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The large group was still looking intently at Nick and Nyx, noticing that something important was happening - somenthing that revolved around the hipflask in the 600-year-old wizard's hands.
However, not everyone on the Quidditch pitch was so interested in this, and Minister Fudge, seeing everyone so focused on the black cat's seemingly random meows, had a strange expression on his face.
"Guys, I think you're all overreacting a bit about this," he began, forcing a smile as he hid his slight disdain, "Maybe this cat is just playing around, so why don't we just let this matter go."
Saying that, he approached Nick and Nyx.
"Shush! Get out of here!" he said, waving his hand in a shooing gesture, "Go find some yarn to play with somewhere in the castle."
But Nyx didn't even pay attention to him, completely disregarding the 'silly little man' who tried to talk to her.
And realizing that he was being ignored and that his attempt to push her away had failed, Fudge frowned. He then began to draw his wand, intending to chase the cat away with a spell.
However, before Fudge could say any incantations, Nick raised his hand, stopping and silencing the chubby man with just a gesture.
And this showed how great the influence and power the French Alchemist had over someone like the minister of a wizarding community.
No longer paying attention to Fudge, Nick looked back at Nyx, seeing that she was still gesturing to the hipflask in his hands.
Seeing the cat's insistence on this item, Nick then opened the hipflask, shaking it lightly while smelling it, trying to see if he could recognize what liquid was inside it.
"!!" and after a simple sniff Nick stopped, widening his eyes slightly.
'That pungent smell... Of course it would be that!' he thought, feeling all the pieces fall into place.
"Dear, what happened? What's in that hipflask?" Penny asked, looking at him worriedly as she noticed his change in expression.
And hearing his wife's question Nick looked at her, a gleam of realization in his eyes, "What happened is that the contents inside this hipflask answer many of our questions... And what's inside it is..."
"...It's the Polyjuice Potion!" Madam Pomfrey interrupted, answering for him and making everyone turn to look at her.
She was still crouched in front of Barty Junior's body, staring at a drop of blood taken from his body that floated on the tip of her wand.
The dark red drop of blood emitted a faint moss-green glow that pulsed, an effect caused by an analysis spell used to check for signs of potion in a witch or wizard's blood.
Looking at this blood, Madam Pomfrey had a look of understanding on her serious face.
And seeing that everyone's attention was on her, she slowly stood up, before explaining, "That magical alteration I found in Mr. Crouch Junior's body and blood, was actually the aftereffects of the Polyjuice Potion."
"And from what I could find out through a quick analysis is that he had already ingested large quantities of that potion, and he had been taking it for a long time." She pursed her lips.
"Oh, that explains everything!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, slamming his small fist into his hand.
"What do you mean?" Sarah, who was a Muggle and didn't know much about potions, looked at him confused.
"What he means is that Crouch Junior was using Polyjuice Potion to transform himself into Professor Moody, and that's why he was wearing his clothes," Andy answered for the little professor.
"Yes! And whenever we saw him taking sips from that hipflask, he wasn't actually quenching his thirst or drinking something alcoholic… He was taking the potion to prolong its effects!" the half-goblin professor finished, nodding to himself.
"That makes perfect sense... and that's probably what happened." Headmaster Dumbledore ran a hand through his beard.
"Well, at least now we know how he got into Hogwarts and why he was wearing Moody's robes," Sirius said.
"Yes, but doesn't that also mean that the Alastor Moody who came to Hogwarts and was teaching the students all this time was actually a Death Eater?" Professor McGonagall reminded everyone.
"And besides, if that was a fake Professor Moody, then where's the real one?" She looked at everyone with a worried expression, her lips in a thin line.
Hearing this a pause was made by the group of people.
"What... What could have happened to Professor Moody?" Dora asked, feeling panic and fear rising inside her.
"Don't worry, Miss Nymphadora. The potion only works if the target of the transformation is still alive, so that means Alastor is fine," Headmaster Dumbledore reassured her.
And beside him, Professor Snape let out a small snort of derision, "If she had paid attention in my classes she would have known that," he muttered under his breath.
Unaware of the silent criticism she was suffering from her former potions teacher, Dora could only pay attention to Headmaster Dumbledore.
And hearing him say her infamous name, Dora didn't even bother to complain, very happy with the assurance that her teacher was still alive, and nervous as she thought about what his current state was.
"He's fine..." she repeated, sighing in relief.
Seeing that the metamorphmagus girl was a little calmer, the most important wizard at Hogwarts nodded, before immediately turning to Hagrid and Professor Flitwick.
"Hagrid, Filius, go to the DADA teacher's office and see if you can find anything about Alastor's whereabouts there," he said, which was basically an order.
Nodding Hagrid patted Madame Maxime's hand before letting her go, and together with Professor Flitwick they headed towards the castle to deal with this mission.
As soon as they left, the old wizard's gaze fell back on Barty Junior.
"I think with this we now know how he got into Hogwarts, and why he was dressed in those clothes, besides his presence also being the answer to who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire."
"Now the only question that remains is why... Why was he here? And why did he do this?" the Headmaster said, asking these questions more to himself than to those around him.
"Maybe... Maybe he just wanted to cause fear and panic among the people," Fudge suggested, "He probably wanted to create chaos in the British wizarding community to get revenge on the Ministry that arrested him."
"And in the end, he found the perfect opportunity to do so at the Triwizard tournament, where there would be a large audience watching the tournament" and the more he talked, the more Fudge felt he was right in his assumption.
"No, this was all very well planned, and obviously his goal is something bigger." Sirius quickly dismissed Fudge's assumption.
"I agree, and I am certain he did not plan all this alone," Headmaster Dumbledore said, a gleam in his eyes that showed he knew more than he let on.
"Dumbledore, Lord Black, Barty Crouch Junior was an infamous dark wizard. He clearly needed no reason to do something like that other than his own evil and insanity." Fudge scowled at them.
"And besides, what nonsense is this that he didn't do it alone? Are you trying to say that there are other dark wizards out there helping him? Impossible!" he denied, feeling that somehow his competence as a minister was being questioned.
Seeing that Fudge was acting so idiotically, ignoring and dismissing their warnings cowardly, Penny who was watching their exchange closely began to get irritated.
She already didn't have much good will with the Great Britain's Ministry of Magic, and now seeing this display of ignorance and foolishness from Fudge she began to lose what little patience she had left.
'Enough! This stupid little man has irritated me enough!' she thought.
She then reached into the holster on her wrist, ready to grab her wand and hex this fat, greedy little man into oblivion.
But luckily for the oblivious Fudge, before Penny could attack him, an anomaly began to occur at the entrance to the maze near them, which immediately brought everyone's focus to it.
The space at the entrance to the maze began to distort slightly, with the magic in that area stirring.
And then, a loud, echoing crack sounded, and something suddenly emerged from this distortion.
That something, to everyone's shock and surprise, was the blonde girl that everyone was anxiously looking for, and she, after appearing at the entrance of the maze, fell sitting on the grass of the Quidditch Pitch, tightly holding the tournament cup in her arms.
""Fleur!""
End.
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