Chapter 276
"No."
Barty Crouch Sr. slowly shook his head.
"At that time, I was already extremely weak. I had almost no combat ability left."
"Then who attacked me?!"
Viktor Krum roared angrily.
Although he had not suffered any serious injuries, the incident still humiliated him deeply.
"It was him."
Crouch slowly raised a finger and pointed toward the man seated before the teachers' table.
"Are you joking? Mad-Eye Moody?!"
The Great Hall instantly erupted into chaos once again.
Students and professors alike looked toward the old Auror with shock and vigilance.
"Of course, not the current him."
Crouch spoke slowly.
"I mean the fake Moody from before."
"My son fanatically worshipped the Dark Lord. After escaping, he found Voldemort and joined him."
"They devised several horrifying plans."
"One of them was replacing Alastor Moody and infiltrating Hogwarts as a professor."
"Voldemort made a mistake because he was too arrogant."
"Even though I had lost my free will at the time, I still subconsciously remembered many details."
"My son and another Death Eater worked together to overpower the real Moody."
"Then they used Polyjuice Potion to replace him."
"Heavens, Alastor!"
Minerva McGonagall had already risen to her feet and pointed her wand directly at Alastor Moody.
Filius Flitwick also stood up atop his chair, gripping his wand tightly as though ready to duel at any second.
The atmosphere instantly became suffocatingly tense.
Meanwhile, Moody himself remained completely calm.
He leisurely continued chewing a piece of buttered bread in his hand, apparently something he had been holding earlier and which the house-elves' magic had not cleared away.
"Oh, calm down, Minerva."
The old Auror grinned, his magical eye spinning wildly inside its socket.
"I'm the genuine article now."
"Besides…"
"Isn't Dumbledore sitting right there?"
"I assume he can prove my identity."
Only then did Moody slowly stand up.
At that moment, Dumbledore raised a hand calmly and signaled Professor McGonagall to relax before motioning for Crouch to continue.
"At the time, my son wanted to kill me."
"It was the real Moody who saved me."
"He must have escaped from my son's imprisonment."
Only then did the people in the hall collectively let out relieved breaths.
"Then Dumbledore appeared."
"In order to avoid unnecessary panic, he chose to temporarily conceal the truth."
"In order to help me recover, they put in enormous effort."
"And Dumbledore never stopped investigating Voldemort's conspiracy."
"The Veritaserum…"
Crouch's voice became heavier.
"It forced my son to reveal nearly everything."
"I was there personally, listening as he confessed the truth piece by piece."
"Perhaps the Veritaserum eventually wore off."
"My son regained his senses and realized what he had done."
"He had betrayed the master he worshipped above all else."
"He felt unbearable shame…"
"And then he chose suicide."
Crouch tried his best to explain the reality calmly—
But his trembling hands still revealed the grief he could no longer suppress.
"And today…"
"As a sinner…"
"I want to use the last bit of conscience I possess to warn everyone."
"A new dark era may soon arrive."
"We must prepare ourselves."
"And finally…"
"I must point out another accomplice."
Fleur's face instantly turned pale.
Meanwhile, Hermione Granger subconsciously followed Crouch's gaze—
Only to see the very person she least wanted to suspect.
"Draco Malfoy."
"No!"
Narcissa Malfoy screamed sharply.
She clutched at her chest as though struck by lightning before collapsing unconscious beside the table.
"Nonsense!"
Lucius Malfoy abruptly stood and shouted furiously.
The Great Hall exploded into uproar once more.
Countless students stared at Draco Malfoy in disbelief.
"At least according to everything I learned…"
Crouch gasped for breath before continuing.
"That student provided the Dark Lord with considerable assistance."
"The Dark Lord never bothered hiding his plans in front of me."
"That allowed me to learn many secrets."
"This is absurd, Dumbledore!"
Lucius shouted in panic.
"I demand you remove this madman immediately!"
"I believe everyone here deserves to know the truth."
Dumbledore calmly adjusted his half-moon glasses, completely ignoring Lucius's demands.
"Lucius, there is no need for you to panic so much."
"The Dark Lord never mentioned you directly."
"He mostly discussed his resurrection plans with his servants."
"Your son, however, played an extremely important role throughout the process."
"I'm panicking?"
Lucius's usually cold, aristocratic voice had now become high-pitched and unstable.
"What would I possibly panic about?"
"You know the answer yourself."
Dumbledore's tone remained calm.
"I imagine Aurors will eventually seek you out as well."
"But for now…"
"Our attention should remain on your son."
"These matters were not revealed by me alone."
Crouch continued heavily.
"My son confessed them himself before his death."
"I was not the only witness."
"Headmaster Dumbledore and Auror Moody were both present."
"There is no reason for me to falsely accuse an innocent student."
"I suggest restraining him immediately."
The two male champions standing beside Malfoy instantly stepped backward while raising their wands toward him.
"That's unfortunate."
Krum raised his wand cautiously.
"I really dislike people pointing wands at me."
Malfoy merely shrugged helplessly.
Then—
In the blink of an eye—
Both Harry and Krum suddenly felt their wrists twist painfully numb.
Their wands instantly flew from their hands and clattered onto the floor.
Everything happened so fast that almost no one reacted in time.
"Everyone step back immediately! Let the professors handle this!"
Professor McGonagall shouted sharply.
Regardless of who was guilty or innocent, maintaining order and protecting the students remained the top priority.
And Dumbledore's silence regarding Crouch's accusations had already practically confirmed their authenticity.
Meanwhile, Fleur remained frozen in place.
The enormous shock seemed to have completely stunned her.
Then suddenly—
Her beautiful face flushed red with anger.
"So it was true…"
"You really are this kind of person!"
Malfoy looked at Fleur in visible surprise.
He clearly had no idea why she would suddenly say something like that.
Even if they technically shared a common enemy—
Those words still felt completely out of place.
"Oh my God! Fleur, don't go over there!"
Olympe Maxime cried out sharply.
But Fleur had already rushed forward.
Her slender legs suddenly burst with astonishing speed as she charged directly toward Malfoy.
Her wand emitted dazzling magical light.
The entire Great Hall instantly erupted into panic.
"Professor McGonagall."
Malfoy's voice suddenly rang out coldly.
"Please stop attempting to transfigure the carpet beneath me."
"Otherwise, I can't guarantee what my wand might do to her."
Professor McGonagall's expression immediately changed.
She reluctantly lowered her wand.
Still, her guarded gaze never left the boy for even a moment.
"And Professor Flitwick."
Malfoy continued calmly.
"Please place your wand back beneath the table."
"I'll repeat myself one final time."
"I dislike having wands pointed at me."
"And don't assume I can't notice your little tricks just because you're short."
Professor Flitwick resentfully lowered his wand as well.
None of them dared act recklessly anymore.
Because Fleur's life was no longer fully under their control.
At that moment, Fleur stood rigidly before the stage.
She could no longer move freely.
Because a wand had already been pressed tightly against her throat.
Draco Malfoy's wand.
He had subdued her effortlessly.
And now—
The emotions within him seemed frighteningly unstable.