Chapter 41: Desperate Souls
Things seem to be turning from bad to good inside Hogwarts—something that he was grateful for. The less trouble in the castle took a great load of worry off his mind. The tournament was more than halfway over, the champions and the hostages were all safe and sound, and things seem to be quieting down considerably since the beginning of the year. All they had to do was survive one last task and then this dreadful ordeal will finally be over.
It was a mark of how quiet things were becoming when he had even heard through the grapevine that Ronald Weasley was telling anyone who would listen that he had been kidnapped by the merpeople and was beaten into submission before tying him up at the bottom of the lake.
"Did he really say that?" Albus chuckled, highly amused.
"Yep," Dexter roared with laughter as the other portraits let out snorts of humor as well. "Don't know who he's kidding, but hey, he's a good story teller! He sure doesn't skip out on the details."
"Can't say that I've ever seen anything more pathetic," Phineas muttered, but anyone could see that he was fighting back a smirk.
Just at that moment, an owl fluttered in through the open window and dropped right in front of him. He untied it at once when he recognized the grubby handwriting. As soon as he flipped it open, he was right when he guessed it had been from Sirius. He had informed Sirius that Harry was alive and well once the Second Task was over and he knew that this could only be his answer.
Hoping that he was taking care of himself and not doing anything reckless, he flipped it open to read the short message.
As I'm writing this message, I can almost see Hogwarts in the distance in front of me. I want to know what is going on, and if you have any answers yet because this waiting is slowly driving me crazy.
Albus groaned loudly. Surely, Sirius hadn't come back this far had he?
He ran his hand through his beard. He couldn't believe that he would… wait, oh, yes he would do something like this. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand to send him a Patronus message telling him that he would meet with him tonight if that was alright with him to tell him what he knew.
Once it was gone, he tossed the letter into the fire like he did with every letter he sent him. The last thing that he ever wanted to happen was for someone to find them and realize that Sirius was out there. He then began to think of safe hiding places for the runaway… just in case. He decided to ask him to meet him in the forest tonight… but still…
"But I still can't believe him," he sighed. "He really hasn't changed from the little boy that used to be sent up to me on a daily basis.
*That night*
Dusk had fallen by the time he got to the forest but he was in no hurry as he walked over the leaf-strewn ground and ducking under hanging branches as he neared a particularly large clearing. He stopped here and waited for his friend to appear. He waited for almost fifteen minutes… waiting… and then…
He heard the snapping of a twig from behind him. He then turned around and through the cover of the trees the form a giant black dog emerged from the very heart of the darkness itself. He smiled as the dog trotted over to him.
Albus held up a hand to stop him from doing anything before he held his wand over his head. "Homenum revelio," he said softly. Nothing happened… so no one else was around. But to be on the safe side… "Salvio Hexia… Protego Totalum…" once he was finished casting several more spells and was certain that they wouldn't be discovered, he said, "Alright, Sirius. If you could take your usual form."
And almost at once, the dog transformed and the man stood back up on two legs. "Dumbledore," he said. His voice was still very hoarse, his hair was matted and stringy, his gaunt face was so pale that he almost shined like a ghost through the dark… but even so, Albus could tell that he looked much healthier than the last time he saw him.
"Lumos," he said softly and the tip of his wand ignited so that they could see properly. He smiled and said, "Sirius. It is so good to see you again. And while I can't say that I'm surprised that you're here, don't you see how dangerous this is?"
"Of course I do," he croaked irritably. "But I needed to be here… with all this happening around here… of course I'm worried about what is gonna happen to my godson. How is he?"
"As well as he can be given the circumstances," Albus answered softly. "He made it past the first two tasks. They were a site to see without a doubt…" And he then quickly told him about what he had seen during those tasks. Once he finished Sirius smirked, "Of course he would bring the girl back up with him. I mean, if he can't allow someone as pathetic as Wormtail to be killed, sure he would save a little girl."
"That he would," Albus chuckled. "The trio are up at the castle doing just fine at the moment. And the Third Task ends in June. So we just have to last until then."
"Something that I'm looking forward to," Sirius sighed again as he sat down on a fallen log. He ran his hand through his mess of hair and said so quietly that he almost missed it: "I can't believe that this all happened." He then glared up at him, "How could you let him compete?"
Albus shook his head; he has suspected that Sirius would ask him that. He told him with as much sincerity in his tone, "Believe me Sirius. The last thing that I wanted was for Harry to be entered. The whole reason that I put the age limit up was to prevent something like this from happening. I still don't know how his name came out of the Goblet, but there's nothing I can do about it now."
"Surely there's some way…?" Sirius asked quickly. "Some way that he doesn't have to compete any further right?"
"I racked my brains with that very same question Sirius, yet I couldn't find one," he confessed sadly. "But he made it through two of the three… all that's left is this last task, then this will all be over."
"June," Sirius groaned, running his hands over his thin face. There was a long pause.
"I understand that professor," he answered in annoyance once he thought it over. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
Albus walked over to sit next to him on the log and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I have to admire your dedication, Sirius. Not too many people would've back all this way just to ensure that their godson is safe. Especially, for someone in your position."
"Yeah," Sirius answered grimly. "I know that it's not the smartest thing to do, but you see I had to… when I got his letter over the summer about his scar hurting him…" he trailed off. He then looked up at him and asked, "Why is that? Harry said in his letter that his scar hurts him whenever Voldemort's near him right? Why would it hurt him over the summer? Why would it hurt at all? And when has Voldemort ever been near him?"
