Chapter 221
Albert sat on a tree stump, his breathing slowing after the fierce confrontation he had just fought against Barty Crouch Jr. The unconscious body of the son lay beside him, and a broken magic wand was nearby. The silence that pervaded the forest was frightening, as only the sounds of the wind passing through the tall trees and the sound of his ragged breathing could be heard. Ten minutes passed, during which Albert felt the weight of the situation as if time had stopped.
While he was thinking about what had happened and what would come next, he spotted a group moving quickly through the trees from afar. Moments later, he could clearly see the faces: Dumbledore in the lead with steady steps, Professor Severus Snape by his side, and behind them Barty Crouch Sr., who looked sad and broken, his face pale and his hands trembling.
When the three reached his location, Dumbledore stopped and cast a quick glance at Albert and at Jr. lying on the ground. Then he looked directly at Albert, his sharp eyes reflecting a mixture of concern and interest. Dumbledore spoke calmly but with a voice carrying its usual gravitas:
"What happened here, Albert? Are you alright?"
Albert looked at Dumbledore with tired eyes, then shifted his gaze to Barty Crouch Sr., who was standing nervously behind Dumbledore, avoiding looking at his son's body. For a moment, Albert felt sympathy for him, despite everything that had happened. He took a deep breath, then said calmly:
"What happened here is not something that can be summarized easily, Professor Dumbledore. But I think we should discuss this matter inside the castle. That would be better, wouldn't it?"
Dumbledore looked at Albert with a look of understanding, then nodded his head. "You are right, Albert. Let's take this conversation inside."
Snape approached the body of Barty Jr. lying on the ground. Mixed expressions of curiosity and annoyance showed on his face, but he did not say anything. He bent down and grabbed Jr.'s shoulder to lift him slightly, then turned to Albert and said in a dry tone:
"Was it necessary to take him down this way? He looks like a corpse."
Albert did not reply, only staring at Snape for a moment before standing up and helping him lift Jr.'s body. Despite his light weight, Albert felt a moral burden as if the body carried all the mistakes Jr. had committed in his life.
Meanwhile, Barty Crouch Sr. was standing a short distance away, looking at his son with sad looks full of regret. This moment carried a great burden on him. Dumbledore approached him and placed his hand gently on his shoulder, trying to calm him. He said in a low voice:
"Everything will be explained soon, Barty. But I need you to be strong now."
Crouch Sr. nodded without saying a word, as he shifted his gaze between his son and Albert. He seemed to want to say something, but he chose silence in the end.
Albert and Snape lifted Jr.'s body together, while Dumbledore gestured for them to walk towards the castle. He said in a calm but decisive voice:
"We must return quickly. There is much we must understand, and there are decisions that must be made."
The group began to walk slowly towards the castle.
The group finally reached the castle gates, the atmosphere charged with heavy silence, and every step inside carried uncomfortable anticipation.
Dumbledore, with his calm face that hid thousands of questions, led them through the stone corridors until they stopped at a crossroad. He turned to Albert and Snape, who were still carrying the unconscious body of Barty Crouch Jr.
Dumbledore said in a calm but firm tone: "We must discuss this matter in my office. What happened today must be fully explained."
But Albert, whose face showed a mixture of seriousness and determination, interrupted Dumbledore: "Professor, I think we should go to Professor Moody's office first. There is something very important there, something this person is hiding there."
Dumbledore gave Albert a long look, as if trying to read his mind. In the end, he nodded quietly and said: "Very well, if you think there is something worth investigating, we will do as you say. To Moody's office then."
The group proceeded towards Moody's office, where Dumbledore opened the door with a movement of his wand, revealing a room filled with chaos. Albert and Snape placed Jr.'s body on a chair in the middle of the office, while Snape cast a spell that caused a long rope to wrap tightly around Jr.'s body and the chair, ensuring he would not be able to move once he woke up.
Moments later, Barty Jr. began to regain consciousness. His head swayed lightly before he slowly opened his eyes, only to realize that he was trapped and in front of faces he knew well: Dumbledore with his dignity, his father with a face full of sadness and betrayal, Snape with his penetrating and hostile glances, and Albert who was watching him silently but sharply.
