Wormtail's death immediately caused a stir within the Ministry of Magic. Word spread rapidly—one person told another, and soon it reached the press.
Rita Skeeter of the Daily Prophet received the news from her informant at the Ministry almost instantly. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she picked up her extravagant, ornate quill, ready to make headlines.
Inside the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Barty Crouch Sr. sat in his private office, reviewing documents.
Suddenly, the door was rudely pushed open.
The intruder stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and cast a Silencing Charm over the room.
"Crouch, how are you any different from those unscrupulous Death Eaters?" Dumbledore's gaze was sharp and piercing.
Crouch calmly set down his papers and looked at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Enough. Don't go any further down this path," Dumbledore said sternly.
Crouch stood up, his expression still composed. "You suspect I poisoned Peter? Do you have any proof?"
"Proof? You know very well," Dumbledore replied.
"Don't even think about using Legilimency on me. You know it won't work," Crouch said.
As a high-ranking Ministry official, Crouch knew far too many secrets. Occlumency was essential for people in his position—and he had mastered it well.
"Peter deserved to die," Crouch continued, unmoved. "But it wasn't your place to execute him. He should have faced trial. By killing him, you've ensured that Black's innocence can never be proven."
Dumbledore stepped closer.
"Did he not deserve death?" Crouch countered coldly. "Ask the Potters. Ask Black. Even if he were put on trial, the worst he'd get is Azkaban. I imagine Black would rather see him dead than imprisoned."
Black would indeed want Wormtail dead—but by his own hand.
As for Crouch's righteous-sounding justification, Dumbledore didn't believe a word of it. Using the dead Potters as an excuse only made it more repulsive.
"He's dead now. Which means your son's escape won't be exposed. Your position remains secure… isn't that the real reason?" Dumbledore said bluntly.
Crouch didn't deny it.
"Yes. I need to keep my position."
He looked directly at Dumbledore.
"Twelve years ago, I was transferred from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to International Magical Cooperation. Same rank—but you know how much real power I lost."
"I worked tirelessly for ten years. I should have been the top candidate to succeed Millicent Bagnold as Minister. But Cornelius Fudge—that hypocritical, despicable man—dug up my son's past."
"I can't afford another mistake. I will run again."
Dumbledore listened in silence before speaking coldly.
"So that position means everything to you. Enough to justify murder."
Crouch didn't argue.
"Yes. I must keep it."
Then he added quietly, "And what about you? Do you want Hogwarts to be shut down?"
He was threatening Dumbledore with the Haierbo incident.
Was Dumbledore someone who could be threatened?
Yes—especially when it involved Hogwarts.
As headmaster, he bore the responsibility of protecting everyone in the school. Faced with that threat, he chose to yield.
Crouch was no longer his friend.
He had become a man consumed by power.
"I will honor our agreement," Dumbledore said, deeply disappointed as he turned and left.
Wormtail, a man who had always followed the wind, should have lived long.
Instead, he became a casualty of ambition.
That night, the evening edition of the Daily Prophet sent shockwaves through the British wizarding world.
The headline, written by Rita Skeeter, read:
"A Miscarriage of Justice? The 'Dead' Man with the Missing Finger Found Dead at the Ministry"
Unlike the regular Daily Prophet, the evening edition was only published for major events, ensuring immediate impact.
As a subscriber, Chris received her copy during dinner via owl.
Most students knew little about the events from twelve years ago—the duel between Black and Wormtail. Rita's article recounted the entire incident, strongly implying that the Ministry had wrongly convicted Black, and that Peter had been silenced to protect their reputation.
Chris wasn't interested in the article.
She carefully opened a letter—it was from her grandfather.
Sean, however, was stunned.
He hadn't expected Wormtail to die so suddenly, and he couldn't figure out why.
That was because he didn't yet understand Crouch well enough. It hadn't even crossed his mind.
Even Dumbledore had only realized today how much his old friend had changed.
The one most affected by Rita's article was Harry.
She had written that the true traitor behind the Potters' deaths was Peter, who had faked his death.
It was speculation—but this time, she was right.
"Harry," Hermione whispered across the table, "this says Sirius Black might be innocent."
"I'm going to be sick," Ron groaned. "Scabbers was actually a fat, ugly middle-aged man."
This detail had been revealed by Dumbledore—after faking his death, Peter had lived as a rat with the Weasley family for eleven years.
Harry stared at the newspaper, deep in thought.
He didn't know whether to believe it.
Percy had warned him earlier—Rita Skeeter was known for exaggeration, and her articles were often questionable.
Still, controversy sold papers.
The evening edition had already doubled its print run.
Dumbledore returned during dinner.
As teachers and students continued eating, he walked into the Great Hall and headed straight for the Slytherin table.
"Chris, come to my office after dinner," he said.
Sean immediately guessed it was about Barty Crouch Jr.
"Professor, did you see Director Crouch today?" he asked.
The question made Dumbledore pause.
After a moment, he said, "Sean, you come as well."
Sean sensed that something had happened at the Ministry—and that it involved Crouch.
After dinner, the two of them went to the headmaster's office, accompanied by Snape.
The first thing Dumbledore asked Chris was:
"Your uncle, Barty Crouch Jr., has escaped from Azkaban. Did you know?"
"I did," Chris replied.
It was exactly what her grandfather had instructed her to say.
In his letter, he had told her not to interfere—and to answer Dumbledore honestly.
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