Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 4- Ch. 74

"You're kidding!" Said a Harry

"I'm not." Said Sirius, "Crouch use to be the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?"

The four of them shook their heads.

"He was on his way to becoming the next Minister of Magic." He continued. "He's a great wizard, powerfully magical... and power-hungry." He looked at the expression Harry had, "oh but never a Voldemort supporter."

Céline cringed at the name.

"Barty Crouch as always been very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who said they were against the Dark Side... well you wouldn't understand... you're too young." He said.

"That's what dad said to us at the World Cup." Ron complained, "Try us, will you?"

Sirius couldn't help but grin at him.

"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."

They all stood there silently listening.

"Well times like that bring out the best in people, and also the worst in people. Crouch's principles might have been good in the beginning, but once he started to rise in power, he started to fight violence with violence. He gave the Aurors power to kill rather than capture, they were allowed to use Unforgivable Curses on suspects. I wasn't the only one handed to the dementors without trial. I would say he became just as bad as the Dark Side. But there were people who supported his ways. They thought what he was doing was the right way of doing things."

Céline could imagine her parents people some of those supporters... of either side really.

"Many people wanted him to become the next Minister of Magic, after Voldemort disappeared. Only something, I suppose, unfortunate happened." Said Sirius, giving them a grim smile. "Crouch's son was captured with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. They were apparently trying to find Voldemort and bring him to power."

The four of them looked at him with wide eyes.

"Crouch's son was caught?" Gasped Hermione.

"Yep," he said giving a chicken bone to Buckbeak, Céline hadn't even realized that he had eaten a good portion of the chicken legs Harry brought him. He was now sitting back down tearing the loaf of bread in half. She quickly looked through Harry's bag and pulled out a flask and handed it to Sirius. He nodded in thanks.

"Bad shock for old Barty, I imagine. I suppose he should have spent a little more time at home with his family, should he? Should have left the office early once in a while, get to know his own son." He said, tearing a bite out of the bread.

"Was his son a Death Eater?" Asked Céline.

"No idea. I was already in Azkaban when they brought him in. I didn't find most of this out until after I got out."

"Did Crouch try to get his son off?" Hermione asked.

Sirius laughed loudly, "let his son off? Hermione, I thought you had a good read on him. He would let anything that could tarnish his reputation go. Including his son. Barely gave him a trial, then sent him straight to Azkaban. I believe he might have been around nineteen at the time. Would scream for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days though... they all went quiet after a few days... except when they shrieked in their sleep."