22 Aftermath of Barty
A broom floated in the sky, upon which a man sat, gazing downward. He watched as Barty was arrested and escorted away. Silently, he glided back into the night.
(Albanian Interogator POV)
Today seemed like just another day at the office, where routine occurrences no longer surprised him. Even witnessing the department head taking his secretary into his office for some "extra work" wouldn't elicit a reaction.
However, the sudden blaring of the alarm caught him off guard. This alarm was reserved for dire situations, such as threats to national security or something even more sinister.
And it was indeed more sinister—a gruesome, dark sacrificial ritual. The amount of magic unleashed suggested that living beings had been used, a practice long banned since the statute's enactment. Such rituals left lasting scars on the environment, fueled by the resentment of the sacrificed. While underground groups persisted in performing them, they did so secretly or in untraceable locations. This brazen act in plain sight caused significant upheaval, with all operations halted and a team of Aurors dispatched.
They returned with a deranged man who appeared to be British. The Unspeakables' reports were chilling, revealing that not only creatures but also wizards had been found among the sacrifices. The man was dosed with Veritaserum, and a translation rune allowed them to piece together the whole story. As time went on, they grew increasingly fearful and uneasy. A notorious English Dark Lord had been hiding in their forest, and the infamous Azkaban Breakout mystery was now solved—an event that had previously sent shockwaves throughout the magical world. Many reveled in the misfortune of the haughty British, but now, another calamity had been unleashed by them.
Ekrizdis, a British Dark Lord, Grindelwald's stint in Britain after his Durmstrang expulsion, and Voldemort all shared a connection to the country. Now, there was yet another case.
He eagerly awaited the reaction of the magical world once this news broke. However, they would likely conceal the Dark Lord's presence in the forest to avoid appearing incompetent. First, they would need to confirm it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
However, by the time a search party was organized, all signs of the Dark Lord had vanished. This led them to believe that it was merely a delusion of Barty's, fueled by his fanatical zeal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A week after Barty's apprehension, news spread rapidly, first in Albania and then across the rest of Europe. The British Wizarding Government was already informed and had arrested former Minister Crouch for gross abuse of power. However, when the Daily Prophet published the story, it sent shockwaves throughout the British magical community.
" BARTY CROUCH JR ALIVE!
Former Minister Secretly Helps Son Escape Prison!
Azkaban Prisoners Sacrificed in Dark Ritual!"
The entire nation was shaken to its core, as the idea that living wizards could be used for sacrifices incited fear and outrage—especially among the purebloods, who were alarmed that all the sacrificed individuals were of pureblood lineage. For the first time, all three factions united, demanding that both father and son be sent through the veil as a message that such acts would not be tolerated. They pressured Dumbledore to have Barty Crouch Jr extradited to Britain to face his crimes.
However, the Albanians demanded compensation, as Barty Jr's rituals had rendered their forest uninhabitable and violated the Statute of Secrecy. They also filed a complaint with the ICW. After much negotiation and the provision of generous compensation in the form of treaties, deals, and Galleons, Barty Crouch Jr was finally transferred back to Britain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Amelia Bones POV)
When she first received the news, fear gripped her heart. Long-suppressed memories resurfaced with full force. She loathed herself for still harboring feelings for that traitor. She had believed that time would erase everything, but the moment she learned he might be dead, her emotions erupted. She threw herself into investigating everything, from the arrest of Barty Crouch to pressuring the Minister to bring Crouch Jr back.
Crouch Sr had been a staunch supporter of the law and despised anything dark; the idea that he had used the Imperius Curse on his own son was shocking. He did not resist and, upon interrogation, confessed everything. Sirius was among those brought back, but she also discovered that Peter Pettigrew was alive and working with Barty Crouch Jr. Her initial reaction to this revelation was joy, quickly followed by guilt. She didn't yet know the whole story, but as soon as Crouch Jr was returned, she would find out what had happened to Sirius.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Dumbledore's POV)
He received word of the events in Albania from his contacts long before the news broke publicly. Alarmed, he went to inspect the site himself. The air was thick with dark magic, and a palpable sense of resentment permeated the atmosphere. He had known that Tom was alive, but he never imagined that his followers would stoop so low as to sacrifice their own comrades. This only highlighted Tom's deadly charm and manipulative prowess, inspiring such devotion that people would willingly give their lives for him. He had asked Severus to check the mark repeatedly, but there was no change in its shade. This could only mean the ritual had failed.
Despite the grim situation, a cynical part of his mind found a silver lining: Tom had lost many of his followers, dealing another blow to the dark side. Young Rose had her work cut out for her if she were to fulfill her destiny, and he already had a test in mind for her.
For now, the Ministry demanded Barty Crouch Jr's return. Acting as an intermediary through the ICW, he brokered a deal between the two ministries to ensure Barty would be tried on their soil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Barty Crouch Jr Trial in England*
(Cornelius Fudge POV)
"Barty Crouch Jr," Amelia Bones's voice echoed authoritatively throughout the chamber. Although he despised her for encroaching on his power, he had to acknowledge her commanding presence. A significant portion of the Ministry supported her for the role of Minister, but he had Malfoy's backing. He knew, however, that if he appeared ineffective or failed, she would seize the opportunity to pursue his position. Glancing around the chamber, he saw it was packed with observers and the press. He and the darker factions opposed the trial, preferring to send both father and son through the veil without questioning.
Yet, somehow, Bones had convinced the Light and Grey factions to support a trial, even inviting the media. Denying media access would risk negative coverage, potentially leading to his ousting from office.
As Bones proceeded with the questioning, shocked gasps filled the chamber. It was one thing to know, but hearing firsthand about the pureblood wizards sacrificed for the alleged return of You-Know-Who sent chills down his spine. The claim that the Dark Lord was still alive and connected to the Dark Mark was equally unsettling.
He tried to reassure the assembly by declaring, "He is spreading misinformation to destabilize the nation. The Dark Lord is dead and won't be returning."
He noticed some people seemed convinced, while others remained skeptical. He caught a subtle nod of approval from Malfoy.
As the questioning concluded and he prepared to call for a vote, Bones posed another question: "Was Sirius Black also sacrificed?"
Flustered, he quickly retorted, "Amelia, what is the meaning of this?"
Feeling the heat rise in his face, he stammered when she shot him a withering glare.
As Barty recounted Sirius's escape and the subsequent revelation of his innocence, along with the fact that Peter was alive, chaos erupted.
The media pounced like hounds with their sights set on prey. He observed a mix of happiness and guilt on Bones's face, while Dumbledore's usually calm expression cracked, revealing an unreadable look. Most strikingly, he saw Malfoy wearing a terrifying expression.
What's his deal?
Ohh SHit, Sirius Black is innocent,
so The head of Black House Shit Shit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Advance chapters : p a t r e o n.c o m
/fanficswrittenbyme25
