bioinnovel Chapter 300 The Professors' Jigsaw Puzzle
Chapter 300 The Professors' Jigsaw Puzzle
Chapter 300 The Professors' Jigsaw Puzzle
After a while, Belvina, having figured out many things, detached herself from her self-consciousness.
She suddenly realized that the other four people in the principal's office were staring at her, as if she had something on her face.
"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Professor, Professor Dumbledore called you several times," Harry said, "but you didn't respond."
"It seems our Professor Black disdains to discuss matters with people like us," Snape said. "I'd love to hear Professor Black's opinion."
Dumbledore, accustomed to this, remained expressionless, while Professor Moody, still adjusting, seemed both bewildered and impressed.
"Severus, I do have some insightful observations, and I'd love to share them," Belvina said, then added to Dumbledore and Professor Moody, "Sorry, I was a little distracted just now."
Then she said to Snape, "As for you, if I have accidentally offended you, I will not apologize to you."
Listening to the exchange between the two, Professor Moody looked at Dumbledore and asked with his normal eye: "They're in such a state, don't we really need to do something about it?"
"Whatever," Snape said. "You weren't exactly a polite person in school anyway."
"It's better than some people whose hearts are in their groins," Belvina retorted. "Being biased is one thing, but to have a heart of stone is quite another."
Professor Moody was speechless; he felt he couldn't understand people at all these days.
Harry, standing nearby, exclaimed with delight, saying it had been a long time since he'd seen Snape eat, and it was truly a joy to see him enjoy it.
"Can we get down to business?" Dumbledore said helplessly, feeling as if he were dealing with two perpetually immature children.
Belvina and Snape both snorted coldly.
"I've pieced together the events of the past few months," Belvina said carefully. "First, let's talk about the night of the Quidditch World Cup final."
As is widely known, on the night of the Quidditch World Cup final, a riot was allegedly caused by remnants of the Death Eaters at the campsite.
That night, the Dark Mark was raised into the sky, and the British Ministry of Magic was disgraced. Dumbledore, Professor Moody, and Harry all listened attentively, and even Snape refrained from making any more sarcastic remarks.
"The riot at the campsite is nothing serious, just a bunch of clowns jumping around," Belvina said. "What's really concerning is the Black Mark."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "I never understood why Barty Crouch was so fixated on Harry that night, but now I do."
"You mean Barty Crouch Jr. released the Dark Mark, and Crouch Sr. was stalling for time?" Professor Moody said.
Belvina nodded and continued, "That's one possibility. Another possibility is that old Crouch that night was actually Barty Jr. in disguise, or that he was being controlled by Barty Jr.
Although Barty Crouch offered a vague explanation afterward, Belvina still felt that his behavior that night was illogical and inconsistent with his usual style.
It was because of his strange behavior that night that Belvina became suspicious of Barty Crouch.
"Go on," said Dumbledore.
“Next is Professor Moody,” Belvina said, and Professor Moody pointed to himself. “Remember the attack on the first day of school, Alastor?”
"Of course I remember. You only suspected me because I was attacked before the start of the semester. How could I not remember?" Professor Moody said in a low voice.
The sudden attack on the retired and retiring Auror, a veteran of many years, evokes a strong sense of a tiger fallen into the plains.
“Harry’s dream proves my suspicions about you were justified, Alastor,” Belvina said. “By disguising myself as you and sneaking into the school, as long as I can fool Professor Dumbledore, I’ll have plenty of opportunities to get close to Harry.”
As she spoke, Belvina looked at Harry.
By impersonating the Auror Alastor Moody and infiltrating the school, if he can fool Dumbledore, who will doubt his identity?
From then on, whether in daily study or the Triwizard Tournament, fake Moody would have plenty of opportunities to get close to Harry and try to take him away from Hogwarts.
Belvina continued, "However, our meritorious Auror is still as sharp as ever. The attackers, having failed in their first strike, had no choice but to flee and, as a last resort, enter the school under a different identity to approach Harry."
"Barty Crouch," Professor Moody said in a deep voice, though it was unclear whether he was referring to Barty Jr. or Barty Sr.
“That’s what I think,” Belvina snapped her fingers. “It shouldn’t be difficult for little Barty to pretend to be his father, whom he lives with every day.”
At this moment, Dumbledore suddenly said, "Old Crouch once said that he would resign after the World Cup, but he didn't."
"There's another possibility, a two-pronged approach," Snape said slowly. "Professors at the university, plus high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Magic—double insurance."
Upon hearing this, Alastor Moody glared fiercely at Snape.
It wasn't that Moody couldn't accept others' doubts, but Snape's tone was really awful, sounding particularly irritating.
