A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 538 Help Me Kill Someone! (Thanks to 'lenxlee' for the 20,000 coin reward)

Many people say that Crouch possesses an imposing presence that commands respect without needing to be angry.

This is normal. As a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, although he was marginalized, he was still a director and held considerable power.

Having been in a position of authority for a long time, coupled with his strictness, he naturally exudes a special aura.

Many of his subordinates would tremble involuntarily when they spoke to him, and he could easily detect if they lied, even without using mind control.

The subordinates were all like this, and the young wizards would be so frightened that their legs would go weak.

This is a kind of cowardice under pressure, and Crouch was very good at using this method to interrogate others.

But the boy in front of him greatly surprised Crouch.

The sightings of Albanian Aurors, the destruction of the forest, the deaths at the Prancing Horse Inn… with so many things happening together, Crouch was certain that William and Hermione had definitely been to Albania.

They rescued Bertha from Albania!

But when faced with questioning, William still demonstrated remarkable composure:

He was calm and composed, his logic was clear, and he even lied openly.

But even if you know he's lying... do you have proof?

William could easily bring in a Minister of Magic and a Director of Law Enforcement... to give him false testimony!

Yes, ministers and directors from other countries risked their reputations to give false testimony for a minor wizard!

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but only heard about it... Crouch would definitely have slapped the person who spoke.

Crouch was utterly shocked by this influence.

He then realized that he was not facing an ordinary young wizard, but someone who had received:

A wizard who has received the Order of Merlin, the French Legion of Valor, the Italian Order of Magic First Class, and the Order of the Doge of Venice...

For an ordinary person, receiving one medal is a lifelong honor, but this guy... takes medals like they're water!

It is no exaggeration to say that Stark's global influence is already catching up with Dumbledore's!

He is only fifteen years old.

To be honest, Crouch admired Stark, very much so... He even couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if he were his son!

Not that rebellious son!

Crouch loosened his collar.

This situation was unexpected, and he needed to change his strategy.

Sitting across from Crouch, William could clearly sense that the high-ranking official from the Ministry of Magic was no longer as aggressive as before.

"Mr. Stark, please forgive my lapse in composure just now," Crouch said softly.

"You are a genius of Britain, and I certainly won't hold you accountable because of a few words from other countries."

But you should know that Bertha used to work in my department.

Crouch's voice suddenly became very low.

"Bertha's memory has always been excellent, but one day, she suddenly started to forget things and her memory started to fail."

William nodded slightly; he had discovered this long ago.

Crouch continued:

"I still care about my subordinates. After observing her many times, I've finally confirmed that she has most likely been subjected to a powerful form of amnesia."

Crouch's gaze hardened again.

"Bertha is a person who likes to find out secrets; she must have discovered something important."

But her brain was severely damaged, and I couldn't find any information about it.

A year passed, and her condition did not improve. I transferred her to the Sports Department, where the pressure was less, hoping she could rest and recuperate.

William crossed his arms, deep in thought about Crouch's words. Logically, they seemed perfectly logical.

"You may not know," Crouch said with a gloomy look in his eyes.

"Our Department of Exchanges and Department of Sports are jointly hosting this World Cup."

But at the most crucial moment, Ludo gave the sports department a day off. Meanwhile, Bertha herself ran into trouble at this time.

I doubt……"

Crouch sighed deeply and said seriously, "Bertha seems to have remembered something; the person who used the amnesia technique has attacked her again."

"You mean... it's Ludo Bagman's?" Hermione asked with a strange look in her eyes.

"No... Miss Granger." Crouch shook his head.

"That idiot Ludo wouldn't dare take a vacation so casually; it was secretly instructed by someone with more power."

On the surface, they're targeting me, but it's actually a feint; they're deliberately targeting Bertha.

William nodded; he finally understood. Crouch was implying that this belonged to... Minister Fudge.

Bertha learned some of Fudge's secrets and was then subjected to amnesia by him.

But William knew it wasn't Fudge's doing, it was Voldemort's.

