Butterfly Effect ; H. Potter

49. barty crouch jr.

"What happened?" the man asked at last, as he lifted Harry and Antheia up the stone steps. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. It was Mad-Eye Moody.

"The Cup was a Portkey," muttered Antheia, as they crossed the Entrance Hall. "Someone took me to a graveyard ... the Portkey took Harry and Cedric there ... and he was there - Voldermort ..."

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Up the marble stairs ...

"The Dark Lord was there? What happened then?"

"Killed Cedric," Harry said, "... they killed Cedric ..."

"And then?"

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Along the corridor ...

"Made a potion ... got his body back ..."

"The Dark Lord got his body back? He's returned?"

"I think so ..." Antheia said. "The Death Eaters came ... and then we duelled ..."

"You duelled with the Dark Lord?"

"Got away," Harry said. "My wand ... did something funny ... I saw my mum and dad ... they came out of his wand ..."

"In here, Harry and Antheia ... in here, and sit down ... you'll be all right now ... drink this ..."

Antheia heard a key scrape in a lock, and felt a cup being pushed into her hands.

"Drink it ... you'll feel better ... come on now, I need to know exactly what happened ..."

Moody helped tip the stuff down their throats; they coughed, a peppery taste burning in both of their throats. Moody's office came into sharper focus, and so did Moody himself ... he looked as white as Fudge, and both eyes were fixed unblinkingly upon Harry and Antheia's faces.

"Voldemort's back? You're sure he's back? How did he do it?"

"He took stuff from his father's grave, and from Wormtail, and us," said Harry. His head felt clearer; his scar wasn't hurting so badly. He could still hear screaming and shouting from the distant Quidditch pitch.

"What did the Dark Lord take from you?" said Moody.

"Blood," said Antheia, showing her torn sleeves to Moody.

Moody let out his breath in a long, low hiss. "And the Death Eaters? They returned?"

"Yes," said Antheia. "A lot of them ..."

"How did he treat them?" Moody asked quietly. "Did he forgive them?"

But Antheia suddenly remembered. "He said there was a Death Eater at Hogwarts!"

"They put my name in the Goblet of Fire," said Harry, "and made sure I got through the end -"

Harry tried to get up, but Moody pushed him back down.

"I know who the Death Eater is," he said quietly.

"Karkaroff?" said Harry wildly. "Where is he? Have you got him? Is he locked up?"

"Karkaroff?" said Moody with an odd laugh. "Karkaroff fled tonight, when he felt the Dark Mark burn upon his arm. He betrayed too many faithful supporters of the Dark Lord to wish to meet them ... but I doubt he will get far. The Dark Lord has ways of tracking his enemies."

"Karkaroff's gone? He ran away? But then - he didn't put my name in the Cup?"

"No," said Moody slowly. "No, he didn't. It was I who did that."

Antheia blinked in disbelief.

"No, you didn't," she said. "Why would you ... you couldn't have ..."