"You were so long in that lake, Evans, I thought you had downed. But luckily, Dumbledore took your idiocy for nobility, and marked you high for it," Moody stood before the two students, who he had stuck to the sofa in his office.

"You had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, of course," the Professor smirked. "I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outer hedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, hoping he would finish Diggory and leave you to the Cup.

"But you're a Auror!" Elizabeth said, unable to keep quiet, no matter how tight Fred held her hand. "You've caught Death Eaters! You worked with my Dad during the war…"

"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you," Moody went on as if she hadn't spoken. "Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him, let him take your blood for the regeneration, and then I killed you for him. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter…" He turned his eye on Fred. "And a blood traitor as well. Just the icing on the cake, really. The Dark Lord and I," Moody was looking more insane by the moment, "have much in common. Disappointing fathers, for one."

"You'll never make it out of the castle alive if you kill us," Elizabeth snapped.

"Oh really?" Moody grinned a terrible, leering grin. "Neither Dumbledore nor your attentive father noticed what I was doing all this time. Snape thought there was something wrong, but he didn't care enough to search out exactly what was going on." He swished his wand idly through the air. "You have something of a disappointing father as well. Perhaps you should follow in my footsteps. And the Dark Lord's. You could kill him. It would certainly ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order."

Elizabeth sensed Fred moving a little at her side, heard him mutter something that was drowned out by Moody's ranting.

Moody looked thoughtful. "Your father is quite the actor. Once I believed that he was on our side. Unfortunately, he has potential to slow the Dark Lord's rise, so he will have to die. And soon." Moody made a face that looked like a cross between a grimace and a grin. "The Dark Lord is back, and I am ready to give him his welcome gift." He raised his wand. "I suppose you've always wanted to meet your mother, Elizabeth." His mouth started to form the beginnings of the curse.

"No!" Fred, in was only then that Elizabeth realized he'd unstuck himself, leapt forward, putting himself between Moody and Elizabeth just as the door swung open and another voice shouted, "Stupefy!"

Moody was thrown backward onto the office floor. Elizabeth sat, frozen, taking in the scene. Moody on the floor. Fred standing in front of her, wand drawn. Dumbledore in the doorway, his own wand outstretched, a look of fury on his face. Severus and Minerva behind him, anger rolling off them both in waves.

"Elizabeth," Severus said quietly. "Fred. Both of you, go with Professor McGonagall."

"She's stuck, Professor," Fred said, not sure what to make of Severus' use of his first name. He turned to Elizabeth and pointed his want at the sofa. "Finite—

"No!" Elizabeth reached out to stay his wand. "You'll reverse everything."

Fred immediately dropped his wand to his side. "You're right."

"It's alright," Severus said, his wand trained on Moody. "You do that, we have him covered."

Freeing Elizabeth, Fred pulled her up and against his side.

"Go with your grandmother," Severus ordered, his eyes not leaving Moody.

"No," Albus said sharply.

"She's been through enough tonight," Severus began.

"She will stay, Severus, because she needs to understand," Dumbledore said curtly. "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. She needs to know who has put her through the ordeal she has suffered tonight, and why."

"Moody," Elizabeth said, her voice full of disbelief. She looked at Fred. "He was an Auror. How could it have been Moody?"

"This is not Alastor Moody," Albus said quietly. "You have never known Alastor Moody. The real Moody would never have allowed you to be away from your father after what happened tonight. When Severus fire-called me and said he saw you and Fred in Moody's office, I knew something was wrong. And when he said that it wasn't Moody's dot on the map… everything came together. The real Moody would have sent you back to the Dungeons, which you never should have been allowed to leave in the first place," he looked pointedly at Severus.

"Perhaps if you more carefully screened your employees—

"Severus," Minerva said warningly.

"Severus, please fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you possess. Minerva, kindly go down to the kitchens and bring up the house-elf named Winky." Albus said, walking around Moody's limp body to the trunk with seven locks, fitted a key in the lock, and opened it. It contained a mass of spellbooks.

He closed the lid, opened the second lock, and opened the trunk again. Now, the trunk was full of parchment and, Elizabeth noticed, a silver cloak like her own. Dumbledore continued the process, until he placed the seventh key in the seventh lock, opened the lid, and revealed a kind of pit.

Lying on the floor, some ten feet below, thin and starved, was the real Mad-Eye Moody.

