Douglas smiled.
But he did not answer the question directly.
He merely patted the crate with a soft smack.
"Don't ask so many questions, Mr. Crouch. You know the rules."
Douglas straightened his cuffs and turned toward the stone statue of Voldemort.
"You work for the Ministry of Magic, even if you are a former department head. For the sake of your political integrity, some things are better left unknown."
"All you need to remember is that, as warden of this Hogwarts Special Talent Center, your duty is to keep these talents under control."
"Don't let them escape, and don't let them die. At least, not before they've spilled every last bit of magical knowledge in their heads."
Reaching the curtain of light, Douglas suddenly stopped and glanced back at Old Crouch, who was still standing rooted to the spot, and Kreacher beside him, still tirelessly polishing the statue.
"Keep it up, for the future of the Wizarding World!"
With that, Douglas hawked up a glob of phlegm, and his figure vanished in an instant.
Only Old Crouch remained standing in the empty Cave, facing an entire crate of Magic-Suppressing Potion worth enough to bankrupt the Auror Office, motionless for a long time.
A long while passed.
"Kreacher."
Old Crouch suddenly spoke, his voice regaining the cold hardness of a department head.
"What is it, you bad-tempered old thing?"
Kreacher answered irritably.
"Those rooms in the deepest section. Find all the chains used to restrain giants and polish them."
"It looks like... we've got a big job ahead of us."
Douglas stood on a rock beside the Black Lake, ignoring Barty Crouch Jr., who was roaring hysterically on the island in the lake.
He elegantly rolled up the cuffs of his trench coat and drew his lightning-struck wood wand.
"Quiet,