Interrogation

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As the Aurors escorted Crouch Jr. to the Ministry of Magic, it caused quite a stir.

People were shocked to see a "resurrected" Death Eater, and many couldn't believe their eyes.

Everyone was curious about how Barty Crouch Jr. had come back. They wanted to know the shocking inside story behind it.

Even the well-known conspiracy magazine The Quibbler published an article claiming this was part of a shocking conspiracy brewing at the Ministry of Magic.

They suggested that not only was Barty Crouch Jr. alive, but so were all the other Death Eaters.

However, no one took the news seriously, and it eventually became a dinner table joke.

The Daily Prophet later published an article titled "The Real Face of Barty Crouch," revealing the unknown side of Barty Crouch.

Unsurprisingly, this article was written by Rita Skeeter, now under Ethan's control.

Since Ethan had joined the Ministry of Magic, Rita Skeeter had lost the courage to confront him and had become compliant.

"The Aurors have stripped away the bright facade of the former Director of the International Magic Exchange and Cooperation Department, Barty Crouch, exposing the chaotic and broken family hidden behind it, as well as the truth about young Barty Crouch's downfall," the article began.

In addition to revealing how Barty Crouch Sr. had saved his son, Rita Skeeter's article included a lot of personal speculation.

She attributed young Barty Crouch's downfall to "long-term neglect by his father, harsh upbringing full of authoritarianism."

After reading the entire article, Ethan rubbed his temples and sighed. Rita Skeeter still couldn't change her bad habits.

Since Dementors were no longer reliable, the Ministry of Magic opened two separate detention cells for Barty Crouch and his son.

Barty Crouch Sr. was no longer the imposing director he once was; he had become a shadow of his former self.

The exposure of his deepest secrets had dealt him a severe blow. Now, his hair was messy, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He hadn't rested since his arrest, always in high tension and never sleeping.

Even so, Barty Crouch, who sat in front of Ethan now, held his back straight, maintaining his last shred of dignity.

Barty Crouch's composure was much better than Fudge's, which made Ethan respect him more.

"Director Crouch, can you tell me how you rescued your son?" Ethan asked. Out of respect, he still referred to Barty Crouch by his title.

"I had long guessed that such a day would come," Barty Crouch whispered.

"From the day I rescued him, I knew this day would come."

"My wife was dying—she kept begging me. It was her last wish before she died," Barty Crouch said, his eyes red.

His wife was one of his few soft spots.

"I made a plan to exchange my wife for my son, and I let her die in Azkaban," Barty Crouch couldn't hold back his sadness.

He hugged his head in pain and whimpered.

"After rescuing my son, he became different. He seemed to be a completely different person," Barty Crouch continued, his complexion pale.

"He kept talking about his terrible master, the Dark Lord. Azkaban drove him completely crazy. He kept talking about the Dark Lord. He even wanted to kill me and return to his long-dead master!"

Barty Crouch's expression became grim.

"I had no choice but to cast the Imperius Curse to control him and sent my house-elf, Winky, to care for him."

Barty Crouch's head drooped as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he made up his mind.

"I even hurt a Ministry employee for him, a witch in my office, Bertha Jorkins. One day, she came to my house with papers for me to sign."

"I wasn't home that day, and Winky took her into the house. She found my son. When I returned, she questioned me about it."

"I was too anxious. In a panic, I cast a memory charm on her to make her completely forget what she discovered."

"The spell was too powerful and caused permanent damage to her memory. I kept her in my office to compensate her, where she could no longer handle complicated tasks."

After saying this, Barty Crouch seemed drained of strength and limply sat down in the chair.

"I've explained everything I know," he murmured.

Ethan nodded, and the quill and notebook floating beside them, automatically recording the conversation, stopped and drifted back to the table.

"Let's go, Director Barty Crouch. The Wizengamot will give you a fair ruling," Ethan said.

Barty Crouch nodded. He had always insisted on justice and had no objection to the outcome.

"Ethan, who told you about my son?" Barty Crouch asked his most curious question. He thought no one would know about his son except by accident.

"There are no secrets in this world," Ethan replied lightly.

"Listen," Ethan hesitated and then said to Barty Crouch, "Your son is not mad. The Dark Lord is indeed not dead; he is alive."

Barty Crouch's eyes widened instantly. Ethan had never seen his eyes open so wide.

"Ia you said is true?" Barty Crouch asked, his voice trembling.

Ethan nodded, confirming what he had just said.

"My God," Barty Crouch murmured to himself in disbelief.

"Listen, Ethan!" Barty Crouch straightened up. "

Fudge's character is too weak! If the Dark Lord does come back, he will never lead the Ministry of Magic against him!"

"I know him too well! He would even deny the existence of the Dark Lord because of his status!" Barty Crouch said seriously.

"Fudge is simply incapable of ruling the Ministry of Magic! Peacetime is fine, but he will take everyone into the abyss in wartime!"