Sirius Black, the godfather of Harry Potter, was walking back and forth anxiously in Dumbledore's office. It was easy enough from reading his face to tell he was both worried and frustrated. As soon as he got the news about Harry's disappearance, he rushed to the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk, quite obviously trying to put on a calm show for anyone who might come barging in for some reason. His eyes, however, spoke volumes about his concern deep down.
"Where is he, Dumbledore?"
Sirius exclaimed, the anger clearly present in every word he uttered. "Where's Harry?"
Dumbledore took a slow breath and told him the events as far as he knew: how the Triwizard Cup had appeared with Cedric's still body, and how Harry hadn't come out of the maze.
"Albus, you have to do something! Harry should've been out of that maze by now. Where is he?" Sirius demanded, his voice tinged with urgency.
Dumbledore, his gaze piercing yet understanding, spoke in measured tones. "I have sent Hagrid to search the grounds and asked members of the Order of Phoenix to search for him outside. There is also the death of Cedric. We are taking measures to ensure the safety of the students. Something's very wrong ... I feel it."
Sirius, his emotions getting the better of him, slammed a fist on the table, causing all the portraits to jump in shock.
"Wrong? That's an understatement! Where is my godson, Albus? What happened out there?" Sirius snapped. "You're supposed to protect him, not throw him into danger! You should never have allowed him to participate in this tournament."
Dumbledore met Sirius's gaze with a heavy heart. "Sirius, now is not the time to argue among ourselves. I understand your feelings. Don't you think I care about Harry? I-"
Just as Dumbledore was about to continue, he sensed people coming into his office.
"Sirius," the headmaster called, and immediately, Harry's Godfather understood what he needed to do. Sirius nodded and stood up. He transformed back into the great black dog, his Animagus form. It was this very form that allowed him to escape the prison of Azkaban unassisted.
Before the door opened, Sirius went behind Dumbledore's desk and hid.
There, entering the office, was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, followed by Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall.
...
..
.
Hermione Granger anxiously paced the corridor outside, her worry for Harry intensifying with each passing moment. The events in the maze had taken an unexpected turn, and now her friend Harry was missing, while the only other person, Cedric, who knew about what had happened in the maze, was dead.
"You know for how long I have been waiting for you, I was almost seen by Flich," said Hermione as she saw Ron tiptopping his way toward her.
Without exchanging words, Hermione gestured for him to follow her. Hermione wanted to listen in on Dumbledore, Fudge, and the others, to find out what was happening. If there was even a slight clue about Harry's whereabouts, the two could investigate on their own.
But as they discreetly moved towards the hospital wing, they were abruptly halted by the towering figure of Mad-Eye Moody. His magical eye moved to focus on them, and his gruff voice cut through the dimly lit corridor.
"Where do you two think you're going?" The duo was so scared by Mad-Eye Moody that they remained quiet.
Moody's magical eye seemed to inspect them, and his lips curled into a scowl.
"Dumbledore's orders, kids. Everyone is to return to their rooms immediately. No exceptions."
Hermione glanced at Ron, clearly blaming the latter for this. If he had not been late, they would not have been seen by Professor Moody. The plan to gather information first-hand now appeared to be falling apart in their very face.
"But Harry's not back yet, and we need to know what's going on," Ron argued, his voice filled with genuine concern.
"Ron!" cried Hermione, as Ron divulged a clue that their reason for being outside was because of the missing Harry.
Reluctantly, Hermione and Ron obeyed, casting anxious glances back at each other. But as they turned away again, Moody's gruff voice reached them.
"And you, Weasley, come with me. I will make sure you get to your room definitely this time."
The walk to Ron's room was a tense one for Ron, with every step echoing the sound of Mad-Eye Moody's wooden leg. Ron couldn't shake the feeling of unease as he followed the imposing figure of Mad-Eye Moody.
As they reached Grynfindor's entrance, Moody, whose true identity was Barty Crouch Jr, disguised by the Polyjuice Potion, swiftly grabbed hold of Ron's shoulder. With Moody's strong hand holding Ron in place, the boy couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine.
"Now, Weasley," Moody's voice took on a more sinister undertone, "we need to have a little chat." Moody, or rather Barty Crouch Jr., raised his wand, his expression darkening.
IMPERIO
The spell was cast, and Ron fell under Moody's complete control on the spot.
"Get me the Cloak of Invisibility that belongs to Harry," Moody demanded, his magical eye fixated on Ron.
The young wizard, under the influence of the spell, walked to the large portrait of the Fat Lady in a pink silk dress. After Ron told her the right password, the door opened to reveal a round opening in the wall. Ron entered the common room, ignored all the students discussing the event, and went directly to his room. Ron navigated to Harry's trunk and, after opening it, took out the cloak. Without any suspicion, Ron went outside and handed back the cloak to Moody.
A sinister grin played on Barty Crouch Jr's lips. "Excellent, Weasley. You've been very cooperative. It is time to go to sleep."
With another wave from his wand, Barty Jr sent Ron Weasley back to his common room, not before removing his memory about the event that had just occurred.
When Ron would wake up the next day, he would just remember that Moody took him near the entrance of Gryffindor, and Ron went to bed directly.
"My Lord, the mission you have given me is completed. Your loyal servant is going to join you soon." With that thought, Barty Crouch Jr left and began his journey out of the school of Hogwarts.
This was the beginning of the doom that was about to befall the British wizarding community.