Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 259, Section 257: Mr. Dursley, you are truly my best partner.

"Wow, this is quite a surprise. I never expected the culprit to be our Director of the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation, Mr. Barty Crouch."

"But thinking about it, it's understandable. What kind of good person would a father be to raise an evil Death Eater like Barty Jr.?"

Barty Crouch the Elder was a meticulous and serious man. Over a decade ago, when Voldemort led the Death Eaters, he gained the trust of most people in the wizarding world by advocating for the use of harsh methods to deal with them, and he was a role model for almost all wizards.

He hates evil and despises dark magic; he is the nemesis of dark wizards.

Even though he had the stain of his son being a Death Eater, he still put his own son's life in order to uphold justice and personally handed him over to Azkaban.

As a result, he was transferred from the position of Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to the position of Director of the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation, and also lost his right to compete for the position of Minister of Magic.

Crouch's life was remarkable throughout.

Even Fudge, who was also a competitor, only guarded against and suppressed him, but trusted his character very much.

Yet, this very person managed to summon the Dark Mark more than a decade later.

Could he be a Death Eater?

But this is incredible.

Barty Crouch Sr. lay there, offering no rebuttal whatsoever, seemingly tacitly accepting the statement.

If Barty Crouch Sr. is the mastermind, then who are the accomplices?

A terrible thought arose in Fudge's mind, and he stretched out a trembling hand, pointing at the captured masked wizards.

"Who...who are they?"

They lifted their masks, revealing familiar faces.

"Andy?!"

"Alolan?!"

"Tismar?"

Of the thirty-eight masked wizards, at least twenty were employees of the Ministry of Magic. Although there were no directors or chiefs, many held important positions.

"This...this..."

Minister Fudge pointed at the wizards, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time. Sweat was constantly dripping from his forehead, quickly covering his entire face.

Even the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic and the Aurors following behind him looked very displeased.

Are Death Eaters lurking in the Ministry of Magic?

The only one whose expression remained unchanged was Rufus Scrimgeour, the Auror office manager who looked like a lion.

But this is because his face was injured during the war, resulting in facial paralysis.

What should I do?

What else can we do?

They have no choice but to arrest him! And put him on trial!

This matter absolutely cannot be covered up, nor can it be covered up.

The Ministry of Magic wasn't the only one around; many wizards had already returned to the camp after the Dark Mark in the sky was dispelled.

Many wizards saw Barty Crouch the Elder and the other wizards.

If it were just English wizards, that would be fine, but many of the 100,000 wizards are from other countries.

"Scrimgeour, have your men keep a close watch on them. See you in Wizengamo in three days."

Fudge made the arrangements with a bitter expression on his face.

Scrimgeour, whose name was called, felt completely overwhelmed; clearly, this was not a good task.

It involves a lot of people.

"I will give everyone an explanation. Mr. Dursley, I will visit you when I have time. Now, let's return to the Ministry of Magic."

Fudge gave a brief explanation and then left with the group of Ministry of Magic members.

Dali smiled and watched him leave.

Some might say, "Fudge clearly knew who these people were, so why did he expose them in public? Wasn't he just digging his own grave?"

Others might not know Fudge's purpose in doing this, but Dudley did. That guy did it on purpose.

Fudge's actions may seem foolish, but he was actually eliminating dissidents.

Just as Dudley said, Fudge found him that very night.

"Mr. Dursley, you'll help me, won't you?" Fudge looked at Dudley with a hint of pleading.

Losing one or two positions would be manageable, but losing twenty positions at once is a blow that even a large organization like the Ministry of Magic would find difficult to withstand.

"Of course. You are our important minister."

Dudley looked at Fudge sincerely, and he found that look very pleasing.

"Minister Fouché, there are some details you could handle in this way."

Dudley could easily solve Fudge's problem of staff shortages at the Ministry of Magic.

Although wizards are few in number, that's in comparison to ordinary people. In fact, the number of wizards is not small, at least more than all the demi-human races such as centaurs, giants, vampires, and banshees combined.

Moreover, not everyone can get into the Ministry of Magic.

The saying "too many monks and too little porridge" perfectly describes this situation.

As I said before, if you don't do it, plenty of others will.

Dudley then naturally placed another group of "senior students" into the Ministry of Magic.

"There's one more thing, Minister Fouché."

"Mr. Dursley?"

"I think Mr. Crouch may be under the Imperius Curse. You'd better check this place."

Dudley pointed to his brain.

"Being controlled by the Imperius Curse is much easier to accept than turning a brave and tough chief into a Death Eater."

"In any case, he can no longer be your competitor, can he?"

"You will also have a powerful helper; believe me, Mr. Crouch is more capable than most wizards."

Upon hearing this, Fudge only thought for a moment before breaking into a chrysanthemum-like smile, his face crinkling with wrinkles: "Of course, Mr. Dursley, you are truly my best partner."

To be able to subdue a powerful subordinate with minimal effort is a worthwhile deal no matter how you look at it.

Three days later, Wisengam.

The Quidditch World Cup case proceeded as scheduled.

Thirty-eight wizards were punished differently according to the crimes they committed, and of course, all the staff working at the Ministry of Magic lost their jobs.

Death Eaters are absolutely not allowed and cannot exist within the Ministry of Magic.

Regardless of the truth, that's at least what's publicly stated.

Therefore, these people absolutely cannot be allowed to stay.

They're just low-level employees anyway, so giving them up is fine, as long as we can maintain the reputation of the Ministry of Magic.

Next up is the trial of the main culprit in this case—Barty Crouch the Elder.

Before the verdict was announced, Minister Fouché requested that the other party be tested to see if they were under a Soul-Stealing Curse.

So the Ministry of Magic brought in the top healers from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries.

After all, he is the head of one of the key departments of the Ministry of Magic, a powerful figure, and cannot be treated as casually as the previous wizards.

After examination by the therapists, a final conclusion was reached.

It was determined that Barty Crouch Sr. was under the Imperius Curse, and to a very serious degree. The caster forcibly controlled him, causing some damage to his brain.

After discussion among the councilors of Wizengamo, Barty Crouch the Elder was not sent to Azkaban. Instead, he was relieved of all his posts in the Ministry of Magic and allowed to focus on receiving treatment from healers.

Once the treatment results are available, the real culprit will be identified.

(End of this chapter)