Chapter 120: Confessions of Crouch Jr.
A long-standing question circulating in Hufflepuff House - what exactly is in Professor Moody's big trunk - finally has an answer today.
"In my opinion, the Badger House question is a dead end. No student will ever get the answer. I bet that no student in Hogwarts would dare to open Professor Moody's trunk without permission—he might cast a Cruciatus Curse on someone as a warning." Pansy Parkinson once boasted in the Hogwarts common room, "Anyone who dares to open the trunk, even if it's just to take a look, I will kneel down and bow down to them."
"Pansy, don't be so absolute." Blaise raised an eyebrow at her. "When there's a big reward, there's bound to be a brave man. But, can the kneeling ceremony be replaced with something else - like a kiss?"
"Of course not!" Pansy blushed and made an offended sound. "I was just expressing my attitude towards this matter! I'm not encouraging others to do this, Blaise Zabini!"
It seems that Blaise's caution is correct - Pansy currently has too many people to kneel down to - Draco glanced around the principal's office calmly, thinking with a twitch of his mouth.
At this moment, Professor Dumbledore had completely restrained his outward emotions. He squatted leisurely in front of Professor Moody's big box with seven locks, and began to unlock them one by one with keys, trying to find the real Professor Alastor Moody.
Draco silently looked at the boxes he had opened. He had finally solved the mystery of the bounty and satisfied his curiosity: spell books, various broken peepholes, some parchment and quills, two silver invisibility cloaks...
"Is that yours, Draco?" Hermione whispered, looking at one of the cloaks and tugging at the hem of his.
"I guess so." Draco stared at it, tilted his head slightly, and whispered to her, "It was left outside Professor Snape's office that night. No wonder I rushed over early the next morning but couldn't find it. Barty Crouch Jr. is really shameless."
"Should I go and talk to Professor Dumbledore—" she said hesitantly, trying to step forward.
"No, don't do anything rash." Draco quickly grasped her hand, stopping her from moving forward. "Don't get yourself into trouble. Let me think about what to do, okay?"
"Okay," Hermione said, her cheeks heating up.
Should she break free from his grip? she wondered nervously.
They held hands openly in the principal's office.
But she couldn't break free from him. She longed for his hand to hold hers.
He made her feel strangely at ease—just what she needed right now.
So she moved closer to him, letting the large black robe hide their clasped hands.
This way, the professors wouldn't be able to see their hands, she thought cunningly.
Draco didn't know what she was thinking, he only knew that he felt happy because of her closeness.
"Who was it that forbade me to use it before and even threatened to tell Professor McGonagall?" he asked in a slightly teasing tone. "What made you change your ways and even want to get it back for me?"
"That's yours, of course I should get it back!" She widened her eyes, gave him a reproachful look, and muttered softly, "I still don't approve of using it to break school rules... But over the years, I haven't seen you do anything bad with it... There were always legitimate reasons, right..."
"I'm glad you think so." A warmth rose in Draco's heart - this warmth was enough to break the cold from the corners of his frozen mouth - and he smiled lazily.
Finally, Dumbledore opened the seventh keyhole. A large pit like a basement appeared in the box, and an unconscious person lay on the floor about three meters deep.
It was the real Mad-Eye Moody. He was emaciated, his wooden leg gone, his magical eye empty beneath its lid, and a tuft of his graying hair missing. Dumbledore climbed into the trunk, bent over the sleeping Moody, and said to the crowd gathered above the trunk, "Knocked unconscious—under the Imperius Curse—very weak."
"That's why his name keeps flashing in the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's office." Draco said to Hermione regretfully, his voice very low, "but I never noticed anything unusual about Moody."
"That's understandable," said Hermione. "You can't keep an eye on it all the time during the day because you have classes. And you can't know his specific movements at night. You only see his name appearing in the office. Who can think of anything else?"
"But you discovered him in just one day." Draco said in an admiring tone, "This is an amazing talent."
