Chapter 11

Severus wasn't sure what to do. You don't ask a member of the Ministry of Crouch's standing what he was doing wandering around Hogwarts. You don't ask him why he was meeting a respected, decorated Auror. You definitely don't ask the respected, decorated Auror why he was meeting Crouch when you are Severus Snape, a person who avoided Azkaban by a whisker.

Moody disliked Severus. It was exceedingly obvious why. But Moody was trusted. He was Moody. I mean if you can't trust Moody then there was no hope for the world.

Severus knocked on the door in front of him.

"Come in!" Severus entered Albus' office. "Come in, my boy. What has Mr Potter done now?"

"You'll be surprised to learn it's not about Potter, Albus. Well, it might be, but not yet. Can you be sure you can trust Alastor?"

"Can I be sure I can trust a man who's lost an eye, a leg and part of a nose to Death Eater battles in the war? A man who has single handedly filled half the cells in Azkaban? A man who was decorated by the Ministry for his lifetime's service?"

"Yes, Albus, him," said Severus very quietly. Severus wasn't out to goad or annoy. There was a puzzle. Severus didn't like unsolved puzzles.

"Has he said anything… inflammatory... to you?" asked Albus. Moody had made his position on Severus crystal clear to Albus. It involved Azkaban and throwing away the key. In turn, Albus had harshly overridden any opinions Alastor had about Severus's loyalty and told him to look elsewhere for Death Eaters.

The first week of term had been fractious to say the least, and Albus had had to ride rough-shod over both his members of staff but they had seemed to settle their differences. They had a common goal to keep Potter safe.

"No, not at all. I was wondering why he was seen meeting Barty Crouch the day before yesterday in his office. Late in the evening. After eleven."

"I didn't know Crouch had been here. Barty never popped in here," said Albus. "He's been ill. It's why he sent Percy Weasley to the Yule Ball and why he's not here next week. He's already written to me sending his apologies."

"Crouch was here two days before the first task too," said Severus. "I don't remember seeing him. But Potter and Granger did."

"I didn't know he'd visited, Severus," said Albus, "Is this something to make a fuss of? Is there something here more than your usual level of suspicion?"

"That's why I'm here instead of simply asking Crouch or Moody," said Severus.

"I will keep an eye out, and my ears open," said Albus.

Severus nodded and left. It was odd, but not alarm-ringingly suspicious.

Barty Crouch received an owl at breakfast. Today was Monday. The task was on Friday morning. Crouch recognised the handwriting on the envelope. Damn.

Our Master wants to know everything is going well. The boy will win, won't he?

No sender's name was necessary.

Crouch was tempted to scribble a very hasty reply along the lines of mind your own business, everything is fine. Self preservation told him to confirm his facts first.

"Potter! A word!" The boy froze momentarily while putting his books away.

"Yes, sir," he said.

The rest of the class cleared out of the room very quickly, including the know-it-all.

"All set, Mr Potter?"

"To stay alive? Hopefully, sir. To do stupendously badly like last time? You'd have to talk to the Headmaster about that. Sir."

"Meaning?" snapped Moody.

"Well, staying safe and winning don't seem to overlap, sir. I've been researching, enough to keep the Goblet happy, but I'm hardly going to win, am I?"

"You are aware you're visiting the merpeople?"

"Yes, sir."

"Who live in the bottom of Black Lake."

"Yes, sir."

"You have the ability to breathe underwater?"

"No, sir."

"It will be a short trip, then, boy," growled Moody. "Go," he snapped.

Potter hurried out.

The boy may struggle with this task. However I have everything under control.

Crouch sent the message using a school owl.

He returned to his quarters. He summoned an elf. The interfering one from earlier in the year. The elf bowed.

"How may I be of service, sir?"

"Harry Potter must survive this task." The elf's eyes grew wider. "To do this, he needs to breathe underwater. I believe Professor Snape keeps Gillyweed in his stores."

The elf bowed lower than before, "Mister Harry Potter will stay safe, sir."

