The Return to Hogwarts

Amosta frowned slightly, his displeased tone indicating that he did not want to discuss the topic.

“That’s astonishing, Amosta—”

Dumbledore said with a smile,

"You invited Miss Fleur Delacour to be your dance partner, and then you were rejected?"

This old servant is pretending to be ignorant when he knows the truth.

Amosta's face darkened. He knew Dumbledore was trying to get him to talk, but he still blurted it out.

"Perhaps the truth is exactly the opposite of what you expect, Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Oh, really?"

Dumbledore's silvery-white eyebrows and mustache twitched, and he continued to smile at Amostella.

"What a pity. I've always thought Miss Fleur Delacour was exceptionally talented, and she seems to have a great fondness for you. So, who will have the honor of dancing with you at the ball, Amosta?"

Before Amostella could speak, Dumbledore immediately feigned surprise and answered his question.

"Oh! Could it be Professor Moody? To be honest, that's not a bad choice, Amosta. I think you don't need to."

"Let's talk about Barty Crouch Jr., Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Amosta's face darkened, and he spoke with murderous intent.

Chapter 696 Restoring the truth

2024-01-16

Perhaps it was because the two were already partners in climbing the mountain called 'magic', or perhaps they were companions in dealing with Voldemort, and both knew many secrets about Voldemort. In any case, Dumbledore was much more unrestrained in front of Amostella, although he always showed his wit and humor in front of others.

This wasn't the first time Dumbledore had joked about this topic with him, just as he himself had often teased Dumbledore about the gossip between Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.

However, the two maintained a high degree of tacit understanding, only scratching the surface and never attempting to delve deeper. But this time was an exception. When Amosta, looking displeased, tried to steer the conversation back to the incredible thing they were trying to figure out, Dumbledore did not take the opportunity Amosta offered.

"Consider it satisfying the curiosity of a centenarian, Amosta—"

Dumbledore looked at Amostella with a puzzled expression.

"Why have you always been so resistant to the wonderful thing called 'love'? Please don't use 'studying magic' as an excuse to fob me off. I know what it means to be obsessed with magic, but that doesn't conflict with accepting beautiful love, does it?"

You are not a wizard lacking courage, Amosta. You dared to raise your wand at me in fifth grade, something most adult wizards cannot do.

Forgive my bluntness, but even Tom is much more frank in this regard than you. From what I understand, he was already close to girls two years his senior when he was at Hogwarts. Of course, that was all an act; he was equally cold to everyone, but at least he wasn't afraid to interact with girls his own age because of his parents' tragic love story—”

As Fox awakened, it chirped melodiously on the golden branch, and the portraits on the wall perked up, all showing expressions of interest.

Amos Stark – Judging from Dumbledore, the European wizarding world may not produce a wizard who can surpass him for a century. To hear gossip about him when he was young is even more exciting than Voldemort's secrets!

I thought we were discussing --

Amosta, his face calm, was interrupted by Dumbledore before he could finish speaking.

"Barty Crouch Jr. is still alive. That is indeed the strangest news I've heard all year, Amosta. But since Tom has lingered on for so many years without dying, it's not so unacceptable that one of his followers, whose fate was destined to be tragic, is still alive. Amosta, as far as the Barty father and son are concerned, I'm more concerned about you—"

Dumbledore's smile vanished; he no longer feigned concern for Amostella, and worry flickered in his deep blue eyes behind his half-moon-framed glasses.

"You can accept family ties. I'm referring, of course, to the orphanage where you were raised, to that deceased, respectable old man, oh, and perhaps Severus could be considered one too."

You accept friendship—Remus, Sirius, Minerva, Felius, Pomona, Molly, and Arthur. You get along well with many people, including Amosta. You genuinely care about your students, but I don't understand what the real you is afraid of.

What are you afraid of?

Amosta knew that Dumbledore's questions were not an attempt to uncover his secrets. Dumbledore was not just a wizard, but he was indeed an idealist, and his greatness had its reasons.

