Barty Crouch was a very busy man. He was always busy with a dozen or more things to do or handle someone else's botched jobs. Even when he was at home he had various paperwork he had to fill out. All part of doing an important job.
A light knock accompanied by a soft, "Master?" sounded at his office door.
He replied briskly, "Come in Winky."
His little house elf opened the door and squeaked, "There's someone here who has to see you. He says it can't wait."
"Send him in then."
Crouch usually did not like people seeing him at his home without an appointment, but for all he knew it could be something important. And dealing with the person now would be quicker than telling him to wait and come back later.
When Crouch heard the door open and shut, he asked without looking up, "Name and problem."
"Jeremiah Raphael, wanting you to get a court case reviewed."
The voice was much younger than Crouch had expected so he looked up and found a boy standing in front of him. A boy. A little boy not even in adolescence! Raphael did he say, that pureblood family was dead - wait - then a fact came to his mind. Jeremiah, student at Hogwarts who did not do his O.W.L.S. for his fifth year.
This boy should be sixteen now. He looked undersized and underweight and looked on the sick side with pale skin that had a yellow tint to it. His fingers were playing with the strap on a messenger bag.
"Why are you here?" Crouch insisted, "Where are your parents?"
Jeremiah rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand as if wiping away sleep, "My parents died about eleven years ago at the time you sent a group of Death Eaters and your son to Azkaban."
Crouch tried not to wince when the boy brought that up. The guilt of that still hurt.
Jeremiah continued, "I am here to get you to get a certain case reviewed and I have all the evidence to make a new decision."
"Go home. You're underaged and have no right to be demanding such requests."
Jeremiah smiled, but it was pained smile, "Oh, you are going to do it for me. After all who else has more experience on the case of Sirius Black?"
Crouch snapped, "That man is an insane killer, overturning his sentence would be death to us all."
"He is innocent and I have all the proof you need. Since you waved his trial the first time around, perhaps you can make amends."
"Absolutely not, it would create a scandal in the Ministry."
Jeremiah cocked his head, "Oh, a scandal. I know something that will create a scandal. It has to do with a certain Department Head smuggling his son out of Azkaban and keeping him in his house under the Imperious Curse."
Crouch yanked out his wand and cried, "Obliviate!"
Jeremiah's hand snapped up and the spell bounced off of it and hit the wall leaving a burn. Then Crouch's wand tugged out of his hand and flew into Jeremiah's. Crouch's eyes widened. The boy closed his eyes and took a few shaky breaths. His face was wrinkled in strange pain.
After several more breaths, Jeremiah opened his eyes and commented, "Are we paying attention now? Good. Now if you want your secret to stay in this house you'll do exactly want I am about to tell you."