Chapter 322: The Past
Chapter 322: The Past
"I always believed that even if I was negligent in my teachings, the principles I instilled in him were always the right ones. His ultimate choice to take a different path was his own, and no one else can be blamed. He might blame me, thinking it was all my fault, but that’s just a sign of his immature thinking. He always focuses on what he has lost, never on what he could gain."
"But for Kath, I have always felt a deep sense of guilt."
"In my younger days, I was preoccupied with work. Even when our child was born, I didn’t spend a single day at home with her. We never had an anniversary, no candlelit dinners, no romantic memories, yet she never complained."
"When I was promoted to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and publicly declared my opposition to Voldemort, she was already in danger. Those heartless brutes repeatedly tried to kidnap her to force me to capitulate. They succeeded several times."
"But she never gave in, never once pleaded with me to save her, not even once!"
As he spoke, Crouch painfully clutched his hair.
"The most dangerous moment was when the Death Eaters had their wands pointed at her head. She just smiled and told me to do my job well, take care of Barty Jr., and not to grieve over her death."
"I loved her, and that’s why I felt even more guilty. I couldn’t refuse her final wish, even though it betrayed everything I stood for."
"I did as she asked, visiting Azkaban under the pretense of a prison visit. I transformed her into Barty Jr.’s appearance and Barty Jr. into hers, completing the switch. I personally sent my wife to her death and saved my son, who had already strayed from the right path."
"But even after Barty Jr. was freed, his loyalty to Voldemort remained unshaken. He treated that man as his own father and, after being released from Azkaban, was determined to bring him back. I had no other choice but to control him with the Imperius Curse and have a house-elf take care of him."
"Taking good care of him was Kath’s final wish. I could only hope that Voldemort would never return and that Barty Jr. would eventually accept this reality."
"However, the outcome proved me wrong."
His expression had become numb, and in the office, Dumbledore, Sherlock, and Mad-Eye Moody did not interrupt him. They listened quietly as the old man, who had almost become the Minister of Magic, recounted his past.
"Barty Jr.’s loyalty to Voldemort could not be erased by any spell. His will was incredibly strong, but the more he tried to hide it, the more I believed he had truly moved on from his past. To help him relax, I had the house-elf secretly take him to the Quidditch World Cup."
"And that’s when it happened."
Crouch lifted his head and turned his gaze toward Sherlock. His eyes were complex, filled with hatred, relief, unease, and a sense of release.
"You probably know what happened. Professor Forrest must have told you everything Barty Jr. did. He used the opportunity to reconnect with Voldemort’s people, but he was eventually discovered. Forrest killed him and informed me of the news at the scene that day."
"I should thank you for not revealing this at the time. At least you preserved my reputation, which was already of little importance." He said dejectedly to Sherlock.
Everyone present held their breath, knowing that Crouch was about to get to the crux of the matter.
"After the Quidditch World Cup, when I returned home, some uninvited guests showed up. I recognized all of them; they were former Death Eaters who had used their connections and bribes to escape punishment. The most notorious among them was Gagson."
"They told me that Barty Jr. was not dead and was with them. They said he missed his father and wanted to meet me."
"Such a clumsy lie couldn't fool me. I already knew in my heart that Forrest hadn't lied; he had indeed killed Barty Jr. with his own hands."
"I tried to stall them and send a message to the Ministry of Magic for backup, but they didn't give me the chance. They immediately restrained me and used the Imperius Curse."
"Every time you saw me after the Quidditch World Cup, it was me under the Imperius Curse."
As he said this, Dumbledore softly asked, "Was Harry's name the one they made you throw into the Goblet of Fire?"
Crouch shook his head. "No, it wasn't me. After they placed the Imperius Curse on me, Gagson and the others only made me focus on one task." He looked at Sherlock again. "To kill Forrest and bring his body back."
"On that day in the Forbidden Forest, it was me who summoned the fire dragon to attack Forrest. But after that mission failed, I began to resist the Imperius Curse. Gagson and the others noticed my resistance. While they still had some control over me, they made me hand over my duties to Percy and privately tried to regain full control."
Sherlock couldn't help but frown. Crouch's account was entirely different from what he had suspected.
"Throughout this entire time, you only did that one thing?"
Crouch spoke calmly. "I am willing to undergo Dumbledore's Legilimency or drink Veritaserum and recount everything."
Dumbledore shook his head. "There's no need for that. We believe you."
Mad-Eye Moody's raspy voice chimed in. "They separated the tasks."
Sherlock and Dumbledore turned their attention to him.
"Killing Forrest and dealing with Harry were assigned to different people by the Dark Lord. The Imperius-Cursed Barty was responsible for Forrest, while the person in charge of Harry..." He paused deliberately, "I believe it is the one we have been suspecting all along."
Dumbledore and Sherlock understood who he was referring to, but without the use of forceful means, the current evidence was insufficient to accuse anyone.
Dumbledore refocused on Crouch. "I want to know, during the time you were under the Imperius Curse, did you ever see Voldemort in person?"
Crouch finished his cup of hot cocoa and shook his head. "No, I only dealt with Gagson and the others. But from their conversations, I can confirm that Voldemort is planning a comeback!"
(End of Chapter)
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