Harry found himself in another room, but this one was well-lit.
For a moment, he was thankful that Voldemort had taken him out of that dark room. If left there any longer, his sanity would be gone.
The rocky seat continued to follow Voldemort until it stopped in front of a table. Then, surprisingly, the heavy chains that had bound him for days were removed. Harry felt like there were new parts attached to his body as he could freely move his arms and legs. After getting used to the sensation in them again, Harry looked at Voldemort. Even with the physical restraints gone, it did not cross Harry's mind to attempt to escape.
Both his mind and body were in no condition for such a stunt, and even if Harry was in peak condition, there was the dark Lord standing just a few meters away.
As commanded by Voldemort, Harry saw Wormtail entering the room with a metal tray filled with food. The meal looked simple with a glass of water next to it, but to the starved Harry Potter, the aroma in the air was triggering Harry's primal hunger. Without hesitation, he eagerly consumed the food and drank the water, replenishing his strength after days of deprivation.
As he finished his meal, a knock was heard through the chamber, and the door swung open.
A flicker of hope lit up Harry's eyes as Mad-Eye Moody stepped into the room, his magical eye spinning wildly as he surveyed the room. Harry's eyes widened at the sight of a familiar face.
"He has come to rescue me!" thought Harry.
"Potter," Moody grunted as he entered the room, his wooden legs causing a sound on every step. "Hope you've been enjoying your stay."
Harry's response was cut short as Moody, or rather Barty Crouch Jr, disguised as Moody, abruptly dropped to one knee before Voldemort. Harry could not believe what he was seeing. Shock was not even the appropriate word to describe his emotion.
The famous Auror, known for his actions against Death Eaters, was actually kneeling in front of the Death Eater's master.
Still kneeling, Moody cast a sideways glance at Harry, and a twisted grin appeared on his lips. Then what he did next caused a shiver to run down Harry's spine. Harry Potter witnessed Moody kissing the dark lord's clothes, an act of servitude that shattered the remnants of his hope.
"No, no, no, Professor Moody, what are you doing? You can fight this!" Harry rushed from his chair to Mad-Eye Moody's side.
Voldemort's cold laughter filled the chamber. "Ah, my faithful servant. The boy thinks you are under the Imperio."
Moody's twisted grin widened, and he spoke with satisfaction. "Fight? Why fight against the inevitable, Potter? The Dark Lord's return is unstoppable. It's time you accept your fate."
Upon getting approval to rise, Moody stood up, "Who do you think put your name in that goblet?" said Moody slowly. " It was I who did that."
Harry heard but didn't believe it. "No, you didn't," he said. "You didn't do that... you can't have done..."
"Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did.
Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or prevent you from winning the tournament? I did.
Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragons? I did.
Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon? I did.
Harry, it wasn't easy helping you with these tasks without anyone getting suspicious. I had to be really clever so that nobody would know I was behind your success. Dumbledore would have been wary if everything had gone too smoothly for you. I needed you to enter the maze with a good head start so that I could eliminate the other champions and make your path clear. Dealing with your lack of understanding was another challenge, especially in the second task. I was worried we might fail. I kept an eye on you and realized you hadn't figured out the clue from the egg, so I had to drop another hint."
Harry's mind could not believe what he had just heard.
How could he? Then he remembered that it was Cedric who told him about the egg. "You didn't," Harry said. "Cedric gave me the clue."
But he was rebuked immediately.
"Who told Cedric to open it underwater? I did. I trusted that he would pass the information on to you. Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter. I was sure Cedric would want to repay you for telling him about the dragons, and so he did. But even then, Potter, even then, you seemed likely to fail. I was watching you all the time, especially during the hours in the library. Didn't you realize the book you needed was in your dormitory? I planted it there early on and gave it to the Longbottom boy. Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean would've told you all about gillyweed."
Moody kept on narrating how he secretly helped Harry Potter to win the tournament.
"You were so long in that lake, Potter, I thought you had drowned. But luckily, Dumbledore mistook your foolishness for bravery and praised you for it. I breathed again. You had an easier time in the maze than you should have. I patrolled around it, saw through the outer hedges, and cursed many obstacles out of your way."
Harry stared at Moody, unable to comprehend. Dumbledore's friend, the renowned Auror who caught many Death Eaters.
It made no sense at all.
Moody's twisted grin remained fixed as he continued to unravel every detail on how he was the one behind the scenes, secretly manipulating Harry throughout the Triwizard Tournament. The revelation of his orchestrated victories left Harry in shock, questioning the authenticity of every achievement.
"You see, Potter, I intended for you to be the sole champion to reach the Triwizard Cup," Moody sneered, relishing in the confusion etched across Harry's face. "But you brought Diggory along. That was an unexpected outcome."
Harry thought that by exiting the trapped room he was in, he was also leaving all the accusations of causing Cedric's death. But once again, he was reminded of how he killed Cedric.