great-warnovel Chapter 162 Useless Schemes
Chapter 162 Useless Schemes
Chapter 162 Useless Schemes
When Hermione entered the Herbology office, she found several professors there.
Sprout, Lily, and Flitwick were all witnesses to Dumbledore's soul-binding ceremony.
"You used your Patronus to notify me to come here, presumably because of Crouch?" Hermione waved the Daily Diviner in her hand. The largest page on it featured Barty Crouch Jr. looking anxious, with Barty Crouch Sr. on a floating stretcher beside him, barely clinging to life.
"I just finished lunch, and the hastily printed Diviner's Daily is already spreading everywhere. That's quite astonishing," she said casually.
"It seems he used quite a few connections to save his father," Sprout frowned.
"They're probably worried that Hogwarts will become too proud of itself, so they're trying to put pressure on us through public opinion."
"From an outsider's perspective, this may seem immoral, but it's also understandable." Flitwick sat on a raised chair, sipping his tea.
"I'm afraid family ties are only one aspect. If Barty the Elder dies, the Crouch family's rise will be directly interrupted," Lily added.
"Although Crouch Jr. is already the Director of the Enforcement Division, that's mostly due to his father's influence. If Crouch Sr. doesn't get through this, he'll probably be ousted from his position soon."
"It all happened too hastily. Old Barty probably didn't even have time to pass on all his connections and political legacy to him." Sprout even started to worry about the boy.
"Is it possible that he cruelly cursed his own father in order to steal Hogwarts' technology?" Hermione couldn't help but ask, as if the professors had subconsciously forgotten this worst-case scenario.
The three professors were taken aback and then shook their heads.
"You don't understand him, kid. He may be a Slytherin, but he was an outstanding student. He graduated with zeros in all twelve subjects. You don't see that kind of student for many years," Sprout explained.
Lily chimed in, "I wrote to Professor Slughorn—my Potions professor back in school—and he personally verified the curse on Old Crouch. It couldn't possibly have been done by Barty Jr. himself."
It really does seem like the work of the Dark Lord.
"If even Professor Slughorn says there's no way, then there really isn't."
"But why would Grindelwald go to all that trouble to curse old Crouch?" Hermione still shook her head, puzzled.
"And as far as I know, old Crouch wasn't the first. At Christmas, young Barty came to Dumbledore because an elder had been cursed. Clearly, the killer wasn't targeting Malfoy Castle, but the Crouch family."
"It's most likely a political struggle. The rivalry among the pure-blood nobles has become increasingly fierce recently. It's not impossible that they obtained the cursed artifact left behind by Grindelwald through some shady channels."
Each and every incident seemed to have a reasonable explanation, but Hermione still felt that something was off.
"Ultimately, what he really wants is a way for Dumbledore to return to his peak, but this is the only thing we can't give him." Regardless of whether this incident is real or staged, Barty Jr.'s self-confidence is very clear.
But the story of Dumbledore lifting the curse was just a lie; Dumbledore was already dead, and what remained in the world was merely a ghost kept alive by his ashes.
In other words, Dumbledore's Transfiguration was extremely powerful. Up until now, only Grindelwald, who had mastered the art of transformation, could see through it. Even Voldemort, after fighting Dumbledore, didn't discover much of a clue.
"Yes, even if we tell Crouch the truth, I'm afraid he won't accept it. He'll want to kill his father himself and then remain as a ghost." Sprout shook his head.
Moreover, this would completely expose Dumbledore's disguise, letting everyone know that the Hundred Wizards are dead, which would be a huge blow to Hogwarts' reputation.
"Moreover, this ritual involves controlling the souls of others, and I've spoken with Dumbledore about it. It's impossible to leave this to the nobles," Hermione added.
"It may sound heartless, but the life of old Crouch is not as valuable as the potential harm that might result from opening this door."
The professors all knew that Hermione had become the youngest head of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, which is why they called her in when discussing Barty Jr.'s situation.
"That's true, but we all know we can't tell him the truth," Flitwick said hesitantly.
"But are we just going to stand by and watch?"
Lily frowned as well: "That's the troublesome part. Little Barty thought he was being clever by putting this in the newspaper."
They've put us on a moral high ground. If we don't help, we'll inevitably be condemned by everyone in the community, and it might even affect our support for the school. They've invested so much money, and now that Hogwarts is facing a life-or-death crisis, they're choosing to stand idly by. This will discourage many other leaders.
"Moreover, we can't resolve this privately. He made such a big fuss that he has no way out."
Hermione didn't like this man very much; his behavior was too politician-like, and he had handled the matter of Dobby's assassination attempt on her quite perfunctorily.
However, the professors generally had a good impression of him, perhaps due to the impression left over from their student days. After all, who doesn't like a good student?
She took a few steps in the office, looked up, and said, "The next field trip is in two days."
What I'm certain of is that Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall will return after that.
The others looked at her in surprise. Why did the two principals tell this little girl when they hadn't even told the professors?
Hermione could only shrug awkwardly; she couldn't afford to give herself away at the last minute.
She pulled a small bag from her bosom: "These are the Phoenix Tears that Dumbledore gave me last Christmas. I'll give this to Barty first; I think it might at least delay the onset of the curse."
"When Dumbledore returns, he can personally check on old Crouch's condition."
Sprout chuckled and shook his head: "How could I let you pay for it yourself? Silly child, the school has kept plenty of Phoenix Tears, just in case."
"We just thought it would be best if you were there for this discussion, since you're now a school board member," Lily winked at Hermione, teasing her.
"But I never imagined that you held a more important place in Dumbledore's and the others' hearts than we thought," she exclaimed.
"Thinking about it, that makes sense. If an enemy were to suddenly break in, Miss Granger, who can perfectly control the Radiant Stone, would need to have sufficient authority and a lot of information," Flitwick said with a smile.
Hermione was being stared at with strange looks by the three professors, and she was so embarrassed she felt like she could dig another castle out of the floorboards, but she couldn't explain herself.
"Just bear with it a little longer! In a couple more days, once I've dealt with the Carol siblings and the basilisk, I'll dump all this mess on Dumbledore!" she thought to herself.