Magic? || Years 1-5

Stunning: Year 4

History of Magic was already hard enough to pay attention to when she was wide awake, but half asleep from staying up all night worrying?

It was a wonder she hadn't immediately fallen out of her seat and started snoring.

The bell rang, to her relief, and they hurried off to the DADA classroom. Moody was leaving, looking just as tired as them.

"Professor Moody?" Harry called out.

"Hello, Potter," Moody growled, his magical eye watching a group of first years before turning back to them. "Come in here."

They slipped inside his classroom, and Moody closed the door behind them with a soft click.

"Did you find him? Mr. Crouch?" Harry asked instantly.

"No," Moody replied simply, sitting down behind his desk and taking a swig from his hip flask.

"Did you use the map?" Harry asked.

"Of course. Took a leaf out of your book, Potter. Summoned it from my office into the forest. He wasn't anywhere on there," Moody sipped again.

"So he did Disapparate?" Ron piped up.

"You can't Disapparate on the grounds, Ron!" Hermione almost shouted, pinching the bridge of her nose before looking up. "There are other ways he could have disappeared, aren't there, Professor?"

"You're another one who might think about a career as an Auror," Moody remarked, looking at Hermione. "Mind works the right way, Granger."

Hermione went pink.

"Well, he wasn't invisible. The map shows invisible people. He must've left the grounds, then," Harry declared.

"But under his own steam or because someone made him?" Hermione continued.

"Yeah, someone could've -- could've pulled him onto a broom and flown off with him, couldn't they?" Ron suggested quickly, seemingly eager to get the same praise from Moody.

"We can't rule out kidnap," Moody replied.

"So, d'you reckon he's somewhere in Hogsmeade?" Ron raised his eyebrows.

"I could ask my father if he's seen any sign of him -- " Amisty offered.

"If Crouch has remained hidden for this long it isn't likely he will find him, River," Moody raised his hand, cutting her off. "He could be anywhere. Only thing we know for sure is that he's not here." He yawned, shaking his head.

"Now, Dumbledore's told me you four fancy yourselves as investigators, but there's nothing you can do for Crouch. The Ministry'll be looking for him now, Dumbledore's just notified them. Potter, you just keep your mind on the third task."

"What?" Harry blinked, realization hitting him. "Oh yeah..."

"Should be right up your street, this one. From what Dumbledore's said, you've managed to get through stuff like this plenty of times. Broke your way through a series of obstacles guarding the Sorcerer's Stone in your first year, didn't you?"

"We helped," Ron piped up quickly, glancing at the rest of them. "Me, Hermione, and Amisty all helped."

Moody grinned toothily, "Well, help him practice for this one, and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't win. In the meantime... constant vigilance, Potter. Constant vigilance," Moody glanced over at Ron, Hermione, and Amisty. "You three, you stick close to Potter, all right? I'm keeping an eye on things, but all the same... you can never have too many eyes out."

-=+=-

An owl arrived the next morning with Sirius's reply, soon followed by a Prophet owl that dropped the newspaper into Hermione's lap.