GOF Chapter 35: Veritasrum
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deathtocapslockShocked and exhausted Harry lands on the grass (he can tell by the scent). From what I can tell, Albus and Cornelius were immediately with him and 'Moody' joined them very soon after. Perhaps the judges were gathered close to the opening of the maze (supporting the idea the cup was planned to be a Portkey, and where Harry landed was the original intended destination). 'Moody' of course knew from the moment his Mark burned that Harry was no longer in the maze, so no need to monitor the monsters anymore.
Fudge focuses on Cedric, while Albus on Harry. So you'd all know which one of them is evil.
Harry's leg (injured 4 chapters back, maybe an hour ago) won't support him, so it should be easy to follow Albus' order to stay put. But here comes 'Moody' and takes him away. Getting him to walk on that injured leg across the lawn, past the lake, all the way to the castle. On the leg that was injured so badly Harry was forced to duel Voldemort because he couldn't run. But later ran on anyway. It's getting confusing, what Harry can and can't do on his injured leg. Oh, and BTW, Harry's scar was hurting him too, in case you thought he wasn't suffering enough.
Harry is so shocked he doesn't notice that some of 'Moody's questions are out of character for even the maddest Auror on the service (like asking whether Voldemort forgave the DEs). Also, it seems that while Barty knew Voldemort would need Harry in some way, he did not know the details of the ceremony.
BTW while Barty could see that Igor disappeared he couldn't have really known that he ran away rather than went to grab his mask and join the circle. And strange how even after seeing Igor's hearing Harry believed he was the one who put his name in the Goblet. (But nice of him he didn't suspect Severus.) And Harry is being characteristically dim still not understanding what 'Moody' is admitting to.
(Albus too must have seen Igor leaving urgently - I'm guessing all the judges were awaiting the winner together - so he could have guessed the Dark Mark was burning, regardless of whether Severus had the chance to tell him.)
I'm not sure what to make of 'Moody's one use of Voldemort's name (just before switching to Dark Lord). I haven't checked all of the real Moody's statements, but he uses the name Voldemort at least once in OOTP, but then You-Know-Who all the time in chapter 4 of DH (and the latter can't be because of the 'Taboo' because it wasn't installed before August 1st). Was Barty being in character? Was it a slip-up?
Barty is so thirsty for his master's approval, even if by proxy. Did he praise me enough for my faithfulness? Please?
So Barty frightened off those who might have prevented Harry from winning? Who were those? The closest we know is the ferret-bouncing of Draco when he attempted to hex Harry from the back (and that was before Harry was selected).
Cedric needed Barty's help too, to put the egg under water. See, Fleur was better than Cedric, she didn't have Barty's help (though of course it may have been Olympe's idea). 'Decent people are easy to manipulate' - refers to Cedric. Harry wasn't as easy, he kept needing extra work to be manipulated the right way. Barty thinks Harry didn't ask other Gryffs beside Hermione and Ron out of 'a streak of pride and independence', when it is actually a streak of 'being unaware of anyone not in his immediate surrounding or who doesn't stroke his ego at all times'.
OK, so Fleur was stunned by Barty through the hedges, not Cruciated by Viktor. So again, why didn't Barty Imperiurize Viktor to stun Cedric?
Now watch this bit in Barty's confession: "Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him - the thing he needed above all to regenerate - and then I killed you for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters, I will be his dearest, his closest supporter ... closer than a son ..." You see? That's why Barty taught Harry to resist Impeius, and why he made the Portkey bidirectional. He wanted to give Harry the chance to escape once Tom made use of him, so that *he* could be the one to kill him, and thus earn his master's undying love. No, I don't think Barty was thinking all the way, because I doubt Tom would have appreciated it all that much. (His instructions to the DEs were to stun the escaping Harry, not to kill him.)
Harry is still wondering how come Albus' friend did all that, not 'so why didn't he kidnap me much sooner, it could have been so easy'.
Also, here 'Moody' looks completely insane. As opposed to when he ferret-bounced Draco. That was a totally normal act for a friend of Albus'.
Heck, Harry believes he would never reach his own wand in time as Barty keeps talking on and on. What's keeping Harry now? Isn't his wand in his pocket? Fortunately for him, Albus (with Minerva and Severus) break into the room just then. OK, since when does Stupefy blast through doors? Or does this mean one of the teachers cast a nonverbal blasting hex at the door while another stunned Barty? (OK, if Barty can stun Fleur through hedges maybe it is possible to have all those effects from one stunner, but then why bother learning blasting hexes anyway?)
