It's the beginning of the end, my friends. There are only 2 chapters left after this one! So, you know what would really make a writer happy when their story is in its final chapters? REVIEWS! Seriously people, I only got 5 last time! I know that's more than most people get, but still!

I purposely made this chapter short and gave no resolution whatsoever in it because I got so few reviews last time. 42 of you have this on story alert (yes, I know who you are! :P ) and last chapter got HUNDREDS of visits, but only five reviews!

I hate to do this, but, I'm not updating again until I get at least ten reviews. If I don't get ten, well, than consider this story over! It's not that hard to review, just take a few seconds to leave me some feedback! Constructive criticism is good, just no flames! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, what you wanted to see more of, anything! Pllllleeeeeeaaaaassseeee!

Oh, and I'd love it if you'd vote on the poll on my profile! It will help me decide what to do when this story is over. I listed a sequel to this as one of the options, but the chances of that are very slim.

This chapter is pretty different from the others, There's not a lot of dialog and I'm trying to reel it in a bit, because we're so close to the end. But I hope you like it anyway!

Enjoy! This is the third to last chapter! and REVIEW!

Chapter 23: House of Imposter
Nina's Point of View

"Diffindo!" I whispered, and a hole appeared in the side of the hedge. I began to pull it open, until it was large enough for me to fit through, praying that none of the teachers saw me.

I climbed inside and I glanced around, before taking the path to the right. I ran along the pathway, carefully avoiding tripping over roots.

After a while, I came to a dead end. I groaned in frustration and kicked the hedge.

Suddenly, I remembered a spell that Hermione had taught Harry, so your wand will point to the north. I pulled out my wand. What was it again? Oh yeah-

"Point me." I whispered, and it spun around in my hand and pointed to the left. I backtracked along the path I came, until I came across one that turned left. Where was Harry?

I thought about calling his name, but didn't want to atract any other creatures. Plus, I wasn't supposed to be in the maze, so if I was caught by a teacher, I'd be in toruble.

I kept running along, making random turns and praying that I wouldn't run into anything. After about half an hour of this, I made a left turn and saw a glowing bluish light at the end of the pathway. I frowned an raised my wand.

Wait a second! It was the cup! I began to run towards it, hoping to guard it and stop anyone who cam accross it from touching it.

Suddenly, I felt something slam into me, and I was knocked to the ground. I felt ropes begin to coil around me a struggled to break free, but they were too strong.

A person stepped out of another shadowey pathway with their wand out, and pointed at me. It was Professor Moody! He must have seen me through the hedges with his magical eye, and come to get me out of the maze. But why did he have to put ropes around me?

"Help me! Please!" I shouted at him, but he merely smiled.

I struggled even harder. "Please! Let me go! You don't understand, I have to-"

"No! We did not come all this way to be thwarted by a group of children!" Moody said.

Well, that was odd. I guess he really didn't want me messing up the third task...

I struggled against the bonds, but he waved his wand in front of my face and everything went black.

My ears were assaulted by a loud banging and clattering sound. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was sitting in a hard, wooden chair in a dimly lit room that I recognized to be Professor Moody's office. What was going on? Why was I here?

It all came rushing back to me at once-the third task, Harry in the maze, the cup supposed to take him to You-Know-Who, Professor Moody tying me up. I tried to get up out of the chair, but I found that I was, once again, tied up.

I looked to my left and located the source of the banging and clattering-Professor Moody was rummaging through a trunk.

"Uhh...Professor?" I said cautiously. He didn't respond, just kept rummaging through the trunk. Was this some new kind of punishment, tying kids in chairs? No, Dumbledore'd never allow it...so why was Professor Moody keeping me tied in this chair? I had to get to Harry! He was in danger! I prayed that the others had alerted the teachers, or even gone in themselves to stop Harry.

Finally, Moody turned to me. He had a strange expression on his face. He almost looked...Excited? Proud?

"Ah, you're awake." he said softly.

"What's going on?" I demanded. "Why did you tie me up?"

"Because, Miss Martin," he replied. "I couldn't have you messing up our plan."

"What plan?"

His heavily scarred face broke into a horrible grin. "The Dark Lord's plan."

I froze. Then, suddenly, it clicked.

"You!" I shouted, struggling to break free harder than ever. "You! You've been working for him all along! Dumbledore trusted you, we all trusted you, and you're an auror-"

"Not quite." he said, still smiling his horrible smile. Then, all of a sudden, he began to change. The scars diappeared from his face, and his skin became smooth. His long, grey hair was becoming blonde.

I watched in horror as the man I had thought to be Professor Moody transformed into someone else.

I gasped when he had finally stopped changing. I knew who he was-he was Barty Crouch Jr. Harry had seen him in Dumbledore's pensieve, and he fit the description Harry had given him.

