Chapter 1172 Barty Crouch (Part 1)

Hogwarts, Saturday morning.

Compared to the turmoil in the magical world, the atmosphere in the castle is particularly peaceful and relaxing.

Just as Elena and others expected, Voldemort's return would not affect the school's daily life at all.

As the professors at Hogwarts went to class and assigned homework as usual, the little wizards quickly left behind the incomprehensible chaos - Voldemort's resurrection and invasion of the Ministry of Magic, and even the Grunge plot that was about to unfold later. The match between Findor and Slytherin Houses is even more nerve-wracking.

Of course, the heartless Lotte and Calmness was limited to the students, and the teachers still immediately launched newspapers to follow up on the situation.

Whether it's news about Professor Dumbledore, the Ministry of Magic, or mysterious people, everything is what the professors are concerned about.

At the headmaster's table, Sirius and Lupine were enjoying breakfast, reading newspapers and talking quietly.

"The Ministry of Magic put together a team," said Sirius, "but don't you think it's a little strange that we weren't notified?"

"Of course," Lupine slowly cut the omelette and said with a pale face, "This is a bit strange, but what's even weirder is that Professor Dumbledore is not the commander. Judging from the description, there seems to be something else. People...I really don’t know who is qualified to command professors.”

"Who else," Sirius sneered and said contemptuously, "Of course it's the Ministry of Magic officials, I'm too familiar with them -"

"Cornelly Fudge? No. If it was them, it would be written in the newspapers," Lupine said.

Sirius shrugged and said nonchalantly: "Maybe they also feel that their name is not suitable, Remus."

"If the wizarding community hopes to defeat Voldemort, then they must listen to Professor Dumbledore after all - no one knows how to deal with Voldemort better than Dumbledore. Only people of equal status are qualified to stand side by side with Dumbledore, and those bureaucrats in the Ministry of Magic It’s obviously too far off.”

"In comparison, I'm more curious about what happened to Barty Crouch..."

He rubbed his chin, which had a short, stiff beard, and read with interest a brief note in the corner of the newspaper.

"Barty Crouch, Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, is temporarily recovering due to illness. This is much more interesting than Professor Dumbledore's."

"This morning he was the hero who resisted the Death Eaters in the first round, and he immediately called in sick in the afternoon... This is not in line with Crouch's character. If he had ever taken a day off because of illness, I would put this table in front of him I chewed up all the utensils on top and ate them.”

"So...I still don't understand what's so 'interesting' about this."

Lu Ping quickly flipped through the newspaper in his hand, and finally his eyes rested on one of the pages inadvertently.

That was an article by Rita Skeeter, a gold medal reporter for the Daily Prophet. She was the one who wrote the report on Lockhart some time ago.

"Someone in the Ministry of Magic is suspected of colluding with dark wizards, and the Aurors successfully identified the suspect... What, do you suspect it is Crouch?"

"Obviously, Crouch is probably under house arrest——"

Sirius said with a strange expression, seeming to be a little gloating and a little confused.

"However, there must be something abnormal in this. There is no way that Barty Crouch will fall to Voldemort's side."

"Well, why? Do you know Crouch?"

At this moment, a curious and gentle voice sounded next to the two of them.

Lupine and Sirius turned their heads just in time to see Professor Sprout smiling apologetically at them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you - I was just curious... uh... Crouch and I were at the same time."

Professor Sprout's seat was right next to Lupine, and it was difficult for her to hear the conversation between the two.

And on the other hand, as the headmaster of Hufflepuff College, the "melon-eating nature" of badgers is sometimes quite difficult to control.

"Oh, of course I know Barty Crouch."

Sirius's expression darkened, his expression suddenly became a little scary, and he said softly.

"In fact, he was the one who ordered me to be sent to Azkaban—even the trial process was skipped."

"What? You didn't go through a trial back then?!" Professor Sprout said in surprise.

"Not Professor Dumbledore?" Lu Ping was also a little surprised.

Most of them learned about Sirius Black from newspapers and friends.

For a long time, they thought he was sent to Azkaban by Dumbledore himself after being tried by the Wizengamot Tribunal.

This is also an old story that professors and members of the Order of the Phoenix have been tacitly avoiding.

…Whether it was before Sirius was released from prison or after he was released from prison.

"Yes, there is no trial."

Sirius said frankly, adding a large spoonful of beef to his plate.

"Crouch was once the Director of the Legal Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic. You should remember this, right?"

"Of course, I remember everyone predicting that he might be elected as the next Minister of Magic."

Professor Sprout nodded, frowned as he recalled the past, and spoke slowly and thoughtfully.

"He is a very great wizard, Barty Crouch. He was very good when he was in school, with strong magic power, very independent and courageous. In the last year, he and I served as presidents of the boy and girl union respectively. Although he graduated from Slater Lin, but he has always been firmly against black magic. But I think Doreen’s credit is at least half of it. Crouch also knows a lot of black magic, but he will never use them to bully the weak.”

"Doreen?" Lupine asked softly, curiously.

"Oh, Doreen Abbott, who was Crouch's roommate for seven years and later became Mrs. Crouch."