Albus lowered himself into the pit, falling neatly down next to Moody. "Elizabeth," he called. "Take off the imposter's cloak and throw it down. He's freezing."

Elizabeth obeyed, then backed up into Fred's chest as Dumbledore wrapped Moody in the cloak and clambered out, holding the other man. Fred wrapped both arms around Elizabeth, his wand still in his right hand.

"Polyjuice Potion," Albus said quietly, pouring the imposter's flask out onto the floor. "It would be most convenient if tonight's events kept him," he looked at the frozen body on the floor, "from taking his latest dose."

Severus returned, wordless standing next to Fred and Elizabeth, watching the man on the floor as if he understood what they were waiting for.

Then, before Elizabeth's very eyes, the face of the man on the floor began to change. The wooden leg fell away as a normal leg regrew in its place. The magical eyeball popped out of the man's face as a real eye replaced it.

There was a man lying before them, pale-skinned, slightly freckled, with a mop of fair hair.

"Crouch!" Severus said sharply, nearly dropping the vial in his hand. "Barty Crouch!"

"See!" Sirius' voice came from the doorway. "I told you he wasn't dead!"

"Sirius, please go check that the Tower is secure," Albus said softly. "Take Remus with you."

"Good heavens," Minerva said, returning with Winky in tow.

"Master Barty!" Winky flung herself onto the young man's chest. "You is killed him!"

"He is simply stunned," Albus said quietly. "Severus, you have the potion?"

Severus handed over the vial, then pulled Winky off Crouch so he could prop him against the wall.

"Take his wand, Severus," Albus ordered, before forcing the young man's mouth open and pouring three drops of the Veritaserum down his throat. Then, he pointed his wand at Crouch and said, "Rennervate."

"I would like you to tell us," Dumbledore began, in a voice Elizabeth had never heard from him before, "how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?"

Crouch, speaking in a flat, expressionless voice, explained, "My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She and my father came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took each other's appearance."

Elizabeth almost retched at the thought. The woman had voluntarily committed herself to Azkaban in her dying days?

"She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance," Crouch continued. "Everyone believed her to be me."

Winky wailed at his side, distraught at the telling of the story.

"My father controlled me with the Imperius Curse when we arrived home," Crouch continued. He's face scrunched into a evil grin. "My father did everything he could to subdue me, and to keep me hidden. I spent day and night under my Invisibility Cloak. Only one person ever discovered me," he laughed humorlessly. "Bertha Jorkins. I daresay my father damaged her permanently when he cast too strong a memory charm on her."

"At the World Cup," Crouch went on, "I had all but escaped my father's hold. I was getting stronger, unknown to anyone. In the Top Box, I saw a girl with her wand in her back pocket," he smirked at Elizabeth. "She was busy with the game, with some boy, she didn't notice when I stole it."

He licked his lips. "We went back to the tent. That was the night the Death Eaters came. The ones who had never suffered for my master. They had turned their backs on him. I was angry. I had the wand. My father left the tent to defend the Muggles. Winky dragged me into the forest, but she couldn't stop me from casting the Dark Mark before we were both stunned by the Ministry wizards."

"Your father knew you were there!" Elizabeth burst out. "That's why he was so hateful to Winky!"

"Your daughter is not an idiot," Crouch smirked at Severus. "After the fact anyway." He licked his lips again and continued his story. "We went home, and then…" he grinned. "My master came for me."

Dumbledore's eyes were blazing, but his voice was calm. "What did he ask of you?"

"He needed a servant to watch over Elizabeth Evans," Crouch sneered. "Moody put up a struggle, but Wormtail and I managed to subdue him. After that, I had only to fool everyone into thinking I was the real Moody. The only roadblock we had was my father's escape from my master's control."

"I waited and watched. I snuck into Snape's office and used the map he keeps in his desk, the one that seems to have ruined everything." He glared at Elizabeth. "At last, the map showed my father entering the grounds. I went down to meet him in my Invisibility Cloak. He was walking along the edge of the forest. Unfortunately, Krum and Evans showed up, then Black. I couldn't hurt the girl, my master needed her. So, when Black sent her to get Dumbledore, I attacked. Unfortunately, my cloak fell off as I was attacking, and I was in my true form. Black recognized me from Azkaban. Kind of an exclusive club, really. It's a shame," he said, staring at the ceiling. "I was going to kill him after the Tournament." He grinned. "Anyway, I killed my father."

