A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Felix watched his retreating figure, feeling uneasy. Was Crouch looking for help in Wizengamo? As far as he knew, Barty Crouch hadn't had an easy time before, and there were even rumors that Fudge intended to kick him out of Wizengamo.

But Fudge was not actually able to do that, because the Wizengamo Wizarding Court was a rather loose organization. Each member usually had their own job and only gathered together when there was something important to discuss.

If we're talking about true leaders, then Dumbledore, who served as the chief wizard of Wizengamor, was the real leader.

……

Not long after Barty Crouch left, he took leave citing illness and disappeared from the camp, but he did not go far, instead appearing in the woods near the camp.

A figure in a black robe and cloak stood motionless in the mist.

Barty Crouch's expression also stiffened, as if frozen in place.

The cloaked figure lifted his hood, revealing a young face: "Master."

Barty Crouch's voice suddenly became hoarse and sharp, "I went to see Felix Heap..."

“What!” the cloaked man—Barty Crouch Jr.—said in a deep voice, “Isn’t this too risky, Master… We underestimated him before, but we were here today, and you even saw it through my father’s eyes…”

Barty Crouch's eyes turned blood red in an instant, his pupils becoming serpentine. He said softly, "Before making a plan, you always have to confirm who the enemy is... As it turns out, he can't detect me... He's not even as perceptive as that kid, Harry Potter!"

“But what if he sees through your disguise—” Barty Crouch Jr. said anxiously.

Barty Crouch, or rather Voldemort, said slowly and deliberately, "The biggest advantage of my current state... is that I cannot be killed. Perhaps you still have feelings for your father?"

“No, my master.” Barty Crouch Jr. knelt at his feet and said devoutly, “I hate him to the core and am ashamed of his name. Master, he imprisoned me for more than ten years and made me live like a dead man until you came and freed me.”

This involves a past event. Over a decade earlier, with the end of the war, those convicted were imprisoned in Azkaban, and Barty Crouch Jr. was accused of torturing the Longbottoms to the point of madness along with Bellatrix and others. Crouch Jr. denied the charges at his trial and pleaded with his father, Judge Keith, to believe him. The evidence at the time was insufficient, as witnesses had little recollection of Crouch Jr., and given that his father was the presiding judge, he had a good chance of escaping punishment.

Unfortunately, Barty Crouch was impartial and had already seen through his son's furtive behavior. Combined with the vague witness testimonies, he finally confirmed Crouch Jr.'s guilt and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Later, Barty Crouch made a terrible mistake. He couldn't refuse his wife's dying request. In the last moments of her life, she used Polyjuice Potion to get their son out of prison and kept him under the Imperius Curse at home, with the house-elf Sparky taking care of him, intending to let him live out his life in a daze.

Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and, determined to kill Peter Wormtail with his life on the line, Wormtail was terrified. He disappeared for several months, found Voldemort, and learned about the War of the Tournament and Barty Crouch Jr. from Bertha Jorkins. While Barty Crouch Sr. was away, they broke into his house and freed Crouch Jr. When Barty Crouch Sr. returned home from get off work, he was ambushed by his son and Wormtail and controlled with the Imperius Curse.

……

Voldemort said in a emotionless voice, "What if I let you kill your own father?"

"I will gladly carry out your orders!"

“No rush,” Voldemort laughed chillingly. “Barty Crouch is still useful, but he almost broke free from my control in front of that fool Fudge and nearly ruined things. Perhaps it was too painful for him to hide me in his mind, which inadvertently reduced the effectiveness of the Imperius Curse.”

Barty Crouch Jr. wondered, "Will they see through my plan?"

Voldemort sneered, "There's no evidence, and it's just some probing at most, but the tournament can't do without him. Things will develop in the direction we expect. The only pity is that I can't maintain this state for too long... Losing the Wormtail is really inconvenient."

"Master, it's all my fault."

“Alright,” Voldemort said, “Proceed according to plan. We’ll go back to your house first. I need to rest for a while. After that, we’ll go find Mad-Eye Moody. He’s not easy to deal with. We’ll have to set a trap.”

“Master, you’ve finally gained a physical form. I can manage on my own… If all else fails, let Shining…”

"Since when house-elves can work for Voldemort?" Voldemort said grimly. "If Barty Crouch is exposed, it doesn't matter. I've found a way for him to take his final bow."

"Owner?"

“That Black kid gave me an idea. Don’t you want to appear in the world openly and honestly? Let him atone with his death and prove your innocence.”

Chapter 345 Objections

Before dawn, the cold, grayish-white light gradually pierced through the forest mist, and this unseen conversation was drawing to a close.

"Master, the newspaper says the Longbottoms are better now, and they'll accuse me..." the figure lying on the ground whispered.

