Chapter Fifty One

Harry slammed into the ground, knocking the air from his lungs. The Portkey rolled away from them, Harry didn't care. He clutched onto Cedric's arm, he couldn't make his hand let go. His mother was there, somewhere; he couldn't see her but he knew she could see him.

He lay on the ground, there was noise all around him, shouting or cheering maybe; Harry couldn't tell just noise and pain. His whole body hurt, from the falls, from the torture and his scar was burning painfully, more painfully than anything else.

Strong hands grabbed him and pulled him round. Dumbledore was looking into his face, scanning him with clear blue eyes.

"Harry! Harry!" Dumbledore said.

Harry had no strength left to say anything, he could barely keep his eyes open. Someone was screaming his name, but it sounded very far away. He was staring up and the sky, there were stars, Harry tried to focus on them.

He was at the edge of the maze, the crowds of people around him felt very close, painfully close.

"He's back." Harry whispered, "He's back, Voldemort… he's back."

Dumbledore looked over Harry's face, trying to work out if what Harry was saying was true or not.

"What's going on? What's happened?" Cornelius Fudge came over, still wearing his ridiculous bowler hat, "My God! Diggory! Dumbledore… is he… is he dead?"

The words were echoing around Harry's head, he couldn't work out if they were being repeated or his head was just so sore he was imagining it.

"Harry, let go of him." Fudge said, pulling at Harry's fingers.

Harry didn't let go, he didn't want to let go.

Dumbledore moved closer, "Harry, you can't help him now. It's over. Let go." he said softly.

"He wanted me to bring him back." Harry said, he needed them to know, "He wanted me to bring him back to his parents..."

"Yes Harry. And you did that." Dumbledore said, "It's time to let go."

"I want my mum." Harry choked out.

Dumbledore reached down and picked Harry up, lifting him to his feet. Harry was surprised he was so strong; but surprisingly thankful to be on his feet again.

Harry swayed, between his pounding head and injured leg Harry couldn't keep himself up.

"He'll need to go to the hospital wing!" Fudge said, looking panicked, "He's ill, he's injured, Dumbledore, Diggory's parents, they're here. They are in the stands!"

"I'll take Harry, Dumbledore, I'll take him..." Moody growled, sticking Harry's arm over his shoulder to keep him up.

"No. I would prefer..." Dumbledore began.

"Dumbledore, Amos Diggory is nearly here, he's running over. Don't you think you should tell him before he sees..." Fudge bumbled.

"Harry, stay here." Dumbledore told him, looking over to where Cedric's parents were fighting their way through.

Someone was still calling his name.

"I want my mum." Harry said again, "She's in the… in the stands..."

"It's all right, son. I've got you. Come on, hospital wing. Your Ma will find you there." Moody growled.

Harry couldn't think properly, "Dumbledore said to stay here..."

He was already walking away with Moody though, through the crowds of screaming people, some cheering, crying and sobbing. Everything was too close, too loud and to solid for him.

"You need to lie down, come on. Now." Moody said.

They reached the school entrance hall, it was wonderfully quiet. Harry focused on the rhythmic clunking of Moody's false leg.

"What happened Harry?" Moody asked.

"Cup was a Portkey." Harry mumbled, "It took me and Cedric to a graveyard… and Voldemort was there..."

They made their way slowly up the marble staircase, Moody was mostly carrying Harry now. Harry was trying to walk but he had no strength left, he was empty.

"The Dark Lord was there? What happened then?" Moody asked.

"Killed Cedric… they killed Cedric..." Harry said, "Then they… made a potion… he got his body back..."

Moody paused for a moment, "The Dark Lord got his body back? He's returned?"

Harry nodded, "And the death eaters came… and we duelled..."

"You? You duelled with the Dark Lord?"

Harry forced a nod, he wanted to lie down, was it normally this far to the hospital wing?

"Harry?" Moody asked, "What happened when you duelled?"

"Got away, my wand… did something funny… I saw my Dad, James. He came out of his wand."

Harry felt himself get shoved into a room and into a soft leather chair. There was the scraping of a lock and a hot cup thrust into Harry's hand.

"Drink that." Moody growled sitting across from him, "It'll help."

Harry took a sip and felt a peppery taste burning the back of his throat. Moody's office came into sharper view, Moody was sitting very close to him, looking as white as a sheet.

"Harry, I need to know exactly what happened." Moody told him, "Voldemort's back, Harry? You're sure he's back? How did he do it?"

Harry tried to sort it out in his head, "He took stuff from his father's grave, and from… Bellatrix, she was pregnant but she… and me. He took my blood."

Moody let out his breath in a long, slow hiss, "Show me."

Harry showed him his arm, the blood had dripped down and stained his torn robes, they were sticking to his arm, he wanted to get change, to have a bath and wash everything off him.

"The Death Eaters, they all returned?" Moody asked.

Harry nodded, "Yeah… well most of them..."

