The-Boy-Who-Lived/Neglected/Lied/Abounded/Betrayed/Fed Up/Left/Tortured /kills

Harry's accidental rescue

Harry sighed with relief. At last Barty Crouch had left Mad-Eye Moody. He couldn't see why the gruff auror would choose such a revolting lover. Harry, who worked on personalities not on looks, didn't even wonder if someone as scarred as Moody might be desperate. Harry didn't quite see why one man would fancy another, but some did and Vernon thought it was disgusting so it must be a good thing. Harry thought that Moody was cutting it fine, because it was almost time for the class his own agegroup would be having, but he had to catch the old auror alone at some point to ask his advice.

Harry waited round a corner, watching Barty Crouch go in the other direction.

Wait a minute. That was Moody stomping along there. Harry retreated up the passage, his invisibility cloak was no bar to Moody's eye. Fortunately Moody was in a hurry. Harry looked at the Marauders' Map again.

It showed Barty Crouch retreating and Moody still in his room.

There was something distinctly hinky going on here.

He wondered if Dobby was still in Hogwarts.

"Dobby?" he said.

There was a pop! And Dobby appeared.

"The Great Harry Potter Sir is wanting Dobby?" he said

"Just Harry to my friends, Dobby," said Harry.

"Dobby is Harry Potters sir's friend?"

"Dobby is Harry's friend."

Dobby burst into tears and hugged Harry, who did not notice the glow of magic from the manipulative little elf.

"Dobby will work hard for Harry Potter now he is Harry's elf friend," said Dobby.

"I don't ... Dobby, do elves clean the teachers' rooms?"

"Of course!"

"Well, are there any traps in Professor Moody's room? Because I think he's been hurt in there," said Harry, who had visions of Crouch having stunned Moody by some incredible luck in order to use polyjuice potion.

"Dobby will go and see," said Dobby. He popped away but was soon back.

"Professor Moody isn't there," he said.

"Yes he is," said Harry, and showed Dobby the map.

Dobby put a long finger on the position Moody occupied and his ears went up.

"Map tells Dobby that Master Mad-eye is in a trunk!" he said. "Wese go rescue him." Harry felt himself popped into Mad-Eye's room. It was a lot less uncomfortable than portkey or side-along apparation. There was a trunk much like the one most students and teachers had. Dobby picked up a bunch of keys from the table and gave them to Harry.

"Multi-compartment trunk, each key opens a different one," he said.

Harry gulped, and picked a key at random. He found clothes and a spare peg leg. He got that out; if Crouch had stolen Moody's identity, he had probably also stolen his leg. It took three goes to find the right key, which opened what appeared to be a dungeon. Moody lay on the floor; his hair looked as though a flock of canaries had pecked at it.