"Those are very good questions," Albus said, not looking forward to explaining. "But to put it simply, the two of them are connected by the curse that failed. Nothing like this has ever been seen or done before so I can't answer with certainty. But I believe that it hurts him whenever Voldemort is near because it is some kind of warning…"
"But then why would it hurt over the summer?" Sirius asked at once, his pale face growing ever paler. "I mean, Voldemort wasn't there was he?"
"No," Albus answered. "Of that I am certain. You see… when Lily died protecting him from Voldemort, she gave him a lingering protection of love. After the attack I moved Harry to his aunt house, her only remaining relative. The only other person who shares Lily Potter's blood… so long as he is there, Voldemort cannot touch him. Lily's sacrifice had given her son the strongest protection imaginable and because of that, Voldemort cannot enter anywhere near Privet Drive. And besides even if he could, he is still far too weak to make the attempt."
"Then why…?" Sirius began but Albus sighed.
"I'm afraid that I don't have all the answers," he answered him.
"What are we going to do?" he asked softly.
"Harry is still young," Albus answered firmly. "He's just a fourteen-year-old boy… a child barely a teenager. The best we can do for now is to protect him as best we can."
"Well, we sure seem to be doing a great job of that," he muttered bitterly.
They sat in silence for a while before he asked, "Do you know how this is happening? I mean, he has to be behind this doesn't he? How is he controlling everything from—wherever the hell he is?"
Albus didn't need to ask who he was talking about. He got up, his bones creaking slightly, and began pacing around the clearing. After a few minutes he said, "I knew, before the school year even started, that Voldemort has been planning something involving Harry and the Triwizard Tournament. Yet I still don't know what it is or how."
When he saw Sirius's bewildered face he told him, "Everything that has been happening started last summer. For months, I knew that the signs were pointing in a dangerous direction. First Wormtail escaped…"
He could hear Sirius's knuckles crack angrily when he mentioned Wormtail, "And not long after that, Bertha Jorkins vanished in Albania, the place where Voldemort had hidden himself. Harry's scar is hurting; the Dark Mark showing up at the Quidditch World Cup… it doesn't take a genius to see that Voldemort is on a comeback trail, which is why I insisted on bringing Alastor Moody here to teach just in case."
He waited to see if Sirius said anything; when he didn't he went on, "But Harry is very well protected—he has been since the attack on him as an infant. Trying to go after him at Privet Drive is impossible for Voldemort, and Harry is being protected and watched in more ways than even he realizes. I just can't see any way Voldemort could get to him—especially now that he is at the castle. And so, though it pains me to admit it, the best I can do was to wait and keep my eyes and ears open and wait until I get a hint of what Voldemort is planning."
He took off his glasses to rub his tired eyes. "The moment I read Harry's name after it came out of the Goblet of Fire, I began running through all possibilities I could think of. Of course I knew at once that Harry never would've put his name into the Goblet, and he couldn't have been entered under Hogwarts, as we already announced a champion for Hogwarts. And so, whoever did enter Harry's name would have to have used a pretty strong spell to get the Goblet to recognize a fourth school."
"At least you believed him," Sirius said at once. "I mean, I spoke to Harry through the fire months ago right before the First Task and he was having a rough time of it. Even his best friend didn't believe him."
"Yes," Albus answered grimly. "This year has been very tough for him. Thankfully, things are looking up… but the point is that I knew he couldn't have done this. He's usually powerful for his age, but he couldn't have done anything to the Goblet. I have eyes and ears on him all the time, and I know for a fact that he went up to the common room the night before and didn't leave until breakfast on Halloween morning. It's obvious that Harry had nothing to do with this. But if Harry didn't put his name in, then why was his name in there at all? There is no doubt in my mind… Voldemort is behind it. And somebody at Hogwarts is working for him."
Sirius stared at him. "Who?" he demanded at once.
"Well, that's the million galleon question," Albus answered wearily. "Yes, who? Because when you think about it, there really aren't all that many possibilities."
"What about Snape?" he demanded getting up and glaring at him long and hard. "The greasy-haired git is a Death Eater right? He has to…?"
Albus shook his head and interrupted, "Severus is no more a Death Eater than myself, Sirius. I assure you that he isn't the one doing this."
"Then…?" Sirius asked, though Albus could see he didn't look convinced.
"There are lots of students here, but Voldemort isn't strong enough to be recruiting new followers yet," Albus said at once, going through the possibilities. "His Death Eaters clearly don't know he's returned. There's almost no way a student could be responsible – and besides, precious few could have managed to Confund the Goblet anyway. And I trust my staff. I know that none of them are working for Voldemort."
He clearly said this last part to remind Sirius that he included Severus. Sirius got the hint and just snorted.
"I have known Madame Maxime for several years," he went on, "And I know that she would never do anything like this. I also know that she wouldn't do it anymore than Hagrid would…"
"But that doesn't leave any other possibilities," Sirius said thinking it over.
"I had two to begin with… Igor Karkaroff and Ludo Bagman," Albus said.
