Chapter 43: Tournaments End
Those few words caused a wave of fear and grief to sweep over them all as people were now trying to push their way through to see what was going on. They then started to shout out to everyone within range so that all too soon, the whole school was aware of the tragic news.
"He's dead!"
"He's dead!"
"Cedric Diggory! Dead!"
Sobbing sounded in a din, and voices, passing on the news… everywhere… so that no one could miss it. Albus looked around, trying to figure out what to say or do… just when he finally noticed what Fudge was doing.
Cornelius was now trying to force Harry to let go of Cedric. "Harry, let go of him," Fudge told Harry, as he began attempting to pry the child's fingers from Cedric's limp form. However, Harry wouldn't let go, instead re-doubling his grip to prevent him from. Albus leant down closer, so that his bearded face was only inches from Harry's own.
"Harry," he said softly, his own hand on Cedric's wrist, "you can't help him now. It's over. Let go."
The gentle order seemed to stimulate Harry slightly; he looked at him through glassy eyes and pleaded, "He wanted me to bring him back. He wanted me to bring him back to his parents…" But even as he spoke, his grip was slowly loosening.
Albus then began coaxing him on softly, letting him know that he understood. "That's right, Harry… just let go now…"
Whether Harry heard him and did it, or he was too exhausted to hold on any longer, Harry finally let go. Once he did, Albus bent down, and held onto him like one would to a small child, and carefully raised from the ground. Gently, he eased him back onto his feet. But Harry swayed at once—as if sea-sick and didn't seem to be able to recognize anything around him.
People jostled around them, fighting to get in closer, demanding, "What happened?" yelled a girl.
"What's wrong with him?" shouted out a young Gryffindor boy.
"Diggory's dead!" screamed several people at once. Harry wasn't faring well; he swayed, unable to support his own weight. A moment later, he'd sunk back to the ground like he was going to faint.
"He'll need to go to the hospital wing!" Fudge was saying loudly. "He's ill, he's injured-"
Albus agreed, fully aware that Harry needed medical attention and slightly desperate for it as well. He looked around for Madame Pomfrey, and was in half a mind to tell someone to go and get her—he was afraid to leave Harry right now.
That was until Cornelius stepped forward and said in a low whisper, "Dumbledore, Diggory's parents, they're here, they're in the stands…"
Albus had forgotten about that and felt as if his heart had sunk deep into his stomach. They needed to be warned… he didn't want them to see their son like this. To his relief, Alastor was suddenly there at his side. He limped forward, the rest of the crowd giving him wide berth. "I'll take Harry, Dumbledore," he said at once. "I'll take him-"
Had the situation hadn't been so serious, he would've knew that something was wrong right away. But at the moment, he was looking around, trying to spot the Diggorys, "No, I would prefer-"
But then Fudge interrupted, pointing to their left, "Dumbledore, Amos Diggory's running... he's coming over… Don't you think you should tell him- before he sees-?" Cornelius started practically dragging him away by the arm, white all over and obviously unsure how to the handle the situation delicately. And Albus, knowing it was his duty as the Headmaster to inform Amos before he saw his dead son.
He looked back to see that Alastor was now supporting Harry and said firmly to the boy, "Harry, stay here-"
But even as the crowd parted so that he could get to Amos, he couldn't help but feel uneasy as he left Harry there.
He felt that he would rather have done anything but approach Amos as he fought his way over to him. He was chalk white by the time that they had reached him—as soon as he saw him, then he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him slightly—a terrified look was in his eyes were bulging slightly as he panted, "D-Dumbledore, t-they're saying Ced… my son… my only son… that he's… tell me it's not true! TELL ME MY SON IS… he's not… is he…?" Amos almost choked out as he tried to look over his shoulder, as if he expected Cedric to be there telling him that he was alright…
Albus sighed, knowing that he had to do it.
"I'm so sorry, Amos," Albus intoned gravely, gripping him by the shoulders tightly. "But Cedric truly is…"
But he didn't get to finish for Amos swayed alarmingly for a second, features slack in shock- then vicious sobs started racking his figure. "Where is he?" he demanded harshly, his face now wet with tears. "Where is my son?"
At that second, his wife came over, now calling out Cedric's name, trying to find him. Albus knew that they would never believe it until they saw Cedric for themselves.
"I'm so sorry," Albus repeated, and pulled the couple over to where their son now laid. And so he gently led Amos through the crowd of whimpering and whispering spectators and ignoring whatever rubbish that Fudge was trying to say as he trailed behind them.
Albus stopped dead, at the same time as the Diggorys—however it was for two different reasons. Cedric's parents let out cries of despair and grief before they collapsed next to their son's body, currently being protected by an equally mournful Professor Sprout who was now shouting for the crowd to leave already.
But this did little to ease the fear in his pounding heart however. He looked around him, but Harry was nowhere to be seen, he clenched his fists in anxiety. He looked down at Mr. and Mrs. Diggory as they fell next to their son and pulled him back into their arms as they cried.
He then turned to Pomona and whispered to her, "Pomona, please take the Diggorys up to the school. And remove—Cedric," the boy's name caught in his throat. "Please… Madam Pomfrey will help you. And send the students up as well. They all deserve a respectful distant right now. I will join you shortly, but I need to tend to a few serious matters first."
She nodded and wiped her eyes furiously. He then turned and pushed his way through the terrified throng before anyone else could say anything.
His breathing grew hard and fast… he told Harry to stay… but he was injured—exhausted… he couldn't have left on his own.
Which could only mean that someone took him. Another burst of panic. Albus cursed himself for letting the boy out of his sight after all this. At that moment, he almost ran into Severus. He stopped just before they collided.
"Severus!" he said in relief.
Severus looked up, almost startled. He had been lurking in a shadowy part of the castle, matched with his black robes—it was easy to miss him. "Headmaster?"
While Severus seemed calm enough, Albus knew him well enough to know that there was something wrong. Through the calm mask he always wore, he was able to see the unnerved look in his dark eyes…
It looked like… fear…
He remembered what Harry said not ten minutes ago and asked quickly, "Severus? I need you to tell me. Did he summon you?"
Albus didn't have to ask twice; Severus looked shocked, but his arm went automatically to grip the spot where the Dark Mark was burned into him. They both knew it was true…
"Yes," he spoke in barely more than a whisper. "Not that long ago… about half an hour ago, perhaps?" He then pulled back his sleeve for them both to see…
Though not the black that he knew it to be when Voldemort summoned them… it was clear that it had been burned dark not long ago.
"Just what happened?" Severus demanded as he rolled down his sleeve to hide it. "The Dark Lord summons us tonight… and I just heard that Potter and Diggory…"
"I am afraid that Cedric Diggory is dead," Albus said mournfully. "Harry is still alive… I don't know the whole story, but he escaped Voldemort's clutches from what I understand. Harry brought Cedric's body back. The cup… the Triwizard Cup had been turned into a portkey to send the person who touched it to Voldemort. He's back, Severus. Lord Voldemort is back."
