Hogwarts: What are the four great masters doing?

"take away."

He had no extra words, only clear and concise instructions.

Soon, old Barty Crouch's wand was confiscated and he was put in special handcuffs.

Crouch offered no resistance. Like a puppet with its soul drained out, he stared blankly at the mottled reflection of the moonlight on the floor, allowing two burly Aurors to lift him up from the ground.

Scrimgeour's gaze shifted to the other prisoner at the bottom of the trunk, Barty Crouch Jr.

"I think he should be sent to St. Mungo's first to ensure his recovery of sanity and health before being sent back to Azkaban."

At this time, Dumbledore said.

After hearing what Dumbledore said, Scrimgeour hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not object to Dumbledore's decision.

The Aurors carefully and professionally untied the magic rune binding bandages on little Barty.

Then they lifted up Colin Creevey, who was emaciated and still sleeping under the effects of the Water of Life and Death.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, Mr. Elias."

Finally, Scrimgeour turned to the two of them and nodded slightly. "The evidence is irrefutable. We will immediately escort old Barty Crouch back to the Ministry of Magic. Subsequent procedures will be strictly followed according to the law."

He looked around at the space at the bottom of the huge suitcase. "And this suitcase, it also needs to be temporarily controlled as evidence."

Dumbledore and Ryan naturally did not refute.

So, Scrimgeour and the Aurors left quickly.

But both Ryan and Dumbledore obviously knew.

This is just the beginning of a storm.

that's the truth.

The news of Barty Crouch Sr.'s arrest spread across the wizarding world almost as quickly as an epidemic.

The Daily Prophet published the breaking news in bold headlines.

Scandal! Former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Barty Crouch Sr., Arrested

The details and content of the case recorded in it caused an uproar in public opinion.

Even the young wizards in Hogwarts Castle were caught in great discussion and panic.

Especially fans of Barty Crouch Sr. - Harry, for example, couldn't accept this at all.

He remained pale for several days.

"Professor Crouch...how?"

He muttered to himself, his mind wandering.

Ron and Hermione were equally speechless with shock.

But compared to Ron who was simply panicked, Hermione immediately realized a bigger problem.

"The Dumbledore and Ryan Inquiry is still at the forefront, and now such a terrible incident has occurred..."

She had sensed something was wrong.

And this is indeed the case.

Panic-stricken owl letters from parents soon flooded into the mailboxes of the principal's office and the deans of their respective colleges, strongly demanding that the school conduct a thorough review of the professors' qualifications.

Some even began to question Dumbledore's judgment.

At the same time, some members of pure-blood families secretly expressed their doubts - why is Ryan Elias's name always seen in the news of such incidents?

Professor McGonagall's face was livid as she processed the letters.

But she obviously had no way to refute or write back insults, so she could only arrange the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class and related club activities, and asked the young wizards to discuss it less.

Compared with the chaotic school and the wizarding world, Gilderoy Lockhart's attitude as a colleague of old Barty Crouch is very subtle.

It is reported that the professor's first reaction after hearing the news was ecstasy!

Because Crouch's scandal was like a thunderclap, instantly overshadowing all previous doubts about his teaching level!

The bestselling author even immediately locked himself in his office.

Some say he is furiously writing a book about this scandal.

It is said that a young wizard who sneaked into the office by praising him even saw the tentative title of the book - "Gilderoy Walking with Justice: Exposing the Double Life of the Crouch Family".

The reaction from the wizarding world's centers of power was more mixed.

There was chaos within the Wizengamot - Crouch himself was a member of the Wizengamot and had friendly relations with many of them.

Within the British Ministry of Magic, the attitudes of Crouch's former allies and political opponents varied, but most people chose to remain silent or distance themselves from the matter after being shocked.

However, in the office of Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, the atmosphere was quite different.

"Great! That's great! It's a gift from Merlin!"

Fudge sank his fat body deep into the minister's office chair, waving the freshly published Daily Prophet in his hand, his face flushed with excitement and saliva flying everywhere.

And if Ryan were here, he would definitely be surprised.

Because the person standing opposite Fudge at this moment was Umbridge with a flattering smile on her face.

"Look at this, Dolores! That sanctimonious, self-proclaimed impartial 'Iron Fist' Crouch! He's finished! Completely finished!"

