Brighter Than the Sun

Chapter Seventy-Eight

"What's going on?" Harry asked me quietly while Ron and Hermione continued to bicker.

"Okay," I whispered, "so remember when I said I thought Moody was covering for Crouch so he could search Snape's office?"

"Yeah, you reiterated that theory just the other day and stormed off when Sirius said he didn't think it was possible."

I gave him an unimpressed look before turning away.

"No, wait, Ash — I'm sorry. What were you going to say?"

"Moody wasn't covering for Crouch because Moody is Crouch, Harry. He's using a Polyjuice potion. It all makes sense, that's probably also why Snape's office was broken into, he wanted more ingredients for —"

"Wait," Harry interrupted. "How'd you reach that conclusion?"

"The Marauder's Map," I said. "When Hermione and I asked Moody whether Skeeter was wearing an invisibility cloak, I looked at the Marauder's Map to make sure she wasn't on the grounds and —"

"Why are we whispering with our heads very close together?" Luke whispered, appearing between Harry and I.

I practically jumped out of my skin. I shrieked and slapped him in the face, causing him to yelp and run into Harry. The two of them ended up on the ground. Ron and Hermione had stopped arguing and turned around in alarm and were now staring at the scene in shock.

"Ohhhh Morrigan," I said, extending a hand and trying to help the boys up. "Sorry, Luke."

"Ow."

"I'm so sorry. You appeared out of nowhere and I just —"

"It's fine, I really should've known better than to sneak up on you."

"I'm sorry —"

"You're fine, Ash," Luke said. "So what were you talking about?"

I instinctively started rambling. "I was telling Harry about how weird Moody's eye is. Like it sees through clothes and spins around and stuff. It's creepy and weird, and honestly in a castle full of adolescents, having an eyeball that can see through clothes sounds kind of pedophilic, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess you've got a — hang on, did you just use an adjective form of pedophile?"

"Yes," I said, rolling my eyes. "What is it with you and questioning the way I say stuff? That's the second time it's happened."

"Because it's weird as Hades," Luke said. "The other day you said I was aesthetically pleasing."

"Aesthetically — Ash, what?" Hermione laughed.

"I'm not calling him hot," I insisted. "I refuse to use the word hot to describe him."

"But I am hot."

"What you are is narcissistic." I rolled my eyes again and shook my head.

From then on, Luke seemed to find it hilarious to interrupt Harry and I whenever we tried to have a private conversation, so I just stopped trying to tell him what happened. I wondered if I should try telling Hermione and Ron, but decided against it. Ron was a huge fan of Moody and wouldn't hear a word against him, and Hermione was already busy with our vendetta against Rita Skeeter. We'd ruled out Invisibility Cloaks entirely and were considering Polyjuice potion, but neither of us wanted to ask Snape on account of the fact that he was a huge jerk.

After the Easter holidays, Luke told me that Chiron would be arriving with the two demigods from Camp Half-Blood. We met them, along with Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman, at the train station.