Chapter 376: Barty Crouch

"And that pair of wings, a bit like an Augurey." Ivan said uncertainly.

"You two helped me a lot!" The great wizard gratefully said, "You've saved me the trouble of determining their specific species."

He took a small notepad from his robe and wrote down all the words Sirius and Ivan had just said.

Ivan saw that the notebook was full of strange animal sketches, with notations below, like the study notes of the most evil wizard.

Above the strange creature of the cat and Croup was a rooster pattern that seemed to be crowing, but flames were coming out of its mouth.

"What will you do with this animal?" asked Ivan curiously.

"The first thing is to identify its specific species, and then try to recover the status of one of them. If it's really not possible, it will be registered as a new species, and then sent to a special place for breeding." The pale young wizard replied, bowing and looking at Ivan seriously. "Listen, kid, if you graduate in the future, remember, never work in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures! It's a nightmare, dealing with strange and difficult animals and pests all day long! It's like a garbage can, where all the monsters you can't deal with are thrown in, and the office stinks and the animals scream..."

"Thanks for telling me, I'll keep that in mind!" Ivan nodded.

The pale wizard seemed to have put up with it to the limit, but Hagrid seemed to like it here.

They weren't talking. The elevator was shaking and creaking and ascending rapidly, the chains rattling all the while.

Besides the bearded wizard and the pale young wizard fussing over the contents of the tin box, others were looking curiously at Ivan and Sirius.

"Level Seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the headquarters of the British and Irish Quidditch League, the Official Gobstones Club and the Ludicrous Patent Office." A cold female voice sounded in the elevator.

The elevator doors opened; Ivan glimpsed a cluttered hallway, with several posters of Quidditch teams pinned to the walls.

"In a few months, the United Kingdom will be hosting the Quidditch World Cup Final." Mr. Weasley said happily, "If you two are interested, you can come with us. I have more than ten tickets; one of the perks of working at the Ministry! Of course, Harry and Hermione can also be invited along with others."

"Thank you, Arthur!" Sirius said quietly, "Ivan and I are going on an extra trip with Dumbledore. If we make it, we'll go. I want to ask you to look after Harry while I'm not here. You know..."

He suddenly stopped and looked askance at the wizard who stood eavesdropping on his words.

He quickly looked away and pretended not to hear anything.

"I see, come to my office!" Mr. Weasley nodded.

The doors closed, the elevator went back up. After a while, the woman's voice said, "Level Six, Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Flu Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office and Apparatus Testing Center."

Once again the elevator doors opened, and under Sirius' gaze, the wizard who had just heard him rushed down; at the same time, several paper airplanes rushed into the elevator.

Ivan stared at them as they fluttered idly overhead; they were a pale violet color and he could see MINISTRY OF MAGIC stamped along the edges of their wings.

"Interdepartmental memos only," Mr. Weasley muttered to him. "We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable...droppings all over the desks..."

"Yes, and in the end, the onus is on us to take care of these owls, feed them, treat them, and clean them up." The pale young wizard complained once more, "Once there were thousands of owls, but there were only five people in the department. They were all young wizards like me who had just graduated. It was very exhausting work; another nightmare! Thank God, I don't have to worry about those damn owls anymore."

"All right, Angus, don't always say these disappointing words in front of the children!" Mr. Weasley said dissatisfied, "Say something nice."

"I don't see any pleasure in it. I'll have this cat and dog mix waiting for me to deal with him in a moment." Angus whispered, "That's what the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures does, the whole mess..."

He stopped immediately and the elevator doors opened again.

"Level Five, Department of International Magical Cooperation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Agency, the International Magical Bureau of Law, and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Affairs."

Mr. Barty Crouch, with a serious, unsmiling face, stood at the entrance to the elevator.

He was wearing the most beautiful wizard's robe Ivan had seen to this day; his hair was short and gray with a neat parting that was almost artificially smooth.

Angus was so frightened to see him that he was speechless.

He shut his mouth hurriedly and swallowed the second half of the complaint.

"Good morning, Barty!" Mr. Weasley greeted him happily.

But he ignored him. Mr. Crouch looked at Ivan and then looked closely at Sirius, no expression on his face.

Sirius looked at him as well, his eyes full of hostility.

It was as if they were ready for a duel, and the oppressive atmosphere spread through the elevator.

Ivan knew that Mr. Crouch was the Head of the Department of Magical Security. He put Sirius in Azkaban without trial, and that was when the feud between the two sides began.

Mr. Crouch did not enter at last, and the elevator doors closed again.

All was quiet, and only the memos moved around the lamp swinging from the elevator ceiling.

"It's terrible, isn't it?" Angus lowered his head and said, "Mr. Crouch is a real power figure in the Ministry. I've heard that even the Minister is afraid of him..."

Indeed, when Voldemort led the Death Eaters, Barty Crouch earned the trust of the common people for publicly advocating the use of harsh means to defend himself.

His reputation was unmatched for a time, and he was considered the most popular candidate for the next Minister of Magic.

But after the war, it was suddenly discovered that his son, Barty Crouch Jr. was also a Death Eater, and eventually put him in Azkaban.

However, after the incident was revealed, his voice continued to diminish, and people thought his approach was too cruel and ruthless.

Eventually he was transferred to the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and the more moderate Cornelius Fudge managed to become Minister.

That was something everyone knew, and Ivan also knew some unknown secrets.

Later, at his wife's request, he entered Azkaban and used the Multi-Juice Potion to change Barty Jr. and Mrs. Crouch before he died.

He then used a curse to control his Death Eater son to keep him at home for many years, and even used the Dememorizing Charm on those who discovered the truth.

However, he was eventually killed by his mad son a few months later.

Ivan had a headache when he thought of Barty Crouch Jr. Today's meeting made him suddenly realize that he had to take some action.

Now that the future had radically changed, there was no need to keep Barty Crouch Jr.

He must find an opportunity to remind other people and let them keep an eye on the movements of Mr. Crouch's house elf.