Standard disclaimer applies.
Harry was absolutely exhausted. After he and Cedric had appeared at the end of the task, they were rushed by the crowd. Hermione, basically all the Weasleys, Sirius (in Padfoot form), Remus, and, to his surprise, Professor McGonagall. He thought he saw flash of tears in her eyes, but when he looked again, it was gone and she just had one of her rare smiles on her face.
Harry and Cedric were pulled apart in the crowd, but when the Weasley twins lifted him up on their shoulders, he caught sight of Cedric desperately trying to escape from his sobbing father while his mother tried to get into the hug too...Amos Diggory just pushed her away, to Harry's amusement.
He looked over at the judges table and saw Dumbledore glaring at him, but when he blinked, the glare was gone and was replaced with a smile and twinkling eyes.
Behind him, Madame Maxime was seen walking towards the castle levitating unconscious Fleur, with Gabrielle close behind her and Krum was being levitated by Madam Pomfrey, the former most likely to the infirmary to recover from the crucio.
Dumbledore stood and pointed his wand at himself after about ten minutes of celebration.
"Attention," he said in a magically magnified voice. "While we are indeed proud of the two champions, we do need to let them breathe and get them checked over by Madam Pomfrey. If you two would follow me to the infirmary and the rest would go to the great hall for the celebration feast, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you."
Overwhelmed by the celebrating people, Harry hadn't had a chance to think, but as soon as he was put down, he had one thought. Voldemort. He met Cedric's eyes and apparently they had had the same thought at the same time.
They both ran to Dumbledore, who was speaking with the Minister for Magic.
"Headmaster, he's back!" Cedric interrupted.
Harry heard footsteps behind him and turned to see the Weasleys, Hermione, and the Diggorys.
Dumbledore turned away from a clearly put-off Fudge and smiled at Cedric.
"My dear boy, whatever do you mean?"
"It's Voldemort! He's returned," Harry said frantically. The effect was immediate. Hermione let out a gasp, Mrs. Weasley a shriek, and Mr. Diggory sort of deflated in on himself. He also heard Ron let out a groan and mumble something that sounded like "Not again."
Fudge was looking at the two boys and then gave a forced laugh. "Oh, yes, very funny boys, although I would advise waiting a few more years before making jokes like that. The topic isn't exactly humorous yet."
"We're not joking! He's back! When we grabbed the cup, it was a portkey and it transported us to some sort of graveyard! Voldemort was there and then he sent a killing curse at Cedric, but...uh...missed and hit me. Then, I somehow survived and we both played dead and Pettigrew sliced my arm as some sort of ritual and then Voldemort came back to life!"
The Minister stared at Harry as if he had never seen him properly. "Pettigrew?"
Harry nodded vigorously.
"As in Peter?"
Harry nodded again.
"Mr. Potter, Peter Pettigrew has been dead for 11 years, surely you would know that by now. Albus, what kind of creatures were in that maze?"
"Minister Fudge, I can verify his story! And just check the cup, isn't there some kind of spell that can prove where a portkey has been?"
Professor Moody came up behind them. "Here's the cup, boys. Albus, would you like to do the honor?"
Dumbledore pulled out his wand and cast some sort of spell on the cup. A piece of parchment popped into the air and floated down to his hands. He examined it closely with the Minister peering over his shoulder.
"My boys, the parchment gives the coordinates of two places, the center of the maze and the entrance of the maze."
"But-but..." Harry was at a loss for words. How could that be?
"Look, I'll take veritaserum, use a pensieve, even take a magical oath," Cedric was saying.
"Hey, that's a good idea!" Harry interrupted. He pulled out his wand. "I swear on my magic that Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, has returned in a physical form in the last hour. So mote it be." He then waited for magic to accept his oath before casting a patronus. "Expecto Patronum!"
Prongs sprang from his wand and galloped along the edge of the judges table before nodding at Harry and disappearing.
Dumbledore gave Harry a disappointed look. "Harry, I'm disappointed in you. That was a rash decision and the wording could have caused you to lose your magic. I would rather you come to me in the future before making any more oaths."
"Yeah right. More like he wants to talk me out of doing any more oaths," Harry thought vindictively. Next to him, Cedric performed the same oath before anyone could stop him, but opted for a simple lumos instead.
Attracted by Prongs and the raised voices, a crowd had gathered around the group.
