Chapter 254
Barty Crouch Sr. went back to talking to the tree, as if he had already forgotten Harry existed. Harry was so stunned he didn't even notice Crouch had loosened his grip.
"Yes, my son recently passed all twelve O.W.L.s. His results were excellent. Thank you. Yes, I'm very proud of him. Now then, if you could pass me that memo from the Minister of Magic in Andorra, I might have time to draft a reply…"
"You stay here with him!" Harry Potter said quickly to Viktor Krum. "I'll go get Dumbledore. I know where his office is—it'll be faster—"
"He's gone mad," Krum said hesitantly, staring at Crouch, who was still muttering to the tree as though it were Percy.
"Stay with him," Harry insisted.
He had just started to get up when Crouch suddenly reacted, grabbing Harry's knees and dragging him back down.
"Don't… leave… me!" he whispered hoarsely, his eyes bulging again. "I… escaped… I have to warn him… I have to tell him… I must see Dumbledore… it's all my fault… it's all my fault… Bertha… is dead… it's all my fault… my son… it's all my fault… I have to tell Dumbledore… Harry Potter… the Dark Lord…"
"If you let go, I'll go find Dumbledore, Mr. Crouch!" Harry said urgently, turning to Krum. "Help me, will you?"
Krum looked uneasy, but he stepped forward and crouched beside Crouch.
"You hold him here," Harry said, finally wrenching himself free. "I'll bring Dumbledore back."
Then he took off at a run, sprinting out of the forest.
Krum watched him go, trying to calm the trembling old man in front of him.
But just as Harry disappeared from sight—
A low, hoarse, vicious voice sounded behind him.
"Stupefy!"
Before Krum could even turn, a flash of red light struck him in the back.
He collapsed instantly, hitting the ground hard and kicking up dust.
The magical eye in the man's face spun rapidly, scanning everything—but his attention never left Crouch.
A cruel smile spread across his lips.
"Little Barty… is that you?" Crouch suddenly lifted his head. His dull eyes cleared for a brief moment.
The man frowned slightly.
"I know your results. I'm very satisfied!" Crouch said, his voice suddenly steady—then his body began to shake again.
"You disappoint me…" His expression twisted into regret. "I didn't raise you properly… I led you down the wrong path… I'm sorry for your mother…"
He began rambling incoherently again.
"Finished your performance?" Alastor Moody—or rather, the man in Moody's form—ground out through clenched teeth, his eyes growing colder by the second.
"Save that for your mother in hell," he said flatly.
He raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra—"
"Stupefy!"
A spell shot out from behind him, striking the back of his head.
His arm jerked.
The green curse veered off and slammed into a nearby tree, blasting a hole straight through its trunk as splinters exploded outward.
"Fake. You should rest for a while."
A rough wooden leg stepped onto Moody's head and nudged it aside casually.
The man spat on the ground and bent down.
"Oh, right… can't forget my old partner."
He reached down and ripped the magical eye from Moody's socket.
It twitched and spun in his palm before he pressed it into his own eye.
"I'm not used to walking without you," he muttered.
—
"Krum?" Harry shouted.
He had already brought Albus Dumbledore with him, explaining everything along the way.
Night had fallen completely, and the darkness swallowed the forest whole.
But there was no answer.
"They were right here," Harry said quickly. "They must still be nearby—"
"Lumos."
Dumbledore raised his wand, and light flared, cutting through the darkness.
He said nothing, his expression calm—almost as if he had expected this.
"You came at the right time. I've already treated him."
A shadow stepped out from the bushes.
Harry's heart jumped—his wand snapped up—
Then he froze.
It was Moody.
Only… something felt off.
In the glow of Dumbledore's wand, Harry noticed it immediately—
Moody looked thinner. More hollow. Even more gaunt than before. His scars seemed deeper, his face more drawn.
"Was he attacked?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
"I'm afraid so," Moody replied. "When I arrived, I found this champion unconscious on the ground. I've done what I could, but he'll need proper care to recover fully."
"Where is he?" Harry asked urgently. "And Mr. Crouch—where is he?"
"Over there." Moody pointed toward a tree.
Sure enough, a faint figure could be seen slumped against it.
"As for Mr. Crouch… I didn't see him at all."
Harry's brief relief vanished instantly.
"Saving him is more important," Dumbledore said quietly.
His half-moon glasses caught the wandlight as he raised his wand.
A silver shape burst from its tip—like a glowing bird—and shot off through the trees.
Then Dumbledore strode forward without hesitation, reaching Krum's side.
He pointed his wand at him.
"Ennervate."