For the first time in 4 years Albus looks badass. Despite the fact that he only managed to get at Barty because of the length of the latter's exposition. Because to Gryffindors appearances are what matters. Remember Gilderoy? (Of course we know that if Barty had AKed Harry all that would have happened would have been that the Horcrux would have been destroyed. Harry would have gone to King's Cross, maybe met his parents there, or Cedric, and come back. Harry is now protected by the power of being Tom's blood-donor.)
Severus is paying attention to his image on the Foe Glass. Who said he avoided mirrors?
"You have never known Alastor Moody" - but if Albus only figured this out when he saw 'Moody' leading Harry away against orders then we should consider everything Barty did in public as in character for Moody. Including ferret-bouncing the son of an enemy and Imperiurizing students for their edification. And of course *Percy* should have been able to recognize his boss of no more than 2 months was under Imperius.
When Albus sent Severus for Winky (after bringing Veritaserum) did he already know Barty was the one impersonating Moody or did he just assume that she would want to know who it was that killed Crouch Sr?
Moody's trunk had broken Sneakoscopes. I suppose Barty had to break them all because they kept announcing his own untrustworthiness. The compartment of the trunk that held Moody was the size of a room. Was this the inspiration for Hermione's beaded bag? Well, if the Dark Marks were the inspiration for the charmed Galleons, then maybe. Hermione learns tactics from DEs. Draco learns tactics from Hermione. Draco/Hermione OTP!
Albus gives Barty high marks for the Polyjuice plan, but does not detract points for overly complicating things with the Tournament. Because his own
plans are in the same style.
You see, Barty forgot his potion in the excitement, just like Remus did the previous year. They are all childish like that.
We are about to see Veritaserum in action - the only time in the series. Because how can we keep suspecting red herrings if there is a magical way to force people to say the truth? (Well, the truth as they believe it to be, in any case.)
Albus' first question is "can you hear me?" - Elkins proposed this focuses the victim's attention on one person alone. Because from now to the end of the chapter Barty will reply to Albus, but completely ignore Winky's interruptions.
Good thing Albus added 'How did you escape from Azkaban?' to 'how you came to be here' or Barty would have started with 'one night when my parents loved each other very much...'
Barty attributes his escape from Azkaban to his mother alone, the only parent who loved him. But notice his choice of pronouns - either 'she' or 'they' - even when referring to an action of a single person, such as handing him the Polyjuice. Crouch Sr was an active participant in his son's escape, and perhaps didn't need quite as much persuasion as Barty believed. Barty is using as much leeway the Veritaserum allows him to avoid acknowledgement of this fact.
The disguise was needed in case other prisoners were watching. So the only non-prisoners in Azkabans are dementors? Dementors bring prisoners their food and remove the waste?
When Barty was sprung out he was sick enough to be believably dying. But upon recovering his health he needed not only to be hidden, but also to be controlled. Because he was unrepentant. But Crouch Sr could have chosen to keep his son comfortably imprisoned in a suite of rooms. Instead he kept him Imperiurized, invisible day and night, within earshot of the front door. And the elf gave him 'treats' for good behavior. A combination of infantilization and depersonification. As Elkins says, Crouch Sr was attempting to brainwash his son into the only thing he believed his son was supposed to become - a mirror and continuation of himself. And he succeeded, a bit too much. (Except Jr reflected the less nice aspects of his father.)
What was Bertha really doing at the Crouch residence? Was she hoping to become the next Madam Crouch? Or was she the previous Percy, overenthusiastic about work? In any case, her leap of logic that had her realize whom Winky was talking to was worthy of Hermione. Perhaps she wasn't as dim as we are let to think. At least before Crouch Obliviated her. I know the term 'mind rape' for such Obliviation raises strong objection in some readers, but compare Bertha's situation to that of a victim of sexual exploitation at the work-place: Her boss attacked her, left her damaged for life, and looked on as she was shuffled from one department to the next, considered incompetent and useless. And he even got to be viewed as concerned and devoted to his former worker when he was the one demanding that Ludo arrange to search for her, when his true concern was for the information that might still be in her head.
So Winky had asked for Barty to be allowed to go to the QWC months earlier. I wonder how Tom's plan would have worked out if it hadn't been for that. He and Peter would have had to overcome both Crouch and Winky. And how come Barty was getting stronger just then? The only thing I can imagine is that he heard the news that believed DE Sirius Black managed to escape from Azkaban. Maybe Barty hoped Sirius would bring the Dark Lord back. Note how easy it was for Barty to steal the wand from Harry's pocket. Did Barty become the master of that wand? Did Winky? Or Amos Diggory? How hard will it be to gain mastery of the Elder Wand from Harry?