It took a lot of effort for Barty Crouch to keep a level head at breakfast the next day.

Meet me at the edge of Hogwarts grounds, greenhouses side. 9pm. Don't be late. Master will not be pleased.

Crouch crumpled his letter angrily.

"Bad news, dear? I should have predicted that," said Sybil.

Filius choked on his toast trying not to laugh.

"Cowardly fool!" hissed Crouch, "I told you not to come! Is the Master with you?"

"You told me the boy might struggle with the task. That requires oversight," snapped Pettigrew.

"He isn't here, is he?" snarled Crouch. "You came alone because you haven't told him. You did not pass on my message. I did not write that message for you, I am not your lackey and I only report to one Master."

"I have not reported your failure because I am sure you are not foolish enough to think our Master would appreciate failure nor forgive it, however… weakened his current state. He has a long memory. You were given a task. It has been over five months. Why is it not done yet?"

Crouch laughed an empty laugh. "Now I know why this is my task, not yours. You would have been unable to complete it. You have no sense of timing, or theatrics. The Dark Lord does not want to just rise, he wants to do it at the right time. It would be the work of a moment to portkey a quill to the graveyard. The boy could pick it up in all innocence and be dead three minutes later. No, our Master appreciates that I will put on a show. Run back to Master, rat. Everything is under control here."

Severus wasn't happy. Something was wrong. He could sense it. It didn't help that he'd been on edge all year since his dark mark had deepened slightly in colour. It was happening. And Severus was afraid. He wasn't afraid of death, oblivion didn't scare him. It was the means to get there that occasionally kept him awake at night.

There was something about Crouch visiting that just didn't quite sit right. An Imperious curse perhaps. Severus opened the map. He had looked at it at random times during the past couple of days, usually in the evening. Moody was in his office, a lot more than perhaps he should be, he'd been there every evening, but Severus could appreciate escaping the dunderheads. The castle was a big place. He hadn't seen Crouch, but then he wasn't really expecting to if he were honest with himself. Paranoia had kept him alive though, and he just couldn't shake it off. He had dustbin lids to look forward to in his old age if he ever made it that far.

He looked closer at the map. On the edge of the grounds. What the actual fuck?!

Severus was sprinting down the corridor while creating a Patronus, map in one hand, wand in the other. The doe ran to fetch Dumbledore.

Severus had a better idea. "Dobby!" he called, stopping.

"Sir?" asked Dobby.

"Greenhouses." He extended his arm.

Severus materialised by the greenhouses. He could see well in the dark, but not more than two vague figures at this distance. He certainly couldn't make out who they were, even though the map was screaming their identities at him.

"Fetch Albus," Severus whispered.

A moment later Albus appeared. He didn't speak. Severus nodded towards where he was looking. He passed Albus the map.

Barty Crouch and Peter Pettigrew.

Albus drew his wand. Severus already had his out. They quietly advanced, slightly separating. As Severus drew nearer he realised who he was looking at. A second later he realised it was Polyjuice. A second after that he remembered about Moody's eye.

Hell broke loose.

Crouch did not aim to wound. Severus dropped to the grass the grass when an Avada Kedavra was fired straight at his head. His returning blasting curse hit a shield.

There was only one person in front of him now. He didn't have time to search for a small rat in the long grass while fighting off Killing Curses. Neither did Dumbledore.

Severus had a very simple method of duelling in this situation. It was two on one. The rat had scurried away. People make the mistake of thinking 'My go, your go', as if duelling were a gentlemanly sport. Those people were fools. And dead. It should be 'My go, my go, my go,' and keep going until your opponent is down or you are dead.

His Confringo hit a shield, his reducto was ducked, his Sectumsempra hit home in Crouch's right arm. That pause gave him time to cast a full body bind.

Albus had run past the now down Crouch. Severus felt his powerful Homenum Revelio, but there was nothing there. They were at the very edge of the grounds. The rat had passed the wards and apparated away.

Severus approached Crouch. He accio'd Crouch's wand.

