Chapter 1171 House Arrest

Ministry of Magic, Department of International Magical Cooperation.

The office that had been busy all day gradually became quiet, leaving only the light shining through the crack in the door of the director's office.

This is not uncommon in the Ministry of Magic. Ever since those things happened, Barty Crouch has always been the last one to leave this floor, not to mention that it is still a turbulent and chaotic period like today. He doesn't even need to find any reason to come. letters are enough.

only……

Dang, Dang Dang, Dang Dang Dang——

Barty Crouch sorted out the files on the desktop and looked up at the wall clock.

Counting from midnight yesterday, almost ten hours had passed and he had to go back.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Crouch, but you cannot leave the Ministry of Magic for the time being—"

"What do you mean when you say... you can't leave?"

Barty Crouch narrowed his eyes, held the wand calmly in his right hand, and looked at the Aurors who appeared at the door of his office.

"Literally, you are not allowed to leave the Ministry of Magic until the results of the investigation are known, sir."

At this moment, a whining, high-pitched voice sounded.

Umbridge's pale, fat face emerged from the shadows.

"Investigation? Why do I sound like I'm under house arrest?"

Barty Crouch snorted coldly and glanced across the faces of Umbridge and the Aurors one by one.

"Ms. Umbridge, you are still suspended... This is not Hogwarts. I think you should be very clear about what it means to arrest and house arrest a senior official of the Ministry of Magic without permission - please, Delis, Per Kings...don't do anything stupid, it's not worth it."

"In fact, that's exactly what I wanted to say to you, Mr. Crouch."

Umbridge grinned like a toad discovering its prey, her eyes shining with pride.

She opened her handbag and took out a roll of parchment, shaking it out in front of Barty Crouch.

"Mr. Barty Crouch, you are suspected of colluding with and assisting the 'You-Know-Who'. This is a warrant signed by Minister Fudge and Ms. Bones. If you intend to resist or escape from the Ministry of Magic before the end of the investigation, we have I have the right to regard you as a 'Death Eater' and arrest you on the spot——"

"Me? Death Eater?! Ridiculous-"

Barty Crouch was stunned for half a second, his eyes widening with rage.

"What investigation?! What is the evidence? Now I suspect that you are from Voldemort's side-"

"Oh, as for the evidence, of course, you'll see it soon..."

Umbridge waved her hand casually, glanced at the director, and showed a sweet smile.

"Rufus Scrimgeour and the others are supposed to be searching the Crouch family house right now - and you might as well guess what they will find there? Anyway, I heard it could be quite scary, quite Something surprising. Disarm his wand, Delix—"

search?

The Crouch family's... mansion? !

Barty Crouch stood there motionless, as if frozen.

His face was horribly pale, and he allowed Delis to take the wand from his hand without moving or speaking.

"Very good, it seems we don't have to waste too much energy going in circles-"

There was some evil pleasure in Umbridge's voice as she rolled up the parchment in her hand.

"Delix, watch him - Perkins, let's go help Mr. Crouch tidy up his office. Would you mind, Mr. Director of the International Magical Cooperation Department? Or rather, the respected 'former' Mr. Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation?”

…………

About half an hour later.

Ministry of Magic, office of the Minister for Magic.

After a long silence, Cornelius Fudge broke it.

"...So, what is your conclusion? Mr. Scrimgeour."

"Barty Cratchit Jr. is not dead. Although we were unable to arrest him at the Crouch family mansion, we found the room where he usually lived and daily utensils - we cannot determine whether Mr. Crouch has fallen into Mysterious man, but he must have seriously violated the law."

Scrimgeour glanced at Amelia Bones who was not far away, and continued to speak in a deep voice with a serious expression.

"The question now is, how did he hide it from the guards of Azkaban, and... is it just——"

"Rufus, send someone to Azkaban immediately to confirm the detention situation."

Amelia Bones ordered decisively, her monocle flashed with a cold light.

"Very good. I have some guesses as to why the Death Eaters stole the documents... In this way, we have no idea how many 'ghosts' like Crouch Jr. are on the loose - another good news is that there are still Well, there is still only one demon king who has been resurrected from the dead."

"No problem, I'll make arrangements immediately, Director Bones."

Rufus Scrimgeour nodded, turned around and walked quickly to the door to explain the task to the Aurors outside.

As the director of the Auror Office, he was very aware of the seriousness of the matter - not only because of Barty Crouch Jr., but more importantly, Dumbledore had previously issued a warning about the guards of Azkaban... Facts have proved that, Ignoring Dumbledore's warnings was not a wise decision.

At the same time, on the other side, the conversation between the Director of the Department of Legal Enforcement and the Minister of Magic continued.

"So, what should we do with Mr. Barty Crouch?"

Emilia Bones looked at Fudge, "My suggestion is to arrest him immediately and convene a Wizengamot public trial as soon as possible——"

"Arrest, but...the Wizengamot is temporarily taking a slow turn."

Connelly pondered for a moment, thoughtfully stroking the pile of newspapers on his desk.

"People are panicking outside right now. If it is revealed at this time that a senior official of the Ministry of Magic is suspected of assisting a mysterious person, it will not only be a scandal for the Ministry of Magic, but may even trigger large-scale riots... People will question the capabilities of the Ministry of Magic. If you question whether the Ministry of Magic is still credible, you, me, and many others may be driven out of office by panic-stricken people before the mysterious man comes back..."

"Then what do you mean-"

"Skip the trial process and be imprisoned directly in Azkaban, telling the public that he is temporarily ill and recuperating."

Cornelius Fudge took a long breath and said in a deep voice, "As for the Wizengamot, let's wait until Dumbledore comes back..."

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Gua~