Chapter 226: "Vigilance and Timeskip"

After returning to his dorm bed, Harry immediately pulled out the Marauder's Map. His eyes scanned the parchment intently, searching for any sign of Barty Crouch Jr. or other unexpected presences. As he had concluded earlier, the Alastor Moody inside the castle was the real deal. There was no trace of Barty Crouch Jr. anywhere in Hogwarts.

"Curious," Harry muttered to himself. How would Voldemort's plans unfold without his faithful servant in place at Hogwarts?

The next morning, as Harry prepared for his first day of classes, he reviewed his chosen subjects. He had decided to focus on seven NEWT-level courses: Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes.

Harry had chosen to drop the five other courses he had passed his OWLs in. There was really no need to attend all the classes. Besides, he knew he could sit the other NEWT exams without attending classes if he chose to later.

His friends had been surprised by his choices. "Only seven subjects, Harry?" Cedric had asked, eyebrows raised. "I thought you'd go for the full ten like the rest of us."

Harry had simply shrugged. "I'll need the extra time this year," he'd replied.

Harry's class choices had their consequences. That evening, as Harry was making his way back to the Ravenclaw common room, he found himself cornered by Professor Trelawney. Her enormous eyes, magnified behind her glasses, were brimming with tears. She was deeply hurt by her favorite pupil not continuing his studies with her.

"Sorry Professor, but I couldn't include your class in my schedule," Harry explained. "The Charms apprenticeship keeps me busy."

"But my dear boy," she wailed, "you have such a gift! The Inner Eye speaks strongly in you. How can you abandon its call?"

Harry thought of another excuse quickly, which he was sure would get the Professor off his back.

"Professor," he said solemnly, "I've had a vision. Dark times are coming for the wizarding world. I need to focus all my energy on learning to fight, to protect myself and others. But I promise, I'll continue my divination studies in my free time."

Trelawney stared at him, her eyes unfocused. Then, in a voice deeper than her usual misty tones, she said, "Yes... yes, I see it too. Disaster approaches. You are wise to prepare, my dear. Remember, if you ever need guidance, my door is always open."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as she drifted away, crisis averted.

---

The next day brought an interesting class. It was Harry's first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with the real Alastor Moody. Harry was curious how the old Auror would teach. Would he be like the impostor in the canon timeline?

As the sixth-year students filed into the classroom, Moody's magical eye swiveled, taking in each student. The class had Ravenclaw and Slytherin students.

"Right," Moody growled, his scarred face set in a grim expression. "I've heard your previous professors have been lacking. I've been assigned to fix all my predecessors' mistakes. Shields up, all of you. I'm going to test how well you can defend yourselves. You should be proficient in the shield spell by now."

What followed was a chaotic hour of spellfire and yelps of surprise. Moody prowled the classroom, firing hexes and jinxes at unsuspecting students. Those whose shields held firm earned a grunt of approval. Those who faltered found themselves on the receiving end of stinging hexes or jelly-legs jinxes.

Moody's curses barely bothered Harry's shield, earning a grudging nod from the ex-Auror. But Harry noticed that Moody hadn't gone easy on anyone, giving everyone equal treatment, even the weaker students.

However, Moody did treat the children of known Death Eaters differently. Although it wasn't obvious, he seemed to put a little extra power behind his spells when targeting them. Those students noticed as the class progressed and grew increasingly angry.

"Your father would've blocked that easily, Warrington," Moody barked after Cassius Warrington's shield had shattered. "Course, he had plenty of practice dodging Auror spells back in the day."

Moody, it seemed, found pleasure in embarrassing the children of Death Eaters. Perhaps this was his way of trying to make them change. Although it might backfire and lead them to hate him more, Moody didn't seem bothered. To those who tried to resist, Moody was harsher. Maybe he wanted to instill fear in them and use that to stop them from following their parents' path. Or Maybe Harry was thinking too much and Moody was just having some fun.