Professor Sprout's expression darkened, he gave a brief explanation, and quickly turned the topic back to Barty Crouch.

"At such times, good people can always show their best qualities, and bad people can reveal their worst qualities. Although I don't agree with some of Crouch's subsequent measures, it is indeed impossible for him to become a Death Eater—— Perhaps Dumbledore is the wizard that Death Eaters fear most, but Barty Crouch is definitely the one that Death Eaters hate the most. Sometimes, I even think that he has become like many people on the dark side. Cold..."

Professor Sprout sighed lightly and did not comment too much on Barty Crouch's past.

Lupine and Sirius also had the same complicated expressions, and everyone fell into silence looking at the headlines in the newspaper.

"Yeah, so I hate him, but that doesn't stop me from thinking he's great -"

Sirius also sighed, closed the newspaper, and absentmindedly stirred the beef on his plate.

"When Voldemort was powerful, you didn't know who was his supporter and who was not, who was serving him and who was not."

"People only knew that Voldemort could take control of people and make them do terrible things involuntarily. Everyone was afraid for themselves, their families and friends. Every week there was bad news, someone died, and someone died. Some people are missing, and others are being tortured..."

"The Ministry of Magic is in chaos. They don't know what to do. There is terror everywhere... tension... chaos..."

"However, with Crouch becoming the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Ministry of Magic finally has some counterattack against the dark forces."

"Aurors have gained a lot of new powers - for example, they have the power to kill, not just arrest. Crouch met violence with violence, and he allowed the Unforgivable Curse to be used on suspects. They were imprisoned without trial. I am not the only one who was handed over to the Dementors. Of course, many people think that Crouch is right to handle it this way. After Voldemort disappears, it seems to be only a matter of time before Crouch becomes Minister of Magic. Until later..."

Sirius looked back at the past with a cold sarcastic expression, "Crouch's biological son was caught, and he was with a group of Death Eaters who used sweet talk to escape prison. I remember, they were there at that time Looking for Voldemort and trying to bring Voldemort back to life."

"He should spend more time with his family, get off work early from time to time...get to know his son better."

Professor Sprout shook his head and whispered sadly, "Doreen dotes on that child too much..."

As a good friend who slept in the next bed, Professor Sprout knew his best friend's personality very well.

"So his son became a Death Eater?" Lupine asked.

"I don't know. But it should be -" Sirius shrugged, "I was there when he was imprisoned in Azkaban. When that boy was captured, the people who were with him were Death Eaters. ——" A cold flash flashed in his eyes, and he nodded his chin towards the Gryffindor table not far away.

"—You know what they were arrested for, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom. I don't think he is innocent."

"So Crouch sent him to Azkaban himself - and Doreen passed out in the courtroom."

Sprout sighed deeply and later took a special leave to visit the mother.

"Yes, very pitiful. His mother must be very good to him."

Sirius said, his face now not looking amused at all.

"I saw the dementors bring him in, and I watched them through the bars of the cell door. He couldn't have been more than nineteen years old. They threw him into a cell next to mine. In the evening, He screamed for his mother. But after a few days, he was silent..."

"They all became silent in the end...only occasionally screaming in their sleep..."

For a moment, the depressed look in Sirius' eyes became extremely serious, as if the blinds behind his eyes had suddenly closed.

"So, the kid is still in Azkaban?" Lupine asked.

Unlike most wizards, after the fall of Voldemort, as a werewolf, he rarely had the leisure to understand these stories.

The fall of the dark forces will not make people forget the horror of werewolves. The Ministry of Magic's persecution and surveillance of werewolves has become more stringent year by year. He had never heard Sirius mention these things - it was already difficult for Remus Lupin to survive.

"No more," Sirius said flatly. "He wasn't there anymore. He died a year after they brought him in."

"he died?"

"He wasn't the only one who died," Sirius said bitterly. "Most people there went crazy, and many ended up going on a hunger strike."

"They have lost the will to live. You can tell when a person dies because the dementors can feel it and they get excited every time. The boy was sick when he arrived. Crouch As an important official in the Ministry of Magic, he and his wife were allowed to visit their son on his deathbed. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half supporting his wife as he walked past my cell."

"Apparently his wife died soon after - from grief - haggard and dead like the boy."

"Crouch didn't come to collect his son's body, and the Dementors buried him outside the fortress. I watched them do it—"

Sirius let go of the knife in his hand, grabbed the pumpkin juice next to him and drank it all in one gulp.

"so……"

"Barty Crouch cannot fall to Voldemort's side. He has a blood feud with those guys - on both sides."

"...I understand what you mean. If Crouch is placed under house arrest..."

Lu Ping was silent for a few seconds, re-opened the "Daily Prophet" and spoke softly.

"Either there is something wrong with the Ministry of Magic, or Voldemort has made a price that even Crouch can't refuse..."

"No matter which one, it's not good news for the wizarding world - Dumbledore should know about this, otherwise he wouldn't be so anxious."

"Yes, but relatively speaking... I would rather it was the Ministry of Magic that had the problem."

Sirius whispered, shaking the empty cup in his hand.

"after all……"

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Great! The last update of 2021!

happy New Year! !