Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks again to my reviewers! Keep 'em coming, please! I'm so glad you're enjoying to the story! For those of you who want the original version, it will be coming to you really soon!

Also, one of my reviewers didn't seem clear about what happened after Ginny blacked out in the Chamber of Secrets. To clarify, the same events happened in this as in the book. Harry went down to the Chamber and defeated Tom and the basilisk. I'm sorry if I didn't make that apparent.

Anyway, on with the next chappie!

Chapter 7: Mr. Crouch's Secret

"So tell me more about this Bartemius Crouch, then," said Harry as he, Sirius, and Remus sat down at the breakfast table the next morning.

"Which one, the father or the son?" asked Sirius.

"Both," said Harry.

"Well," said Sirius, "Barty Crouch Sr. was all set to be Minister ofMagic back when Voldemort first fell. Believe me, back when he was in power, Mr. Crouch was very high up in the Ministry. Used to be head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." His face suddenly darkened, and he looked as angry as he'd been that night facing Peter in the Shrieking Shack. "He also was the one who gave the order to send me to Azkaban-WITHOUT a trial!"

"You're joking," said Harry. "There wasn't even a trial?"

"Nope," said Sirius furiously. "But that was my fault as well. As Peter said, I played right into his hands, laughing like a madman on the street. I just couldn't control myself."

"It's all right, Sirius," said Remus, laying a hand on his shoulder. "It's over now."

Sirius took a few seconds to compose himself, and then continued.

"As I was saying, he was all set to be Minister of Magic, but then there was a huge scandal. His son was caught torturing some Aurors with a few other Death Eaters. I found out about this from issues of the Daily Prophet the guards gave me while I was in prison."

"What's an Auror?" asked Harry curiously.

"A dark wizard catcher," said Sirius. "They're kind of like those people the Muggles call ... erm ..."

"Policemen," said Remus.

"That's it," said Sirius.

"Who were the Aurors he was caught torturing?" asked Harry.

"They were spanking good ones," said Sirius. "Knew them back in the day. Frank and Alice Longbottom."

"Longbottom!" exclaimed Harry, looking shocked. "There's a boy in my year called Neville Longbottom. Lives with his grandmother."

"That'll be his parents, then," said Sirius.

"Wow," said Harry. "I never knew."

"I'd not say anything to Neville about it, though," cautioned Remus. "If he didn't tell you himself, he might not want you to know."

"I won't say anything," Harry promised. "Did the Longbottoms die?"

"No," said Sirius, "much, much worse. They were tortured to insanity by a horrible curse called the Cruciatus Curse. It's considered illegal in the wizarding world. Anyone who casts it on another human being immediately gets a life sentence in Azkaban. It's one of the three Unforgivable Curses. The Longbottoms are in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, in the permanent spell damage ward."

"How horrible!" Harry said, growing more and more shocked. "Who were the other Death Eaters Crouch Jr. was caught with?"

"Oh," said Sirius, growing angry again. "Bellatrix," he spat. "Bellatrix Lestrange, my deranged cousin. And her husband, Rodolphus, and his brother, Rabastaan." His hands were balled into fists as he spoke of them. "They're all in Azkaban now."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Harry. He realized that this was a very touchy subject with Sirius, so decided not to ask any more questions about the Lestranges until Sirius was willing to talk about them. "So tell me more about Mr. Crouch Sr., then."

"Well," continued Sirius, "When his son was caught with those Death Eaters, he was beside himself with fury; he hardly even gave his son a trial. It was a joke of a thing; his son and his cohorts were immediately sent to Azkaban, and Mr. Crouch's name was ruined. Believe me, when he was head of Law Enforcement, he was very strict. When Voldemort was in power, he said that other Aurors could use the three Unforgivable Curses on Death Eaters when they were caught."

"But that's stooping down to their level!" said Harry.

"I know," said Remus, "but in times of war, some people feel that those measures have to be taken."

