Chapter 468: Winky's Testimony
Chapter 468: Winky's Testimony
Amelia Bones looked surprised, her monocle nearly slipping down her face. She took it off and wiped the lens.
"Dumbledore, if I'm not mistaken, neither of them has a master..."
Winky had stood there with a blank expression until now. Suddenly, she shrieked, "No—Winky belongs to the Crouch family! Winky has a master! His name is Barty Crouch—"
"That's not true!" Dobby countered. "Wizards, Mr. Barty Crouch gave Winky her freedom! I saw it with my own eyes!" Winky closed her eyes and screamed, "No! No! No!" Dobby shouted even louder, "Now Winky is as free as Dobby!" He stood proud, his chest puffed out, and the surrounding Wizards were taken aback.
They had never seen such an unusual House-elf, or rather, some had—those from the 'Future World' company turned their heads to look at Felix.
Felix spoke calmly, "Dobby used to serve a prominent family, but then he was freed. I offered him a job", he emphasized, "just a job."
"I've heard that the 'Future World' company has a group of peculiar House-elves", one Wizard muttered.
Winky continued to scream, and Fudge rudely interrupted her, "Little beast! You're called Winky? You were Barty Crouch's House-elf?"
"No—no—no—" Winky kept shouting, rolling on the ground, tears and snot streaming down her face. Dobby tried to pull her up, but he failed. He stood in front of her, helplessly waving his thin arms. "Yes! Her name is Winky, and I am Dobby."
"Dumbledore, do you want them to testify? House-elves are not reliable—"
"I don't think so", Dumbledore smiled gently. "From the clothes they wear, you can see that their wills are their own. There's no need to worry about them being bound by unbreakable magical contracts."
Fudge stared with wide eyes at Winky, who was still rolling on the ground. "Are you sure? Apart from the clothes, she's no different from any other House-elf."
"Dobby, you can start by telling us what happened that night", Felix said. "Just what you saw at Crouch Manor."
"Oh, of course! Dobby is happy to!" Dobby quickly recounted the events of that night. He mentioned the cold voice and Barty Crouch's unusual behavior. Most of the people in the room believed him, at least they were almost certain that Crouch had been controlled, and the person was not Little Barty—after all, he was still at Hogwarts.
While Dobby was speaking, Winky gradually calmed down, sobbing quietly.
"He didn't mention the person", Amelia Bones quickly glanced at her notes and looked up.
"Dobby is an outsider. If not for inviting a friend to celebrate Christmas, he would have had nothing to do with this", Felix said. "As for more information—" he looked at the House-elf sitting on the floor and spoke gently, "Winky, your testimony is very useful. It can at least prove that Mr. Barty Crouch is not an evil madman."
"The master is not a madman!" Winky shouted hoarsely. "He was under a terrible spell!"
"Then—Winky? Is that your name? Can you be more specific?" Amelia Bones asked. "If there are more details, I can consider reopening the case against Barty Crouch."
"Will the master be released?" Winky asked excitedly, finally calming down.
"Impossible!" Fudge shouted. "Impossible." He repeated, and Mrs. Bones gave him a reproachful look before turning to Winky. "Acquittal... is unlikely, but we will reconsider his sentence. You must understand, he was sentenced to life imprisonment."
Winky's eyes sparkled with hope. "Winky... Winky is willing to testify."
"A year ago... the master was still working. A man suddenly burst in, overpowered me, and freed Master Barty—"
"Who was that man?" Mrs. Bones asked sternly.
"A man named 'Peter Pettigrew.' He can turn into a rat. Winky has seen him!" Winky screeched. The Wizards exchanged glances, and someone whispered, "Peter Pettigrew." Winky continued describing his appearance, "He's short, fat, balding... and has small eyes..." She sneaked a glance at Fudge and whispered, "He looks a bit like this Wizard."
Fudge's chest heaved like an ancient bellows, and it seemed about to burst.
"Short, fat... and balding..." Mrs. Bones repeated, unable to suppress a smile. She waved her wand, and a portrait of Peter Pettigrew appeared in mid-air. "Is this him?"
"It's him!" Winky confirmed and added an important piece of information. "He was carrying an ugly baby and called the baby 'master!'"
