Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 28 - The Dream and The Pensieve

After sending Sirius a letter, we went to Professor Moody only to find out that he had not managed to find Mr. Crouch. He was quick to usher us out of his classroom after, telling us we ought not to investigate any further.

"How do we know for sure he didn't find Crouch?" I asked once out of earshot.

"What d'you mean?" Ron asked.

"He doesn't have to tell us. In fact, I'm pretty sure Aurors and professors alike would be more likely not to tell a bunch of teenagers even if they knew what happened to Mr. Crouch. . . ."

"Moody wouldn't just lie to us," Harry said.

"You think Moody might be up to something?" Hermione asked. "Liz, he's an Auror. And Dumbledore trusts him."

I sighed, knowing she was right, and yet I couldn't help but think we must be missing something. Something that was right in our faces.

I was going over all that we knew so far while Professor Trelawney talked about the position of Mars while pointing at a miniature version of the solar system.

The Death Eaters at the World Cup. Someone had stolen Harry's wand to cast the Dark Mark. If not Winky, then who? Why had Mr. Crouch snuck inside Snape's office, especially if when he wasn't coming to the tasks? This had to be part of what we weren't understanding, part of what we were missing. Boomslang skin was an ingredient for Polyjuice Potion, so who was he turning into? and why?

And what was Mr. Crouch's big secret? Was that why someone was after him? Whoever had attacked Krum that night in the forest must know about Mr. Crouch's secret. If that was so, what did they do to him?

My thoughts turned to Moody again. Harry did say he'd shown up quickly at the scene. How could he have had time to get to the forest if he'd been in the castle? Unless he'd been there all along. . . .

But as Hermione acutely pointed out, Moody was an Auror. He seemed the least likely person to attack Harry, and yet . . . Why was he helping Harry so much with the Tournament? Was that not the very thing that had made Harry suspicious of Ludo Bagman? Did Moody know Mr. Crouch's secret? Or better yet, perhaps Mr. Crouch and Moody were working together . . . that didn't make sense either, Moody could have just gotten the Boomslang skin, but that might explain how he'd gotten to the forest so quickly —

Harry fell off his chair and onto the floor, screaming. All eyes turned to him as Ron and I jumped to our feet.

"Harry!" I said as I kneeled before him.

"Harry!"

He was clutching his scar when his eyes finally popped open.

"You all right?" Ron asked him.

"Of course he isn't!" Professor Trelawney said as she ran over to us, looking excited. I frowned as I stared at her and hoped she could see how mad I thought her. "What was it, Potter? A premonition? An apparition? What did you see?"

"Nothing," Harry said as he furtively glanced behind him. Ron and I looked around before exchanging a worried look. "I need to go to the hospital wing, I think. Bad headache."

"My dear," Professor Trelawney said, "you were undoubtedly stimulated by the extraordinary clairvoyant vibrations of my room! If you leave now, you may lose the opportunity to see further than you have ever — "

"I don't want to see anything except a headache cure," Harry said as he's stood up.

Ron and I looked on helplessly as Harry gathered his things and left the classroom under everyone's watchful eyes.