"Time will erase all traces. Haven't they forgotten my fame, how many people once groveled at my feet and kissed my robes?" Voldemort said softly.

Barty Crouch Jr. suddenly trembled, as if an invisible whip was lashing his body.

But Voldemort ignored him and said lazily, "I want to share an insight with you: magic is power. Do you know why memory extraction and truth serum can't be used as evidence in court? It's because they're unreliable; these methods can be easily deceived by skilled wizards. I ask you—were you caught red-handed?"

“No, no,” Barty Crouch Jr. whispered.

Voldemort chuckled coldly. "That's it. There are too many ways to refute their accusations: Polyjuice Potion, Oblivion Charm, Confusion Charm... The key is whether there's a sufficiently compelling witness!"

"If Dumbledore comes forward and identifies you, that would be troublesome. But you're just an ordinary Auror couple? Don't forget, their own memories were pieced together; how credible are they?"

Barty Crouch Jr.'s face flushed with excitement.

“Ideally, I will be resurrected as planned, and I will secretly recruit my old followers and build up my strength. After you kill Moody, you will inherit old Crouch’s reputation and connections and enter the Ministry of Magic… At that time,” he said softly, “you will gain unparalleled glory, and the position of Minister of Magic will be the least significant reward.”

"Your will is my mission, my master."

……

The sun finally came out, and the mist in the forest completely dissipated, leaving no trace. The campsite became lively again.

Felix didn't sleep long. He kept feeling that Barty Crouch's intentions were unclear, and after thinking about it for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. As dawn broke, he saw Kremy come out of the cubicle, carrying a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and a thin blanket in the other, half-closing her eyes and yawning repeatedly.

"What's wrong, can't sleep?"

Kremy blinked and then noticed Felix sitting on the sofa. "Professor, why aren't you turning on the lights?" She walked to the table where they had eaten yesterday and patted a magic lamp shaped like a bronze eagle. It flapped its wings, flew into the air, and spat out a ball of light, instantly illuminating the tent.

She sat across from Felix, pulled the blanket over herself, and couldn't help but yawn again. "I... I really can't sleep. I'm going to stay up a little longer and then go back to the office to sleep. When are we leaving?"

“You can leave whenever you want,” Felix said gently. “We don’t need a key; we can just Apparate away.” He glanced at the two other simply partitioned compartments in the tent. “Let’s wait for Remus and Arik.”

Clemi hugged a thin blanket, sipped her warm cocoa, and chatted idly.

"After my vacation, I have to go back to Gringotts to hand over my work... It's a pity I made quite a few friends in Egypt." She counted on her fingers, recounting some interesting stories. "By the way," she suddenly asked with great interest, "Professor, did Bill ever call you by your nickname—the Wandering Sphinx—to your face back then?"

"……No."

"That's an interesting nickname, why doesn't anyone call you that?" Kremy said with a regretful expression. "I've heard some people in the company call you Snake King behind your back, but I don't think that's a good thing, it makes people think of a basilisk..."

"Is that so? I can't control what others say." Felix made himself a cup of tea and said leisurely.

Before she knew it, Kremy had finished her hot cocoa, and she stared at Felix's tea. "Want to try some?" Felix asked. Kremy hesitated, then said, "I heard it keeps you awake..."

At that moment, a deep female voice came from outside the door: "Is this Mr. Felix Hepburn? I am Orim Maxim, from the Beauxbatons School of Magic in France."

Felix looked surprised. "Wait a moment, ma'am." He stood up and walked toward the door, reaching out a coat with a "whoosh!" that flew out of the room, draped over his shoulders, and deftly buttoned it up.

Kremy also slipped back into her room with the blanket and the empty cup.

Stepping out of the tent, I was greeted by a tall woman. Unlike the fleeting glimpse I had caught in the middle of the night, she had clearly dressed up, covered from head to toe in a blue cotton satin dress, her hair pulled back into a shiny black bun, and an opal necklace around her neck.

“Mrs. Maxim?” Felix tentatively uttered the title he had overheard.

Mrs. Maxim smiled gracefully, extended her hand, and Felix hesitated for a moment before gently taking it, his lips brushing against the back of her hand.

“Mr. Hep,” said Mrs. Maxim, “please forgive my intrusion, but we are leaving during the day and I really don’t want to miss my meeting with the new school board member.”

Has Beauxbatons received the news?

“There’s a list of school board members in the principal’s office, and I saw your name on it when Mr. Nicolas Lemaître passed away,” Mrs. Maxime said with some sadness.

"So you're the principal of Beauxbatons."

They went into the tent, and Mrs. Maxim sat in Kremlin's place, taking up the entire sofa by herself and having to turn her legs to the side.

