Mysterious Journey

Chapter 1173 Barty Crouch (Middle)

Sirius didn't finish his sentence after "after all."

However, Lupin and Sprout roughly guessed his concern.

Compared to the fence-sitters swaying to either side, the danger and ominousness indicated by the fall of a hero were far greater. If Voldemort could influence Barty Crouch, then, theoretically, the Dark Lord's evil tentacles could reach and corrupt any wizard.

A long silence. Professor Sprout recalled what she later heard people say about Barty Crouch.

Since his wife and son had passed away one after another, and his family's reputation had been swept away, he was soon transferred from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

However, he seemed to work even more frantically and diligently in his new job than before, as if this could help him temporarily forget the scandals of the past.

The lights in the International Magical Cooperation Office were always the last to go out, and in his spare time, Barty Crouch would hunt down and arrest dark wizards like a madman. Although some of this work should have been done by the Auror Office, few people in the Ministry of Magic would proactively provoke him.

"If Professor Dumbledore takes action personally, these storms will soon subside," said Professor Sprout.

"Yes, I heard Professor Dumbledore left early this morning," Sirius nodded and said, "I think so too. The Ministry of Magic's reaction speed this time is much better than it was a decade ago. Besides, have you noticed? Those three aren't at school today either."

As he spoke, he tilted his head towards the empty seats at the end of the staff table.

Although Nicolas Flamel never ate breakfast, Professor Scamander and Professor Apocalyps were rarely absent.

Especially the rather mysterious Professor Apocalyps. In Sirius's impression, that old wizard valued three meals a day quite a lot.

As for the reason for the two old men's absence, he could guess some of it from the newspaper. Under the joint efforts of the magical governments of various countries, several top wizards, including Albus Dumbledore, gathered together and temporarily formed a special team to hunt down the 'fugitive Dark Lord.'

Obviously, neither Dumbledore nor the Ministry of Magic wanted to go through another wizarding war.

Taking advantage of the fact that Voldemort had not yet gained a firm foothold, the strategy of the magical world was to concentrate its forces and launch a "decapitation operation."

Of course, apart from this, the magical government had taken other measures.

Sirius glanced at the news report on the last page of the *Daily Prophet*:

"It is reported that the magical governments of various countries will soon establish 'shiLed' to cope with the increasingly rampant and dangerous international dark magic forces... Ha, they might as well deal with their internal affairs first." He shook his head and casually folded the newspaper and threw it aside.

As for the undercurrents between Barty Crouch and the Ministry of Magic? He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the subsequent developments.

Anyway, no matter how much those guys fussed, when Professor Dumbledore returned, those tangled "balls of fluff" would naturally be resolved.

In fact, deep down, he had a slight expectation that Barty Crouch would be wrongly imprisoned. As the former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a hardline wizard who pioneered the practice of sending people to Azkaban without trial and gave Aurors the right to kill, this kind of reversal was simply too ironic.

"Hey—Mr. Crouch—welcome to experience Azkaban life—"

...

Azkaban originated in the fifteenth century, but it was not originally intended for prison use.

Azkaban is located on an island in the cold waters of the North Sea. This island has never appeared on any map—neither Muggle nor wizarding maps. Rumor has it that it was created by magic, and some say that magic was used to enlarge its space.

In the beginning, the owner of this island was a dark wizard named Ekrizdis, and no one knew where he came from.

But from later investigations, Ekrizdis's magic was exceptionally powerful, and he was skilled in a large number of lost evil dark magic spells. Ekrizdis's greatest pleasure was to lure, torture, and kill Muggle sailors who passed by here. Fortunately, he rarely set foot outside the island.

Therefore, it was not until after his death that the Ministry of Magic realized the existence of this island and its buildings after the concealing spell he had cast lost its effect.

Those who went to investigate were only willing to mention that the place was full of Dementors, and refused to reveal more.

