Chara ran as hard as she could toward the castle, Asriel in pursuit. She reached the door, pushed it open, but the entry hall was deserted. "Where would he have taken him? His office, where was his office?"
"On the first floor," Asriel said. "Remember? After we had the imperius curse put on us? This way. But, what are we going to do when we get there?"
"I don't know," Chara admitted. "But we have to do something, stall. Until Frisk can come with Dumbledore." Asriel stopped, around the corner from Moody's office.
Chara continued, reaching the door, pressing her ear to it, needing to hear something, anything. She heard Moody's voice, "The Death Eaters, they returned?"
"Yes," said Harry. "Loads of them..."
"How did he treat them?" Moody asked quietly. "Did he forgive them?"
"Keep him talking," Chara whispered. "Just keep him talking." If he could keep him talking long enough, and Chara thought he might, Chara wouldn't need to do anything. She had an opening if there was a lull and he got ready to kill Harry, but she was terrified. She looked back toward Asriel, mouthing the word Dumbledore. Asriel looked back around the corner and shook his head.
"I have the funny feeling Dumbledore has realized where you have gone by now..." came Moody's voice.
That was Chara's cue. She pounded on the door. "Professor," she called. She tried the door, but it was locked.
"Who is that?" Moody asked. There was an eager edge to his voice.
"It's me," Chara said. "Chara Malfoy. I want to see it, I want to see the end of the boy who took down the dark lord."
Moody gave a chilling laugh. She heard footsteps, and a moment later, the door clicked open. Chara stepped in. Moody's magical eye was focused on Harry, himself sitting in the center of the room. Moody's wand was focused on Harry's chest. Without wavering his wand, Moody closed, relocked, and rebarred the door. "When did you realize who I was?" Moody asked.
"In the exam," Chara lied, though she really should have recognized it then. "No one is above consequences. That was something my father – my birth father – used to say. Right before he would punish me for something I had done." Elsewhere in the room, Chara saw what appeared to be a mirror. While there were three larger shadows in the back of it, it appeared to be showing, not a reflection of Chara, but an image of her, none-the-less. She wrenched her gaze back to Moody, "What about me? When did you recognize me?"
"Jasper," Moody chuckled. "He had the cell next to me in Azkaban, until my mother broke me out. I realized who you were when I saw you and your adopted brother in the hall. You were with that cousin of yours," his good eye flickered to Harry, "the one raised by coward traitors, had been about to bully your 'brother'. You have changed surprisingly little. Perhaps whatever happened underground caused that. You should be older than Draco, not the other way around. But it wouldn't do for me to ask. After all, Alastor Moody would have never recognized you."
"You're a Malfoy?" Harry sputtered, staring from Moody to Chara.
Chara ignored him. She tried to keep from staring at the 'mirror', where something was clearly walking towards the glass. She had to think of something to keep not-Moody stalled, "No. I suppose that would have given the game away, wouldn't it? Did you do something to Victor Krum and Fleur Delacour?" she asked. "In order to pave Harry's way?"
"Yes," he said. "I was able to see through the hedges with Moody's eye. I stunned Fleur as she passed. Then I used the Imperius curse on Krum to try to remove Cedric as well." His good eye flickered to Harry again. "It didn't work did it? You must have both touched the cup at the same time. All my plans, and I succeeded on luck. It is still a success, though, isn't it?"
"How was it you? How did..." Harry said, turning back to Moody.
"Oh, it wasn't easy," Moody said. "So much had the potential to go wrong," and he explained everything. How he'd managed to confund the Goblet of Fire. How he'd tricked Hagrid into showing Harry the dragons, after Chara didn't realize the book had been meant for him. How he'd given Cedric the clue about the orb, and Harry's friend Dobby the information about gillyweed. Harry kept sputtering how all this was impossible, but Chara kept silent, as long as Moody was talking...
The shapes in the mirror were starting to clear through the fog, and they were moving faster. "Well planned, all of it. Sir," Chara said, when Moody had finished. "And now you plan to kill Harry? Won't that upset the dark lord? Isn't that something the Dark Lord would want to do himself?" Chara regretted the question as soon as she had asked it.
"It was always going to be my responsibility," Moody said. His grin had gotten wider, more insane, and his 'normal' eye was bulging outward. "If I couldn't bring him to Voldemort, if I was exposed, or if he escaped, my task was clear. I was to kill Harry Potter. Now, it is that time, and you get to watch it. Just like you wanted. Av..."
