章節 444: Barty beaten barmy

Barty Crouch was not having a good time, ever since the ICW had suggested reforming the Tri-Wizard tournament and had the Minister task him with it's completion everything that could go wrong, had gone wrong.

He hadn't wanted to do this event in the first place however the problems started during the Qudditch World Cup when the Death Eaters attacked. He hadn't known it at the time but his son was probably responsible as when he returned home he wasn't in his usual almost comatose state. Indeed it was stupid of him to think he could keep someone as powerful as Barty Crouch Jr. under his Imperius permanently.

He wanted to search for him before he caused any more problems but his duties to the tournament prevented this, he suspected something big was approaching as the signs were there. The mass breakout of Azkaban that the Ministry haphazardly tried to cover up, the abrupt silence of the non-human groups and the attack at the World Cup. He'd ask someone for help but he knew if they found out his son was still alive he'd be shipped to Azkaban, probably to a cell next to his own son's.

Then the problems with the tournament started, he suspected it was the fault of Ciri Rivia as she's the person who's been breaking all of the rules he's created to stop her interference. The First Task was meant to be a magnificent struggle that the champions would barely pass, however that girl and Harry Potter made it look like a joke. Not only easily completing the tasks with powerful artifacts but costing the Ministry thousands of Galleons due to the deaths of the dragons!

After seeing that he'd created the rule of no magical weapons, of course this excluded wands as they were essential to wizards and witches however as soon as the Second Task started he knew she'd found another loop-hole. A ring, he'd not been able to get a closer look at it but from what Dumbledore said the Mermen had told him she'd put it on and rendered the water essentially non-existant for herself.

Crouch was almost foaming as the mouth in anger, if he was in a better state of mind and not worrying about his son he may have been able to quell it, however this was the final straw. He'd used a couple contacts and managed to acquire some prototypes desgiend to mimick muggle technology from the Department of the misuse of Muggle artifacts. These were incredibly illegal however he wished to show everyone that Ciri Rivia was too weak to even survive the final task without bringing in some kind of outside help.

He nods to himself, he hadn't had a second thought about whether or not Ciri would succeed as it was already a foregone conclusion. Crouch had to write a couple of discreet letters to his associates that'd helped him in acquiring these "Observers". Not wishing for his mail to be discovered by those wishing to put him out of a job or even in jail he headed towards the forbidden forest with his owl on his shoulder.

However as soon as he was out of sight from Hogwarts he felt that he had made a grave error... Alastor Moody was grinning at him ear to ear with an occasional flick of the tongue that looked familiar... "No, that can't be." he mutters to himself.

Moody hobbles towards him, "Some'thin bothering you Crouch?" he asks in a grave voice.

Crouch "uh-uh-n-n-no Moody.. I seem to have wandered off... I'll be getting back now if you don't mind." he stutters out with his mind racing, he doesn't dare reach for his wand because if what he suspects is true then he'll not make it. He turns his back and carefully starts making his way back to Hogwarts however a different voice calls him from behind.

"That's no way to treat your son now is it... Father?"

...

A chill runs down his back as he turns and sees Moody still standing there, however his tongue flicks from his mouth and alerts him to his true identity.

Crouch "Jr... W-what are you doing? Where is Mad-Eye?"

Barty Jr points his wand at Crouch, "You'd love to know that wouldn't you? After what you did to mother, TO ME!"

Crouch "I swear I did-" "CRUCIO!" "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screams from the agonising pain being inflicted to him.

Barty Jr laughs, "SCREAM ALL YOU LIKE FATHER, I'VE WARDED THE AREA FOR JUST SUCH AN OCCASION! CRUCIO!"

Crouch "Pl-PLEASE STOP!" he pleads through his seizure-like movement.

Barty Jr stops for a moment to change the spell "Imperio!" he casts, "How's it feel? To be under my control instead of the other way around!?!" he asks, however something that he doesn't expect happens. The Owl that'd flown away earlier comes back and tries to attack Barty Jr's face, this interrupts the Imperius curse and allows Crouch to break it and run. Jr chases after him and hits him with a few deadly spells however he still manages to make it out of the clearing where Harry Potter spots him.

Harry runs up to the heavily injured man and calls for someone to help, however no one is near enough to hear him. He can only try to stifle the profuse bleeding as he didn't know any advanced healing spells. Crouch tries to tell the boy of Moody's identity but only manages to make a few gasps for air before finally dying.

Barty Jr peers through the clearing and grins before using a portkey to teleport back to Moody's office.