Severus turned very white, "Who?" he demanded.
Albus bit his lower lip and shook his head helplessly. "I'm afraid I don't know. I honestly don't… but more importantly, Harry has now disappeared."
Severus opened his mouth and Albus when on, "The boy was injured and exhausted. He couldn't have left on his own… I'm afraid that there is someone working for Voldemort here in the castle Severus. And the one who put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire is the same one who took Harry… I'm sure of it."
"But who?" Severus repeated impatiently. "Who could do this?"
Albus shook his head… but stopped. A memory from only minutes earlier floated faintly through his mind…
"I'll take Harry, Dumbledore, I'll take him-"
Alastor…
Alastor Moody never referred to people by anything other than their surname. For as long as he knew Alastor Moody, he only ever called anyone by their surname… keeps him from getting to familiar with people. But he had been so focused on the Diggorys that he didn't realize it… he then realized with a stab of horror that Alastor had been acting different this… such as him drinking from flask… he only ever drank from it, but he had been drinking from it much more frequently than normal…
In fact, if Albus were to hazard a guess, he tended to swig its contents about every hour. His eyes widened in horror. Could it be…?
"Severus…" Albus began through numb lips. "After dinner last night… do you remember who asked to place the Cup in the maze?"
"Of course. It was Moody," Severus said at once.
That only confirmed his fears. "And…" he said hurriedly, "You are certain that no one else had touched it before he took it into the maze?"
"No, I…" he suddenly stopped dead at what Albus was saying. "You don't mean…?"
"And Alastor offered to take Harry…" Albus whispered softly, panic gripping his heart. He looked to Severus and said, "We need to find Harry. Now. I believe that he may be in grave danger."
"But…" Severus began, but before he could finish, Minerva came tearing across the field to where they were standing, her expression pale and shaky. But Albus turned to her at once and gestured for her to follow.
"Minerva," he said quickly, "Please tell me, did you see where Harry went? Did anyone take him?"
She paused, uncharacteristically fretful. "I- I saw… I saw Moody took him back to the school. But Albus—what's going on here? I thought that we had everything covered—that we didn't overlook any safety measure and…" but she suddenly noticed their pale expressions.
He and Severus shared startled looks and they both turned to the castle. "Minerva, we need to hurry!" Albus called out at once. "We need to go to Professor Moody's office. Come with me." He then pulled out his wand and strode quickly across the field to the castle. Minerva and Severus were almost running behind to keep up with him.
"Dumbledore, what's happening here?" Minerva demanded again gasping for breath.
"Harry is in grave danger," Albus explained, fear still rising up. Every second they wasted was driving him crazy. "I believe Moody may be using this chance to try and kill Harry while everyone else's attention is drawn to Cedric."
At these words, his pace became swifter and longer, leaving both of them to sprint to keep up. They wasted no time in rushing through the Entrance Hall and up the stairs, and Minerva then cried out, "Kill? Moody? Dumbledore, what are you talking about?! You know Alastor as well as the rest of us do! He has been our friend for years and you think…?"
"Rather," Albus said, anger boiling in with the fear as they ran through a tapestry and down a shortcut to the third floor, "An imposter will try to kill Harry."
"What are you…?" Minerva began but Severus answered, "It seems that the one who was giving us all the trouble this year has been posing as none other than Moody."
Minerva nearly tripped at those words but caught herself in time.
"If that's true," Albus said, "And I'm willing to bet that it is, then if Harry's alone with him…" he didn't dare say anymore, unable to think of it.
But just as Minerva tried to answer, they could hear yelling from ahead just as they reached the third floor.
"You're mad…" it was undoubtedly Harry's voice, and there was a trace of terror gracing his tone as he repeated louder, "you're mad!"
At those terrified words, Albus sprinted ahead, down the corridor with the other two teachers right behind him.
"Mad, am I?" he heard Moody's voice shouting, indeed sounding quite made as he bellowed out, "We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side!"
Albus could see the door to the office and raised his wand, "He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him- and now- I conquer you!"
"Stupefy!" he roared, his anger going into that spell as the blinding flash of red erupted from the end of his and—then, with a great splintering and crashing, the office door exploded, blasting inward…
All three of them were standing in the doorway staring at the sight in front of them; Albus's arm still outstretched. The door was in splinters at their feet, slumped against the wall—the imposter was lying face-down—out cold.
And there, slumped in a chair was Harry, staring at them, frozen in shock—looking small and scared. Albus's hand shaking and he had to tighten the grip of his wand to keep his hand steady. Albus was breathing hard as his anger rose, staring with hatred at the man at their feet. But the only thought that was going through his mind at the moment was, 'He's alive…'
They all stepped into the room through the charred remains of the doorway; he walked over to the imposter and kicked him over onto his face. Fury coursed through him as he stared down at the unconscious pretender. Harry was still watching him… also shaking—but from fear—not anger.
Severus came up behind him, looking into the Foe-Glass; as for Minerva, she brushed past him and went straight to Harry.
"Come along, Potter," she whispered, mouth stretched tight in a thin line even as her lips trembled. Albus knew that she had been terrified… he knew that she would rather fight to the death before she let anyone hurt the students. "Come along… Hospital Wing…"
"No," he said sharply, glancing over Harry's condition. Apart from his leg, there were no major medical issues that needed immediate tending to. Minerva turned to him, her eyes scared, "Dumbledore, he ought to- look at him- he's been through enough tonight-"
If he had it his way, he would let Harry go with her, but he couldn't… he had to know what had happened here tonight. And Harry deserved to know the truth as well…
"He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand," he told her firmly, showing that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery. He needs to know who has put him through the ordeal he has suffered tonight, and why."
Harry looked up at him and cried out, still in a state of utter disbelief, "Moody," he mumbled, "How can it have been Moody?"
Albus shook his head as he looked at him and said very quietly, "This is not Alastor Moody," still furious with himself for not seeing it before now. "You have never known Alastor Moody. The real Moody would not have removed you from my sight after what happened tonight. The moment he took you, I knew- and I followed."
The Alastor he knew would've been the first one to ask the questions… he would've made sure that everyone was shooed away before he could examine the situation… he never would've taken Harry out of plain site like that…
Sighing, half sadly, half furious, he bent over and rummaged around in his pockets, pulling out the hip flask and the keys to Alastor's magical trunk. He knew that the real Alastor would still be alive—the imposter still needed him for his hair and to question him for him to play the part of Alastor Moody perfectly. It was his only chance.