"Stupefy!" came three distinct voices from the other side of the door. The combined spell shattered the door, raining wood down on both Chara and Harry. The spell knocked the professor to the ground, and he lay there, motionless. On the other side of the now open door frame was Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Headmaster Dumbledore. Behind them were Asriel and Frisk.
Chara had never seen the Headmaster like this. A palpable aura of power surrounded him, like one of Alphys's animes come to life. His face radiated a terrible fury, and any semblance of the kindly headmaster was gone. She backed up several steps until she found the wall.
Professor McGonagall made a beeline for Harry. "Come along, Potter, Dreemurrs" she told them, her mouth was twitching. "Hospital wing,"
But Dumbledore forestalled her. "No. He needs to know who put them through this, he needs to understand." When Harry began to wonder aloud how Moody could have done any of this, Dumbledore shook his head. "This not Alastor Moody. You've never known my friend Moody, none of you have. The real Moody would have never taken you from my side tonight. I should have noticed quicker..." He frowned suddenly, and his head twitched to the side, just for a moment. "No, Professor Snape, do not take them either. I must ask young Chara how she realized Harry was in danger. In fact, Chara, do you have a guess at who this really is, as well?"
"My father's best friend," Chara whispered, her eyes cast down to the floor. She wasn't completely sure why she was so confident. It made sense though, Crouch would have known her father's catch phrases, would have known her. He had even been there when... that had happened. But she was one hundred percent sure. "Bartholomew Crouch, Junior."
"It can't be," McGonagall said, "Crouch was locked up in Azkaban."
But Dumbledore nodded. "Severus, instead, I need your strongest truth serum, please. Then go to the kitchen and locate the house elf named Winky, bring both up here, as soon as possible. And Minerva, out in Hagrid's pumpkin patch, you will find a large black dog. Take him up to my office and tell him I will be with him shortly."
Chara looked at Frisk and Asriel. Asriel shrugged back, Frisk's expression was unreadable.
When they had left, Dumbledore retrieved both a hip flask and a key ring from Moody's pocket, then set about unlocking a trunk in the center of the room. After the first attempt, he eyed the keying, and skipped to the last key on the ring, and used it to unlock the trunk again.
The children stepped forward to peek into the trunk, and saw the second – real – Moody in the trunk. He was motionless, with a stump where a wooden leg should be, and an empty eye-socket where the fake eye probably was originally. "One of you," Dumbledore called from inside, "toss down the imposter's cloak. He's cold, but I do not believe it anything Madam Pomfrey cannot heal."
Frisk already had the cloak in hand, and tossed it down to the waiting Headmaster. After he covered up the real Moody, he climbed back up to join them. "Thank you, Frisk," he told them. The next thing he did was to empty the imposter's flask onto the ground, as a thick liquid poured out of it. "Polyjuice potion, of course," he said knowingly. "Every hour, on the hour. From the flask, the only place Moody ever drinks from, he's well known for it. But maybe tonight..." Chara didn't know what polyjuice was, but it was not the right time to ask.
They waited, for what seemed like a long time, until, finally, the imposter Moody began to change. The wooden leg fell off, as a second, whole leg, grew in its place. Even more creepy to Chara was when the magic eyeball popped out a moment later, and went rolling across the floor, as a second normal eye took its spot.
"Barty Crouch," Professor Snape said, coming to a screeching halt in the doorway.
"Good heavens," Professor McGonagall echoed, stopping dead right behind Professor Snape. "You were right. Barty Crouch."
"And you has killed him! Master Barty, master Barty!" cried another voice. Rushing around the legs of the professors was a house elf. Winky was the one Dumbledore had called for.
"He is merely stunned. The truth serum, please, Severus," the headmaster requested. Chara watched as he forced open the now revealed Crouch's mouth, poured in a few drops of liquid, and proceeded to interrogate Barty Crouch.
Unable to stop himself, Crouch told them everything. How he'd escaped from Azkaban, the events of the World Cup, the summoning of the Dark Mark, how the Dark Lord had rescued him from his father's enslavement, and how he'd come to Hogwarts. And how he killed his father, transfigured the body, and buried him. Then, in the end, how he'd tricked Harry Potter, and engineered the revival of the Dark Lord himself.