"Did he forgive them?" Moody asked, "How did he treat them?"

Harry remembered there was a Death Eater in Hogwarts, "There's one here. There's someone in Hogwarts, they put my name in the Goblet of Fire and set it all up."

Harry tried to stand up but Moody pushed him back over.

"Don't worry." Moody growled, "I know who the Death Eater is."

Harry tried to think, "Karkaroff?"

Moody let out an odd laugh, "Karkaroff? Karkaroff fled tonight, he was down at Hogsmead getting more Fire whisky for the celebration of Krum winning and felt the dark mark burn upon his arm. He betrayed too many back in the day to go back. I doubt he will get far, the Dark Lord has ways of tracking his enemies."

Harry took several deep breaths, "It was you."

Moody smiled, "I was right about you Potter, you'd make a good Auror, got the brain for it."

"Why?" Harry demanded, "You owe me that."

Moody looked him up and down, "He forgave them then? The Death Eaters who went free? The ones who escaped imprisonment?"

Harry looked down, Moody had his wand pointed directly at his chest.

"I asked you," Moody said, quietly, "did he forgive the scum who never went to look for him? Who ran away? Who never faced years of darkness, trapped!?"

Harry nodded, "Yes." It wasn't the whole truth but Harry wasn't in a very generous mood.

"He knows they fled!" Moody snarled, "When I fired that Dark Mark into the sky at the Quidditch World Cup they ran like scared little children."

"That was you too then?" Harry asked, he didn't think he would get an answer but it was better than saying nothing.

Moody shook his head, "I told you, Harry. I told you. If there's one thing I hate more than anything, it's a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master, when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them! For them to suffer, as I suffered. Tell me he hurt them."

Harry looked at him in the eye, "If that would make you happy."

Moody shook his head.

"I still don't believe it could have been you." Harry said, quietly.

"Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did. I even told you how I did it! Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or prevent you from winning the Tournament? I did." Moody said.

"You controlled them, you didn't frighten anyone." Harry spat.

Moody ignored hi, "Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragons? I did. Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon? I did!"

Moody's magical eye was fixed on the door. Harry knew people would be looking for him, there were a lot of people here tonight that cared about him.

Moody shook his head, "It hasn't been easy, Harry, guiding you through these tasks without arousing suspicion. I have had to use every ounce of cunning I possess, so that my hand would not be detectable in your success. Dumbledore is always looking over you, he would have been suspicious if you'd managed it to easily."

"He might have just thought I was that brilliant." Harry said under his breath.

Moody snorted, "There are always so many people watching you. As long as you got into that maze, preferable with a decent head start, then I knew. I could get rid of the others easily, leaving your way clear. But I had to fight your stupidity."

"You said I was clever a moment ago." Harry mumbled.

"You can be. At times." Moody said, with a lopsided smile, "The second task, that was when I was most afraid we would fail. I was keeping watch on you Potter. I knew you hadn't worked out the egg's clue, so I had to step in once more."

"Cedric was the one who helped me with the egg." Harry snapped.

Moody rolled his good eye, the other still on the door, "And who do you think gave Cedric that clue in the first place? Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter. I knew Cedric would want to pay you back for telling him about the dragons; just like I knew you would want to warn him in the first place."

Harry didn't say anything, he was growing angry and angry meant he wouldn't be thinking straight; he needed to think straight.

"Even then it was only your friends that saved you. I gave Longbottom that book, with the Gillyweed in. I knew they would help you, thankfully." Moody growled.

Harry spotted the foe glass behind Moody, the shapes moving there were growing clearer. He wondered if he should try and run, to get out of there but Moody still had his wand trained over Harry's heart and the door was locked.

The only good thing in this situation that Harry could think of was Moody's eye wasn't on the foe glass. Both eyes were firmly fixed on Harry.

"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you, Potter, and he so wanted to." Moody said, shaking his head a little in disappointment, "Imagine how he will reward me, when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him, the thing he needed above all to regenerate, and then I kill you for him. I will be honoured beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter, closer than a son!"

"He won't." Harry said, "He won't thank you for killing me. He ordered the other death eaters not to hurt me, to stun me only, even when I was getting away."

Moody looked him up and down, looking for the trace of a lie.

"It's true." Harry said, as strongly as he could, "He wants to kill me himself, if you take that away from him… well he'll be very disappointed with his 'son'."

"Then I will give you back to him." Moody hissed, "The Dark Lord and I have much in common. Both of us, of instance, had very disappointing father… very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers, and both of us had the pleasure… the very great pleasure, of killing our fathers, to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!"

"Who are you?!" Harry shouted, "Moody wasn't named after his father! Tell me who you are!"

Moody didn't answer.

"You can't apparate in or out of Hogwarts." Harry said, "How are you going to get me out? Mr too-scared-to-say-who-you-are?"

The door burst open and a jet of red light hit Moody in the chest, sending him flying back. Harry pressed himself back against the chair.