Barty Crouch Sentence

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The Ministry of Magic has been bustling with activity due to fresh scandals, with the most talked-about topic being the trial of Barty Crouch and Barty Crouch Jr.

In addition, Dolores Umbridge, the former Senior Deputy Minister of Magic, has been reassigned to the Division for the Management and Control of Fantastic Creatures. Specifically, she was assigned to the Centaur Liaison Office, a department dedicated to Centaur affairs. It was well-known that centaurs have yet to utilize this service since its creation, and anyone sent to this department by the Ministry is often on the brink of being fired. The current unfortunate individual is Umbridge.

Umbridge's recent misstep in choosing the wrong ally at a critical moment led to her receiving Fudge's harshest form of retaliation. Her bad character had earned her many detractors, and people secretly celebrated her fall from grace.

When she entered the Minister's office in the basement holding a box of her belongings, many staff members couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. As she descended to the fourth basement floor to enter the Magical Creatures Management and Control Department, the sentiment was clear—Umbridge got what she deserved.

The trial of Barty Crouch and Barty Crouch Jr. was set to commence in the first courtroom on the tenth basement floor, a location reserved for high-profile and dangerous criminals. The courtroom's dark, icy stone walls and the dim, flickering torchlight added to the grim atmosphere.

Rows of gradually raised benches flanked either side of the room, filled with various wizards murmuring in anticipation. At the center of the room was an oversized, ominous chair with thick iron chains on either armrest, designed to bind prisoners once seated.

By the time Ethan arrived, the courtroom was already packed. About fifty Wizengamot Tribunal wizards, dressed in fuchsia robes adorned with a delicate silver "W" on their left chest, filled the front rows. Fudge, also clad in a purple robe, saw Ethan and eagerly waved him over, signaling for him to sit beside him. Technically, Ethan wasn't supposed to sit there, as those seats were reserved for members of the Wizengamot Tribunal. Although Fudge had actively helped Ethan apply for a seat on the Tribunal, the approval process was still ongoing.

Nevertheless, Fudge was unconcerned with these formalities. Ethan had become his trusted confidant, and given Ethan's crucial role in the case against Barty Crouch, Fudge insisted he sit in the front row. Ethan complied, sitting next to Fudge, ready for the trial to begin.

As the courtroom gradually quieted, all eyes were fixed on the entrance, awaiting Barty Crouch and his son's arrival. The significance of this trial was not lost on anyone; it was clear this event would be a landmark in the Ministry of Magic's history.

The heavy wooden door at the corner of the courtroom suddenly swung open with a loud bang, and two Aurors entered, flanking Barty Crouch. Traditionally, this duty would have been performed by dementors, but after several recent incidents of dementor misconduct, Fudge had opted for Aurors instead.

The figure that once commanded respect within the Ministry of Magic was now a shadow of his former self. His usually neat, short gray hair was messy and streaked with white, and his face bore the worn look of a man who had aged years in just a few days. Yet, despite his fall from grace, Barty Crouch maintained a straight back, holding onto a semblance of dignity.

Fudge, visibly trying to contain his excitement, addressed the courtroom. "Very good, the defendant has arrived. The trial will now begin." His voice carried a suppressed thrill that Ethan, sitting nearby, couldn't miss.

"Barty Crouch, Director of the International Magic Exchange and Cooperation Department," Fudge began formally, "you are accused of violating the Wizards' Safety Law by facilitating the escape of Barty Crouch Jr. from Azkaban Prison and subsequently harboring the fugitive at your home. Furthermore, upon discovering this crime, you attacked Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry colleague, with an Obliviate spell, causing irreversible damage."

The courtroom erupted into a low buzz of shocked murmurs. While everyone knew Barty Crouch's actions to free his son, the attack on Bertha Jorkins was a revelation. The eyes of the assembled wizards turned to Bertha Jorkins, who sat in attendance. Her expression was vacant, and she stared ahead, seemingly oblivious to the attention. Ethan recognized this as part of Fudge's deliberate orchestration.

Fudge allowed the whispers to continue, satisfied with the reaction. He had intentionally withheld the details of Barty Crouch's attack on Bertha Jorkins until now to maximize the impact. Turning back to Crouch, he continued, "So, Barty Crouch, what do you have to say about these accusations?"

Fudge's anticipation was palpable. He had imagined this moment numerous times, expecting a dramatic confrontation. Instead, Barty Crouch quietly replied, "I plead guilty."

"What did you say?" Fudge leaned forward, his face a mask of disbelief.

"I plead guilty!" Barty Crouch repeated, louder this time.

Fudge's expression shifted from disbelief to confusion. He had envisioned a drawn-out trial in which he would stand as a beacon of justice, dismantling Crouch's defenses with righteous indignation. He had not prepared for such an anticlimactic admission.

"You... you plead guilty?" Fudge stammered, momentarily lost for words. His grand performance, meticulously rehearsed in his mind, was suddenly rendered unnecessary.

Sitting next to Fudge, Amelia Bones nudged him with her wand, breaking his daze. "Minister, it's time for you to pronounce the sentence," she whispered.

Fudge, snapping back to reality, quickly adjusted. "Uh, yes! Sentencing now!" he declared, his voice regaining its authority.

"Defendant Barty Crouch," Fudge intoned sternly, "you have egregiously violated the Wizarding Safety Act, betrayed the Ministry of Magic, and attacked your colleague. For these crimes, the Wizengamot Tribunal has sentenced you to life imprisonment in Azkaban."

The courtroom exploded into a cacophony of voices, the tension palpable. With the pronouncement of the sentence, Barty Crouch's career—and his life as a free man—came to a definitive end. The trial, which many had anticipated as a prolonged battle of wits, concluded swiftly, marking the fall of a once-prominent Ministry official.