As soon as Jr. understood the situation, a small smile began to appear on his face, then turned into a faint laugh. As was his custom, he slowly raised his tongue over his lips, a movement that sent shivers down his father's spine.
Barty Crouch Sr. broke the silence, his voice trembling with anger and brokenness: "What made you do this, Junior? How did you escape from Azkaban? How dare you impersonate Moody? Where is the real Mr. Moody?! Come on, answer me!"
But Jr. did not reply directly. Instead, he was staring at his father's face with a sarcastic smile, as if enjoying seeing the pain his actions had caused. After a moment, he laughed louder, then said: "Oh, dear Father... I disguised myself as Mr. Moody for only one goal: to enter this castle and kill Harry Potter!"
A heavy silence descended upon the room for moments after these words. No one believed what they had just heard. It was so shocking that even Dumbledore seemed to take a moment to grasp what was said.
But Snape couldn't control his nerves. He grabbed his wand and pointed it at Jr., clearly furious. He shouted in a sharp voice: "Repeat what you said! Were you planning to kill Harry Potter?!"
Jr. raised his head calmly, his eyes gazing madly at Snape, then said with a contrived smile: "Isn't that obvious? The Dark Lord wants his death, and I was going to be the one to achieve it. But it seems my plan stumbled thanks to this little boy." And he nodded his head towards Albert.
Everyone looked at each other, and the room began to fill with tension. Every word Jr. uttered revealed the depth of his betrayal and danger, and it was clear that much more was yet to be uncovered.
Albert firmly placed his hand on Snape's shoulder, who was still holding his wand pointed at Barty Jr., and said calmly but with a firm tone: "You must stop, Professor Snape! We won't achieve anything this way. The matter requires us to maintain our calm now."
A moment of silence prevailed in the room, then Snape let out a sigh of anger and slowly removed his wand, but his eyes did not leave Jr.'s face, who was looking at him with looks full of sarcasm and ridicule.
Jr.'s wide smile was extremely provocative, as if his presence there, shackled, was just a game for him.
At that moment, Albert headed towards the corner of the office where a large metal box attracted attention with its huge size. The box barely fit the room, being about a meter and a half long and filled with small stacked boxes inside.
Albert began to open the boxes, one after another, carefully and with focus.
While he was working on opening the boxes, he turned to Dumbledore and said: "Here, Professor. The real Professor Moody is located here."
As soon as Barty Jr. heard these words, signs of surprise appeared on his face, despite his attempt to maintain his composure. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment and wondered to himself: How did this boy know? How was he able to discover this matter?! Did he look inside my mind while I was unconscious?!
While Albert continued to open the boxes, Jr. began to recall Peter Pettigrew's words when Voldemort was explaining their first plan to infiltrate the castle. Jr. clearly remembered Peter's warning to him: "Be careful of Albert. He exposed me when I was disguised as a rat. He is not just an ordinary student."
At that moment, Jr. realized that he had underestimated Albert and had not taken him seriously, a mistake that cost him a lot now.
Albert finally opened the seventh box and invited everyone to gather around it. Barty Crouch Sr., Snape, and Dumbledore all approached and leaned down to look inside the box. Their eyes were filled with astonishment when they saw the real Professor Moody sitting at the bottom of the box. He looked pale and exhausted, wearing transparent white clothes, and his eyes were slowly spinning around the room as if trying to understand what was going on.
Moody raised his head slightly and began to speak in a weak and unclear voice: "I'm sorry, Dumbledore... I couldn't stop them..."
Dumbledore smiled lightly and said in a reassuring tone: "It was not your fault, Moody. You faced what was beyond your control."
Dumbledore turned towards Albert and looked at him with clear admiration, then said:
"Excellent work, Albert. I was worried that Moody might be in this person's grasp somewhere."
Moments later, Dumbledore raised his wand and pointed it towards the box, chanting a complex spell. A golden light emerged from his wand, and a long magical rope formed and slid inside the box, gently pulling Moody until he emerged from the bottom. As soon as Moody reached the ground, Dumbledore gently grabbed his arm and helped him stand up, while everyone watched the scene with astonishment and relief.
To be continued...