OBS Chapter 298 Temporary Command Office
Chapter 298 Temporary Command Office
Chapter 298 Inside the Temporary Command Office (5K) (2/2)
However, just as he was single-mindedly planning how to tighten the reins next, and even considering whether to apply for a special search warrant for Malfoy Estate—which would require special approval from Wissengamo and be extremely difficult—there was a knock on his office door.
His assistant came in with an urgent letter bearing the minister's office seal.
"Director, this is an urgent order from Minister Fouché."
Crouch frowned as he took it and quickly removed the sealing wax.
The letter was brief, but its tone was unusually urgent:
Crouch:
According to reliable intelligence, Black is highly likely to appear near Hogsmeade tonight. You are hereby ordered to immediately lead the three most elite Auror squads of the Department of Law Enforcement to the Hogsmeade I Provisional Command Office by 8 PM tonight for a secret assembly and await further instructions. This matter concerns the reputation of the Ministry of Magic and cannot be compromised!
Cornelius-Fudge Crouch's fingers, gripping the letter tightly, turned slightly white.
Fudge, you idiot!
An uncontrollable anger mixed with contempt surged into Crouch's heart.
At the most critical juncture, they're using this baseless "urgent intelligence" to disrupt my plans!
Hogsmeade?
Temporary office?
Did he think this was a hunting game?
If Black had been so foolish as to show up in the crowded and conspicuous Hogsmeade, he would have been caught long ago, and wouldn't be able to roam free until now!
They were treating Auror and his Chief of Law Enforcement like street patrol militiamen on his orders!
A strong sense of irritation and resistance welled up inside Barty Crouch.
While he was busy cleaning up his own mess and dealing with those insidious pureblood vipers, Fudge was sending him and his most elite forces to deal with Black, who had been on the run for months and whose whereabouts were unknown.
But he could not disobey the minister's direct orders, especially since the entire wizarding world was watching the Black affair.
If he refuses or delays, Fudge will not let it go and may even use it to undermine his authority in the Department of Law Enforcement.
Crouch took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging anger and a barely perceptible worry that the family secrets might be discovered again because of his departure.
He instructed his assistant, "Immediately notify Scrimgeour! The entire Roberts Squad, Savage Squad, and Potts Squad are on high alert and must assemble at the headquarters within half an hour. There is an emergency mission."
"Yes, Director!" The assistant immediately turned to carry out the order.
The assistant quietly left the office and gently closed the door behind him.
A suffocating silence returned to the room, broken only by Barty Crouch's heavy breathing and the persistent, faint crackling of the fire in the fireplace.
He leaned back in the hard chair, his fingertips touching his chin, his gray eyes staring sharply into the empty space ahead, lost in deeper thought.
"They know—" This thought coiled around his heart like the coldest venomous snake.
He was almost certain that the Malfoys' spying was aimed at Barty Jr.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain the meticulously planned diversionary tactic and the unusual reaction of the pure-blood families afterward—they endured his suppression but only passively defended themselves, without launching an equally intense counterattack against him personally.
This is illogical.
If Lucius Malfoy had such a fatal weakness, given the pure-blood family's usual practices and Malfoy's own cunning, he should have already used this information to his advantage.
They could either blackmail him privately, forcing him to make huge concessions on the policies of the Department of Justice; or, even more ruthlessly, throw the evidence directly at Fudge or the Daily Prophet, attempting to completely destroy Barty Crouch and eliminate any future threat.
But they didn't.
They were like venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, flicking their tongues and coldly watching him, yet hesitant to deliver the fatal blow.
Why?
Several possibilities flashed through his mind, and his thoughts became calmer.
"Little Barty has been moved," he told himself, "and is being looked after by Sparkle. The place is secluded enough." A cold glint flashed in his eyes at the thought of Sparkle. Despite having been severely punished for "negligence," he still trusted Sparkle's loyalty.
"As long as I keep Little Barty firmly under my control, I won't be brought down!"
Crouch's arrogance and confidence, typical of seasoned politicians, began to rise.
"So what if they do have some vague evidence?" he thought disdainfully.
The power struggles within the Ministry of Magic are never simply black and white.
He has plenty of ways to maneuver around the situation.
Accusing a highly respected and incorruptible head of law enforcement of hiding his Death Eater son? It sounds like an absurd joke.
He could easily turn the tables and accuse the pure-blood family of slander and framing him in retaliation for his past strict enforcement of the law.
He can use his connections in Wisconsin-Gamo and influence public opinion through the Daily Prophet.