"What are the other two Unforgivables?" asked Harry.

"Another one is the Imperius Curse," explained Remus. "This curse allows you to completely control another wizard. When Voldemort fell, many wizards caught as Death Eaters claimed to be under the Imperius Curse. Lucius Malfoy was one of them."

"Malfoy," Harry spat. "He's rotten to the core. He wasn't under any Imperius Curse."

"That's what we think, too," said Sirius.

"The last one," said Remus, "is the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra. The person who it's cast on sees a jet of green light and immediately falls to the ground, dead."

Harry shivered. "Last night," he said, "Voldemort cast it on that old man I told you about." Looking at Sirius and Remus warily, he said, "that's how my parents ..."

"Yes," sighed Sirius. "The only good thing about this curse is that it's said to be quick and painless. But yes, that's how your parents died."

"I used to have nightmares," said Harry. "I still have them sometimes, you know. About Mum and Dad dying. I see the green light. I also see Voldemort casting it on me. I see the green light again, hear Voldemort laughing, and then get this pain in my forehead."

"Ah, that's when the curse backfired and struck him instead," said Remus. "The curse didn't do what it was intended to do to you; it only gave you a cut on your forehead."

"Right," said Harry. "I'm sorry for asking so many questions. And about asking you about my parents."

Sirius sighed. "It's okay Harry. The memories are painful, but we knew you'd be curious. It's perfectly all right."

"So now," Remus said, "Barty Crouch Sr. is head of the Department of Magical Cooperation."

"Ron told me that his brother Percy's an assistant of a Mr. Crouch," said Harry. "He also says Percy's in love with his work, and talks about him all the time. It must be the same one."

"Yep, that'd be him," said Remus. "And, as Sirius told you last night, his son died in Azkaban."

"He did," said Sirius. "Barty Sr. and his wife were allowed one last visit to him before he died. I saw him carrying his wife out of there from my cell."

"Wow," said Harry. "So this dream I had last night ... it doesn't make any sense. This Bartemius I saw in my dream, Voldemort called his father a fool. And he looked young, too."

"That's very interesting," said Remus thoughtfully. "Well, Albus is coming over this morning, so we're going to talk about this."

xxx

Sure enough, later that morning, Albus Dumbledore flooed into the house. Harry, Sirius, and Remus filled him in on the dream Harry had had last night. Dumbledore steepled his fingers, looking very thoughtful.

"This is disconcerting news," he said. "You said, Harry, that this felt very real to you?"

"Yes, sir," Harry answered. "And I just remembered something else. Voldemort said something about a woman named Bertha something. He said her disappearance wouldn't be unnoticed for long."

"Bertha Jorkins?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, that's it."

"Ah," said Dumbledore. "Yes, she has been missing for some time. This explains the matter. Did Voldemort say whether she is still alive?"

"No."

"I am guessing she probably is not," Dumbledore said, looking somber.

"He said he extracted some information from her. Something about a Memory Charm," said Harry.

"This is quite curious," said Dumbledore. "It looks to me as though you have a connection with Voldemort."

Harry's face grew pale. "Oh, no," he mumbled. "I don't want this."

"I know you don't, my boy," said Dumbledore gently. "We're going to do our best to try to fix it so you don't have a connection with him anymore. I am going to recommend, Harry, that you start Occlumency."

"What's that?"

"It's a special branch of magic that deals with mind penetration. I do not think Voldemort is aware of your connection yet, but if he becomes aware, that could mean bad things for you. He could possibly reach into your mind and start causing you to do things quite unlike yourself."

Harry started to shake. "You mean, he could possess me?" Sirius and Remus laid comforting hands on his shoulders to try to calm him.

"I'm afraid so," said Dumbledore. "But you mustn't worry about it now. Voldemort is still very weak; he still hasn't acquired a body yet. As long as this remains so, you should be all right. But I still recommend Occlumency. Remus, I know you are a good Occlumens and Legillimens. Are you willing to teach him?"