However, Bertha knows someone's secret, which could indeed be Fudge's secret, given that he accepts bribes in various ways.

Crouch's guess, without knowing Voldemort, is logically plausible.

"So, William," Crouch's form of address changed.

"When she rescued Bertha, did she say anything... strange?"

His eyes were shining.

"If you do, please tell me... I am very worried about Bertha, and also about the safety of both of you."

Since that person dared to attack Bertha, you may not be safe.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Crouch," William said with a smile.

"But really no, when I found out, Bertha was already unconscious. You can wait until she wakes up and ask her."

Crouch remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.

"If there's nothing else, we need to go back." William stood up.

"Yes, please let me know if anything happens."

The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance, but Crouch remained seated in his chair, unmoved.

The fire in the fireplace flickered, half of his figure hidden in the shadows, the other half illuminated by the firelight.

The house-elf Sparkle appeared, and she lowered her head and shrieked:

"Master, should I keep an eye on them?"

Mr. Crouch did not react at all, as if he had not heard what Shiny said.

After an unknown amount of time, he shook his head and said, "They may not know the truth from Bertha, but if you go, Stark will definitely find out and arouse his suspicion."

He and that witch named Granger were far too clever and too perceptive.

Tonight's conversation was already a bit presumptuous, but Crouch had to go ahead with the invitation.

It's already strange that Bertha was tortured with the Cruciatus Curse. During the torture, she may have broken her amnesia and revealed some secrets.

Crouch must make sure that Bertha didn't say anything strange when the two rescued her.

For example... Barty Crouch Jr. is still alive.

Crouch couldn't let this get out, or he'd be finished.

His reputation was ruined, he suffered a complete defeat, and there was no possibility of him making a comeback.

Fortunately, he deliberately steered the matter toward Fudge.

Fudge does indeed have many sordid secrets, and he did indeed hint to Ludo to give the sports director a day off.

The real lie... is nine parts truth and one part falsehood.

Even if Stark was intelligent, he couldn't possibly suspect Crouch after Crouch brought up Bertha's unusual behavior.

"How is he?" Crouch suddenly asked.

"Very good, Master Barty... he... is very obedient." Sparkle raised her eyes, trembling, and looked at Crouch's face.

"Keep an eye on him... don't let him leave! Otherwise, I'll... kick you out!"

……

……

When William returned to the tent, he found that Nico and the others had not yet come back.

With the women out, the three of them let loose and went wild.

Based on William's many years of experience, these three were planning to stay out all night!

Nicole is truly a lone individual who has corrupted a whole group of people.

Neville was still in the room, not having gone out. He had eaten the gill sac grass and was soaking in the bathtub with his Rafer.

This must be what they call mixed bathing.

Anyway, the way Raeford looked at Neville was now gentle, and he no longer ignored her as before.

It seems it has come up with a bold idea.

Annie, Luna, and Ginny did come back, and they hid in their room playing Famicom.

William, eager to offer his expertise, was met with disdain from the three little ones.

Mr. Weasley and Mr. Lovegood both got tickets to the final match, not full-length tickets.

They didn't watch the first game, so they're not here now.

The two daughters were left with William without any worries, and he wasn't afraid of "the strange brother of his daughters' classmates".

Well, if such a plot twist were to occur, Hermione would definitely kill William first.

Her research into the curse was becoming increasingly in-depth, and she was able to answer many questions that even William couldn't answer.

Since everyone had their own things to do, William had no choice but to hide in his room and continue his research on potions.

As for the people who came looking for him, he ignored them all.

A gentle breeze blew by, and a figure appeared in his room.

The man was wearing a black robe and looked about seven or eight parts like William.

—Professor Baburin.

William was startled as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Help me kill someone!"

"..."

……

……

(Please vote for this post, everyone.)

Thanks to the two experts, "Tsipras" and "Jujian Lundao," for their generous donations.

Thank you to "lenxlee" for the 20,000 coin donation. I currently owe eight chapters. I'm currently on Mars, but my emotions are stable.

(End of this chapter)