"Bagman?" Sirius repeated with his eyebrows raised. "I know the man is a bit of an idiot…"
"He was once charged with passing information to Voldemort," Albus told him and Sirius stared at him, "Though I highly doubt it he did it on purpose. After Voldemort fell from power, Ludo was put on trial for giving information about the Ministry to Augustus Rookwood. According to Ludo, he did not know that Rookwood was a Death Eater. Rookwood had been a friend of Ludo's father and had persuaded Ludo into giving him the information by talking about getting Ludo a job at the Ministry. Barty Crouch attempted to place Bagman in Azkaban for this exchange of information for a certain amount of time, but Ludo was cleared of all charges… He hasn't been accused of any criminal activity since then… at least not to my knowledge."
He sighed before going back to his explanation, "But back to the point, neither of these two seemed all that likely to be the culprit either. To be honest, both are inherently weak people who simply don't seem bright enough to convincingly pull off a scheme like this. Nor would either seem to have a motive. But one is a former Death Eater, and the other was at least accused once of working for Voldemort as well. I've been watching them both very carefully this year. But now with Barty suddenly taken ill…"
"You think that he might have something to do with this?" Sirius asked. "I heard the bastard was taking sick." He then whispered under his breath, "Hopefully he'd choke on his medicine."
Albus gave him a sharp look, but he understood Sirius anger towards Barty. The man had sent him to Azkaban after all with no trial… "I really don't know," he told him softly. "I knew Barty for years, taught him myself when he was here… and I happened to have noticed that he had been acting a little differently than normal… but I know for a fact that he left after the feast last Halloween so he couldn't have slipped Harry's in. As well, he is known for having fought the Death Eaters as harshly as they have."
Sirius stared at him. He sighed and sat back next to him. "I don't know…"
They were silent for a short time before Sirius said. "Well, whatever. So long as you keep my godson safe so that he lives through the final task that's all I want."
Albus gave him a sad look. "I'm doing my best Sirius," he told him. "If there was something else I could've done I would've by now. The best we can do is watch over him and help him should he need it."
Sirius threw him a dark look before he said firmly. "I don't care what you say. I want to be closer to him. Just knowing that I'm nearby should something happen means a lot to me."
"I know," he answered and Sirius looked at him. "And I know that would mean the world to Harry as well—almost as much as your freedom means to him. But I knew that I could never tell you want to do. You can stay here, Sirius if you insist, but you have to be careful. Right now, our trio and myself are the only ones around here who know about you and your abilities. And if you insist on staying, I know that there is a cave up on the edge of Hogsmeade that would serve to hide you."
Sirius looked up at him at once and he smiled, "I believe that it will be the safest place for you, but you must be careful," he said firmly. "If anyone should ever see you, you will be thrown back into Azkaban faster than blinking and there won't be anything I can do to get you out of it. And also," he said this part very seriously, "I want you to discourage Harry from coming out to visit. You know as well as I do that once he learns that you're here he will want to see you. But should he try, it would only serve to put him at risk and the less chances we take with his safety the better… don't you agree?"
Sirius looked a little disappointed but he didn't say anything as he nodded. "I better get back to Buckbeak," he croaked.
Albus nodded courteously in return. "I will see you soon I hope?"
Sirius transformed back into the grim-like dog and trotted off into the cover of the darkness. Albus stayed there for a few more minutes, savoring the quiet of the forest, before he too turned and left as well.
*A few days later*
Albus was lost in his own head, his Pensieve on his desk so that he could put his thoughts in to relieve himself of his headache.
He was just reliving what Severus had told him earlier that day… "It's coming back… Karkaroff's too… stronger and clearer than ever…"
He showed him the Dark Mark that had been burned into his arm… once Voldemort had been defeated thirteen years ago, all the Dark Mark on the Death Eaters had fainted until it became something like a vivid red tattoo… but now that mark was becoming dark again, yet another sign that the dark side is gathering strength again.
But what on earth was truly happening here? He felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare for nothing was making sense or adding up… just what was going on here? He finished putting his thoughts away as he turned wearily to the newspaper articles he had been getting. The latest one on top.
Harry Potter's Secret Heartache
He sighed, knowing that this was just another disgusting article by Rita as he turned to the other clippings, this time talking about Barty. He hasn't been seen in public since November… house appears deserted… St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries decline comment… Ministry refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness…
Barty had simply disappeared… no one has heard from him in weeks. He tried on several accounts to visit Barty at his home, but nothing. He leaned forward, propping his elbows up on his desk to rest his forehead against his hands. Now that he thought of it, Barty hadn't been himself since the World Cup when the Dark Mark appeared.
He ran his hand through his beard again irritably. Just what was going on? For something to do, he flipped through the clippings, looking for a particular article. When he found it, he picked it up to read it for what felt like the millionth time:
Still Missing Ministry Employee.
'I know as well as the rest of us just how terrible Bertha's memory is,' said the head of Magical Games and Sports Ludo Bagman during an interview on Wednesday evening, 'But you think she would've turned up by now…'
If anyone has any word to Bertha's whereabouts, then please contact the Ministry for her family is desperate for any information at all. Please see page 4 for the full interview.
Albus shook his head as he set the article down. Yet another thing that wasn't right. Ludo had been going on for so long about how bad Bertha's memory is… why is that?
For the Bertha he knew was anything but forgetful. Sometimes he felt the need to pull his hair out he was so frustrated. He got up and began to pace around his office for awhile. Something that helped to clear his thoughts before he looked took a quick glance down at the grounds. In the distance, he could just make out Hagrid's massive form in front of his cabin digging. He leaned against the windowpane, the cool glass feeling good against his face as he watched Hagrid digging for awhile.
