Title: Grand Scheme
Rating: K
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Barty Crouch Sr.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 379
Summary: Sirius Black's innocence was discovered by one person.
Notes:
The Great Maze Chall/Comp: The Wizarding World is a vast and wondrous place and it's all ruled and governed by one man. Tell me about how they rule with an iron fist or are as spineless as jellyfish.
Barty Crouch Sr. sneered at the sniveling man. "Guilty," he shouted. There was no need for a trial when the man was obviously guilty.
There were outraged voices around the room as his subordinates glared at the man who was magically bounded. They weren't outraged at him, though. Of course they weren't. It was the fact that a man who supposedly opposed You-Know-Who told the megalomaniac the location of his best friends, resulting in their deaths and the boy-who-lived becoming an orphan, and then murdered another friend along with twelve muggles.
He deserved the kiss, but instead, he was getting a black cell. It's would be more torturous in the long run, and that was all that mattered.
Only a year later, Barty was thinking about that day. He remembered how vindicated he felt. He was proud of himself, knowing he was putting away someone who truly deserved it.
Only, now he knew how wrong he had been. New evidence had surfaced with the unlocking of the Potters' wills. James Potter's will named the secret keeper as Peter Pettigrew, the friend Barty had been sure was killed.
With Peter as secret keeper, there was no way Black could have told You-Know-Who about their location, making it obvious that Black was horribly framed and had already spent a year in a black cell, with nothing but Dementors as company. Who knew if Black still had his sanity in check?
Barty thought about what to do. He really thought about doing the right thing. Of course he did. He was on the fast track to becoming the Minster of Magic, though. If it became public knowledge that he falsely convicted someone and sent them to a black cell, and without a trial, he'd be forced out of a position of power.
It would also throw the wizarding world into chaos. It wasn't a totally selfish decision when he decided to keep silent about the truth. In the grand scheme of things, the stability of the wizarding world was the most important thing after all. And if his silence helped him to become Minister of Magic, then that was great.
He smiled to himself and ignored his conscious. It was an easy thing to do after all of these years after all.