Through it all, Winky the House-Elf grew more and more distraught. Frisk had knelt on the floor, draping one arm around the house-elf's tea cozy, allowing Winky to cry into her shoulder. None of the Dreemurrs said anything. At the end, the Headmaster used some sort magic to bind Barty to the chair he was sitting on.
"Minerva, may I please ask you to stand guard here? I need to take Harry," and Dumbledore's gaze fell upon Frisk. He looked torn for a few seconds before coming to a decision, "I need to take the children upstairs, to my office. And Severus? Please go fetch Madam Pomfrey, she will need to see to the real Alastor. After you do that, go find Mr. Fudge, I suspect he'll still be trying to keep order near the maze. Undoubtedly, he will want to question Crouch himself."
They both nodded, though Professor McGonagall made a most unpleasant face, as if she'd been asked to swallow a bug.
The headmaster helped Harry to stand, and began to lead them out. Frisk looked between Winky and Harry, when their head of house spoke up, "Go with the headmaster, Ms. Dreemurr, I will call Dobby to see to Winky here."
Frisk let out a breath, gave Winky one last hug, and rose to her feet. She moved to Harry's side, helping Dumbledore support the injured older student. "Professor," Harry mumbled, "Where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?"
"They are with Professor Sprout," After all this time, the Headmaster's voice finally began to crack, with sorrow and exhaustion. "She was his head of house, and knew him best."
"Where are Hemione and Ron?" Asriel asked.
"With Ms. Weasley," was the answer. "Perhaps in the hospital wing by now."
They reached the office. Dumbledore gave the password to the Gargoyle, and led the way up the spinning spiral staircase. The large black dog that Dumbledore had Professor McGonagall lead up to the office was there, siting near the stairwell. Chara gave a yelp of surprise as the black dog morphed into Sirius Black.
She'd seen him once, kind of. He looked somewhat healthier, at least like he'd eaten a few meals since she'd seen him through Frisk's eyes. But the eyes had the same haunted look they'd had before, and they were focused on Harry. "I knew something like... what happened?
Professor Dumbledore had them all sit, and told the fugitive everything they had learned from Barty Crouch. "There is still one piece of the puzzle eluding me. Ms. Chara, I need to know how you picked up on Crouch's duplicity."
So Chara told him how Crouch had finally recognized her in the hallway, seeing her with the cousin, and from there treated her as the teacher's pet. The tipping point was the exam, where she'd accidentally used one of her father's catchphrases, and Mr. Crouch had picked up on it.
When Chara was done, the headmaster nodded. He looked between Frisk and Harry, and settled on Harry next. Fawkes was there, resting on Harry's lap. "And now, Harry, I need you to tell me everything that happened after you touched the portkey."
Over Sirius's objections, Harry did so. Chara felt like an intruder, as Harry explained how the dark lord had ordered Cedric to be killed, but Cedric had fled first. Then how they'd captured Harry, seen a dark shimmering potion that would revive the dark lord. How they'd taken some of his blood. Harry had held up his torn robe, showing the cut on his arm. How Cedric had come back to his defense when the dark lord had ordered him to duel, only to be killed by the dark lord himself. Then how the wands connected..." and his voice broke.
Dumbledore quietly guessed the next part, how the reverse spell effect had summoned some echo of Cedric, and then, Harry's parents. "But no wand magic I understand can return a departed soul to its body," Dumbledore finished, though his eyes flickered to the Dreemurrs. "Sirius, please escort Harry down to the hospital wing. I have one last question I must ask Frisk here."
Mr. Black transformed himself back into the large black dog, and led the way back down the stairs, Harry bracing himself against him.
"Frisk?" Chara asked, perplexed. "What could he want to ask you?"
Fawkes propelled himself back into the air as Harry departed, moving to perch on Frisk's shoulder, and rubbed his head gently on her cheek. Frisk didn't respond, and lowered her head, so she didn't meet the headmaster's eyes.
Dumbledore didn't say anything, perhaps he wasn't sure how to ask. "You told me a story once, Ms. Frisk. About a monster child, who fell in front of you. And how you turned back time itself to save him." Chara and Asriel stared at each other, then at Frisk. "Will you do the same for Cedric," he paused, and bent down, looking at Frisk's face. "Or have you tried already?"
For the first time that night, Frisk began to cry. She fell into a heap on the floor, tears now free flowing, and she buried her head in her heads. "I tried. I tried so many times. I couldn't save both of them."
