Alastor Moody. And Bartemius Crouch. Together. In the same room. Standing only a few feet apart.
The longer Harry stares at their unmoving dots, the less it makes sense.
Harry's mind races to find connections between the two men: they're high-ranking Ministry officials, acquainted with Dumbledore, passionate about bringing Death Eaters to justice. But friends? In the handful of times Harry saw them together, he can't recall them interacting. Professor Moody didn't appear overly fond of Mr. Crouch in Dumbledore's memory, nor was he overly concerned about his illness and disappearance. If Ron or Hermione ever got sick and vanished, Harry would be frantic.
Which brings up another point: Mr. Crouch has been out of contact with everyone in the wizarding world for over a month. Not counting his letters and possible appearance in the forbidden forest, no one has seen him since last December. Minister Fudge is personally involved in the inquiry into his whereabouts. Per Cedric, Mr. Crouch had an urgent message for Dumbledore, which explains why he's at Hogwarts instead of the Ministry or St. Mungo's, but not why he's in Moody's quarters.
"Maybe it's a mistake?" Cho suggests. "Is that it? Could the map be mislabeling him, or showing someone who isn't there?"
Harry shakes his head. "It can't be. The map doesn't make mistakes. If it says he's there, then he's definitely there."
"Then, does it show… ghosts," she says, the last word barely above a whisper.
"Yes, it does."
"Then you don't think..." She shivers. Harry pulls her into an embrace. He can feel the racing thump of her heartbeat against his chest.
"Hey, it's alright. Tomorrow morning we can figure out what's going on."
After a fitful night's rest, Harry shares his evidence of Mr. Crouch's sudden reappearance with Ron and Hermione. They lay the map out on a table in the common room, huddling tightly around it to avoid prying eyes. The dot for Bartemius Crouch still lingers in Moody's quarters, though it's now moving around the room instead of stuck in a corner.
"That's so bizarre," Hermione says.
"Yeah, bloody Hell," Ron says.
"Cho thought it might be Mr. Crouch's ghost," Harry says. "It's… not pleasant to think about, but it makes sense."
"Yeah, maybe," Ron says, then his expression darkens. "Wait, no it doesn't! If Mr. Crouch was a ghost haunting Moody's office, don't you think he would've noticed and done something about it?"
Harry frowns. That had been bothering him too. The dot for Alastor Moody is still in his quarters, not appearing to have budged an inch since last night. Moody knows Mr. Crouch had an urgent message for Dumbledore. Mr. Crouch has been in his office for at least seven hours now, and if the map is to be believed, neither of them have made any attempt to deliver it to him.
"Hmm... I dunno. Maybe he slept through it? It looks like he might still be in bed."
"I dunno, Professor Moody doesn't strike me as a heavy sleeper."
"Yeah, I guess not." Harry says, thinking of the dozens of secrecy sensors Moody keeps in his office. One of them would've startled him awake if there was an intruder: human, ghost, or otherwise.
Hermione purses her lips, still staring at the dots on the map. "You haven't seen Mr. Crouch on the map before, have you?"
"No, he just appeared all of the sudden last night."
"When was the last time you checked? Was it before or after the incident in the forest?"
"After, the Friday after, and he definitely wasn't there. I was very thorough."
Since Harry's allowed to visit Hogsmeade this year, he hasn't had much need for the map. The last time he used it was on his date with Cho and Cedric in the spare potions classroom. In hindsight, he should have checked it right after the incident, but the events of that night left him shaken and not entirely thinking straight. It probably wouldn't have told him much anyway, considering he was unconscious for several hours. If there was an intruder, they would've used that time to slip away.
"I wonder…" Hermione says, tapping her chin. "There's a protocol for wizards who want to become ghosts after they die. You're supposed to declare your final wishes to the Ministry and get added to a registry."
"Yeah, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures handles it. My dad mentioned it once," Ron says. "If Mr. Crouch were a ghost, the Ministry would know about it, and they'd know to look for him here."
"If he's not a ghost though, then what?" Harry asks. "Is he alive and just catching up with Moody over tea in his office?"
Hermione and Ron share a look. Neither one has a response.
