Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 482 Azkaban's First Escapee

At Sirius's request, on his way out of the box, Sherlock recounted to everyone how he discovered Harry's wand had been stolen.

"All doubts actually stem from abnormalities:"

Just imagine, at the Quidditch World Cup, Barty Crouch, as the Minister of Magic, went to great lengths to have his house-elves reserve a seat for him.

But he didn't show up until the end of the match.

“Indeed, this is not in Crouch’s character.”

Sirius nodded thoughtfully.

"You know him?" Ron asked curiously. "You sound like you know him very well."

“Oh, of course I know Crouch,” Sirius shook his head and said softly, “He’s the one who ordered me sent to Azkaban—without even a trial.”

"What did you say?" Fred and George said at the same time.

"You must be joking!" Ginny couldn't help but say.

“I’m not joking,” Sirius said quietly. “Crouch was once the head of the Department of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, didn’t you know that?”

Some people nodded, while others shook their heads.

Sirius didn't offer any further explanation, but instead turned to Sherlock and asked:
"But to conclude that there was someone sitting next to that elf based solely on this is a bit too unbelievable, isn't it?"

Sherlock shrugged. "Of course not, but that's enough to pique my interest and give me some attention to her—that's enough."

While all attention was focused on the match itself, I noticed someone had taken Harry's wand right under my nose.

Besides the Disillusionment Charm, there's also the Invisibility Cloak.

In any case, by doing this, he was essentially handing over incriminating evidence to me personally.

"It's that simple?"

Sirius felt a little incredulous; this sounded far too easy, didn't it?

"It's that simple."

Sherlock nodded, looked at Harry, and said bluntly:

"Speaking of which, you're the one who needs to be careful, my dear Harry—you let someone take your wand so easily."

Harry blushed upon hearing this.

Sherlock is absolutely right.

The magic wand was stolen without the person even realizing it.

If it weren't for Sherlock Holmes, who knows what Barty Crouch Jr. would have done with it?
However, judging from the fierce look he gave Sherlock just now, this guy is definitely not a good person.

"Sirius, tell us about Barty and his son!"

Ron couldn't help but say, "You're going to the Ministry of Magic soon, I wonder when you'll be back."

"have nothing to say."

Sirius sighed, "Even though he was the one who sent me to Azkaban, I still think he was a great wizard."

"Impressive?" Sherlock's interest was piqued. "Tell me more about it."

Yes, that's amazing.

He was not only highly skilled in magic but also had a strong desire for power—which made him stand out in the First Wizarding War.

Simply put, someone like him would never be a supporter of Voldemort.

He has publicly stated more than once that he opposes black magic, but many who oppose black magic...

Sigh, never mind, you wouldn't understand... you're too young..."

"Don't do that!"
That's how my dad is; he always uses this kind of rhetoric when it comes to crucial moments!

Ron retorted defiantly, "Why don't you give it a try and see if we can understand it or not?"

Sirius was amused by Ron's annoyed look:
"Alright, I'll give it a try. At least Sherlock will understand."

"Hello--!"

This time, Harry and Hermione also expressed their dissatisfaction.

Sirius laughed again, of course on purpose.

"When Voldemort's power was at its peak, bad news came every week:"
More people have died, more people have gone missing, and more people are suffering...

The Ministry of Magic was in complete chaos at that time. They didn't know what to do and had to do everything they could to keep it from the Muggles.

Meanwhile, Muggles are also dying.

Terror... tension... chaos permeated the air...

That was the situation back then—those who haven't experienced it won't understand.

But looking back now, it is precisely in times like these that good people demonstrate their best qualities, while bad people reveal their worst nature.

Just like the old saying goes…

Sirius sighed deeply and uttered a profound statement:
"The peak produces false supporters, while the dusk bears witness to devout believers."

The group exchanged glances, finding some understanding in the exchange.

"It's normal that you don't understand. Just like I said, you'll only understand after you've experienced it."

At that time, you didn't know who his supporters were and who weren't, who served him and who weren't.

You know he has a way of controlling people and making them do terrible things involuntarily.

You are afraid for yourself, your family, and your friends.

It was at this time that Barty Crouch began to emerge.

As he rose through the ranks of the Ministry of Magic, he took some very tough measures against Voldemort's supporters.

It was through his insistence that the Aurors gained some new powers—for example, they had the right to kill, not just arrest.

Crouch championed violence over violence, and he even allowed the use of the Unforgivable Curse on suspects—which earned him the support of most Aurors.

I'm not the only one who was handed over to the Dementors without trial.

Of course, I had no intention of defending myself at the time.

Because back then I felt I was the one who hurt your parents, Harry...

However, in my opinion, Crouch is just as ruthless and cold-blooded as many people on the Dark Side.

Did you know that he also has his own supporters—many people think he's right to handle things this way?

At that point in time, many wizards clamored for him to become Minister of Magic.

After Voldemort's disappearance, it seems only a matter of time before Crouch takes over as the top leader.

However, at that moment, a very unfortunate thing happened...

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and made the most reasonable deduction: "His son was discovered to be a Death Eater?"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked at Sherlock in surprise.

Isn't this a bit too far-fetched?
A cold smile appeared on Sirius Black's handsome face as he slowly said:
"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't."

However, it is an undeniable fact that Crouch's biological son, Barty Crouch Jr., was found with a group of Death Eaters who had escaped from Azkaban through smooth talk.

It is said that they were searching for Voldemort at the time, hoping to bring him back to power.

I was there myself when Crouch Jr. was imprisoned in Azkaban.

So I only found out about these things after I got out.