Felix took out an empty teacup and placed it in front of the two of them. While directing the teapot to pour tea, he said, "Actually, I had wanted to go to Beauxbatons for a while, but I heard that some details of the tournament had not yet been finalized and there were many objections. I didn't go in order to avoid suspicion."

Mrs. Maxim said, "Every Triwizard Tournament is a huge problem, let alone with two more schools added. The Ministry of Magic isn't too happy about it..."

Felix knew she was referring to the French Ministry of Magic.

"At least the general direction should be determined, right? Are there any difficult decisions to be made?"

Mrs. Maxim took a sip of tea and said casually, "The general direction is set, but we can't be careless about the details, because if we agree to it this time, it could very well become the case next time."

“Every school has its own ideas, and so does every Ministry of Magic. We need to clarify all the rules before we light the Goblet of Fire.”

"Are the conditions proposed by the United States and Africa unacceptable?" Felix asked.

He hadn't really been following the tournament's progress, but when he went to the Dragon Sanctuary, Captain Charlie Weasley mentioned that Fudge had made many compromises in order to expand the tournament's influence beyond Europe.

"The location of the competition was determined first, and it's still in Europe. According to the order, it's Hogwarts' turn this time," Mrs. Maxim said. "Evermony and Vagado can only wait in line."

Felix nodded; he knew that the Triwizard Tournament had been held on a rotating basis before it was discontinued.

"As for the specific events of the competition, they will be decided by the Ministry of Magic where the competition is being held, which is the British Ministry of Magic, and will be kept secret from us throughout." She paused, letting out a nasal sound, "Dumbledore certainly knows, but I trust his character..."

"The things that we, the principals, can participate in deciding are the more subtle details, such as the number of participants, the age of the contestants, and the prohibition of magic. The controversy also lies here."

"for example?"

"Iphamoni demanded an increase in numbers, saying that they have four colleges, and each college must select at least one warrior."

Felix chuckled: "Isn't selecting warriors the Goblet of Fire's job? Do they want to do it for them?"

Mrs. Maxime nodded and said, "They did have that idea, but Beauxbatons, Hogwarts, and Durmstrang strongly disagreed, so they gave up on it."

“And then there’s the Vagad’s ability to shapeshift,” she said, pursing her lips, somewhat alarmed. “I only found out after I learned about it that they’ve mastered shapeshifting magic very similar to that of the Animagus. Nearly a third of the upperclassmen Vagad students can transform into leopards and elephants, not to mention the elite students who can do even more…”

"Self-transformation? I've heard of that magic, but it shouldn't disrupt the balance of the competition, right?"

“That depends on your perspective,” Mrs. Maxim explained. “Some animals have advantages that humans don’t. For example, if a certain level is about speed, then students from Vagado will naturally have an advantage.”

“But that doesn’t prove anything. It just means that the students of Vagado have shown their unique characteristics.” Felix didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

"Do you know how much time the students of Vagado have spent on this magic?" Mrs. Maxim asked.

"Could it be very long?" Felix guessed.

“At least three to five years of study,” Mrs. Maxim said. “They enter school at the age of ten, and after a year of observation, they choose a suitable direction for themselves, usually focusing on two or three subjects as their main subjects and three or four as minor subjects. When they reach the higher grades, they will devote all their energy to their main subjects.”

"For example, a young wizard can be exposed to all the knowledge of self-transformation from the second grade, and begin to prepare and practice. Then, after several years of continuous practice, he will be able to master it. Those who have extra capacity can even choose the second or third form."

“It’s certainly unique,” ​​Felix nodded. The headmaster of Vagado must believe this is essential knowledge for students, which is why he did it this way. It’s somewhat similar to the advice he gave Dumbledore, but upon closer analysis, the differences are quite significant.

"Where is the controversy?"

“If you look at it alone, there’s no problem. But what if you compare Vagado and Durmstrang? Vagado’s students participate in the competition with magic they’ve practiced for years, without any restrictions, while Durmstrang’s students have to restrain themselves from using their most proficient dark magic. Karkaroff certainly disagrees. They’ve lost too many times in the past and don’t want to lose face again.”

Felix understood; this was the crux of the matter. The championship represented honor, and the unprecedented five-way championship represented unprecedented honor. The champion was destined to be recorded in history and remembered for many years to come.

Faced with immense honor, even the slightest advantage must be taken into account, let alone such a large gap. Nobody wants to dance in shackles.

Chapter 346 Sleeping Dragon, Do Not Disturb

Southern France, the Pyrenees Mountains.

Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is nestled among mountains and valleys, surrounded by magnificent magical gardens and unfrozen fountains, and has stood here for over seven hundred years.