Harry Potter: Charlie and the Candy Factory

"Hello, Mr. Crouch."

"Director Crouch, good morning!"

"You actually came here so early today."

………………

As the burning flames rose in the fireplace of the Ministry of Magic, a green vortex as tall as a person rose, and Barty Crouch stepped out of the vortex.

The civil servants of the Ministry of Magic who were passing by also stopped in their tracks, with respectful expressions and sincere greetings to him.

It can be seen that Barty Crouch's prestige in the Ministry of Magic is astonishingly high, with a momentum that is completely beyond what his position should have, and is even slightly higher than that of Minister Fudge Connelly.

However, this is not something surprising...

After all, he was the Minister of Magical Enforcement a few years ago, and he could already be said to be the person closest to the position of Minister of Magic.

Whether it was his tough attitude against Voldemort or his wise decision-making and superb skills, the wizards in the British wizarding world felt an unprecedented peace of mind and reliability during that terrifying war era.

…

If it weren't for that accident - Barty Crouch Jr.'s identity as a Death Eater was revealed and tried by him personally, then the mediocre and cowardly Fudge would never have had any chance to see that extraordinary figure.

Highly. I don’t even dare to have the slightest idea.

However, history is such an irony... Merlin's soul hovering in the sky did not protect the deserving great man this time, but instead gave great opportunities to the lucky ones.

In the end, Barty Crouch personally pronounced his son guilty in anger and pain, and imprisoned him in a cell in Azkaban like other Death Eaters to become the food of the Death Eaters...

His reputation has plummeted in the magic world, and he has completely missed that position. He even failed to keep his seat as the head of the Department of Magical Enforcement. He was transferred to the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation and became a diplomat.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, it is just an ordinary horizontal transfer, but Barty Crouch, who has seen too much intrigue and political struggles, clearly understands that this is a weakening of Fudge's fear of his power.

His original power was wiped out and he was moved to this idle position with no room for him to exert himself at all.

Minister of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation... At first, every time he heard about his new position, Barty Crouch would almost feel a great sense of insult and ridicule.

He was obviously a warrior, a warrior who dared to fight Voldemort without fear of life and death, a hero who used tough methods to stabilize the political situation and ease the turmoil... but in the end he became a diplomat, dealing with trivial matters in the wizarding world of other countries.

work.

Barty Crouch kept his mouth shut, facing the young man greeting him in front of him, and just made an expressionless gesture with his jaw.

And the gaze in those deep eye sockets has not changed since the beginning, staring sharply at the road ahead.

He strode through the lobby on the first floor of the Ministry of Magic and walked straight through the crowd to one of the elevators.

This time, he did not come to the office of his International Magic Exchange and Cooperation Department to start the day's work as usual.

He took the elevator and without any hesitation, he raised his finger and pressed the button leading to the highest level of the Ministry of Magic, which is the office of the Minister of Magic.

………………………………

"Ding dong"

Without making him wait too long, the elevator went all the way to the top floor.

“Dong dong dong!!!”

After getting off the elevator and arriving at the only wooden door, Barty Crouch knocked on Fudge's office door.

"Who?!"

In the office, Fudge subconsciously put down the tea cup and newspaper in his hand, raised his head and looked towards the door, his tone still a little dissatisfied, as if he did not expect that someone would dare to knock on his door so early in the morning.

Because according to his usual habits, this point should be the time for him to enjoy life. A cup of delicious hot tea, an interesting newspaper, and half an hour before starting work to fish at public expense are enough to put Fudge in a good mood.

Use this to combat the boredom of the rest of the day at the office.

And this is not a secret... Even some other directors and ministers have tacitly agreed not to visit Fudge's office during this time and disturb his peace.

After all, who made him the Minister of Magic? Even if he is dissatisfied, he can only do nothing about such trivial matters...

"It's me!"

After Barty Crouch heard Fudge's voice, he stopped knocking on the door and said frankly.

As the sound entered the office, Fudge's expression froze for a moment. Then he quickly made a move. He picked up the "spare" pile of documents beside him and pressed it on the newspaper, while continuing to move toward the newspaper.

Ask outside the door.

"What do you want from me?"

However, this time, there was no dissatisfaction in the voice at the beginning, but surprise.

You know, after having been his boss for several years, although he was still wary of Barty Crouch, he also had a clear sense of his temper.

Fudge knew that that guy looked down upon him. It could even be said that he scorned his leader... The pride in his heart made him never visit him in person.

Except for a few tasks that require personal interaction, he rarely appears in this place... this office that was originally supposed to belong to Barty Crouch.

"I have something to ask you."

Barty Crouch's tone remained the same, and he made his purpose clear decisively and directly.

"...Okay, come in, Minister Crouch."

Although Fudge was a little baffled by Barty Crouch's unexpected visit, he still chose to make an exception and open the door of his office to him at this time.

With a "Peng" sound, under Fudge's gaze, the office door was pushed aside.

Crouch stood at the door, his eyes meeting Fudge's.

The visitor was not polite and said nothing. He stepped into the office grandly, took a few steps forward, and finally stopped in front of Fudge's desk.

He did not explain why he came at first, but lowered his head and looked at the documents stacked in front of Fudge's desk.

"Minister Crouch, you better have something important to do."

Fudge narrowed his eyes, quietly looked at the other party's wanton behavior, and said in a deep voice.

Crouch still didn't speak, and ignored the obvious dissatisfaction in Fudge's tone, but still looked at the pile of documents.

