"Professor Moody?" McGonagall stuck her head into the Defense classroom and interrupted Barty's class of First Years, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Uh, yeah," Barty turned to the class, "Open your textbooks, I don't care what page, and read something." Then he walked out into the hall, "Yes, Professor?"
"Alastor, as you are well aware, the Yule Ball is this evening, and we're in need of adult chaperones. I'm sorry for the late notice, but would you be able to help out?"
Barty had been planning on staying in his room all night, avoiding the dance because it had been the last time he'd saw Hermione, but now it seemed her had no choice. Saying no was out of Moody's character, "Sure, Minerva. I'd be glad to help out."
"Perfect," She smiled, "Then I'll see you tonight right after dinner to prepare the Great Hall, and for a brief chaperone meeting." Then she whisked away, leaving Barty slightly dazed and alone in the hall way.
He shook his head, and then went back into the classroom, slamming the door behind him and causing the First Years to jump, "Quick! Name the three top defensive spells at the Ministry!" The First Years blinked confusedly and stared blankly ahead.
After dinner, the students were all in their dorms. Most likely, the girls were cracking out beautician spells and de-wrinkling their dresses, and the boys were probably jacking around in the dorms, and would throw on their robes at the last minute. Meanwhile, Professors Barty, McGonagall, Severus, Flitwick, Hagrid, and Sprout were all in the Great Hall moving tables, stringing lights, and glittering the place up. Barty thought he would hate the task, but as he strung the lights, he got flashes of the past. The way these lights would shine while a younger him danced with Hermione, and the way the spacious dance-floor would leave them enough room to twirl endlessly made him smile.
"Care to share the smile, Alastor?" Severus asked as Barty almost bumped into him.
Barty had never hated Severus, but he still wasn't about to share the secret with him, "I'm just remembering my own Yule Ball. I went with a really pretty girl in a pink dress."
Severus laughed, "She sounds like quite the catch."
Barty smiled, "She was. Considering she was someone else's date that night." He laughed heartily at the thought of what would happen later that night, and Snape joined him. This was the first time in all of Barty's recent days at Hogwarts that Severus had been in a pleasant mood, "So why are you so happy, Severus?"
Snape just shrugged, "There was a dance at Hogwarts when I was a sixth year. Just a little dance, nothing like this, but Lily finally said yes to letting me have one dance, even though she'd been pretty angry with me all year. I was just thinking about it."
Barty nodded and hung the last string of lights, then went to help Professor Flitwick with arranging the round tables. After they were all in the proper place, it was almost time for the students to start filling in, so Professor McGonagall called everyone over for a meeting, "Basically, keep the dancing students a decent distance from each other, keep an eye on the punch bowl, watch out for students who sneak away, and try to break up any and all fights."
Everyone murmured that they understood their requirements, then took up their posts around the room. Barty picked a corner near the entrance, and took another large drink of polyjuice potion. Ten minutes or so passed before the first students began filing in. Durmstrang students had dates from Beauxbatons, Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs had Hogwarts dates, and some Hogwarts students were going with each other. It was a mess of color and culture. Barty watched as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley came in with the Patil twins on their arms, though Harry's attention was locked on Cho Chang, and Ron seemed to be throwing an internal hissy-fit. Finally, Hermione was whisked through the doors in a flurry of pink ruffles, on the arm of Viktor Krum. Hermione and Krum made their way to the center of the dance floor and melded right into the swift movements of the dancers. A tight knot twisted itself in Barty's stomach, and he had to turn his attention elsewhere.
The dance wore on and Barty had, essentially, nothing to do. He did bust a couple or two who were trying to sneak off from the dance to be alone, but other than that, he just melted into the wall the whole time. Towards the end of the night, kids started going to bed and Harry Potter got up and went out of the Hall for some reason. A few of the chaperones were leaving early, and Barty was about to leave, when a commotion at the center of the dance floor caught his attention. Hermione was upset and yelling at Ron for something, and the boy looked frightened. Hermione's yelling was backing him right out of the Hall, and as they slipped out of the entrance, Barty caught a glimpse of what she was saying, "Of all the rotten things you've done, Ronald this has to be—" And they were out of the Hall.
