Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

Chapter 710: Follow-up Events

There was a brief silence in the office, and everyone was immersed in sadness.

Only then did they notice that Harry’s arm was still bleeding, and Sirius hurried to help him deal with the wound under the robes.

At the same time, Evan also found robes to wear and took off Gabrielle’s torn robes.

“I don’t understand why Voldemort must use Harry’s blood?” Sirius asked, looking at Harry’s wound.

“He said that using my blood was more effective than using other people’s blood, which would make him stronger,” said Harry, stretching out his arm to let Sirius bandage it. “He said he wanted to get the protective power my mother had left in my body. He was right. When he touched me again, he would not be hurt. After resurrection, he touched my face …”

In a short moment, Harry seemed to see a glimmer of joy in Dumbledore’s eyes. But he soon thought he’d been mistaken because Dumbledore immediately looked as old and tired as before.

“Voldemort overcame that unusual obstacle!” said Dumbledore, turning his eyes to Barty Crouch Jr. on the chair. “He is back. It is an indisputable fact. The question now is what we should do. Although we already know most of the facts, there are some details that need to be clarified. Severus, please fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you possess, and then go down to the kitchens and bring up the house-elf called Winky.”

Snape nodded, and immediately turned away.

“By the way, what happened after we left school?” Evan asked. “Krum seemed to be under the Imperius Curse, is he all right?”

“He’s fine… he’s being treated at the hospital now! After the three of you were taken away by the Portkey, the Merpeople rushed up to report, and I was right next to the lunatic!” said Sirius, pointing at Barty Crouch. “I intended to catch him as planned, and we fought. Fudge was frightened and followed him to the school hospital. Then we took him back to the castle, and he changed his way back here. Dumbledore said that the two of you were here…”

Sirius recounted what happened after they left. He was fighting with Barty Crouch Jr. at that time, and a lot of Mermen came out to warn them. The sudden change shocked everyone present and made them confused.

Until now, the outside of the castle was in a mess. The professors were trying to keep order and let the students go back to their respective Common Rooms.

Fortunately, with the exception of Cedric, who was still missing, there were no casualties, which was a blessing in misfortune.

The only serious injury was probably Ron’s, who’d been severely tortured by Krum with the Cruciatus Curse. Then, he fell into the weeds full of Grindylows. They probably regarded him as food and took a few bites…

Fortunately, Moaning Myrtle was there. She went to inform others, and a nearby Merman saved him.

“Barty Crouch Jr. pretended to be Moody. Where’s the real Moody?” Harry asked.

“No doubt, he should be here in this room. They needed to keep him alive, close by to take a part of him at any time to make the Polyjuice Potion,” said Dumbledore, pulling out a set of keys from inside Barty Crouch Jr.’s robes.

He walked over to the trunk with seven locks in the corner, holding the keys. He fitted the first key in the lock, and opened it. It contained a mass of spell-books.

He closed the trunk, placed a second key in the second lock, and opened the trunk again. The spell-books had vanished; this time it contained an assortment of broken Sneako-scopes, some parchment and quills, and what looked like a silvery Invisibility Cloak.

“It’s the seventh, Professor!” Evan cautioned, knowing what he was going to do.

Dumbledore placed the seventh key in the lock, threw open the lid, and Harry and Sirius let out a cry of amazement at the same time.

Under the trunk, there was a kind of pit, like an underground room, and lying on the floor some ten feet below, apparently fast asleep, thin and starved in appearance, was the real Mad-Eye Moody.

His wooden leg was gone, the socket that should have held the magical eye looked empty beneath its lid, and chunks of his grizzled hair were missing.

Dumbledore climbed into the trunk, lowered himself, and fell lightly onto the floor beside the sleeping Moody. He bent over him.

“Stunned … controlled by the Imperius Curse … very weak,” he said. “But fortunately, he seems in no immediate danger. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, and he will gradually get better.”

Dumbledore and Sirius lifted Moody up and laid him on the sofa next to the fire.

Just then, there were hurried footsteps outside in the corridor. Snape had returned with Winky at his heels.

Winky peered around Snape’s legs, and she saw Barty Crouch Jr., tied to a chair. Her mouth opened wide and she let out a piercing shriek.

“Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here?” She screamed and rushed over. “You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master’s son!”

“We only subdued him, Winky,” said Dumbledore. “Step aside, please. Severus, you have the potion?”

Snape handed Dumbledore a small glass bottle of clear liquid, a potent Veritaserum he had made.

Dumbledore forced Barty Crouch’s mouth open and poured three drops of potion inside it.

Winky remained on her knees, trembling; her hands over her face and looked at them in horror.

A few seconds later, Barty Crouch Jr. opened his eyes. His face was slack, his gaze unfocused. Dumbledore knelt before him, so that their faces were level.

“Can you hear me?” Dumbledore asked calmly.

“I can hear you,” he muttered, his eyelids flickering.

“Very good, Veritaserum is working. We’d better start with simple questions!” said Dumbledore softly. “I would like you to tell us how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?”

Crouch Jr. took a deep, shuddering breath, and then began to speak in a flat, expressionless voice.

“My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother’s hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other’s appearance.”

Winky was shaking her head, trembling.

“Say no more, Master Barty; say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!”

But Crouch took another deep breath and continued in the same flat voice.

“The Dementors are blind, they can’t see. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors. My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me.”

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