Mysterious Journey = Mysterious Journey
Ministry of Magic, Department of International Magical Cooperation.
The office, bustling all day, gradually quieted down, with only the Minister's office door still radiating light.
This was not uncommon in the Ministry. Ever since those events, Barty Crouch was always the last to leave this floor, not to mention in such turbulent and chaotic times. He didn't even need to look for reasons; the flood of letters was enough.
Except...
Clang, clang clang, clang clang clang—
Barty Crouch tidied up the documents on his desk and looked up at the wall clock.
Counting from midnight yesterday, about a dozen hours had passed. He had to go back for a while.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Crouch, you can't leave the Ministry for the time being—"
"What do you mean... 'can't leave'?"
Barty Crouch narrowed his eyes, his right hand imperceptibly gripping his wand as he looked at the Aurors who appeared at his office door.
"Literal meaning, you can't leave the Ministry premises before the investigation results are out, sir."
Just then, a coy, high-pitched voice rang out.
Dolores Umbridge's pale, fat face gradually emerged from the shadows.
"Investigation? Sounds more like house arrest to me."
Barty Crouch snorted and swept his gaze across the faces of Umbridge and the Aurors.
"Ms. Umbridge, you're still suspended... This isn't Hogwarts. Do you understand what it means to arrest and confine a senior Ministry official without authorization? Come on, Dawlish, Perkins... don't be foolish, it's not worth it."
"Actually, that's exactly what I wanted to say to you, Mr. Crouch."
Umbridge grinned, like a toad finding its prey, her eyes gleaming with triumph.
She opened her handbag, took out a roll of parchment, and unfurled it in front of Barty Crouch.
"Mr. Barty Crouch, you are suspected of colluding with and assisting 'You-Know-Who.' This is a warrant jointly signed by Minister Fudge and Madam Bones. If you intend to resist or escape the Ministry premises before the investigation is over, we have the right to arrest you on the spot as a 'Death Eater'—"
"Me? A Death Eater?! Absurd—"
Barty Crouch paused for half a second, then widened his eyes in furious anger.
"What investigation?! What's the evidence? I suspect you're on Voldemort's side—"
"Oh, as for the evidence, of course, you'll see it soon..."
Umbridge waved her hand casually, glanced at the Minister, and a sweet smile appeared on her face.
"Rufus Scrimgeour and others should be searching right now—at the Crouch family's manor—you might as well guess what they'll find there? Anyway, I heard it could be something quite terrible, quite unexpected. Disarm him, Dawlish—"
Search?
The Crouch family's... manor?!
Barty Crouch stood there motionless, as if frozen.
His face was terribly pale as Dawlish snatched the wand from his hand. He didn't move or speak.
"Very well, it seems we don't have to waste too much energy beating around the bush—"
Umbridge's tone was laced with some kind of evil glee as she rolled up the parchment in her hand.
"Dawlish, keep an eye on him—Perkins, let's go help Mr. Crouch tidy up his office. You wouldn't mind, would you, esteemed Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation? Or should I say, esteemed 'former' Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation?"
…………
About half an hour later.
Ministry of Magic, the Minister's office.
After a long silence, Cornelius Fudge broke the silence.
"...So, what's your conclusion? Mr. Scrimgeour."
"Barty Crouch Jr. is not dead. Although we were unable to arrest him at the Crouch family manor, we discovered the room he usually lived in and his daily utensils—we cannot determine whether Mr. Crouch has sided with You-Know-Who, but he has certainly seriously violated the law."
Scrimgeour glanced at Amelia Bones not far away and continued in a solemn voice.
"The problem now is, how exactly did he deceive the Azkaban guards, and... is he the only one—"
"Rufus, send people to Azkaban immediately to confirm the imprisonment situation."
Amelia Bones ordered decisively, a cold light flashing in her monocle.
"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 still at large—Another good news is that, fortunately, there is still only one Dark Lord who has risen from the dead."
"No problem, I'll arrange it immediately, Director Bones."
Rufus Scrimgeour nodded, turned, and strode towards the door to explain the task to the Aurors outside.
As Head of the Auror Office, he was well aware of the seriousness of the matter—not just because of Barty Crouch Jr., but more importantly, Dumbledore had previously issued a warning about the Azkaban guards... The fact proved that ignoring Dumbledore's warning was not a wise decision.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the conversation between the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Minister for Magic continued.
"So, what should we do with Mr. Barty Crouch?"
Amelia Bones looked at Fudge, "My suggestion is to arrest him immediately and hold a public Wizengamot trial as soon as possible—"
"Arrest, but... hold off on the Wizengamot for now."
Cornelius pondered for a moment, thoughtfully stroking the stack of newspapers on his desk.
"People are already panicking outside. If it's revealed at this time that a senior Ministry official is suspected of assisting You-Know-Who, it's not just a scandal for the Ministry, it could even trigger large-scale riots... People will question the Ministry's ability, question whether the Ministry is still trustworthy. Perhaps before You-Know-Who makes a comeback, you, me, and many others will be directly driven off the stage by the panicked people..."
"Then you mean—"
"Skip the trial process, send him directly to Azkaban, and say he's temporarily sick and recuperating."
Cornelius Fudge breathed a long sigh and said in a deep voice, "As for the Wizengamot, we'll wait for Dumbledore to come back..."
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Goo ya~