Amosta knew that Dumbledore's question stemmed from his concern for him—the worry of a wise, experienced wizard, a centenarian, for a gifted junior. But what could he say?

What is he afraid of?

There's nothing more to it than the fact that he comes from another world, that he's a transmigrator.

This is the last barrier between him and the world, almost his obsession, and it is specifically reflected in his caution in dealing with 'love'.

If one truly had a God's-eye view of Amos Tower's past life and current situation, one might be confused. In reality, even if Amos Tower told Dumbledore that he came from another world, as long as he didn't tell Dumbledore that this world was a book in his previous world, nothing would change at all.

But is this really the case?

The sense of alienation that those who travel through time feel towards the new world is something outsiders cannot comprehend.

Even though Amosta was absolutely certain that he was in a real world, a sliver of caution deep within his reason kept reminding him: what if this world was fake?

What if the girl he truly falls in love with after letting down his guard turns out to be an illusion?

This fear, though seemingly ethereal, was deeply ingrained in Amosta's soul, making it impossible for him to extricate himself from it.

Amosta leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the floor, maintaining a calm demeanor. He thought he was calm, but in reality, the pain and weakness unconsciously revealed in his eyes surprised even Dumbledore.

Dumbledore frowned, staring intently at the young man before him, only then realizing that the pain Amostella was hiding was far greater than he had imagined.

Many years ago, when he first set his sights on this boy, he noticed that the boy possessed an emotional control far beyond that of his peers. In all these years, the most emotionally out-of-control Amostella he had ever seen was perhaps that night when Amostella was in fifth grade.

Just as others always thought Dumbledore was omnipotent, Amosta's long-standing strong emotional control even led Dumbledore to believe that Amosta's mind was without flaws. However, everything that happened before his eyes overturned his understanding. In a daze, Dumbledore even thought that he saw Severus Snape from many years ago when he learned that Lily was dead!

"Amosta--"

Dumbledore's voice was filled with deep concern, but Amosta raised a hand to stop him from continuing.

"Stop trying to find out why I'm resistant to matters of the heart, Dumbledore—"

Amostella spoke, but his voice was hoarse, like that of a traveler parched in the desert for many days; yet Dumbledore still heard a firm resolve in it.

“Thank you very much for your concern, Headmaster Dumbledore. What I want you to understand is that, firstly, I am very clear about where the problem lies, and secondly, you cannot help me with this matter. So, let’s get back to the main topic, shall we?”

The long silence seemed to last until the end of the world. In the magnificent yet solemn circular office, it was as if only the candlelight from the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling was active.

"--From Harry, Hermione, and Ron's accounts just now, I think we should agree on the same point: Amostella, that night in the box, Barty Crouch Jr. was sitting next to Sparkle. Barty Crouch Sr. must have used magic to control his son's movements and had Sparkle look after him. But after the riot started, Sparkle probably encountered some kind of accident, so he couldn't get Barty Crouch Jr. away in time, and unfortunately, Barty Crouch Jr. broke free from his father's control at that moment."

Dumbledore understood that it was no longer appropriate to continue pursuing the reasons behind Amosta's resistance to 'love'. He sighed regretfully in his heart and seamlessly transitioned the conversation to Barty Crouch and his son.

“Barty Crouch Jr., like Gilgamesh, must have suffered serious injuries from your magic. So, after conjuring that Dark Mark, he collapsed in the box. Before Amos could enter the box to investigate, he used what I consider to be an invisibility cloak to cover himself. But Barty Crouch Sr. knew his son was still in the box and that he had broken free, so he rushed to the box to subdue Barty Crouch Jr..”

The problem now is --

Amostah let out a slight sigh of relief, cleared his throat, and said in a low voice,

"Was it because Barty the Elder was later controlled by the Imperius Curse because Barty the Younger broke free from the magic's control again, or were there other variables?"

