable conditions. As such, it is not surprising that the number of qualified applicants dropped to zero at last.

What is surprising, however, is how headmaster Albus Dumbledore never fails to find a replacement against all odds. Speculations have run high on how either current Potions Master Severus Snape or ex-auror Alastor Moody would get the call. But if you can expect someone to have an ace up their sleeves, it is Dumbledore. This time, he really outdid himself: He revived a dead man – and an alleged Death Eater, at that.

Bartemius Crouch Junior was a genius at school and beyond, known for both his cheerfulness and an incredible interest in the world as such. As the son of the former Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch Senior, nobody had expected him to be affiliated to Him-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in any way – yet the Dark Mark on his forearm speaks for itself. The scandal of his involvement in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom in 1981 cost the father his position and the son his life. During his stay at Azkaban, Crouch Jr.'s health had deteriorated beyond recovery. He was declared dead in 1982.

So how can it happen that the very same man walked away from death and imprisonment to become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts? What is the true story behind Bartemius Crouch Junior?

We invited him to hear his side of the story. "The world is not black and white," he summarizes, "People are neither good nor evil. Of course you can send me to Azkaban because there's a fashionable skull on my forearm. But you can also ask me why it's there."

With a delay of mere thirteen years, that question was finally asked yesterday. Crouch was granted a proper trial and explained that he had actually befriended the Longbottoms several years before the incident. He had been keen on acquiring knowledge even before attending Hogwarts. So when he began studying the origins of magic, his search eventually led him to Frank Longbottom, who had published several papers on the topic.

"Frank and Alice were brilliant," Crouch remembers, "I was thrilled to meet them, and they didn't disappoint me." When asked where their research led, he talks about parallel worlds, colliding realities and how a quantum of strings could predict the future. "I understand that actual research is uncommon among the magical folks," Crouch ponders, "Maybe that is why it was so hard to find collaborators in the first place."

According to his official statement, Crouch eventually met Him-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named through the same theories he had already discussed with the Longbottoms. You-Know-Who had been an outstanding academic during his time at Hogwarts, but beyond those years not much is known. "A collaborator?" we ask, "Is that what you would call Him-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

Crouch blinks, and he frowns. "I was advised not to talk too much about this, but let me repeat my earlier statement. You cannot be entirely good or completely evil. But you can be perceived as either."

Just as prominent examples like Nicholas Flamel or Phoebus Penrose show, a wide research network can lead to great success. Crouch, however, faced a huge rebound when both fractions of that network met. "I did not commit the crime I was sentenced for, but I cannot claim to be entirely innocent," so Crouch, "I did not manage helping Frank and Alice in time, and for that I am so very sorry."

Already in 1981, Crouch's sentence had raised a number of questions, for he differed greatly from the average Death Eater. He had been known to love anything muggle-related and detested violence of all kinds. In yesterday's trial, those contradictions were considered anew. Crouch's obvious regret along with a surprisingly logical story convinced the court. He was freed of all charges.

"It's good to be able to breathe again," he comments wistfully, "Both literally and figuratively." Whilst the truth about his alleged crimes had to be attended to first, the question of his actual escape from Azkaban is just as interesting.

"I did not escape," he clarifies, "I died – at least, well, per definition. It was just a simple pneumonia, but it was not attended to. I guess I was lucky to be declared dead when I fell comatose. Although I might as well have been dead for a while, I can't really tell."

Not only was he lucky to be still alive, he was also lucky to have a caring mother. When he was about to be buried alive, a heartbroken Cornelia Crouch noticed the mistaken diagnosis and took it upon herself to look after her son. With her husband's support, she faked her own death to be able to care for her son's recovery. It took her twelve years, yet she succeeded at last.

"I still can't believe I survived," Crouch tells us, "I would never have done so without her. Humans are just amazing like that."

The deception might have been legally questionable, yet authorities chose to turn a blind eye on that detail as mistakes had been made on both sides.

Shortly after his recovery, Crouch met Albus Dumbledore. "I did not even mean to run into him," he remembers, "But there he was, offering me a job. Well, what should I say? I love children."

Dumbledore wrote in his official statement that Crouch was the best choice for the position because he had seen the war from both sides, yet from a neutral point of view. "If anyone can teach children to find their own way, it is him," Dumbledore explained, "Bartemius outpaces most of us in many respects, so I am grateful he has not turned his back on us in spite of our horrible treatment."

Sometimes, people rise from rags to riches. And sometimes, they rise from dead to rehabilitated. Crouch's return comes as just as much of a surprise as his downfall did thirteen years ago. While reasonable enough, his tale is an adventurous one. Only time can tell what further truth lies beyond that cheerful façade, but we know one thing for sure: Hogwarts has gained yet another enigma to teach our children, and we can only hope for something good to come of it.

Prologue - end

... :D Let's just say Dumbledore had to pull a lot of strings behind the scenes for the Doctor's rehabilitation to work out properly.
Anyway, it's late so that's it for now. Thank you for reading, and please review!