He turned to Minerva, who was still hovering protectively over Harry, and Severus, now peering suspiciously at the flask. He then gave them instructions—to tell Severus to bring him the strongest Truth Potion he had, and the house-elf Winky. If he was right in guessing who the imposter truly was, then he needed her here to confirm it.
He then turned to Minerva and told her where she could find Sirius and take him up to his office. He knew that Sirius needed to know this as well. He would take Harry up for questioning after he was finished here.
Both Minerva and Severus left, leaving him and Harry alone with the Death Eater. Once they were gone, he went to the trunk and tried each key in all the holes. For maximum security, Alastor could hide pretty much anything—or even everyone—in there. More than once, he had been able to sneak people out of harm's way thanks to the seventh compartment.
He unlocked each key hole—and sure enough, once he opened the seventh and final lock did he find the real Alastor Moody, lying at the bottom of the pit. Either sleeping, or out cold… with both his wooden leg and magical eye missing—looking ill, starved, with his grizzly hair was sheered in great chunks.
Harry let out a cry of amazement as he looked over his shoulder to see down the trunk as well. Albus quickly clambered down into the trunk and lowered himself lightly next to Alastor.
He bent down and checked his breathing and pulse. He sighed in relief… he was alive. He gently lifted the eyelid of his normal eye to see the stunned and dazed look. "Stunned," he said softly. "Controlled by the Imperius Curse—very weak."
He gave him a long look—nothing that Alastor wouldn't recover from—though perhaps his pride… and his paranoia was bound to increase after such an unpleasant incident like this one. "Of course they would have needed to keep him alive." He looked up at Harry, who was staring down at the pair. "Harry, throw down the imposter's cloak—he's freezing. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, but he seems in no immediate danger." Harry obeyed without hesitation, and he draped it over Moody, tucking it closely around him for extra measure…
"I'm so sorry, Alastor," he whispered softly.
Grimacing, he pulled himself back out of the trunk so that he could take a look at the flask. As he thought—as soon as he unscrewed it and poured it out—it was the unmistakable glutinous Polyjuice Potion that hit the floor. Harry observed it trickle with a look of realization.
"Polyjuice Potion, Harry," he said and he looked up. "You see the simplicity of it, and the brilliance. For Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well known for it." He shook his head; that was a flaw with Alastor.
"The imposter needed, of course, to keep the real Moody close by, so that he could continue making the potion. You see his hair…" Albus pointed out all the missing chunks of hair, "The imposter has been cutting it off all year, see where it is uneven? But I think, in the excitement of tonight, our fake Moody might have forgotten to take it as frequently as he should have… on the hour… every hour… we shall see."
He pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down upon it, eyes fixed unblinkingly on unconscious Moody. Harry mirrored him, waiting as minutes passed the pair by in silence…
And then it happened.
Alastor's features slowly changed. The scars were disappearing and his mangled nose became whole and started to shrink. His long hair was withdrawing into the scalp and changing color. Suddenly, with a loud clunk, the wooden leg fell away as a normal leg regrew in its place; next moment, the magical eyeball had popped out of the man's face as his real eye replaced it; it rolled away across the floor and continued to swivel in every direction—staring at everything around it. Alastor was replaced with a man with an unhealthy pallor, wrinkles of age round his closed eyes, freckles, and a mop of fair hair.
Barty Crouch Jr.
Just then, he heard hurrying footsteps behind him, out in the corridor. Severus was back with the house-elf Winky at his heels. Behind them was Minerva… both of them walked through the door until they saw who it was on the floor.
"Crouch!" Severus gasped in disbelief. "Barty Crouch!"
"Good heavens," Minerva cried out, a hand over her mouth as she stared down at him. A filthy face peered out from behind the two teachers. Her jaw dropped open in a mixture of horror and amazement when she saw Barty's son and she let out a shriek.
"Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here?" she gasped before she flung herself across the room and onto his chest as she continued to cry, "You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master's son!"
While he knew that this could emotionally scar her for life—but he needed someone to confirm it for him. After all for all intents and purposes he was meant to be dead, who better to offer confirmation than his house-elf, it would also show whether she knew about it, and how deeply Crouch Sr. was involved in it.
He stepped forward and assured her, "He is simply Stunned, Winky. Step aside, please. Severus, you have the potion?"
Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out the Veritaserum. He pulled the stopper out and bent over Barty to pull him up into a sitting position beneath the Foe-Glass, though he wasn't paying any attention to that at the moment. Winky was sitting beneath him, trembling from head to toe with her fingers over her face. He then forced his mouth open and poured three drops inside it. "Ennervate," he cast.
His opened his eyes—and he gazed at them all with a slack, daze—clearly not seeing any of them. He then knelt down in front of him and asked quietly, "Can you hear me?"
His eyelids flickered at his words and mumbled, "Yes."
This was it… "I would like you to tell us how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?" he asked.
Barty Crouch Jr. took a deep, shuddering breath, and then spoke mechanically, "My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance."
Albus closed his eyes in realization. Now that made sense… a mother will go to any lengths for her child… and though all this madness had come from that action… he couldn't bring himself to resent her.
Winky on the other hand was shaking and gasped out, "Say no more. Master Barty, say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!"
So she knew… well, of course she would know…
But Barty went on and, "The dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors."
Albus sighed again as his eyes opened, of course… it was so simple but brilliant.
"My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me."
His eyelids flickered again and Albus asked, "And what did your father do with you, when he had got you home?"
He continued with his story. "Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. The house-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father had to use a number of spells to subdue me. When I had recovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master… of returning to his service."
"How did your father subdue you?" he asked, not liking where this was going.
"I was under my father's control," he explained. "I was forced to wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night. I was always with the house-elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior."
Winky broke down sobbing, "Master Barty, Master Barty. You isn't ought to tell them, we is getting in trouble…"
Albus ignored her, "Did anybody ever discover that you were still alive?" though he had a bad feeling that someone did. "Did anyone know except your father and the house-elf?"
"Yes," he answered him at once. "A witch in my father's office. Bertha Jorkins."
Albus closed his eyes for a brief moment again—now seeing where this was going.
"She came to the house with papers for my father's signature. He was not at home. Winky showed her inside and returned to the kitchen, to me. But Bertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heard enough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived home. She confronted him. He put a very powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget what she'd found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently."
Albus shook his head. He knew that curiosity of hers would get her into serious trouble one day. He was so lost in thought for a moment that he hardly heard Winky sobbing next to him.
He then asked, "Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup."
"Winky talked my father into it," he told him. Albus could now see what had happened so clearly in his mind's eye as he talked. He could imagine little Winky pleading with Barty to let his only son have just a few hours of freedom outside the walls of the house. To tell him that his mother didn't die for her son just so that he'd be trapped in a prison forever.
His heart ached for a moment, and he did his best not to look at Harry at those words.