As long as he isn't caught red-handed, and as long as irrefutable evidence isn't presented directly in his face, he's confident he can muddy the waters and distort the truth.
"Their reluctance to act might stem from their awareness that a direct confrontation offers little chance of victory and would instead provoke a full-scale, reckless counterattack from me." Crouch's gaze grew increasingly cold. "Therefore, their goal is likely not to completely destroy me, but rather to use this as leverage in a bargaining chip for a deal."
If that's the case, the situation is dangerous, but not without a solution.
It's nothing more than negotiation, it's about taking a loss.
He might need to turn a blind eye to pure-blood families in certain policies, might need to abandon the pursuit of some fringe Death Eaters, and might even need to favor them in the allocation of certain resources in the Ministry of Magic.
This would humiliate him and render all his previous efforts futile, but at least his core secrets and status would be preserved.
"You want me to cut off your own flesh? You'd better see if you have the teeth to do that!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
Temporary restraint does not equate to surrender.
He needs to reassess the situation, to deal with it more skillfully, and perhaps—he could try to find the other party's weaknesses to counter it.
His assistant's knocking interrupted his thoughts—a reminder that the meeting time was approaching.
Crouch was jolted awake from his reverie.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging doubts, weighing of options, and murderous intent back into his heart.
Now, he must first deal with Fudge and Blake, whose presence is still uncertain.
He stood up, straightened his impeccably tailored robe, and his face regained its usual cold and ruthless expression.
He then strode out of the office.
A somber atmosphere permeated the lobby of the Legal Enforcement Division.
Three elite Auror squads, each consisting of about fifteen or sixteen people, were already lined up neatly, their expressions solemn, wands in place, exuding an aura of seasoned experience.
Standing at the very front of the group was Rufus Scrimgeour, the Auror's Office Director.
Scrimgeour was like a lion poised to pounce; his thick, mane-like hair and the faint scars on his face exuded an undeniable air of strength.
"Director." Scrimgeour's voice was as rugged as his appearance, his address concise and devoid of any pleasantries.
Crouch's icy gaze swept over every Auror present, ensuring everyone was at their best, before finally settling on Scrimgeour. "Is everything clear?" His voice was equally devoid of emotion.
"Target: Hogsmeade. Temporary command office. Standby," Scrimgeour said succinctly.
"Let's go." Crouch said nothing more and headed straight for the passage leading to the fireplace connected to the Floo Network.
The group silently and efficiently stepped into the green flames one by one, and disappeared after announcing "Hogsmeade, temporary command office".
Crouch was the last to step in.
After a brief feeling of spinning and squeezing, he took a step and found himself in another space.
This place is completely different from his solemn director's office.
The air was thick with the smells of pipes, damp wood, and old parchment, making it seem somewhat murky.
The room originally belonged to the Hogsmeade Institution—a small, permanent administrative body under the Ministry of Magic in the only pure wizarding village in England. It was responsible for handling the village's daily security, coordinating with merchants, and other trivial matters. Usually, only one or two staff members were on duty, making it a rather leisurely institution.
But now, this place has been completely transformed.
The notices on the walls, previously displaying Honeydukes candy tax rates or the Hog's Head pub's hygiene rating, had been roughly torn down and replaced with huge, densely marked maps of Hogsmeade and the surrounding area, as well as copies of posters featuring Sirius Black's enormous wanted poster. Several rough, long wooden tables were pieced together, piled high with reports, empty ink bottles, and half-empty coffee cups. In the corner, a simple magical kettle was steaming on its own.
In order to hunt down Sirius Black, this place was upgraded to a temporary command office several months ago, its size increased several times, and the personnel changed from the original clerical staff to combat personnel, mainly Aurors and strikers.
Despite the application of a spatial expansion spell, it still appeared crowded and cluttered, filled with the tense and slightly chaotic atmosphere characteristic of a frontline command post.
Several liaison officers and junior officials who had arrived earlier immediately stood up, looking nervous, when they saw Crouch and Scrimgeour appear.
Crouch frowned and tapped the ground lightly with his cane, seemingly dissatisfied with the simplicity and environment.
But he didn't say anything, only cast his cold gaze at the largest map on the wall, which was marked with red thumbtacks with all the eyewitness reports of "suspected" Blake in recent months, densely packed but without any clue.
"Where's Fudge?" he asked in a deep voice, a hint of impatience in his tone. His gaze swept across the slightly messy main office, but he did not see the minister.
