bioinnovel Chapter 258 The Strange Crouch
Chapter 258 The Strange Crouch
Chapter 258 The Strange Crouch
"Harry Potter?"
"Good heavens, how could it be Harry Potter!"
"What did they just do, attack Harry Potter?"
"No wonder Belvina got angry; anyone would have gotten angry in her place."
The Ministry of Magic officials present were abuzz with discussion, Harry Potter's name was mentioned repeatedly, and many people gasped in shock.
If Belvina hadn't appeared in time, if all the Stunning Charms had hit Harry Potter, if Harry Potter had lost his life in the Ministry of Magic's attack—
The officials of the Ministry of Magic dared not speculate any further, and the twenty wizards who had just cast the Stunning Charm were all sweating bullets.
If they really killed Harry Potter, they would be guilty even if they had a mouth full of mouths.
Once the news of the boy's miraculous death spreads, it goes without saying whether the Death Eater remnants will make a ruckus with gongs and firecrackers; the mere spittle of the general public alone could overwhelm the Ministry of Magic and drown everyone present.
At that time, the Ministry of Magic will inevitably be thrown into turmoil, and may even trigger a vote of no confidence, leading to Minister Cornelius Fudge's resignation.
But before Fudge leaves the Ministry of Magic, none of those who made the move will escape; every single one of them will have to be handed over to Harry.
Potter was buried with him.
It's somewhat forgivable that someone can't distinguish between Death Eaters and ordinary wizards.
If adults and children can't tell the difference, it can be resolved properly with a little more effort.
However, when the target of the attack is Harry Potter, the matter escalates to another level.
Why did the Ministry of Magic launch a blatant attack on the boy who had miraculously survived without even asking what happened?
Is the Ministry of Magic planning to use the elimination of Harry Potter as a way to pledge allegiance to Varian?
Should the next step be to raise the banner of the Mysterious Man and wipe out all Muggle-born wizards in Britain?
The huge hat that Belvina threw down represented more than just Blake's attitude; it was something that could really crush a person.
Thinking of this, the Ministry of Magic officials broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, Harry Potter was alright, and fortunately, things hadn't spiraled out of control.
Now all we need to do is find the real culprit who cast the Dark Mark, give Black and Potter an explanation, and the blunder created by the Ministry of Magic can be easily forgotten, as if it never happened.
Indeed, none of the Ministry of Magic officials present believed that Harry, Harry, and his two companions were the ones who fired the Dark Mark.
The three children who were just besieged were Harry Potter, who saved the world from suffering; Weasley, a pure-blood traitor; and another, who is not important. In short, it is impossible for these three to have used the Dark Mark. There must be someone else behind it.
However, Buddy Crouch doesn't seem to think so.
While everyone was whispering amongst themselves, the enraged Sirius Black had already been pulled away by Mr. Weasley and Lupin, and was unable to continue punching Crouch.
Barty Crouch took out his wand, first healing his broken nose, then wiping the blood from his face, before walking toward Harry and his two companions.
"Who did this?" Barty Crouch asked sternly, his sharp eyes sweeping across Harry, Harry, and his companions. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"
These words caused an uproar in the room.
Has Mr. Crouch gone mad? He actually believes that three children can conjure up the Dark Mark!
No matter how you look at it, these three people don't seem like they could conjure up the Dark Mark. They probably didn't even know what the Dark Mark was before.
"Who did this!" Barty Crouch shouted. "You were found at the crime scene!" He seemed truly insane, his tone resembling that of someone interrogating a criminal.
"We didn't do it!" Harry shouted back. "I didn't even know that thing was the Dark Mark!"
Ron, rubbing his arm, said irritably, "We didn't do anything, yet we almost got killed by you." He glared at his father, "Why did you attack us for no reason?"
"Don't lie to me, sir!" Barty Crouch was acting like a madman, as if the events of the night had driven him mad.
"Enough, Crouch!"
Mr. Weasley strode over and stood in front of Harry and his two companions.
He continued, "What are you doing, Crouch? This isn't a Ministry of Magic interrogation room, and those three aren't criminals!"
Even the usually good-natured Mr. Weasley lost his temper, which shows just how irrational Barty Crouch's behavior was. Or rather, how incredibly stupid Crouch's behavior was.
"Arthur," Sirius said lazily, "can't you see? Mr. Crouch is clearly planning to make Harry and the other two criminals. They were found at the crime scene, so they're criminals, no doubt about it."
As he spoke, Sirius Black actually started clapping.
The isolated applause made the Ministry of Magic officials feel like they were sitting on pins and needles.
Sirius Black was caught at a crime scene and then sent to Azkaban.
Tonight, Harry, Harry, and his two companions were also "caught" at a crime scene, a scene so familiar it's hard not to wonder what's going on.
Most importantly, Sirius Black was tried by Barty Crouch back then, and tonight it's Barty Crouch who's holding Harry and his friends hostage.
Crouch.
The Ministry of Magic officials remained silent, somewhat confused about the situation that evening: What was wrong with Barty Crouch?
