"I know," Hermione's attention was successfully diverted, "and they didn't mean to end it for a while. She paused, then hurriedly added, "But they're less vigilant when they get in." If we knock a Death Eater unconscious in the bathroom, we might be able to lure the Wormtail away in his form. ”

Harry nodded, remembering that Hermione couldn't see him nodding. "You brought a polyjuice potion, right?"

"I've got a big bottle full of them. Hermione replied.

Harry could hear her voice tense, and was about to say something casual when he saw a servant hurrying in and whispering something in Mr. Malfoy's ear. Mr. Malfoy was talking and laughing loudly with the people, and when he heard this, his face changed, and he immediately walked out.

Everyone noticed the change and looked curiously towards the entrance. The Death Eater, who seemed to work at the Ministry of Magic, frowned slightly, and after a few seconds, he seemed to think of something and began to walk out as well.

“…… What's wrong?" Hermione asked Harry, puzzled.

"I don't know. Harry replied, noticing that quite a few people were starting to move in the same direction, including Wormtail. "We'd better keep up. He said, wiping his face casually, and the cat bent down and touched the door.

Because there were so many people gathered at the door, it took Harry more time than before to pass through. It was precisely because of the delay that as soon as he stepped on the carpet in the corridor, he heard a whisper-

"Merlin's beard! is it?"

"Lucius didn't tell us before that he could invite the one who was most favored by his master!"

"Are you talking about Barty Crouch Jr., really?"

…… Little Crouch?

When did he return to Voldemort, and was the Dark Lord gathering his former men to get back on his feet, as Andrew said?

Harry hadn't met Crouch, he didn't know what kind of person Crouch was, all he knew about Crouch Jr. was some very broken news--- not many people cared about Crouch Jr., he was just a teenager who had gone crazy and lacked family love, and after that incident, the wizards quickly forgot about him in the corner of Azkaban waiting to rot, until he escaped his father's control with the help of Twilight and chose to follow Andrew Lee.

"I heard that the master trusts Crouch very much, and almost regards him as his right hand, and now the ghost knight, several of them are recommended by Barty Jr., if you can have a good relationship with him..."

"Of course, but he hasn't been seen much lately, and I've heard that he's doing something very important for his master...."

"What's the matter?"

"It's said to be related to the Ministry of Magic.,It seems that he's seeking to become an insider of the Ministry of Magic.,It's said that the master uses a magic that has never been seen before...."

The voice was too low for Harry to hear, and he wanted to get closer, but those Death Eaters were not weak, and he would be discovered.

Barty Crouch Jr.'s situation is not what anyone knows. He is currently the senior assistant to the director of the Auror Office, a position that of course cannot be seen as he is, but he now has two powerful forces behind him--- Voldemort and Earl Lee - with the help of these two, and the acquiescence of Barty Sr., Barty Jr. has now managed to enter the core of the Ministry of Magic.

With the new Minister in place, the position of the owner of the Auror Office became a top priority--- tough Minister certainly needed a tough Auror leader, once known for his iron fist, and Barty Sr., who had lost his reputation due to his son's scandal, re-entered the eyes of the wizarding order, and Minister Rufus Scrimgeour quickly reactivated the tough former Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

By this time, little Crow had returned to the Dark Lord according to Andrew's plan. In this case, both parties hoped that Crouch Jr. would further penetrate the Ministry of Magic, and Crouch Jr. soon entered the Ministry of Magic through Transfiguration and took an important but inconspicuous position in the Auror office.

To be honest, Harry had no interest in why Crouch Jr. came. But the problem is that as soon as he heard the name of Crouch Jr., the worm tail, who was originally crowded in the crowd, looked frightened and abruptly retreated. Someone was stepped on, and he didn't apologize, and hurriedly turned around, looking in the direction instead of going back to the living room. There's a Death Eater, what's the worm tail running?