He could see Barty sitting in the Top Box with the terrified Winky beside him, as he was able to fight his father's Imperius Curse long enough to take the wand from the boy's pocket in front of him… he was able to get a quick glimpse of Harry out of the corner of his eyes, Minerva standing protectively next to him.
He had a good idea to who that boy had been.
"Master Barty, you bad boy!" whispered Winky as she began to really cry now.
"So you took the wand," he asked, turning his full attention back to Barty, "and what did you do with it?"
"We went back to the tent," he told him. "Then we heard them. We heard the Death Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had never suffered for my master."
He could almost sense Severus flinch behind him. "They had turned their backs on him. They were not enslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merely making sport of Muggles. The sound of their voices awoke me. My mind was clearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand. I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left the tent; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. She used her own brand of magic to bind me to her."
He looked quickly at Winky, who was now howling in misery, just confirming the story.
"She pulled me from the tent, pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back. I wanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it. I used the stolen wand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky."
So the Dark Mark hadn't been planned. It did have something to do with Voldemort, but not directly at least…
"Ministry wizards arrived. They shot Stunning Spells everywhere. One of the spells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting us was broken. We were both Stunned."
As he talked, Albus understood. As soon as Barty saw Winky, he knew right away that his son had to have been there as well. He went off to look for him, and discovered him lying there. Once they were alone, he went back for him and took him home before he recast the Imperius Curse. Though sacking Winky really hadn't done anything but made things more difficult.
But then again, he realized that by sacking Winky, he probably push the attention away from him. He glanced at the unhappy Winky; however hurting her like this wasn't worth it.
"Now it was just Father and I, alone in the house. And then… and then…"
The foolish man's head rolled back and an insane grin slowly appeared. "My master came for me. He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant Wormtail. My master had found out that I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania. He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament. She told him the old Auror, Moody, was going to teach at Hogwarts. He tortured her until he broke through the Memory Charm my father had placed upon her. She told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him my father kept me imprisoned to prevent me from seeking my master. And so my master knew that I was still his faithful servant - perhaps the most faithful of all. My master conceived a plan, based upon the information Bertha had given him. He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered the door."
He felt sick at seeing the gleeful look in Barty's eyes, and judging from the terrified look in Winky's eyes, he wasn't the only one.
"It was very quick," he said evilly. "My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master. Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled. My master forced him to go about his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I was released. I awoke. I was myself again, alive as I hadn't been in years."
Albus then asked, almost afraid to know the answer, "And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?"
"He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It was my dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him," he answered at once, almost as if he was bragging.
Albus's eyes narrowed. Was Barty Crouch Jr. really this determine for attention? So much so that he was going to take it from such a person?
"He told me he needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guide Harry Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over Harry Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard Cup. Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master. But first -"
"You needed Alastor Moody," he answered calmly, those a deep anger was boiling inside, and his fist clenched tightly in surpressed rage.
"Wormtail and I did it," he said. He then went on how they prepared the potion before they journeyed to Alastor's home. He wasn't at all surprise to hear that Alastor put up a fight—his old friend wasn't going to go down without a struggle. He then discovered that he had made it very convincing when Arthur Weasley and the others showed up—and able to come up with a believable story.
So he then packed Alastor's clothes and possessions and then came here. He kept the real Alastor alive so that he could fool them all. Though he was very surprised to hear that he had been stealing from Severus's private stores; which he found very strange… he'd never heard about this from him.
He then asked, "And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?"
"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watch over my father," he answered as if it was obvious.
"But your father escaped," he guessed. So that was what happened… and now he had a bad feeling about what happened to Barty…
"Yes," he answered, his grin fading slightly. "After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. There were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill."
And knowing young Percy Weasley, he had guessed that he didn't question it much.
"But Wormtail neglected his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that he was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything, to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban."
His eyes flickered again as he went on, "My master sent me word of my father's escape. He told me to stop him at all costs. So I waited and watched. I used the map I had taken from Harry Potter. The map that had almost ruined everything."
"Map?" he asked quickly. "What map is this?"
"Potter's map of Hogwarts," he answered. Albus stared at him in confusion and was only even more lost when he said, "Potter saw me on it. Potter saw me stealing more ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's office one night. He thought I was my father. We have the same first name."
He looked at Harry again from the corner of his eye and saw the boy's pale expression. He had no idea what this was about, but he'd worry about it later.
"I took the map from Potter that night," the Death Eater explained. "I told him my father hated Dark wizards. Potter believed my father was after Snape. For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, the map showed my father entering the grounds. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak and went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then Potter came, and Krum. I waited."
So that's what happened… it had been him who attacked Viktor—which could only mean that…
"I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him. Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father."
"Noooo!" wailed Winky, clutching her ears as if determined to believe that she heard wrong—that she could make it untrue. "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?"
Determined to keep his voice as calm as possible for the others, "You killed your father. What did you do with the body?"
"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak," he said grinning sickly. Albus hated hearing this… the pleasure in his tone. He wanted nothing more than to make him pay for all he did, but it wasn't his job to deal out punishment. "I had the map with me. I watched Potter run into the castle. He met Snape. Dumbledore joined them. I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the castle. I walked back out of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told Dumbledore that Snape had told me where to come."
He heard Severus let out a slight splutter of indignation from behind him, though he had a feeling he was the only one who heard it.
"Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father's body. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I Transfigured my father's body. He became a bone… I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin."
There was complete silence now, except for Winky's continued sobs. And then… "And tonight…"
"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner," he whispered now. "Turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards."
The insane smile lit his features once more, and his head drooped onto his shoulder as Winky wailed and sobbed at his side.
That was all he needed to know—and all he thought he could bear. However, he knew that it was far from over. He lingered for a second longer, giving Barty Crouch a glare of nothing but disgust, before he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around him, binding him tightly. He'll deal with him later, but for now he turned to Minerva, asking her to take charge while he took Harry out of here.
"Of course," she said at once. She looked slightly nauseous, as though she had been out on the sea all day. But predictably, she drew her wand and her steady hand was ready for anything.
He then turned to Severus, "Severus, please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me."
Severus followed his instructions without a word. That was when he finally turned to Harry and asked gently, "Harry?"
Harry got up from his seat and was swaying uneasily, and was now shaking worst than ever. Albus gripped hold of his arm very tightly as he helped him out into the dark corridor.
"I want you to come up to my office first. Harry," he said quietly as they headed up the passageway. He kept a close watch on everything around him—after everything they'd just heard, he was now feeling as paranoid as Alastor—the real one, usually felt. "Sirius is waiting for us there."
Harry nodded, but he could almost feel a kind of relief coming from the boy at Sirius's name. At least one of them was feeling a little better—but if he knew Sirius as well as he thought he did, he had a bad feeling that he was going to be at the receiving end of his hatred soon enough.
Suddenly Harry asked a question that drove everything else from his mind for a moment, "Professor, where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?"
