Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 159, Starting from Grade 4

Barty Crouch: "..."

"Aren't you afraid I'll notify the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic right now?"

Thea scoffed, "Stop bluffing. If you really wanted to notify the Aurors, you would have done so when you saw me. Why wait until now?"

Crouch paused for a moment, then said, "Tell me, what exactly did you come here for today?"

"It's nothing, just a request to discuss a collaboration. Either I write a letter to the Ministry of Magic accusing you of trading your wife's life for your son's, and from then on, all the glory of the Crouch family will vanish in your hands!"

"Either cooperate with me, since I need a friend in the Ministry of Magic."

Just when Barty Jr. thought Barty Sr. would give in, because in his heart there was nothing more important than the Crouch family, Barty Sr. suddenly said:

"Black, if you release me today, I will immediately resign from the Ministry of Magic and reveal to the world that you are the daughter of the Dark Lord!"

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Little Barty instinctively gripped his wand tighter, and Thea's face was no longer relaxed, but rather held an indescribable, complex expression.

"What kind of misconception do you have about me? Do you think I'm going to be threatened by you, or is it for such an absurd reason?"

"Besides, even if everyone knows my identity, would those ants dare to say a single wrong thing to me?"

"But what about you? As soon as Barty Jr. shows his face, all the crimes you've committed will be exposed! The Crouch family's downfall is just around the corner!"

"Can't you see who's more important now?!"

Crouch could no longer maintain his composure, and after a long pause, he finally said, "I will absolutely not do anything to harm the wizarding world!"

Thea sneered, "Haven't you figured this out yet? The Crouch family's downfall was entirely due to my decision! Now you want to negotiate with me? You're asking for it!"

After a long silence, Crouch's face had turned completely ashen. "...What do you want me to do?"

Thea's smile instantly returned. "That's wonderful! If you had agreed sooner, I wouldn't have been so disrespectful to you!"

Little Barty, standing to the side, was amazed by Thea's incredible face-changing skills.

"Actually, it's not much. It's just that I don't like Fudge. After thinking it over, I think you are more suitable for the position of Minister of Magic."

"You... want to push me to the top?" Crouch couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

“I think this is my way of showing sincerity to my partners. What do you think?” Thea said with a smile.

------

"Skeet is really too audacious! How dare he make up such a lie."

On the train back to school, Daphne handed the newspaper to Thea in shock.

Thea took the scan, and a huge, eye-catching headline came into view: "A Recap of the Ministry of Magic's Performance at the Quidditch World Cup."

Further down the page, lengthy passages appear with phrases such as "The Aurors' incompetence allowed the dark wizard to leave the arena unscathed" and "Several corpses were carried out of the arena woods, but the Ministry of Magic prohibited filming."

Finally, she even pointed the finger at Barty Crouch and Fudge, claiming that the Crouch family's house-elf was fired because it took the blame for its owners!

Fudge's decision to allow Crouch to do so raises concerns that the Minister of Magic's term might be the shortest in history!

Thea read the entire article with a furrowed brow.

"Thea, why did you suddenly tell us to keep an eye on Crouch's movements that day?"

As soon as Daphne asked the question, the other people's eyes "inadvertently" drifted over.

"Oh, I wanted to sneak into his tent and teach him a lesson while things were in disarray, that's why I asked you to keep an eye on him for me."

Thea's answer was watertight. Although the others felt that Thea's purpose might not be so simple, they couldn't find a more suitable reason.

"Crouch's house-elf was fired?" But I just saw it when I went to "visit" Crouch the other day.

"Yes, I heard Crouch fired him on the spot, even giving him his clothes."

"Oh."

It seems Crouch has taken it back. After all, if it were Thea, she wouldn't feel comfortable banishing a house-elf who knows his biggest secret.

Do you know who the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is this year?

Seeing that no one spoke, Theodore took the initiative to bring up a topic.

"I don't know. My father didn't get any information. Dumbledore did a very good job of keeping it a secret."

Draco shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Everyone looked at Draco in surprise, which almost made him think that his face was not clean.

Why...are you looking at me like that?

“It just suddenly feels like even Draco has matured a lot!” Daphne exclaimed, which made everyone laugh.

Draco didn't bother arguing with them; anyone who had experienced his epic vacation would have learned their lesson.

During his time at Nicolas Flamel's house, Draco completely abandoned the reserve of a noble young master. If Nicolas Flamel pointed east, he would never dare to go west, showing the utmost obsequiousness.

Fortunately, his efforts have paid off; at least Nicolas Flamel's evaluation of his work has improved from "monster" to "good".

"I made some new communication equipment during the holidays. I'll bring it to you at school later as your Christmas presents this year."

Just as everyone was about to tease Draco, they were caught off guard by this unexpected windfall. They immediately abandoned their previous idea and began serving tea and water, doing their utmost to be attentive, hoping to trick Draco into handing over a few more alchemical items.

Of course, their return gifts would vary depending on the value of Draco's gift; this was a matter of etiquette.