But soon night fell and blocked Hagrid from his view before he decided to turn in early for the night and hope that he could see for once.
*Next morning*
"That poor girl," Dilys sighed from her portrait.
He glanced up at her and asked, his eyebrows knitted together, "What happened? Who are you talking about Dilys?"
"I was in the hospital wing when she suddenly came in, crying something terrible," she told him. "Hermione Granger."
Albus raised his eyebrows in concern. "Is she alright? What happened?"
"That damn Skeeter woman that's what!" Dilys frowned heavily. "That bunch of lies in the prophet the other day talked about her playing around with other boys hearts and now middle aged women from all over are sending the girl hate mail. Today she opened a letter and it was filled with undiluted bubotuber pus!"
Albus wasn't sure how to react to that. That woman had now reached an all new low and his anger towards Rita was now reaching its breaking point. Was she really willing to sink this far just to get a story of lies.
But Dilys suddenly smirked and said, "I'd watch out from here on out if I were here. Granger vowed that she would get her back for this if it's the last thing she did!"
Albus smiled, knowing that Madam Pomfrey would take good care of her, but still angry. He silently hoped that Hermione would get Rita back for this…
As the week went on, he would watch from his seat at the breakfast table as more hate mail arrived for Hermione. Normally, she wouldn't bother to open it, however two or three times a few of them turned out to be Howlers and they exploded at the table to shriek insults at her for everyone to hear.
'This year is almost over,' he kept telling himself. 'Just a few more weeks left to go and then we can put this all behind us.'
He kept repeating that to himself like a spell. Finally, he felt that it was time for the champions to know what the Third Task was. He sent word to Minerva, Pomona, Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime to inform the champions that they should head down to the Quidditch field at eight thirty to find out the final task.
Just this last one… if they could make it through this then it will all be over.
*That night*
"Dumbledore!" Everard's voice called. It never failed… just as he was almost finished with the evenings work, someone interrupts him.
"Yes?" he asked tiredly; who was tired and had just been thinking that he would turn in early again tonight.
"Just seen Potter running up here," he answered. "He's trying to figure out a way to get into your office."
Albus raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Don't know," he answered with a shrug. "Was just keeping an eye on him like usual on your orders. Saw him and Diggory meet up in the hall before they left for the Quidditch field. Saw Diggory come back alone, but I didn't see Potter until a few minutes later and then he ran straight up here. Last I saw, Snape showed his face right outside your office. But it seemed important…"
Albus frowned, not liking where this was going. At once he left his desk and headed straight to the door and down the spiral staircase. Just as he walked through the stone gargoyle and, sure enough, there was Harry and Severus there. "Is there a problem?" he asked calmly, looking between them.
"Professor!" Harry said as soon as he saw him, sidestepping Severus, breathing hard and gasped out, "Mr. Crouch is here - he's down in the forest, he wants to speak to you!"
Albus stared at him. Crouch? Here? Albus couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had just been thinking of Crouch… why would he be here now? He snapped out of his thoughts and said promptly, "Lead the way," and then he took off, following Harry closely.
As they walked, he asked, trying to stay as calm as possible, "What did Mr. Crouch say. Harry?" He knew that this could be important, if Barty was here, then why didn't he come up to his office himself? Where had he been all this time?
"Said he wants to warn you…" gasped Harry hurrying as he led him to the front doors and out onto the grounds in the direction of the forest. "Said he's done something terrible… he mentioned his son… and Bertha Jorkins… and - and Voldemort… something about Voldemort getting stronger…"
"Indeed," he said, hardly able to hear his own voice, now hurrying himself along, almost overtaking the boy. This was valuable information… maybe Crouch could put together what was going on.
"He's not acting normally," Harry said, also speeding up to keep up beside him. "He doesn't seem to know where he is. He keeps talking like he thinks Percy Weasley's there, and then he changes, and says he needs to see you… I left him with Viktor Krum."
Albus almost stopped dead at those words. "You did?" he asked sharply, he took longer strives… if that was true, then there might be a chance that Viktor's in trouble. And as for Crouch being crazy, he knew that this was far more than that. Unless he…
His eyes widened in realization. There is a possibility that Barty is under the Imperius Curse. He seems to be fighting it… Harry was talking about Barty's condition as if his mind was fighting something within him. He is certainly showing symptoms of fighting a long term Imperius Curse, the moments of lucidity vs. the fact he wants to talk to him.
But if that's true… then who put him under the curse and for how long? There was one answer he could think of… the reason that Barty had been looking ill—hadn't been himself for months… he must've been put under it before the tournament even started… the one who put him under it was the one who was behind everything happening this year.
It was the only thing that made sense to him. Harry also mentioned that Barty was trying to warn him, as well as saying that everything was his fault, and mentioned Bertha, his son as well as Harry and Voldemort who is gaining power… most likely the mystery Death Eater has been the one controlling him. But Albus had no idea why Barty would mention his son who had been dead for years now. And what about Bertha Jorkins? He blames himself for something that happened to her.
He looked to Harry and asked, "Do you know if anybody else saw Mr. Crouch?"
"No," said Harry at once. Albus had to fight the surge of dread inside him—that was what he was afraid of. "Krum and I were talking, Mr. Bagman had just finished telling us about the third task, we stayed behind, and then we saw Mr. Crouch coming out of the forest -"
They were nearing the Beauxbatons carriage and then he asked, "Where are they?"