He stopped for a moment, his calm demeanor fading slightly as guilt echoed throughout his body. The image of the Diggorys there with their son was heartbreaking.
"They are with Professor Sprout," he tried to sound reassuring, but he couldn't stop the slightly shaking tone. He took the safety of his students very seriously, and very personally. "She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best."
Neither of them said another word as they reached his office. As he knew, there was Sirius was standing there. His face was white and gaunt as it had been when he had escaped Azkaban. As soon as he saw Harry, he almost sprinted across the room to Harry. He put his hands on his shoulder and demanded, "Harry, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?"
His hands were shaking as he led Harry away to the chair before he turned accusingly towards him. "What happened?"
Albus sighed as he told Sirius everything that Barty told them downstairs. Every word his spoke only seemed to make Sirius look more ghost-like if possible. He was only vaguely aware of when Fawkes flew past him to Harry's knee, to comfort him.
"'Lo, Fawkes," he heard Harry mumble as he began to stroke his feathers. Albus didn't disturb them as he continued filling Sirius in on everything. Once he was finished, Sirius looked ready to faint; but then Albus went back to his desk and sat down. Harry wasn't looking at him, and he knew that he was aware of what he was about to do.
"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze Harry," he asked softly.
Harry wasn't the one who answered, but Sirius in a harsh voice, as if unable to believe that he was asking this. "We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?" He had put a hand on Harry's shoulder, as he glared accusingly at him. "Let him have a sleep. Let him rest."
He ignored him as he looked at Harry. He then leaned forward towards him. With a sigh, Harry looked up into his eyes. He could see his green orbs looking at him almost blankly—he never looked so lost and confused as he did now. This helplessness that showed in them was as bad as seeing Cedric's eyes this evening.
He said very gently, "If I thought I could help you," Harry didn't react at all, but he could tell that he was listening to every word he said, "by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it."
He had wanted to do nothing more than that… but at the same time, he knew that it was crucial that he know every detail from tonight. Postponing it would only make it worse… "But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you."
He paused for a fraction of a second; hoping that Harry knew that he meant every word. "I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."
For a few moments, Harry didn't say a word. But then Fawkes seemed to understand for he let out just a single soft, quavering note. It shivered in the air, and everyone in the room felt something warm and comforting inside them—giving them strength. Harry sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath.
And he listened:
"Me and Cedric both got to the cup at the same time, we decided to take it together… but as soon as we touched it… we were transported somewhere else. We figured out that the cup had been a portkey… but we didn't know where we were, only that we were far away from the castle. I mean, we couldn't even see the mountains that were around the castle anymore."
"And where were you?" he asked softly.
"A… a graveyard," he stuttered. "It was a dark graveyard… I don't remember to many details about it except that there was an old house on a hill."
Albus frowned. There was something strange about that.
"We didn't know if this was supposed to be part of the task… we pulled out our wands but nothing happened for a few minutes. And then… he came…"
"He?" Sirius asked sharply.
Harry hesitated for a moment before he whispered out, "Wormtail… with Voldemort."
Sirius's pale face suddenly grew red with fury.
"And then?" Albus asked.
Harry began to shake again. "He said… he said… to 'k-kill the spare.'"
Albus closed his eyes in pain, but he had to keep going. "I didn't recognize Wormtail at first…" Harry went on. "He was wearing a hood… so I couldn't see his face. But he was carrying some robes with him and I thought that it was a baby or something at first… but that was when my scar started to hurt. It hurt so badly that I couldn't see anything… and then I heard Voldemort… give the order."
He stopped for a moment, taking another deep breath, "When I opened my eyes…"
He didn't say anything, but Albus didn't need him to. He watched as Harry hands clasped together in his lap and was staring down at them, as though determined to look at anywhere else but at him. "He—Wormtail—then grabbed me and tied me to a headstone… it read… Tom Riddle…"
Sirius looked confused but Albus understood. Voldemort's Muggle father. "He then left me there and left for a moment. I tried to pull free, but I couldn't even move. And Voldemort had this huge…" he gulped, "Snake… I don't think that I would've been able to escape with it there watching me. But then Wormtail, he put what I thought was the baby down and went to go and get a giant cauldron. I can't explain how I knew, but I just somehow knew that I didn't want to see what was inside it. I just knew that whatever was in there… couldn't be a good thing. The snake—Nagini—I think he called it, came over and was circling the headstone where I was tied… almost like it was impatient…"
Albus kept listening, suddenly remembering the last time Harry was in here, telling him about the dream he had with Voldemort and the snake. It all suddenly made sense to him now.
"He came back with the cauldron, and it was the biggest cauldron I've ever seen and he began working on a potion," Harry said.
Sirius opened his mouth, his hand still tight on Harry's shoulder, but Albus held his hand up, determined to get the whole story before he asked questions.
Harry took several calming breaths and went on, "I don't know what it was… but it began not only to bubble, but to send out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. Steam was pouring out… however Wormtail seemed to be going slow because Voldemort, the thing in the robes, told him to hurry."
He gulped again and said, "Then it was ready…"
Once more, Sirius opened his mouth, but Albus shot him a warning look.
"Wormtail had bent down and picked up what was in the bundle, and I saw what it was," Harry was shivering, as though the thought of whatever was in those robes was haunting his mind's eye. "I wish I never did. It was the most horrible creature that I had ever seen in my life. It looked—it looked like…" he seemed to be having trouble trying to describe it. "It looked… kinda like a human baby… but it was… slimy, and burnt… it didn't have hair and the skin was… looking like it was rubbed raw… until it was just a red-black…"
Sirius's nose wrinkled in disgust, and Albus felt sick to his stomach thinking of it.
"The thing seemed almost helpless," Harry croaked out, "Because Wormtail had to pick it up and put it into the cauldron. I remember hearing it hiss before it sank in… I silently begged that the creature would drown as Wormtail raised his wand and shouted out the words… I think he said… 'Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!' or something like that."
Albus froze at this. He never heard of such sorcery like this before.
"That was when the ground at my feet had cracked and dust rose into the air before falling into the cauldron. The surface of the water hissed and it turned blue. At this point, Wormtail pulled out a dagger and sobbed out, 'Flesh of the servant willingly given you will revive your master.'"
He gulped, "He then held up his right hand, and…"
No one said a word, trying to digest what Wormtail had done.
"I had my eyes shut," he muttered, determined not to say what happened, "And I heard him add it to the cauldron to. That was when the potion had turned a blood red. I could hear Wormtail crying in pain, but it wasn't until I felt his breath on my face did I know that he was right in front of me. He choked out the words, 'B-blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will… resurrect your foe.'There wasn't anything that I could do to stop him. I was tied to the grave as he raised the dagger and pressed the point into my right arm. I could feel my blood seeping down as Wormtail pulled out a vial and caught a few drops of it…"
At those words Albus stood up so quickly that he startled Harry. But he didn't pay much attention to that—not even hearing Sirius swearing at the top of his lungs. He just hurried around the desk, "Show me your arm, Harry," he said firmly, but softly at the same time. He had to see it… he had to know…
Harry pulled back the sleeve of his robes, and there was the still bleeding cut, just below his elbow.