Of course, Harry didn't know, the Dark Lord had realized that the Ministry of Magic could not fall now--- and the Ministry of Magic was like a leaky house, and before the collapse of this house, the Death Eaters, the Order of the Phoenix, or other family wizarding forces could still pretend to be wizards Britain and the government, in this case, the Ministry of Magic became the first target.

Once the Death Eaters replaced the Ministry of Magic and became the head of Wizarding Britain, they would also have to face the Wizarding Army, the Tang Order, and various internal opponents. With Voldemort's current power, none of the forces he can handle in a moment and a half.

So the Dark Lord's strategy has quietly changed - from the previous tough overthrow, to the current way to manipulate the puppet Ministry of Magic. Barty Crouch Jr. is one of the important pawns--- the other being Pierce Hinkenis, who is now the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic.

Harry didn't know that Barty Jr. was an Auror now, but Wormtail knew--- as a mouse, being well-informed was probably the biggest advantage - he was afraid that Barty Jr. would target him, and although he couldn't say why, Wormtail still felt that the situation was not good.

Harry didn't have time to bother with his doubts, and quickly followed. The worm's tail walked faster and faster, as if it knew that someone was chasing after it. Harry had barely followed a few steps when he realized they had to do it—there was a bend at the end of the hallway, and the short man had a tendency to deform with his neck hunched—but there was a large crowd of Death Eaters behind him.

Har pulled out the cloak as fast as he could, and shrugged himself underneath his head. He didn't know where Ron and Hermione were, but he wished they were nearby and took a last-minute chance-

Three blue and white rays of varying thicknesses hit the worm's tail almost simultaneously. He twitched violently, and before he could make a sound, he fell face down.

Harry rushed around the corner in three steps and two steps, trying to hide them both in the cloak before the Wormtails hit the ground. He did catch the other man, but suddenly there was extreme silence behind him.

This does not bode well.

Harry slowly let go of his hand and turned his head. The hallway was packed, and everyone was staring in his direction, but there was no sound. For the first two, little Crouch pointed his wand at Wormtail, while Mr. Malfoy's snakehead wand was pointed at him.

"Cloak of Invisibility...... I happen to know who is particularly fond of this. Mr. Malfoy snorted, half sneering, "Come out, Potter, I know it's you." ”

Harry looked down and saw that in his haste, the worm's tail and one foot were exposed, and his heart sank. He didn't know how much they had seen, but if he could delay a little, maybe Hermione would have been able to contact the Order of the Phoenix......

He took off his cloak of invisibility and threw it down the side hallway, where the other two rays of light had just come from, before straightening up and lifting the illusion spell on himself.

The moment they saw the two of them, the Death Eaters let out a slight gasp.

Mr. Malfoy raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "New, Potter, a person?" his gaze swept around the corner and back to Harry, "what about the other two?" though I'd love to have you tell me you didn't bring scum and mudbloods into my house. ”

"Don't talk about Ron and Hermione like that!" Harry retorted angrily.

Mr. Malfoy raised his eyebrows again, as if amused. But before he could taunt Harry again, little Crouch's eyes flashed with a strange light, and he spoke, "What are you doing in someone else's house, Mr. Potter?"

The voice...... Harry's gaze shifted to Crouch Jr.'s face. After the panic of being found out, he became acutely aware that something seemed to be wrong.

He looked at the unconscious man at his feet, and then at the Death Eater behind Crouch Jr., who didn't dare to move, and decided to make sure first. "Who are you?"

There was another low uproar in the crowd, "I'm the assistant to the Auror Office," he replied indifferently, "It doesn't matter who I am, what matters is, why did the famous Harry Potter trespass into the house?"

There was really no one to speak at this time, even Mr. Malfoy's face turned pale, and the wand in his hand drooped slightly--- there were Aurors in the Death Eater party, and he was also the assistant to the Auror director, which really made people laugh.