"I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep Harry safe," Remus answered.

"Good, good," said Dumbledore. "In order to learn Occlumency, Harry, you must let Remus into your mind. He will see certain memories of yours. Your goal is to try to push him out."

"How do I do that?" asked Harry, growing more nervous by the second.

"It requires great concentration," said Dumbledore. "I warn you, you will not get it the first time. I must ask you not to get frustrated, though; it takes some people years to learn it. It is a very difficult branch of magic. Legillimency is the opposite of Occlumency. To learn Legillimency, you must try to get into the other person's mind and stay there without the person pushing you out."

"Will I be learning that, too?"

"Eventually, yes. But you will learn Occlumency first."

Harry's face suddenly grew stricken. "But what if I don't want Remus to see certain things?" he asked shakily. "No offense, Remus, but there's just some things ..."

"I understand, Harry," said Remus softly. "Yes, there is a way to stop me from seeing things you don't want me to."

"I'll bring it over tomorrow," said Dumbledore. "It's called a Pensieve. You can store thoughts and memories in it. Once you put a memory in the Pensieve, it will become unable to be seen through Legillimency. A Pensieve can also be used for going back into a memory and seeing it objectively."

"You mean," said Harry, interested, "that I could see memories of things like my parents that way?"

"Yes," said Sirius. "We could do that for you, too. We could put memories of good times with James and Lily in the Pensieve so you could see what they looked like and how they acted. Would you like that, Harry?"

Harry smiled. "I'd love it."

"Good," smiled Dumbledore. "I'm glad we have that figured out. I also have to tell you, Harry, Occlumency will tire you out a lot, especially at first. I must tell you that when you get tired, you must stop, no matter how much you want to keep going. Can you promise me that?"

Harry looked at his Headmaster. "I promise, sir."

"Good. Well, I must be going. This news about Barty Crouch is very thought-provoking. I am going to go and talk to his father now. I will tell him that an anonymous source told me that his son might be still alive. I will not tell him it was you, Harry, because we don't want other people accidentally finding out."

"Okay," said Harry. "Goodbye, sir."

"Goodbye, Harry, Sirius, Remus. Enjoy the rest of your day."

xxx

"Winky, you have failed me!" bellowed Barty Crouch, Sr. He was sitting in a chair in his home, with Winky, his house-elf, on her knees on the floor.

"Winky is sorry, Master!" she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Winky told you, Master Barty, he disappeared yesterday! He must have broken his hold on the Imperius Curse you cast on him, Master! He also somehow undid the powerful magic you placed on him to bind him to Winky, sir! Winky apologizes profusely!"

"You have still failed me, and I will not have a house-elf who is a failure," said Crouch angrily. "I'm afraid that this means clothes."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Winky cried. "Please, no, Master Barty! Winky will do all she can to find Master Barty's son!"

But Crouch didn't listen to her. He pulled a sock out of his pocket and handed it to her, and she immediately burst into more noisy tears.

"Leave now, Winky," commanded Crouch. "I don't want to see your sorry face again."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Winky continued to sob, and Crouch went to open the door. Standing in the doorway was Albus Dumbledore.

"Hello, Barty," said the hogwarts Headmaster. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine, Headmaster," said Crouch stiffly.

Dumbledore heard Winky sobbing. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Yes, but it's all right," said Crouch, still talking very stiffly. "I am in the process of sending away my disobedient house-elf."

Dumbledore frowned. "What has Winky done?"

"She has failed me," said Crouch, avoiding the reason why.

"How?" asked Dumbledore.

"I'd rather not say," said Crouch.

"Very well," said Dumbledore. He walked into the living room and knelt by Winky's side. The house-elf was still sobbing, begging Crouch to give her another chance.

"Winky," Dumbledore said gently, "it's all right. If you'd like, you can work for me, at Hogwarts."

