Chapter 169 - 169- a soul sucking mistake

ALBUS'S POV

Seeing Marcus appear at the maze entry point with a long cut on his arm made Albus giddy with joy.

For the past two weeks he got no correspondence with update from Peter, something that made him worried about the situation with Tom.

Only Barty keeping to the plan made him not abandon everything and go search for Peter and Tom.

Yes, he knew the DADA Professor isn't Alister Moody, he knew the man since before he lost an eye, he knew the man isn't as crazy as he made it seem, that most of it is an act to throw people off their game.

Although, this year in captivity might change it.

Not that it mattered now, as he ran toward the child that will make him a god, as said child screamed "Voldemort is back." He didn't care about his friend who probably developed claustrophobia, he didn't care the child of his most loyal followers was probably tortured.

he only cared for one thing- the trap has been sat.

BARTY'S POV

Seeing the boy return with the portkey filled Barty with joy and dread.

It filled him with joy as the boy's screams about his master being alive confirmed what the dark mark's pain already told him- the plan worked and the dark lord once more has a body.

On the other hand, the boy being back means the plan his master sent to him two weeks ago will need to be executed, and of he won't do it the dark lord will disregard any contribution he did.

The chaos Marcus' return and screaming caused was just enough to distract the headmaster, and with the boy's parents being faraway, Barty managed to take the boy with him.

"Its all right, son, I've got you . . . come on ... hospital wing . . ."

"Dumbledore said stay," said Marcus with eyes filled with a special kind of confusion, the kind that meant his mind has been messed with.

"You need to lie down. . .. Come on now...." Barty said as he used the power Moody's strong arms granted him to pull him away from the crowd.

"What happened. Marcus?" He asked as he took the teen inside the castle, not because he wanted to know, but because he knew that the more times he thought of what the fake memories showed him happened, the more focus he had on the tiny details, and the more time he talked about what happened, the more the memories will integrate themselves into his mind, especially if he does it when he is still confused and tried, as his magic won't have the strength to fight it.

"Cup was a Portkey," said Marcus as they crossed the entrance hall. "Took me to a graveyard . . . and Voldemort was there . . . Lord Voldemort..."

"The Dark Lord was there? What happened then?"

"Made a potion . . . got his body back. . . ."

"The Dark Lord got his body back? He's returned?"

"And the Death Eaters came . . . and then we dueled. ..."

"You dueled with the Dark Lord?" The dark lord's plan to disproof the light side woulld work perfectly if the world had the story of how the symbol of the light is delusional enough to think he can beat the dark lord in a duel.

"Got away . . . my wand . . . did something funny. ... I saw people . . . they came out of his wand. ..."

"In here. Marcus ... in here, and sit down. . . . You'll be all right now . . . drink this. ..." he gave the boy a memory potion, one that in the past was given to people when aurors take statements to sharpen people's memory, one that was stopped being given as it has the side affect of strengthening the connection a fake memory has to the drinker's mind, especially if he thinks about the saiid memory.

"Drink it... you'll feel better . . . come on, now. Marcus, I need to know exactly what happened. ..."

Seeing the boy doesn't drink, Barty tipped the stuff down Marcus' throat who coughed, before looking much more focused.

"Voldemort's back, Marcus? You're sure he's back? How did he do it?"

"He took stuff from his father's grave, and from Wormtail, and me," said the teen.

"What did the Dark Lord take from you?" said Barty urgently, knowing he doesn't have much time before people start showing up.

"Blood," said Marcus, raising his arm.

Barty let out his breath in a long, low hiss.

"And the Death Eaters? They returned?"

"Yes," said Marcus. "Loads of them . . ."

"How did he treat them?" Barty asked, yet before the boy had a chance to say anything, the office's door was trusted open, Dumbledore, James and Lily Potter coming in.

"Stupefy!" The three shouted at the same time with their wands shooting red lights toward him, something he could have avoided if he wanted to, but the plan was for him to get caught, which is why he didn't, letting darkness sweep him in.

Waking up from a stupefy was a pain, you feel as if your entire body is made of lead, and not in the fun 'nothing can hurt me' way.

Not to mention there was a fogginess even in his half woken mind he can identify as something that happened to him when a truth potion was poured inside of him.

"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

Barty could resist, but that wasn't the plan.

"Yes," he muttered.

"I would like you to tell us," said Dumbledore softly, "how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?"

If smirking wouldn't have given away his ability to resist the poison he would have, instead, Barty took a breath and told them about his father's crimes.

He told them about how his father rescued him from Azkaban because of his mother's wish, how he controlled him with an unforgivable, how the man obliviated a woman after she found out, and he told them about the quidditch cup.

He knew it didn't matter, his father is dead, he killed him, but still, petty revenge felt good.

After which he told them about his master helping him.

"And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?" said Dumbledore when it reached that point.

"He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It was my dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him. He told me he needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guide Marcus Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over Marcus Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard Cup. Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master. But first -"

"You needed Alastor Moody," said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were blazing, though his voice remained calm.

"Wormtail and I did it. We had prepared the Polyjuice Potion beforehand. We journeyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. We managed to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his own magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I became Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur Weasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance. I made the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody's clothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off for Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to question him. To find out about his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool even Dumbledore.

I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other ingredients were easy. I stole boom-slang skin from the dungeons. When the Potions master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it."

"And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?" said Dumbledore.

"Wormtail returned to care for my master, nurse him to health."

"And tonight. . ."

"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner," whispered Barty. "Turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards." He put his crazy smile on, knowing it was time for his performance to finish.

Dumbledore left, taking the entire Potter family with him, leaving only McGonagall to keep an eye on him.

"So...." he dragged his voice as he looked at Dumbledore's little bitch. "You know the headmaster won't ever love you as you wish, he is gay." That was something he wanted to tell the women since before he finished his studies, and he felt like the look in the transfiguration Professor's face will keep him alive in the next few months in Azkaban until his master rescue him, even if he got stunned once more.

As darkness took him for the second time, Barty thought he would wake up in prison for the next time, not knowing he is about to be kissed.