It's a pity that none of the Death Eaters laughed, now the Dark Lord's plan, the Death Eaters are very clear, Barty Jr.'s identity and mission, some high-level Death Eaters are even clearer--- even Lucius Malfoy has to applaud the Dark Lord's plan, he is very curious, how did the Dark Lord become so wise all of a sudden--- so even if Barty Jr. calls himself an Auror, the Death Eaters are just silent and have no reaction.

Harry recalled a recent meeting with Andrew—was there something wrong with it?—— Harry couldn't help but stare at little Crouch again. The handsome man was expressionless, like these people around him were not Death Eaters, but a group of kind and simple native wizards in the Northern Irish countryside--- what was going on, Harry couldn't understand, but he knew that it was a good thing, which meant that he would not be tormented to the point of madness by a group of Death Eaters......

Harry understood what he had to do. "I'm tracking a Death Eater," he said, meeting Crouch Jr.'s gaze without dodging, "and he leaked my parents' location to Voldemort, causing their deaths." ”

There was another muffled whisper, but Harry suspected it was just the fear and anger of the Death Eaters at him calling Voldemort by his name.

Little Crouch's cheek muscles twitched imperceptibly. "You caught Sirius Black?"

Harry shook his head. "I caught Peter Pedro. He bent over the Wormtail, revealing his face with his eyelids closed, "He was the one who killed an entire street of Muggles and blamed Blake." He was also a real confidential person for my parents. ”

Hearing this, little Crouch stepped forward. Reluctantly, Harry gave in half a step for the other to check. The moment the man crouched down, there seemed to be a glint in his eyes, but it was completely illogical, and Harry thought he must have been too nervous to hallucinate.

"No disguise," Crouch Jr. announced in a deep voice in less than half a minute, "Peter Pedru indeed." He got up and walked back, just as he happened to stop between Harry and Mr. Malfoy. "He should have died a long time ago, and the dead will not be resurrected. ”

The entire corridor was silent for a moment, and a pin drop could be heard.

"That's fun. Crouch Jr. said, but his tone was cold and uninteresting, "I heard earlier that Sirius Black is the Potters' secret keeper. When tragedy strikes, Peter Pedru seeks revenge on him, but Blake blows him up along with the Muggles on the street. About a year ago, there was a riot in Azkaban, and Blake's whereabouts were unknown, and now, "he snorted in the direction of Wormtail," Pedru lived. ”

No one interjected, not even Mr. Malfoy looked a little surprised.

"I think it's necessary for me to hear your version, Mr. Potter. Crouch Jr. summed it up.

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't sure what Crouch Jr. wanted to do, and he didn't believe the other Death Eaters knew either. "Just like I said," he pondered, "Pedru has leaked a secret, and Blake wants to seek revenge on him." But Pedru was too cunning – he shouted so loudly that he knew the whole street, and used the explosion as a cover to take advantage of the opportunity to slip away from the sewers as a rat...... He's an illegitimate Animagus. ”

Little Crouch stared at Harry for a moment, still expressionless. "That sounds reasonable," he said, "I guess you just used the Anti-Animagus Charm on him?"

Harry nodded, carefully hiding his sweaty palms - Wormtail wouldn't have fainted if it were just him, but one of Ron and Hermione had used the same spell as him, and if the power of the spell was questioned, how would he explain it?

But Crouch Jr. turned to Mr. Malfoy. "Can you explain why this person lying on the ground was found in your house?"

Mr. Malfoy stammered for a moment, apparently completely unaware of this development. But he quickly calmed down and put away his wand at the same time. "I had absolutely no idea. He vehemently denied, "As much as I hate rats, I really can't guarantee that I will be able to watch every mouse." ”

Crouch Jr. nodded, and then turned back to look at Harry. "How do you know Pedru is an illegal Animagus?"

"He used to be a friend of my dad," Harry said, thinking of not being able to admit that he was connected to Sirius until Pettigrew confessed, "and it was told to me by another friend of my dad's. ”

Crouch Jr. nodded again. "How did you know Pedru was here?"

