Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter.
"Horcruxes." They hear the click of a tongue above them and look up to find Moody's face staring back down.
"You really are beginning to be a real pain in my arse, girl," Barty Jr tells her, Moody curses.
"So much for constant vigilance," He mutters. Ginny stands, looking up at Barty Jr defiantly.
"So tell me clever girl, what's the rest of the plan?" Ginny tilts her head to the side, then shrugs, sitting back down.
"How am I supposed to know? I just laid out my guess." He seems unconvinced.
"Legilimens," He casts pointing his wand at Ginny, but he's immediately kicked out of her mind, "How did you do that?"
"My mind will never be open to another," she replies fiercely.
"Who are you?" Moody asks her, disbelief evident in his voice.
"A tool, one who's tired of being used."
"Everyone is a tool in the Dark Lord's plan. Soon it will come to fruition and he will be whole once more." Ginny raises an eyebrow at the Death Eater.
"Um…you realise, of course, that to have a horcrux his soul has to be in pieces, right? I mean that's the whole point. So he won't be, you know, whole. Because pieces." Barty Jr blinks at her for a moment, she purses her lips, expecting an explosion of some kind. Moody looks between the two like a spectator in a particularly thrilling game of Quidditch.
"Well that's all just completely beside the point. How do you know of a horcrux anyway?"
"I learnt about it."
"Where?" Barty Jr asks shortly.
"In a diary." A tormented look fills Ginny's eye and reminds Moody of the second thing this girl ever said to him I know the look of someone who wishes to cause pain. He doesn't doubt it.
Barty Jr takes a hair sample from Moody and leaves them food. Only after he is gone does Alastor ask his question.
"Whose diary?" Ginny seems almost…sad. As though the answer makes her unhappy, as though it could have been different if only she had known him before he was nothing more than a diary entry. She looks down.
"His name was Tom."
"Peter, please. Help me get out of here," Sirius pleads. He's done the creaming, he's done the anger, he wishes he could do more of both. But Harry needs him, if begging Wormtail is what it takes to get back to him, then he will damned well do it.
"Do you really think he is so easily swayed?" Voldemort asks, Sirius glares at the deformed being.
"He joined you, didn't he?"
"You underestimate your friend if you think all I did was ask." Sirius frowns, "Your friend Marlene and her family didn't die for nothing." Peter looks away, Sirius shakes his head, looking down.
"This changes nothing. I'm going to get out of here, I will take both of you down, and whatever spy you have at Hogwarts, there's no way they get passed Moony. You won't ever lay a hand on my God-Son!" Voldemort gives him a cold glare.
"Make your threats all you want. Soon enough your precious god-son's blood will run and I will be restored. When that happens, the first to go will be your beast." With that orders Wormtail to carry him out.
"Are you really going to let this happen again?" Sirius calls to Peter. To Sirius' great surprise, he hesitates.
Then he walks on.
"Tonks," Barty Jr/Moody says as he arrives in Sirius' house.
"It's good to see you again Sir." He smiles slightly, "I'm sorry to tear you away from Hogwarts, but I need your help."
"What seems to be the trouble?"
"Sirius, sir. I don't think he ran off, I think he was taken." Not-Moody's eyes widen before his features fade back to neutral.
"He has a history-"
"Well that's the thing sir, he doesn't. He has a history of protecting the Potters however he deems best. That's why he was their secret keeper, that's why he switched, that's why he went after Pettigrew the first time, but it's also why he wouldn't have now. It doesn't fit," Tonks tells him.
"What do you think happened then?" She leads him over to the kitchen.
"Kreacher!" Kreacher looks up at her, seeming rather down-trodden.
"What can Kreacher be helping you with Mistress Tonks?" Kreacher asks.
"This is my old mentor, Alastor Moody, would you mind telling him what you saw?" Tonks requests, Kreacher nods.
"Kreacher saw Master Black at Master Black's desk working on Master Black's creature sanctuary. Then Kreacher saw Master Black's traitor-friend become human again in the study. Master Black attempted to attack the traitor but failed to stop a stunning spell. The traitor apparated both away." Not-Moody narrows his eyes at the house-elf suspiciously.
"Why didn't you do anything to help?"
"Master had ordered Kreacher to stay out of the study and not interfere with Master Black's actions no matter what."
"Why would he order you to do that?" Kreacher looks vaguely annoyed.
"Master Black ordered so after Kreacher complained about the Mud-Muggles in the house for dinner," Kreacher explains, Not-Moody nods.
"It appears Mr Black may have been abducted after all," He tells Tonks who nods.
"By Wormtail, yes."
