"Which one of you cast the spell?"
Barty Crouch, Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, pointed his wand nervously at Harry Potter and Molly Weasley.
"Don't lie. You were found at the scene of the crime."
His hand trembled violently. Just moments ago, he had sensed the spell he had cast on his son being dispelled.
His harsh tone and stern expression were merely the result of overwhelming fear. He desperately hoped that the Dark Mark had been cast by someone—anyone—other than his son, Barty Crouch Jr.
If his son was caught, the secret of his illegal rescue from Azkaban would also be exposed.
"Are you insane? This is Harry Potter! If there's anyone here who couldn't have done it, it's Harry!"
Sirius Black batted Barty Crouch's wand aside. If Harry hadn't been holding him back, he would have thrown a punch straight at the high-ranking Ministry official's noble face.
"I just saw someone run off in that direction."
While restraining his godfather, Harry pointed toward the direction Barty Crouch Jr. had fled.
The atmosphere was extremely tense. Who would ever believe that Harry Potter was a Death Eater?
Still, Harry pointing out a direction gave everyone an excuse to back down.
Without bothering to explain further, Barty Crouch turned and led the Aurors in that direction to investigate.
"Godfather! That was Voldemort's mark. So those masked people who appeared tonight were Death Eaters?"
Harry was filled with questions. Everything had happened so quickly, and there was also a strange sense of familiarity. That Dark Mark in the night sky felt oddly familiar—almost comforting.
"Those people were followers or worshippers of the Dark Lord. They might very well be Death Eaters."
Sirius Black knew that even though Voldemort was dead, there were still people who longed for his return—or even plotted to resurrect him.
"Godfather, when those people were destroying the campsite, it seemed like no one tried to stop them."
Harry suddenly realized something: as the Death Eaters advanced and turned tents into bonfires, everyone had simply fled. Not one person had drawn their wand to resist. The scene was chilling.
"You're asking about the Aurors, aren't you? Before the chaos at the camp began, they were handling another case. The mascots of both teams in tonight's match had disappeared—definitely stolen."
Arthur Weasley had formed a bold theory about everything that had happened that night.
"What? The mascots were stolen? And there were so many of them too!"
Harry was visibly shocked. He now understood why the Aurors hadn't responded in time. Though he hadn't meant to blame them earlier, they had been chasing down over a hundred missing mascots.
"Isn't it obvious? First, they stole the mascots from both teams, which nearly led to a fight after the match. The Aurors were then called to maintain order and investigate the theft. After that, the culprits hid among the revelers and began stirring up chaos. By the time the confusion fully erupted, no one thought to contact the Aurors—they only wanted to run."
Sirius Black speculated freely, but by this point, his theory wasn't far from the truth.
"So they orchestrated both incidents: distracting the Aurors with a theft, then creating chaos here and releasing the Dark Mark."
Arthur Weasley, though from a smaller department, held the same rank as Barty Crouch and his words carried considerable weight.
Meanwhile, Barty Crouch Jr. had already escaped the scene under an invisibility cloak, leaving behind only the house-elf Winky, whose memory had been heavily modified.
When Barty Crouch found Winky, his face twisted in horror. If his son had disappeared, perhaps the incident could still be covered up—but seeing Winky holding the wand, he knew without a doubt the Dark Mark had been cast by Barty Crouch Jr.
"Prior Incantato!"
An Auror carefully picked up the wand and cast the Prior Incantato spell. This charm reveals the most recent spells cast by a wand, like a clearly ordered list—unless someone has deliberately tampered with it using a Confundus Charm.
"This is it. This wand cast the Dark Mark just moments ago!"
The Auror, feeling he had just made a major breakthrough, couldn't help but shout the revelation aloud.
There were no clues uncovered in tonight's mascot theft case. Now that a lead has been found regarding the riot, it was extremely important for the Auror Department. This could prove that the Aurors weren't incompetent—otherwise, who knows what The Daily Prophet might write about them?
Barty Crouch felt dizzy. His son was the one who caused the trouble, but now the father had to take the blame.
"Director Crouch, this appears to be your house-elf. However, it seems someone has used a memory charm on it."
Another Auror carefully examined Shining and looked at Barty Crouch with some suspicion.
At this moment, the high-ranking Ministry official—Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation—had become a suspect in the Aurors' eyes.
"Clearly the other side is using multiple tactics. It looks like yet another lead has been cut off."
Arthur Weasley arrived at the scene and heard the Aurors' findings. He genuinely sympathized with Barty Crouch.
"Barty! I believe this has nothing to do with you. You've been with us investigating the theft case all along—you wouldn't have had time to do any of this. This is definitely a setup."
Arthur Weasley patted Crouch on the shoulder, showing no intention of taking revenge on his colleague even though his own wife had just been attacked.
"I'll fully cooperate with the investigation. As for Shining, you're free to handle her however you see fit. Let's return to the Ministry together."
Barty Crouch handed over his wand to the nearby Auror. His attitude earned him the sympathy of everyone present.
As a senior official, having his own house-elf manipulated and dragged into an incident involving the Dark Mark could very well mean the end of his political career.
"My apologies. I'll be Apparating you."
An Auror who was skilled in Apparition stepped forward, holding Barty Crouch's hand with a hint of apology.
Shining, lying on the ground, would naturally be taken away by someone else, while Crouch's wand was collected by another Auror. All the related evidence was split among them. Three Aurors departed immediately. Once they returned to the Ministry, a new group of Aurors would be dispatched to continue the investigation on site.
Regulus Black didn't have time to watch the show. After young Barty Crouch escaped, there was still more work to be done.
"Kreacher!"
Regulus Black called out to his house-elf.
"Master, Kreacher is at your service. The three young ladies are already asleep."
Kreacher was no longer the irritable creature he once was. He now carried himself with quiet deference and maturity.
"Find the phoenix belonging to the New Zealand Kakapo team immediately. They're all wearing tricolor jerseys, so it should be easy to identify."
This was the perfect time—while the Aurors were preoccupied and the recent chaos had effectively diverted their attention.
"Found it, Master. Kreacher will take you there right away."
Kreacher was gone only briefly before returning. Regulus grabbed his hand, and they Disapparated together.
Not far away, the "Portkey Harbor" was the place where the Ministry made Portkeys. The place resembled a junkyard, piled high with discarded items. The Weasleys had previously arranged for Harry Potter to meet them there.
Due to the sheer number of people preparing to leave and the absence of Aurors to maintain order, the area was in utter chaos. The entire New Zealand Kakapo team had been stranded there, while their phoenix, Spark, circled overhead.
"There are so many people here. Looks like I'll have to settle this all at once. Kreacher, if that house-elf named Shining no longer has a home, take her to Crimson Manor. Understood? You may leave now."
After speaking, Regulus Black gestured for Kreacher to leave first, then unleashed his necromancer abilities.
Phantasmal Terror: This curse causes the target to experience hallucinations of horrifying visions, which they perceive as real, prompting them to flee in terror.
The people who had just been fleeing moments ago now scattered in all directions even more frantically.
The enchanted charm Golden Memory: Secret Realm of the Dragon Egg was released, enveloping the phoenix named Spark and capturing it within.
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