"Over here," said Harry, moving in front him and quickly leading the way through the trees. "Viktor?" Harry shouted, and to Albus's alarm no one answered.
Harry looked to him and said worriedly, "They were here. They were definitely somewhere around here…"
Albus bit his lip as pulled out his wand. "Lumos."
Its narrow beam traveled from black trunk to black trunk, illuminating the ground. And then it fell upon the still form of Viktor Krum—lying sprawled on the forest floor. They both ran forward to him and Albus was looking all around him, trying to see if he could see anyone—but nothing.
There wasn't another soul around. But he then bent over Viktor and gently lifted one of his eyelids to check his condition. He could see his pupil dilate from the light his wand illuminated and he felt relief. He was alright, just stunned. "Stunned," he assured softly to himself before he looked around him at the surrounding trees again, but still not seeing anything.
Harry was breathing hard from the run and asked, "Should I go and get someone? Madam Pomfrey?"
"No," he said at once. It was obvious that someone attacked Viktor and taken Barty… the attacker could still be near and the last thing he wanted was Harry out of his sight. "Stay here."
He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of Hagrid's cabin before he sent a Patronus message to him, telling him to come at once before he bent over Viktor again and muttered, "Ennervate."
Almost immediately Viktor opened his eyes and looked around him in a daze. When he saw him, he tried to get up but he put a hand on his shoulder, knowing that he needed rest.
He then spoke, hearing him speak for the first time since Christmas, "He attacked me!" and put a hand to his head where he was obviously attacked from behind, "The old madman attacked me! I vos looking around to see vare Potter had gone and he attacked from behind!"
He told him to lie still when he then heard the sound of thunderous footfalls reached them, and Hagrid came panting into sight with Fang at his heels and his crossbow in his hands.
His eyes were wide as he stared first at him, to Harry, and finally to Viktor on the ground, "Professor Dumbledore! Harry - what the -?"
Albus stood back up and started giving him instructions, "Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff," What they needed now was to stay calm… there might still be time to get to Barty before something happened to him, but his first priority at the moment was ensuring that the boys were safe. "His student has been attacked. When you've done that, kindly alert Professor Moody -"
"No need, Dumbledore," said a wheezy growl from the darkness. "I'm here."
To his relief, Alastor was limping toward them, leaning on his staff, his wand lit and ready for action. He looked down at his leg and muttered furiously, "Damn leg. Would've been here quicker… what's happened? Snape said something about Crouch -"
"Crouch?" Hagrid repeated sounding completely lost but Albus reminded him sharply, "Karkaroff, please, Hagrid!"
Hagrid snapped out of it and stuttered, "Oh yeah… right y'are, Professor…" before he turned and ran in the direction of the lake and the Durmstrang ship.
Albus then turned back to Alastor and informed him, "I don't know where Barty Crouch is but it is essential that we find him."
"I'm onto it," he growled and went off into the forest with his wand held high. Albus watched him go before he turned his attention back to the grounds, alert to everything that was happening around him. Every sound, every movement, he was keeping a close watch on—no one spoke again until they heard the unmistakable sounds of Hagrid and Fang returning. He looked up and Karkaroff was hurrying along behind them in his usual sleek silver furs and bad mood.
As he expected, when Igor saw his prize student on the ground he cried out, "What is this? What's going on?"
"I vos attacked!" Viktor said, now in a sitting position and rubbing the back of his head where it was obviously still sore, "Mr. Crouch or votever his name -"
Igor stared at him before he gasped out, "Crouch attacked you? Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?"
Albus tried to explain what was going on, though to be honest he wasn't sure what he was going to say since he didn't know what was happening either, but before he could say anything, Igor had drawn himself up to his full height, looking livid.
"Treachery!" he bellowed, pointing a shaking finger at him and yelled out, "It is a plot! You and your Ministry of Magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore! This is not an equal competition! First you sneak Potter into the tournament, though he is underage! Now one of your Ministry friends attempts to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences - here's what I think of you!"
He then spat on the ground at his feet. While this didn't bother him in the slightest, and he planned to talk some sense to Igor once he calmed down… Hagrid on the other hand had seized the front of Karkaroff's furs, lifted him into the air, and slammed him against a nearby tree.
"Apologize!" Hagrid snarled as Karkaroff gasped for breath, his feet dangling in midair.
"Hagrid, no!" he yelled out quickly, seeing how Karkaroff was starting to turn blue. He could understand his frustration, he would probably act the same way seeing his one of his students attacked. But right now they had more important matters to deal with. Hagrid, still looking angry, let go and Karkaroff slid all the way down the trunk and slumped in a huddle at its roots, staring at Hagrid with a look of the utmost fear on his face.
Thinking that it would be for the best to remove Hagrid before anything else happened, he told him to escort Harry back up to the castle and out of harm's way. But before he even finished speaking, he looked quickly into Harry's mind.
He could see him talking to Viktor when all of a sudden Barty Crouch came stumbling through the forest. Exhausted, ragged, and filthy, Barty looked as if he hadn't eaten, slept, or stopped traveling for days. He was talking to a tree as if thinking it was someone else.
"… and when you've done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve…"
"Mr. Crouch?" Harry said slowly and loudly.
