When Barty Crouch Jr.·Crouch walked into the interrogation room, Lin Ze almost didn't recognize him.
A few days ago, this young Auror was fighting in the Yorkshire wilderness against one enemy and fighting till the end with blood all over his body.
At this moment, he has changed into a clean and straight dark blue Auror uniform, his hair is meticulously combed, his steps are steady, his posture is calm, and he looks like a good gentleman.
If Lin Ze hadn't personally seen this guy in Karkaroff's memory using Severing Charm to delay a person for more than ten minutes while still smiling, he would probably have been deceived by the other person's perfect image.
"Director Crouch, Director Scrimgeour, Deputy Team Leader Lin."
Barty Crouch Jr. nodded to the three of them in turn, with thoughtful etiquette and a decent smile, and then sat down on an empty chair.
"How is your recovery going?" Crouch's voice was as cold as ever.
But Lin Ze noticed that his fingers holding the quill tightened slightly.
"It's nothing serious anymore." Barty Crouch Jr. nodded slightly.
"Then let's talk about what happened the day before yesterday, from your perspective." Crouch dipped the quill in ink and hovered it above the parchment.
Barty Crouch Jr. nodded and began to state.
His narrative is clear and logical, and his time points are accurate to the minute.
After listening to his version of the statement, it felt as if the battle that day was happening right before my eyes.
"The law enforcement officer driving the car was hit first and died on the spot. I immediately deployed Shield Charm at the door of the carriage..."
"During the ensuing battle, I confirmed that another law enforcement officer also lost his vital signs..."
"Later, Anti-Apparition Jinx was planted..."
"Then, I noticed something moving in the woods. I wasn't sure whether it was friend or foe..."
"The black dog's target is Pettigrew..."
"The man in the woods did not reveal his identity, but he just helped me fight off Death Eaters. Later, I sent a signal for help to Ministry of Magic..."
Crouch leaned back in the chair and stared at his son silently.
Barty Crouch Jr. met his father's gaze calmly, his expression as calm as a pool of stagnant water.
Lin Ze rubbed his temples with his index finger. His exposure gave Barty Crouch Jr. the best reason to successfully withdraw...
He now even doubted whether those tree vines were secretly controlled by Barty Crouch Jr..
However, if Barty Crouch Jr. had such strong strength, he would not be knocked down by Moody in the subsequent trial meeting.
"Do you think this attack was aimed at Peter or the escort team?" Lin Ze asked.
Barty Crouch Jr. turned to him, and their eyes met head-on for the first time in the interrogation room.
"Deputy Team Leader Lin, if their goal is Peter, then they have achieved their goal."
"As for why they knew the escort route..." He paused for a moment.
"It all depends on who is most beneficial to Peter after his death."
As soon as these words came out, the faces of Scrimgeour and Crouch suddenly became ugly. Apparently they both felt that this incident had brought unprecedented doubt to Ministry of Magic's internal credibility.
The interrogation lasted for about half an hour. Crouch finished asking all the preset questions and put down his quill.
"You can go, don't leave London for the time being, and be ready for follow-up inquiries at any time."
"Understood." Barty Crouch Jr. stood up, nodded to the three of them in turn, then turned and walked towards the door.
His steps were neither fast nor slow, and even the intervals between his footsteps were exactly the same.
The door closed behind him.
Crouch leaned back on the chair and rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers.
"Do you think he is telling the truth?"
Scrimgeour pondered for a moment, "It's very logical. At least there are no loopholes. After all, this child is a good prospect in school. It is really rare to be able to deal with a group of Death Eaters calmly and calmly in that situation. We can focus on training him later."
Crouch glanced at Scrimgeour: "Forget about focusing on training."
"Huh? Why?"
"His mother hopes that he can live a stable life. This time he applied for the task of escorting Peter. It was my private instruction. She just wanted him to save enough qualifications for this year so that he could work as a casualty at Department of International Magical Cooperation..."
"That's it..." Scrimgeour suddenly realized.
Lin Ze was listening next to him, and the corner of his mouth moved slightly.
Department of International Magical Cooperation?
A sinecure?
Crouch Sr. probably never dreamed that his son's status with Death Eaters would be higher than his status with Ministry of Magic.
However, Lin Ze has no intention of taking out Karkaroff's memory now.
Now is the time when Crouch has the highest trust in him, so there is no need to let him guard him every day.
"Lin, what do you think?" Crouch suddenly turned to him.
"Well... Mr. Barty Crouch Jr.'s testimony is indeed very complete, and it matches Weiqi's statement..."
Lin Ze casually said a few words to affirm Barty Crouch Jr.'s behavior and recognition of his courage.
Crouch saw that he couldn't give him a better idea, so he decided to end the interview.
Lin Ze and Scrimgeour walked out of the interrogation room one after the other.
The torches in the corridor were replaced with new ones at some point, and the light is much brighter than before.
Scrimgeour walked a few steps and suddenly sighed.
"Crouch Sr. is true. With such a promising son, Department of International Magical Cooperation has to be forced to sit on the bench. In my opinion, Barty Crouch Jr.'s ability is quite good. He is much better than those young soldiers who can only sit in the office."
Lin Ze laughed dryly and thought to himself, that's not true. He is an outstanding employee who has been stamped by Voldemort himself.
As soon as Scrimgeour left, there was a rush of footsteps from the other end of the corridor.
Lin Ze looked up and saw that it was Cornelius Fudge.
The deputy director of Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes was wearing a brand new dark green robe today, with a bright Winky badge pinned to the collar. His hair was smeared with too much hair oil, and it reflected light under the torch light. He looked like a newly polished beetle.
"Deputy Team Leader Lin!"
Fudge stretched out his hand from afar, with a smile on his face, "Just right, I'm looking for you!"
Lin Ze looked at the hand stretched out towards him and hesitated for a fraction of a second.
Well, I just took it without hesitation.
Fudge's palms are a little damp and the grip is soft, reminiscent of celery that has been left in the market for too long.
"Mr. Fudge, what do you want from me?"
"Hey, nothing happened. I just heard that you came back from Norway. Come and say hello."
Fudge let go of his hand, took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"By the way, congratulations, Black's case was handled beautifully! The whole department is praising you."
"Excuse me. It's just good luck."
"Hey, you young man is so humble."
"It's not like those people under me who want everyone Ministry of Magic to know if they do something big." Fudge smiled, folded the handkerchief and stuffed it back into his pocket.
Then he looked left and right, and his chubby body moved closer to Lin Ze, "By the way, I heard that you also found some clues about Death Eaters at Norway?"
Lin Ze's smile remained unchanged, "It's just some fragmentary clues that are still being sorted out. It's not a big discovery."
"Oh, that's right." Fudge nodded.
"If you need any help from me, just ask. I admire young talents like you the most."
"Definitely."
"Hey, I heard that you brought a distant cousin with you this time?"
Lin Ze sighed in his heart.
The news of Ministry of Magic spread faster than his mother Floo Network.
"Yes, I'm a distant relative. Something happened at home, so I asked me to take care of him for a while."
"That's really hard on you." Fudge said.
"But having said that, young people, it's a good thing to take on more responsibilities, and don't work too hard. There's been a lot going on in the department recently, so you still have to rest when it's time to rest."
After he finished speaking, he patted Lin Ze on the shoulder and walked towards the other end of the corridor with a smile.
Lin Ze watched Fudge's back disappear around the corner, and the smile on his face slowly faded.