"I just had a bit more luck and a bit more concentration," Hermione said complacently, lowering her voice. "I've been studying it all day, and trying to see if I can get any evidence against Moody."
"Good girl, no one dares to mess with you, right?" he said with a smile.
"That's not the case—" Hermione was a little embarrassed. Seeing Professor Dumbledore bringing up the weak real Moody, she quickly broke free from Draco's hand, took the cloak over there, and put it on the poor frozen man.
She glanced back at the boy who was still staring at her with bright eyes, and muttered in a barely audible voice, "Only you dare to provoke me."
At this time, Madam Pomfrey had hurried over.
"Albus, what have you done to poor Mad-Eye?" she said in a condemning tone. "First Sirius Black with broken arms and legs, and now Alastor Moody, weak and frozen. I sincerely hope there won't be any more serious illnesses this year! I don't want to see anyone dying this year!"
"Poppy, calm down," said Dumbledore. "I know that with your skillful hands you can save him. Your hope is also my hope. But things in this world are not always as we wish."
Pomfrey glared at him, sucked his teeth in dissatisfaction, and pushed the weak real Moody away.
At this time, Professor Snape brought the house-elf Winky from the kitchen, and Professor McGonagall brought Harry and Ron, who were celebrating getting the golden egg, from the Gryffindor common room.
"The petrification curse has been lifted. I've cast a Stunning Spell on him again." As soon as the door to the headmaster's office closed, Professor Snape, with an expressionless face, fed three drops of clear liquid to the bound and unconscious fake Professor Moody. He said to Dumbledore, "If he drinks it while awake, the truth serum will have no effect."
"Well done, Severus," Professor Dumbledore said kindly. He then closed the door of the Headmaster's office and, with a flick of his wand, used Rennervate to revive the fake Moody, who had been given a strong dose of Veritaserum.
By then, the effects of the Polyjuice Potion had worn off, and he was no longer Alastor Moody. The wooden leg had clanked to the side, and the magical blue eye had popped out of its socket.
"Barty Crouch Jr." Sirius Black said in surprise as he walked out of the fireplace in the headmaster's office. "He's still alive?"
Yes, the fake Moody was reverting to Barty Crouch Jr. – pale skin, light freckles, and a mop of flaxen hair.
At first, the drunken-eyed Shanshan uttered the first wail - she immediately recognized her little master.
"Master Barty, Master Barty, what are you doing here?" the elf screamed shrilly, pounced on the chest of the young man with dull eyes and sagging cheeks, and grabbed his clothes. "You will get your father into trouble!"
But Crouch Jr.'s eyes were dull and he didn't respond to her at all.
"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"I can hear it." The young man's eyelids twitched a few times and he whispered.
"Master Barty..." Tears flowed from her big, sparkling, sad brown eyes. She looked around at the wizards around her and began to pull Crouch's sleeve desperately, her voice filled with urgency, "You have to go. You can't stay here!"
"Oh, Winky, don't be like this." Hermione said uneasily, looking at Winky's thin shoulders shaking.
"Help me, Miss Granger, help me take the little master away from here, okay?" The elf looked at her, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, and for the first time in his life asked for help from this girl who had always been friendly to her.
"I'm sorry, I can't, Winky," said Hermione sadly. "He's done something bad, very, very bad. We have to find out what he's done."
So Winky lowered her head in disappointment, without even looking at Hermione, and cried at Crouch's feet, "Master Barty, we have to go. If we stay any longer, we'll be in trouble..."
Hermione was extremely nervous. She looked at Winky and suddenly realized that her words were so pale and powerless.
It was she who captured Winky's little master, causing Winky's collapse at this moment; however, she had to catch Barty Crouch Jr. - the former Death Eater who was stirring up trouble at Hogwarts with conspiracy - she would do the same thing if it happened again, and she only regretted that she had not exposed him earlier.