But, it wasn't possible for it to be him, was it? He died in Azkaban years ago...

"Blast." Crouch muttered. "Forgot to take the bloody potion again."

He glanced at me and smiled again. "See what I mean?"

When I only widened my eyes, he laughed. He took a long gulp from his hip flask, and before my eyes, transformed back into Mad-Eye Moody.

He put a finger to his lips. "Not a word of this to anyone, Miss Martin." he said in mocking voice that one would use when speaking to a very young child. "I'll be back soon enough, with your dear brother if the Dark Lord hasn't already taken care of him."

He laughed again when my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Yes, I know about that. Now, to make sure you don't make any noise while I'm gone-" he flicked his wand, and I felt a piece of cloth in my mouth, gagging me so I couldn't talk.

"And, if you do happen to feel the urge to make some noise, or try to escape, let's give you a little taste of what will happen, shall we?" He looked me over. "Crucio!"

My body was on fire. My head was going to explode. Every fiber of my being was screaming in pain. If I didn't have the gag in my mouth, I would have been screaming. It was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. It was a thousand knives, stabbing me, my body being ripped apart. Please, let it end, let me die, make the pain stop-

And it stopped as suddenly as it had started. I choked and gasped for breath, which was really hard with the cloth in my mouth. Eyes watering, I glared up at Moody. I would not show him how much that had hurt me.

"Good." he said softly, lowering his wand. "So don't get any ideas."

He swept out, leaving me in my misery.

Before I could stop them, tears fell down my cheeks. No Nina, you're better than this. I told myself sternly. You can find a way out of this.

I glanced around the room, and spotted my wand sitting on Moody's desk. Hermione had once told me that really powerful witches and wizards could do magic without their wands. However, I wasn't a really powerful witch, I hadn't even known I was a witch until nine months ago. However, this didn't stop me from trying.

I concentrated as hard as I could, while still being shaken up from the torture curse. Accio wand!

Nothing.

Great. This was just absolutely perfect. I had just epically failed that rescue mission. Some leader I was. Harry was probably dead, or about to die right now. And Fabian and the others...Who knew what had happened to them. And it was all my fault because I couldn't save them.

Here I was, the leader of Sibuna, tied up in a chair. Nina, the fearless leader waiting to be rescued. I absolutely hated having to be rescued. I mean, I don't damsel well. Distress, I can do, but not damseling.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. I pictured Fabian-his smile, his laugh, his eyes, the way his lips felt on mine...

He could be dead right now. And it would be all. My. Fault.

All this time, I had been absentmindedly been glaring at a glass jar filled with who-knows-what that had been sitting on "Moody's" desk. Suddenly it exploded.

Glass flew everywhere. I shut my eyes to block it out, but strangely, the glass seemed to be moving around my face. Cautiously, I opened one eye and I saw that the glass was flying at my hands.

I cringed, expecting to feel the sting of the glass cutting open my hand, but strangely, all I felt was...relief. I looked down at my hands, and to my amazement, saw that the ropes had been cut away by the glass.

I stared at them for a moment, unsure how it had happened. I also recalled someone telling me that in moments of passion, witches and wizards sometimes do magic without realizing it-like when Harry told me about blowing up his aunt.

I quickly removed the gag from my face, and untied the ropes from around my legs. I stood up too quickly, so I felt wobbly and dizzy from having the cruciatus curse put on me. When I had steadied myself, I grabbed my wand and walked out of Moody's office.

I made it down a corridor, before I collapsed, shaking. I'm not sure how long he had that curse on me, but it was certainly long enough to do some damage.

Finally, I mananged to steady myself. I had to overcome this, I had some serious butt-kicking to do.

I hurried down the corridors, pausing every so often so I wouldn't fall over. Then, after about ten minutes, I rounded a corner and spotted 'Moody' dragging Harry along.

Harry appeared to be in a worse state that I was. He was shaking, covered in blood, and couldn't walk very steadily. Moody was gripping him gruffly by the arm.

"You!" he shouted in disbelief when he saw me. The his expression hardened. He dropped Harry, who fell to the floor.

"Expelliarmus!" I heard many voices shouting at once. 'Moody' flew over my head and hit the wall behind me with a satisfying crack! He lay in a heap on the ground below it.

I turned around to see who my saviors were, and saw the rest of Sibuna plus Ron and Mara standing there, with their wands out and pointed at the spot where 'Moody' had been standing.

We stared at each other for a few seconds, Me on one side, Fabian, Ron, Hermione,Patricia, Amber and Mara on the other, and Harry in the middle.

"Thank you." I managed, before collapsing on the ground.

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I luff you all! REVIEW! REMEMBER, 10 REVIEWS OR I DON'T UPDATE!