Badgersoul

Chapter 17: A-Maze-Ing

Chapter 17: A-Maze-Ing

First full moon went brilliant. Moony got to run around, happy and free. Padfoot and Prongs seemed excited as they chased after him. Much to my disappointment, Moony didn't eat Wormtail. Ah, well, there's always next time.

**

"Leo Castor Black, you giant bloody moron -"

"I see what you did there," Leo chortled before quailing slightly under his uncle's look.

It was the morning following his failed attempt to rescue Moody and provide the evidence he needed to expose Crouch. He snuck out to Hogsmeade using the passage to the Shrieking Shack and jimmied open a window once he was there. He then made the long trek up the mountain where Sirius and Remus were hiding, both of whom were quite surprised to find him outside of the castle.

Remus had scolded him for sneaking out when Leo cut him off and told him about Crouch Senior returning and his attempts to break into the trunk in Moody's office whilst Junior was off visiting his father. From there, much to Remus and Leo's surprise, Sirius had been the one to give his nephew a severe tongue-lashing. Leo was so taken aback that he couldn't even formulate a response as Sirius continued to yell at him. He didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon, either.

"- and to go off with the student of a known Death Eater -"

"Don't you want to hear the part about Fen?" Leo shouted over him.

Sirius stopped abruptly as Leo knew he would, looking at his nephew with renewed interest. Even Remus – who had been fighting off an amused smile as he observed Sirius – sat up straighter to pay attention.

"What about Fen?" Sirius finally asked when Leo didn't immediately continue.

"He was the one who led Crouch to us. After Crouch grabbed Harry and I Stunned him, he kept on twitching and didn't stop until Fen touched him," Leo informed them before frowning. "After that, Fen looked sort of worried and scarpered without warning. Dumbledore wasn't able to wake Crouch up after that."

Remus and Sirius exchanged a look.

"You said he touched Crouch?" Remus clarified, receiving a nod. "Where?"

"His forehead," the teen replied, touching his own. "Touched it with his nose."

"And Dumbledore wasn't able to revive Crouch?" Sirius questioned.

"Sometimes I wonder if you ever pay attention when I talk."

Remus and Sirius turned back to each other, arguing in low voices that Leo couldn't make out. Leo waited for them to finish and explain what was going on, his foot tapping with mild annoyance. After close to five minutes, they finally turned back to face him, Remus looking tired and Sirius looking... well, serious.

"Do you recall when I visited you in Hogsmeade earlier this year to talk to you about your reaction to the Imperius Curse?" Remus asked.

Leo frowned, that had been a while ago.

"Yeah, you said something about my dad doing something to keep me safe and that whatever he did shielded me from the curse."

"That's a bit of an over-simplification, Moony," Sirius snorted.

"I was a bit more detailed with my explanation, Padfoot," Remus replied dryly before turning back to Leo. "I believe your father may have tried to do something similar to Crouch. From what I could hear, Crouch's mind was fractured and Cas was trying to heal it. Think it might've worked too well as he most likely put the man in a sort of catatonic state -"