Anyway, Harry was relieved that there were no Unforgivable Curse demonstrations in the class like the fake Moody had done in the canon timeline. He had no idea how that had been allowed in the original timeline. It was illegal to perform the Imperius Curse on another person, and Harry was confused as to why this hadn't aroused any suspicion.

The real Moody would never use illegal spells and give the Dark faction and his enemies a chance to get him arrested. He was also a stickler for rules and constant vigilance. Harry concluded that the canon Dumbledore must have known and done a lot of work to keep the fake Moody's actions hidden from the outside world.

---

As weeks passed with the school back in session, every night for the next week, Harry diligently checked the Marauder's Map, searching for any sign of Barty Crouch Jr. or other suspicious activity. But the map remained stubbornly normal, showing only the expected inhabitants of Hogwarts.

No disguised Death Eaters, no Voldemort in hiding. The absence of any clear threat left Harry both relieved and unsettled. Harry really wanted insight into Voldemort's plan, so one night, he secretly left Hogwarts grounds through the vanishing cabinet and apparated to Little Hangleton.

He had checked a few weeks ago and found nothing, but he wanted to check again to see if he was lucky enough to find anyone from Voldemort's group. Even Wormtail would do. But as Harry explored the abandoned Riddle Manor, he was disappointed. The manor yielded no secrets, no hidden Dark Lords or their servants.

Returning to Hogwarts, Harry's mind whirred with possibilities. How would Voldemort make his move? Harry really didn't like the feeling of not having information and knowing what was going to happen in the future. Now he'd have to remain vigilant, ready for any deviation from the events he remembered.

The only consolation was that he was sure Voldemort had not been resurrected yet. In a moment of inspiration, Harry managed to catch a glimpse of Snape's forearm during a Potions class. The Dark Mark was darker than it should be, but not the stark black that would indicate Voldemort's full return. It was a small comfort, but it confirmed that the resurrection ritual hadn't yet taken place.

As September faded into October, Moody's classes continued to be the talk of the school. His lessons were special. You had to maintain constant vigilance at all times. Even while teaching theory, if someone wasn't prepared, they would be on the wrong side of a stinging hex. More than once, a daydreaming boy or a whispering girl found themselves on the receiving end of a stinging hex, followed by a loss of house points if they failed to shield in time. If they managed to shield the hex properly, they would be awarded points, which was a small consolation.

Despite the intensity of the classes, most students seemed to be thriving under Moody's tutelage. There was a new air of confidence among the sixth years as they practiced their shields and counter-curses. They were also beginning to pick up silent casting under his expert guidance.

Harry, however, couldn't help feeling a twinge of disappointment. He didn't get any special attention from Moody. He had liked Moody's character in the canon timeline and hoped he would volunteer to give Harry some knowledge about how to handle real-life dangerous scenarios or offer him some special training, but nothing like that was forthcoming. Harry had thought Moody's character would appreciate talent, but it looked like his allegiance to Dumbledore was above all else. He stayed away from Harry except for classes. Although Harry did see him many times with Charles and his year-mates.

As October drew to a close, excitement began to build in the castle. Whispers about the approaching Triwizard Tournament grew louder, speculation about the tasks and the visiting schools running rampant through the corridors.

On the morning of October 27th, a new notice appeared on the common room bulletin boards:

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday the 30th of October. Lessons will end half an hour early. Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast.

The announcement sent a ripple of excitement through the student body. As Harry read the notice, he remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, his mind was racing with possibilities.

That night, as he lay in bed, Harry's thoughts swirled with potential scenarios. Voldemort was out there, planning, scheming. And somewhere, an agent of the Dark Lord was surely preparing to set those plans in motion.

Harry did not like the feeling of not being in control, but he was confident he could handle any trouble as it came. Whatever challenges the Triwizard Tournament might bring, whatever plots Voldemort might hatch, he would be ready. The game was changing, but Harry Potter was determined to stay one step ahead.