Bones was deeply moved by Barty Crouch Sr.'s words. What desperate motherly love! Barty Crouch Jr.'s mother was willing to die in Azkaban for her son. Even to her last breath, she didn't forget to take the Polyjuice Potion.
After hearing this story, Bones couldn't help but be brought to tears, and Dumbledore's gaze grew even more profound.
After recounting everything, Barty Crouch Sr. fell silent. The only sound in the room was a strange one, like a sob. It was Winky, who had appeared behind Barty Crouch Sr. unnoticed, and upon hearing the confession, she couldn't contain her tears.
If it were anyone else, Barty Crouch Sr. would have opted for drastic measures, controlling the witnesses and modifying their memories with the Obliviate charm. But the problem was that it was Dumbledore who had come.
Even if Bones went mad, was moved by their little story, decided to betray them, and had the help of two wizards and a house-elf, they wouldn't stand a chance against Dumbledore, even if they ambushed him. When Dumbledore and Grindelwald fought, no one in the room had been born yet!
"Release the Imperius Curse on him," Dumbledore ordered, wishing to speak directly with Barty Crouch Jr. He turned to Barty Crouch Sr.
"Release the Imperius Curse." Dumbledore wanted to speak directly with Barty Crouch Jr., so he turned to Barty Crouch Sr. and ordered.
Without a word, Barty Crouch Sr. approached his son and prepared to release the Imperius Curse. What he didn't know was that people controlled by the Imperius Curse for a long time gradually developed resistance to its influence. That is, they could resist the curse with their own will. Fake Moody had taught his students how to resist the Imperius Curse, a specialty that Harry had mastered well. In the first class where the Imperius Curse was cast, Harry could already resist Moody's commands.
During the over ten years of imprisonment, Barty Crouch Jr. had been constantly resisting his father's Imperius Curse. Recently, he had made some breakthroughs: he could temporarily regain his true self and temporarily free himself from his father's control. Barty Crouch Sr.'s control over Barty Crouch Jr. was constantly weakening.
The strange noise in the room was the sound Barty Crouch Jr. made when he resisted the Imperius Curse; he fell off the bed.
"Wait a moment!" Dumbledore suddenly stopped Barty Crouch Sr. After reviewing what had just happened, Dumbledore noticed something suspicious. Instead of immediately releasing Barty Crouch Jr. from the Imperius Curse, Dumbledore knelt in front of him and examined him closely.
During the examination, Dumbledore realized that Barty Crouch Jr.'s condition wasn't as stable as it seemed. With his many years of experience, Dumbledore detected something unusual.
Looking at the bewildered Barty Crouch Sr., Dumbledore said with a complicated expression, "Barty, did you know that your son has been resisting your Imperius Curse? Your spell is no longer as effective as it once was."
Barty Crouch Sr.'s face paled. "How is that possible?" he asked, doubting what Dumbledore had said.
"Have you ever wondered where that noise came from earlier?" Dumbledore spoke softly. "Go and release the Imperius Curse."
Although Barty Crouch Sr. remained skeptical in his heart, how could it be possible for his son to break free from his Imperius Curse?
Once the Imperius Curse was lifted, Barty Crouch Jr.'s expression became more lively. He quickly observed his surroundings and then lowered his head.
"Barty Crouch Jr., do you still recognize me?" Dumbledore leaned in and spoke to Barty Crouch Jr. in a gentle tone.
"Of course," Barty Crouch Jr. responded with his head lowered and a slurred voice. "Headmaster Dumbledore, how could I not recognize you?"
"Have you been living here all these years?"
"Yes, are you going to send me back to Azkaban?"
"No."
Barty Crouch Jr. looked up in surprise, as did the other two people in the room at Dumbledore's words. But in the next second, a flash of red light struck him in the forehead, rendering Barty Crouch Jr. unconscious.
Bones: !!!
Barty Crouch Sr. appeared indifferent, as if Dumbledore had not just knocked out his own son.
"Barty... Bartemius!" Dumbledore straightened up, looking directly at Barty Crouch Sr.. In his eyes, the fire of anger was almost tangible.
"Quite stunning," said Dumbledore, who was very tall and almost a head taller than Barty Crouch Sr.. Along with his fury, Barty Crouch Sr. felt breathless.
"I'll resign as I should," Barty Crouch Sr. replied after a long silence, giving his answer.
"You should resign, but not now," Dumbledore said with a very serious tone, also looking at Bones. "Amelia, I hope you can keep this temporarily secret."
Bones was surprised for a moment but nodded.
"I have an important plan that will continue, and I will need your cooperation," Dumbledore said, looking at both Bones and Barty Crouch Sr., whose spirits had clearly waned.
...
After the exams, all the students were releasing their energy and spending their money in Hogsmeade. Harry and Ron were no exception.
At that moment, they were carrying several large bags and walking across the lawn toward the castle. A shadow fell over them, and Harry looked up to see Hagrid, who also had a large bag with a strong smell of blood, while Fang, the boarhound, excitedly circled the bag.
"Hagrid, what are you doing?"
"Hunting rabbits!" Hagrid cheerfully raised the bag in his hand, emitting the scent of blood. "It's for Buckbeak, an extra snack!"
Buckbeak, who had been declared innocent, didn't return to his herd but stayed with Hagrid.
For him, it seemed like a good choice to have food and shelter guaranteed every day. But he didn't just eat and live without doing anything; he became the guardian of Hogwarts' orchard and Hagrid's chicken coop. With a hippogriff as a protector, rabbits and weasels no longer dared to enter the fields.
"Oh, let me tell you a little gossip, but don't tell anyone else," Hagrid whispered, lowering his voice even though they were the only three there. "Next semester, Professor Scamander and Professor Lupin will be leaving their positions. I'll be replacing Professor Scamander and continuing to teach Care of Magical Creatures... This time, I'll be more careful..."
"Congratulations... wait a moment, did you just say Professor Lupin is leaving too?" Harry was about to congratulate Hagrid, but then he suddenly realized something was amiss: Lupin was leaving as well?