"This is not Alastor Moody." Dumbledore said in response to Harry's stuttered question. The Professor turned to McGonagall and Snape and gave them instructions, one to fetch the dog Penny knew to be Sirius and one to fetch Truth Potion and Winky the House Elf. Penny frowned at the last bit before staring down at unconscious figure on the floor. A small gasp escaped her as something clicked in her brain, and yet made her mind explode with a thousand other questions. Glancing at her, the blazing blue eyes told her he knew she had guessed the imposters identity. Snape looked at her before turning back to the Head Master.
"What about Miss Black?" He asked as her eyes darted between them. Dumbledore looked at her, his piercing eyes scrutinising her face.
"She stays." He said after a moment. After giving Penny a searching look, Snape swept out of the office without another word. Dumbledore had found the real Alastor Moody in the bottom of his trunk, starved and weak. Emptying the hip flask of Polyjuice Potion, he had sat and watched the intruder in silence. Glancing at Harry, Penny could see the gash on his leg still bleeding gently through his torn robe. Spotting her wand on the floor she swooped down to pick it up, noticing Dumbledore watch her closely as she did so. Turning away she retrieved a couple vials from her robe, kneeling by Harry, who jumped startled, his eyes having still been glued to the figure on the floor. He hissed in pain as Penny dabbed at his wound, noticing a strange ting to the surrounding skin and a thick liquid coagulating within the blood.
"Venom?" She asked Harry, looking up at him. Touching his leg distractedly Harry nodded.
"Massive spider" Harry muttered as Penny groaned. Nothing more she could do until the Hospital Wing as without the right antidote the wound would just keep reopening. Harry gasped suddenly causing Penny to look round at the unconscious man, whose form had begun to change rapidly, his eye and leg regrowing, his nose complete and his skin smooth aside from lines that surrounded his eyes. He looked different than Penny would have imagined, she could see none of Crouch Sr in the man's face. At that moment Snape and McGonagall returned, the little house elf Winky with them. In one fluid motion Dumbledore propped the man up, dropped three drops of Truth Potion into his mouth and awoke him.
Through Winky's wails Barty Crouch Jr told his tale of escaping Azkaban, his imprisonment by his father and how the events of the year had unfolded with his role to get Harry to the end of the Triwizard tournament.
"I set off for Hogwarts. But none of our plans prepared us for the girl. Persephone Black." Crouch continued in the same flat tone, even as Penny shifted uncomfortably as all but Dumbledore's eyes flickered towards her. "The moment I saw her I knew. I would know Bella's daughter anywhere." He went on as Penny stared at him, a strange tug of longing in her gut. "But I dare not inform my master until I was certain. I waited until after class to question Persephone. She did not trust me at all, but she all but confirmed my suspicions. I informed my Master. He instructed me to stick to the original plan. He needed the boy. But now I also had to investigate Persephone. Find out all I could about her, get to know her abilities, her personality, her beliefs, as much information as I could give him. He was very interested in his daughter." He went on, a slightly sickly smile on his face. Penny watched him in revulsion as her mind whizzed through every possible detail he could have past on and feeling sicker by the second. "She is very smart, very perceptive. But her emotions betray her." He went on as Penny scowled.
"What happened with your father?" Penny asked sharply, the irony of her outburst not lost on her. Dumbledore looked away from the man for the first time to gaze at Persephone thoughtfully but didn't challenge her input. As Crouch carried on talking Dumbledore looked back at him as he finished his tale about his father's escape and murder, plus the end part of the Triwizard tournament. Penny watched as Dumbledore stood, his eyes disgusted and blazing, the energy coming off him still radiating. He sent Snape on his way and asked McGonagall to stand guard. Penny considered the older woman's face as she drew her wand, pointing it the prisoner with a steady hand. Despite the Professor's nauseous expression, Penny did not doubt should Crouch attempt to escape he would be on the receiving end of a few choice curses. She felt a rush of affection for Professor McGonagall as Harry staggered to his feet. Penny supported him as Dumbledore led him to his office where Sirius was waiting for them.
"Harry! Penny! Are you alright?" He said the moment he saw them, white as a sheet. Crossing the room he helped Penny lower Harry into a chair. "What happened?" He asked as Fawkes flew across the room to Harry's lap, Penny ducking to avoid his large wingspan. Penny watched Harry as Dumbledore talked, noting how he slumped in his chair, how his green eyes were lowered to the floor. He didn't meet her eyes or Dumbledore's, even as they gazed at him. Even through her Occlumency shields she recognised the exhausted agony he was in and as the urge to embrace him struck her, she turned away, uncomfortable.
"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the Maze, Harry." Dumbledore said softly, ignoring Sirius' protest or Penny's narrowed glare, looking only into Harry's eyes. "I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened." A long moment of silence past before Fawkes let out soft warming note. Watching the struggle on Harry's face as he sought to find the strength to talk, Penny moved closer to his side, placing her hand on his. At her touch those pretty green eyes raised themselves to hers, a look of exhausted determination forming as she nodded very slightly in encouragement. Taking a deep breath, he began to speak even as his eyes lowered back to the floor. As he told his story, he told how Cedric had died, Voldemort had risen having taken blood from Harry. When Dumbledore examined the cut on Harry's arm Penny saw a gleam of triumph cross the Professor's face, vanishing as soon as it came. Penny stared hard at him but could see nothing but a sense of regret from him.