Fudge's voice was shrill with emotion as he slapped the grainy photo in the newspaper of Barty Sr. being carried down a Hogwarts corridor by Aurors.

"What legal foundation? He's nothing but a complete hypocrite! A liar! His son was in Azkaban for so many years, and he managed to get him out by replacing the real thing with the fake one! He even fooled Dumbledore! He hid that lunatic and a student right under Dumbledore's nose!"

He scoffed—he couldn't tell if he was scoffing at Dumbledore or Barty Crouch Sr.

"Yes, Minister, this is absolutely appalling! Who could have imagined something like this could happen at Hogwarts?"

Umbridge smiled, as always, in a sickening way.

She seemed to be unaffected by Fudge's transfer, and even seemed to have forgotten the humiliation she had suffered in the past.

But in her eyes, in the deepest part of her originally flattering look towards Fudge... there was inexplicably a real coldness.

"Headmaster Dumbledore has misjudged people this time... well, he's really misjudged people. Appointing such a dangerous person with a long history of bad deeds to such a high position, where is his responsibility to protect the students? This has seriously shaken the public's confidence in the safety of Hogwarts."

she sighed.

"Don't you know people well? Humph!"

Fudge stood up suddenly and paced around the thickly carpeted office, his fat face full of pride.

"This isn't just misjudging people! This is clearly stupidity! This is dereliction of duty! Putting students in danger! And that Elias..."

Fudge's tone suddenly became more harsh.

"Didn't he say he saw little Barty Crouch alive and kicking in the Department of Mysteries a few months ago? It even caused a huge row between the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore – and now the truth is out! That old bastard Crouch's son has been locked up in a box like a rat!"

Fudge became more and more excited as he spoke.

He had recently been arranging a questioning session with Dumbledore and Ryan.

And now, Crouch's Daotai was an almost perfect sword - even the hilt had been handed to him!

"Draft a statement immediately, Dolores!"

Fudge paused, his eyes sparkling. "Be stern in your words! Express the Ministry's deep shock and strong indignation at this incident—and emphasize that the Ministry will rigorously review the history and current performance of all officials, and will replace them."

He had obviously planned to take the opportunity to purge Crouch's old subordinates.

And the most important thing is...

"Let me make one thing clear - Headmaster Dumbledore bears an unshirkable responsibility for the negligence in personnel selection in this matter, as well as Elias's remarks about the Department of Mysteries..."

Fudge sneered, a sinister glint in his eyes. "It's very likely that it was a conspiracy—the attack on the Department of Mysteries might have been arranged by Elias...isn't it?"

Umbridge bowed immediately, with a knowing smile on her face. "I quite understand, Minister."

The coldness in her eyes became more intense.

She would always remember why she had been humiliated and humbled before - because of Elias and Dumbledore.

She will definitely repay them well.

So, Fudge nodded with satisfaction and sat back on his throne.

He even felt that the flames in the office fireplace seemed particularly warm and bright today.

Crouch, his biggest threat, was brought to an end along with his shame, and the two people he feared the most were also hit.

"good day."

he sighed.

And at the same time...

In the Hogwarts Hospital, Colin Creevey was still sleeping.

Barty Crouch Jr. was lying next to him, but he was wearing a device that could bind his magic.

Ryan stood in the school hospital and looked at little Barty.

He was unfazed by the outside discussion - and he was sure that Dumbledore was the same.

In essence, they don't really care about the reaction of the magical community. They only care about... the truth.

"interesting."

Ryan whispered softly.

Old Batty's confession is logically consistent and seems to be flawless.

But in Ryan's view, the biggest problem is the lack of problems.

"The Death Eaters discovered the truth that Barty Jr. was not dead, and used this to trigger the incident in the Department of Mysteries to threaten Professor Crouch... It makes sense, but not reasonable enough."

Ryan recalled seeing 'Barty Crouch Jr.' in the Department of Mysteries.

"If it was just to threaten Professor Crouch, there was no need for him to attract attention as the leader of that operation—nor did he need to stay in front of me for so long... If I had caught him at that time, the conspiracy against Professor Crouch would have been solved."

"And the way he was able to Apparate in the Department of Mysteries..."

He always felt a sense of disharmony.

So he came here to confirm it himself.