"I guess we'll just have to ask Professor Moody about it," Hermione says.
Hoping to find some answers, they close the map and head for Professor Moody's quarters. There's got to be an explanation, some context they're missing. The map is helpful, but it doesn't tell the whole story. When they arrive at the staff wing however, they're deterred by a rancid smell wafting from the hallway. Angelina and Alicia rush by them in the opposite direction, covered head-to-toe in noxious green slime.
"Peeves," Alicia says. "He got a hold of a bag of Stinksap pellets, and is chucking them at everyone who walks by."
Harry gives them a pitying look as they carry on, presumably back to Gryffindor Tower to clean up. He turns to Ron and Hermione and shrugs. "I guess we'll catch Professor Moody at breakfast?"
Professor Moody's chair is empty when they arrive in the Great Hall, much to Harry's dismay. He hoped he might show a bit more haste considering the circumstances. They catch Cho on her way out, off to do some last minute cramming for her Transfiguration OWL. She looks exhausted, even more than usual, and she's clutching a large thermos he suspects contains a lot of coffee.
"Have you figured out anything?" She asks.
Harry frowns and shakes his head. "But we're working on it."
Cho nods, though she still looks nervous. If they were alone, he'd wrap his arms around her and tell her not to worry, but with her friends lingering in the entryway he can only offer a smile he hopes appears reassuring.
While they wait for Professor Moody, Malfoy and a few other Slytherins shout something his way. Harry rolls his eyes and ignores them. They're just trying to rattle his nerves before the task. It is a bit odd though that instead of flashing those 'Potter Stinks' badges at him, they're waving copies of The Prophet and pretending to clutch their foreheads in pain.
An owl drops a newspaper in Hermione's lap. She curses when she reads the front page. "Ugh… I don't believe it! That vile, lying- as if we don't have enough going on this morning."
"What?" he asks.
"Nothing!"
Hermione attempts to stuff the newspaper into her bag, but Harry snatches it out of her hands. Gracing the front page in very large print is an article titled: "HARRY POTTER: DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS".
He doesn't need to read the byline to know who wrote it.
Somehow Rita heard about his dream in Divination that caused his scar to hurt. Her article paints him as both a psychologically unstable basket case in need of professional help and a fame-hungry attention seeker who's otherwise perfectly healthy. It's garbage, but it's enough to derail their thoughts from Mr. Crouch's reappearance to Rita's methods of sneaking onto Hogwarts grounds. Something Ron says sparks an epiphany in Hermione, and without explaining anything, she dashes off to the library.
"What is she doing? Our History of Magic exam starts in fifteen minutes," Ron says, exasperated. "Hang on, I'm going to make sure she's not late."
As Ron exits the Great Hall, Professor Moody limps in. He wears his usual hardened expression, and nothing about his demeanor gives off the appearance of a man disturbed by a missing person popping up in his quarters. It might not mean anything, Moody's decades of Auror work likely gifted him with an excellent poker face. Maybe it's not unusual compared to all the grizzly and disturbing things he's seen in his career.
Somehow though, Harry isn't too sure.
He stands quickly, then stops, realizing now that Moody's here, he doesn't know how to confront him. He can't just ask: "Hey, was Barty Crouch in your quarters last night?" without sounding suspicious, or feeding into Rita's "disturbed and dangerous" rumors. He has the map in his pocket. He could show it to him, assuming Mr. Crouch hasn't vanished in the last half hour. The map's technically a contraband item, and explaining how he got his hands on it would place him and several other people in hot water. But if it helps find Mr. Crouch, he decides it's worth the risk.
Harry retrieves the map from his pocket and is about to solemnly swear he's up to no good when Professor Moody approaches him.
"There you are, Potter. The champions are meeting in the chamber off the Great Hall. You've got visitors."
"Huh?"
Professor Moody brushes past him, hobbling off to the staff table. He takes a seat next to Dumbledore and whispers something into his ear, sparking a conversation between them. Moody does most of the talking. Something he says makes Dumbledore frown and wrinkle his nose. Harry ventures closer, hoping to catch their conversation.