"You did the right thing, Hermione." The boy beside her whispered to her, "That elf's heart and eyes are all about its master - no matter whether he is good or bad - you can't persuade it at this time. House elves are a very loyal species. They are very stubborn in their blind loyalty to their old masters. You have to understand this."
Hermione frowned, then nodded, looking away from the elf and back at the others around her.
"What are you two doing here?" Ron moved over to them and asked quietly, "What are we called here for?"
"I suppose Professor Dumbledore thought you needed to see this for yourself," Hermione whispered, jerking her chin towards Barty Crouch Jr. "He's been impersonating Professor Moody for some time now. I've always said there was something off about him!"
Ron's mouth dropped open. "Pretend?!"
At this moment, Harry recognized Barty Crouch Jr. He said to his godfather beside him, "Sirius, I have seen this face in my dream!"
"What?" asked Sirius Black, frowning. "Harry, did you see what he was doing?"
Harry said uneasily, "In my dream, he was kneeling before me and solemnly swearing that he would bring Harry Potter back."
Everyone present fell into deep thought at the same time.
Then, Dumbledore began to ask questions, and the veil of fog was slowly lifted by the flat words of Barty Crouch Jr.
They learned how Barty Crouch Sr., at the urging of his beloved dying wife, had given them a drink of Polyjuice Potion laced with each other's hair, thus exchanging identities, and how the poor mother, until her death, struggled to drink Polyjuice Potion every hour.
"Is this possible?" Hermione asked Draco. "Hasn't anyone figured this out?"
"I don't know if the prisoners will figure it out. But the Dementors won't be able to see through it. They have no vision and only rely on their sense of smell. They can smell whether a person's soul is alive or dying, but they can't tell which person it is." Draco said calmly, "Ministry of Magic officials won't go to the island unless it's necessary. After Mrs. Crouch died, the Dementors probably buried her somewhere on the island quickly. From the results, it seems that she died quietly and without any incident - a very clever way of hiding the truth."
Dumbledore continued to ask questions calmly, and Barty Crouch Jr. continued to talk about those little-known inside stories in a serious manner.
They learned how Barty Crouch Sr. had faked his wife's death and had the loyal house-elf Winky watch over and nurse his frail son until he recovered; he even cast a very powerful Memory Charm on Bertha Jorkins, who discovered his secret, causing her to forget the secret and even causing permanent damage.
"Why does she have to meddle in my master's private affairs?" Twinkle sobbed. "Why doesn't she leave us alone?"
Crouch Jr. continued to narrate how his father used the Imperius Curse to control him to prevent him from doing evil again; Barty Crouch Sr. was completely unaware that his son had begun to resist the Imperius Curse and his mind was becoming increasingly clear.
"Master Barty, Master Barty," Shanshan covered her face and sobbed the whole time, "You shouldn't tell them, we will be in trouble..."
"Tell us about the Quidditch World Cup," said Dumbledore.
"Winky took pity on me, and she persuaded my father to give me some special treatment as a reward for good behavior. I hadn't been out for a few years. I loved Quidditch. She persuaded my father, and she persuaded him for months. She said he could wear the Invisibility Cloak and watch the game. Let him get some fresh air. She said my mother would want me to go. She said my mother saved me so that I could be free, not be imprisoned for life. My father finally agreed."
"I regained consciousness in the top box at the Quidditch World Cup and stole a boy's wand. Winky didn't know it, she's afraid of heights and kept covering her face with her hands."
Tears streamed down through her fingers, "Master Barty, you bad boy!"
"At night, when we returned to the tent, I heard the voices of those Death Eaters. Those guys who had never been to Azkaban had never suffered for my master, and they betrayed him... I was very angry, and took my wand, wanting to teach these guys who were disloyal to my master a lesson... I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord was, and punish them for their disloyalty. I used the stolen wand to launch the Dark Mark into the air..." Crouch Jr. licked the corner of his mouth excitedly.
Hearing this, Draco suddenly realized, "Hermione, remember the Dark Mark incident? The reason Barty Crouch frantically searched the grass was not to find a scapegoat, but to find his own son."