That's when Chara realized it. The memory of exactly what she'd be tested on, Frisk ready to comfort Opal when she had just seen Cedric, Frisk not arguing about Moody knowing Chara's parents. She'd known it was all about to happen. She'd seen it before. She had done all this before.
"The first time, I told Cedric what would happen. He didn't believe me at first, so I had to explain everything to him, how I saved Asriel, brought back Chara... and... and he must have believed me in the end. Because he walked out of the maze, but Harry never came back. At all. And Professor Moody, Mr. Crouch, I mean, he disappeared. So I tried again."
"The second time, I told both of them, I told them everything that happened in the original loop, and I told them what happened the next time around. I had to try something. When they reached the center of the maze, though, they refused to take the cup, and... and.." Frisk rubbed her eyes. "Crouch took control of Cedric by the Imperius charm. He used Cedric to force Harry to take the cup... and then he killed Cedric. I tried again."
"The third time, I warned Cedric. I had to be cryptic. So I told him that if he found himself somewhere strange, it wouldn't be part of the task. He would need to run, as far and as fast as he could. I'm not sure what happened, because neither came back. Maybe Cedric survived, wherever they were teleported too. But I didn't know, so I tried again."
"The fourth time, I just went to your office, waited for you to come out in the morning. I told you that Moody was the spy of the big V, that he was really Barty Crouch Jr. Because I'd seen it. You believed me, but somehow Crouch found out about it."
"That mirror, in his office," Chara said. "I'm sure he saw you telling Dumbledore, if he was in his office."
"So he ambushed Harry outside Gryffindor tower, and killed him on the spot. He killed Ron and Hermione too, and hurt a lot of others, trying to escape," Frisk continued. "I tried again."
"The fifth time I tried during breakfast, but Crouch was sitting right next to Dumbledore and heard me. He didn't get Cedric or Harry, but he..." and Frisk broke into fresh sobs, looking at Asriel and Chara. "He killed both of you, and others, trying to get to Harry. The same thing happened when I tried again at lunch. He even managed to kill Ginny's mom. Each time, it has gotten a little harder for me to go back. I think it's because I don't have Chara's soul in me any more. I don't know how many times I have left. I asked everyone I could think of, you, Cedric, McGonagall... and he volunteered."
"What do you mean, he volunteered?" Asriel asked, though Chara thought they all knew.
"'If that's the way it was originally, then let me sacrifice myself,' Cedric told me. 'It's where I belong, between he-who-must-not-be-named, and Hogwarts. Just tell me before I go, okay? So I have the chance to say goodbye to mother and father, please.'. How could I tell him no? But you've seen the result. I couldn't save him."
"Frisk, I am sure you tried to the best of your ability, but you cannot save everyone," Dumbledore told her.
"WHY NOT?" Frisk screamed, suddenly enough to make Chara start backward, and almost tip over her chair. "I was able to save Asriel, Chara... why can't I save Cedric too?"
"You're not all knowing, Frisk. You are not all powerful, and really, who would want to be? That's more responsibility than I would wish on anyone," Dumbledore said. "You have been so fair with the use of that ability, a far better person than a lot of wizards would have been, and I include myself in that."
"But it's my fault that Cedric is..."
"It is most definitely not your fault," Dumbledore interrupted firmly. "Never forget that there are forces that wanted all this to happen, and they take action as well. Tonight, they had their plan well thought out, better than our – my – defenses. Blame me for Cedric's death, for I should have found the imposter. Next time, I must do better." he sighed.
"Headmaster?" Chara asked. "I thought apparition and portkeys were impossible to use on Hogwarts grounds. What happened?"
"That is also my fault," Dumbledore explained. "Ludo Bagman, though I now suspect the real suggestion came from someone else, was convinced the fairest, and most dramatic, way of discovering the winner was to turn the cup into a portkey. So I did, and allowed that particular defense to be lowered. Mr. Crouch layered a portkey charm on top of mine, causing it to send Cedric and Harry to where Voldemort was waiting. My charm, at least, brought one of them back again." Dumbledore looked very old and tired at that moment. "I want to go see Harry, but I must go to meet with Fudge. Frisk, you have Madam Pomfrey's trust. Can you ask her to make sure Harry gets a dreamless sleep potion? Do not let her turn Sirius away, either. Harry does not need to say anything, tell him I will alert the school tomorrow. Is that alright?"