Why did Crouch dismiss Winky when he needed her help to subdue his son more than any other time? I don't know how many days went by with only the two Barty Crouches alone in the house until Tom and Peter arrived, but I believe those were the most terrifying days for Jr since Azkaban. Remember his speech about the Imperius Curse in chapter 14? About how he could command the spider to commit suicide? That didn't come out of nowhere, that was Barty's fear those last few days of his imprisonment. Though this fear turned out unjustified - not only did the father not kill his son, he didn't even restrain him - Jr was within view of the front door. (And his father left him alone in the house when he went to work to deal with the Ministry's problems after the QWC.) More support that Crouch Sr did not need all that much persuasion to break his son out of prison, or to allow him to attend the QWC, and that he wasn't that much of a hardliner, tough ends-over-means-all-the-way when he didn't have an audience.
If even former top Auror Moody is so susceptible to Imperius Harry's ability to resist it stands out even more. Both Crouches managed some resistance eventually, after being under the spell long term. But we don't know of anyone else, do we? (Bode fought the spell, unsuccessfully, because he knew what he was being forced to do would cause him to lose his mind.)
"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house" - so my initial impression was true after all? Tom and Peter only came to Little Hangleton in the end? Or perhaps they moved after Crouch's escape, once there was no reason to stay there (and there was a risk the place might get searched after Crouch's appearance at Hogwarts)?
"What map is this?" It seems neither Remus nor Sirius told Albus of it over the last year. No need to hamper Harry's chances of wrong-doing. Even if such foolishness might endanger him needlessly.
Barty was already in the forest following his father before Harry and Viktor went there to talk. "I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him" - but why couldn't you kidnap him there and then?
Oops, I notice another mistake in my sporks of chapters 28/29: Barty only transfigured his father's body after everyone left the forest. Earlier Crouch's body was under the invisibility cloak. Because poetic justice must be served. And he buried his 'bone of the father' in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin. Almost 2 months after the nifflers lesson. Some powerful digging Hagrid did there.
Barty's last words express his insane dream to be honored by Voldemort 'beyond the dreams of wizards' - well, he will certainly transcend their nightmares.
Albus heard Harry's report of his dream, a couple of weeks earlier. He knew there was a plot to get Harry to Tom and to feed him to Nagini. He did not know who the plotter was. It could have been anybody, if we consider all possibilities of disguise and mind control. So why did he let 'Moody' be the one to place the cup in the maze? Why not do it himself, for instance? Or did he decide that since he was on record attempting to use the age-line to keep Harry from becoming a champion it was OK to let the plot work its course and send Harry Tom's way?
Fudge focuses on Cedric, while Albus on Harry. So you'd all know which one of them is evil.
Harry's leg (injured 4 chapters back, maybe an hour ago) won't support him, so it should be easy to follow Albus' order to stay put. But here comes 'Moody' and takes him away. Getting him to walk on that injured leg across the lawn, past the lake, all the way to the castle. On the leg that was injured so badly Harry was forced to duel Voldemort because he couldn't run. But later ran on anyway. It's getting confusing, what Harry can and can't do on his injured leg. Oh, and BTW, Harry's scar was hurting him too, in case you thought he wasn't suffering enough.
Harry is so shocked he doesn't notice that some of 'Moody's questions are out of character for even the maddest Auror on the service (like asking whether Voldemort forgave the DEs). Also, it seems that while Barty knew Voldemort would need Harry in some way, he did not know the details of the ceremony.
BTW while Barty could see that Igor disappeared he couldn't have really known that he ran away rather than went to grab his mask and join the circle. And strange how even after seeing Igor's hearing Harry believed he was the one who put his name in the Goblet. (But nice of him he didn't suspect Severus.) And Harry is being characteristically dim still not understanding what 'Moody' is admitting to.
(Albus too must have seen Igor leaving urgently - I'm guessing all the judges were awaiting the winner together - so he could have guessed the Dark Mark was burning, regardless of whether Severus had the chance to tell him.)
I'm not sure what to make of 'Moody's one use of Voldemort's name (just before switching to Dark Lord). I haven't checked all of the real Moody's statements, but he uses the name Voldemort at least once in OOTP, but then You-Know-Who all the time in chapter 4 of DH (and the latter can't be because of the 'Taboo' because it wasn't installed before August 1st). Was Barty being in character? Was it a slip-up?
Barty is so thirsty for his master's approval, even if by proxy. Did he praise me enough for my faithfulness? Please?
So Barty frightened off those who might have prevented Harry from winning? Who were those? The closest we know is the ferret-bouncing of Draco when he attempted to hex Harry from the back (and that was before Harry was selected).
