Percy Jackson and the Triwizard Tournament [Book 4]

143) Another Long Monologue

Harry froze for a long moment, disbelief radiating off of him, "No, you didn't. You didn't do that... you can't have done..."

"I assure you I did," Moody's magical eye swung around to look at the door, dashing any hopes I had of some savior waiting behind it to save us. As he did that, he slipped his wand from his sleeve and pointed it at Harry. "He forgave them, then? The Death Eaters who went free? The ones who escaped Azkaban?"

"What?" Harry was confused.

"I asked you," Moody spoke quietly at first, but his voice was slowly rising, "whether he forgave the scum who never even went to look for him. The treacherous cowards who wouldn't even brave Azkaban for him. The faithless, worthless bits of filth who were brave enough to cavort in masks at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled at the sight of the Dark Mark when I fired it into the sky."

"You did that?" I raised an eyebrow. "What are you going on about? What's cavort mean? Meet up? Work together? I'm not good with English."

Moody didn't answer. He seemed a little crazed, running his free hand through his hair as his eyes grew wider, "I told you, Harry... I told you. If there's one thing I hate more than any other, it's a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on their master when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them. Tell me he hurt them, Harry...." Moody's face was marred with a wicked smile. "Tell me he told them that I, I alone remained faithful... prepared to risk everything to deliver to him the one thing he wanted above all... you."

"Is the thing you hate the most really Death Eaters who got out of trouble?" I frowned. "Like, you've definitely never had to deal with mosquitoes. Ticks. Those are so annoying. They get all up on you and come to the nice comfy places like the band of your underwear and just chill there, and then they itch, and then you pull them off — you're not supposed to do that, their heads can stay in you, but I've never been one for caring about my health. They can leave marks for a really long time. I've got three from several months ago. And, and vending machines where your drinks get stuck, and crackheads, they're weird. Also, does Voldemort really want Harry more than anything? He seems the type to want a puppy. He should ask Santa for one."

Moody stared at me in open mouthed shock.

Harry, who had been shocked by Moody before I'd started talking, finally comprehended what the Death Eater had said, sort of, "You didn't... it — it can't be you...."

Moody, in his slightly crazed state, got excited by Harry's doubt, "Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did. Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or prevent you from winning the tournament? I did. Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragons? I did. Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon? I did." Moody's eye left the door, and fixated on Harry. "It hasn't been easy, Harry, guiding you through these tasks without arousing suspicion. I have had to use every ounce of cunning I possess, so that my hand would not be detectable in your success. Dumbledore would have been very suspicious if you had managed everything too easily. As long as you got into that maze, preferably with a decent head start — then, I knew, I would have a chance of getting rid of the other champions and leaving yours and Percy's way clear. But I also had to contend with your stupidity. The second task... that was when I was most afraid we would fail. I was keeping watch on you, Potter. I knew you hadn't worked out the egg's clue, so I had to give you another hint —"

"You didn't," I shook my head. "Cedric gave him the clue —"

"Who helped Cedric learn to open it underwater? I did. He knew it had something to do with water, but wasn't sure what. So I told him. I trusted that he would pass the information on to Harry. Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Jackson. I was sure Cedric would want to repay you, Harry, for telling him about the dragons, and so he did. But even then, Potter, even then you seemed likely to fail. I was watching all the time... all those hours in the library. Didn't you realize that the book you needed was in your dormitory all along? I planted it there early on, I gave it to the Longbottom boy, don't you remember? Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean. It would have told you all you needed to know about gillyweed. I expected you to ask everyone and anyone you could for help. Longbottom would have told you in an instant. But you did not... you did not.... You have a streak of pride and independence that might have ruined all.

"So what could I do? Feed you information from another innocent source. You told me at the Yule Ball a house-elf called Dobby had given you a Christmas present. I called the elf to the staffroom to collect some robes for cleaning. I staged a loud conversation with Professor McGonagall about the hostages who had been taken, and whether Potter would think to use gillyweed. And your little elf friend ran straight to Snape's office and then hurried to find you...." Blurry shapes started moving in the Foe-Glass on the wall. It showed hidden people. Enemies to its owner. For the first time that night, my stomach untwisted itself from the pretzel it had become.

"You were so long in that lake, Potter, I thought you had drowned. But luckily, Dumbledore took your idiocy for nobility, and marked you high for it. I breathed again.

"You had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, of course," Moody said. "I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outer hedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, so that he would finish Diggory and leave your path to the cup clear, and I distracted the monsters that would've went after Percy, and he could find you." I frowned, eying the Foe-Glass. It had become sharper. I could see three people approaching.

"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you, Potter, and he so wanted to," Moody whispered. "Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him — the thing he needed above all to regenerate — and then I killed you for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter... closer than a son...." Moody stared fixedly at Harry, and I frowned. I realized that Voldemort hadn't killed me when he could have. He didn't want to fight me — he would have just wanted me gone. For some reason, he had wanted me alive, and that scared me more than him wanting me dead. Moody stared fixedly at Harry, his wand pointed at his neck. I had to remind myself to worry about the more current problem of the crazed guy threatening my friend. Moody looked insane. "The Dark Lord and I have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers... very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure... the very great pleasure... of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!"

"You're mad," Harry said, and I kicked him in the shin, hoping he'd shut up. It didn't work. "You're mad!"

"Mad, am I?" Moody's voice rose uncontrollably. "We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him — and now — I conquer you!" Moody raised his wand. I dug into my pocket for my sword, knowing I wouldn't be fast enough.

Tomorrow is career day at school. People are coming in and talking about careers and it's neat. Apparently, Dairy Queen people are bringing ice cream. That's freaking amazing. When I signed up for their class I didn't know it was ice cream. I'm so freaking happy. And I only signed up for Pepsi because I thought there'd be Pepsi. But even if there isn't Pepsi, I'm still gonna get ice cream. Oh, so I had fourth graders answer a bunch of questions. You'd be surprised at the answers about time travel. They'd go back in time 6 months to Las Vegas. No clue why. A bunch of kids wanted to go to Florida. Oh there was this one kid who put really great answers. When asked about what he wanted to be for Halloween, he answered that he wanted to be Momo so he could scare little kids. This kid is my soul animal.

Anyway, I hope you guys have had a terrific Tuesday, and I'll see you on Thursday CT. Love ya!