Chapter 2.
Quickly turning on his feet Harry feeling panicky, ran towards the Gryffindor Common Room running into Ron on the way there.
"Ron?"
Ron's eyes raked down Harry's before he realised who it was.
"Harry? Have you seen Hermione?"
"Ron, Hermione's... trouble."
Ron asked the same time that Harry had managed to gasp out an answer before Ron looked Harry up and down once more.
"Harry, what happened to you?"
"Professor Moody's...deatheater, kidnapped Hermione." Harry uttered gasping out the words with panic.
"Slow down. Now please explain what happened but slower." Ron whispered.
Harry explained about how the man who transformed in Alastor Moody had kidnapped Hermione. Ron stroked his chin absently as he continued on about the memories of the trial where he had seen Barty Crouch jr being sentenced to death in Azkaban.
"That sounds alot like the effects of the polyjuice potion." He said. "No doubt, You-know-who sent his lackey to make the job easier."
"Must've been very easy to do, if Professor Moody was attacked that one day that your father had to investigate his home." Harry said with a grim realisation.
"But how? He'd need to get all of the ingredients."
"Wait, that evening when I was coming back from the prefect's bathroom I seen Barty Crouch on the map. That whole time I thought it was his father maybe that was when he obtained the ingredients." Harry explained before huffing indignantly "Then Snape had the nerve to accuse me of stealing his potions ingredients."
"Wait a minute, Harry." Ron said. "Don't you need hair or nails from the person that you want to impersonate?"
"Yeah." Harry said.
"Crouch must have kept Moody nearby. Maybe in the classroom somewhere."
Harry nodded. "We have to be quick, he'll be back in the classroom any minute."
1001
Harry didn't know how they'd managed to evade Filch and Mrs. Norris as he and Ron had quietly walked to the classroom.
He opened the door allowing their entrance.
The Foeglass on the other side of the classroom was clouded with black and a snakelike man next to an old man with a grey beard that reached his waist.
Harry thought nothing of it as they looked around.
"What about here?" Ron asked pointing to the locked chest.
"How do we open it?"
"We could try alohomora."
Harry gave him a look as if he thought the idea was ridiculous.
"It doesn't hurt to try." Ron said shrugging non-chalantly.
"Alohomora." Harry and Ron pointed their wand at the trunk at the same time.
The trunk opened, Harry and Ron drew closer and saw the frail figure of Alastor Moody in the corner.
"Professor!" Harry called out to the man.
Moody looked up before he replied. "Get me out of here."
"How do we do that, Professor?" Ron asked.
"Cast Bailaranguis." Moody explained. "It's like drawing a picture of stairs."
Suddenly there was a crashing noise.
"Harry hurry, I think I hear Crouch coming back."
Harry drew some stairs in the air with his wand.
"Bailaranguis!" Harry chanted.
A thin white snake in the outline of stairs fell down to the depths below and began to fold into a decent pair of stairs for Moody to climb out.
"You boys get out of here. Minerva told me all about curfew. The two of you shouldn't be out so late." Moody said.
Harry complied with his directions and followed Ron out in the nick of time. As they exited the classroom and went down the hallway a little ways they had nearly ran into Crouch who was polyjuiced as Moody.
"Potter! Weasley! What are you two doing out of bed?"
Ron was silent.
"We just got through talking with Professor Dumbledore." Harry lied.
Crouch seemed to buy it.
"Quickly you two, off to bed."
The next morning at breakfast before his detention with Snape, Harry and Ron were talking amongst themselves. Yesterday evening they had finished talking with Professor McGonagall who didn't seem to believe their story.
Harry stared at Professor Moody.
"You know, it's really rude to stare."
He turned his attention towards Ron.
"Hermione's right you know, you're such a glutton."
Ron sulked. "You seem awfully disappointed that Professor McGonagall didn't believe us."
"She never does."
"Do you think he actually bought it?" Ron asked referring to their alibi to Barty Crouch jr.
"Not a chance."
"Are you going to tell Dumbledore?"
"Nope, it'd be too risky. Besides what's he going to do I still have to compete in the tournament." Harry explained. "Look Ron forget it. We got to warn the others that they can't compete."
"They won't believe me." Ron said.
"Just try, Ron. I'm sure you can think of something."
1001
Outside Snape's office, Harry knocked on the door.
"Enter."
Harry opened the door and entered the classroom.
Inside piled on the desks were piles of soiled cauldrons.
"You are to clean these cauldrons without magic." Snape said stonely, appearing from the shadows.
"Yes Sir." Harry replied coolly masking his fright. There was a thoughtful silence before the potions professor found himself irritated with the boy's silence.
"What is it, Potter? Obviously there is something on your mind."
"It's nothing, Sir." Harry said.
'An ounce of respect from Potter, something must be wrong.' Snape thought.
