Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord

Shining struggled to open her eyes, her copper-bell-like brown eyes filled with confusion. Under the silent and stern gaze of the surrounding wizards, she trembled, using both hands to barely support herself as she sat up.

When her gaze touched Mr. Diggory's feet, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes. Then, slowly and shakily, she raised her gaze to Mr. Diggory's face, and then upwards, finally settling on the unsettling, emerald-green skull floating in the night sky.

Shining gasped sharply, her eyes darting between the crowd, filled with fear and unease. She looked around at the open space shrouded in a tense atmosphere. Eventually, all the fear and panic converged into a torrent, transforming into tears. She cried out in fear, her voice filled with helplessness and despair.

"Shining, is it?" Mr. Diggory's tone carried a hint of severity. "Do you recognize me?"

Shining trembled on the ground, rocking back and forth, each breath accompanied by violent sobs, appearing extremely frightened and uneasy.

"But you were found holding a wand!" Mr. Diggory's voice rose, almost roaring, as he waved the wand for emphasis.

The green light cast by the skull mark happened to shine on the wand, and Harry recognized it at a glance.

"Wait, Mr. Diggory, the wand you're holding is mine!" Harry suddenly spoke.

"What did you say?" Mr. Diggory stared in astonishment, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"That's my wand!" Harry confirmed again, swallowing hard, trying to remain calm. "I accidentally lost it earlier."

"You lost it?" Mr. Diggory repeated, his tone full of suspicion.

"Amos," Mr. Weasley's voice carried a hint of anger, "he's Harry Potter. Do you think the Dark Mark was summoned by Harry Potter? Or are you saying you think Harry Potter is a Death Eater?"

Mr. Diggory's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, appearing somewhat embarrassed. He mumbled vaguely, "Uh...of course, that's impossible. I...I was overcome with emotion, please forgive me."

Seeing this, Harry quickly explained, "That is indeed my wand. We had only just entered the woods when my wand disappeared."

Mr. Diggory's gaze fell on Shining again, his eyes revealing an unspeakable coldness. "Shining, you found this wand, didn't you? You picked it up, and then...summoned the Dark Mark?"

Shining shuddered, shouting sharply in denial, "I didn't use it to cast a spell, sir! I swear, I just saw it lying there and picked it up. I really didn't conjure the Dark Mark, sir, I don't even know how!" Her tears fell like broken beads, sliding down the sides of her flattened nose, appearing both helpless and aggrieved.

"Jerry, it wasn't Shining!" Hermione, unable to watch any longer, gently tugged on Jerry's sleeve.

"Everyone, the voice chanting the spell that we heard earlier was clearly much deeper than Shining's. It was the voice of a young man," Jerry nodded, and after pondering for a moment, said.

"That's right," Harry quickly nodded in agreement. "That voice was definitely not Shining's."

Barty Crouch Sr. paused slightly upon hearing this, then glared fiercely at Shining with anger in his eyes.

"Alright, no need for so much trouble, the truth will soon be revealed," Diggory shook his head and said, "Just check what the last spell cast by this wand was, and that's it!"

Shining trembled all over, shaking her head frantically in fear, her large ears flapping rapidly. Mr. Diggory, brooking no argument, raised his own wand, the tip touching Harry's wand.

"Prior Incantato!" Diggory shouted, his voice full of power.

In an instant, a horrifying, tongue-flicking gray skeletal ghost emerged from the point where the two wands connected. Although it was only a blurry shadow of the green, glowing skull in the night sky, its eerie aura sent chills down one's spine. This ghost seemed to be condensed from thick gray smoke, filled with ominousness.

"Deletrius!" Mr. Diggory quickly cast the counter-spell, and the skull ghost made of smoke instantly turned into a wisp of smoke, vanishing without a trace.

"It seems that everything is clear!" Mr. Diggory looked coldly at Shining at his feet, a cruel look of triumph appearing on his face.

Shining was still trembling, as if every inch of her muscles was telling of her innocence and fear.

"It wasn't me!" she screamed, her terrified eyes seemingly about to pop out of their sockets. "It really wasn't me, I don't even know what's going on! I've always been a loyal house-elf, I never fiddle with wands, and I wouldn't know how to conjure such a thing!"

"The evidence is conclusive, you can't argue, elf!" Mr. Diggory's voice was stern and cold as he pointed his wand at Shining. "You were found holding this wand that had just cast the Dark Mark!"

"Mr. Diggory, I think your reasoning seems flawed!" Jerry patted Hermione's hand, signaling her not to worry, before saying. "Think about it, there are very few wizards who would conjure the Dark Mark, so where would Shining have learned it from, other than from Crouch Sr.?"

"I completely trust Mr. Crouch," Jerry's gaze turned to Barty Crouch Sr., his eyes filled with "respect". "He has been fighting against the Dark Arts all his life, how could he teach his own house-elf such evil magic?"

"Thank you, thank you Jerry for trusting me so much!" Barty Crouch Sr.'s face flashed a grateful smile upon hearing this, but then he returned to his usual sternness.

"Jerry's right, who else would summon the Dark Mark besides those Death Eaters? Diggory, your accusation is too absurd, are you implying that my house-elf was instructed by me?" Mr. Crouch's voice was deep and full of authority, each word hitting Mr. Diggory's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Mr. Crouch, I absolutely didn't mean that!" Mr. Diggory's face was pale, his voice filled with fear.

"So far, you have used such blunt and baseless language to accuse the two people on this empty ground who are least likely to be involved in this matter -- Harry Potter and me!" Mr. Crouch roared furiously, "I think you should be very clear about this boy's background, Amos?"