"Barty Crouch, look who you're dealing with!" Mr. Weasley roared. "Do you think the boy who survived will conjure up the Dark Mark, or do you think my son is a criminal?!"
Having said all that, Barty Crouch should have backed down, no matter how stubborn he was. But he remained unmoved. Crouch, his face ashen, looked at Hermione, his eyes seemingly about to burst free from their sockets and become fixed on her.
“Arthur,” Belvina said lazily, “If Crouch’s son can be a Death Eater, why can’t Weasley’s son conjure the Dark Mark? Right, Mr. Crouch?”
The brother and sister are truly from the same womb; they both love to mess with people's lungs.
The brother implied that Barty Crouch had been tortured into confessing, so the sister exposed Barty Crouch's weaknesses.
The main theme is a brother and sister working together, which infuriates Barty Crouch to death.
Sure enough, Barty Crouch abruptly turned around, his eyes, which were practically bulging out of their sockets, turned to Belvina, and his lips twitched uncontrollably.
The Ministry of Magic officials present were once again in uproar. This was Barty Crouch's biggest stain, and in some ways even more serious than wrongly accusing Sirius.
It was because Barty Crouch Jr.'s identity as a Death Eater was exposed that Barty Crouch's reputation plummeted, leading him to leave the Department of Law Enforcement and ultimately lose his chance to run for Minister of Magic.
"Mr. Crouch, I used to think you were just someone who hated evil, which is why you inadvertently made such a big mistake." Belvina said calmly, "But now it seems that's not the case."
Barty Crouch, his face ashen, remained silent, his lips twitching again.
Belvina walked over slowly, saying as she went, "You're ignoring the real culprit and instead fixating on these three children. What are you trying to do?"
Yes, what exactly is Mr. Crouch up to?
Not just Belvina, everyone in the stadium wanted to ask this question.
Everyone thought the three children couldn't be the murderer, so why insist on questioning them? Shouldn't they be searching the surrounding area to prevent the criminal from escaping?
Even if these three children are suspects, they can't escape. Can't we just ask them later?
Finally, some bystanders couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to persuade Barty Crouch.
"Barty, they are still children, there is no way they could conjure the Dark Mark," said a witch wearing a wool tunic.
“Yes, instead of wasting time here with someone who can’t possibly be here, we should expand the search area and capture the person who conjured the Dark Mark,” Amos Diggory said. “But I suspect that person has already escaped.”
Amos Diggory gave Barty Crouch a meaningful look.
Clearly, Mr. Diggory was ostensibly trying to persuade Crouch, but in reality, he was on Belvina's side.
However, Mr. Diggory's attempt to sabotage others failed, and no one would suspect Crouch of colluding with the Death Eaters, just as no one would suspect Ludo Bagman of being a Death Eater.
How could someone who could send his only son to Azkaban possibly be in cahoots with the Death Eaters?
Even Belvina's accusations just now only questioned Barty Crouch's motives and abilities, without implying that he conspired with the Death Eaters.
"Did you three see or hear anything in the woods just now?" Belvina asked the trio, her tone businesslike and devoid of any personal feelings.
"We heard someone chanting a spell, and then that thing appeared," Harry said, pointing to the Dark Mark in the night sky. "It was a man's voice."
Barty Crouch immediately turned to look at Harry, his eyes icy cold, sending chills down one's spine.
Harry suddenly frowned, before he could finish his sentence.
“Over there,” Hermione said, her voice trembling, pointing in the direction they had come from. “There’s someone behind the tree, probably a man. He chanted a spell—I was scared, so I ran out of the woods.”
Upon hearing Hermione's words, the group of magical officials raised their wands again, aiming them in the direction Hermione was pointing.
Amos Diggory was a man of action; he led several strong male wizards straight into the dark forest.
Suddenly, shadowy figures moved in the dark woods, accompanied by a sound.
"Who's there? Come out!" Amos Diggory raised his wand, squinting as he stared intently at the grove of trees.
"It's me, Felix Ferguson from the Law Enforcement Team," the man in the woods replied. "I'm here on Miss Black's orders to search the nearby woods."
Upon hearing this, Amos Diggory turned to look at Belvina, and only after seeing her nod did Mr. Diggory feel relieved.
Felix, with his hands raised above his head, led his men out of the dark woods, saying as they walked, "Don't make a move, we're on the same side, we're all law enforcement."
With that, Felix walked straight toward Belvina.
He said, "Miss Black, there's nothing suspicious in the nearby woods. Further out are the ordinary people who have taken refuge in the woods; it's difficult to distinguish them one by one."
Upon hearing the report from the law enforcement team, the Ministry of Magic officials present finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The World Cup camp has no restrictions on Apparition, so anyone who conjured the Dark Mark would likely have already escaped.
Even if he hadn't run away, Felix and his law enforcement team only numbered seven or eight people, and the prisoner could very well have bypassed their search and blended into the crowd.
"Mr. Crouch," Belvina said coldly, "you may now continue interrogating Harry Potter."