"And tonight?" Dumbledore said softly.

"I offered to carry the Cup into the maze," whispered the man. "I turned it into a Portkey. I will be honored by my master beyond the dreams of wizards."

Dumbledore stood, pointed his wand at the other wizard, who was now babbling incoherently, and bound him with magical ropes. "Severus, please take Elizabeth to my office."

"No," Severus said quietly. "You may speak to her tomorrow. You need to deal with Fudge tonight, and she needs to rest. You've already asked too much of her today, and she will not relive it tonight on your order." He held out his hand. "Come," he said to the Gryffindors. "We're no longer needed here."

Fred moved his arms from around her shoulders, re-clasping her hand as they followed Severus out into the corridor. Minerva followed, floating the real Moody in front of her to the hospital wing. Severus guided the teenagers to Gryffindor tower, where he watched as Fred said the password.

"Mr. Weasley," he said suddenly, as Fred stepped through the portrait.

"Yes, sir?" Fred turned back.

"I owe you a great debt. It will not be forgotten."

Fred looked like he might pass out, but recovered quickly. "My father says that there is no debt between family," he said quietly, before the portrait swung closed, leaving Severus and Elizabeth in the corridor alone.

*S*S*

"Put himself between her and the killing curse," Severus said quietly to Remus back in the dungeons. He'd sent Elizabeth to change into pajamas before collapsing in his chair. "It's over, Remus. That's it. I might as well reserve the reception hall."

Remus chuckled. "I'm sure Molly will make you a jumper for the wedding."

"I didn't let her talk to Albus," Severus said softly. "I think she told Fred some of it. I can't imagine what else they were talking about when they were walking. But I…" he shrugged. "I'd like to hear it before the old man."

"Dad?" Elizabeth came out into the living room.

"Come here, hatchling," Severus rose and went into the kitchen, pulling sandwich supplies out of the refrigerator.

"Where's Sirius?"

"In the hospital wing with Moody," Severus poured a glass of pumpkin juice. "Alastor was the mutt's mentor when he was a young man."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I think so," Severus set a plate in front of her. "Eat."

Too tired to argue, Elizabeth dutifully bit into the sandwich. "You know," she said conversationally to Remus, "you lied."

"Pardon me?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"You said my Defense teacher wouldn't try to kill me this year."

Remus just shook his head, Severus rolled his eyes. "No Defense for you next year. I don't care if Albus himself is teaching it."

"Are you going to introduce me to the real Moody?"

"When he's well," Severus said, nodding, "But you've already met him. He was often in our home when you were a baby. That's what first gave me pause," he tapped the counter near the juice meaningfully. "I couldn't believe he was exposing you to Unforgiveables."

Elizabeth finished her sandwich and juice and slid off the counter stool.

"I think sleep is way overdue for all of us," Severus said, vanishing the dishes and coming around the counter.

Elizabeth frowned a little. "Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Can I sleep in your room? Please?" She looked up at him, the green eyes even more powerful tonight.

Under normal circumstances, Severus would have said no. He would have sent her to her own room and ended up sleeping in the chair beside her bed. But tonight, after seeing so little of his daughter for months, nearly losing her twice in one day, the upset in the castle, the returned danger to the wizarding community… and those eyes… he lost his resolve.

"Just tonight," he said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder to steer her into his room.

"Then I'm going to sleep in your bed, if that's alright," Remus said, stretching. "If Sirius comes back, he can have the sofa."

"Goodnight," Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her godfather.

"Goodnight," Remus said, hugging her hard. "I'll see you in the morning."

Severus guided his daughter into the room, where she sat on the bed next to Lily's portrait. "Hi, Mum."

"Hello, love. I thought you'd be back from the task before this."

"We hit a bit of snag," Severus said simply, nudging Elizabeth aside so he could pull the blankets down. He waited for her to lie down before he pulled the covers back up to her shoulders. Sitting on the side of the bed, he pulled a vial out of his pocket, deftly unstopping the top. "Draught of Peace," he said, handing it to her.

"Do I have to?"

Severus sighed. "Not right now. But if you fall asleep without taking it, I'm spelling it into your stomach, understand?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth set the vial on the bedside table.

Severus paused, his hand in the act of smoothing her hair, as if he wanted to say something. But after a moment, his face changed and he bent to kiss her forehead. "I love you, hatchling."