"… and then send another owl to Madame Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she's bringing, now Karkaroff's made it a round dozen… do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will…"
He watched as Barty's already wide eyes began to bulge, as if something inside his mind was fighting for control. The unmistakable signs of someone fighting the Imperius Curse. When he talked to the tree, gave into the curse effects, it was easier for his mind, but he continued to fight whatever force had control over him for what was obvious keeping him going.
He watched as he then stumbled to Harry as soon as he saw him and gasped out, fighting with all his strength to tell speak.
"Dumbledore!" gasped Mr. Crouch. "I need… see… Dumbledore…"
"Okay," said Harry, "if you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the-"
Whatever he was fighting again, whatever the one in control was making him see or do, it was obviously taking a toll on his mind. But he had something that he needed to say… something that he was willing to risk his sanity for. "I've done… stupid… thing…" he breathed, looking as if word he spoke seemed to cost him a terrible effort. "Must… tell… Dumbledore…"
"Get up, Mr. Crouch," said Harry loudly and clearly. "Get up, I'll take you to Dumbledore!"
His eyes rolled as he looked up at Harry, unable to recognize him or anything else around him. "Who… you?" he whispered.
When he tried to tell him he was a student Barty's eyes filled with fear and gasped, "You're not… his?"
"No," said Harry, clearly not understanding what he was saying either.
"Dumbledore's?" he then questioned. And when Harry tried to answer he whispered. "Warn… Dumbledore…"
But just as Harry was trying to convince him to take him up to the castle the strain must've been too much for him and he gave in, talking to the tree again. He watched as Harry told Viktor to stay with him while he went to go and get him but just as he was about to leave, Barty must've seized what could've been his only chance to get his message to him. He grabbed him and his words disturbed him.
"Don't… leave… me!" he whispered, his eyes bulging again. "I… escaped… must warn… must tell… see Dumbledore… my fault… all my fault… Bertha… dead… all my fault… my son… my fault… tell Dumbledore… Harry Potter… the Dark Lord… stronger… Harry Potter…"
But that was as much as he could see. After that, Harry ran off and left them here. At the moment, he could also see the boy was planning on going up to the owlery to send a letter to Sirius. Now was not the time.
"Maybe I'd better stay here. Headmaster…" Hagrid's voice cut his concentration off.
Knowing what was best, he repeated with as much authority as he could, "You will take Harry back to school, Hagrid. Take him right up to Gryffindor Tower." He then turned to Harry, and told him firmly, not wanting him out of the common room tonight, "And Harry - I want you to stay there. Anything you might want to do - any owls you might want to send - they can wait until morning, do you understand me?"
Harry looked at him startled, obviously wondering how he knew what he was thinking and stuttered, "Er - yes,"
Hagrid still looked angry as he growled, "I'll leave Fang with yeh Headmaster," glaring at Igor, who was still sprawled at the foot of the tree, "Stay, Fang. C'mon, Harry."
Once they were out of the way, he turned to Igor and said, "I apologize for that… Hagrid is as loyal to his friends as he is brave. But yelling and blaming each other isn't going to solve anything."
Karkaroff glared at him, though he didn't say anything as he's eyes flickered to Hagrid's retreating back. He then turned to Viktor and asked, "What happened here?"
Viktor sighed and explained, "I vanted to talk with Potter about something. After Bagman told us vot the next task vos going to be, I pulled him here. Ve then talked for a little vhile before Crouch came out of the forest."
"And what did he say?" Albus asked quietly.
"He vos mad!" he answered at once, pointing to the trees where he stumbled out. "He vos talking to the trees like they vore people! But he kept saying that he needed to see you."
"And did you see anything after Harry left?" he asked softly. "Anyone else?"
"No," he told him, rubbing the sore spot on his head. "I vos trying to see vare Potter had gone and Crouch attacked me when my back vos turned!"
"You saw him attack you?" Albus pressed on.
"Vell, no," Viktor admitted. "But I didn't see anyone else. vho else could it have been?"
Who indeed. He had a bad feeling that only one who could've answered that was no longer here. He looked up to the trees were Alastor went in and would, hopefully, find Barty before it's too late.
"Well, Viktor if you aren't injured?" he asked him. When he shook his head and got up to his feet, he then turned to Igor. "He should be just fine," he assured him as the Durmstrang headmaster scrambled back to his feet. "He had just been stunned, and should be back to normal after a goodnight's sleep. But should it still hurt, Madam Pomfrey will be more than capable to help."
Karkaroff only glared at him before he turned to Viktor and hissed, "Ve are going."
He watched as the two of them marched away back in the direction of the ship, before he also went back up to the castle. This turned out to be another sleepless night as he wrote to the Ministry, telling them that one of their best employees had disappeared.
*Morning*
He had waited all night and most of the early hours of the morning for Alastor to return. Finally, exhausted, he limped into his office only to tell him that Crouch wasn't anywhere.
"And you searched the forest?" he asked him exhausted.
"Every inch of it," he growled in tiredness. "Not a trace of him. It's like he just disappeared. Could be anywhere." He shook his grizzled head. "Only thing I know for sure is that he's not here anymore."
Albus sighed.
"Not sure who or what did it," he went on, "But if you ask me, it was either Crouch who attacked Krum, or… someone else."
"Yes," he said softly.
"What exactly did Potter say?" he asked suddenly interested.