Cedric needed Barty's help too, to put the egg under water. See, Fleur was better than Cedric, she didn't have Barty's help (though of course it may have been Olympe's idea). 'Decent people are easy to manipulate' - refers to Cedric. Harry wasn't as easy, he kept needing extra work to be manipulated the right way. Barty thinks Harry didn't ask other Gryffs beside Hermione and Ron out of 'a streak of pride and independence', when it is actually a streak of 'being unaware of anyone not in his immediate surrounding or who doesn't stroke his ego at all times'.
OK, so Fleur was stunned by Barty through the hedges, not Cruciated by Viktor. So again, why didn't Barty Imperiurize Viktor to stun Cedric?
Now watch this bit in Barty's confession: "Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him - the thing he needed above all to regenerate - and then I killed you for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters, I will be his dearest, his closest supporter ... closer than a son ..." You see? That's why Barty taught Harry to resist Impeius, and why he made the Portkey bidirectional. He wanted to give Harry the chance to escape once Tom made use of him, so that *he* could be the one to kill him, and thus earn his master's undying love. No, I don't think Barty was thinking all the way, because I doubt Tom would have appreciated it all that much. (His instructions to the DEs were to stun the escaping Harry, not to kill him.)
Harry is still wondering how come Albus' friend did all that, not 'so why didn't he kidnap me much sooner, it could have been so easy'.
Also, here 'Moody' looks completely insane. As opposed to when he ferret-bounced Draco. That was a totally normal act for a friend of Albus'.
Heck, Harry believes he would never reach his own wand in time as Barty keeps talking on and on. What's keeping Harry now? Isn't his wand in his pocket? Fortunately for him, Albus (with Minerva and Severus) break into the room just then. OK, since when does Stupefy blast through doors? Or does this mean one of the teachers cast a nonverbal blasting hex at the door while another stunned Barty? (OK, if Barty can stun Fleur through hedges maybe it is possible to have all those effects from one stunner, but then why bother learning blasting hexes anyway?)
For the first time in 4 years Albus looks badass. Despite the fact that he only managed to get at Barty because of the length of the latter's exposition. Because to Gryffindors appearances are what matters. Remember Gilderoy? (Of course we know that if Barty had AKed Harry all that would have happened would have been that the Horcrux would have been destroyed. Harry would have gone to King's Cross, maybe met his parents there, or Cedric, and come back. Harry is now protected by the power of being Tom's blood-donor.)
Severus is paying attention to his image on the Foe Glass. Who said he avoided mirrors?
"You have never known Alastor Moody" - but if Albus only figured this out when he saw 'Moody' leading Harry away against orders then we should consider everything Barty did in public as in character for Moody. Including ferret-bouncing the son of an enemy and Imperiurizing students for their edification. And of course *Percy* should have been able to recognize his boss of no more than 2 months was under Imperius.
When Albus sent Severus for Winky (after bringing Veritaserum) did he already know Barty was the one impersonating Moody or did he just assume that she would want to know who it was that killed Crouch Sr?
Moody's trunk had broken Sneakoscopes. I suppose Barty had to break them all because they kept announcing his own untrustworthiness. The compartment of the trunk that held Moody was the size of a room. Was this the inspiration for Hermione's beaded bag? Well, if the Dark Marks were the inspiration for the charmed Galleons, then maybe. Hermione learns tactics from DEs. Draco learns tactics from Hermione. Draco/Hermione OTP!
Albus gives Barty high marks for the Polyjuice plan, but does not detract points for overly complicating things with the Tournament. Because his own
plans are in the same style.
You see, Barty forgot his potion in the excitement, just like Remus did the previous year. They are all childish like that.
We are about to see Veritaserum in action - the only time in the series. Because how can we keep suspecting red herrings if there is a magical way to force people to say the truth? (Well, the truth as they believe it to be, in any case.)
Albus' first question is "can you hear me?" - Elkins proposed this focuses the victim's attention on one person alone. Because from now to the end of the chapter Barty will reply to Albus, but completely ignore Winky's interruptions.
Good thing Albus added 'How did you escape from Azkaban?' to 'how you came to be here' or Barty would have started with 'one night when my parents loved each other very much...'
Barty attributes his escape from Azkaban to his mother alone, the only parent who loved him. But notice his choice of pronouns - either 'she' or 'they' - even when referring to an action of a single person, such as handing him the Polyjuice. Crouch Sr was an active participant in his son's escape, and perhaps didn't need quite as much persuasion as Barty believed. Barty is using as much leeway the Veritaserum allows him to avoid acknowledgement of this fact.
