Elizabeth Kane and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 16

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𝕴 𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 I needed to figure out the mystery and fast. If Crouch's son really was playing the part of Uncle Moody, I needed to figure it out without alerting him first. It made sense too, really, when I thought about.

Each vision that had changed- Moody had been a part of. The polecat, the House-elf club, I'd walked past him before I had foreseen my name coming out of the Goblet. He could've easily put it into my mind with a spell. He'd been going into my mind constantly because of Occlumency.

But was I becoming paranoid for no reason? After all, Fred and Cedric had asked me to the ball and I hadn't foreseen that and no one had interfered with that. No one would've had to ask them to ask me to the ball- they had done it on their own.

I knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office and a voice said, "Come in." I pushed open the door and, surveying the room, saw that it was just the two of us. "Ah, Miss Kane, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Er- just a quick question." I said. "I was wondering. . . for the second task, I had foreseen Harry saving Ron. . . as the hostage. You said that someone prodded you into using me instead. I was just curious who it was."

Dumbledore looked at me lightly and said, "Professor Moody. He believed it to be another add on to the challenge considering Mr. Potter, Mr. Diggory, and Mr. Krum all had some sort of connection with you. Just to make it a little harder. Is there something wrong?"

"No." I replied, because I wasn't sure that there was anything wrong. It was a very solid argument about why I was used. "I'm just piecing a puzzle together."

I left after that, having nothing else to say. I had a private lesson with Uncle Moody tonight- if he really was Uncle Moody. I wondered if it would be possible to get a look at Harry's map. Surely he wouldn't have it out in the open. But perhaps if I could get into his office before he was there? Was he carrying the map on him?

I doubted it. Harry hadn't told him how to use the map so he'd want to keep it locked up somewhere special. Perhaps in the trunk he had in the corner of the room? And if Crouch's son was impersonating Uncle Moody. . . well, where was Uncle Moody then?

It also explained- in my mind at least- why Mr. Crouch wasn't going to work. Was his own son controlling him? Or perhaps Voldemort had him under an imperius curse. Or Peter. There were a number of other possibilities of course.

And of course, this must be what Mr. Crouch wanted me to stay out of. What I was about to do right now.

When dinner started, I made sure that Moody was sitting up at the teachers' table and then I carefully made my way to his office. I slipped inside, unlocking the door, and locking it behind me. I searched the drawers and cabinets carefully, though much slower for my liking, and finally found the map in one of the bottom most drawer. I pulled it out, observing it.

I found the Great Hall and searched the tables and found that between McGonagall and Flitwick was Barty Crouch. I held my breath and looked down at Moody's office. It said he was in here! I looked wildly around as though he would be standing somewhere. My eyes fell on the trunk.

That could wait until later. I had to go to Dumbledore now. I carefully put the map back in the bottom drawer and listened at the trunk. I didn't hear anything but it was possible the trunk had been magicked- like the tents at the Cup. For all I knew the trunk contained a maze or had obstacles.

I looked around to make sure nothing was out of place and then went to unlock the door when it opened on its own and Moody was standing there on the other side. He didn't look surprised to see me, though I was quite startled to see him.