Harry subconsciously raised his eyes and searched the crowd for Draco Malfoy. He did catch a glimpse of that pale, pointy face just now, but now it was gone. He went to look at Mr. Malfoy again, only to find him looking at him with his thin lips pursed.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry came back to his senses. "My friend has a cat," he says, "and it's smart enough to tell if certain mice aren't real rats, and to follow the subtle trails they leave behind." ”

Crouch Jr. pushed his glasses, seemingly skeptical of the answer. "You're coming with a cat?"

Harry nodded, not looking at Mr. Malfoy again.

"Well, since you say so...... little Crouch stared at Harry, his eyes full of scrutiny for the first time, "Pedru must be brought back to the Ministry of Magic for further investigation. ”

Hearing this decision, the otherwise quiet crowd let out a subtle voice of disapproval.

Crouch Jr. looked back. "Why? does it happen that any of you know this Peter Pedru and want to defend him?" he asked softly, with an unseemly interest.

He was answered by a dead silence. Crouch Jr. waited a full minute before continuing his previous words: "Go back to where you belong, Mr. Potter." Others can also go. As for Mr. Malfoy, the Aurors will come to investigate in the manor in a moment, and I hope you will cooperate. ”

"My pleasure. Mr. Malfoy nodded immediately, his cheeks bloodless.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Malfoy. Crouch Jr. nodded back. The hallway quickly emptied, as if the men were eager to get out of here, but he noticed that Harry hadn't moved. "Do you have any questions, Mr. Potter?"

"I want to know, who will take him. Harry said without flinching, gesturing at Wormtail, "He's too good at running away, I'm not at ease." ”

This was supposed to be a great affront to the Aurors' office chief's abilities, but little Crouch smiled for the first time he walked through the door. He pulled a box-shaped object from the pocket of his robe and quickly fiddled with it.

But in the blink of an eye, four men appeared apparitions from the air. They were all Aurors, including Kingsley Shackle. Seeing Harry, Kingsley looked surprised, but fortunately, his colleagues reacted similarly-

"Harry Potter!"

"Peter Pettigrew!"

Two of them screamed, but Crouch Jr. did not stop. "I know them all, it's good, I don't have to explain. He pointed at Kingsley, and then at the big man next to Kingsley, "You two, take Pedru to the ministry and dispose of it according to the rules." The other two, go and help Mr. Malfoy to see that his manor protection might be a bit leaky. ”

Mr. Malfoy's already indescribable face became even more indescribable. But he said, "I'll show you the way, gentlemen." As he left, he glanced at Harry with a complicated expression.

Soon there were only two people left in the hallway, Harry and Crouch Jr. Harry thought that Crouch Jr. might warn him alone, but after the other party gave him a smiling face, he simply left neatly.

This made Harry stunned. What the hell is Crouch doing today?, he hesitated for a moment, and finally planned to go back and discuss it with his friends - the Cloak of Invisibility was no longer in the hallway, it must have been taken with Ron and Hermione when they left. He hurried out of the mansion and found that it was snowing outside. As he stepped over that thin layer of white, he couldn't help but think - he had succeeded.

At the same time, little Crouch was speeding through the empty halls of the Ministry of Magic. The sound of the dragonskin's hard boots colliding with the black ground echoed through the tall space, and he turned a deaf ear—

"Wormtail knows your face, Barty. ”

"The Minister is just a fool, and the Director is one of our people at the moment, and they all happen to trust me very much, master. ”

"Of course, the form is already good, but you can't be careless, Barty, remember, you can't be careless at any time. I don't want to see a rift in that trust...... Whatever the process, Wormtail will be brought to the judgment seat, and he will try to confess everything he knows about us in order to alleviate his punishment. What if he testifies against you in public, Barty?"

"Master, what do you mean ......"

"First strike!"

Recalling a late night before, little Crouch had that inexplicable look on his face again.