"Potter, what is it?" Snape raged his voice plummeted to a quieter whisper.
Harry was stubbornly silent and continued to clean the cauldrons. Snape quickly composed himself.
"What happened yesterday, after I told you to return to Gryffindor Tower?" He inquired with a deadly whisper.
"Nothing happened, Sir."
Snape performed a non-verbal legilimency on the boy. Unfortunately the boy seemed to unconsciously block him out. Always under pressure the boy seemed to have an easier time keeping his emotions in check.
"Can you read minds?" Harry asked eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Yes, it's an ability I harbor."
"Why do you try to read my mind?" Harry inquired curiously. "Don't think you're being skilled. I could sense you ever since first year when Professor Dumbledore hid the philosopher's stone on the third floor."
Snape smiled a malicious grin before he spoke.
"I often keep tabs on troublesome students." Snape explained. "Most don't seem to mind, though I have no idea about hiding any philosopher's stone in the room on the third floor. Is it something I should be worried about?"
Harry stared at Snape in confusion.
"Stealing potions ingredients, getting in trouble with your professors, just like your father you are." Snape said.
"Sir, I didn't steal those ingredients." Harry retorted with fury. "It was Professor Moody. I saw him transform, a man. I think he's a death eater, sir. I seen him kidnap Hermione."
Harry refrained from telling him that the deatheater was Barty Crouch jr.
"Liar!" Snape spat. "You're hiding something."
"But I saw it, sir. He took a swig from his flask."
"Then tell me Potter," Snape growled. "WHO-IS-IT?"
Clearly the professor thought he was lying, playing a prank on him. It didn't sound like a bad idea but surely the professor knew that now wouldn't be the best time for such tomfoolery.
Frustrated, Harry just sighed.
"You wouldn't believe me, so what's the point?"
"Get out." Snape snarled.
Harry all too eager to leave the company of the potions master, complied. So wrapped up in his frustration he didn't see Professor Moody attempting to snatch him from the darkness.
"Arghh." Harry struggled against the strong grip on his neck.
"Quiet." The raspy voice of Moody uttered but Harry knew it wasn't the real one.
"Let go. Let go of me." Harry growled.
"Your struggles are futile. Everyone is in their common room noone will hear you."
Professor Moody flicked his wand over the statue of Gregory the Smarmy which moved aside to allow them entrance.
1001
Professor Snape composing his thoughts, quickly cast a tempus charm to unveil the time. The fourth task of the Tri-wizard tournament would be starting soon. In a couple of minutes, Minister Fudge would be in Hogsmeade waiting for an escort to their school. Usually Snape was punctual which was one of the reasons why Dumbledore had asked him to escort the Minister to the tournament.
Fueled by the desire to get there on time, Snape quickly ran towards the one-eyed witch statue.
'What was it again?' Snape thought as he tried to remember what spell caused the statue to move aside. 'Was it Diffindo? No that's the spell that rips the binding off from books. Dissendium? That sounds right.'
"Dissendium!" Snape murmured after tapping the hump of the statue with his wand.
The statue quickly moved aside and Snape ran inside before making his way up the stairs above to the interior of Honeydukes.
As soon as Snape had walked out of the sweet shop he began to run towards the Three Broomsticks. So focused on being punctual to meet the Minister he ran straight into Ronald Weasley.
"Weasley..." Snape started to say until he saw Professor Moody alongside him. He gave him a non-chalant nod.
"Professor." Ron said desperately. "This is the real Moody. He was hidden inside the chest in the Defence room. Barty Crouch jr is polyjuiced as Professor Moody. You got to stop the tournament."
Snape's attention however was fixed on something else.
On the corner of his eye, Snape could see someone that looked alot like Alastor Moody dragging a boy that looked alot like Harry Potter.
Snape looked from the Moody in front of him back to the other Moody with Potter and suddenly it all made sense.
"Did you just say Barty Crouch jr?" Snape inquired with narrow eyes in Ron's direction.
"Yes, Sir."
Without thinking, Snape ran towards them. His feelings were sporatic, spontaneous. All he knew was he had to reach the boy before something went wrong.
Snape followed them into an alley before Harry bit into his arm causing Crouch to loosen his grip.
"Sirrrrrr." Harry called out towards Snape before Crouch trapped him in his rough embrace once more.
"Who would have thought that the spy was the traitor, Severus?" Crouch growled before he removed the lid of a garbage can to his right.
Snape moved towards Harry before Crouch held his wand towards his neck.
"Take one step towards the boy then he dies."
"The Dark Lord won't take too kindly to you killing the boy." Snape said coolly. Harry was amused at how composed he sounded in the face of danger.
"Filthy Angels." Crouch murmured chuckling before he uttered with amusement. "See you Snape if we meet in the afterlife."
The portkey caused them to vanish in the air.
"Too late. Always too late." Snape murmured punching his fist against the wall.