"Okay," Frisk said, quietly, as Fawkes returned to his perch. One by one, the Dreemurr children stood, to make their way down stairs to the hospital wing. They actually caught up with Harry in the hall, and were able to help him the rest of the way.
There was such a crowd when they arrived, Ms. Weasley, Harry's Friends, even Ginny was there, looking torn about who needed comfort more, Harry or Frisk. She settled on 'both', and helped Frisk get Harry into a bed. Frisk then went to relay Dumbledore's instructions, as the large black dog rested its head near Harry.
Harry dropped off to sleep soon after being given a dreamless sleep potion. Which meant he was not available to answer any questions, so Frisk, Asriel, and Chara were instead peppered with questions they really didn't want to answer. "The headmaster asked us not to," Chara repeated. "He'll be here soon after he meets with the minister."
As it turned out, he arrived with the Minister, and Professor McGonagall. And they arrived yelling. Chara backed up into Ginny, and they all tried to make themselves as small as possible. Fudge and Dumbledore argued so loudly that even Harry woke up, yelling about who he'd seen as Death Eaters. When Harry yelled that he'd seen the Malfoys, the Dreemurrs and Hermione shared furtive glances. "Lucius Malfoy was cleared, even if his brother wasn't!" exclaimed Fudge.
They went onto argue about whether the Dark Lord has actually returned, what to do about it if he had. Perhaps most disturbingly, they argued about whether or not Harry was some sort of glory hound. Then Professor Snape showed his dark mark.
"Did you know he had that?" Ginny asked.
"Yes," Chara responded. "But Dumbledore trusts him. And, he's showing it publicly, although he's ashamed of it."
"I trust him too," Frisk whispered, so only Chara and Asriel could hear. "He tried to shield students on the loop when Crouch attacked the great hall."
Fudge made to leave when Frisk spoke up, louder than she had all day. "Minister, if this was the work of a madman... who killed Cedric? Because it wasn't Mr. Crouch in disguise, he was outside the maze with the rest of the patrolling judges." Fudge stared at her, but his only response was an angry glare. Then he was gone, loudly slamming the hospital wing door behind him.
Dumbledore watched him go, his icy blue eyes following Fudge's trail, then he shook his head. "Disappointing, but not unexpected." But he was apparently prepared for this moment, he had requests for just about everyone. For Bill Weasley, for Professor Hagrid and Madame Maxine, Madam Pomfrey, and then, once the room was clear, for Professor Snape and Sirius Black.
"I heard you spoke to my innocence," Sirius said to the potions master, after transforming to Ms. Weasley's shock. The next words sounded like they'd had do be dragged out. "Thank you."
Professor Snape regarded the fugitive coolly. "I do not like you, Sirius. Your choice of friends nearly got me killed. But it was misplaced trust that got Lilly and Mr. Potter killed, not your hand. And... I know a lot about misplacing trust."
"That is a good start," Professor Dumbledore said. "And I trust you both. I need you to lay aside your differences and work together."
Professor Snape looked at Frisk, then turned back to Sirius. Then he, and Sirius Black stepped forward, and for a moment, clasped hands.
"Very good. Sirius, I need you to find the old crowd. Remus Lupin, Mundungus Fletcher, Arabella Figg. You can stay with Lupin, he's residing in Asgore's old home at the moment. I will contact you there." Over Harry's protest, he was off.
"And you, Severus, you know what you will need to do. If you are ready, if you are prepared."
Professor Snape turned to Frisk, and knelt down in front of her, looking her directly in the eyes. "I will never forget what you have taught me, Frisk. The lessons I should have learned before, from Lilly. If, in the next year or so, it seems that I have forgotten them, it is because of a persona I have had to adopt. Please, do not let that change you. Do not think ill of me, for I am doing this for you, above all others."
Frisk held out her hands, and allowed Severus Snape pull her into a hug.
Then he stood, his face once more a mask. "I am ready," Professor Snape said, and he began to make his way to the door.
"Good luck!" the headmaster called. Then, after Snape left the room, he addressed the others. "I must go see to the Diggorys," he said. "Harry, drink the rest of your potion. I will see you all later."
"Wait, Dumbledore," Asriel said. In that moment, Chara had never seen her brother look more like her adopted father. Regal, and sad. Very sad. "What can the monsters do? Please, let us help as well."
"I will think on it, Asriel, and I will be in touch with you, and your parents," Dumbledore promised, and he closed the door behind him.
