Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord

The next day, Saturday, Jerry and his group quietly slipped into Hogsmeade. Harry's book bag was filled with food, all of which they had secretly saved from the lunch table earlier.

At half past one in the afternoon, they arrived at the agreed-upon location outside Hogsmeade village.

A scruffy but dignified large black dog was waiting quietly for them, its front paws casually resting on the highest wooden fence, a few crumpled newspapers held loosely in its mouth.

"Sirius!" Harry walked forward and greeted him softly.

The big black dog excitedly sniffed at Harry's book bag, wagged its tail happily a few times, then turned and led them through a dense, overgrown clearing, heading towards the rocky foothills.

The group followed closely behind, climbing over the fence and catching up.

Sirius led them for nearly half an hour, until they arrived at a rock face, where a narrow crack was visible. They carefully squeezed through it, and suddenly, a dimly lit but exceptionally cool cave opened up before them.

Deep inside the cave, Buckbeak, the magnificent Hippogriff, stood quietly, its reins securely fastened to a large rock.

Just then, the black dog swayed and instantly transformed back into Sirius himself.

"Did you bring the food I asked for?" Sirius casually tossed the old newspapers onto the cave floor, his voice a little hoarse.

Hearing this, Harry quickly handed him the food wrapped in oilcloth from his book bag.

Sirius took the bag and eagerly pulled out the wrapped food. He sat on the ground and impatiently grabbed a chicken leg, devouring it. "These days, I've been mostly relying on catching rats to fill my stomach. Stealing food from Hogsmeade is too risky, attracting unnecessary attention," he explained between bites, a helpless smile on his face.

Looking up at Harry, Sirius once again showed a warm smile, but Harry's smile seemed forced, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"What are you doing back here? Sirius, you shouldn't have come back!" Harry said.

"Of course, it's because it's my responsibility as your godfather," Sirius said, continuing to gnaw on the chicken bone, "Don't worry about me, the Ministry people don't know about my Animagus form."

Jerry picked up the newspapers Sirius had just thrown on the ground. There were two of them, one with the headline: Barty Crouch's Condition Remains Mysterious; the other with the headline: Ministry of Magic Witch Disappearance Case Escalates.

It seems that Sirius has already vaguely sensed that something is wrong! Jerry thought to himself.

"Well, Jerry, have you noticed anything suspicious in the newspapers? Dumbledore must have some suspicions too!" Sirius said with a smile.

"If I'm not mistaken, you and Dumbledore must be corresponding, right?" Jerry asked back, then added, "But you should also know that Dumbledore's enigmatic personality never allows him to discuss these things with me!"

"Haha, you're not wrong!" Sirius said, smiling as he tossed the chicken bone in his hand to Buckbeak, "I have indeed been corresponding with Dumbledore recently, but I think the reason he hasn't told you is probably because you're still too young! Even if you are very smart!"

Harry moved closer to Jerry, looking at the newspaper report about Barty Crouch in his hand.

"From their descriptions, it's as if Mr. Crouch is about to die," Harry said in a low voice.

"Percy said Mr. Crouch is overworked, leading to accumulated fatigue," Ron interjected.

"That's certainly possible," Harry nodded, thoughtfully, "Jerry, do you remember the last time we saw Mr. Crouch? He did look very weak, as if he was plagued by illness."

"Harry, tell me about the first time you met Mr. Crouch," Sirius asked curiously.

Harry then recounted in detail the events that occurred during the summer at the Quidditch World Cup, including his first encounter with Mr. Crouch, and the Death Eaters and the Dark Mark he encountered afterward. As Harry's narration ended, Sirius stood up again and began pacing within the dim cave, seemingly deep in thought.

"In my opinion, Mr. Crouch shouldn't have fired Winky in the first place," Hermione's voice carried a hint of sharpness, "If she were still around, she would have taken good care of Mr. Crouch."

"If you understood Barty Crouch's personality, you wouldn't be surprised that he fired his house-elf!" Sirius stopped and said, "But what I find puzzling is that he specifically arranged for a house-elf to save him a seat, but he himself didn't show up to watch the game. He worked so hard to prepare the Triwizard Tournament, but as a judge, he rarely appeared. This really doesn't fit Crouch's style."

"There's also something you might not know," Sirius's eyes deepened, "He personally ordered me to be sent to Azkaban, without even a trial."

"I'm not joking," he added, picking up the pumpkin juice and drinking it all in one gulp.

"Some predict that Barty Crouch might be a contender for the next Minister of Magic. He is indeed an exceptional wizard, powerful in magic, and equally strong in his desire for power."

"Back when Voldemort and his Death Eaters were wreaking havoc, and the wizarding world was shrouded in fear and chaos, such times often truly reflect the brilliance and darkness of human nature. Good people display their noblest qualities, while evil people reveal their true colors, exposed without disguise."

"Initially, Crouch may have adhered to some relatively upright principles, though I'm not entirely aware of the specifics. But as he rapidly rose in the Ministry of Magic, he began to adopt a series of tough, extreme measures to combat Voldemort's supporters."

"The new powers granted to the Aurors were undoubtedly a transformation. They gained new authority, for example, Aurors could take someone's life at any time if they felt it was justified, rather than being limited to just arresting them. And I was just one of many victims who were directly handed over to the Dementors without trial."

"Moody, though harsh in his methods, never indiscriminately killed the innocent. He always strived to capture his targets alive, even though his methods might be rough, but he stuck to his bottom line, never letting himself sink to the level of the Death Eaters' cruelty. Crouch, on the other hand, was the opposite. He believed in fighting violence with violence, even tacitly approving the use of Unforgivable Curses on suspects."

"Voldemort's disappearance seemed to pave the way for Crouch to ascend to the position of Minister of Magic, however, fate played a cruel joke at this moment. Crouch's own son fell into the clutches of the law along with a group of Death Eaters!"

"Crouch's son was also a member of the Death Eaters?" Hermione gasped in shock.

"Did his son really join the Death Eaters?" Harry asked, equally incredulous.

"I don't know either," Sirius replied, chewing on his bread.

"Did Mr. Crouch try to defend or exonerate his son?" Hermione asked.

"Crouch defend his son?" Sirius sneered, his tone full of sarcasm, "He would ruthlessly abandon anything that might tarnish his reputation. His only affection for his own son... might have been his 'performance' in the courtroom!"

"So, he ultimately handed his own son over to the Dementors?" Harry still found it hard to believe.

"But he's not the only one who died in Azkaban," Sirius's voice was low and painful, "In that abyss of despair, many people broke down and lost their desire for life, eventually choosing to starve themselves to death."

"In the last moments of his life, Crouch and his wife were allowed to visit their dying son together. Crouch supported his wife, who was haggard with grief, as they stumbled past my cell. There was only emptiness and despair left in his wife's eyes, and she would obviously die soon too."

"Crouch didn't even claim his own son's body. The Dementors simply buried his son's remains in a corner of the prison."

"From a hero who once fought against the Dark Lord, confidently pursuing the position of Minister of Magic, to losing his son, his wife, and his family's reputation being tarnished, Crouch has lost almost everything!"