"Yes, I guess he eventually found Crouch Jr., but somehow Crouch Jr. escaped." Hermione whispered to the boy who was looking down at her. "No wonder he looked so bad the last time Barty Crouch showed up at Hogwarts."
"I guess he's worried about his son, a Death Eater who's defected, rather than just caring about the report in the Daily Prophet." Draco smiled sarcastically. "I didn't expect that old Barty Crouch is such a hypocritical guy, strict with others but lenient with himself!"
"How did Voldemort find you?" Dumbledore was asking Barty Crouch Jr. at this moment.
"When Peter Pettigrew was imprisoned, he was placed in the same cell that Sirius Black had occupied - right next to Bellatrix Lestrange. It didn't take her long to learn from Peter Pettigrew about the situation in the outside world, as well as an important piece of information - the master's soul was trapped somewhere in Hogwarts." The young man said emotionlessly, his eyelids trembling.
Harry and Ron gasped. Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape exchanged glances, their faces grave. Sirius Black's face was dull and gloomy, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Draco and Hermione looked at each other and saw a kind of "I see" emotion in each other's eyes.
The mastermind behind "letting the Dark Lord go" last school year is finally about to surface.
"Bellatrix's cell was across from mine. I guess she saw my mother drinking Polyjuice Potion, or maybe she revealed it when the Dementors carried my mother to be buried after her death. In short, she knew I was not dead. She persuaded Peter Pettigrew to escape from prison and find me. Peter Pettigrew didn't dare to disobey. By then, I had gradually learned to resist the control of the Imperius Curse. Occasionally, I could break free from his control and regain lucidity from time to time."
"Shuangshuang didn't know that I was growing stronger. She couldn't always be by my side, she had to take care of the housework. I took advantage of her absence to plan everything and let the mouse Peter Pettigrew carry it out, and finally rescued his master." He licked the corner of his mouth and said with a twisted smile.
The answer to the mystery that kept us awake all night last year has finally been revealed.
The ingenious operation they had faced last year to free the Dark Lord had been the work of Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr., two formidable, invisible adversaries.
Draco felt a chill run down his spine. He had never imagined that even in Azkaban, his lunatic aunt Bellacrite would still be so far-reaching.
Bellatrix would not miss any opportunity to let the Dark Lord make a comeback - that was a fact - no one was more fanatical about the Dark Lord than she was; but he was still shocked by the meticulousness of her mind, which was not something a mere madman could do.
She still possesses the sharpness and scheming of the Black family - even though she has been tortured by Dementors in Azkaban for more than ten years.
And then there was Barty Crouch Jr. While resisting the Imperius Curse, in the little moments of lucidity and freedom he had, he planned this horrific escape of the Dark Lord. His thinking was so intricate and so interconnected... What a terrifying opponent!
Fortunately, Hermione discovered it in time and caught him.
Draco couldn't imagine what the world would be like if this plan succeeded.
I guess I'll be plunged into darkness and chaos like in my previous life. Thinking of this, Draco couldn't help but shudder.
"It's a pity that Peter Pettigrew died - although he was stupid, he was still useful. The master came to see me after the Quidditch World Cup - he admired my loyalty - he knew I was still alive from Peter Pettigrew. He possessed Quirrell and was very weak. He needed tonics to stay alive. By that time, Winky had been driven out of the Crouch family, and breaking free from the Imperius Curse became an easier task." Little Crouch shook his head with a crazy smile on his face.
Twinkle let out a desperate wail.
"I escaped from home while my father was at the Ministry of Magic and found myself again. Quirrell and I subdued Moody, and used the Polyjuice Potion Quirrell provided me to impersonate him. We did it very well and successfully fooled Arthur Weasley, who came to check on the situation, into believing that this was just another of Moody's fussing. Then, I came to Hogwarts as I wished, ready to capture Harry Potter for my master." The smile on Crouch's face became even wider.
