Chapter 378 The Startling Truth

The conversation continued in the empty corridor.

"I don't blame you, but Barty Crouch's practices and beliefs in other areas are definitely beyond your imagination!" Sirius lowered his voice and said gravely, "Evan, I don't know how much you know and what you intend to do, but you must understand that Crouch is a tough, ruthless man, even more wicked than his opponents, the Death Eaters who practice dark magic. He advocated violence against violence and authorized the use of unforgivable curses against suspects."

"Yes, that earned him many followers!" Mr. Weasley said nervously, looking around to ensure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. "At that time, many people thought he was on the right path, and there were many witches and wizards who wished for him to become the Minister of Magic. His personal reputation had already surpassed that of others in the Ministry. When Voldemort disappeared, it seemed only a matter of time before he would claim the highest position."

"But the irony is..." Sirius smiled grimly. "Just then, they caught Crouch's son. He was with a group of Death Eaters who had escaped from Azkaban. Apparently, they were trying to find Voldemort and bring him back to power."

The smile on his face did not fade as he stared at the heavy cubicle not far away. A crooked sign on the cubicle read DEPARTMENT OF AUROR.

"The next thing everyone should know!" Sirius continued, "You can imagine this was a real blow to the old man. He should have spent more time at home with his family, don't you think? He should have left the office early occasionally to know about his own son."

"Yes!" Evan nodded.

Not only Crouch, everyone should know more about Barty Crouch Jr.

If Mr. Weasley and Sirius knew his true face and his position among the Death Eaters, they would be surprised.

"I saw that boy, a coward who only knew how to cry, who seemed very weak." Sirius recalled, "He was in Azkaban when they brought him in, and he was next to my cell. I remember he cried every day. When they arrested the boy, everyone with him was a Death Eater. I bet the poor boy was in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"Perhaps it's not as simple as you think," Evan said cautiously. "My inquiries reveal very interesting information. He was imprisoned in Azkaban for torturing the Longbottom couple with the Cruciatus Curse. I asked Professor Lupin to help me contact the witnesses of that incident..."

Evan was well-informed. Mr. Weasley and Sirius were clearly very surprised.

"In essence, Barty Crouch Jr. is not merely straightforward," Evan concluded, recounting the information he had gathered.

"Perhaps, but what does all this mean?" Sirius said impatiently. "I saw the Dementors take him. I watched through the iron bars of the cell door. He was at most nineteen and they threw him into a cell beside mine. By evening, he was screaming for his mother. But a few days later, he fell silent and remained so the entire time. In that ghostly place, everyone would end up like that, just occasionally shouting in dreams..."

"Everyone knows that after being locked in there for a year, he died and paid for his crimes," Mr. Weasley hurriedly mentioned. "Well, we can't just stay here discussing these things."

"Yes, what you need to do now is write a letter to your parents," Sirius said, patting Evan's shoulder. "Perhaps you should also write a letter to Remus."

"Come on, what would you like to drink? I have some there..."

"Hold on, there's more!" Evan hastily raised his voice and exclaimed: "Barty Crouch Jr. might not be dead!"

Mr. Weasley and Sirius stopped, their eyes fixed on Evan's serious expression. There was a curious look on their faces, with a strong urge to laugh, but they struggled to hold back.

"He must have died right in front of me. I witnessed his death with my own eyes," said Sirius bitterly. "Since you want to know, I will tell you. He wasn't the only one. Most go mad in there, and many stop eating in the end."

Sirius looked into Evan's eyes and hoarsely described the past events.

"They lost the will to live. You could always tell when death was near because the Dementors sensed it, they became excited," said Sirius. "That boy looked very ill when he arrived. Crouch, being a prominent Ministry member, he and his wife had a visit on his deathbed. He half-led his wife past my cell. She died herself, seemingly shortly thereafter from grief. She wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The Dementors buried him outside the fortress. I saw them do it."

Evan wanted to speak, but Sirius stopped him.

"Think about it carefully, isn't it very sad?" His face bore a cruel smile. "Just when old Crouch thought he had it all, he lost everything. One moment, a hero, ready to become Minister of Magic... In the blink of an eye, his son died, his wife died, the family name was dishonored, and there was a great decline in his popularity."

"I remember the newspapers at that time, all reporting on this matter," added Mr. Weasley. "Once the boy died, people started to feel a bit more sympathetic towards the son and wonder how a good young man from a good family had gone astray. The conclusion was that his father never cared much for him. So Cornelius Fudge got the top position, and Crouch was moved to the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Well, after knowing all this, do you still question anything?" Sirius asked Evan. "I don't know how much information you have, but there is no doubt that Barty Crouch Jr. died."

"No, that's not the whole story. Barty Crouch could have taken his son out of Azkaban!" Evan gasped and decided to say it outright, "Based on Barty Crouch's character and style of action, we can deduce..."

"Reasoning?! Ridiculous! I saw him die before me, and you're here to reason with me!" sighed Sirius in a grave tone. "Evan, perhaps you've been under too much pressure lately, I believe..."

"It wasn't him who died, it was his mother!" Evan said loudly. "When you witnessed that visit, Barty Crouch switched them!"