"What, am I mistaken? It was the night before the first match, and if you weren't following me, what were you doing out in the middle of the night?" Moody asked, noting Ivan's reaction.
"I think you're mistaken, Professor Moody. I had a message from Hagrid the other day, so I went with Harry to the Forbidden Forest to see the dragons," Ivan explained with a shrug.
Ivan then remembered what had happened that night, and went to the kitchen to get some supper, where he ran into Moody.
"No wonder…" Moody muttered to himself. When they first met, he thought Ivan's reaction was a little strange. However, after Ivan pestered him with all kinds of questions, he became even more certain that Ivan was following him at night.
"By the way, Professor, were you really after Karkaroff that night?" Ivan asked suddenly.
"Of course not. I'm sure you can think of the exact reason why, and I don't have to explain it to you, do I?" Moody said, shaking his head.
He went to the kitchen that night as usual to prepare food for Barty Crouch Junior, but escaped when he sensed Ivan's suspicion and saw Karkaroff with his magical eye.
Ivan also thought of this and was speechless. After all this, everyone misunderstood that night!
Hermione was confused by their riddles, and Dumbledore looked at them curiously.
"Alastor…Hales, it seems that something interesting has happened in the past few days. Would you care to elaborate?"
Moody had no intention of hiding the truth, so he briefly explained the situation before continuing.
"Anyway, I told Barty Crouch Junior about this, and he, like me, was under the mistaken impression that Hales had some crucial clue and was after us, so he ordered me to direct your attention to Crouch, to allay your suspicions."
"And he's not worried that I'll find out more from Mr. Crouch?" Yvonne mused, rubbing her chin.
"Buddy Junior didn't think you'd be so good at what you do. He thought you'd never find anything." Moody rolled his eyes. "Buddy Crouch, his father, was a tough nut to crack, and Barty Junior was counting on it to keep you occupied, so he asked me to play detective with you."
"Better yet, wait until the time is right to borrow your hand to get his father into Azkaban!" Moody added.
Having "worked" with Barty Crouch Junior for the better part of a year, he was well aware of how much Barty Junior hated his father and wanted to return the favour by giving Crouch a taste of what it was like to be in Azkaban with Dementors.
As he listened to Moody's story, Ivan was amazed at how much Barty Junior had planned.
If it weren't for the fact that he had a plot cheat and had been suspicious of Moody, coupled with the Marauder's Map, he might have been fooled.
Barty Crouch Junior died in a very aggrieved manner.
"What a nice thought… When Barty Junior came to Hogwarts, I didn't think he had a talent for plotting," Dumbledore said with interest.
"Yeah, he's got a few tricks up his sleeve." Moody nodded in agreement. Barty Junior's schemes were killing two birds with one stone, and it was a shame that he'd run into a monster and planned to miss.
It took Ivan only ten minutes to uncover Crouch's secret, and Dumbledore did not manage to get Crouch into Azkaban as Barty had expected.
"You'll never guess how angry Barty Junior was when he found out…" Moody mocked, recalling the incident.
"No, I think we've all had a taste of that anger tonight…" Ivan complained, looking at the broken body wrapped in white cloth.
Only an angry wizard would cast a spell to kill himself.
Dumbledore also glanced at Barty's remains and quickly asked, "Alasto, did Barty tell you why Voldemort wanted Harry?"
"They're probably planning some Dark ritual that will require Harry's services," Moody said hesitantly. He was under the influence of the Imperius Curse, but he was only half of the team and could not get information that was too secret.
"A magical ritual?" Dumbledore murmured, then paused and looked at Moody. "Get Barty for me, Alastor. I have something to ask him, and something to tell him that we have found his son…"
Moody agreed, used a Transfiguration Charm to get himself a makeshift leg, and left, leaning on his cane.
Dumbledore then turned to Ivan and Hermione and said gently, "Harls, Miss Granger, I think you've had a long night, and it's time to go home and get some rest."
"Well, good night, Professor Dumbledore." Ivan understood that Dumbledore was trying to get rid of him, so he didn't stay long and left with Hermione.
After leaving the Headmaster's office, the huge stone beast behind them slowly sank down and sealed the entrance with a dull thud.
Ivan was about to head back to his room when Hermione threw her arms around him.
"What is it, Hermione?" Yvonne was surprised.
"Are you all right, Yvonne? Are you hurt? Do you want to go to the hospital wing for a check-up?" Hermione asked excitedly, then suddenly thought of something and muttered in distress, "Oh, I almost forgot, the hospital wing isn't open yet."
"I'm fine, absolutely fine, but isn't it a little late for you to be asking questions?" Yvonne asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Hermione pursed her lips and did not reply. She could not be too obvious about it, not with Dumbledore and Moody there and Ivan standing there in one piece.
Ivan could guess what was going through the witch's mind, so he didn't try to find out.
After soothing Hermione's nerves, Ivan asked her about the night's events, wondering when Dumbledore had followed him.
They continued to walk and talk, and by the time they reached the Gryffindor Lounge, Hermione had already told them about how she and Dumbledore had followed Ivan into the Chamber of Secrets…