Barty looked back at Viktor, who looked a little shocked and angry as well, then watched the boy stomp out of the Great Hall. Barty knew what was going to happen next, and he decided to wait and watch. Hermione came back into the Hall and tried to locate her date, and when she couldn't, she sat down at a table, looking miserable. Barty waited and waited, but Hermione still didn't move. He was about to go over to her, when she abruptly stood and ran from the Hall. Barty smiled; she was going to go get him.
Sure enough, after a few minutes, Hermione re-entered the Great Hall with a thin sixth year boy from the past on her arm. Barty smiled and sat down at the closest table and watched them dance. His younger self looked just that; young. Young and definitely fatter. He was still freakishly thin, but Azkaban would take a toll on his body, leaving him reduced to the Barty that was disguised as Moody, nothing but flesh and bones. Hermione didn't take her eyes off younger Barty and the boy with chestnut hair and matching eyes did the same.
Barty looked away and smiled; he felt that to stare at them for much longer would break the spell they had going. He was still grinning madly when Severus sat down next to him, "Reminiscing again, Alastor?" He asked.
"It's like I can see it happening again," Barty tried not to laugh at his joke.
"Yeah, I know what you—" Severus broke off as something caught his eye. Barty followed his line of sight to see that he was staring right at Hermione and his past self, "What the…? That kid isn't from here!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Severus," Barty tried to take control of the situation, "He had Hogwarts class robes on."
"No," Severus stood, "That's Barty Crouch Jr. I went to school with him. He's a convicted Death Eater and from the past. Excuse me while I go question those two."
Barty reached out quickly and pulled Severus back into his seat and said, "Severus, seriously. One, you're a convicted Death Eater, too," A terrible one at that, "Plus, have a little compassion. The boy's only, what? 16? 17? In his normal time stream, he'll be dead in a few years. Can't you just leave him? He won't be a Death Eater for a few more years anyway."
Severus blinked, then said, "No, someone stole a time-turner, and I think it was Miss Granger. I'm going to get to the bottom of this." Snape stood to go over to the dancing couple, but Barty whipped out his wand and whispered a stunning spell.
Severus went down like a sack of cement and Barty scrambled up to check him. Professor McGonagall was by his side immediately, "What happened?"
"I don't know, Professor. Perhaps Severus here was at the drink tonight. He seems to be OK, so I'll just take him up to Madam Pomfrey and let her take care of him." Barty worked a levitating spell and began to guide Snape's body out the door.
By the time he got back downstairs, the dance was ending and all the students were being sent to bed. Barty lumbered awkwardly over to the entrance to garden just in time to see Hermione and his younger self disappear slowly back to his time. Barty leaned against the doorway and waited for her to come back. It didn't take long before she was seated on the bench again, tears in her eyes. Barty went over and sat down next to her, "Miss Granger, care to tell me what's happened?"
Hermione decided to confess, "I stole a time-turner, Professor Moody, and I guess you saw that. So do I have a detention now?" She looked up at him, tears threatening to spill down her face.
Barty sighed, "No, I don't think so. And I meant what's happened that you're crying."
"Oh," Hermione wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, "The boy I brought here was Barty Jr. And I guess I'm just sad because, within a few short years in his timeline, he'll be dead and buried. And I had to keep that from him tonight."
"Sounds like you care about him."
"He's one of my best friends. We met in a time-turner accident last year, and I just kept going back. I like his company, and I trust him." Barty was glad to hear that, but at the same time regretful, because he hadn't done anything since that night that would be deemed 'trustworthy' in her eyes. She took a shaky breath and said, "And I don't think I can ever go back."
Barty was silent, so that's why she stopped visiting. He wanted to slam his head on the near-by garden wall; Hermione stopped going back to him, because he had told her about his fake death. He felt stupid. Really stupid. The silence stretched on and on until Hermione finally bid him good-night and left to go to bed. Barty continued to stare straight ahead at the garden wall, and didn't even acknowledge her leaving. Then, once she was out of sight, he stood and walked over to the wall, then let his forehead impact with the not-so-soft concrete, "I'm an idiot…"
