"Blake, that's a rarity. A familiar man's voice said, "As far as I know, you've never cared about your business. ”

"Lucius, this is my shop, and I think it's my freedom to come when I want. Don't think of yourself too badly. Sirius unceremoniously fired back.

The arrival of Harry and Ron interrupted the conversation between the two.

"Oh, it's the famous Potter, no wonder your unprofessional godfather came to his shop, and I thought he had changed his mind. Lucius' grey eyes skimmed over Ron and stared at Harry Potter.

"Harry, come over with your friends, I can't guarantee that this Death Eater won't do anything to you—Lucius can explain afterwards that he's been under the Imperius Curse. Sirius called Harry and Ron to his side, squinting at Lucius.

"Hmph, I personally think you'd be better off going back to Azkaban, stinky and hard Black. Lucius shook the silver cane in his hand and said with some displeasure.

"Yes, I think it's more suitable for my dear cousin Bella, and you should have been there, didn't you, Lucius. Voldemort may not forgive you, the servant who turned his back on him. ”

Lucius clenched his cane, gritted his teeth, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Blake, I'm too busy to make small talk to you. With that, he left the store in a hurry.

"Hmph, damn Lucius. The little wolf cursed, and then gave Harry a warm hug, "Hello, Harry. I'm sorry I didn't have the opportunity to meet you again. Even though I've been exonerated from my crimes, some people from the Ministry of Magic and Lucius and others have been staring at me. Trying to label me a Death Eater and imprison me in Azkaban, this time at the Dark Mark in Hogsmeade, though I don't know whose handiwork. But it cleared my suspicion - I was in the Auror office for a routine report. ”

"Sirius, I have something to tell you. Harry was anxious to share the news with his godfather.

"Wait, don't worry, Harry, I know what you're trying to say. Sirius stopped Harry, handing him a copy of the Daily Prophet, "Look at this, Harry. ”

There were two copies of the newspaper, one with the headline Barty Crouch is ill, and the other with the headline: The Ministry of Magic Witch has been made into a corpse - the Ministry of Magic has refused to respond.

Harry skimmed through the article on Crouch. He was reminded of a few words that he hadn't seen since November...... The home appears to be unoccupied...... St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries declined to comment...... The Ministry of Magic refused to confirm rumors that he was terminally ill......

"Listen to their tone. It was as if he was dying. Harry said slowly, "No wonder he can't come to Hogwarts as a referee. ”

"My brother was Crouch's personal assistant," Ron told Sirius, "and he said that Crouch was sick from work because he was too tired from work. ”

"But I tell you, the last time I looked at him closely, I did look like he was sick," Harry said slowly, still reading the report. "It's the night my name spewed out of the Goblet of Fire......"

Sirius shook his head and said, "I know Crouch's nature better than you do, Harry. Barty Crouch is not someone who will miss work because of illness."

He stroked his cheek with his hand, thinking about something.

"How. Do you know Crouch?" said Harry.

Sirius' expression darkened. He suddenly became quite intimidating, just like the night Harry had first met him, when Harry had believed Sirius to be a murderer.

"Oh. Of course I know Crouch," he whispered. "He ordered me to be sent to Azkaban - and the side trial was spared. ”

"What?" said Harry and Ron at the same time.

"You're kidding!" said Harry.

"No, not a joke. Sirius said. "Crouch used to be the head of the Department of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, don't you know?"

Harry and Ron shook their heads.

"Some predict that he might be elected as the next Minister of Magic," Sirius said, "and he's a great wizard, Barty Crouch, a great magician—and a strong lust for power." Oh, and swear to Voldemort at the same time. ”

Harry tried to retort, but Sirius shook his head and said, "No, Harry, Crouch sent me to Azkaban, but he really wasn't a Death Eater. ”

"I don't understand. Harry said.

A smile flashed across Sirius's face. "Well, I'll explain that a little bit. ”

He walked to the door and closed the door, hung up the closed sign, and turned back to Harry and Ron.

"Now imagine that when Voldemort was powerful, you didn't know who was his supporter and who wasn't, who was serving him and who wasn't. You know he can keep people in control and make them involuntarily do horrible things. You are scared of yourself, your family, and your friends. Every week there is bad news, another death, another missing, and another being tortured...... The Ministry of Magic was in chaos, they didn't know what to do, they had to hide it from the Muggles in every possible way, and at the same time, the Muggles were dying. There was a horror everywhere...... Nervous...... Confusion...... That's how it was then. ”

"Alas, times like this always make the good people show their best qualities, and the bad ones expose their worst essences. At first, Crouch's principle was probably good - I don't know. He quickly rose through the ranks in the ministry and began to take some very tough measures against Voldemort's supporters. The Aurors gained some new powers—for example, they had the right to kill, not just capture. I'm not the only one who has been sent directly to the Dementors without trial. Crouch responds to violence with violence, and he allows unforgivable spells to be applied to suspects. It seemed to me that he had become as ruthless and ruthless as many people in the Dark Arts. You know, he also has his own supporters - many people think he's right to do this, and many wizards have spoken out for him to be Minister of Magic. After Voldemort's disappearance, it seemed only a matter of time before Crouch took the lead. But at this moment, a very unfortunate thing happened......"

Sirius smiled grimly and gloatingly, "Crouch's own son has been captured, and he is with a group of Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban with their rhetoric. Apparently they were looking for Voldemort to make a comeback. ”

"Crouch's son was caught?" Ron asked in surprise.

"yes," Sirius said, "as you can imagine, it was quite a blow to that old fellow Barty. He should have spent more time with his family, shouldn't he have left work early every now and then...... Learn more about your son. ”

"Is his son a Death Eater?" said Harry.

"I don't know. Sirius said, "I was there myself when he was imprisoned in Azkaban. I only found out about these things after I came out. When the boy was arrested, the people who were with him were Death Eaters, and I bet my life on that. ”

"Did Crouch excuse his son?" asked Harry.

Sirius laughed.

"Crouch exonerates his son? Harry, you don't understand. Anything that threatens his reputation will be set aside. He had dedicated his entire life to the cause of becoming Minister of Magic. Crouch's fatherly love was at best in putting his son on trial - after all, I was imprisoned in Azkaban without even a chance to be tried."

"He gave his son to the Dementors?" Harry asked softly.

"Exactly," Sirius said, now with no amusement on his face, "I saw the Dementors bring him in, and I watched them through the bars of the cell door. He would be nineteen years old at most. They threw him into a cell next to me. In the evening, he screamed for his mother. But after a few days, he was silent...... They all ended up silent...... Only occasionally screams in their sleep......"

"So, he's still in Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"He's gone," Sirius said blandly, "he's no longer there." A year after they brought him in, he died. ”

"He's dead?"

"He wasn't the only one who died," Sirius said bitterly, "and there most of the people went mad, and many ended up on a hunger strike." They have lost the desire to live. It is possible to know when a person is dead, because the Dementors can feel it, and they are excited every time it comes. The boy was sick when he came. Crouch was an important official in the Ministry of Magic, and he and his wife were allowed to visit their dying son. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, who walked past my cell, half-armed, half-by his wife. It seems that his wife died soon after, and the grief was excessive. Emaciated and died like the boy. Crouch did not come to collect his son's body. The Dementors buried him outside the fortress. ”

The Dark Lord vanished, the fears dissipated, and people became more concerned about why Crouch Jr. was associated with the Death Eaters - and finally the public tended to think that Barty Crouch was too obsessed with his work to care about his son, and Crouch's political career was ruined - and he was no longer Minister of Magic. (To be continued......)