Winky looked at Dumbledore. "You want ... Winky ... to work at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" she hiccuped.

"Yes, I would like that very much," said Dumbledore. "I will be there in a little while. Why don't you go to the kitchens and wait for me there? You could meet with the other house-elves."

"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore," said Winky, and she disapparated with a POP!

"You're too soft with her, Headmaster," said Crouch, who was now in the living room as well.

"Must you be so harsh with her, Barty?" Dumbledore said, frowning. "Must you make her cry?"

"I am not concerned about a disobedient house-elf, Headmaster," said Crouch stonily.

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed.

"What is it you came for, Headmaster?"

"Maybe you could tell me that, Barty. Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Crouch suddenly looked nervous. Having the Headmaster of Hogwarts look at you with that penetrating gaze was scary for anyone. "N-no," he stuttered.

Dumbledore was a great Legillimens, and he could see everything he needed to know. He needed to coerce it out of Crouch.

"Barty, why did you send Winky away?" he asked again, quietly.

"I told you, I'd rather not talk about it," said Crouch, growing more agitated by the second. He looked at the Headmaster nervously.

"Maybe it is something I need to know. Tell me, Barty, what was your wife Winnifred's last wish?"

Barty's face suddenly grew pale. "Erm ... uh ..."

"Barty," said Dumbledore softly, "did you send Winky away because she doesn't know where your son is?"

Barty's face went white. "How do you ... how do you know about that?"

"I received information from an anonymous source that your son is still alive. Barty, you must understand, what you did to honor Winnifred must have been a big sacrifice on your part, but now that he is missing, this poses a threat to the wizarding community."

"I know, but I couldn't dishonor my wife, no matter what scum my son is," said Crouch, his face now growing red. "She begged and begged me to take him out of Azkaban and let her go there in his place. She loved him, but I could see he was scum right from the beginning. He disgraced the Crouch family name, being caught with Death Eaters. You know I have always been against the Dark Arts, Headmaster! To have a son who was actively involved with them is a disgrace!"

"I can see how you feel," said Dumbledore, "but to use such methods as the Imperius Curse against him? That spell is considered dark. I know it kept the community safe, but you have to know that a strong wizard like your son could break himself out of it, which is obviously what must have happened. Tell me what happened yesterday, please."

"He just disappeared," said Crouch unhappily. "Winky was supposed to be looking out for him, but she must have neglected her duties for a moment. Barty must have been able to free himself from the Imperius and disapparate out of here."

"You could have put wards on the house instead of using the Imperius, you know," Dumbledore told him quietly.

Crouch's face turned even redder with embarrassment. He had absolutely nothing to say to that.

"You know what I must do now, Barty," said Dumbledore. "With someone like your son on the loose, I must warn the wizarding community."

Crouch stood up and started pacing around the room. "What does that mean for me?" he asked, heart thumping wildly.

"Unfortunately, my boy," said Dumbledore somberly, "this probably means that you will have to serve time in Azkaban."

"No!" Crouch started to shake. "No, no, no, not Azkaban! Not that place!"

"What would you have me do, Barty? Let your son start committing atrocities on wizards? I'm afraid I can't do that."

Crouch stopped pacing and sighed. "I know. I'm sorry, Headmaster."

"I'm afraid that's all that can be done in this situation," said Dumbledore. "You must come with me to the Ministry now. We must let Cornelius Fudge know of this development."

Crouch looked reluctant, but after another minute of gazing at the Headmaster, he finally agreed. "But who is to judge the Triwizard Tournament next year?" was his final question.

"Who is your assistant, Barty?"

"Percy Weatherby, I think his name is," said Crouch.

"Ah, Percy Weasley," Dumbledore said. "He is a very responsible young man. I shall ask him to do it, and he should be glad to."

Crouch sighed again. "Very well."

"Good," said Dumbledore. With a POP, Bartemius Crouch Sr. and Albus Dumbledore disapparated to the Ministry of Magic.