Homecoming from Hogwarts

Chapter 566 Barrier
Old Batty looked sluggish, looking as if he had just been seriously ill. He seemed to be very afraid of the cold. After looking at Amosta very impatiently, he immediately looked away and stared at the flames in the fireplace. , as if wanting to melt himself into the flames.

"what's wrong?"

Amosta calmly came to the other side of Barty Crouch, and Dumbledore stood beside him on the left and right.

"What happened?"

"nothing!"

Barty's tone was as impatient as his expression. He moved his shoulders and moved closer to the fireplace again.
"I have been to several places these days, first Sweden, then Wales and China. Everything was going well. The fire dragon nature reserves in these places had already selected opponents for the warriors, but when it was the Hungarian Horntail's turn, something happened. What’s wrong? The staff there wanted the big guy to go into the cage to get used to it in advance, but they ignored that now is the time when he least wants people to get close to him!”

Barty showed Amosta the burn marks on his lower forearm very perfunctorily and reluctantly.

"A bunch of people almost died there. I stayed at St. Mungo's for two full days, but the therapist still wouldn't let me out. She kept me in bed for another week. Oh, that's definitely not going to work, Ministry Wetherby, who was sent here, is indeed very enthusiastic about his work. To be honest, he is a bit too enthusiastic, but he is too young, inexperienced, and there is a warrior selection, so I can't keep him for a moment."

Barty's words stopped abruptly, as if he had finished explaining everything.

"You do look like you need some rest, Barty—"

Dumbledore said with concern.

"Oh, yes!"

Unexpectedly, Barty agreed very much with Dumbledore's statement. He stared at the flames.

"If you can, Dumbledore, and Amostar, I would like to take a quiet breath before the banquet starts in the evening. After the warrior selection is over, I have to rush back to the ministry. Phew, there are so many things waiting for me to deal with. ."

Barty panted slightly, and he closed his eyes as if exhausted. His arms rested on the fireplace floor, as if he would fall asleep at any moment.

"Let's give Barty some space, Headmaster Dumbledore--"

Amosta said.

"Thank you so much, Amosta—"

Batty closed his eyes and said in a dry tone,

"I do need some private space, phew. I have to admit, the advice given by the therapist at St. Mungo's has some truth to it. My arm is hurting!"

The walls of this room are covered with portraits, and some figures are looking at the dedicated Barty Crouch with admiration.

"If you need help with anything, Barty--"

Before leaving the room, Dumbledore said to Barty's back,
"You can ask the portraits to report at any time. They can always find me where I am."

There were not many people in the empty auditorium, but there were a lot of young wizards gathered in the foyer. They pointed excitedly at the blue and white flames coming out of the Goblet of Fire, and did not notice Professor Dumbledore who walked quietly out of the front of the auditorium. and Professor Blaine.

The light rain made the sky darken early. Considering that it was not long before the dinner started, Dumbledore and Amosta did not go upstairs. They walked out of the auditorium through the small door on the other side and walked around. Go to a small courtyard surrounded by several castles.

The dark green lawn not only did not become more green after being washed by the rain, but instead turned strangely black.In the middle of the courtyard, the old spruce tree was surrounded by a flower bed made of warm stones. Its leaves made a dark and terrifying rustling sound under the impact of the rain.

Not many people would come to this old courtyard in normal times, but now, only Dumbledore and Amosta were in the courtyard.

"Did Voldemort move his hand?"

Amosta's eyes wandered around the courtyard, then he raised his head and fixed his eyes on the Astronomy Tower, the tallest building in Hogwarts. Although he was asking questions, his tone was very calm. "I think so."

Dumbledore moved his beard, his deep and penetrating gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the dark clouds.

Next, a long silence enveloped Dumbledore and Amostar. Neither of them spoke, thinking about the problem quietly.

Why does Voldemort still want to control Barty Crouch since he already has someone working for him within Hogwarts?

You must know that Crouch is not an ordinary person. He is the second-in-command of the British Ministry of Magic and has a sensitive identity. Once he is accidentally discovered to be controlled by the Imperius Curse, it will definitely not be considered a threat to Voldemort in his current situation. What a good thing.

Before recovering his mana, Voldemort never wanted to do anything that might expose himself, but not only did he do this, he also risked exposing Crouch to Dumbledore and himself. This is indeed a puzzling thing, Ah Mosta had some vague guesses, but they were not clear.

When it comes to understanding Voldemort, Dumbledore is definitely better than Amosta. He personally recruited Tom into Hogwarts, and he almost witnessed with his own eyes the domineering and weird little boy in the orphanage. The boy grew up to become the Dark Lord whose name almost everyone dared not mention.

"Tom chose to attack old Barty, I think, certainly not to take advantage of the opportunity to control the Ministry of Magic. Oh, I think he will do such a thing sooner or later, but not now-"

Dumbledore noticed the change in Amosta's aura, and before he asked, he explained,

"My guess is - and you and I both know, Amosta, that something unexpected will happen at the Halloween dinner in an hour, which is the result of Tom's careful planning, but is predictable. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would definitely not be happy to see Hogwarts have two Triwizard Tournament champions. Ah, of course, if there is only one champion in Hogwarts, and he is an under- As a 17-year-old underage wizard, Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff may not have any strong opinions——"

"I understand what you mean--"

Amosta nodded,

"You believe that Voldemort will be worried that these two schools will resolutely resist the results of the warrior selection. Therefore, a wizard with the right to speak is needed to speak out."

Amosta frowned.
"It's surprising that he is so cautious and can consider this level of issues. I thought that after losing most of his soul, his brain was no longer very bright."

Amosta was obviously joking, but if Dumbledore's guess was true, then Voldemort did surprise him.

Whether the facts are as Dumbledore guessed does not require too much speculation. Just look at Barty's performance tonight. He obviously came to Hogwarts with a purpose. Otherwise, he could just pretend to be in St. Mungo's. sick.

The real worrying problem is not here.

If Voldemort controlled Barty Crouch just to ensure that he would be included in the Triwizard Tournament, what would he do after achieving this goal?
Should he kill old Barty to sacrifice the flag, or treat him as a nail and drive him into the Ministry of Magic?
No matter which way it is, Dumbledore and Amostar cannot sit idly by, but it is obviously irrational to intervene now.Voldemort finally stretched out a tentacle from the darkness. This was his most sensitive moment. Any sign that made him think he had been exposed would make him hide in the darkness again.

So, Voldemort has been lurking in Barty Crouch's house after leaving Little Hangleton?

After thinking about it carefully, Amosta felt that it was impossible. As a well-known senior official of the British Ministry of Magic, Barty Crouch had an endless stream of visitors at his home, and it was too uncomfortable for him to stay there.

"I'll ask Sirius to pay more attention to Barty's recent status."

After thinking for a long time, Amosta said again, "Of course, I will tell Sirius and Barty Crouch to keep their distance."

Dumbledore thought for a moment, sighed and nodded.

In the void, the wind roared wantonly like a war horn. Standing in the courtyard, Dumbledore and Amosta faced the rolling darkness. They seemed to be a barrier, dividing the dark courtyard from the bright lights, filled with urgency and joy. The auditorium is isolated.



(End of this chapter)