A loud gasp filled the meeting room.
"Are you certain it was a baby?" Amelia Bones asked sternly.
"Y-Yes!" Winky stammered, not daring to look up. "A very, very... very ugly baby!"
"When Master returned home one night, young Master Barty, who had finally acquired a wand, hid under an invisibility cloak and ambushed him as he was undressing—" Winky gasped, speaking with pain. "Oh, that naughty Barty, he brought back a terrible friend!"
"We understand. What happened next?"
"Next, next... Master was controlled and continued to go to work as usual. I didn't even notice anything was wrong, oh heavens!" Winky let out a mournful cry, tears streaming down her face like beans. "I even took care of them, cooked for them..."
"It could be a Confundus Charm", Felix said.
"Later, they mentioned in passing that they were planning to ambush someone, to take their place at the school and complete a dangerous task—"
"What task?"
Winky's eyes widened. "I don't know! When they discussed things, I was ordered to return to my place. I am a house-elf who follows orders, a very obedient house-elf!"
"Very well. We can guess who it is. Poor Alastor. Continue, what else do you know?"
"A man named Peter Pettigrew disappeared, apparently captured. After that, young Master Barty left and only returned every few weeks. I was responsible for taking care of the baby. I..." She suddenly looked terrified. "Sometimes I saw the baby torturing Master! I just stood there and watched! Oh, heavens!"
She covered her face, tears streaming through her fingers.
"That's enough", Felix said, gesturing to Dobby. Dobby nodded and, with a pop, pulled Winky away.
The office was enveloped in an oppressive silence.
"You should have let her finish", Amelia Bones said to Felix, her tone disapproving.
"Everything that needed to be said has been said. If you were hoping to hear a name or the full plan, I'm sorry, but her knowledge is limited. In fact, you had a chance once, with Peter Pettigrew... unfortunately, his soul was sucked out by a Dementor."
Fudge glared at him, speaking each word deliberately. "That house-elf—she was also under a curse."
"I can't pretend it didn't happen", Felix said. "It was likely a Confundus Charm. Voldemort seemed to underestimate house-elves, thinking a Confundus Charm would be enough, or perhaps she was meant to be dealt with later, not worth the time. But in any case, Winky's memory has not been tampered with. If you have any doubts, we can arrange for a healer from St. Mungo's to examine her."
Fudge stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly burst into a rage. "More inconclusive evidence! All of it! I don't see the point of our discussion today!"
"Cornelius", Dumbledore said, sounding weary, "I brought this up not to deny anything or to overturn anything, but to remind us of certain things. We have discussed this privately, but you—due to certain reasons—refused to believe the evidence. You should know how much we lost in the last war. Do you want to go through another war unprepared?"
"I—I—don't—understand—" Fudge stammered.
"A key question is, do you understand what you are doing, Minister Fudge?" Felix said softly.
"What—what—do you mean?" Fudge's face turned a deep shade of red.
"Let's consider a hypothetical", Felix said, tilting his head in Amelia Bones' direction with a curious expression. "I would like Ms. Bones and everyone present to bear witness—"
Ms. Bones adjusted her monocle to get a better look at Felix.
"Today, we heard two completely opposing views, neither willing to yield. Time will tell which is correct. But we need to ask ourselves a question: if war does come, will someone need to be held accountable—"
"Nonsense!" Fudge shouted. "Do you know what you're saying? Accusing a Minister of Magic, who put you up to this?" He glared at Felix, his eyes darting between Felix and Dumbledore.
"Minister Fudge... I know exactly what I'm saying, but it seems you don't understand what you're doing", Felix said with a smile. "This is just a hypothetical, a discussion of a possible future, isn't it?"
"I also lack the power to remove a sitting Minister of Magic or to have them punished", he said with a hint of disdain. Fudge was nearly fuming; no one had ever openly threatened him like this. Yes, he took Felix's words as a blatant threat.
"However, everyone must be held accountable for their words and actions, especially those in power", Felix said. "Therefore, I ask everyone here to remember the arguments from both sides today. You can keep your thoughts to yourselves until the truth is revealed. Then you will know who to support and who to reject."
(End of Chapter)
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