Chapter 622: Old Barty Crouch
"Calm down, calm down, my dear Sybill, I swear I never meant to trick you. Merlin knows, I'm a victim here too!"
Bagman wiped sweat from his forehead, his voice slick. "I was tricked too! They gave me Leprechaun gold to bet with, but what I paid out was real money, and I ended up losing a fortune!"
He patted his hip, indicating his money pouch was empty, not a single Galleon left.
"Liar!"
Trelawney's lips trembled. "Then why—why was all the gold you gave me Leprechaun magic gold? Not a single real Galleon! You must have done it on purpose! The Goddess of Fate tells me you're lying!"
"This is slander!"
Bagman's round face turned crimson. He said indignantly, "As a high-ranking Ministry of Magic official, the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, would I really covet your paltry sum of money? You need to take responsibility for what you say! Otherwise, I'll…"
"Enough!" a cold, sharp voice suddenly cut in.
Trelawney, who had been trembling in fear due to Bagman's aggressive attitude, sniffled. She clutched her long shawl tightly and turned to look.
Old Barty Crouch strode out of the shadows, cold fury burning in his eyes.
"Otherwise, what, Ludo Bagman?!"
Bagman's ruddy complexion instantly turned pale. He subconsciously took a step back and said, "You don't understand the situation, Barty… This, our situation is complicated…"
"I don't see anything complicated!"
Old Barty said with a look of disgust. He took a step forward, closing in on Bagman, and questioned him coldly:
"Look at me, Ludo! Did Professor Trelawney personally hand her Galleons to you?"
Bagman's Adam's apple bobbed. He stammered, "Well… yes, that's true, but…"
"Silence! Don't try to argue! As the head of the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Games and Sports, organizing gambling at a world-class competition that you helped plan and personally presided over is an extremely egregious and shameless illegal act! You must face suspension and investigation!"
Barty Crouch's sharp gaze swept over Bagman's ashen face, and he said without mercy:
"Before that, you must return Professor Trelawney's full original stake within twenty-four hours! That might lessen your culpability a little!"
Bagman's pupils contracted violently. He shrieked, "You can't do this! Barty, for Merlin's sake, we've worked together for so many years, do you have to completely ruin me?"
"Now," old Barty said expressionlessly, "you have 23 hours and 59 minutes to get the money ready!"
"I just said I'm completely broke too!" Bagman shouted, stamping his foot. "My money pouch is lighter than your handkerchief right now, how am I supposed to pay her back?"
"No money? How can you have no money?" Trelawney shrieked from behind old Barty. "You swindled so many Galleons just from me!"
"I don't care if what you're saying is true or false, but you have 23 hours and 58 minutes left."
Old Barty said, "When the time is up, your illegal activity will become a report on the Minister's desk!"
Bagman stomped his foot hard, flung his arm, and strode away.
Trelawney let out a sigh of relief, slumping onto a nearby bench as if deflated. Her glasses fogged up, and she nervously rubbed her necklace, asking worriedly:
"Will he… will he really pay me back? To be honest, I've tried to find him several times, and each time he found a way to put me off…"
Old Barty Crouch turned to look at her and said, "Don't worry, I will personally supervise him."
Seeing his stern expression, Trelawney flinched a little, but then, perhaps driven by greed, she boldly grabbed old Barty's sleeve and said tremblingly:
"Actually… I correctly bet on all the results of the competition, and the odds were the highest… I should have won… won thirty-five thousand Galleons…"
Old Barty removed her hand from his arm and said faintly, "Gambling is illegal, madam. As a professor—"
His gaze swept over the nearby bushes and stone statues, and he said meaningfully, "You especially shouldn't let students see you indulging in gambling and trying to get something for nothing."
Trelawney's face instantly turned as pale as Bagman's had been earlier.
Old Barty nodded to her, then also turned and strode away.
Trelawney clutched her shawl, feeling herself shivering from cold. She didn't even have the courage to check if there were students hiding nearby. She looked up at the night sky, adopting a dazed expression, and mumbled:
"The gifts bestowed by fate upon the Seer have been intercepted by a despicable thief… Ah, I understand!"
She spread her arms, her eyes hazy as she said:
"Oh, all-knowing God, is this a test you've given me? To warn me not to use these eyes that peer into fate to covet worldly desires…"
As she continued, her words suddenly turned into sobs, as if someone was choking her.
She sniffled, muttering, "I understand… I must go and listen to the revelations of the stars…"
Then, Trelawney hurried towards the North Tower.
After a while longer, Wade emerged from behind a pillar.
It wasn't that he intentionally wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation. It was just that after hearing the beginning, Wade remembered the prophecy he had used to fool Professor Trelawney last semester, and he understood how all of this was happening, which was why he wanted to hear the rest.
In the original story, Bagman had cheated Fred and George out of their money and, it seemed, never fully repaid them. Unexpectedly, this time, it was old Barty Crouch who stepped in to resolve the matter.
Even though he was no longer the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, seeing his decisive, strict, and impartial handling of this matter made it easy to imagine the demeanor he must have had when he was in charge of the Department of Law Enforcement back then.
That was why people once trusted and revered him, but when a blemish appeared on his reputation, they unanimously condemned him.
Wade was deep in thought when he suddenly heard a rustling sound near the bushes.
Two students scrambled out, their ties askew and scarves clutched in their hands. Unaware of Wade's presence, they fled down the flower-lined path, their faces flushed.
Wade: "..."
His gaze slowly drifted over the makeshift bushes, rose gardens, fountains, and giant statues in the courtyard. He suddenly realized that this seemingly quiet and deserted place might actually be hiding quite a few couples on secret dates.
He shook his head, not wanting to stumble upon any more intimate scenes, and turned to walk towards the castle.
There were still a few hours until bedtime, and with the Time-Turner, he could add another seven or eight hours. He might as well go back to the Room of Requirement and study Alchemy for a while longer.
He ascended the stairs slowly. By the time he reached the second floor, the sounds from below were almost completely inaudible. The corridor was exceptionally quiet, amplifying even his footsteps several times over. The echoes sounded as if someone were following him.
Wade lightly flicked his Wand, casting a Levitation Charm on his boots. Immediately, an invisible buoyancy seemed to lift his feet, carrying him through the corridor and floating him upstairs.
At first glance, it looked as if Hogwarts had gained another young ghost.
Wade reached the eighth floor of the castle and was about to cancel the Levitation Charm when he suddenly heard a shuffling sound.
He instinctively held his breath and peeked from behind the wall, only to see a suspicious figure lingering in front of a tapestry.
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