Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 291 Confiscation and Imprisonment

Before Avada could say anything more, Crouch had already picked up Fleur Delacour's wand and, as before, tapped it lightly at the end with his own wand.

Whoosh—Bang!

As Old Barty cast the Flashback Charm, a beam of red light shot out from the tip of Fleur's wand, striking the wall hard, sending red sparks flying—luckily, he had deliberately aimed the wand tip at an empty spot.

"A stun spell?"

Crouch's brow furrowed immediately, and he abruptly turned to look at Fleur.

"I was in Defense Against the Dark Arts class!"

Furong quickly explained, "There were sparring sessions between students... The students and professors at the time can all testify to that!"

"snort."

Crouch seemed a little calmer. He gave a noncommittal hum, then waved his wand again, creating a magical shield in front of him. He then continued tapping Fleur's wand. The spells that followed were consistent with Fleur's description: armor charms, disarming charms, and other spells commonly used in student sparring. There were no spells that could be fatal, and the offensive spells were easily blocked by Crouch's shield.

Soon, the magic emanating from Fleur's wand became so blurred as to be indistinguishable. Crouch put it back, then picked up Krum's wand and did the same—it seemed he hadn't cast many spells that afternoon; even the Flock of Birds spell that Gregorovich had cast that morning only flashed back a few times before being recast…

"No problems have been found so far. However, I regret to inform you that..."

Finally, Crouch placed all three wands back on the table, then looked up at the three men, who still appeared somewhat uneasy. "Your wands cannot be returned to you yet—after all, the results of the Flashback Charm alone are not conclusive evidence. You are still suspected of using numerous spells to dilute the Flashback Charm, casting spells without a wand, using methods other than magic, or using someone else's wand to commit the crime… We will conduct further investigations, including verifying the list of spells from the previous flashbacks. Only after all checks are completed can we return your wands."

"Furthermore, during this period, you will need to be isolated separately to prevent any possibility of collusion or destruction of evidence. I know that you are not really suspects, but there are no other suspects besides you at the moment. This is a necessary procedure, and I hope you can understand."

"..."

None of the three said anything, they just nodded silently.

"So,"

After Crouch put away his wand, Karkaroff went behind the desk, pulled out a chair, and sat back down. "Next, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Maxim, I'd like to ask you to take the three heroes to the Underground. There are a few decent empty rooms there where they can stay temporarily. Just ask any professor or student for the exact location... Please make sure the living facilities and magical arrangements are as complete as possible; after all, they're not very suspicious."

"no problem."

Dumbledore and Maxim nodded.

"And Mr. Crouch, I would like to ask you to continue gathering clues—this matter could very well trigger a diplomatic crisis between our school and Britain, and you are now the only person who can represent the British Ministry of Magic in investigating this matter. I also hope that you can clear Durmstrang's name—of course, we will do our best to give you an explanation."

"It's my duty."

Crouch answered readily, then opened the door and went out first. Karkaroff took out a stack of parchment and envelopes from a drawer and began to write furiously. The three warriors, at Dumbledore and Maxim's prompting, followed them empty-handed. The five of them went downstairs without a word, arriving at the underground level Karkaroff had mentioned. Guided by a passing professor, they indeed found several fairly spacious and clean empty rooms.

"You'll have to stay here for a while, but not too long, I estimate no more than two days..."

As Dumbledore rapidly transformed the three rooms with magic, making them as clean and comfortable as possible, he turned to the warriors and said, "And I hope you will be careful after you come out—if we investigate Durmstrang and still can't find the murderer, it could mean that someone from outside the school has sneaked in... If that's the case, everyone will be in great danger."

"What about the three-way championship?"

Hibiscus frowned and asked, "We've already made a pact with the Goblet of Fire, and we have to finish the competition—but judging from the current situation, it's clear that the competition can't continue, right?"

"That depends on how the situation develops."

Mrs. Maxim glanced at her students and explained, "If the case of Mr. Bagman's murder can be solved quickly, the competition should be able to continue as normal. But if it remains unsolved, or even if new crises arise, such as the infiltration Dumbledore mentioned... we will try our best to ensure you complete the competition's procedures, but the process may be much more perfunctory..."

"This is indeed somewhat unfortunate for you."

Dumbledore continued, “In the short time that has passed, he has completed the arrangement of the three rooms and cast several other very powerful protective spells: ‘As the first champions of the Triwizard Tournament to be restarted in this century, you have encountered such a thing. Your chance to gain honor has vanished, and you have been added to the list of suspects out of nowhere… We can understand your dissatisfaction.’”

"But please don't complain too much. After all, the most unfortunate Mr. Ludo Bagman has already lost his life, and we still don't have a single clue about the murderer. No one can guarantee what will happen in the future..."

"Then Professor, could you tell us how Mr. Bagman died?" Avada asked somewhat anxiously—Dumbledore knew his abilities and naturally understood how useful he would be in this kind of investigation.

"He was stabbed in the heart with a silver dagger."

Dumbledore and Maxim exchanged a glance before he spoke, "That dagger has special magic that can erase blood that should flow. So even though his office door was open, it wasn't until some time after his murder that anyone noticed he was actually dead... You two wear this."

As he spoke, he made three button-sized badges and handed them to the three warriors: "They can be used to confirm your location and vital signs to prevent any other possible accidents—and of course, to prevent you from leaving the room without permission."

"We will sense if you leave the room or remove this badge... I believe you won't do that, as it would only increase the suspicion you already have."

"Alright, I think we've said enough. Now please go to your respective rooms and do not leave until further notice or an emergency occurs. Food will be delivered at mealtimes, and you can let us know if you have any questions then... Relax, this situation won't last long."

Under the watchful eyes of Dumbledore and Maxim, the three had no choice but to affix the badges to their bodies and then obediently enter their room—the room was indeed quite nicely arranged by Dumbledore, clean, spacious, and fully equipped with all kinds of living facilities. Apart from not being able to leave, it was no different from a normal dormitory.

What... exactly is going on...?

(End of this chapter)