"How do you plan to catch Harry? Use the Triwizard Tournament?" Dumbledore asked doubtfully.
"The Goblet of Fire is the best portkey. A Confusion Charm can make it mistake Harry Potter for the only participating student from the fourth school. I will help him clear the obstacles and be the first to get the Goblet of Fire, so that he can be taken to the cemetery at the right time, allowing his master to be resurrected and regain a powerful body. I will get a reward that no wizard can even dream of." Crouch Jr. said with a greedy expression.
"Why does the resurrection of the Dark Lord require Harry?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"The Dark Lord wants something of him," said Crouch Jr. in a monotone.
"Harry's blood?" asked Professor Dumbledore coldly.
"That's right! That's it," said Barty Crouch Jr. with satisfaction.
"Now we know clearly that he really intends to use the resurrection method." Professor Dumbledore glanced at Draco.
I told you so, sir. Draco gave him a predictable look.
It was Hermione who figured out this specific method, he thought proudly.
From the corner came the sound of Sirius gnashing his teeth. He was snapping his fingers gloomily, and it seemed as if he wanted to beat up Crouch Jr.
Draco glanced at Harry secretly. He looked very stunned, shocked and lost.
Harry was, of course, stunned. He had never imagined that this fake Professor Moody was the one who had gotten him into all this trouble.
All the misunderstandings, slanders and ridicules he had suffered in the past two months were actually caused by the fake Professor Moody - Barty Crouch Jr.?
Not long ago, he had actually taken a liking to this Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He had even confessed the details of his first project to him and even felt a certain familiarity with him...
Draco also saw Ron's look of surprise and shame.
This fool must have finally decided that he had wronged Harry. Draco shook his head.
As for Hermione, she was frowning, thinking about something with a distressed expression. After feeling the boy's gaze, she quietly pinched the corner of his clothes, raised her shining brown eyes, and forced a smile at him.
"Where is Voldemort now?" Sirius couldn't help but ask, "When will he appear again?"
"I don't know. I haven't contacted him since I impersonated Moody. We must make Dumbledore trust me and avoid any unnecessary suspicion. The master told me that he would wait for me in the cemetery on the night of the third task of the Triwizard Tournament." said Crouch Jr.
"Which cemetery?" Sirius Black demanded.
"The cemetery at Little Hangleton. His father's grave is there," said Crouch Jr. in a flat tone.
Sirius fell silent. He scratched his chin, his eyes drifting off into the distance, as if pondering something.
"That's enough questions," Dumbledore said briefly. He waved his wand and Barty Crouch Jr. fell into a coma.
Winky sobbed, threw herself on his chest, and angrily said to Dumbledore, "You killed him! You killed him! You killed the master's son!"
"He was simply under a Stunning Charm, Winky," said Dumbledore. "As the Headmaster of Hogwarts, I must ask you to keep silent about what happened today. You must not tell anyone. Especially not Mr. Crouch."
With deep and blind sympathy and concern for her former master, Shanshan nodded and let out a painful sob.
"Severus, will you take Winky back to the kitchens?" said Dumbledore.
Professor Snape left without saying a word, taking the crying house-elf with him, who kept looking back.
"How did you discover that something was wrong with Professor Moody?" Dumbledore looked at Hermione and Draco.
"I once smelled Polyjuice Potion on him. Later, I heard that Professor Snape lost the skin of the African boomslang and the horn of the bicorn - the main ingredients for making Polyjuice Potion." Hermione said.
"Yes, he's been peeking in front of Professor Snape's office door several times," said Draco.
"That's all?" asked Professor McGonagall in shock.
"Yes." They looked at each other and answered in unison.
They subconsciously avoided the role of the "Marauder's Map" in this matter.
"I must say, you have very keen observation skills and rich imagination... Most importantly, you guessed everything right." Professor McGonagall said tremblingly, looking at them suspiciously.
Professor Dumbledore looked tired and did not dwell on the matter any further.