"From what I could see, he wanted to warn me of something, but he wasn't able to come out and say what it was exactly," Albus explained grimly as he leaned his head against his clasped hands, fighting hard to stay awake. "He was under a powerful Imperius Curse, I'm sure of that and he was fighting it with everything he had."
"The Imperius Curse?" Alastor asked disdainfully. "Now who would want to put a curse on Crouch?"
"The same person who's behind everything happening this year no doubt," Albus answered, struggling to keep his eyes open now. "Whatever Barty wanted to say to me, it must've been important for him to risk both his life and his sanity."
"I didn't think he was sick all this time," Alastor said gruffly.
"No," he said. "I had some Auror's at the Ministry go to Barty's house and check, but of course, no one was there. All they found was a thick layer of dust suggesting that no one has been in that house for some time. He must've been traveling for weeks to make it this far."
"Anything else?" Alastor asked.
"Only theories…" Albus said softly before he crossed to the window and looked down at the grounds. "Each as wild as the next…"
They were silent for a moment.
"Potter was sure reckless going off with Krum like that though," Alastor stated with a grin.
"Don't remind me of that," Albus sighed. "I understand that Viktor would want to talk to him, but at least do it inside the castle…" he tried not to groan at the thought. "Don't let any of the champions out of your sight. Whoever attacked Krum could've just as easily have killed them both last night. If the attacker thinks that either of them knows something, then it could only put them in danger. But for now, go and get some sleep Alastor. I think we both could use it."
He didn't bother to look at him as he heard the familiar clunking of his wooden leg head to the door to the door and it shut behind him. Alone again…
Wearily, ignoring the bright sunshine on the grounds, headed straight for his soft bed. But before he went to sleep, his mind continued to spin. Just what was happening here? If Barty had been kidnapped, then they would've been hiding in the trees near the boys last night. But how would they know where Crouch was? And why not attack the boys and then take Crouch before anyone got near him? If they didn't want to kill them, then they could've easily just stunned Harry and Viktor and after they took Barty and then modify their memories? But they waited till Harry was out of the way until they acted, didn't they? Why would they wait? They could've prevented anyone ever knowing that Barty had been on the grounds if they had acted… which left only one possibility…
They didn't want Harry killed… they wanted him alive for some reason.
However, what disturbed him most was what Barty had said…"He's getting stronger."
What he didn't tell Sirius or even Alastor was that he had several possibilities to how this was happening… but the list basically boiled down to three options:
The first of which was that somebody could be under the Imperius Curse. Well, Barty was indeed under the Imperius Curse all right, but he couldn't have been the one who put Harry's name in the Goblet.
The second was Voldemort could be actively possessing/controlling somebody. But that possibility seems the least unlikely however. There are distinct signs when a person is controlled by Voldemort such as Quirrell, and nobody around is showing those signs right now. Besides which, he had a pretty shrewd guess that Voldemort is laying low with Wormtail and getting his health back so it's probably safe to rule that possibility out.
Or finally, somebody could be using Polyjuice Potion or other forms of disguise and now be impersonating another person here at Hogwarts.
As far as the Imperius Curse and Polyjuice Potion go, there's a challenge here. There really aren't very many people around who could conceivably be impersonated or controlled, either. After all, no Death Eater could convincingly play the part of a student or teacher for long without that person's friends picking up on it; even Karkaroff and Madame Maxime have to know their students, and even the first years still have to be able to write home.
So with these possibilities in mind, he had been keeping a very close watch on anything and everyone acting suspicious all year. Before long, though, the case against his three main suspects continued to make less sense. Severus has been reporting to him that Karkaroff fears Voldemort's return and intends to flee if he ever should—and since Severus's has mastered Legilimency, he had no doubt that Karkaroff was being honest. Meanwhile Ludo Bagman has also been acting strange this year as well, but in a completely different way. Of course, he doubted that whatever Ludo was up to had anything to do with Voldemort. And then there had been Barty Crouch, who had been looking ill and had even stopped going to work and judging the tournament. And if Voldemort has simply been using him as his puppet, then why hasn't he continued using him to his advantage? This maked no sense whatsoever.
There was still a piece to this puzzle that he still needed to find, and he was willing to bet that it was big. He tried to come up with other suspects, but this list, too, is surprisingly short.
Almost all of Voldemort's Death Eaters are either dead, in Azkaban, or—or such as Lucius—hiding out in the wizarding world pretending that they've seen the errors of their ways and continuing to live their lives. Truthfully, it wouldn't be hard for him to confirm that all of them are in fact still leading their lives. Lucius Malfoy, Macnair, Avery, Yaxley, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle… as far as he knew, they were still acting the part of innocent witnesses to the First War. Besides, none of them have been hanging around Hogwarts—not since Lucius had been fired from the Board of Governors.
There's one exception, of course and that's Wormtail. He's able to stick with Voldemort full time because he's presumed dead. But Albus also knew that Voldemort would need Wormtail close by for he's still far too weak. He couldn't see any other explanation…
Until last night when Barty Crouch showed up on the Hogwarts grounds, raving about his son.
But Barty Crouch Jr. was dead, he died in Azkaban years ago. Barty handed his own son to the Dementors himself… or…
His eyes widened just as he sat on the edge of his bed and removed his glasses. Or, is that what everyone thinks? Most deceased Death Eaters, of course, can easily be confirmed. But what if there's another one? Another presumed-dead-but-still-alive Death Eater, that is?
