ged to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his own
magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I
became Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur
Weasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance. I
made the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard
intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody's
clothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off for
Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to
question him. To find out about his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool even
Dumbledore. I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other
ingredients were easy. I stole boom-slang skin from the dungeons. When the
Potions master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it."
"And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?" said Dumbledore.
"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watch
over my father."
"But your father escaped," said Dumbledore.
"Yes. After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. There
were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no
longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the
Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglected
his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that
he was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything,
to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban.
"My master sent me word of my father's escape. He told me to stop him at all
costs. So I waited and watched. I used the map I had taken from Harry Potter. The
map that had almost ruined everything."
"Map?" said Dumbledore quickly. "What map is this?"
"Potter's map of Hogwarts. Potter saw me on it. Potter saw me stealing more
ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's office one night. He thought I
was my father. We have the same first name. I took the map from Potter that night.
I told him my father hated Dark wizards. Potter believed my father was after
Snape.
"For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, the
map showed my father entering the grounds. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak and
went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then
Potter came, and Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him.
Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father."
"Noooo!" wailed Winky. "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?"
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"You killed your father," Dumbledore said, in the same soft voice. "What did you
do with the body?"
"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I had the map
with me. I watched Potter run into the castle. He met Snape. Dumbledore joined
them. I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the castle. I walked back out
of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told Dumbledore
Snape had told me where to come.
"Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father's
body. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I Transfigured my father's
body. He became a bone ... I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in the
freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin."
There was complete silence now, except for Winky's continued sobs. Then
Dumbledore said, "And tonight. . ."
"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner," whispered
Barty Crouch. "Turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returned
to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards."
The insane smile lit his features once more, and his head drooped onto his
shoulder as Winky wailed and sobbed at his side.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX - THE PARTING OF THE WAYS
Dumbledore stood up. He stared down at Barty Crouch for a moment with disgust
on his face. Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that
twisted themselves around Barty Crouch, binding him tightly. He turned to
Professor McGonagall.
"Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry upstairs?"
"Of course," said Professor McGonagall. She looked slightly nauseous, as though
she had just watched someone being sick. However, when she drew out her wand
and pointed it at Barty Crouch, her hand was quite steady.
"Severus" - Dumbledore turned to Snape - "please tell Madam Pomfrey to come
down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go down
into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will
undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital
wing in half an hour's time if he needs me."
Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room.
"Harry?" Dumbledore said gently.
Harry got up and swayed again; the pain in his leg, which he had not noticed all
the time he had been listening to Crouch, now returned in full measure. He also
realized that he was shaking. Dumbledore gripped his arm and helped him out into
the dark corridor.
"I want you to come up to my office first. Harry," he said quiedy as they headed
up the passageway. "Sirius is waiting for us there."
Harry nodded. A kind of numbness and a sense of complete unreality were upon
him, but he did not care; he was even glad of it. He didn't want to have to think
about anything that had happened since he had first touched the Triwizard Cup. He
didn't want to have to examine the memories, fresh and sharp as photographs,
which kept flashing across his mind. Mad-Eye Moody, inside the trunk. Wormtail,
slumped on the ground, cradling his stump of an arm. Voldemort, rising from the
steaming cauldron. Cedric. . . dead . . . Cedric, asking to be returned to his parents.
. . .
"Professor," Harry mumbled, "where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?"
"They are with Professor Sprout," said Dumbledore. His voice, which had been so
calm throughout the interrogation of Barty Crouch, shook very slightly for the first
time. "She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best."
They had reached the stone gargoyle. Dumbledore gave the password, it sprang
448
aside, and he and Harry went up the moving spiral staircase to the oak door.
Dumbledore pushed it open. Sirius was standing there. His face was white and
gaunt as it had been when he had escaped Azkaban. In one swift moment, he had
crossed the room.
"Harry, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?"
His hands shook as he helped Harry into a chair in front of the desk.
"What happened?" he asked more urgently.
Dumbledore began to tell Sirius everything Barty Crouch had said. Harry was only
half listening. So tired every bone in his body was aching, he wanted nothing more
than to sit here, undisturbed, for hours and hours, until he fell asleep and didn't
have to think or feel anymore.
There was a soft rush of wings. Fawkes the phoenix had left his perch, flown
across the office, and landed on Harry's knee.
"'Lo, Fawkes," said Harry quietly. He stroked the phoenix's beautiful scarlet-andgold
plumage. Fawkes blinked peacefully up at him. There was something
comforting about his warm weight.
Dumbledore stopped talking. He sat down opposite Harry, behind his desk. He
was looking at Harry, who avoided his eyes. Dumbledore was going to question
him. He was going to make Harry relive everything.
"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze. Harry,"
said Dumbledore.
"We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?" said Sirius harshly. He
had put a hand on Harrys shoulder. "Let him have a sleep. Let him rest."
Harry felt a rush of gratitude toward Sirius, but Dumbledore took no notice of
Sirius's words. He leaned forward toward Harry.
Very unwillingly, Harry raised his head and looked into those blue eyes.
"If I thought I could help you," Dumbledore said gently, "by putting you into an
enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have
to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better.
Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You
have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to
demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."
The phoenix let out one soft, quavering note. It shivered in the air, and Harry felt
as though a drop of hot liquid had slipped down his throat into his stomach,
warming him, and strengthening him.
He took a deep breath and began to tell them. As he spoke, visions of everything
449
that had passed that night seemed to rise before his eyes; he saw the sparkling
surface of the potion that had revived Voldemort; he saw the Death Eaters
Apparating between the graves around them; he saw Cedric's body, lying on the
ground beside the cup.
Once or twice, Sirius made a noise as though about to say something, his hand still
tight on Harry's shoulder, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him, and Harry
was glad of this, because it was easier to keep going now he had started. It was
even a relief; he felt almost as though something poisonous were being extracted
from him. It was costing him every bit of determination he had to keep talking, yet
he sensed that once he had finished, he would feel better.
When Harry told of Wormtail piercing his arm with the dagger, however, Sirius let
out a vehement exclamation and Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry
started. Dumbledore walked around the desk and told Harry to stretch out his arm.
Harry showed them both the place where his robes were torn and the cut beneath
them.
"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used s