He looked around at the people in the principal's office, some with thoughtful expressions and some with disgust, and asked slowly, "What do you think we should do with him?"
"I don't care how you deal with him. But I really hope that before you deal with him, you can let me beat him up first!" Sirius said viciously.
Draco almost laughed out loud. He personally hoped Sirius would be more ruthless and take his share of the vengeance as well.
"Little Barty Crouch, he used to be such an excellent student, having earned 12 OWLs... I've always felt so bad for him," Professor McGonagall said regretfully, "but things have come to this point. We must hand him over to the Ministry of Magic and put him back in Azkaban. I can tell that his mind is still stubborn; if his talents are not used in the right way, he will be extremely dangerous to the wizarding world."
"He might have some valuable information." Sirius stared at Barty Crouch Jr. "I suggest putting him in Moody's trunk, just like he did to Moody."
"Sirius, haven't you heard that he can resist the Imperius Curse? Think about it, as long as he is even a little bit conscious, he will inform his master!" Professor McGonagall said disagreeingly.
"He could even escape Azkaban, so would he be safe if he went back?" Sirius asked. "Would he be kept locked up with Bellatrix while these two lunatics plotted to help Voldemort?"
"I didn't say that," said Professor McGonagall. "It would be possible to separate their cells—"
"It's only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Just because the prisoners can't leave doesn't mean they can't communicate with each other. There are too many loopholes on that island, and it's easy for the prisoners to share what they need." Sirius said gloomily, with a hint of self-mockery in his tone. "Trust my professional advice. After all, I've been there for so many years."
"Oh—" Professor McGonagall whispered, "of course. I'm so sorry about that."
These 'decent people' were being far too easy on Barty Crouch Jr., Draco thought. No one seemed to have considered the alternative possibility - a Dementor's kiss - of death.
Draco had little sympathy for Barty Crouch Jr. A fanatical and devoted Death Eater, he was no different from Bellatrix. Given the opportunity, he'd seek to escape and aid the Dark Lord's resurgence. He wasn't foolish; he was even daring and resourceful, a brilliant mind that posed a formidable threat.
If such a dangerous person cannot be controlled, it is better to let him disappear where he is than to let him stare at Harry. Draco thought arrogantly.
At that moment, there was a noise at the door of the headmaster's office. Professor Snape strode in and said to Dumbledore, "She has been sent back. I asked the house-elves to keep an eye on her and pay attention to her mental state."
"Very good," Dumbledore said approvingly. "We are discussing what to do with Crouch Jr. Obviously, if he is sent to Azkaban, there is a high risk that he will escape again. If he is placed under house arrest, even if he can resist the Imperius Curse, it is not a completely safe approach either."
"Turn him into stone, as Miss Granger has just done. In this state, he is completely harmless," Professor Snape said slowly. "In addition to the Full Body Binding Spell, I know of several potions that can intensify this petrification."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.
She never thought that one day, Professor Snape, who always looked down on her, would suggest using the method she came up with in a moment of desperation - this was too abnormal.
"Let's do this first. Lock him up first." Dumbledore made a decision. "We can't alert anyone and let them know about this."
Sirius' eyes lit up. "Yes, there is a very good opportunity to catch Voldemort right now—"
"What do you mean?" asked Professor McGonagall distractedly.
"Isn't it obvious? The details of every event in the Triwizard Tournament - including the date of each event - will be widely reported, and no one in the wizarding world will not know about it! Since Crouch Jr. has not contacted Voldemort, Voldemort will definitely find out about these things through the newspapers. As long as we go to the cemetery in advance on the day of the last event of the Triwizard Tournament, we might be able to ambush him! As long as we don't tell anyone, he still thinks the plan is being carried out smoothly!" The numb look on Sirius' handsome face faded, and was replaced by an excitement of the upcoming adventure.
Draco finally chuckled.
As expected of Sirius Black—that brilliant strategic mind—it was both unexpected and to the point.