Hogwarts: I inherited my legacy

Chapter 678 The Terrible Old Barty Crouch

"Click"

Fudge clenched his fists so tightly that his joints made crisp sounds. Even the most seasoned politician would have found it difficult to remain calm in the face of such an insult.

[Connelly], that pink toad just now actually dared to call him by his name!

Instead of addressing him respectfully as "Principal Fudge" as usual.

This was simply an undisguised humiliation. If anyone else dared to call Fudge like that, he would definitely let the other person see what a real "big shot" was.

However, it was Dolores Umbridge who called him that this time. Putting aside personal feelings, she is now the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Magic, and Fudge is now just the acting headmaster of Hogwarts.

After all, he was not even a formal employee, but just a wanderer in the wizarding world.

In terms of status, there was already a clear gap between him and Umbridge.

Therefore, faced with such a great humiliation, Fudge finally gritted his teeth and endured it.

In fact, Fudge was not the first person to suffer such insults from Umbridge. Long before him, old Barty Crouch had been humiliated by the Deputy Minister of Magic.

Because of this, Fudge really couldn't imagine why old Barty Crouch could forgive Umbridge like this?

To achieve this, one must have such a deep cunning mind!

Thinking of this, Fudge couldn't help but feel a chill coming over him, and thought to himself: "This old thing is really a bit scary!"

......

Compared to Fudge who only felt a little chill at the moment, the one who really felt chilled was another protagonist in this appointment - Rufus Scrimgeour.

Actually, this appointment was a promotion for him, but he did not feel the slightest bit of happiness or joy, only a feeling of chill in his heart.

Faced with the "congratulations" from many colleagues in the Ministry of Magic, he simply nodded coldly without even a polite response.

Most Ministry employees believed that the former grim Head of Office and now Deputy Minister was just that way, and that he was always stuffy and serious.

However, there are still a small number of people who are keenly aware of the game behind the scenes, and they themselves may be part of this game, such as Frank Longbottom, who is smoking in the office with Rufus Scrimgeour, who is in a very bad mood.

"Cough cough cough..."

After a cough,

"Hmm..." Frank Longbottom took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, as if he wanted to inhale the long-lost smoke deeply into his lungs, but the result made him a little disappointed.

He frowned and muttered to himself, "It's really been too long since I last smoked. I'm completely unaccustomed to the stimulating feeling that tobacco brings."

He held the old briar pipe tightly in his hand, with a self-deprecating smile on his face.

He knew that this was not just a feeling of unfamiliarity with tobacco, but also a kind of nostalgia and helplessness for the past. He was also trying to use this topic to comfort his old captain and divert his attention at this time.

However, Rufus Scrimgeour, who was sitting opposite, did not immediately respond to Frank's sentiment.

Silently he picked up his meerschaum pipe, gently filled it with tobacco, and lit it.

He kept puffing on the cigarette, one puff after another, and the smoke that luckily was not inhaled filled the air.

Every puff of smoke seemed to carry endless thoughts and sorrows, and as time went by, the smoke gradually accumulated into a thick cloud.

Finally, when Rufus took his dozenth puff, he suddenly stopped smoking, took a deep breath, and then suddenly exhaled all the accumulated secondhand smoke at once.

At that moment, it seemed as if the sorrow that had been accumulating in his heart for a long time was also released.

The smoke rolled and drifted in the air, gradually disappearing into the air.

And Rufus' face showed an expression of relief, as if all the troubles and worries had gone away with the smoke.

He stared at the colorful murals on the ceiling with a confused look in his eyes, as if he had lost all his strength. His usual cold-blooded, resolute and courageous image was gone.

At this moment, he was just an exhausted man, leaning on the large office chair, his voice low and depressed,

"Frank, do you know? In the past, whenever we successfully seized those top-quality tobacco shreds, the minister and I would share the joy together in this office. At that time, we talked about everything. At work, he was my respected superior, and privately, we were even closer friends."

Frank Longbottom listened quietly, remaining silent.

He understood that Rufus Scrimgeour did not need his response now, he just needed someone to listen, someone to whom he could vent his inner pain.

Sure enough, Rufus Scrimgeour continued in a weary tone,

"I still remember that a long time ago, when he praised his son to me with great joy, his eyes sparkled with pride. He vowed that his son was a genius who was destined to make the Crouch family famous. It was indeed the case. The child was indeed outstanding and admirable. However, I don't know when, every time he mentioned the son who made him so proud, his face was always shrouded in deep worry."

"He also told me that his beloved son had been very close to some bad boys recently. He was very troubled by this, but he didn't know how to deal with it. Now everyone knows that he, as a father, is not very good at educating children."

At this point, he turned his head and looked at Frank, who was fiddling with his pipe, and continued with a serious and guilty look on his face,

"Yes, in fact, we have known for a long time that Barty Jr. is a Death Eater. Frank, I'm so sorry that I have kept this from you."

You know, Barty Crouch Jr. was one of the hateful Death Eaters who tortured the Longbottoms.

However, Frank Longbottom simply waved his hand to indicate that he did not blame Rufus Scrimgeour.

He responded with a focused look.

"No need to apologize, Captain. Neither you nor Minister Crouch let that heinous Death Eater off easily in the end, did you? He received the punishment he deserved and eventually died in Azkaban. You have done a great job, and that is really enough."

Of course, Rufus Scrimgeour had no idea that Barty Crouch Sr. had finally succumbed to his wife's pleas and had Barty Crouch Jr. swapped out of Azkaban, because the three people who knew about it were already dead.

"In fact, I admire him very much. He is the guide of my Auror career." Rufus Scrimgeour said with emotion.

"Like you were my guide?" Frank Longbottom asked.

"Yes, just like you and me."

Rufus Scrimgeour gave an affirmative answer, and then continued to reminisce, telling Frank Longbottom about his past with Barty Crouch Sr.

"He taught me many things, such as fairness, which is beyond reproach in the entire wizarding world. If there hadn't been a lot of despicable rumors in the wizarding world saying something like 'a person who can't educate his children well can't be a good Minister of Magic', he would have actually been the current Minister."

Rufus Scrimgeour's tone was full of regret and sorrow, as if he felt unfair for Barty Crouch Sr. losing the chance to become Minister of Magic. If it weren't for those malicious rumors, perhaps Barty Crouch Sr. would have become an excellent Minister of Magic and led the wizarding world to a better future.

Frank Longbottom listened quietly. He could sense the respect and admiration that Rufus Scrimgeour had for Barty Crouch Sr.