Chapter 5: The Second Task

Harry had a great time during the Yule Ball. He almost forgot he was forced back to Hogwarts by either Dumbledore or somebody who probably wanted to kill him. However, his only worry after that was how to survive the second task. He needed not only a way to breathe underwater for at least one hour but also a way to keep the underwater magical creatures at bay. He was so focused on his research he almost missed the note an owl brought him from Professor Moody. In the note, Professor Moody told him to study about a plant known as Gillyweed.

Meanwhile, Professor Moody was joining the other faculty members for a staff meeting. He made a point to sit as far away as possible from Professor Snape. "Any new developments from our visitors?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked.

"That cowardly Death Eater Karkaroff is growing even more afraid the Dark Lord will come back and punish him for revealing the identities of other Death Eaters to the Ministry." Moody grunted. "He'll probably leave before the third task. Good riddance, I say."

Before anyone had a chance to reply to Moody's comment, Sirius Black, Amelia Bones and two auror guards showed up. "Sirius? Amelia?" Dumbledore was surprised. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here to interrogate Alastor Moody regarding his involvement with the Triwizard Tournament, Headmaster." Amelia Bones explained.

"Amelia, you can't be suspecting Alastor." Dumbledore calmly replied. "He's…"

"Somebody who's been left alone with the Goblet of Fire." Sirius intervened. "He must be questioned. Is there a place where we can be left alone with him?"

"My office will do." Moody replied and then they went there. "Alastor Moody, did you have enough time to add extra enchantments on the Goblet of Fire without anybody noticing you?" Bones asked.

"No." He said.

"Have you seen any suspicious person inside Hogwarts?" Amelia Bones asked.

"Death Eater Karkaroff, Death Eater Snape and several Slytherin students but Dumbledore says they're all welcome to stay in the castle so I have no choice but to let them roam around." Moody grunted.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Moody." Amelia Bones said and then she, Sirius and the auror guards left and Moody started drinking from his hip flask.

"Where to now?" Sirius asked.

"To Bartemius Crouch's home." She answered.

"Shouldn't he be at his office at the Ministry?" Sirius asked in confusion.

"He's been calling it sick and controlling his Department by sending memos to Percy Weasley." She explained. "I find it too suspicious."

"Probably too ashamed to show his face in public with me around to remind him of one of his greatest blunders as a former head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Sirius suggested with a grunt. "Then again, who am I to pass on a chance to make Crouch look bad?"

One day later, the students were having lunch at the Great Hall when Harry received a package via owl. "A gift from your Godfather, Potter?" Draco Malfoy asked.

"It's something I asked him to send me for the second task, Malfoy." Harry answered.

"Are you sure it's a good thing to reveal it, Potter?" Malfoy asked out of concern. "Your adversaries may get similar ideas."

"I've already told you, Malfoy: my main goal isn't winning." Harry explained. "It's surviving."

Their conversation was interrupted by several Aurors showing up and drawing their wands at Alastor Moody. "Bartemius Crouch Junior, you're under arrest!" Amelia Bones declared. Moody, or Bartemius Crouch Junior as he was just called, tried to draw his wand but an Auror named Kingsley Shacklebolt quickly stunned him.

"Amelia, what's the meaning of this?" Dumbledore understandably asked in shock.

"Headmaster, this man might look like Alastor Moody but he's actually Bartemius Crouch Junior under polyjuice." Amelia explained.

"Impossible!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "If Barty Junior is alive, then whose body was buried at his grave?"

"His mother's." Sirius was the one to answer.

"Sirius, Barty Senior buried his wife at his family's mausoleum." Dumbledore sternly replied.

"He claimed to have done so in a private ceremony where nobody else would need to see it happening to believe it happened." Sirius explained.

"Amelia, you can't possible believe…" Dumbledore pleaded but she interrupted him. "Headmaster, Bartemius Crouch Senior confessed to have helped his son to escape from Azkaban."

It shocked Headmaster Dumbledore but it still didn't ready him for what came later. "Mr. Crouch also stated his son tampered with the Goblet of Fire to force Harry Potter into the Triwizard Tournament as part of a plan to take blood from him and use it in a ritual to return He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to a full corporeal form."

Harry then stood up. "Does that mean I'm free from this barbaric tournament?" He hopefully asked.

"Unfortunately not, Lord Potter." Amelia Bones answered. "The Goblet's magic still binds you to it." She and the aurors then took Crouch Junior into custody.

One day later, Headmaster Dumbledore gave a speech giving more details on the case. "The Prophet will inform more but I feel the need to tell you all first. The mystery regarding the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins has been solved. When she went to Bartemius Crouch's home to deliver him some important documents, she found his presumed dead Death Eater son and he used a badly performed memory charm on her to hide the fact. Later, when she went to Albania for a vacation, Voldemort possessed her body and learned about the Triwizard Tournament and about Barty Junior still being alive. Voldemort is behind Harry's forced entry into the Triwizard Tournament."

After that, nobody accused Harry of cheating his way into the Tournament and everything went smoothly. After the tournament ended, (Krum won if anybody cares about that) Harry packed his stuff and readied himself to return to America. "Harry, my boy, where do you think you're going?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked.

"I made it quite clear from the very beginning I'd only stay here for as long as the tournament forced me and then I'd leave." Harry explained.

"Harry, wouldn't you rather stay here?" Dumbledore tried to persuade Harry.

"That's up to me, Headmaster." Sirius answered as he suddenly appeared. "I am Harry's guardian and it's my duty to decide where he'll get his magical education."

"Sirius, we need Harry here to stop Voldemort for good."

"No, Headmaster." Sirius replied. "You need to find a way to make sure Voldemort will stay vanquished. I won't stop my godson is he intends to help after his coming of age but I'll keep him safe until then. If you want to stop me, you'll have to make up something to keep me wrongfully imprisoned without a trial."

"The only good thing from this was a chance to see my relatives before the third task." Harry added. "Come on, Sirius. We must now leave this barbaric world again."

THE END