"Professor, Minister, obviously these boys are severely distressed. I have some calming draughts in my room that should help. Come along lads," Moody said, steering them towards the castle before anyone could utter another word. Behind them, Fudge was still spluttering that Voldemort being alive was impossible and that the boys should be checked into St. Mungos, whatever that was.
Harry felt a wave of worry rise in his chest as they followed Moody, but tried to keep it from showing. Didn't the Minister understand how important this was?
He saw Cedric glance over at him and was extremely surprised when he felt the older boy tentatively grab his hand, squeezing it, before letting go. Harry felt himself blush, but was clueless as to why that was happening as well.
They reached Moody's office and sat in some chairs that he gestured to before he poured a vial of something into two bottles of butterbeer and gave them to the boys.
"The calming draught I use tastes awful, so I thought something sweet would help," Moody explained.
Harry took a sip and felt warmth spread over his body, before something odd happened. His brain grew foggy and he didn't have the willpower to do anything besides sit and breathe. He could see what was happening, but it was like everything was far away.
"Is your name Harry James Potter?" Moody asked.
"Yes," Harry replied in a monotone voice. What was happening?
"And is your name Cedric Oliver Diggory?" Moody asked Cedric.
"Yes," Cedric said in the same tone. Harry tried to look at him, but found that he couldn't.
Moody sat back in his chair. "Was the Dark Lord resurrected into a corporeal form?"
"Yes," both boys answered in unison.
"Potter, what is your home address?"
No. He couldn't say that. "Number four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."
Ugh. A wave of panic went over Harry and he felt a wave of claustrophobia too, which was odd as he had grown up in a cupboard. Desperately, he thrashed against the mental bonds, but it was no use, he couldn't break free.
"Potter, who do you live with?"
"Vernon Walter Dursley, Petunia Rose Dursley, and Dudley Vernon Dursley."
"Are your relatives muggles?"
"Yes." Harry was internally screaming. Why was Moody doing this? He hoped this wasn't permanent. He couldn't exactly have his first kiss or ride a rollercoaster while in a semi-comatose state. Or ride a broom! Oh how he would miss Quidditch! He approached the light and in his mind fell back with a dramatic sigh.
"Harry James Potter! Focus on what's going on and stop acting like a drama king!" Harry jumped, well in his mind at least. "Mum?"
"Yes, your highness. Honestly, you're acting like Sirius when Remus forgot the anniversary of their first kiss."
"Sorry, mum. Wait, WHAT!? Moony and Padfoot!?"
"Yeah, why is this such a surprise? They broke up about a week before, you know, we died and since Sirius got shipped to Azkaban, Remus couldn't exactly make up with him. You'll find plans to get them back together on page 35 of that notebook I gave you, it's in your pocket by the way."
"Er, okay, thanks. But, one more question: how are you talking to me?"
"Well, given our extreme extenuating circumstances, the fact that if you mess up the world could end, and the fact that you've died twice already, Death allows your dad and I to poke our heads in every once in a while to give advice."
"Death?"
"Yes, Persephone, she's really quite nice. We have a book club that meets on alternating Wednesdays, although she never reads the assigned chapters. I can't exactly kick her out though because, well she's death and she's already allowing us to give you advice. Like FOCUSING ON WHAT'S HAPPENING!"
Harry got the message. While he was having a head conversation with his mum, Moody had quickly written a letter and sent it off with an owl out the window, before turning back with a predatory glint in his eyes.
He pointed his wand at the door and Harry watched as the door became part of the wall, and then saw Moody conjure ropes that tied up Harry and Cedric.
"Well, since I know what's going on, the Dark Lord has given me permission to have a little fun with you two before I go. The potion won't wear off for another 50 minutes, but the ropes are a necessary precaution. Wouldn't want you to break through like you do with imperious curses, Potter. And Diggory, well, your presence is an added bonus."
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
The pain seemed endless. Every nerve in Harry's body screamed for help as Moody kept the crucio up. "Why would anyone follow Voldemort for this," Harry thought. He would rather take death. At least there they had book clubs. He prayed for the pain to end, but he couldn't scream, plead, or even move. Even his face was expressionless.
Moody laughed before finally removing the curse. If Harry could have moved, he would have just lain there, twitching.
Then, Moody moved his wand to Cedric and Harry felt a surge of fear that was just as strong as his own when Moody has started.
"Crucio!"