The disguise was needed in case other prisoners were watching. So the only non-prisoners in Azkabans are dementors? Dementors bring prisoners their food and remove the waste?
When Barty was sprung out he was sick enough to be believably dying. But upon recovering his health he needed not only to be hidden, but also to be controlled. Because he was unrepentant. But Crouch Sr could have chosen to keep his son comfortably imprisoned in a suite of rooms. Instead he kept him Imperiurized, invisible day and night, within earshot of the front door. And the elf gave him 'treats' for good behavior. A combination of infantilization and depersonification. As Elkins says, Crouch Sr was attempting to brainwash his son into the only thing he believed his son was supposed to become - a mirror and continuation of himself. And he succeeded, a bit too much. (Except Jr reflected the less nice aspects of his father.)
What was Bertha really doing at the Crouch residence? Was she hoping to become the next Madam Crouch? Or was she the previous Percy, overenthusiastic about work? In any case, her leap of logic that had her realize whom Winky was talking to was worthy of Hermione. Perhaps she wasn't as dim as we are let to think. At least before Crouch Obliviated her. I know the term 'mind rape' for such Obliviation raises strong objection in some readers, but compare Bertha's situation to that of a victim of sexual exploitation at the work-place: Her boss attacked her, left her damaged for life, and looked on as she was shuffled from one department to the next, considered incompetent and useless. And he even got to be viewed as concerned and devoted to his former worker when he was the one demanding that Ludo arrange to search for her, when his true concern was for the information that might still be in her head.
So Winky had asked for Barty to be allowed to go to the QWC months earlier. I wonder how Tom's plan would have worked out if it hadn't been for that. He and Peter would have had to overcome both Crouch and Winky. And how come Barty was getting stronger just then? The only thing I can imagine is that he heard the news that believed DE Sirius Black managed to escape from Azkaban. Maybe Barty hoped Sirius would bring the Dark Lord back. Note how easy it was for Barty to steal the wand from Harry's pocket. Did Barty become the master of that wand? Did Winky? Or Amos Diggory? How hard will it be to gain mastery of the Elder Wand from Harry?
Why did Crouch dismiss Winky when he needed her help to subdue his son more than any other time? I don't know how many days went by with only the two Barty Crouches alone in the house until Tom and Peter arrived, but I believe those were the most terrifying days for Jr since Azkaban. Remember his speech about the Imperius Curse in chapter 14? About how he could command the spider to commit suicide? That didn't come out of nowhere, that was Barty's fear those last few days of his imprisonment. Though this fear turned out unjustified - not only did the father not kill his son, he didn't even restrain him - Jr was within view of the front door. (And his father left him alone in the house when he went to work to deal with the Ministry's problems after the QWC.) More support that Crouch Sr did not need all that much persuasion to break his son out of prison, or to allow him to attend the QWC, and that he wasn't that much of a hardliner, tough ends-over-means-all-the-way when he didn't have an audience.
If even former top Auror Moody is so susceptible to Imperius Harry's ability to resist it stands out even more. Both Crouches managed some resistance eventually, after being under the spell long term. But we don't know of anyone else, do we? (Bode fought the spell, unsuccessfully, because he knew what he was being forced to do would cause him to lose his mind.)
"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house" - so my initial impression was true after all? Tom and Peter only came to Little Hangleton in the end? Or perhaps they moved after Crouch's escape, once there was no reason to stay there (and there was a risk the place might get searched after Crouch's appearance at Hogwarts)?
"What map is this?" It seems neither Remus nor Sirius told Albus of it over the last year. No need to hamper Harry's chances of wrong-doing. Even if such foolishness might endanger him needlessly.
Barty was already in the forest following his father before Harry and Viktor went there to talk. "I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him" - but why couldn't you kidnap him there and then?
Oops, I notice another mistake in my sporks of chapters 28/29: Barty only transfigured his father's body after everyone left the forest. Earlier Crouch's body was under the invisibility cloak. Because poetic justice must be served. And he buried his 'bone of the father' in the freshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin. Almost 2 months after the nifflers lesson. Some powerful digging Hagrid did there.
Barty's last words express his insane dream to be honored by Voldemort 'beyond the dreams of wizards' - well, he will certainly transcend their nightmares.
Albus heard Harry's report of his dream, a couple of weeks earlier. He knew there was a plot to get Harry to Tom and to feed him to Nagini. He did not know who the plotter was. It could have been anybody, if we consider all possibilities of disguise and mind control. So why did he let 'Moody' be the one to place the cup in the maze? Why not do it himself, for instance? Or did he decide that since he was on record attempting to use the age-line to keep Harry from becoming a champion it was OK to let the plot work its course and send Harry Tom's way?
