Barty Jr. had actually known the moment he saw Tver return with the students unharmed that tonight had not gone as smoothly as planned.
Given the Dark Lord's brutality, there was no way he would have let those students walk away untouched.
And in the end, the Dark Lord had left only a single wound on Potter's face.
The moment he realized something was wrong, and after confirming that the Dark Lord really had been revived, Barty Jr. immediately thought of slipping away in the confusion.
He had just never expected that not only would he fail to get out, he would also get stabbed right in the heart by Tver's words.
"No matter what, the Dark Lord has already returned successfully!" Barty Jr. said with a twisted grin.
"With his power, it won't be long before he gathers Death Eaters willing to obey his every command and rules the wizarding world once again!"
"Impossible!"
Fudge suddenly roared.
"It's all an illusion! None of this could possibly have happened. How could a dead man come back to life? I've never heard of such a thing!"
"That's right, it must be Barty Crouch. It has to be him. He wants to spread panic through the wizarding world and destroy the peace I worked so hard to build, so he can replace me in the chaos!"
"Fudge!" Dumbledore came back to himself, his calm expression standing in stark contrast to Fudge's frenzy.
"If Voldemort did not die, then all he did was obtain a body after existing as a wandering remnant. Nothing more."
"He is not worth this level of fear from you, nor should your hunger for power lead you into making such a mistake."
"Fear?!" Fudge gave a mocking snort, though it only made his face look more twisted.
"I am not afraid. I simply do not want people with ulterior motives to shatter the peace of the wizarding world!"
"The only one shattering the peace is Voldemort."
"There is no Voldemort!" he shouted, then only a moment later realized it was the first time he had said the name out loud.
"...I mean, You-Know-Who!" He swallowed nervously.
"All right, Bagman, inform Dawlish and have him bring the Aurors over. And the Dementors too, of course!"
Bagman, who had been watching the scene all along, hesitated when he heard his name. He glanced at Dumbledore, and only after seeing no sign that he meant to stop him did he quietly turn to leave.
He had not expected that little gesture to stab at Fudge's pride and wear away the last trace of respect, or perhaps fear, that he still held for Dumbledore.
"Barty Crouch Jr., acting under his father's orders, worked from both inside and out to send these children out of Hogwarts, then filled their heads with thoughts they should never have had, all in an attempt to throw the wizarding world into chaos!"
He stared straight at Dumbledore as he recited the speech in a show of defiance, like he was reading from a prepared script.
But Fleur, who had seen Voldemort's resurrection with her own eyes, could not take it anymore.
"We really did see that Dark wizard come back to life. If Professor Fawley had not gone to save us, there is no way we would have returned unharmed. How do you explain that?"
"I already told you," Fudge snapped, spinning around to look at her, and at Viktor and the other two who clearly wanted to back her up, with a cold stare. "It was an illusion!"
"Barty Jr. under Veritaserum could not have lied." A calm voice spoke up at that moment.
Harry turned in delight, only to find that the one speaking up for them was actually Snape.
Fudge pulled out a smug smile.
"Veritaserum prevents lies, yes, but what it brings out is only what the person fully believes to be true. As for the real truth, Crouch has obviously hidden it away, hasn't he?"
With that perfectly self-serving logic, Snape fixed Fudge with a cold stare, but had no immediate answer.
In truth, this was exactly why the Ministry did not dare rely on Veritaserum when interrogating suspects.
In the wizarding world, after all, altering someone's memory was far too easy.
If Aurors depended too heavily on Veritaserum, it would only make them easy prey for Dark wizards using false trails, or worse, traps.
Seeing Snape fall silent, and Dumbledore grow quiet as well, Fudge's smile turned more and more arrogant.
"It seems no one has any objections. In that case, let these children go back at once. If I remember correctly, Dumbledore said curfew had already started, did he not?"
"Hagrid, take Harry and Cedric to the hospital wing and have Madam Pomfrey examine them."
"And Karkaroff, Madam Maxime, you may take Viktor and Fleur there as well."
In a rare move, Dumbledore went along with Fudge's suggestion. It was only two simple sentences, but in Fudge's eyes, it was nothing less than Dumbledore giving in to him.
"Um, Albus, I assume you have not forgotten our agreement, the one about..." Karkaroff suddenly said, sounding awkwardly hesitant.
As for what Fudge thought...
Please. If the Ministry of Magic had ever been truly useful, Dumbledore would never have had to stand up against the Dark Lord himself last time.
"...Do not worry. That agreement still stands," Dumbledore replied, sounding rather speechless.
That immediately put Karkaroff at ease, and he happily dragged away Viktor, who still clearly wanted to stay and watch the drama unfold.
Once they had all left, the center of the maze was left with only Fudge, Dumbledore, Snape, Tver, and Barty Jr., who was still tightly bound on the ground.
Of course, the trophy still sat alone on the raised platform, waiting for whichever Champion might go over and guard it.
The silence did not last long. Bagman returned with impressive speed, bringing Dawlish back with him.
But he had brought back only Dawlish.
Under Fudge's slightly displeased stare, Bagman himself looked just as confused.
"Er, I had only just reached the school gates when I saw Dawlish on his way here."
"Never mind. Dawlish is here now, and that is perfect!" Fudge's confidence immediately swelled again, and he pointed imperiously at Dumbledore.
"Arrest him and take him back for processing."
Even Marvolio was stunned by Fudge's arrogance.
Forget him. Even if he and Tver were added together, neither of them would be stupid enough to try arresting Dumbledore this openly.
"Ahem. I mean Barty Jr., behind Dumbledore!"
Fudge had originally wanted to intimidate Dumbledore, but to his surprise, everyone present, including Dawlish and Bagman, was looking at him like he was a fool.
"Send him straight back to Azkaban and let the Dementors give him a proper welcome!" In an effort to salvage some dignity, he raised his brows provocatively at Dumbledore.
What he had not expected was for the man he trusted most, Dawlish, to embarrass him instead.
"My apologies, Minister. The new Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Madam Cynthia, has ordered me to bring Barty Jr. back to the Ministry. According to her, Barty Jr. is involved in a classified Ministry operation," Marvolio said firmly, though without losing his politeness.
"Cynthia?" Fudge froze for a moment, then quickly turned to look at Tver, only to find a smile on his face dripping with mockery.
It infuriated him even more than the sneer on Snape's face beside him.
He glared furiously at Marvolio.
"I am the Minister of Magic. You answer to me alone!"
"Sorry." The smile vanished from Marvolio's face.
"I am an Auror of the Ministry of Magic, not your household house-elf..."
"Ahem."
"All right, not your household servant either. I follow Ministry regulations, nothing else."
At once, Fudge realized something was wrong. His shocked gaze darted back and forth between Marvolio and Tver.
"So you two have been working together all along!"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, yet Marvolio showed no sign of denying it.
Only then did Fudge fully realize how isolated and helpless he was here. It also made him think bitterly of his young assistant Percy, who had gone back to the castle earlier to accompany his mother.
At that thought, he glared around at all of them, flicked his sleeve, and strode off.
The next time he came back, he was going to make every one of them pay.