Suddenly, he moved his hands, with quick eyes and quick hands. Before Fudge could react, he pulled out a slightly wrinkled newspaper from the bottom with a "swish" sound.

The words "quibbler" are clearly visible at the top of the newspaper.

"snort……"

Crouch's face finally changed, and for a moment there was a hint of ridicule.

Although he didn't say anything, he just groaned, but the meaning expressed in it is self-evident...

"Barty Crouch!!"

Fudge's brows suddenly rose, and he suddenly stood up from his seat and stared at the other party angrily.

Although he does not have the slightest advantage in terms of height or physique, at least in this office, Fudge is the absolute king, and no one can disobey him.

“…”

Crouch was silent for a while, but finally chose to give in without further intensifying the conflict with Fudge.

He took out the newspaper he had just finished reading on the sofa at home from his coat pocket, threw it out, just enough to cover "The Quibbler," and fluttered it in front of Fudge.

.

"I guess you haven't read today's Daily Prophet, right?"

Barty Crouch said calmly

"snort……"

Fudge's raised eyebrows dropped a bit, and he snorted coldly. He did not pursue anything further, but chose to follow the compromise offered by Barty Crouch and quietly sat back in his seat.

He supported the armrests of the seat, and after moving around for a while, he chose a comfortable position, then picked up the newspaper that the other party had placed on the desk, and read it slowly.

Soon, his attention was also attracted by the huge words "Charlie Black" on the front page of the newspaper. He read on and looked carefully at the two photos attached to the side.

The further he looked down, the bigger Fudge's eyes became, and his expression became dignified and serious.

The hand that was holding the newspaper casually also used a little strength, causing the positions on both sides of the "Daily Prophet" to wrinkle with a subtle "clatter" sound.

And all of this was naturally captured by Barty Crouch. He remained silent and continued to look at the other person while waiting for him to finish reading the entire article.

At this moment, while reading the text above and looking at the "recruitment notice" next to him, Fudge felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.

This was extremely complicated, as if two completely opposite thoughts were pouring into his mind at the same time. On the one hand, he still clearly remembered that he had a pleasant chat with Charlie Black in the office yesterday, and finally discussed the matter together.

scene.

On the other hand, a feeling of discomfort and panic came from nowhere, lingering in my thoughts and unable to go away.

Finally... when the last line of writing came into view, Fudge slowly put down the newspaper in his hand, spread it flat on the table, and raised his head again to look at Barty Crouch.

However, this time, the complexity in his mind had dissipated. Satisfaction and clarity were revealed in his eyes, representing the most true thoughts in his heart at the moment.

"I thought it would take a few days for him to release the news... Charlie, this kid, is really scary in his efficiency."

It seemed that he had forgotten that not long ago, the two of them were at war with each other.

Fudge's voice was gentle, and there was even a slight smile on his lips, and he shook his head teasingly.

"How much did he pay you?"

Crouch raised his eyebrows, with a hint of undisguised scrutiny in his eyes, and asked directly.

"What?"

Fudge was stunned for a moment, and the satisfaction and understanding in his eyes turned into confusion and confusion.

"Stop pretending... Fudge, you old fox." Crouch raised the corner of his mouth, but his look of scrutiny remained unabated.

"Based on what I know about you, it is absolutely impossible for you to make such a radical decision...Only that kid, that crazy guy, would have the courage to do such a thing."

His tone paused, and the expression on his face seemed to be fully aware of everything that happened.

Stretching out his hand and tugging on his collar, Crouch continued

"So, don't pretend to be confused...how much money does it take for you to agree to such a condition?"

However, what Crouch didn't expect was that after hearing his words that should have hit the nail on the head and hit the sore spot, Fudge's face not only did not look panicked as expected, but instead changed from panic to anger. Instead, he narrowed his face.

The eyes and the smile on his face became brighter and brighter.

"Crouch..."

Fudge spoke, raising his head and looking at the other person's annoying face that he didn't want to see. For some reason, he suddenly felt that this face was particularly ridiculous at this time.

"You think you can always see through me, you think you know Cornelius Fudge better than I do..."

As he spoke, he picked up the newspaper that had just been placed on the table. His chubby hands deftly manipulated his round fingers to fold the unfolded newspaper bit by bit, and finally folded it into a palm.

size.

"But unfortunately, it seems that you are not as knowledgeable as you think. And I am not as stupid as you think."

Fudge stood up, bent over, leaned his upper body forward slightly, stretched out his arms, and gently stuffed the "Daily Prophet" folded into a palm-sized volume into the pocket of Barty Crouch's coat.

"This time, not only did I not charge a penny, but Charlie Black's plan to recruit Muggles and Squibs to expand the factory's business was also approved by me."

He looked into Crouch's eyes as he did just now, but this time, as his words came out of his mouth word by word, Crouch's eyes began to change, showing surprise, doubt, and confusion.

...many emotions flashed through it, but the only thing missing was the thorough understanding at the beginning and the arrogance that saw through everything.

This is the first time! This is the first time he has seen Barty Crouch with such an expression. For a moment, a great sense of satisfaction surged from his chest and enveloped his whole body.

"Okay, if you came to me this time just because of this little thing...then I can only ask you to leave."

Fudge raised his chin and sat back in his seat. Although he was feeling so comfortable inside, he still remained calm on the surface and said with a calm and gentle smile.

"Because I have important things to do next...at least more important than hearing you come to trouble me like a child."

After saying that, he ignored Barty Crouch and continued to read "The Quibbler" that he had not yet finished.