"I love you too, Dad."

Severus laid down on the other side of the bed, and shut out the lights with a flick on his wand. If he knew his daughter the dark would inspire her to talk. He hadn't pressed the potion issue, because if she wanted to tell him what happened in the maze, he wanted her to be awake. He was not disappointed.

"The Cup was a portkey," Elizabeth said softly into the dark. "Cedric and I decided to grab it together. He didn't want to, but we finally decided that if only one of us won, it wouldn't really be a win. I'd be the Girl-Who-Lived who stole the win from the real Hogwarts champion. If he won, the story would be that he beat me, not that he won the Cup. So we grabbed it together."

Severus stayed quiet, squelching the chorus of Of course… she was being noble that ran through his mind.

"We landed in a graveyard. For a minute, I thought it was part of the task, like a final level, but then my scar started burning, worse than it's ever been. I felt like my head was going to split open. I was on the ground," Elizabeth's voice faltered. "I was on the ground, when I heard someone say 'Kill the spare.' There was a blast of green light. Cedric… he fell down next to me. I went for him, but I could tell he was already dead. That's when Wormtail grabbed me."

Severus released an involuntary growl. "I knew I should have killed him when I found him."

"He tied me to Tom Riddle's headstone," Elizabeth said quietly. "I was in kind of a daze from Cedric, I didn't make the connection between Tom Riddle and Voldemort until later, although I guess I should have known."

"Elizabeth—

"No, let me tell it," she cut him off. "Wormtail was lighting a fire underneath a big cauldron, like the one I knocked the egg into before the second task. It didn't see Voldemort's snake until then, twisting around Cedric's body and this pile of robes on the ground that was moving like there was something inside." Elizabeth turned on her side, curling up into a ball. "I don't know what was in the cauldron, but it heated fast, and it didn't just boil, but gave off sparks."

Elizabeth paused, swallowing a few times, trying to wet her throat. "Wormtail picked up the robes and took out… I don't know how to describe it. You know those pictures you showed me of babies before they're born?"

"Yes," Severus' stomach clenched in anticipation of where this story was going.

"It looked like a unborn baby, but evil and scaly looking. And Wormtail dropped it in the cauldron." Elizabeth closed her eyes. "I wished for it to die, Dad. I've never wished for anything to die."

"It's alright," Severus said softly.

"Wormtail was doing a spell," Elizabeth went on. She heard the words in her head. She'd never forget those words. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son," she said quietly. "Then he put in a bone from Tom Riddle's grave." She gritted her teeth against the memory.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly given," she whispered, unwilling to say the rest of the line for fear that saying the spell would give it power. "I didn't watch… but Wormtail… he cut off his own hand for the potion. And then… Blood of the enemy forcibly taken… that's when he cut me."

Severus was up, sitting against the headboard and cradled her against him. "Elizabeth, you don't have to—

"He came out of the cauldron," Elizabeth continued. "He was… so much worse than when I first saw him." Her stomach turned, the sandwich threatening to make a reappearance. "He pulled up Wormtail's sleeve, and his Mark… it was red like yours has been lately… and then he touched it. And it turned black." She turned a little in his arms and tried to pull back his pajama sleeve, but his hand clamped down on hers before she could look.

"No," he said firmly, offering no other explanation.

"The Death Eaters came… and kissed his robes on their knees. Did you do that, Dad?"

Severus gripped her tighter. "The Dark Lord demands certain rituals from his followers," he said softly.

"He knows you've betrayed him," Elizabeth twisted again so her face was pressed into his shoulder. "Your place in the circle was open… he debated with Draco's father whether or not to go and capture you so you could watch me die before he killed you." A sob slipped from her chest, and Severus shifted her so she was sitting in his lap.

"It would take more than Lucius Malfoy to capture me," Severus said soothingly, rubbing circles on her back. "But if I'd known you were there, I would have willingly answered his call."

Elizabeth nodded. "He… went on talking to the Death Eaters, riling them up." She left out the Crucio. "Then he had Wormtail untied me and give me back my wand."

"He made me bow to him," Elizabeth said quietly. "And had me face him to duel, saying that my father would want me to die with honor," she shuddered with the memory.

"Elizabeth," Severus said, forcing her eyes to his. "He… he tortured you, didn't he?" his voice twisted in his throat. In a moment of fury, he vaulted roughly into her mind, searching for the duel.