"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's," Harry told him hurriedly. "He said the protection my - my mother left in me - he'd have it too. And he was right - he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face."
Albus stared at it… then…
He looked back into the green eyes for a moment. There was still hope. But now… he sighed as he slowly turned back to his desk. There was hope… he knew, or had guessed that Harry's tragic fate would be death eventually. However he kept that information from Harry to avoid causing him anxiety from all the pressure. The triumph he felt inside him was now due to the discovery that Harry might not have to die since Voldemort taking his blood would keep his mother's sacrifice alive! However…
"Very well," he said, sitting down again. "Voldemort has overcome that particular barrier. Harry, continue, please."
Harry looked back down at Fawkes and seemed to be speaking more to the phoenix, than him. "Once he was done with me, he turned back to the cauldron, with my blood this time, and poured it in. The red potion had turned white and Wormtail fell to his knees and cried as he held the bleeding stump of an arm to him. The potion in the meantime was sending sparks everywhere. But still nothing happened…"
Albus bit his lip.
"Finally, white steam appeared and covered everything like a thick fog so that I couldn't see anything that wasn't within a foot of me. And then… I saw him."
He was now shaking so badly that it was causing Fawkes to shake on his knee.
"Through the mist, I could see him rising out of the cauldron…" Harry gulped. "Then he told Wormtail to show him his arm…"
Sirius was now also starting to shake—but in anger. "He showed him the Dark Mark… and he touched it. I… I don't remember what he said word-for-word…"
"Just tell us as much as you can remember," Albus said gently.
"He… he wondered how many would show up," he whispered croakily. "How many would be too afraid to come or stay away." He continued talking to Fawkes, so Albus was unable to see into his mind, but he was almost afraid to see it.
"He talked about his father for a minute, telling him that he was a Muggle and that he used to live in that village…"
Albus now knew where all this took place. The town where Tom Riddle Sr. had grown up and lived until his death. Little Hangleton.
"He kept talking about getting revenge on his father for that name…"
Albus nodded; understanding that the reason he hated Muggles so dearly was because of his anger towards his father…
"And then the Death Eaters all came in," he went on, Sirius's breathing hitched and Albus felt as if his heart was being squeezed.
"And what happened then?" he asked softly, not surprised that he was whispereing.
Harry didn't seem to be able to speak. It was as if the words were caught in his throat and he was shaking worse than ever. Sirius looked like he wanted to say something, but Fawkes let out a single note. Harry's shaking stopped slightly and he continued speaking to him, "They all stood in a circle around us. I couldn't see their faces, but Voldemort called them by name."
Albus didn't think he needed to guess who they were.
"He gave a speech," Harry went on. "He said… it was like he was disappointed in them. He asked, how could they believe I could not rise again. They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? Those were the words I think he said. After that, he said that he always awards his helpers and gave Wormtail a silver hand."
Sirius was grinding his teeth together. Albus was frowning. That wasn't good for Wormtail.
"What else?" Albus pressed on. Harry sighed. "He talked to Lucius Malfoy. He was there. And it turns out that he was one of the Death Eaters at the World Cup and ran when he saw the Dark Mark."
"I see," Albus whispered softly.
"He said that he was going to give him the lead spot of M-muggle-torture," he stuttered on the last part and Albus's eyes turned hard. A person to keep a close watch on…
"He also talked a little bit about the Lestrange," at this he finally looked up and they both shared a silent understand. Obviously remembering what they talked about, "he said that they will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us… they are our natural allies… and he talked about the giants. He said, 'we will recall the banished giants…'"
"Who else?" Sirius asked, and Albus knew that he was making notes as he was.
"Macnair," he went on wearily. "The one who tried to execute Buckbeak. Voldemort said that he'll 'have better victims soon.' There was also Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott… though he didn't talk to them so much. Then he went on saying that there were six Death Eaters missing. Three were dead, one to cowardly to return and he'll pay…"
Albus thought of Karkaroff; he better be warned as soon as possible. Though, with the Dark Mark, he would know sooner than anyone else that he was back. And with all the other Death Eaters he turned in, would also know that he wouldn't be welcomed back.
"And then there was one who left forever and that he'll be killed."
'Severus,' he thought worriedly.
"And finally, his most faithful servant, Crouch," he stopped there for a moment, "Was at Hogwarts."
Sirius started cursing again.
"He—Voldemort—also went on explaining to the Death Eaters what happened to him," Harry went on. "He said… t-the night that he tried to kill me, my… my mother stopped him."
His eyes looked rather watery, but he kept going a little quicker—"And that because of that, he couldn't touch me. But…"
"But now he can," Albus finished for him softly.
Harry nodded. "And then he went into this long speech. He said, 'I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost… but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know… I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death.'"
Albus stared. What did that mean? He had long since theorized about Voldemort creating a Horcrux… but… is it possible that he created more than he dreamt?
"He talked about how his experiments had kept him alive, even though when the curse rebounded, it should've," Harry spoke. "He talked for some time, 'I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself… for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand…'"
Albus now knew that here was the proof that he needed.
"He then talked about how he hid in Albania, expecting his Death Eaters to come and find him. But no one came. The Death Eaters weren't happy about that."
'I should think not,' he thought. "Do you remember what he said, Harry?"
"He could possess others," he shuddered. "He didn't go where other people were, because of the Aurors lurking everywhere. But he mostly possessed animals—snakes he said. But he went on to say that his possession of them always shortened their lives."
Of course, if even a human body isn't made to handle that kind of stress. How could a snake last long?
"He then mentioned Quirrell," Harry spoke quietly.
"Who?" Sirius barked.
"One of his servants who tried to steal the Sorcerer's Stone four years ago," Albus explained without looking at him. "Voldemort had possessed him to get into the school… he's dead now. Most likely because of the possession. Now, what else did he say?"
"That he found him and how he used him to try and get the stone but was… stopped," Harry said, not looking at Sirius. Albus knew that he didn't want to talk about it anymore than he did. "And that he died when he left his body. When he did, he was as weak as ever so he was forced to return to Albania after that. Just when he gave up hope that anyone would find him, Wormtail did."
A deep growl was sounding from Sirius's throat.
"Wormtail had found him with the help of rats… but he stopped at an inn for some food one night, and…"
"And he found Bertha Jorkins," Albus finished softly. He remembered what Ludo had said. The last time anyone saw Bertha was when she left an inn with a man. Now he knew… it had been Peter.
