The Triwizard Cup slammed onto the grass in a burst of blue-white light.
Cedric Diggory staggered, boots skidding, breath ragged, but alive.
For half a heartbeat, the stadium was silent.
Then it erupted.
Cheers crashed over the pitch like a tidal wave. Hufflepuff banners waved wildly, students screaming Cedric's name, professors rising to their feet in applause. Even some of the Slytherins clapped, caught up in the relief and triumph of it.
Cedric barely registered any of it.
His eyes flew immediately to the maze entrance.
Harry hadn't appeared.
"Harry?" Cedric whispered.
Then he ran.
Straight past the cup. Past the judges. Past the stunned officials trying to intercept him.
"DUMBLEDORE!"
The Headmaster was already on his feet, blue eyes sharp beneath his half-moon spectacles. Amelia Bones stood beside him, hand instinctively going to her wand.
Cedric skidded to a halt in front of them, words tumbling out in a rush.
"It was a portkey," he gasped. "The cup, took us to a graveyard. Harry knew immediately. He saved my life, there was a man, Pettigrew, Peter Pettigrew, he fired the Killing Curse at me and Harry blocked it, sent me back,"
Amelia Bones stiffened.
"Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes!" Cedric said desperately. "He's alive, he's with them. They were trying to bring Voldemort back. Harry's still there, he stunned Harry and,"
The roar of the crowd faded into horrified murmurs.
Dumbledore's gaze went distant for the barest fraction of a second, calculating, connecting threads.
Then Cedric frowned.
"Sir," he said slowly, eyes narrowing. "Why is Professor Moody smiling?"
The stadium went still.
Every eye turned.
Mad-Eye Moody stood a little apart from the others, magical eye spinning too fast, mouth curled into something that was not quite a grin.
"Moody?" Dumbledore said calmly.
The man raised his wand.
Green light exploded toward the Headmaster.
Dumbledore moved.
The Killing Curse shattered against a golden shield, ricocheting harmlessly into the sky. In the same fluid motion, Dumbledore flicked his wand,
"Stupefy."
Moody flew backward, hitting the ground hard.
And then he changed.
His body shrank, bones twisting grotesquely, scarred face melting away to reveal pale skin, twitching lips, and wild, triumphant eyes.
Barty Crouch Jr.
The stadium erupted into screams.
Aurors flooded the pitch in seconds, wands trained as they slapped magical cuffs onto the still-stunned man.
Amelia Bones didn't hesitate.
"Severus," she snapped. "Now."
Snape stepped forward, expression like carved stone, and forced a vial to Crouch Jr's lips.
"Veritaserum," Amelia said loudly. "Full dosage."
Fudge surged forward, purple-faced. "Now see here, this is highly irregular, I forbid,"
"Sit down, Minister," Amelia said coldly.
Crouch Jr's eyes glassed over.
Amelia's voice was iron. "Who are you working for?"
"Lord Voldemort," he said serenely.
The audience gasped as one.
"How was the plan to proceed?"
"Use the Tournament," Crouch Jr continued. "Get Potter to the graveyard. Use his blood. Bone of the father. Flesh of the servant. Bring him back."
Cedric's hands clenched.
"Where is Harry Potter now?" Amelia demanded.
"The Little Hangleton graveyard," Crouch Jr replied. "The ritual has begun."
A cold hush fell over the pitch.
Before he could say another word,
A shadow fell.
A Dementor drifted forward from behind the stands, black robes whispering, foul presence sucking the warmth from the air.
"NO!" Amelia shouted.
Too late.
The Dementor lunged.
Its hood fell back.
And it pressed its mouth to Crouch Jr's face.
The scream cut off abruptly.
When the creature withdrew, Crouch Jr slumped, empty.
Fudge leapt up. "That Dementor was my guard! It must have gone rogue,"
"No one believes you," Amelia said icily.
She turned sharply, wand flashing. "Aurors, send immediate backup to the graveyard. Full force."
Patronuses burst skyward, silver streaks racing away with the message.
Around them, students clutched one another in horror.
Not just at what they'd heard.
But at who was still missing.
Harry Potter had not come back.
And the hope in the stadium had turned into dread.