"I assume you can heal that wound, Severus?" asked Albus, looking down at Crouch. The shoulder wound was bleeding out onto the grass.

Severus cast the counter curse. Crouch's good eye bored into him in hatred. Albus levitated Crouch, sent his Patronus to Shacklebolt and returned to the castle. He warded the infirmary and took Crouch there. The floo activated and Kingley stepped through.

"You said you had an incident with Barty Crouch," said Kingsley, "I came straight away, the poor man was acting very strongly recently. What's happened to Alastor?" he asked, seeing who was on one of the beds.

"We will have to wait and see," said Albus.

Severus was scanning a parchment. "Found him. Moody is in his office."

"Severus, go with Kingsley, find Alastor. I will be perfectly fine here."

Severus and Kingsley left the infirmary and headed to Moody's office. "Snape, what the hell is going on?" demanded Kingsley.

"Polyjuice. Barty Crouch is impersonating Moody. Moody is in his office. More than that, I'm not entirely sure. Wand," he said as they reached the door of the office.

Severus had the presence of mind to check for traps. The door was warded with a nasty ear splitter curse. He disabled it and they went inside. The office was empty. Severus consulted the map. The trunk.

Alastor Moody, minus false eye and leg, was full body bound and gagged and lying on the floor of an expanding trunk. He was conscious. Severus levitated Moody out of the trunk and gently placed him on the floor of the office. Kingsley raised his wand to release the Auror, his former colleague who he knew well, from his bonds. Severus stayed his arm.

Moody smiled a wry smile and raised his good eyebrow at Shacklebolt.

"Do you know where you are?" asked Severus. Moody nodded.

"Who we are?" Moody nodded again.

"And that in finding you we know Crouch must have overpowered you and stuffed you in a trunk and that we are the rescue party, as it were?" Moody nodded.

"So you really, really aren't going to go nuts and attack us when we let you go?" Moody just stared at him.

"I really should have thought that through myself," said Shacklebolt. Severus released the gag around Moody's mouth.

"You should be reduced to trainee Auror for that level of carelessness, my lad, I could have killed you the moment you freed me," snapped Moody. "Get me out of this bind."

Shacklebolt helped Moody to the infirmary. Now there were two of them. Albus had removed the eye and the leg from Crouch and wordlessly handed them to Moody.

An hour went by.

Crouch changed. They were expecting Crouch Senior. Everyone was shocked when they got Crouch Junior, even Moody. In the dark you fire at shadows, you don't ask them their name and get them to sign an autograph, and ever since he'd only seen his polyjuiced reflection.

Kingsley had sent for more Aurors already. He sent for a few more. This was a mess.

Next morning Dumbledore called a staff meeting before breakfast. There was a very strong smell of coffee in the staffroom. While there was an awareness of comings and goings last night amongst some staff, most didn't know what was going on.

"Good morning everyone," said Albus. He had gone to the Ministry last night, and this morning had returned with Kingsley Shacklebolt to make a report he really wished he could avoid.

"I regret to inform you that Alastor Moody has not, in fact, been Alastor Moody." A number of jaws dropped. "Over the summer I engaged Alastor to teach DADA. On September the first, as you know there was a disturbance at Alastor's home. Unbeknownst to us, Alastor was overpowered and stunned. Hair was taken from him and used in Polyjuice. His attacker has been teaching here since."

Severus looked around the room. There was horror on everyone's faces. Last year they had been concerned that Albus had hired a werewolf, but this was the same horror they'd shown on finding out from Albus that Weasley's rat was Pettigrew.

"There's no way Pettigrew could have overcome Moody, but I know that's what I'm thinking, Albus," said Minerva.

"Pettigrew was one of two people to attack Moody in his home. That is perhaps, paranoid though he is, why he was overpowered. The other attacker is a little more, hell bent, shall we say."

"Who was it, Albus?" demanded Minerva.

"Barty Crouch."

"Excuse me?!"

"Junior."

There was silence.

"The Board of Governors is going to go spare," said Minerva weakly.