"Well, I'm sorry you had to wake up to something so unpleasant, but I appreciate you taking care of it." Dumbledore says before taking a sip of tea.
"Eh, hazard of the job, I suppose," Moody says. His magical eye latches onto him. "What are you doing, Potter? I told you, you have visitors."
"I know, but-"
"Go on. Best not keep them waiting."
Harry sighs and heads for the chamber off the Great Hall. It's clear he's not going to get anywhere with Moody, and if the thing he took care of this morning was Mr. Crouch, he might already know what he's trying to tell him. At least he can breathe a bit easier knowing Dumbledore's now in the loop. There's still the mystery of how Mr. Crouch got here, and if he's ok, and what his urgent message was. He can always ask them about it later, after he talks with these visitors he apparently has.
When Harry opens the chamber doors, he finds Bill and Mrs. Weasley waiting for him at a table next to the fireplace. Harry grins. It's a pleasant surprise considering all the weirdness of last night and this morning. Harry glances around for Lupin, but he must not have been able to get the time off work.
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley calls out as he approaches. She smiles and kisses him on both cheeks. "Look at you! Why, you must have grown three inches since last summer. Did the sweater I made for Christmas fit alright?"
"Yeah, it fit fine, thanks. The Hungarian Horntail design you made was really nice."
"How's it going, Harry?" Bill asks. "Ready for tonight?"
"I think so. Thanks again for the advice."
"Of course, glad I could help," Bill says, smiling. "Charlie passes on the sentiment too. He wanted to come tonight, but he's stuck in Romania."
"Arthur's coming later today, after he gets off work," Mrs. Weasley says. "Percy might come too, if he's feeling up to it."
"Won't he have to be here to judge the task? Or is Mr. Crouch going to be here? Has he recovered already?"
"Recovered? No, Mr. Crouch is still missing," Bill says. "Fudge is filling in for him as a judge tonight instead of Perce."
"The Ministry decided, after everything that's happened, that Percy should take a step back from some of his responsibilities," Mrs. Weasley sighs. "Poor thing, he's been under so much strain lately. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement's been questioning him for weeks."
"So no one's found Mr. Crouch yet? But I thought…" Harry trails off. If Moody and Dumbledore only discovered Crouch this morning, then the Weasleys wouldn't know about it yet. He still doesn't know much about it either.
"Unfortunately not. All I've heard from Arthur is that The Department of Magical Law Enforcement's investigation found no signs of struggle in Mr. Crouch's house, so it seems wherever he is, he went there willingly."
"Hey, don't look so glum," Bill says. "The Aurors are working hard trying to find him. I've got a friend who's on the case, and she's one of the best people I know. Something's bound to turn up soon."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," he says.
A loud laugh rings out from across the room. It's Fleur's father, at least he presumes it's her father, grinning as Gabrielle says something in French. Sitting at a table nearby are Krum and his parents. He looks far less gloomy than usual, cracking a smile when his father tells him something in Bulgarian. A sharp contrast to Cedric, who looks nervous as he talks with his parents. Harry recognizes Mr. Diggory, but he's never met Cedric's mother before. She's slightly taller than her husband, with glasses and a long braid of brown hair. A leather messenger bag is slung over her shoulder, and a strange metal contraption pokes out of a side pocket.
Mrs. Diggory must sense his gaze, as she turns his way and offers a kind smile. Cedric's inherited her grey eyes and dimples. Mrs. Diggory nudges her son, and gives him a tentative wave. Mr. Diggory raises an eyebrow and glances skeptically between the two of them. He doesn't appear to have noticed the target of their attention, and Harry figures it's for the best. He turns back to his conversation with Bill and Mrs. Weasley.
"Your Auror friend, is she the one with the green hair who was seeing the Hopkirk's daughter?" Mrs. Weasley asks.
"Yeah, that's her. Except her hair's violet now and she and Annalise broke up around Christmas. She's got a muggle boyfriend now, though Charlie says it isn't serious."
"Oh? Maybe you should pay her a visit while you're in town… unless there's someone else I ought to know about?"
Bill laughs. "Mum, if you want to know if I've got a girlfriend or not, you can just ask. The answer's no."