Harry felt the pain again, even though Moody's wand was on Cedric. Did he have two? The pain was less extreme than before, but Harry still wanted it to end. It was like a sprain as opposed to a break and Harry had plenty of experience with both. Except, this hurt a thousand times worse. Maybe it was the after effects. He wished he could help Cedric, and struggled harder than he had struggled before, but it was still no use.
All of the sudden, there was a loud boom and the world exploded. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see smoke and rubble where the door had once been and saw Dumbledore step through, followed by McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Fudge, Snape, and a tall severe-looking woman wearing a monocle.
They didn't give Moody time to react, rather Dumbledore and the woman shot stunners at the man who flew back into the wall. The usually cheerful headmaster looked infuriated as he inspected the room, then ran to the two boys. Harry noticed that he completely ignored Cedric for Harry, an action that did not go unnoticed by the woman either.
Dumbledore gave Harry a once over then had Madam Pomfrey cast a few spells over the two.
"Damage consistent with at least one minute of exposure to the cruciatus curse and visible exposure to veritaserum," the nurse said gravely to the group. McGonagall looked extremely worried, as did Dumbledore. Fudge looked like he was about to cry with frustration, while Snape and the woman matched Madam Pomfrey's expression.
Dumbledore turned to the group.
"Severus, if you would quickly go get the antidote to veritaserum, and Poppy, please heal that man," he pointed to Moody who was still unconscious, "I would like him to be able to answer some questions..." He came to a look of realization and crossed over to the unconscious man. He picked up the flask that Moody always drank out of and sniffed it. "Polyjuice," he said. He then cast a patronus and sent it after Snape with the words, "Bring a polyjuice antidote as well."
Harry was disgusted by the pure lack of common sense of the wizard. Would an accio not be faster than Snape going all the way down to the dungeons?
They waited for a few minutes before Snape returned and in that time, the woman had managed to find the real Moody, discover several dark instruments, a backup wand on the fake Moody, and summon aurors to lock down the scene.
"Albus, I believe we should get these two to the hospital wing," she said, gesturing towards Harry and Cedric.
"I would like Harry to stay here so some of what he has gone through makes sense. You are more than welcome, however, to take Mr. Diggory."
Amelia looked at him in disbelief. "Are you saying that Mr. Diggory does not deserve to be here as much as Mr. Potter, despite the fact that they both apparently witnessed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's return and was tortured by a supposed teacher? Are you saying that Mr. Diggory does not deserve, nor would he want the same answers as Mr. Potter? Albus, are you daft?"
Harry silently agreed with her, although his main concern was the pain that he still felt and the wish that Snape would return soon. He didn't hear Dumbledore's reply, but he noticed that Cedric stayed.
Snape entered abruptly and handed the potions to Madam Pomfrey, who, in turn, fed them to Harry and Cedric. After a moment, the world became less cloudy and Harry was able to move again. The bad part was that his body started to shake violently at the after effects of the curse. The first thing he did was look over to Cedric, to make sure he was okay. Cedric looked back and managed a weak grin to let Harry know he was alright.
Madam Pomfrey ennervated the fake Moody and force-fed him the veritaserum followed by the polyjuice antidote. The effect was immediate.
The magical eye and leg popped off and the gray hair retracted into the skull and turned blond, giving the man a sort of bowl cut. The scars disappeared and were replaced by a smattering of freckles. The man went from big and bulky to pale, thin, and slender. When the transformation was complete, the woman gave a gasp along with McGonagall and Fudge.
"But-but that's Barry Crouch Junior!" Fudge blustered.
"That's impossible, Barry Crouch Junior died in Azkaban," McGonagall replied shakily, "It must be another trick."
"I'm sorry Minerva, but this is no trick," Dumbledore said gravely.
Harry decided that he should finally ask the obvious.
"Er, ma'am, who's Barry Crouch Junior? Is he related to Mr. Crouch?" The woman looked startled at being addressed.
"Yes, Mr. Potter, I am Madam Bones, by the way, director of the DMLE. Barty Crouch Jr. is the son of Barty Crouch Senior, the ministry official. He was caught with some death eaters and was sentenced to life in Azkaban. He supposedly died there, but as you can see, this is not the case."
Harry glanced at the man who was sitting on the floor with a dazed expression before nodding towards Madam Bones to continue.
"Alright, lets get started." Madam Bones walked over to the man and started asking him questions.
"What is your name?"
"Barty Samuel Crouch Junior."
"When were you born."
"January 7th, 1962."
"Are you a supporter of You-Know-Who?"