"Wormtail brought Bertha Jorkins to him. And that was how he found out about the tournament," Harry said. "You heard it from—Crouch downstairs. How he found out about Crouch's son still alive and at his father's house; he broke the Memory Charm that Crouch put on her and… and…" he gulped and said shakily, "He said that he damaged her beyond repair."
Albus closed his eyes in pain. "And he killed her."
"Yes," Harry mumbled softly.
Albus put his hand up to cover his eyes, fighting the pain of hearing what happened to Bertha. They were all quiet for a minute before Harry grudging went on. "Wormtail brought him back to this country and had been able to take care of him so that he had been able to return to… to a sort of body of his own…"
The creature that he had seen tonight… really Tom… were you that desperate to cling to life, that you were willing to return as such a form?
Harry trailed off here and Albus looked to see that he was shaking worse than ever. "Spells of his own invention he said with help from Nagini—the snake," he added and he nodded. "He said, 'A potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided… I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel.' He knew that the stone was destroyed but with the information he got from Bertha Jorkins, he came up with a new plan."
"The tournament," Sirius said angrily. "But why you?"
"I think he said, 'it was an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion that revived me tonight - I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of them was already at hand. Flesh given by a servant… so he had Wormtail. Bone from the father… so that was why they went to where he was buried… but he said that he wanted my blood because the protection my mother gave me, he'd have it to," Harry said, now sounding angry. Not that Albus blamed him. That protection was Lily's final gift to her son… it was meant for him and him alone… and the idea that Voldemort had taken such a selfless sacrifice for his own use was like trampling over something sacred. He didn't blame Harry one bit for being furious at that…
"He talked about how he used Bertha Jorkin's information to get to his servant to get my name into the Goblet of Fire. Crouch made sure that I won in the maze by clearing most of the challenges out of my way." As if he just remembered something, he looked up at him and said, "Before you stunned Crouch's son earlier, he told me that he stunned Fleur in the maze, and used the Imperius Curse on Viktor so that he could… take care of… Cedric." The name seemed painful to say and Albus's eyes softened.
"Both Fleur and Viktor are safe and sound," he assured him. "They were both pulled out of the maze—stunned, but nevertheless, both are alive and well."
Harry nodded in relief and continued, "Voldemort said that he wanted to prove to his Death Eaters that he was the stronger one…"
"What do you mean?" Sirius demanded at once.
"He… he had Wormtail untie me… and duel me."
Sirius was staring at him. Albus's breath had just got painful.
"Are you serious?" Sirius whispered. Harry had hugged himself tightly, as though he was cold—or as if he was trying to stop himself from trembling. Choosing not to answer the question, he said as if no one had said anything, "Wormtail untied me… and gave me back my wand. I thought about running for it… but…"
Of course not… he could barely walk with that injured leg… surrounded on all sides by Voldemort and his Death Eaters? That would just be suicidal.
"He was toying with me," Harry croaked out, shutting his eyes as if ashamed. "He made me bow to him… it was like he was playing a game."
Albus felt as if his heart was breaking, and Sirius's face was so red that he thought that he would explode. But Albus didn't look at anything but that trembling form… he didn't need to look inside his mind to know what that shaking was from. He had seen it multiple times from the victims of Death Eaters… the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse. He had to fight the urge to be sick… no one deserved that… much less a child. He wasn't sure how many times that Voldemort had used it on Harry, but he knew it had to have been at least twice. If he knew Tom as well as he thought he did, then there was no way that he would've stopped so easily… especially for all the times that Harry had stopped him. He was almost afraid to hear more.
"I didn't know what to do," Harry croaked out, and Albus could see that Harry was skipping over details. "I… I was just so… helpless… I knew that I was going to die…" he saw Sirius's hand tighten on his shoulder as he also began shaking horribly.
Albus didn't know what to say or do… he wouldn't at all be surprised if the boy broke down completely and started to cry. But he just kept going on as though he couldn't help himself, "I just… I faced him and… I just cried out the first spell that came into my head. Expelliarmus… and he used it… Avada Kedavra… but… I don't know what happened, but the wands… connected I guess."
"Connected?" Albus repeated softly.
"A jet of green light from Voldemorts wand just as a jet of red light blasted from mine," he explained, "And when they met in midair there was a deep gold light connecting them…"
He trailed off here, as though unable to go on.
Sirius broke the silence.
"The wands connected?" he said, looking from Harry to him. "Why?"
Harry looked up at him, and Albus was able to get just a brief look to confirm what he was told. He saw the events play out inside Harry's mind… the terrible memory of the ritual used to revive Voldemort, and the pieces of the speech that Harry hadn't been able to remember.
He saw the terrible torture that he had been forced to… how Voldemort seemed to take pleasure in hurting a child… his fists tightened in suppressed rage. But to his greatest surprise, saw that Voldemort had also attempted to try and force Harry to play along with the help of the Imperius Curse, but… he fought him off?
Unbelievable… no one had ever been able to pull that off before. Albus stared at him, as Harry stared back, unaware that he was seeing into his memory. And then he saw the moment where the wands connected… which confirmed his thoughts.
"Priori Incantatem," he muttered.
His eyes gazed into Harry's and it was almost as though an invisible beam of understanding shot between them. He had seen Harry make the choice… to try and defend himself even if it meant his death… a pride that he never felt before surged up inside him… that is a hard decision to make, even if in the moment it seems the most obvious thing in the world.
That was more than he ever did… more he ever could do.
"The Reverse Spell effect?" said Sirius sharply, bringing him back to the matter at hand.
"Exactly," he answered and then he explained where the cores of the two wands came from.
"My wand's feather came from Fawkes?" Harry gasped, amazed.
"Yes," he answered. "Mr. Ollivander wrote to tell me you had bought the second wand, the moment you left his shop four years ago."
"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?" Sirius asked.
"They will not work properly against each other," he explained. "If, however, the owners of the wands force the wands to do battle… a very rare effect will take place. One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed - in reverse. The most recent first… and then those which preceded it…"
It is based mostly on will and determination… he looked interrogatively at Harry, and he nodded.
"Which means," he said slowly, his eyes still upon Harry's face, "that some form of Cedric must have reappeared."
Harry nodded again, before he looked back down at the floor so that he was unable to see anything more.
"Diggory came back to life?" said Sirius sharply.
"No spell can reawaken the dead," he sighed heavily. "All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo. A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand… am I correct, Harry?"
"He spoke to me," he croaked out, and shaking again. "Th… the ghost Cedric, or whatever he was, spoke."
"An echo," he explained, "which retained Cedric's appearance and character. I am guessing other such forms appeared… less recent victims of Voldemort's wand…"
"An old man," he croaked. "Bertha Jorkins. And…"
"Your parents?" he guessed quietly.
