"Ah yes, the tournament. I do hope you are enjoying yourself in it. After all, I did have to go through quite a bit of trouble to get you in to it." he admitted, his face now taking on a proud look. "Dumbledore thought he was so smart with the Goblet of Fire and his damned enchantments. But he's not as smart as he likes to think he is, is he? After all, I am supposed to be one of his best friends and he doesn't suspect a thing."
"So it was you who put my name in the cup. But why?" Harry asked, careful not to reveal that he knew the man in front of him was not Professor Moody.
"Of course it was. And it is not my or your place to know why the master requests the things he does." Moody/Crouch answered. Harry froze at the man's response, was the 'master' he mentioned Voldemort? And if so why did Voldemort want him in the tournament in the first place?
"Your master?" Harry asked uncertainly, needing to know but fearing the answer.
"The Dark Lord, Mr Potter." Harry gulped and nodded as his fears were confirmed.
"But why Professor Moody? You were an Auror, one of the best." Harry said, still trying to keep the conversation going as long as possible. So far he had not even heard a sound from the other side of the door and he knew that it would be almost an hour until the next class came in. He remembered that the Charms classroom was next door and hoped that maybe someone would accidently open the wrong door, but the next round of classes should be starting in the next few minutes so his hopes were quickly diminishing.
"Still playing that game, are you? Drop it. We both know that I am not Alistor Moody." Harry knew that it would be stupid to continue acting like the man in front of him really was Moody, so he merely nodded.
"Fine then, Mr Crouch."
"See now? Isn't that better. I was warned about that bloody map of yours, and when I saw you looking at it during class I knew you had figured out that I am not who I claim to be. I think you might remember who warned me about the map, Wormtail sends his regards." At the mention of the traitor Peter Pettigrew Harry's grip on his wand tightened. Crouch must have seen his hand twitch because in an instant he had his wand in his hand, though he was still not pointing it in Harry's direction.
"But why? You are a respected part of the Ministry, why would you do this?" Harry asked, slowly bringing his wand out of his pocket so he would have it ready in case of an attack. Crouch noticed him doing this, of course, but made no move to stop him.
"I guess I gave you too much credit then. I am not my father, Mr Potter. My name is Barty Crouch Junior." the man who still looked like Professor Moody admitted. Harry had never even heard of Barty Crouch Jr, and the confusion must have been evident in his expression because Crouch Jr began talking again. "I take it you don't know of me then. I was and remain to this day a faithful servant of the Dark Lord. After his disappearance that bastard Karkaroff sold me out to save his own ass and I was thrown in Azkaban by my own father. He will pay for that and his other crimes against me."
"How did you get out?" Harry asked, seeing a good way to keep the man talking.
"My mother convinced my father to sneak me out of Azkaban and let her take my place. After that I was kept as a prisoner in my own home until this summer." Crouch Jr explained. "But now I am free to serve my lord once again, which brings me back to my original question: What am I going to do with you? Unfortunately the Dark Lord wants you alive, if he did not I would have murdered you the first opportunity I got. And there have been so many good opportunities. Do you know how hard it was for me to restrain myself from casting the killing curse at you when you least suspected it? Or perhaps not to kill you right away, but to make you suffer first? It would have been glorious, but the honor of killing you is not mine. The Dark Lord wishes to do that himself."
"Your 'Dark Lord' is nothing more than a spirit." Harry replied, braver than he actually felt. The class next door had already started by now so the chances that any one would walk through the door were extremely thin.
"Is he now? I would suggest you don't talk about things you obviously know nothing about." As Crouch answered Harry suddenly remembered the dream he had during the summer in which Voldemort had become a hideous but small creature that looked like a deformed baby. He had been surrounded by Wormtail and an unknown man that Harry was beginning to believe was Barty Crouch Jr. It would make sense, although Harry wondered briefly what it meant that he was having accurate visions about Voldemort that he pushed from his mind to focus on the situation at hand.
"Why are you doing this, what is your plan?" Harry demanded as part of his mind was screaming at him that the conversation was nearing its end and he needed to prepare for a fight.
"Neither of us are worthy enough to know the Dark Lord's plans. I suppose I will just have to Obvliviate you and continue with our little game. It really is a shame I can't just kill you now. Oh well." Crouch Jr said with an exagerated look of sadness. For a moment the two stared at each other, not moving, waiting to see what the other would do. The both had their wands in their hands, ready to cast the first spell. In the end it was Barty Crouch Jr who began the battle.
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