Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 483 The truth is not as important as saving face
"Who? Who made him reveal Barty Crouch Jr.'s identity in that situation?!"

"Sherlock didn't know that person was Crouch Jr. at the time, so he had no idea that this would have such a big impact..."

"Even if he didn't know that person was Crouch Jr., he didn't need to do that in public!"

How much damage would it cause to the Ministry of Magic if word got out that the Director of Magic was protecting his criminal son?
Arthur, don't you know?

“I know, but it was Batistuta who was in the wrong in the first place. He kept it from us for so many years…”

"Arthur, are you still a member of the Ministry of Magic or not?"

Even if Barty is wrong, it's an internal matter for the Ministry of Magic!
It's none of the business of outsiders pointing fingers!
It's not appropriate for someone who doesn't even have a fifteen-year-old child to teach us how to do things!

Arthur Weasley suddenly felt very tired.

When Sherlock used the loss of Harry's wand to trace back to Barty Crouch Jr., who was supposed to be dead, he was initially very surprised.

But after the initial surprise came immense joy.

Knowing the ins and outs of the feud between Barty Crouch and his son, he guessed what had happened almost instantly.

He is also a father and can understand everything that Buddy Crouch did for his son.

But while he understood, he didn't agree with it.

What Barty Crouch Jr. did back then was outrageous!

He deserved to be sent to Azkaban!

Moreover, this verdict was a decision made by Barty Crouch himself back then.

You betrayed your own family for the greater good back then, but you did this kind of thing afterward. How can people accept that?
Therefore, Sherlock's revelation of the truth and restoration of facts is a good thing from any perspective.

But Cornelius Fudge's attitude toward the matter greatly surprised him.

Although Fudge initially strongly condemned Buddy Crouch's egregious behavior.

But then he turned his attention to Sherlock.

Arthur didn't realize what was going on at first and argued for Sherlock for a bit, but as he listened, he gradually began to understand.

Fudge's anger is not like that of Buddy Crouch, who took criminals out of Azkaban and then kept them hidden for decades.

He was angry that old Crouch had done this without telling him!
Judging from Fudge's tone, it seems that Crouch would have been more willing to do this if he had been told about it beforehand.

On the contrary, it was Sherlock's public exposure of the Ministry of Magic's scandal that he truly found unacceptable.

This is so absurd, it's simply unbearable!
"No matter what, this matter must not be made public!"

"what?"

Mr. Weasley was immediately stunned, and he blurted out instinctively, "Again, to suppress it?"

"again?"

Fudge said with a sneer:

"It's all that arrogant brat's fault!"

If he hadn't acted so presumptuously, how could we have been in such a passive position?
Arthur, you should know very well how important that event is about to take place at Hogwarts. We absolutely cannot afford to have any problems at this crucial juncture!

Don't forget, Barty is the Director of the International Magical Exchange and Cooperation Department, and he handled this matter from beginning to end!
If something happens to him at a time like this, what will people think of us?
At times like these, stability is the most important thing; everything else can wait!

Mr. Weasley was speechless.

He knew Fudge's personality all too well.

When the incident involving Sirius Black first broke, he wasn't qualified to attend the meeting, but he later learned what had happened from his colleagues and Hogwarts professors.

They even planned to suppress that kind of thing, let alone this current matter.

However, Mr. Weasley was not about to give up. He took a deep breath and decided to argue his case one last time:
"But Crouch stole Harry's wand!"
I think he must be planning to use it for something dangerous…

"What dangerous things could he possibly do?"

Fudge waved his hand dismissively, "The people in the department have already checked, and Crouch Jr. shows signs of being controlled by the Imperius Curse for a long time..."

"The Imperius Curse!" Arthur exclaimed in shock. "He actually cast the Imperius Curse on his own son!"

"Arthur, why are you so surprised?"
Have you forgotten that during the Wizarding Wars, he supported the Aurors in using the Unforgivable Curse?

Using the Imperish Curse on the son of a Death Eater is perfectly normal.

I think Crouch's reaction to grab the wand was more of an instinctive one; what danger was there in that?

On the contrary, it was that student named Holmes…

Fudge narrowed his eyes slightly. "It seems this isn't the first time he's caused me trouble. That arrogant guy, it's all his fault this time!"

However... I heard that Dumbledore likes him very much?

Since that's the case, out of respect for Dumbledore, he will not be punished this time.

However, I've already written to Dumbledore asking him to come over; it's important enough for him to know the significance of this matter!

Arthur was speechless.

Isn't this a complete distortion of the truth?

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing a curse that was about to escape his lips, and then asked:
"What did Bati say?"

"He admitted it!"

Fudge laughed, his smugness practically overflowing:
He told me everything:

At the time, Crouch Jr. was in very bad condition, and if he continued to stay in Azkaban, he would not be far from death.

Mrs. Crouch also knew she was going to die, so she asked Barty to rescue their son as a final act of kindness.

As you know, Old Barty loves her very much, so he agreed.

While the couple visited young Crouch, they gave him a dose of Polyjuice Potion containing Mrs. Crouch's hair.

Mrs. Crouch, on the other hand, drank a Polyjuice Potion containing young Crouch's hair, thus swapping appearances with her son and completing the switch.

Mr. Weasley, upon hearing this, understood and slowly said:
"Because Dementors are blind, they can only smell a healthy person and a dying person entering Azkaban, and then smell a healthy person and a dying person leaving Azkaban, without knowing that the two people have switched roles."

With the help of Barty Sr., he eventually succeeded in training Crouch Jr.

"That's right, Mrs. Crouch died a year later."

Because she had been drinking Polyjuice Potion, she was buried looking like Crouch Jr. until she died.