"Yes, of course, everyone knows…" Mr. Diggory muttered to himself.

"Moreover, I believe you also remember that in my long career, there is countless evidence that I have a deep aversion and hatred for the Dark Arts and its practitioners, isn't that right?" Mr. Crouch's voice echoed through the night sky, his eyeballs protruding even more with anger.

"Mr. Crouch, I… I never had any intention of involving you!" Mr. Diggory defended again, his face behind the short brown beard already flushed red, "I absolutely did not imply that you had any connection with this matter!"

"But accusing my house-elf is tantamount to indirectly accusing me!" Mr. Crouch pointed out unceremoniously, "How could a house-elf learn such evil magic without someone teaching her?"

"Winky, exactly where in the woods did you find Harry Potter's wand?" Mr. Crouch continued to press, his tone full of urgency and severity.

"Just over there in the woods, sir." Winky twisted the edge of the tea towel she was wearing, as if trying to draw a trace of strength from it. Her fingers were so tight that the edge of the tea towel was twisted open.

"So, in other words, whoever the mastermind is, after summoning the Dark Mark, he used Apparition to escape the scene. He deliberately left Harry Potter's wand behind as a misdirection. This move was quite ingenious, avoiding exposing his identity by using his own wand. Soon after, the innocent Winky happened to pass by and picked up the wand without knowing what it was."

Barty Crouch Senior's words won widespread approval from the surrounding people, and Jerry secretly gave Barty Crouch Senior a thumbs up. In this way, everyone's attention was successfully diverted away from Barty Crouch Senior himself, and no one would directly associate this incident with him. But who would have thought that the person who summoned the Dark Mark was his son, Barty Crouch Junior, who should have been imprisoned in Azkaban!

"So, Winky was very close to the real culprit at the time?" Mr. Diggory asked eagerly, "Winky, did you see anyone suspicious?"

"Don't have any concerns, Winky, tell us everything you saw!" Barty Crouch Senior looked imposing.

Winky trembled even more violently at this moment, her big eyes darting back and forth between Mr. Diggory, Ludo Bagman, and Barty Crouch Senior, and finally she took a deep breath and replied in a trembling voice: "I… I didn't see… No one…"

"Amos," Barty Crouch Senior said in an unquestionable tone, "According to the normal procedure, you should take Winky back to your department for interrogation. But here, I implore you to make an exception and allow me to handle this matter myself."

Mr. Diggory's face showed some reluctance, but as Barty Crouch Senior had said to Jerry earlier, his position in the Ministry of Magic was crucial, and his influence could not be underestimated, which forced Mr. Diggory to reluctantly accept this proposal.

"Rest assured, Winky will be punished accordingly for her negligence tonight," Barty Crouch Senior added in a cold tone, without any room for negotiation.

"Mas… Master…" Winky looked up at Barty Crouch Senior, tears glistening in her eyes, and said in a trembling voice, "Ple… Please, Master!"

Barty Crouch Senior stared at her coldly, his face stern, every wrinkle on his face seemed to be telling of his displeasure, and there was no trace of sympathy in his eyes.

"Winky's actions tonight have shocked and disappointed me," he said slowly, his voice low, "I ordered her to stay in the tent to guard it while I went to deal with the chaos. However, she violated my orders while I was away, which means…" Speaking of this, Mr. Crouch suddenly changed his tone and spat out two words coldly, "Clothes!"

"No --!" Winky screamed in despair, suddenly falling to her knees beside Barty Crouch Senior, grabbing his trouser legs tightly, "No, Master! Please don't let Winky leave, Winky will never dare to do it again!"

She clutched the only tattered tea towel she was wearing, and tears fell like broken beads on Mr. Crouch's shiny leather shoes, making her look pitiful.

In the wizarding world, giving clothes to house-elves means giving them freedom, but house-elves will think they have been abandoned by their masters! Not every house-elf is like Dobby. Abandoned house-elves usually end up miserable because they cannot adapt to the change in identity.

Barty Crouch Senior took a step back in disgust, shaking off Winky's pleas. He looked down at her, his eyes full of disgust and disdain, as if Winky was a dirty rag, defiling his carefully maintained leather shoes.

"I don't need a disobedient house-elf," Barty Crouch Senior's voice was chillingly cold, "I don't need a servant who has forgotten her identity and no longer maintains her master's honor."

Winky's cries echoed in the empty space, making her seem even more desolate and helpless. For a moment, the air was filled with awkwardness and oppression. Finally, Mr. Weasley broke the silence: "I think we should go back to our tents first. Amos, give Harry his wand back."

Mr. Diggory nodded, returned the wand to Harry, and then left quickly.

"Let's go, we should go back and find Ginny and them." Mr. Weasley urged in a low voice, but Hermione's footsteps seemed to be rooted to the spot, her eyes still deeply locked on the crying house-elf, Winky.

"Don't worry, Hermione," Jerry gently approached and comforted her softly, "After we get back, I'll give Dobby a considerable sum of Galleons and ask him to help take care of Winky."

"If that's not enough, let her work at Hogwarts," Seeing that Hermione was still a little hesitant, Jerry patted his chest again, "Don't forget that the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, is my grandfather. As long as I open my mouth, I believe the kind Dumbledore will agree to my request!"

In fact, Jerry thought it was Barty Crouch Senior being muddleheaded that Winky could survive. If it were Jerry, he would never let Winky, who knew his secret, leave alive. After all, only dead people can keep secrets forever!

"Jerry, you are also very kind!" Hermione said, a trace of gratitude and relief flashing in her eyes. She nodded lightly, then took Jerry's arm and left quickly.