Having dealt with the bone cage, Moody let out a cruel sneer. He was just preparing to launch another attack when he suddenly felt an inexplicable resistance.
He instinctively looked down. Several pitch-black ropes, seemingly woven from condensed shadows, had silently coiled around his limbs, blending almost perfectly into the dark night.
Moody's heart lurched. 'Careless!'
He hadn't even noticed when these things had snuck up on him.
In his momentary shock, another black rope whipped out from the shadows, lashed around his wand, and yanked violently.
The wand was torn from his grasp.
Moody watched helplessly as his wand was flung through the air directly toward Maurise.
Maurise caught it neatly with his left hand while simultaneously extending his right.
Cinder materialized from the darkness, landing gracefully on Maurise's outstretched arm and nuzzling affectionately against his cheek.
Moody glared viciously at the sudden appearance of the skeletal owl with the blazing blue eyes.
"Good job," Maurise murmured.
The shadow ropes currently binding Moody were the result of Cinder' Shadow Manipulation ability.
Cinder gave a soft hoot and turned its gaze toward Moody.
Instantly, the shadow ropes constricted tightly, dragging Moody forcefully toward a nearby colonnade.
Bang!
His back slammed heavily against a thick stone pillar.
Moody let out a muffled groan of pain, gasping for breath. He struggled violently, but he couldn't move an inch. The shadow ropes wrapped tightly around the pillar, binding his body securely to the stone. Even a thin black cord was looped around his neck, forcing him to keep his head slightly raised.
Maurise strolled unhurriedly toward Moody, stopping two paces away.
Illuminated by the moonlight, Moody tilted his head up and glared at Maurise. The magical eye had ceased its frantic spinning.
"Who are you, really?" Maurise asked.
Moody naturally did not answer.
"Never mind."
Maurise shook his head and pulled a vial of Polyjuice Potion Antidote from his pocket. Fortunately, he had a habit of stockpiling various potions. This particular antidote was quite difficult to brew; he had spent a considerable amount of time making just two vials.
"Be a good boy and drink up."
He clamped a hand around Moody's jaw, forcing the man's mouth open.
"Wait—"
Before Moody could finish, Maurise upended the vial, pouring the liquid straight down his throat.
Moody began to cough violently. His body spasmed, and his facial features began to twist and contort unnaturally.
A few seconds later.
The man bound to the stone pillar was no longer the scarred, grizzled Mad-Eye Moody, but rather...
'Who the hell is this?'
Maurise was certain he had never seen this man before.
He was a man in his early thirties, with a gaunt, sickly pale face, deeply shadowed eyes, and unkempt, stringy hair.
"Care to introduce yourself?" Maurise asked. "I don't believe we have met."
The man bound to the pillar remained silent, but his expression radiated pure fury and profound unwillingness. The way he glared at Maurise was akin to a cornered, rabid beast.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed across the courtyard.
Maurise turned to see Fred and George sprinting toward him. Right behind them was Dumbledore, moving with purposeful strides. Beside the Headmaster was Madame Maxime, and trailing slightly behind them was a dark-faced Fleur.
They had likely rushed over the moment they received the message.
"Maurise! I brought Dumbledore! What exactly happened here—oh, Merlin's beard! Who is that?!"
Fred's voice cut off abruptly the moment he saw the man bound to the pillar. He stopped so suddenly that George nearly slammed into his back.
"A few minutes ago, that was Professor Moody," Maurise replied.
"?"
Fred scratched his head in utter bewilderment.
Truth be told, Maurise was equally in the dark. They desperately needed someone to provide an explanation—and that someone was naturally Dumbledore.
Dumbledore didn't speak to Maurise immediately. He walked straight up to the bound man, examined him closely for a long moment, and then turned to Maurise, his expression grave.
"Tell me exactly what transpired here."
Maurise recounted the events.
"Professor Snape tasked me with guarding the potion ingredients storeroom. Right as the ball was starting, I used a certain method to discover someone had broken in. I chased 'Professor Moody' all the way out here. He fired a Killing Curse at me, and then..."
"A Killing Curse?!" Madame Maxime gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth in sheer horror. "He used the Unforgivable Curse on you?!"
Fleur's face also paled drastically. The story sounded almost too absurd to be true.
Maurise ignored their reactions and continued, "I dodged Professor Moody's attack, incapacitated him, and fed him the antidote to dispel his Polyjuice Potion."
Dumbledore nodded slowly. "No wonder I did not see Professor Moody at the ball."
"So, who exactly is this guy?" Maurise shrugged. "His magic is surprisingly powerful. I imagine he must have some sort of reputation."
"This is Bartemius Crouch Junior," Dumbledore said, his voice eerily calm. "The son of Mr. Bartemius Crouch. He is supposed to be in Azkaban."
"A Death Eater?" Maurise asked.
Dumbledore nodded.
A brief, tense silence fell over the group.
"So, what is he doing sneaking into Hogwarts?" Maurise pressed.
Dumbledore was quiet for a moment, clearly deep in thought.
"I do not know," he finally said. "Maurise, do you happen to have any truth potion on you?"
Maurise blinked. "Veritaserum?"
"Yes."
Maurise naturally had some. Without another word, he pulled a massive glass jar from his magically expanded pocket. It was incredibly heavy, containing roughly half a liter of the clear liquid.
Dumbledore stared at the oversized jar of Veritaserum, then back at Maurise, his eyebrows raising slightly.
"I believe we will not be needing quite that much," he said, his tone highly peculiar.
"Better safe than sorry," Maurise replied unabashedly.
Fred and George stood frozen on the side, not daring to utter a single word.
'Boss! You know that stuff is highly illegal, right?! Put it away before you get us all arrested!'
Maurise decanted a small vial's worth of the potion and handed it to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore took the vial and approached Barty Crouch Jr. The liquid sloshed gently, catching the moonlight.
As Dumbledore drew closer, a sudden surge of stark terror filled Barty Crouch Jr.'s eyes.
He began to struggle violently once more, causing the shadow ropes to dig even deeper into his flesh.
"I don't know anything!" he suddenly shrieked, his voice hoarse and desperate. "You can't do this to me!"
"Can you at least try saying something useful?" Maurise sighed. Once he drank the Veritaserum, all his lies would be laid bare anyway.
Barty Crouch Jr.'s gaze locked onto Maurise with venomous intensity.
And then, he smiled.
"Ha—haha—ha—"
The laughter sounded as if it were being squeezed from the very depths of his throat: low, raspy, and thoroughly deranged. It echoed chillingly across the quiet courtyard.
"I have failed!" Barty shrieked maniacally. "But we have not! Just you wait! My Master will return, and he will avenge me!"
Realizing what was happening, Maurise yelled, "Stop him, Professor! Quickly!"
But it was too late.
The moment Maurise spoke, Barty's head slumped abruptly to the side. His entire body went completely limp, as if all the bones had been sucked out of him, and he stopped moving entirely.
Dumbledore lunged forward. He supported Barty's jaw with one hand while pressing his wand to the man's temple with the other, muttering a rapid string of incantations.
But Barty's body yielded no response.
Finally, Dumbledore turned back to face the others and announced grimly, "He is dead."