Fleur's taken an interest in their conversation, casting Bill a coy smile. Maybe Harry's not as bad at picking up hints as he previously thought. Cedric also pays them close attention, though Harry's pretty sure it's not for the same reason as Fleur. His mother gives him a gentle nudge, and he starts walking towards him.
"Do you have a minute? Cedric asks. He glances back at his parents. Mrs. Diggory waves. "My mum wants to say hello."
"Are you sure? We don't have to, you know."
"No, I want you to meet them. And I had my mum talk to my dad about a couple things, so he shouldn't bite your head off or anything."
Harry nods, then turns to Mrs. Weasley and Bill. "Do you mind if I talk with the Diggorys for a few minutes?"
"Of course not. Go ahead," Mrs. Weasley says. Bill nods beside her. Harry's never mentioned his relationship to them, and he doubts Ron or Ginny have either, but from their knowing smiles he senses they have an idea what's going on.
Harry's footsteps are heavy as he crosses to the other side of the room. He'll be battling unknown horrors in the maze tonight, and yet the thought of talking to someone is what makes his breakfast churn uncomfortably in his stomach. The last time he and Mr. Diggory spoke was at the Quidditch World cup, where he accused him of casting the Dark Mark. He took it back almost immediately, but it's all Harry can think about as he approaches.
"So Mum, Dad…" Cedric says, "this is Harry Potter, one of my… friends."
Mr. Diggory nods and gives him a neutral expression. He doesn't look particularly pleased to see him, but he's not radiating hostility either. Mrs. Diggory, however, is all smiles as she offers her hand to shake.
"It's lovely to meet you, dear," she says.
"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Diggory. Thanks for the cauldron cakes."
"You're welcome. You'll have to visit this summer, I'll make more."
"Er… how do you do, Mr. Diggory?" Harry asks. He holds out his hand. Mr. Diggory hesitates before returning the gesture.
"I'm- well, I'm a bit concerned about you after what I read in the paper this morning."
Harry gawks at him, unsure how to proceed. While he wasn't expecting a warm welcome from Mr. Diggory, the bluntness of his response catches him off guard.
Mrs. Diggory sighs. "Amos, don't start with this."
"What? I think it's a fair thing to ask him about. Apparently, you've been having scar pains and siccing snakes on other students. And you had the audacity to accuse my son of being nice to you to sabotage his competition."
"Dad! Harry never said that! Rita Skeeter made it up."
Mrs. Diggory puts a hand on her son's shoulder. "Cedric, it's alright. Your Dad knows Harry is a good kid, and he can't control what people write about him, and sometimes these so-called 'journalists' will embellish or flat out lie about things because it sells," she gives her husband a pointed stare. "Right, Amos?"
"Er… yes, Livia." Mr. Diggory says. He gives him a sheepish smile. "I hope you'll forgive me for speaking out of turn. It just drives me mad to see Ced's name dragged through the mud like that- but it's not your fault and I shouldn't blame you for it."
"Thank you," Harry says. "I felt bad about what happened. I don't know if you remember Cho Chang, she was also in the article. She's a… friend of ours, and her mum checked if there was any legal action we could take. Unfortunately since Cedric and I are considered 'public figures' there isn't much we can do."
"Yes, I did some digging into that, but didn't find anything useful. And I do remember Cho Chang," Mr. Diggory gives Cedric a knowing look. "Someone here thought she was one of the most amazing girls he knew and was plucking up the courage to ask her to the Yule Ball."
"Yeah," Cedric says, looking bashful. "I'll introduce you to her later, she's taking her OWLs right now."
"So things worked out between the two of you?"
"Er… sort of. I wanted to talk to you about that," Cedric says. He rakes his fingers through his hair. "Do you remember the talk we had over the summer, about how I'm bisexual and I fancy girls and boys?"
"Yes, I remember."
"Well… I've actually got two partners. One of them is Cho, and the other is… well..." Cedric takes his hand and grins. Harry beams back at him. "The three of us are all seeing each other. I know it's a little unconventional, but we've made it work."