Everyone thought Crouch Jr. died at that time, even I was fooled.

At this point, Fudge let out a somewhat annoyed snort, seemingly displeased that Old Barty had kept this a secret from him:
"Later, Old Barty pretended that his wife had died and held a funeral."

The grave was actually empty; the house-elf was responsible for caring for little Crouch and helping him recover.

To control his son, poor Barty had to use the Imperius Curse. Because Crouch Jr. hadn't left the house for over a decade, and this happened to coincide with the Quidditch Cup final, Barty had to bring him out.

Unexpectedly, it was discovered by that Holmes…

Fudge frowned and looked at Mr. Weasley:
“Arthur, not many people know about this right now, and Ludo is still with Old Barty.”

I've already made arrangements with Lucius; he promises not to say anything.

As for your children, and Harry Potter and his friends, they are now in your care.

At this point, Fudge finally smiled for the first time:

"Old Barty begged me not to announce this yet."

He shared the same thought as me: if something goes wrong at this critical juncture, the rest of the matter will definitely be affected.

He promised I could do whatever I wanted with him when the year ended—what a good man, so devoted to the Ministry of Magic!

Weasley was completely speechless.

He knew Barty Crouch's character all too well; he was a man who valued his career far more than his family.

It is highly likely that what he said to Fudge was from the bottom of his heart.

He really didn't want the next thing to be affected.

As for Fudge, part of the reason is the same as Barty's: he didn't want this grand event to be affected.

But the main reason was to save face for him and the Ministry of Magic.

The previous incident involving Sirius and Pettigrew has already fully demonstrated that, for him, face is more important than the truth.

In addition, Weasley also had a vague feeling that Fudge seemed happy that he was able to control Barty.

Because Fudge became Minister of Magic by taking advantage of a loophole.

That position originally belonged to Batistuta.

Over the years, although Old Barty was transferred to another department, he never really thought much of Fouché, the minister.

Unexpectedly, this crucial piece of leverage has now fallen into Fudge's hands, forcing this once unruly man to lower his proud head.

Are rights... really that important?
At that moment, the image of his son suddenly flashed into Arthur's mind, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

We absolutely cannot let Percy become like that!

He quickly asked, "What about Crouch? Should we send him back to Azkaban?"

"No, I promised Old Barty that he could stay outside wearing the invisibility cloak, but we will send people to keep an eye on him."

Are you kidding me?
Mr. Weasley's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

What clever little devil came up with this brilliant idea!
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Connelly.”

Just then, a gentle voice spoke Arthur Weasley's innermost thoughts.

As the distinctive voice of Apparition rang out, several people appeared beside Fudge and Mr. Weasley, the one in the lead being Dumbledore, who had just spoken.

Fudge looked in surprise at Dumbledore and Sirius, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

It's not just Dumbledore and Sirius.

They also brought two boys with them, Harry and Sherlock, whom we just mentioned.

"Dumbledore, you... how did you suddenly come here..."

"Connelly, is your memory as failing as this old man's?"

Dumbledore's gaze swept over Mr. Weasley, he nodded slightly to him, and then turned to Fudge, saying:

"You wrote to me asking me to come over, have you forgotten so quickly?"

"it's me……"

Fudge was taken aback, then realized that he really was the one who wrote the letter to Dumbledore.

However, when he wrote the letter, he emphasized that Shylock acted without respecting himself, which was somewhat critical.

Sending Dumbledore over was merely a symbolic gesture.

Similar requests have been made many times over the years, and Dumbledore has refused each time.

But he didn't expect that Dumbledore would actually come this time, and so quickly.

He composed himself and then asked, "Dumbledore, what did you mean by what you just said?"

“It’s exactly what it sounds like, Cornelius,” Dumbledore stared at Fudge, his wise gaze making Fudge feel a little uneasy. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring Crouch Jr. back to his father’s side.”

"why?"

"Because Crouch Jr. may already possess the ability to resist the Imperius Curse."

Dumbledore said without hesitation, "He stole Harry's wand because he wanted to use it for something dangerous."

Fudge was taken aback at first, then burst out laughing:
"Dumbledore, don't joke around!"
Is it a fight against the Imperius Curse, or the Imperius Curse cast by Barty the Elder?
"Even I might not be able to do that."

Sherlock and Harry exchanged a glance and gave each other an awkward but polite smile.

This minister doesn't seem to have a proper understanding of his own abilities!
“I’m not kidding, Connelly.”

Dumbledore said with a serious expression:
“People who are frequently cursed will develop a resistance to it—the Unforgivable Curse is no exception.”

"Fine, fine, even if it's really like you say, so what?"
Even if he could resist the Imperius Curse, a wizard without a wand wouldn't be a match for his father, would he?

Fudge glanced at Sherlock as he spoke, “I saw it clearly just now. He’s physically weak; even a boy under fifteen could knock him down with a single punch.”

"Sherlock is no ordinary fifteen-year-old boy."

Sirius, who originally didn't want to pay attention to Fudge, said bluntly, "If he punches you, you probably won't be able to take it."

“Mr. Black, I know he and Harry are good friends, but you don’t have to give him such high praise.”

Barty Crouch's capitulation seemed to embolden Fudge, making him less enthusiastic and polite towards Sirius Black than before.

Sirius Black wasn't going to tolerate him and shoved Sherlock forward:
"Go, Sherlock, give him a punch!"

"Okay."

Sherlock smiled slightly and then took a step forward.

Seeing Sherlock's highly professional posture, Fudge couldn't help but take a half step back, his face showing fear:

"I'm here for a meeting, what are you doing?"

(End of this chapter)