"That's not for you to ask me, Hales! As a champion, Harry will have to solve this problem on his own … and you can't expect me to help you cheat!" Moody said playfully, grinning.
Yvonne glanced at Moody and, after a moment's thought, moved on. "And did you say you had a suspect in the search for the man who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire?"
"Four of them are suspicious!" Moody said, clicking his tongue as he headed for the Defence Against the Dark Arts office.
"The first is Karkaroff, whom you just met. In case you didn't know, he was a Death Eater and did a lot of bad things. I personally sent him to Azkaban!"
"He was supposed to spend the rest of his life with the Dementors in Azkaban, according to his crimes. However, he struck a deal with Crouch, then-Head of the Department of Executions, and was exempted by giving up a list of Death Eaters…"
"Then why did he, a former Death Eater, become Headmaster of Durmstrang?" Yvonne wondered.
"He fled to Northern Europe because he was notorious for being unpopular with the British wizarding community," Moody explained, shaking his head. "I don't know how he became Headmistress, but it's possible that not many people there know of his past."
Yvonne pondered this for a while, sorting through the information Moody had given her.
He did not think Karkaroff was very suspicious.
He was, after all, a complete traitor, and Voldemort, in his weakened state, might not trust him.
Moreover, Karkaroff's performance during this period was not unusual compared to the original timeline, and he even intended to lower their scores and make them lose the game.
"What about the other three suspects?" Ivan asked, turning his attention to Moody.
"The second one is Snape!" Moody said, his eyes narrowed and the sound of his wooden legs echoing down the corridor.
"Like Karkaroff, he was once a Death Eater, but was saved by Dumbledore.
Also, I've had a bit of information at school over the past few days, and I've been told that Snape has been picking on Harry a lot in recent years, and that he's the most likely suspect if anyone really wants Harry dead."
No, he was the least suspect!
Ivan rolled his eyes, disagreeing with Moody, but understanding that Snape was indeed the prime suspect in Harry's murder.
"As for the third suspect—" Moody drew out the word hesitantly.
They walked all the way to the professor's office in Defence Against the Dark Arts, where Moody unlocked the door with a key and strode in.
"You still haven't told me who it is," Yvonne said, feigning casualness as she followed him inside, her wand gripped tightly in her hand.
However, as soon as she entered the office, Ivan's brows furrowed and a faint stench filled the office.
Upon closer inspection, Yvonne saw that the entire Defence Against the Dark Arts office was a mess. Piles of papers, newspapers, and odd little objects were strewn across the desk, as well as several clothes that had not been washed.
"Oh, it's time to clean up. I've been so busy with my classes and investigations that I haven't had much time to sort things out…" Moody looked embarrassed as he hurried to open the window and point his wand at the room.
"Clean it up!"
As Moody chanted the incantation, a gust of magical wind swept through the office, causing papers and papers to float up and slide into drawers.
A large number of strange creatures crawled out of the cracks between the tables and chairs, and were swept out of the window by the magical wind.
Ivan took the opportunity to look around the office.
The most striking feature was a large mirror, which hung on the wall opposite the door, but did not reflect the room.
Instead, there were many figures in the mirror. One of them was standing very close to the mirror, as if it would only take a few steps to walk out of it.
On the corner of the table was a golden antenna-like object that was buzzing non-stop.
Ivan was able to identify a number of security devices with a few glances, and was glad that he had not decided to investigate Moody in the heat of the moment.
Ivan's eyes then focused on the boxes in the office…
"The third suspect is Barty Crouch!"
Ivan was trying to think of a reason to open the chest when Moody's voice came through.
"What?" Yvonne asked, turning to look at Moody with surprise and bewilderment.
After a while, Ivan asked quietly, "Why? Isn't Mr. Crouch a high-ranking member of the Ministry of Magic? And a former executive director, who you just told me tried many Death Eaters and imprisoned them in Azkaban? What reason would he have to harm Harry?"
"I don't know about that, but from what I've heard, Crouch seems to be in a bit of a state lately." Moody hurried over to Ivan with his cane.
"I heard from Bagman that Crouch had been out of Hogwarts Castle for the past few days. At first, I thought he had gone back to the Ministry on business, but when I checked with the Department of Communication, they didn't see him!"
"This is very interesting! Crouch, the organiser of the Triwizard Tournament, is nowhere to be found, his movements are unknown…" Moody's expression was grave.
Yvonne nodded. Barty Crouch was certainly a suspect.
He had not forgotten that the father and son shared the same name, and if Barty Junior had disguised himself as his father, he would have been able to fool the Marauder's Map, which showed the same names.
Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that Crouch was killed after disappearing for so long!
"What about the last suspect?" Yvonne asked, gathering herself.
"He's here, isn't he?" Moody's words were drifting, his magical eye fixed on Ivan.
"You doubt me?" Ivan asked, looking at Moody with displeasure.
"Don't blame me for being cautious, Hales, but you're no less suspicious than the rest of them, and you managed to cross the age line that night, didn't you? You had plenty of time to tamper with the Goblet of Fire…" Moody challenged him relentlessly.