Caught

One - Caught

“I know who you are,” Harry Potter said from his seat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. “I know what you're planning to do, I know who you work for.”

To say Barty Crouch, the son mind you, was surprised, would be an understatement. He was undercover for five months now, baring nighttime constantly drinking Polyjuice Potion, in an elaborate plot to bring back his Master, Lord Voldemort, and at the same time escape the clutches of his father. He fooled Dumbledore and McGonagall, was even more proud in fooling Severus Snape. He remembered the latter as a loser in his youth, though an intelligent loser. Barty was on a mission and he let nothing or nobody stand in his way, so it didn't come as a surprise for Harry Potter to be staring at the wrong end of Alastor Moody's former wand.

“Who do you think I am?” Barty asked, completely in act with Moody's personality.

“Barty Crouch, formerly deceased and convicted Death Eater,” Harry answered easily.

Barty gripped the wand tighter. “And what are you planning to do with that information?”

Harry smiled mysteriously. “At the moment, nothing. What I eventually will do depends on the direction this conversation turns out to go.”

Barty eyed the fourteen year old in front him cautiously. Part of him was furious at being found out by a kid twenty years younger than he was, another part was very curious. The boy confronted him alone, either an act of foolishness or an act of unknown confidence. His few responses until now hinted at the latter. Decision made he sat back in his own seat, conveniently directly across his 'opponent'.

“If I lower my wand, can I trust you not to act against me?”

“You can,” was Harry's faintly amused answer.

Barty did so, taking a deeper look at the boy his plans were aimed at. Harry Potter wore slightly frayed robes, ugly glasses, but had a gaze that spoke of strength, something Barty hadn't noticed until now. Harry wasn't peculiarly handsome or tall, but held an inner strength hidden from most, reminding Barty eerily of his Master before he lost his body. Maybe it was because of the situation he was in that these thoughts rose in Barty's mind, maybe things always had been like this and someone simply was as good at hiding as he was.

“How do you know?” Barty asked.

Harry smirked momentarily. “You might say it was a combination of talent, having the right tools and and an intricate amount of curiosity. I shouldn't worry for your cover from somebody else than I and eventual errors you might make. The tool I speak of is a unique artifact registering everybody in this castle, including people's name and whereabouts. I own this artifact, though several other people are aware of it.”

That made Barty think for a second. He could vaguely remember Pettigrew mentioning a map.

“And what is this talent you speak of?”

“Something I'm born with that manifested itself the night your master tried to kill me,” Harry answered. “I don't know if it has an officially sanctioned name, I simply call it truth. I instinctively know a person's intentions and desires. If I spend enough time in the presence of a person, I tend to know the way that person thinks and feels, and act accordingly.”

Barty barely managed to hide his shock. If what Potter was saying was true, he never stood a chance in whisking him away. Unless Potter went willingly... His curiosity wasn't sated though, Barty always had an interest in the way minds worked and Potter would a very interesting subject.

“I suppose that helps in finding friends and people you trust?”

Harry's answer was a sad smile. “I don't think you'd be surprised to know how dubious and insincere people generally are. There is not one person I've encountered of whom I can say I genuinely like them or trust them. The truth is a bitter pill to swallow and sometimes better left unknown.”

Barty nodded thoughtfully. Humans were like that, he knew, none were without errors; being confronted with that knowledge constantly couldn't be nice.

“Why are you telling me this?” Barty asked genuinely.

“Because I find unquestionable loyalty a very attractive trait,” Harry responded. “And wizards like you and me need to stick together.”

That dumbfounded Barty. “Wizards like you and me?”

Amusement clouded Harry's expression. “Wizards who like other wizards. Recall that I am aware of other people's intentions as well as desires. Whether they be romantic, material, sexual, emotional, intellectual, I know. “

Barty coughed briefly. Talking about revelations. Of course Barty was aware of his gender preference,it wasn't as if he could deny his fantasy and body, still it wasn't an aspect of himself he allowed easily. Homosexuality was one of the greatest taboos known in the wizarding world. There wasn't any vocal protest against, nor were there laws banning it, but it was something frowned upon. The population density of the wizarding world made it so that only a handful of wizards and witches of each generation were homosexual. If you were, chances were slim you ended with a partner. Some married the other gender nonetheless, providing for an offspring, and dreamed their whole lives of a different existence. A lot couldn't cope with the loneliness stemming from not having a partner and lived on the edge of what most considered sane. A lot of magical inventions were done by unofficial homosexual wizards and witches for the simple reason that invention meant experimenting with magic, a very dangerous thing to do. Barty thought he'd done a good job with his life so far. Of course, years spent in Azkaban and another long time spent under the Imperius Curse was an easy way to go through life.

What Potter confessed wasn't all that irrational, but the logic happened on a basic level. Barty wondered whether it was because of 'the truth' Potter chose to follow through with this. Probably.

“For someone as resistant to the Imperius Curse as you, you have a very weak emotional disposition,” noted Barty. It was a tempting offer for a man with his history, but he refused to continue that path without further assurances. His current goal in life was bringing about the return of Voldemort, his personal needs came second.

“Everybody has a prize,” Harry spoke, “Nobody is infallible. I learned that when I discovered Dumbledore's initial plans about me in my First Year. My prize is quite easily fulfilled, I doubt your Master would object if he heard them.”

Barty's heartbeat quickened, he couldn't help it.

“What is your prize then?” Barty demanded quietly, part of him cursing his disguise. Alastor Moody's body elicited strange behavior when excited, probably due to all its malfunctions.

Harry looked straight into Barty's eyes. “Life and companionship. As an argument for the former, you may say I said he left something behind thirteen years ago that reminds me of a ring distant family of mine once owned. As for companionship, if you are agreeable...”

Barty memorized those three phrases by heart and started planning a visit to his disembodied Master as soon as possible. Then he would, hopefully, accept Potter's proposition.

Harry stood up and walked to the door. Just as he was going to close it, he said: “I thank you for your time, Professor, I hope you find my request acceptable.”

Barty stared at the door for a while, thinking about the short, but informative conversation he had had. A lot of plans were going to have to change, no matter his Master's answer. Harry Potter turned out to be more perceptive than his Lord ever imagined. Barty decided that was for the best, it proved his Master had reason to be wary of Harry Potter correctly in 1981.