Harry continued reciting how the Death Eaters had returned. On mentioning Lucius Penny had made a strange grunt of a noise, Penny and Sirius' eyes met above Harry's head, a moment of understanding passing between them.
Penny's grip stiffened on top of Harry's hand as he told them how he had vehemently defended her from Voldemort. He still loved her, Penny thought a shameful blush creeping up her face as both Dumbledore and Sirius looked her way. Harry however carried on, telling of how the wands connected before his voice stumbled and he feel silent.
"The wands connected?" Sirius asked.
"Priori Incantatem" Dumbledore explained. He explained how Harry's wand and Voldemort's were brothers, phoenix tail feathers from Fawkes and that they would not work properly against one another. "Ollivander sends me an owl whenever he sells a wand of note." Dumbledore added, Penny felt his eyes touch her briefly. As Harry explained about the ghostly figures Penny felt him trembling under her hand, the urge to embrace him reaching her again. Sirius' face was crumbling as Harry described how his father had told him to run, and as he buried his face in his hands Penny spotted a shining tear escape him. Silence echoed as Harry finished, the emotions in the room reaching such a point Penny could not block them out. Fawkes jumped off Harry's lap onto the floor, covering Penny withdrawing her hand from Harry's sharply. Turning away from the rest of them Penny put her arms around herself, staring unseeing into one of the Headmaster's many bookshelves.
Her head was spinning uncontrollably, the events of this year and tonight all whizzing through her mind falling into place and creating a picture she did not like the look of one bit. Her father had returned. He would try to force her to join him and follow his cultist beliefs or kill her should she refuse. Lucius had joined him and would undoubtedly hand her over the moment she went home for the summer. If she even went home. And her mother…. her mother had kept her a secret from her father. What did that mean? Had she really gone to such length to protect her? Lied to the man she was so devoted to? This last thought made her heart race, a complicated confused rush of affection and fear twisting through her gut.
"Persephone." Dumbledore's voice shook her from her thoughts. She reluctantly turned back to face him, forcing her mind clear as she met those piercing eyes. She stared at him coolly as he considered her, he wanted to talk to her, Penny knew but she was in no mood to talk.
"It can wait." She said through gritted teeth. He watched her a moment more before he nodded, looking older and graver than Penny had ever seen him. When Harry stood Penny moved to support him, surprised when he stood normally. Looking at his leg Penny glanced to Fawkes, who let out a soft note as Penny shot him a grateful half smile. Leaving the office Juno was waiting at the foot of the stairs hissing frantically.
"Mistress are you ok?" She asked slithering out the way as the group of them past, Sirius in his dog form. "I hear the commotion from the Forest and followed Sirius' scent. What happened? Why can I smell blood and venom? Are you hurt?" She hissed rapidly.
"I will tell you all about it, just not now." Penny told her, not wanting to make Harry relive it once more by explaining in front of him. Reaching the Hospital Wing Penny saw Hermione, Ron, Bill and Mrs Weasley all surrounding Madam Pomfrey who looked unusually harassed.
"Harry!" Mrs Weasley said charging towards them. Dumbledore explained to them all that Harry needed rest and quiet, whilst Penny went to Madam Pomfrey who looked relieved for some help, the only one who looked pleased to see her. Ron fixed her with a mistrustful glare whilst the others, including Hermione were all looking very carefully at her, as though trying to decipher something from her white face. Dumbledore left to speak with Fudge promising to return soon.
"Stay with Harry." Penny hissed at Juno who slithered onto the end of the bed, Madam Pomfrey's nose wrinkling at the sight. Madam Pomfrey pulled screens around Harry whilst he changed, Penny popping into the back room to grab the Sleeping Draught. Returning she circled round the screen, trying to ignore the questioning looks, holding the bottle out to him.
"You need to drink all of this Harry." She said hurriedly, unwilling to meet his eyes as his hand lingered on hers, not taking the bottle properly. Having remained relatively calm through all the events and news of tonight Penny now felt herself reaching the end of her emotional resilience. She wanted nothing more than to run as far away from here as possible, to find some peace in which to think. She didn't want to be here with all the judgemental eyes on her and Harry still looking at her the way he did. All it did was make her feel guilty, dirty almost. She placed the beaker heavily on the bedside before rapidly turning on her heel. Before she could take more than a single stride she felt him grab her hand.
"Penny" He said, his tone making Penny look at him despite her reluctance. Her bluey green eyes met his emerald ones, the depth of the agony in his eyes shattering her Occlumency shields into pieces as her lip trembled slightly. "Stay." He said the desperation in his voice the child like helplessness in how he was looking at her squashing her misgivings about encouraging his affections further. He needed her and she couldn't abandon him. Not tonight. Taking a deep breath, she moved gingerly to his side.
"Budge up then." She muttered softly, still not fully meeting his eyes. Moving across he made room for her to climb up to lay next to him. Without a word Penny finally gave in to her urge to embrace him, pulling him unresisting to her. He put his arm round her waist as she reached across to grab the potion. "Drink." She insisted, tipping the beaker at his lips. After two quick gulps Penny felt him becoming deadweight, and quickly put the beaker back down. He laid his head on her chest, a detail that seemed strangely unimportant in that moment before he passed out asleep in her embrace.