"Oh..." Mr. Diggory's expression wavers between surprise and confusion. His eyes flicker between their linked hands and sheepish smiles before finally turning to his wife. "Did you know about this?"
Mrs. Diggory chuckles. "Yes darling, I've known about it for a while."
"And you didn't think to clue me in?"
"I believe I told you, repeatedly, that Harry's one of Cedric's good friends and you should treat him kindly."
"Yes, but-"
"I asked mum not to say anything," Cedric says. "I wanted to tell you myself. I knew you weren't going to be thrilled, but I thought you'd take it better if you heard it from me instead of through someone else."
It takes Mr. Diggory a moment to respond. When he does, he laughs, softly in a self-deprecating sort of way. "Well, I've been a bit of an idiot, haven't I?"
Cedric offers him a weak smile. "It's alright. I knew you'd come around eventually."
"Ced, I'm so sorry. Spouting all that nonsense... while this whole time you were… it's your first relationship, and my misguided anger made you think you couldn't tell me about it. I hope you know I'm thrilled for you, all three of you." Mr. Diggory grins and wraps an arm around Cedric's shoulder, pulling him into a side-hug.
"Thanks, Dad," Cedric says, pink-cheeked and beaming.
Mr. Diggory turns to him. "Harry, I know I said this earlier, but I think it bears repeating: I'm so sorry about tossing all those accusations at you. I know that story today was a bunch of rubbish."
"Well… today's article wasn't entirely wrong," he says, feeling it's best to be honest. "The part about the headaches was mostly true, and I am a Parselmouth- but I never sicced a snake on anyone, that was a misunderstanding."
"Parseltongue gets a bad rap, but there's really nothing wrong with it. Sometimes I wish I could speak it. Would've come in handy last week when a nest of boomslangs got loose in the London Underground," Mr. Diggory shudders. "It was a mess. Took us nearly three days to round them all up."
Harry's going to ask why he was chasing snakes in Muggle London, then he remembers: Mr. Diggory works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Mr. Weasley mentioned it when they first met.
"Do you know about the ghost registry?"
Mr. Diggory furrows his brows. "Come again?"
"The uh… the list of people who want to become ghosts after they die. Doesn't the Ministry keep a record of it?"
Cedric gives him a look of concern. "Are you alright? You're not… thinking about becoming a ghost, are you?"
"No!" He says quickly, realizing his sudden interest in the afterlife right before the final task might give the wrong impression. "I just wondered if… are there a lot of people on it?"
Mr. Diggory shakes his head. "I don't think anyone's on it. Becoming a ghost has never been a popular choice. Certainly not the way I'd want to go."
"Why don't we talk about something a little less morbid, shall we?" Mrs. Diggory asks. "You and Ced are both young, neither of you are dying anytime soon."
"Did you want to take pictures, Livia?" Mr. Diggory asks.
"Of course! I was going to wait until Cho's finished her OWLs, but we can always take more later." Mrs. Diggory says. "Molly, do you and Bill care to join us?"
The metal device that captured Harry's attention earlier turns out to be a collapsible tripod. Mrs. Diggory casts a quick spell, causing it to spring to full size. She then retrieves a silver camera from her shoulder bag. It's smaller and far more modern-looking than the Wizarding cameras he's seen before.
"Mum's a professional photographer," Cedric says. "She owns a camera shop in Diagon Alley."
"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm a professional. I'm much better at developing photos than I am taking them," Mrs. Diggory says, sounding bashful. Apparently Cedric's looks aren't the only thing he inherited from his mother.
Mrs. Diggory lines the five of them up behind the fireplace, Cedric on his left, Mrs. Weasley on his right. Mrs. Weasley tries to smooth out his hair, which is only slightly more successful than her attempt to convince Bill to take out his earring.
"Alright, big smiles everyone," Mrs. Diggory says. She presses a button on the side of the camera, presumably a self-timer, then dashes into the frame next to her husband.
Harry puts his arm around Cedric's shoulder and grins as the camera clicks.
"You and Ced are both young, neither of you are dying anytime soon." - that my friends is some subtle foreshadowing for how Cedric's not dying anytime soon.