Chapter 681 Sirius And Canuto

Evan and Harry moved forward and took two steps. They witnessed the four Death Eaters being dragged away by the Dementors, fading into the distance.

Behind the iron grating, darkness loomed, blocking their way. Dumbledore's memory did not reach that far.

"I've found you, here you are!" Sirius' voice suddenly sounded behind them, "Good morning, Evan! Good morning, Harry!"

"Sirius!"

Evan turned around to see Sirius standing there, watching him and Harry with a smile.

"Ah, that was what happened at the trial!" At that moment, they saw Barty Jr. being carried off by the Dementors. "Poor Barty Crouch Jr., I suppose he must have been shattered at that moment. He probably thought his father would let him go, but he didn't, and his status hastened the trial of this case..."

"Were you there too?" Evan inquired.

"Yes, I was just behind this door, awaiting the trial!" Sirius said disdainfully, "None of that transpired. They probably deemed it too dangerous, so Crouch proceeded straight to announce the trial. But that changed nothing. At that moment, no one could help me."

"What was happening behind the scenes, can we see it?" Evan asked eagerly. "How did you end up in Azkaban?"

"Well, when the four were dragged back to the holding cell, we were also taken by the cursed place," Sirius stated simply, seemingly reluctant to speak further, he approached and put his hands under the elbows of Evan and Harry, "Come on, there's nothing pleasant back there!"

The two ascended slowly into the air, the dungeon dissolved; and in the blink of an eye, only darkness remained.

Then, they felt as if they had somersaulted in slow motion, suddenly landing on their feet, surrounded by dazzling light.

Evan found himself back in Dumbledore's sunny office, with the Pensieve shining in the cabinet before him.

Apart from the three of them, there was no one else in the office. Dumbledore, Moody, and Fudge had not yet returned.

"Sirius, why are you here?" Harry hurriedly inquired.

"How could I be indifferent to such a significant incident at Hogwarts? I'm here with Rufus Scrimgeour and Kingsley Shacklebolt. After learning about your ordeal last night, Fudge believes he needs some protection. They both went to the Forbidden Forest, and I came to see you."

"Is there something in the Forbidden Forest? Have they found Mr. Crouch?" Harry demanded.

"Nothing. Crouch vanished without a trace. For me, Fudge didn't entirely believe what Dumbledore was saying. But those signs of struggle cannot be faked, and I'm certain what you're saying is true. So the actual situation is very dire, Hogwarts is mingled with very dangerous people."

"Do you think that..."

"Harry, this is not the time to discuss this. You must understand that under the current circumstances, you should not wander outside the castle at night. This is very perilous!" Sirius interjected, speaking sternly. "Whoever is lurking in the shadows clearly wanted to prevent Crouch from seeing Dumbledore, and you were likely just steps away from them in the darkness. You could have been killed."

"But..."

"I want you to swear that, before the end of the Triwizard Tournament, you will not stroll with anyone outside the castle, or even leave the Gryffindor Tower after class!"

Upon hearing this, Harry felt a tinge of irritation. How could he stay cooped up in the room for so long?

He also wanted to uncover the man who attacked Crouch, and the hidden conspiracy behind it all. And thinking of it, Sirius himself had done so many foolish things at school, but now he was telling them to behave and stay in the Common Room.

That was absurd, but before Harry could say anything, he heard it.

"Given the current situation, I am coming to Hogwarts to protect you!"

"What, you're coming to Hogwarts?" Harry was stunned.

"Sirius, you should know..." Evan said, surprised.

"Don't worry, I'm sneaking in, and no one will know," Sirius stated nonchalantly, gesturing for both of them to calm down. "According to the schedule, after leaving Hogwarts, I will immediately head to Albania to deal with the vampires. That's what I told the Department. Everyone thinks I've left, but in reality, I am staying at Hogwarts."

"¡They are going to discover you!" Evan warned.

Barty Crouch Jr. didn't want Sirius to ruin the entire plan.

He only needed to be there for the second task starting next week, so there was no need to sneak into Hogwarts.

"No, no one else but you knows that I am an Animagus, let alone my Animagus form. Even if I were to be seen, others would simply think it's a stray dog. My stay at Hogwarts will aid the rest of the operation, investigate that individual, and protect you at the same time. By the way, I need another name, and if they talk about me, call me Canuto, alright?"

He seemed to be in very high spirits. Sirius had always been like this when it came to taking risks.

It was truly bothersome; he had just told Harry to be honest, yet he did it in the opposite manner.

They then discussed the matter extensively.

After about five more minutes or so, a large group of people entered and they were arguing.

Mainly, it was Moody and Rufus Scrimgeour who were in disagreement, having differing opinions on Crouch's whereabouts after leaving.

Scrimgeour thought that Crouch may not have left the Forbidden Forest, but Moody insisted he had!

Unlike the combative Aurors, Fudge had a completely different attitude.

He seemed reluctant to link Crouch's disappearance to Voldemort. He appeared more inclined to believe that Madame Maxime had attacked Crouch, especially given that the incident occurred near the Beauxbatons carriage, and she was half-giant...

In brief, Fudge ultimately chose not to make the matter public for the time being and announced outwardly that Crouch was on vacation due to an illness.

The Aurors would secretly investigate the matter, while Fudge replaced Crouch as a judge of the Triwizard Tournament.

Fudge left with a stern face, holding onto the hope that Crouch would suddenly appear safe and sound.

Ideally, he would be distressed due to prolonged stress caused by work, instead of death or disappearance.

Evan saw Sirius bid farewell to them, and Harry, then leave with Fudge.

In the eyes of others, he would have gone to Albania, but in reality, he would return directly to Hogwarts after a twist.