Christmas had just passed. He had opened a pile of Christmas gifts and attended a Yule Ball, yet Dumbledore was not in a very good mood.
Because Barty Crouch had actually fallen ill a few days ago and had not attended the Yule Ball.
Honestly, it was not a major matter. Falling ill was perfectly normal, especially for Old Barty, who had exhausted himself over the World Cup all year. It was understandable that he wanted to spend Christmas quietly, but...
If this was linked to Albert's prophecy, then it was undoubtedly a terrible omen.
A few months ago, Sirius had come to Dumbledore and mentioned that Peter was still alive. Through the memory, Dumbledore had seen the man who appeared in the prophecy orb: Barty Crouch Jr. He had recognized him at first glance.
Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive?
But why was he alive?
From that moment onward, Dumbledore had quietly investigated the matter. Old Barty Crouch was the key to breaking it open, but Dumbledore could not simply do something to a high-ranking Ministry of Magic official.
Dumbledore did not involve himself in politics, but that did not mean he knew nothing about it. He understood better than anyone that some things could not be taken too far.
For example, forcing Old Barty Crouch to reveal his secret. Even if he got the answer, even if the entire matter was connected to Old Barty Crouch, it would still be a huge problem.
Fortunately, some time ago, Old Barty had dismissed his fiercely loyal house-elf for some reason. That house-elf, named Winky, was now working at Hogwarts. A large dose of powerful Veritaserum could have extracted some secrets from her, but Dumbledore had not done so. It was simply too cruel and could have caused the house-elf's death