Fake Moody?
Hari smiled as he and his brothers stepped into Draco’s new home. Narcissa was leading them through the hallway, explaining the history behind the house. The walls were adorned with portraits, most of them stoic, though a few nodded as the group passed. “And this is where you’ll be having classes.” Narcissa opened a pair of double doors, and Hari’s jaw dropped as he took in the room.
The walls had three levels of tables and benches, all focused on the center, where Remus was in the middle of a lecture. The professor's floor was large enough to double as a dueling floor, its oblong shape mirroring the rest of the room.
“And that is why British territories use wands compared to other parts of the world,” Remus finished with a smile, turning to greet the group. “Hello, boys.”
Sirius, who had been trailing disinterestedly at the back of the group, suddenly charged forward, shoving both Hari and Tim to the floor as he bolted toward Remus. The professor barely had time to widen his eyes before Sirius leaped at him, latching onto him with both arms and legs. “MOONY!” Sirius shouted, the weight of his jump sending them both crashing to the floor.
“Padfoot!” Remus barked out, clearly distressed.
Narcissa gracefully rolled her eyes. “Come along, Draco. I’ll show you to your room.”
A soft giggle drew Hari’s attention to Charlie, who was sitting in a wheelchair behind a modified desk with a ramp, allowing her to move easily on and off the platform. She maneuvered around the two men—well, one man and a black dog—who were now rolling around on the floor. “Hey guys, long time no see.”
Jason was the first to reach her, ruffling her hair. “Hey, short stack! Nice hair!” Charlie smacked his stomach playfully as she fixed her newly dyed lilac hair with black roots. “Thanks. I didn’t feel like keeping the silver this year.”
Tim crawled into her lap while Hari dusted off his pants. “I have so much to tell you, Lottie!” Charlie smoothed Tim’s hair as he began to excitedly recount some of the experiments he’d been conducting on other students.
“Wait, you were doing what?” Hari asked, stepping closer to the group, barely dodging the men chasing each other around the room. “Padfoot, no!” Remus cried as Sirius barked and yipped in response.
“Lottie, that’s an old one,” Jason reminded, leaning down to speak to Hari quietly. “When Charlie was younger, we snuck into the Gotham Theater to watch Phantom of the Opera. After that, she insisted on being called Lottie or having her name pronounced like it was in the play—‘Char-letta.’ It was so cute.”
Hari smiled gently at the nostalgic look on Jason’s face, but the moment was cut short when Charlie suddenly placed a hand on her head. “Lily, James, shut up! I’m trying to listen to Tim!” She glared off to the side, seemingly at no one.
“Huh?” Remus asked, approaching the group, now covered in dog slobber. “Why did you say Lily and James?”
Charlie scowled, and Jason chuckled softly. “Charlie is... special.”
Sirius transformed back into his human form. “Special? Like, slow?”
Hari and Remus both smacked him on the back of the head. “No!”
Charlie snickered for a moment, turning her head to stare at the pair unblinking, a smirk stretching a little too far, her voice came out a little high pitch, almost like a child and not a teenager, “I see dead people.”
Sirius’s high-pitched scream lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to send the children—and James—into fits of laughter. “S-Sorry, Sirius, James told me to do that.”
“Wait, you can see him? Anyone else?” Sirius looked around the room, as if searching for the spirits.
“Mainly James, Lily, Regulus, Grandma Martha, and Grandpa Tommy. Sometimes a random one lingers, but not for long,” Charlie explained, her eyes drifting around the room.
“LILY!” Sirius called out.
“DON’T SHOUT! She’s here, just talk normally,” Charlie snapped, rubbing her temples. “I need a nap after this.”
“Lily, can you punch Prongs for me?” Sirius spun in a circle.
“She punched him. He’s asking what he did to deserve it.”
“You slept with my baby brother!” Sirius hissed.
“So did Lily; he whines too loudly,” Charlie hissed at her right shoulder.
“I knew about that! She told me, like a good friend does!” Sirius’s voice rose and fell as he tried to hold back from shouting.
Charlie glanced to the right. “They’re all bickering now. I’m going to take a nap before they start talking about fake Moody.”
“Fake Moody?” Remus asked, his tone serious. “That seems important, Charlie.”
Charlie unceremoniously whined, “But I’m tired!”
“Charlie,” Jason said pointedly. “Fake Moody trumps nap time.”
The fourteen-year-old let out a dramatic sigh. “Regulus, come here.”
Regulus broke away from being Lily’s shield, vaguely aware of James chasing her around the room. “Yes?”
“What were you saying about a fake Moody?” Charlie’s eyes had deep purple circles beneath them.
“Right. We suspect that Moody is actually Barty Crouch Jr. We think he’s being controlled,” Regulus explained, pondering how best to convey his theory.
Charlie hummed for a moment. “Wait, is Barty short for something?”
“Yes, Bartemius. Why?”
Charlie started to snort, then burst into laughter. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Jason looked at her, confused. “What?”
Charlie pressed her fingers to her forehead, massaging the skin as if to soothe a headache. “I found out who my parents are recently, and apparently, the only one still living is pretending to be Moody!”
The room fell silent, a rare occurrence for the usually animated girl. “Well, who’s your dad?” Remus asked, clearly unaware of what Regulus had said.
“Barty Crouch Jr.,” Charlie clicked her tongue. “Jason, Regulus, follow me to my room. I’m exhausted, but we need to go over this.” Jason moved behind her, pushing her wheelchair in the direction she indicated.
Regulus froze for a moment, then muttered, “No fucking way.” Charlie stared at him as if he’d grown a third head. “You don’t curse.”
“I was just telling these two how you were born not even a fortnight ago, and you were right here this whole time. I have so many questions.” Regulus jogged to catch up to the moving duo.
“The feeling is mutual,” Charlie replied, her voice tinged with weariness.