Neophobia | H. POTTER [2]

11 | polyjuice potion

As soon as Dumbledore and the Minister finished talking to Harry, he went back to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione and Ron at his side.

They sat in a silence, all of them mulling over the previous events. "Where's Abby?" Harry asked after a while. He would have thought, or hoped, that she would have been there for him first.

"Last we saw her, Professor Moody was taking her away from the arena when she tried to get past him to talk to you," Hermione explained before she frowned, "I haven't seen her since."

Harry stood up, "I'll be back."

"Wait," Hermione shook her head. "Where are you going?"

"To talk to Professor Moody," he said simply and she stood up, followed by Ron, "Alone."

Harry made his way out of the common room and toward the professor's office. Harry knocked on the door and he opened it a moment later. Moody gestured for him to enter, "Are you alright, Potter?"

Harry nodded in response. Moody gestured toward his arm, "Does it hurt?"

"Not so much now."

"I'd better take a look at it," he suggested. Harry rolled up his sleeve and the skull and snake marking was clearly imprinted. "The cup was a portkey. Someone had bewitched it."

"What was it like?" he inquired, "What was he like?"

"Who?"

"The Dark Lord," he explained, "What was it like to stand in his presence?"

"I don't know," Harry shrugged as he scanned the room, "It was like I'd fallen into one of my dreams. One of my nightmares."

Moody started shaking and reached for his bottle but it was empty. He rushed over to a chest and searched for a new bottle, "Were there others? In the graveyard, were there others?"

"Um..." Harry began, "I don't think I said anything about a graveyard, Professor."

"Marvellous creatures dragons aren't they? Do you think that miserable oaf would have led you into the woods if I hadn't suggested it?" Moody pointed out, "Do you think Cedric Diggory would have told you to hold the egg under the water if I hadn't told him first myself? Do you think Neville Longbottom, the witless wonder, could have provided you with gillyweed if I hadn't have given him the book that led you straight to it? Huh?"

"It was you from the beginning," he concluded, "You put my name in the Goblet of Fire. You bewitched Krum. But-"

"You won because I made it so Potter. You ended up in that graveyard tonight because it was meant to be so," he explained. He grabbed the boys arm, "And now the deed is done. The blood that runs through these veins runs within the Dark Lord. Imagine how he will reward me when he learns that I have once and for all silenced the great Harry Potter."

There was a flash and Moody went flying into the wall. Dumbledore and Snape entered the room and Dumbledore was quick to grab Moody by the neck, "Severus..." Snape administered veritaserum and Moody began to wiggle, "Do you know who I am?"

"Albus Dumbledore," he answered.

"Are you Alastor Moody?"

"No."

"Is he in this room?" Dumbledore asked and Moody nodded in response. "Harry get away from there!" he shouted and Harry moved away as he approached. The chest opened and inside were multiple chests inside each other until eventually the final chest opened and Alastor Moody was at the bottom along with Abigail.

"Are you alright Alastor?" he nodded in response, "And the girl?"

"She's been out since she arrived," he answered, "I'm sorry Albus."