"You seem to have things under control here Tonks, so why request my presence?" Tonks appears sheepish.
"The minute I hand this over, I'll either be kicked off the case, or it will become my first solo. I wanted to make sure I wasn't about to make a fool of myself," She admits, Not-Moody puts a hand on her shoulder, she doesn't flinch.
"You're doing well, Tonks." She smiles.
"Thanks Moody."
"All right, come on," Harry says when they see Moody leave. Harry, Hermione, and Ron split up. Harry searches his office, Ron the classroom, and Hermione Moody's bedroom.
Searching his office does turn up the needed supplies for Polyjuice potion, which Harry is thankful for. He gets pictures of it all but touches none of it, as Tonks had instructed should they find evidence. He doesn't find anything else obvious, but isn't quite ready to give up. Tonks had guaranteed keeping Moody away for a few hours.
A few minutes later, Hermione and Ron come running in.
"I FOUND THE MAP!" Hermione all but screams, "They're in here!"
"Where?" Harry asks, Hermione looks down at the map, moving until they should be right in front of her. She looks up and sees only a trunk.
"Two people couldn't possibly fit in there," Ron says.
"Not alive," Harry says, earning two reproachful looks, "Sorry."
"Alohamora!" Hermione casts before opening the trunk and looking down.
"Harry!" Ginny calls from the bottom, Harry beams at her.
"All right there Gin? Professor Moody?"
"We're fine kid," Moody replies, "Where's the other me?"
"Tonks is distracting him," Hermione replies.
"And trying to find Sirius," Ron adds as Harry looks around for a ladder or something to get them.
"Sirius? He ran off after Pettigrew, didn't he?"
"Actually, we think he might have been captured by them," Hermione explains.
"Do you know where?" Moody asks, Ron shakes his head, "Then you have to leave us here."
"I'm sorry-What?" Harry asks, abandoning his search to look down at the two incredulously.
"He's right Harry, if you takes us out before you find Sirius, they'll kill him and destroy any evidence of anything. We need proof, else he'll come back and no one will believe us." No one mistook her words for anything other than a warning.
"Voldemort's going to come back then?" Harry asks.
"He's trying," Moody replies, Harry nods, "You being in the tournament is connected to it somehow. Be careful Potter."
"Don't go anywhere alone. Not anywhere." Harry nods.
"Will you two be all right?" Hermione asks, still not liking the idea of leaving them.
"So long as, Gin, was it?" Moody asks, Ginny nods, suddenly realising she never told him her name.
"Gin or Ginny."
"So long as Gin doesn't keep angering Crouch, it won't be a problem." Ginny flushes.
"I didn't mean to." Moody huffs.
"Crouch?" Harry asks.
"Barty Crouch Jr, that's who is imitating Moody," Ginny explains.
"But he's dead," Harry says confusion clear on his face.
"Who is he?" Hermione asks, having never heard of him and wondering how Harry knows him.
"Mr Crouch's son, he was a Death Eater in the war. He went to Azkaban after Karkaroff gave his name to Mr Crouch. He died, supposedly, a year ago," Harry explains.
"How do you know that?" Ginny asks.
"Dumbledore's memories. It's a long story. Well, it's not. I stuck my head in a pensieve and that was in it."
"What's a pensieve?" Ron asks.
"Not 100% sure on that. It was a glowing bowl thing and it showed a memory, that's all I know."
"You stuck your head in a glowing bowl without knowing what it is or what would happen?" Moody asks, Harry looks sheepish.
"Please don't tell my Uncle Moony about that, I'll get that disappointed look from him."
"He'll be back soon, we need to go," Hermione reminds everyone.
"Ginny-" Ron starts to say.
"Don't worry Ron, I'll be fine. I promise." Ron nods.
"We'll find proof, we'll find Sirius, and then we'll free you." The siblings nod to each other before the trunk closes once more.
Remus is not happy.
He and Minerva are sat in her office attempting to work out who keeps threatening him. He'd awoken to a note, stabbed into his door with a silver knife, detailing the names of every Wizengamot member with a prejudice against Werewolves. It was a long list.
"At least we know it is not Severus," Remus says, Minerva looks at him in confusion, "He'd never put this much effort into playing with his prey. He knows better than to waste time, he'd go straight for the kill."
"Then who is doing it?" Minerva asks him, Remus sighs.
"I really don't know. But if it doesn't stop…" Remus trails off.
"It becomes a very serious safety issue. For you and the students," Minerva concludes, Remus nods unhappily, "Give it another month. If things continue to escalate…" Minerva sighs, not wanting to say it. Remus does it for her.
"I'll have no choice but to leave the school."
