Barty Crouch stepped into the Ministry of Magic as usual.
He wore a distinctive square wizard hat, and the suit under his robe stood stiffly as if supported by wooden frames.
His face was devoid of any expression.
The current head of the Auror Office, Scrimgeour, was also a man of few words, but the two of them looked completely different.
Scrimgeour gave off a tough impression, reminiscent of a younger Barty Crouch. The current Barty Crouch, however, seemed withered, like a pile of dead ash.
Many employees greeted him along the way.
Despite the tarnishing of his reputation for sending his own son, Barty Crouch Jr., to Azkaban—which many believed showed he would sacrifice anything for his power—he remained a key figure in the Ministry of Magic, especially at this critical juncture.
"Hey, old Barty."
A familiar voice called from behind.
Barty turned around to see a muscular middle-aged man with golden short hair and blue eyes, smiling as he walked towards him. Barty quickly matched the name in his mind.
Ludovic (Ludo) Bagman, the current Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.
A complete idiot!
"Good morning, Mr. Bagman." Crouch's tone was rather bland, as if he were unwilling to waste his energy on this man, considering it a pure waste of time.
"Running into you first thing in the morning saves me a trip to your office," Ludo Bagman said nonchalantly. He walked over, acting as if he were very close to Crouch, slinging an arm around his shoulder and speaking lightly. "We should cooperate more for next year's Quidditch World Cup!"
"I will," Barty said with a stern face, knocking Ludo's hand off his shoulder. "That's my job."
"That's great," Ludo said happily. He had recently accumulated more gambling debts, and his salary at the Ministry wasn't enough to cover his extravagances. The World Cup was the perfect opportunity to make some extra gold!
Barty turned to leave but was stopped by Ludo again.
"Wait, old chap, there's one more thing." Ludo Bagman quickly spoke before Barty could get annoyed, sharing something that surprised Barty.
Ludo, looking around furtively as if he were a thief, noticed few people were paying attention and whispered, "Did you know Dumbledore is planning to restart the Triwizard Tournament?"
"When did this happen?!" Barty Crouch's ashen face finally showed a hint of surprise.
"Just now. I overheard it while passing by Fudge's office. It was Dumbledore's proposal. He's already contacted the headmasters of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons and reached an agreement with them. Fudge seemed a bit worried, but if this goes through, it probably won't happen until after the World Cup," Ludo explained.
Ludo was eager for this to be approved.
As the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman's power surged during such large-scale events.
In contrast to Ludo's enthusiasm, Barty Crouch had much more on his mind.
Why would Dumbledore choose this moment to suggest restarting the Triwizard Tournament?
Was it simply to revive a tradition and strengthen ties between the three European schools?
Barty Crouch, or rather, young Barty Crouch, did not believe Dumbledore would do anything without purpose, especially knowing that Voldemort could return at any moment. How could he leisurely propose hosting a potentially deadly tournament?
'He probably wants to use the Triwizard Tournament to establish good connections with the other two magical schools. Once the Dark Lord returns, he could seek help from the Ministries of Magic in other countries.'
Barty Jr thought far ahead. He believed Dumbledore might foresee that the British Ministry of Magic would be infiltrated and rendered untrustworthy after Voldemort's return, and thus planned to secure foreign support through the tournament.
Dumbledore's vigilance regarding Voldemort made Barty Jr feel both proud and troubled. That old man was indeed a significant obstacle!
He didn't expect that by merely impersonating his father for a day at the Ministry, he would learn such crucial information.
Unfortunately...
'The timing is set for after the World Cup, which is too far away.'
The span of more than six months left Barty Jr feeling a bit regretful. The Dark Lord couldn't wait that long; otherwise, he might have been able to manipulate things further.
'I still need to find another way to get to Hogwarts and take Harry Potter.'
"By the way, who are the heads of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons?" Barty Jr asked, puzzled.
"The headmistress of Beauxbatons is Madame Olympe Maxime, a rather 'large' woman," Ludo said with a hint of mockery. Even in the wizarding world, a woman nearly three meters tall was quite unusual. His tone suggested skepticism about her identity.
"As for Durmstrang, you know him well," Ludo chuckled. "Igor Karkaroff. You judged him once, didn't you? Later, he fled to Northern Europe, and now he's become the headmaster."
Ludo laughed and shook his head as if marveling at the twists of fate.
"Him?" Barty's disguised face showed an expression of disgust. He hated such a despicable traitor, wanting nothing more than to kill him on the spot!
Unlike Malfoy, Karkaroff was a complete traitor.
Malfoy had distanced himself from the Death Eaters by claiming he had been under the Imperius Curse after the Dark Lord's fall. Karkaroff, however, had reduced his sentence by betraying other Death Eaters.
Such a traitor would surely be dealt with once the Dark Lord rose again!
Barty Jr couldn't wait that long; he wished he could appear in front of Karkaroff right now and cut off his head!
No, he should continue serving the Dark Lord!
After all, performing the resurrection spell would still require offering a servant's flesh.
As Barty Jr was maliciously thinking, Ludo suddenly grinned, laughing gleefully: "But his good days are numbered."
"What do you mean?"
"I heard it from a friend in Bulgaria. Apparently, his tenure as headmaster is not going to last much longer." Ludo was vague, implying that there was another, more suitable candidate about to take over.
Barty Jr wasn't surprised by this. Although Durmstrang was more tolerant of the Dark Arts, it wasn't a school specifically for training dark wizards. And someone like Karkaroff, with his narrow-mindedness and lack of real power, was no better than a sewer rat.
"I understand." Barty Jr sorted through his thoughts and then parted ways with Ludo.
Even after returning to his father's office, Barty Jr kept pondering this matter.
"If Karkaroff can remain the headmaster of Durmstrang, he would still have some use. But if he loses that position, the only thing he can offer the Dark Lord is his life!"
Controlling a magical school was extremely beneficial for the long-term development of the Death Eaters. Through the school, they could educate young wizards, turning them into a reserve army for the Death Eaters, cultivating a batch of truly capable wizards!
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