Many magical authorities believe that Azkaban is an extremely evil place and should be destroyed. But many others were worried that if the building was destroyed, the Dementors attached to Azkaban would swarm out. These creatures were already powerful enough and could not be completely and effectively killed.

Every wall in Azkaban is filled with torment and pain, and Dementors survive by clinging to these things.

Experts who studied the building and black magic in depth claimed that the connection between the two was too deep, and anyone who tried to destroy the building might be retaliated against by the Dementors. Due to concerns about the Dementors retaliating after being deprived of their homes, the plan to destroy Azkaban was eventually halted by the Ministry of Magic.

Azkaban was therefore abandoned for many years, continuing to raise a large group of Dementors.

It was not until the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was implemented that the Ministry of Magic believed that the small wizarding prisons scattered throughout the country posed a security risk, and Azkaban was reopened. The presence of those Dementors made it the most ideal wizarding prison in the eyes of successive Ministers for Magic.

Since resigning from the position of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Barty Crouch had never been here again.

He never thought that one day he would return to Azkaban as a "prisoner."

...

"I have never doubted you, Mr. Crouch, but—"

In front of the Azkaban cell, Rufus Scrimgeour shook his head with a complex expression and said softly.

"But rest assured, the guards of Azkaban will not get too close to you for the time being. After the storm has subsided a little, the Wizengamot will summon you to appear in court. If you have any redress or defense during this period, it will also be included in the Wizengamot's judgment..."

"There is nothing to defend. The truth is what you see. I am a criminal."

Barty Crouch looked around the cell and sat calmly on the single bed in the back.

As Scrimgeour and others appeared in front of him with a flash a few hours ago, he instantly understood that the lie he had tried so hard to cover up for nearly ten years had finally reached its end. The only thing that bothered him was that he had never seen the figure of that "degenerate son" from beginning to end.

After a few seconds of silence, Crouch sighed lightly and said with a sense of relief.

"He's dead, right? Don't hide it from me, he deserved it—"

As the person who personally granted Aurors the right to "kill," Barty Crouch knew very well the requirements for Aurors to use the Killing Curse.

Aurors are only allowed to use Unforgivable Curses to carry out missions when there is a potential danger. Ten years was enough for Crouch to understand what kind of demon he had raised back then. Being killed during the arrest was perhaps the best ending to the ten-year nightmare.

"Who?" To Barty Crouch's surprise, Scrimgeour did not understand his words immediately.

"Barty Crouch Jr., my son—Rufus, don't tell me you let him escape."

Crouch frowned, carefully examined Scrimgeour's expression, and looked astonished.

"Wait—"

"You didn't really let that bastard run away?!"

"Little Crouch didn't come home. We waited all evening and didn't see a single person—"

Rufus Scrimgeour waved his hand a little irritably, and looked at his former superior, who was questioning him, like an angry lion.

"As for where he is, you should know better than us, right? Mr. Crouch! I still don't understand why you would join the Dark Lord, and even now you are still stubbornly pretending to be stupid. Isn't everything tonight planned and promoted by you?!"

"What happened tonight? Wait, you don't mean to say... Little Barty also participated in tonight's attack?"

Barty Crouch couldn't help but be stunned, and a hint of uneasiness vaguely emerged in his heart.

"Oh! Crouch, Barty... Crouch! You bastard!"

Looking at Crouch's blank face, Rufus Scrimgeour's suppressed anger finally erupted completely.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?! Or are you still thinking that you have deceived everyone?!"

Scrimgeour approached the cage, his eyes seeming to be shooting flames, and roared angrily.

"No, I'm sorry, you're wrong! A Muggle you look down on saw everything..."

"I'm telling you, we know everything now—Barty Crouch, the Dark Lord's loyal steward, the chief mastermind behind the Ministry of Magic attack!"

"However, don't be too proud. Dumbledore and a group of top wizards are already on the way to hunt them down..."

————

————

Yay!