But one thing I'm certain of is that when Crouch Jr. was arrested, the people with him were all Death Eaters—I'd bet my life on that.

Perhaps he was a Death Eater, or perhaps he wasn't; he just shouldn't have been there at that time and place.

I don't know the specifics, but you can ask Dumbledore when you have time. He was involved in Barty's interrogation.

"Little Crouch was just thrown into Azkaban like that?" Hermione asked quietly. "Did Crouch try to get his son off the hook?"

"Exonerate? Crouch is exonerating his son?"

Sirius Black seemed to have heard a funny joke, and said with a cold laugh:

"Hermione, it seems you still don't understand this person enough. Anything that threatens his reputation will inevitably be discarded by him."

He dedicated his entire life to the cause of becoming Minister of Magic.

Crouch's paternal love was, at best, only manifested in putting his son on trial.

According to various accounts, this actually gave Crouch an excuse—to demonstrate how just and impartial he was—to send his own son to Azkaban.

"He personally handed his son over to the Dementors."

Sherlock pondered for a moment and said, "But Mr. Weasley just said that he should be dead, which means that you believe he died in Azkaban?"

"Exactly."

Sirius said with a grave expression:
“I saw the Dementors bring him in, and I watched them through the iron bars of the cell door. He was at most nineteen years old at the time.”

They threw him into the cell next to mine, and in the evening he screamed for his mother.

But a few days later, he disappeared without a trace...

They all disappeared without a trace in the end...

She only occasionally screams in her sleep...

He died a year later.

"Did Crouch's father visit him when he was in Azkaban?"

Sherlock asked again.

"Have."

Sirius glanced at Sherlock:
Crouch was an important official in the Ministry of Magic at the time, and he and his wife were allowed to visit their dying son.

That was also the last time I saw Barty Crouch before today.

He was half-supporting, half-carrying his wife as they walked past my cell.

His wife died soon after that visit—overwhelmed with grief, she withered away like the boy.

Crouch did not come to claim his son's body.

The Dementors buried him outside the fortress; I saw them do it with my own eyes.

"That's why, just when Crouch thought he had succeeded, he lost everything."

Just a moment ago he was a hero, full of confidence about becoming Minister of Magic...

In the blink of an eye, his son died, his wife died, and the family's reputation was tarnished.

After I escaped, I heard that his public prestige plummeted.

Because after the boy died, people no longer focused on how selfless he was, but instead began to sympathize more with his son and raised questions:

Why would a child from a good family go down such a path of no return?
What kind of injustice must a young person have suffered to do something like this?
The final conclusion was that his father never really cared about him.

And so, Cornelius Fudge took the top position, while Crouch was transferred to the International Magical Cooperation Division.

silence.

There was a long silence.

Just as Sirius said, after hearing about the story of Buddy Crouch and his son, they were indeed a little confused.

Just as Harry was about to say something, Sherlock said quietly:

"I have a general idea of ​​what's going on."

Then Harry realized he wasn't surprised at all.

He immediately gave up and asked, "What happened?"

"First of all, Sirius Black's title as the first Azkaban escapee in history is now in jeopardy."

Sirius Black: (╯▽╰)
"Sherlock!" Hermione scolded, "This is not the time for jokes!"

"I'm not kidding."

Sherlock said in a very serious tone:

"Sirius, you only escaped from prison last year."

However, based on your description, and my deduction...

It has been more than ten years since Crouch Jr. left Azkaban.

"My description?"

Sirius Black was also an exceptionally intelligent person; he realized it after a little thought:

"You mean... Crouch's wife?"

"That's right, the person who actually died in Azkaban was not Crouch Jr., but his mother, Mrs. Crouch."

A mother's love is truly great; no matter what her son does, she is willing to die for him.

Everyone couldn't help but look at Harry.

As is well known, Harry's mother, Lily, also died because of Harry.

Sirius, not wanting to delve into this topic, continued:
"So it seems he wasn't entirely without love for his son."

"He does value his career very much, but I think he is not without feelings for his family."

Deep down, he still loved his son and his wife.

Sherlock said casually, "I think Dumbledore would be very interested in this topic; he loves love stories."

"Pfft~!"

Sirius couldn't help but laugh. "Sherlock, it's not good to talk behind people's backs."

“I’m not saying anything bad, I’m just stating a fact—and I would say it even to his face.”

"What do you want to say to my face?"

With a familiar crackling sound and a gentle voice, an old man with a long beard and wearing crescent-shaped glasses appeared before them.

It was Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"headmaster?"

"gentlemen?"

"professor!"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were stunned when Dumbledore appeared.

Sirius smiled without saying a word, while Sherlock simply continued the previous topic:

“I say, you’ll definitely be interested in the topic of the Barty Crouch father and son, because you love all the lovey-dovey stuff, sir.”

The other children all looked at Sherlock with admiration.

As expected of you!

That's incredibly brave!
But to everyone's surprise, Dumbledore did not deny it:

“You’re absolutely right, Sherlock.”

Love is the greatest emotion in the world. Both those who love others and those who are loved are truly blessed.

After saying this somewhat convoluted sentence, Dumbledore asked with some curiosity:
"However, you don't seem surprised by my sudden appearance. Did you already anticipate it?"

"Not before."

Sherlock said truthfully, "But as soon as Sirius finished talking about that, I knew you would come, I just didn't expect you to come so soon."

“Arthur is more anxious than you think, Sherlock.”

Dumbledore maintained his smile. "I'll go to the Ministry of Magic with you later."

Sherlock realized it instantly.

The Ministry of Magic, this makeshift organization, is up to something again!

Dumbledore has come to support him.

(End of this chapter)