"Yes. I will join my master and bring about a new age, with pure bloods in power and muggles in their rightful place, at our feet."
"How did you escape Azkaban?" Fudge perked up at this question, probably desperate to make sure that he could cover his own arse.
"My mother was sick and I was dying. She didn't have long to live, so she begged my father to switch her with me and he eventually agreed. He loved her, so she was allowed to take the polyjuice potion and was put in my cell. I took another and left Azkaban disguised as her. The dementors are blind. They sensed a healthy person and a sick person entering and they sensed a healthy person and a sick person leaving."
"What happened once you left Azkaban?"
"My father put me under the imperious curse and left me in the care of a house elf, Winky. She cared for me as a son and persuaded my father to give me rewards for good behavior, like trips to the beach and new books. Eventually, I was able to fight the imperious curse off. And then," he grinned insanely, possible a result of being under the imperious for so long, "my master came for me. He and Wormtail brought me a wand and I imperioused my father. He was to go to the ministry like normal. If someone noticed something off, he was to inform them that he had just been sick. He somehow managed to fight it off and got to Hogwarts where I was positioned as a spy. I saw him on a map I got from the Potter boy and headed him off once Potter left him with Krum. I stunned Krum. I killed my father."
There was a minute of shocked silence before Madam Bones recovered to ask more questions. "Were you at the Quidditch World Cup?"
"Yes."
"What happened while you were there and why were you there?"
"Winky had convinced my father to let me go as another reward. I always loved Quidditch. I watched from the top box in a seat that my father had saved. I saw a wand sticking out of a boys pocket and I took it."
"My wand!" Harry exclaimed. He blushed as all eyes went to him. "Sorry, I thought I had dropped it during the tournament. I found it a while later. Go ahead."
Madam Bones looked at Crouch who had stopped speaking when Harry had started. "Continue."
"That was the first time I broke through the curse. Winky had her eyes closed. She didn't like heights. When the riot started it made me...angry. The people who had turned their backs on my master were using his name as an excuse to party. I used the wand I had found to cast the Dark Mark into the sky. Then Winky, who was trying to stop me, and I were stunned. My father found us. He released Winky. She had failed him. Then, it was just him and I."
Everyone looked at the clearly insane man with disgust. Then Madam Bones asked her last question.
"What was your involvement with Mr. Potter in the Triwizard Tournament." Harry felt uncomfortable and kind of scared to find out what had happened. He felt someone clasp his hand by in their own and saw Cedric, who gave his hand a squeeze and a comforting smile. He blushed again, then mentally slapped himself for forgetting about that possible marriage contract he would have to deal with. He planned to go to Gringotts as soon as he was off the train. Then Crouch started to speak again.
"I entered Potter under a fourth school and used a strong confundus charm on the cup. I needed him to get to the last event to make my plan work. In the first task, I made sure that Hagrid had the idea to show Harry the dragons with another confundus charm. Then, I made sure a house elf named Dobby who hero worshipped Potter heard me talking about Gillyweed to Professor McGonagall. Then, in the third task, I imperioed Krum and made him torture Fleur, before turning his wand on Diggory. Unfortunately, that's when Potter the hero came to the rescue and stunned Krum. Then he and Diggory grabbed the cup before I could do anything. But it worked. My master has risen again and I will be rewarded beyond measure." He trailed off with the same insane smile until Madam Bones stunned him and tied him up.
She then poked her head out the door. "Tell whoever is holding Krum to release him and send him to St. Mungos for treatment for the imperious curse." She turned to Fudge. "This is my witness and he is needed for some further information, which could determine the fate of our world and save millions of lives. Should you interfere in any way, I will have you arrested for possible treason and interfering in an official investigation. I have denied your order for a Dementor as I will have ten guards on this man at all times." She finally turned to Dumbledore and the two boys. "I feel that it is far past time that these two are admitted to the hospital wing, no further discussion. They have undergone extreme distress and they most definitely will need a day in there, if not more. No offense, Mr. Potter, but I will insist that Mr. Diggory is checked first as he seems to have a part of a bush sticking out of his shoulder."
Harry looked at Cedric and noticed a piece of those infernal bushes sticking out of his left shoulder and lots of blood dripping from it. Madam Bones conjured two gloating stretchers and the two laid down on them. It was at that point that Harry noticed that Cedric was still holding his hand, but before he could comment, he felt himself drifting off into the abyss of sleep, exhausted from the day he had had.