"Yes," said Harry so softly that he could barely hear him. Sirius was now hiding his face in his other hand, and Albus strongly suspected that he was fighting tears.
"The last murders the wand performed," he said, understanding. "In reverse order. More would have appeared, of course, had you maintained the connection. Very well, Harry, these echoes, these shadows… what did they do?"
For a moment, he wasn't sure that Harry was going to be able to answer, but thankfully, Fawkes chose that moment to rub his head against Harry's pale hand. Harry took a shuddering gasp, and continued speaking Fawkes, "We were suddenly lifted into the air and being carried away… with our wands still connected. The Death Eaters were all screaming for orders… but Voldemort told them not to do anything until he commanded them."
Yes, of course he would want that… his pride was on the line and he wouldn't want his Death Eaters lose to a child again.
"That's when light came shining out and it was like we were in a golden web—or a cage I guess. Then I heard singing…" Harry said, still talking to Fawkes, and now stroked his feathers. "I heard it before… phoenix song."
'Yes, Fawkes's song…' Albus thought. Both wands have a phoenix tail feather as the core. However, all phoenix songs were unique. It had been his very own Fawkes that he heard… no wonder Harry felt a strong comfort here now.
"It was as if it was speaking to me," Harry went on, gently stroking the phoenix's feathers, "As if telling me not to break the connection… and… I don't know what made me do it…"
'His instincts no doubt,' Albus thought.
"I didn't know what was going to happen… but Voldemort was trying to push the light down to my wand… i-it suddenly g-got so hot…" Harry stuttered, his hands twitching for a moment. It was then that Albus saw that there were very slight burns on his hands… and his anger starting growing again…
"It felt that my wand would break if it touched… I knew I'd never survive without it and I just… concentrated on pushing back…"
Albus's breathing stopped… did that mean that he overpowered Voldemort? Apparently his will overpowered Tom's, he looked at Sirius and he was showing various degrees of panic, anxiety and tension, he had a feeling that it would only get worse once the spells were brought forth.
"It… the light connected I guess. That was when I heard screams coming from the wand…" Harry said thinking it over. Albus's eyes darkened… Harry's screams. "Then… it was like the ghost of the hand came out… Wormtail's new hand. Then there were more screams… and then… Cedric…"
"His shadow one could say," Albus said softly.
Harry could only shrug. "He slowly came out of the wand and then talked to me… he told me to hang on…" his lower lip trembled a little. "His voice… sounded like it came from far away. I think… I think Voldemort was afraid of him."
Albus wasn't surprised. After all, Tom had always feared death.
"After that, the old man appeared… I remember now… I saw him in a dream," Harry mumbled. "He was killed by Voldemort over the summer."
Frank Bryce… Albus now discovered what had happened with poor Frank. But now also grateful towards the man for helping Harry as he did…
"He then told me to keep fighting," Harry said softly. "And then Bertha Jorkins came out. She said that I shouldn't let him get to me… to keep fighting. That was when she and the others were pacing around the inner walls of the web. They kept telling me that I was going to be ok… and that I could take him. I couldn't hear what they said to Voldemort though."
Albus had a few ideas—and none of them had kindness or mercy…
"That was when…" Harry said, but seemed to choke. He didn't need to say it.
"Your mother?" he asked softly. Harry's face was down so he couldn't see anything, but his emotional voice gave away what he was feeling. "She said… she said that my dad wanted to see me… she told me that it was going to be alright… that was when he came…"
Sirius looked so close to breaking down at the mention of his best friend.
"He said that when the connection was broken, they'll be able to give me time to run to the Portkey and that it will take me back to Hogwarts. That was when Cedric gave me his last… request," Harry finished.
He fell silent at those words. He sighed before finally looked back up at Sirius, only to see that his face was back in his hands. Fawkes had left his knee and was now repairing his injured leg, and thick, pearly tears were falling fast; a tiny bit of color returned to his pale face.
Albus watched him for a short time before he spoke up just as Fawkes retook his usual perch by the door. "I will say it again. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight Harry. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it - and you have now given us all we have a right to expect."
His eyes darkened as they feel onto the cabinet where his Pensieve was being kept. His thoughts now dangerous close to telling him about the prophecy… he blinked firmly, dispelling that idea at once. He couldn't tell him now… not after all this. There was still time to postpone it for a little longer…
"You will come with me to the hospital wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A Sleeping Potion, and some peace…" he turned to Sirius and asked, "Sirius, would you like to stay with him?"
Predictably, Sirius nodded and transformed back into the great black dog and walked with them out of the office, accompanying them down a flight of stairs to the hospital wing. Harry no longer had to lean on him, but he still rocked slightly from side to side as he walked, one hand resting reassuringly on Sirius's back.
No one said a word as he led the way down the hall and reached the hospital. But as soon as he opened the door, the first thing that they saw were Hermione Granger with Molly and two of her sons standing around an angry Madam Pomfrey. It didn't take him long to guess what this was about. When they entered, they all turned and as soon as she saw Harry, Molly screamed.
"Harry! Oh Harry!"
She started to hurry toward him, but knowing that they were bound to ask questions, he stepped in quickly. He held up his hand and told her, "Molly, please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him," he added, looking around at Ron, Hermione, and Bill too, "you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."
Molly grew almost as pale as Harry as she nodded in acceptance. And as if she was looking for a way to vent some of her frustration, she turned to the other three and he heard her hiss, "Did you hear? He needs quiet!"
After reassuring Poppy that the dog will stay as well, and that there wouldn't be any problems from him, he said, "I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Fudge, Harry." Though, he wasn't so sure Harry heard him. "I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school." He then left, trusting Harry's wellbeing to the others.
That poor boy, all he's gone through, and now Cedric… He shut the door behind him and slowly made his way down to find Cornelius. He shook his head—his heart feeling as though it had been pierced with a sharp sword.
Tom… Voldemort… he had once again miscalculated with this boy once again.
In Tom's ridiculous quest to become Voldemort, Tom did everything to achieve immortality including sinking into the darkest pit of Dark Magic there was; as well as the deaths of anyone who threatened to stand in his way. And in his own desperate, twisted attempt at making an elixir of life, he no longer has enough human left in him.
But in his foolish resurrection tonight he made a fatal error. He still thinks that he is invincible… but he couldn't be more wrong. Those few drops of Harry's blood have just sealed his fate… while it was true that taking Harry's blood will make him part of Lily's protection, but in taking in Harry's blood he's ensured Harry's survival.
Though he may deny it, Voldemort was still born as Tom Riddle—meaning that he's still human… however small a part of that humanity remains…
In other words, he still makes mistakes…
(Done! Sorry for such a long wait, however, I hope that this long chapter will make up for it. The next chapter, will be the end for the Goblet of Fire! And then we'll finally be moving onto year 5!)