But if that's the case, then who had died? He knew for a fact that someone had died in Azkaban a year after Barty's son was brought in and there was a grave that was marked with his name. And if it hadn't been Crouch then who was it? He honestly didn't have any idea how Crouch Jr. could have managed to escape from Azkaban if it was him, but given his father's strange behavior over most of the year, he certainly would have had a hunch long before this that the family was somehow involved in whatever was going on wouldn't he? Perhaps there was a chance that he had somehow escaped Azkaban and was really alive.
He felt the need to beat his head in with a broomstick or something… Voldemort is winning this battle, and there's nothing he could do about it. Like a stalled murder investigation, he's pursued all of his leads to dead ends and had come up with nothing. Finally, his weariness took full effect and was asleep by the time his head hit his pillow.
*A few days later*
Albus pretty much gave up the idea of ever getting a decent night sleep again. While keeping a close watch on the grounds and the champions as they got ready for the Third Task, he hardly had time to do anything else.
Minerva in fact came to him and almost had to threaten him to get some sleep at night, which he was privately grateful for. One day, however, about a week after Barty appeared on the grounds, he was in his office with Alastor, and Cornelius. He had just put his Pensieve away when they arrived, having been watching the old trials, hoping for some kind of clue but found none.
"I had Kingsley Shacklebolt put a temporary halt to his searching for Sirius Black," Cornelius said pompously. "So that he could look into Barty's house for anything that might tell us what has been happening here. But when he got permission to enter, there wasn't anything that suggested foul play. The whole house was full of dust, showing that no one's been home for awhile, however he also reported that there were no signs of a struggle. Nothing broken, no signs of dark magic… it's like he just got up and left on his own, Dumbledore."
"Cornelius," Albus said slowly. "I'm sure you know Barty as well as I do. He has been known to drag himself to work even when he wasn't feeling well. And then all of a sudden he stopped coming at all?"
"Well, what do you suggest?" he asked bitterly. "I admit that it is surprising behavior from Barty, but like I said, there's nothing suggesting…"
"Don't you think it's obvious?" Alastor barked irritably. "Crouch has been under the Imperius Curse!"
"What?" he jumped dramatically, staring at him in horror. "What do you mean?"
"Cornelius," Albus said slowly so that the Minister couldn't miss a word. "Barty shows up here when no one's seen or heard from him for weeks, raving about his son and Bertha."
Cornelius stood there frozen for a moment until Alastor slammed his staff down on the floor with a loud bang and snapping him out of his daze. "Albus s-see reason," he stuttered. "Barty Crouch Jr. is dead. He died in Azkaban years ago. And as for Bertha, well, we're still trying to find her…"
"Maybe if you thought to send someone out to find her as soon as she went missing, we might not be in this situation," Alastor barked at him.
"I'm not responsible for what happens in every department am I?" he asked him. "Ludo assured me that he had everything under control…"
"And you believed that?" he asked rolling both his magical and non-magical eyes. "Please that idiot doesn't have enough brains to fill a candlestick holder."
Albus raised his hands to prevent them from continuing to argue as Cornelius turned back to him and said, "Dumbledore, I'm afraid I don't see the connection, don't see it at all! Ludo says Bertha's perfectly capable of getting herself lost. I agree we would have expected to have found her by now, but all the same, we've no evidence of foul play, Dumbledore, none at all. As for her disappearance being linked with Barty Crouch's…"
Alastor, looking angrier by the second, growled, "And what do you thinks happened to Barty Crouch, Minister?"
"I see two possibilities, Alastor," he answered briskly, obviously easily intimidated by Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody. "Either Crouch has finally cracked - more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, given his personal history - lost his mind, and gone wandering off somewhere -"
Albus frowned at him, angry that he was just willing to brush off the disappearance of one of his own employees so easily, and said, "He wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Cornelius."
"Or else - well…" Cornelius stuttered, his face turning red. "Well, I'll reserve judgment until after I've seen the place where he was found, but you say it was just past the Beauxbatons carriage?" Albus raised his eyebrows, having a very good idea to where this was going, "Dumbledore, you know what that woman is?"
Albus fought the need to roll his eyes as Alastor had done. Once again, Cornelius was letting prejudice was doing the thinking for him. He just had to know what a person's bloodline was and his mind was already made up about them… and it's not usually a good thing. He then answered softly, yet firmly, "I consider her to be a very able headmistress - and an excellent dancer."
Fudge now looked angry, "Dumbledore, come! Don't you think you might be prejudiced in her favor because of Hagrid? They don't all turn out harmless - if, indeed, you can call Hagrid harmless, with that monster fixation he's got -"
He interrupted calmly, not wanting to hear another word against either Hagrid or Madame Maxime. "I no more suspect Madame Maxime than Hagrid. I think it possible that it is you who are prejudiced, Cornelius."
Fudge looked outrage and opened his mouth to argue back with Alastor interrupted them. "Can we wrap up this discussion?" his magical eye pointing in the back of his head towards the closed door.
"Yes, yes," Cornelius snapped impatiently, "Let's go down to the grounds, then."
"No, it's not that," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, "it's just that Potter wants a word with you, Dumbledore. He's just outside the door."
(Sorry for the wait. But I hoped you enjoyed it! Now that I'm back in school, it might take a little longer to get posts up, but the next chapter we going into will be after he comes back to find that Harry was in his Pensieve. Until then…)
