Alexandra Dursley {Golden Trio}

Chapter 55 - Moody's Secret

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 It was one month until the final task, and Al found herself growing more and more nervous as time wore on. She was heading down to the Quidditch pitch after dinner, as instructed by Bagman, and shivering slightly in the evening breeze. The weather recently had been spectacular and warm, and as a result Al hadn't thought to bring a jumper with her, a choice she was now regretting.

 Al soon arrived at the pitch, and stood between Diggory and Harry, both of whom were staring at the dug-up earth in a horrified awe. It had been years since Al had been to a Quidditch match, but she was sure it wasn't supposed to look like this. "Yikes," she said, still shivering.

 "Yikes?" Harry said outraged, "It's...it's..."

 "An abomination!" Diggory finished for him.

 "Thank you," Harry said, "What did you do?" he demanded, somewhat angrily at Bagman, who chuckled jovially.

 "It's all part of the third task," Bagman said, clapping his hands together. Really, Al thought, I had no idea. "Who can tell me what it is?"

 After a few painful moments of silence, Krum grunted, "maze."

 "Thank you, Mr Krum," Bagman said, "It's going to be a maze. Now, it's not any old maze - oh no - this one will have a whole manner of obstacles inside. Your job is to navigate through the maze and past the obstacles, and the first to reach the centre will be the winner. Piece of cake!"

 There were a few unenthusiastic murmurs of agreement and soon the group were headed back up the lawn to the castle. Harry and Krum broke off from the main group, and Al watched as they headed towards the forest. Wondering what they were up to, she was surprised when she saw Harry drop something on the floor.

 Hurrying after them, she bent down and picked up Harry's watch. She believed it was a spare one that she'd given him one birthday when she'd got two. She looked up and saw that they'd now disappeared into the forest, so she rushed on trying to look for them.

  After about five minutes of looking, she heard Krum's voice, and betraying herself to her curiosity, she hid behind a tree and listened in. "Yeah, there's nothing going on between me and Hermione," Harry's voice said.

 "Oh," Krum's voice said, "I am-"

 "Mr Crouch? Is that you?" Harry's voice said. Al peered round the tree, and saw Crouch stumbling through the bushes, looking crazed and ill.

 "I've done a terrible thing...must speak to Dumbledore," he muttered to Harry. "Wetherby, is that you? A cup of tea please. Yes, I'm going for dinner with my wife and son...twelve OWLs you know, we're very proud." Then suddenly, he launched forward and grabbed onto Harry's robes. Al pulled her wand from her pocket, ready in case Crouch tried to hurt Harry. "Dumbledore," he continued, "take me...Dumbledore..."

 "OK, OK," Harry said yanking his robes back, "I'm going to get him...just stay here." He turned to Krum, "Stay here with him...I'll be right back." And then he ran straight into the castle.

 Al nearly followed him, but then there was a crack of a twig where the two men were stood. She peered round from her hiding spot and Moody was stood there, his wand pointing at Krum. "Stupefy," he said, before Krum could turn around, and Krum slumped to the ground. What was Moody doing?

 Now Moody turned to Crouch, his wand pointing at him, and both his eyes completely focused on him. "Son..." Crouch whispered, almost pleading.

 "Avada Kedavra," Moody said. A green light shot from his wand, and Crouch flew backwards, his lifeless body slumped on the forest floor. Al almost gasped, but caught herself, not knowing what to do and frozen in place. Moody stumped over to Krum and propped him up against a tree, raising his wand once more. Al had to do something, quickly. But Moody didn't look like he was going to kill Krum. "Imperio," he growled, and Krum sat up straight, before slumping down once more.

 If Al stayed where she was much longer, Moody's magical eye would see her. But if she ran away, she'd draw attention to herself. Thinking fast, she finally decided. "Harry!" she called out into the forest. Then she stepped out from behind the tree, "Harry!" she called again, before looking over at Moody and an unconscious Krum. She had expected to see Crouch's body, but he was nowhere to be seen - had she imagined it?

 "Professor," she said, trying to look surprised, "What happened to him?"

 "Dunno," Moody growled, taking a swig from his hip flask and pulling a face of unpleasantness, "I was just out walking when I saw him. What are you doing out here, Dursley?"

 She waved the watch in the air, "I followed Harry," she said, trying to sound shaken, "He-he dropped his watch. Should I get another Professor?"

 "What's your wand doing out?" Moody asked her suspiciously.

 "Constant vigilance," Al replied simply, and was surprised to see he smiled a little.

 "Good, good," Moody said, "And yes, get another Professor," he said, waving her away.

 Al nodded, and sprinted as fast as she could out the forest, wanting to put as much distance as she could between herself and Moody. What the hell had she just witnessed?

 She was running up the front steps, when Dumbledore swept out, Harry in tow. "Al," he said brightly, but Al could tell it was false, "Why so breathless?"

 "Oh...um..." Al stuttered, not sure if she should tell Dumbledore. She decided no - otherwise Moody would target her, and Crouch's body wasn't even there. "Just wanted to get to the library before it closed," she lied with a grin. "Oh, and Harry, you dropped your watch."

 "Thanks," he mumbled, "It was broken anyway."

 "Is - uh - is everything alright?" she asked Dumbledore hesitantly.

 "Alas, no," he said sadly, "If you'll excuse us..." and with that, the pair hurried down the lawn, Harry pointing at the spot where she'd just emerged from the trees.

*****

 Al burst into the Slytherin common room, still out of breath, and headed over to the sofas that Draco, Theo and Daphne were sat on, ignoring the stares of the others. She grabbed a book off the coffee table and hid her face behind it until she was sure everyone had looked away. "Al," Daphne hissed.

 "What?" she asked, glancing around at everyone in the room.

 "Your book's upside down," Draco said, amused, and Al threw it at him.

 "What's up?" Daphne asked her, moving to sit next to her.

 "Moody," Al breathed, her face still hot from running, "Moody put my name in the Goblet of Fire."

 "How'd you know?" Draco asked, leaning forward as Theo put his book away.

 "I just...I just saw him murder Crouch," Al said, "With the killing curse." She explained what she'd seen and the three Slytherins' eyes grew wide.

 "Are you sure?" Draco whispered, leaning forward.

 "'Course she's sure," Theo said with an eye roll, "The question is, why?"

 Al shrugged, "Dunno."

 "Well, what was Crouch doing in the forest? He's supposed to be ill," Daphne reasoned.

 "Oh, he was ill," Al said, furrowing her brow, "He kept mumbling about his son, and his wife, and needing to see Dumbledore. It was weird."

 "Well, his son went to Azkaban and died there," Theo said dismissively.

 "His wife's dead too," Draco added.

 "That's where I've heard his name!" Al exclaimed, wanting to kick herself. "When I read those books about the war in our first year," she said to Draco, "he was arrested for torturing those Aurors into insanity!"

 "Maybe that's what happened to him," Daphne said, "Someone tortured him into insanity to get revenge."

 "No, that's not right," Al said, "He was one of the ones that sent Crouch Jr to Azkaban. He was head of Law Enforcment at the time."

 "I dunno then," Daphne said, "But maybe we should avoid Moody for a bit."

 Al shook her head, "No that'll make him suspicious. Let's just...be vigilant," she said, a cheeky smile appearing on her face, making Draco role his eyes.