Dumbledore was a very intelligent man. That intelligence was not limited to his mind and knowledge; it also included his experience and insight.
The moment Dumbledore began probing him, Vaughn knew that, based on the rapidly deepening cooperation between him and Crouch, the old man had guessed something.
In fact, as long as someone possessed enough information and a sufficiently bold imagination, it was not too difficult to guess why Crouch was willing to help Vaughn—
For a man whose family had fallen apart, whose heart had turned to ashes, and who had even been willing to abandon his political future, what could make him pull himself together again?
Naturally, it was his family!
Vaughn had never intended to hide anything. He had recruited Crouch precisely to make use of his reputation and connections, so there was no need for him to hesitate.
Even Crouch himself did not care—he only wanted to fulfill the wish he and his wife shared and save his son. Everything else was beneath his notice!
Dumbledore understood Vaughn's implication.
He fell silent for a moment before carefully saying, "Have you considered that people who fall because of Dark Magic do not do so entirely because of Dark Magic's corrupting influence? In a sense, we can also say that power itself is neither right nor wrong. Like a Muggle's gun, it will not run into your hand and force you to use it... Magic is like firearms; it is merely a tool, without thoughts of its own!"
"Every wizard who falls and becomes obsessed with Dark Magic begins with evil already in their heart. Dark Magic is merely the tool they use to carry out that evil. We cannot attribute every cause to the tool simply because it, in turn, affects its master... Do you think