Harry Potter 04 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Mark?’
    ‘It’s more likely he did it than Winky,’ said Hermione stubbornly.
    ‘Told you,’ said Ron, looking meaningfully at Sirius, ‘told you she’s obsessed with house–’
    But Sirius held up a hand to silence Ron. ‘When the Dark Mark had been conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding Harry’s wand, what did Crouch do?’
    ‘Went to look in the bushes,’ said Harry, ‘but there wasn’t anyone else there.’
    ‘Of course,’ Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, ‘of course, he’d want to pin it on anyone but his own elf … and then he sacked her?’
    ‘Yes,’ said Hermione in a heated voice, ‘he sacked her, just because she hadn’t stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled –’
    ‘Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!’ said Ron.
    But Sirius shook his head and said, ‘She’s got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.’
    He ran a hand over his unshaven face, evidently thinking hard. ‘All these absences of Barty Crouch’s … he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn’t bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that, too … it’s not like Crouch. If he’s ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I’ll eat Buckbeak.’
    ‘D’you know Crouch, then?’ said Harry.
    Sirius’ face darkened. He suddenly looked as menacing as the night when Harry had first met him, the night when Harry had still believed Sirius to be a murderer.
    ‘Oh, I know Crouch all right,’ he said quietly. ‘He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban – without a trial.’
    ‘What?’ said Ron and Hermione together.
    ‘You’re kidding!’ said Harry.
    ‘No, I’m not,’ said Sirius, taking another great bite of chicken. ‘Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn’t you know?’
    Harry, Ron and Hermione shook their heads.
    ‘He was tipped as the next Minister for Magic,’ said Sirius. ‘He’s a great wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical – and power-hungry. Oh, never a Voldemort supporter,’ he said, reading the look on Harry’s face. ‘No, Barty Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark side … well, you wouldn’t understand … you’re too young …’
    ‘That’s what my dad said at the World Cup,’ said Ron, with a trace of irritation in his voice. ‘Try us, why don’t you?’
    A grin flashed across Sirius’ thin face. ‘All right, I’ll try you…’
    He walked once up the cave, back again, and then said, ‘Imagine that Voldemort’s powerful now. You don’t know who his supporters are, you don’t know who’s working for him and who isn’t; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You’re scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing … the Ministry of Magic’s in disarray, they don’t know what to do, they’re trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere … panic … confusion … that’s how it used to be.
    ‘Well, times like that bring out the best in some people, and the worst in others. Crouch’s principles might’ve been good in the beginning – I wouldn’t know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort’s supporters. The Aurors were given new powers – powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn’t the only one who was handed straight to the Dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorised the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark side. He had his supporters, mind you – plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamouring for him to take over as Minister for Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened …’ Sirius smiled grimly. ‘Crouch’s own son was caught with a group of Death