“Of course,” Snape continued, “the fragments of memory we just experienced in the Pensieve are enough to prove that the Alastor Moody before us is indeed him.”
In front of Dumbledore, Belvina, and Snape, trying to fake a memory to deceive them would be...
It's too difficult; it's practically an impossible task.
"That's something I hadn't considered," Belvina said humbly. In her assumption, Barty's choices were all single-choice, and she hadn't considered the possibility of multiple choices.
She thought for a moment, then continued, "Now, the only thing that puzzles me is Bertha Jorkins. Is her disappearance related to the Crouch family?"
The disappearance of Bertha Jorkins, a remarkable figure in the Ministry of Magic, is too suspicious.
He could have disappeared earlier or later, but he just happened to disappear during the Quidditch World Cup.
Even more coincidentally, she disappeared after visiting Albania, Voldemort's hideout.
What role did Bertha Jorkins play in this whole affair? What was her connection to Voldemort and the Crouch family?
"Our immediate concern isn't troublemaker Bertha Jorkins," Snape said. "Where Barty Jr. wants to take Potter, and what the Dark Lord wants to do to Potter, that's what we should be concerned about."
Compared to Harry Potter, Bertha Jorkins' importance is greatly diminished, and her life or death becomes a trivial matter.
Belvina pouted, no longer thinking about the connection between Bertha Joggins and the Crouch father and son.
"If all these assumptions we've made are true, then when did Barty Jr. break free from Crouch Sr.'s control?" Professor Moody asked.
Dumbledore thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps during Sirius's retrial, this wrongful conviction was a heavy blow to Barty Crouch."
"Even an ordinary person would develop some resistance to being controlled by the Imperius Curse for ten years," Snape said. "And Barty Jr. is no ordinary person; he's very intelligent, extremely intelligent."
Belvina looked at Snape in surprise, never expecting to hear him praise someone in her lifetime!
Snape turned his head away and continued, "It just so happened that Crouch was going through a tough time at that time, and his Imperius Curse was not up to par. Barty Jr. took the opportunity to break free and escape."
The Potions professor's analysis was not without merit. During the retrial of Sirius Black's case, Barty Crow's will was at its weakest, making it the best opportunity to break free of the Imperius Curse.
"Could Barty Crouch Jr. have other accomplices?" Professor Moody asked in a low voice. "Could he use his father's position to contact other Death Eaters?"
"Probably not," Belvina said uncertainly. "The Death Eaters who are loyal to Voldemort are all lurking in Azkaban." Belvina suddenly stood up. It seems that she has no choice but to go to Azkaban this time.
If Barty Crouch Jr. were still alive and secretly causing trouble, would he repeat his past deeds and take a loyal henchman from Azkaban?
"We've overlooked a crucial question," Belvina said slowly, "If Barty Jr. is still alive, how did he contact Voldemort?"
The principal's office fell silent.
Dumbledore and his companions had also considered Belvina's concerns.
The loyalty of the Death Eater remnants, such as Lucius Malfoy, to Voldemort was a joke.
Before Voldemort returns to his former glory, this group will not gather under Voldemort's command; they will only provide support in any way other than assistance.
If Barty Crouch Jr. needs loyal and reliable help, he can only rely on the Death Eaters lurking in Azkaban, provided they can rescue the people first.
"This whole thing is getting more and more complicated," Dumbledore said calmly. "Perhaps I should contact Cornelius and make sure the prisoners of Azkaban are still where they are."
They needed to confirm whether any prisoners had recently escaped from Azkaban, and also check the recent death list of Azkaban to see which Death Eaters were no longer there.
To ascertain Azkaban's current situation, contacting Cornelius Fudge is an essential step, lest the Minister of Magic become suspicious again. Belvina suddenly thought of her older brother Sirius, who was currently holed up in Grimmauld Place. She wished Sirius was still in Azkaban.
In that case, Belvina wouldn't even need to find a reason; she could use the pretext of visiting her brother to go to the island and, with her help, search for Barty Crouch Jr.'s grave in Azkaban.
Unfortunately, Sirius Black has been exonerated, and the only reason Belvina can visit the island is Bellatrix.
"How about I use the excuse of visiting Bellatrix to go to Azkaban?" Belvina said. "It's just a bit abrupt, though."
I had never visited her before.
"Not for now." Dumbledore shook his head. "I'll figure out a way to investigate Azkaban privately."
Dumbledore paced back and forth in the circular headmaster's office, his hands behind his back.
After a long pause, Dumbledore, having made up his mind, spoke again: "Severus, keep a close eye on Karkaroff and prevent him from having too much contact with Crouch. Also, keep a close eye on the movements of Malfoy and the others."
Snape nodded silently; his spy career was restarting at that moment.
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