*S*S*

Elizabeth was writhing from the pain, huddled on the ground as Voldemort stood over her with his wand almost lazily causing her agony, It seemed like hours when Voldemort ended the spell.

Severus watched as Elizabeth dragged herself to her feet, staggering as the Dark Lord laughed.

"A little break," the cold voice said. "A little pause… That hurt, didn't it, Betsy? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

Elizabeth glared at the wizard. "Don't call me that."

"I asked you whether you want me to do that again," said Voldemort softly. "Answer me! Imperio!"

Severus watched his daughter stand strong, his eyes widening as he realized… she was fighting it. The Imperius Curse… She was fighting it.

"I WON'T!" Elizabeth's voice rang out, and Voldemort, incensed with his failure, fired another Crucio at her.

Severus would have felt pride if he wasn't so terrified. He watched her dodge, and roll behind the headstone, the curse hitting the marble.

"You cannot hide from me," Voldemort hissed. Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finish it now, Betsy? Come out, Betsy… come out and play…"

Severus felt like he was watching a horror movie that, even though he knew that the heroine survived, he couldn't help wanting to cover his eyes.

Elizabeth threw herself around the headstone, casting her best defensive spell. "Expelliarmus!"

But Voldemort was ready. "Avada Kedavra!" he cried, completing his tour of the Unforgiveable curses.

A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of red light blasted from Elizabeth's. They met in midair, and suddenly the wands were joined by a narrow beam of deep gold light. The beam splintered, arcing over the dueling pair.

In the memory, Severus saw himself step up behind his daughter. Or at least a ghost of himself. Or a spirit. No matter what it was, it looked like him, and he whispered in her ear, "Don't break the connection," before he disappeared.

Severus watched Elizabeth strain against the force of the spells, until, slowly, she seemed to be focusing on something.

Suddenly, Voldemort's wand began to emit echoing screams of pain… then a dense, smoky hand flew out of the tip of it and vanished. Then a thick gray ghost of… Cedric Diggory stepped out of the wand.

"Hold on, Elizabeth," Cedric said, his voice distant.

Then a man… and a woman… and then… Lily. Severus felt a crushing pain in his chest.

"James is coming…" Lily said quietly. "Hold the connection, darling, we need as much muscle as we can get."

Severus watched as the face, then the body, of his rival appeared.

"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only a moment," Lily said gently. "But we will give you time… you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts… do you understand, Elizabeth? You have to get back to your father."

"Yes," Elizabeth gasped, her hold failing on her wand.

"Elizabeth…" Cedric said softly. "Take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents…"

"I will," Elizabeth said, the wand slipping.

"Do it now," Lily said, "be ready to run… do it now…"

Severus was sure that his mind stalled a moment, all he could see was Lily. He knew he was watching Elizabeth run, grabbing Cedric… summoning the Cup… and then they were back, hearing his own voice floating over Elizabeth's head.

*S*S*

When he emerged from her mind, he found her, breathing hard, a look of horror on her face. It was only then he realized what he'd done.

"I'm so sorry, hatchling," Severus backed away from her. "I'm so sorry."

Elizabeth took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "You've never done… that before."

"And I never will again," Severus assured her. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I can't believe I did that…"

"Merlin, Severus!" Lily scolded from her portrait. "What the hell—

"I know, Lily," Severus leaned back against the headboard. "I can't tell you how sorry—

"It's okay," Elizabeth said, catching her breath and moving to sit beside him. "You just… startled me."

"I scared you," Severus said, his voice revealing his inner anguish. "I didn't mean to do that. It was the thought of that monster doing something to you, and I didn't want you to have to talk about it—

"I know, Dad," Elizabeth soothed, a little unnerved by her father's despair. He never babbled on like this, nor did he ever apologize for doing anything he thought he needed to do. And certainly not over and over like this. "Did you see? Mum?"

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, still glaring at her mind-invading husband.

"You came to her," Severus said quietly. "You and James held the murderous psychopath off so she could get away."

"Well, of course I did," Lily said, sniffing a bit. "Bastard got the best of me once, but not again."

"Mum!" Elizabeth said, horrified at her usually soft-spoken mother.

Severus could only look at her portrait in thanks. Lily… you're still doing what I can't, he thought to himself.

"Sleep now," he said, handing Elizabeth the vial of potion. "I imagine the world is going to be awake early tomorrow."