“You and I both know Barty’s style, Amostall. After discovering his control over his son had failed once, he would never make the same mistake again. He knows very well that if this were made public, not only would his career be completely ruined, but he himself would spend the rest of his life in Azkaban. He will probably use the strongest magic he knows to ensure his son can never break free again. I’m more inclined to believe that Voldemort has targeted him—”

Both were among the most insightful and intelligent wizards in the world, and their communication was effortless. After only a moment's thought, Amosta understood the key points.

"During the brief moment Barty broke free of his restraints, did he convey to Voldemort that he was still alive? But wait, the Dark Mark?"

I agree with you.

Dumbledore sighed and said,

"I imagine Tom must have been ecstatic to learn that a Death Eater loyal to him was still alive and not imprisoned in Azkaban. If he could, he probably would have had Barty Crouch Jr. replace Miss Creona as Alastor. But unfortunately, at that time, Barty was too badly wounded to complete this 'difficult' task—"

Chapter 697 You can go home now

2024-01-16

After revealing the truth behind the 'Dark Mark incident' on Quidditch final night, Dumbledore and Amosta both fell into a period of silence.

The human heart is a truly wondrous thing; you can never truly see into someone's heart.

Barty Crouch was known in the British magical world for his tough stance on crime and dark magic. During the war, he was the first to propose an eye-for-an-eye deal with Death Eaters, granting Aurors the right to kill without prior notice in special circumstances.

He had a strong desire for power and never hid his ambition to become Minister of Magic. If it weren't for that scandal back then, Cornelius Fudge would never be the current Minister of Magic.

But this cold-blooded and ruthless ruler actually broke the law to save his own son?

Dumbledore showed him the memory of Barty Crouch Jr.'s identity being exposed and his trial. Barty Crouch Jr.'s deep-seated resentment towards his Death Eater son in the courtroom was no exaggeration. But who would have thought that he would secretly do such a thing against all reason?

"How do you think Barty the Elder rescued Barty Crouch Jr. from Azkaban, Amosta?"

Dumbledore stared at the candlesticks hanging from the ceiling for a long time before slowly asking a question.

That's a good question!

"It's hard to say—"

Amosta rubbed his face with his palms, looking somewhat tired.

“Between Barty Crouch Jr.’s identity was exposed and his trial was completed in Wisengamour, Barty Crouch Sr. had no chance to make a move. Although I did not experience it firsthand, I think there must have been countless eyes watching Barty Crouch Sr.’s every move. He had no chance to switch his son with someone else.”

Barty the Elder presided over his son's trial and announced that Barty Crouch Jr. would be permanently imprisoned in Azkaban.

According to Wizengamor procedure, after the trial, several Aurors would personally escort Barty Crouch Jr. to Azkaban through the Department of Mysteries' portal key. Unless he could simultaneously persuade those Aurors—which was unlikely—he would only act after Barty Crouch Jr. was officially imprisoned in Azkaban.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“I agree with you, Amosta. Barty probably took advantage of his visit. No one would stop an official who has lost his chance to become Minister for Magic from visiting the child he was once so proud of.”

This is all the speculation can offer about the truth for the two of them. The specific details could only be known through interrogation of Barty Crouch and his son, or by the Crouch family's loyal little elves.

While dwelling on this matter is of little practical significance, the current situation is that Barty Crouch Jr. seems to be still alive, while Barty Crouch Sr. has most likely fallen into Voldemort's hands.

Dumbledore and Amosta were both deliberately avoiding discussing Barty Crouch's current situation. They both knew very well that Barty Crouch's chances of survival were slim. It wasn't that he was definitely dead, but according to their speculation, Voldemort would probably have Barty Crouch appear at his resurrection ceremony, and then publicly slaughter a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic who had once pursued a policy of exterminating Death Eaters, using him as a sacrifice to restore his own authority.

However, if possible, Amosta still hopes to find out how Barty the Elder had fooled the Dementors, since Dementors probably wouldn't negotiate with Barty the Elder.