A coordinating officer dressed in an Auror uniform, but whose epaulets indicated he was stationed there, immediately stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Director, the Minister and several other gentlemen are already waiting for you and Director Scrimgeour in the command room." He stepped aside and led to a thick wooden door that had been enchanted with soundproofing.
Crouch and Scrimgeour exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of seriousness in each other's eyes.
Fudge arrived early, and he even brought "several other gentlemen" with him?
Crouch followed the official toward the wooden door, while Scrimgeour turned and ordered the three squads of Aurors he had brought to stand by, before quickly following after them.
Pushing open the wooden door, the scene inside the room startled even the usually cold and aloof Crouch.
The room was much quieter and the atmosphere more somber than outside, but there were quite a few people inside, far more than he had expected.
Besides Minister Fudge, who sat in the main seat and looked somewhat restless, there were several other Ministry of Magic colleagues in the room: the Director of the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters, and the head of the Floo Network Administration of the Department of Magical Transportation.
This lineup indicates that the operation has been given an extremely high priority.
However, those unofficial personnel are even more noteworthy.
First, the one sitting to Fudge's left is none other than Albus Dumbledore.
The headmaster of Hogwarts had calm, serene blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles. He wore a starry blue robe and looked like a quiet elder who had been invited to observe.
Behind him sat the Potions Master Severus Snape, who sat in the shadows behind and to the side of Dumbledore, his face as somber as ever, his thin lips pressed tightly together, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
To Fudge's right sat a figure in a sophisticated gray suit—"The Hangman" Lynch.
Lynch seemed to notice Crouch's gaze. He turned his head, met Crouch's eyes, smiled slightly, and nodded very slightly as a greeting.
Further away, Barnabas-Goufe, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, and a stenographer sat in a corner, looking focused; several people wearing uniform dark gray robes and Stone Tower Merchants' badges on their chests stood quietly on the other side.
Shita Chamber of Commerce?
Crouch's gaze swept over the badges, and the faces of Lucius Malfoy and several other pure-blood family leaders immediately flashed into his mind—they were all directors of the Chamber of Commerce.
This instantly tightened his already sensitive nerves.
Immediately, his gaze involuntarily fell once again on the figure sitting to Fudge's right in the center of the room.
After learning that Jim Lynch was the former Mist Hangman, he naturally conducted his own investigation. Although the Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce's board of directors was kept secret, it couldn't hide it from a director like himself.
Therefore, he certainly knew that the executioner was also one of the directors of the Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce.
Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through my mind: Could it be that the pure-blood family's spying, and even their current silence, is because of this unfathomable "hanger" standing behind them?
But as soon as the thought arose, he forcibly suppressed it.
No, it's impossible.
He immediately denied it.
It's already surprising enough that the Executioner is on the same list as those pure-blood families; he's in cahoots with those pure-bloods.
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Besides, there's no need for him to go through such a roundabout way to target someone like himself, the head of the law enforcement department; it doesn't align with his interests or style.
After temporarily dispelling this sudden doubt, Crouch's attention finally focused on the core question: why would Fudge summon Lynch, Dumbledore, and the Stone Tower Merchant Guild and the Daily Prophet to this front-line command center for the capture of Black?
This is no ordinary event.
When Fudge saw Crouch and Scrimgeour enter, he seemed to have found his anchor. He immediately stood up, forcing a smile that was a mixture of anxiety and anticipation on his face: "Ah! Barty, Rufus, you're finally here! Come on, we've been waiting for you!" His voice was a little sharp with tension, breaking the stagnant atmosphere in the room.
At that moment, all eyes—Fudge's eagerness, Dumbledore's profound gaze, Lynch's calmness, and the probing eyes of other officials and reporters—were all focused on the newly arrived Chief of the Legal Enforcement Division and the Director of the Auror Office.
Crouch forcibly suppressed the many doubts and ominous premonitions in his heart, regained his usual coldness, and walked forward with steady steps. Scrimgeour followed closely behind him like a loyal guard, half a step to his side.
After stopping in front of Fudge, Crouch's sharp gaze swept across the room before settling on Fudge again. His voice was cold and hard as iron: "Minister, can you explain this commotion tonight? Is it really necessary to go to such lengths to arrest Black? Even unofficial figures are present at the command center?"
Fudge wiped non-existent sweat from his brow and pointed somewhat awkwardly at Lynch: "Well... we'll have to ask Mr. Lynch for the specifics. He insisted on... this arrangement."
Lynch rose calmly: "Chief Crouch," his voice was steady and clear, "our Stone Tower Merchant Guild has unexpectedly obtained definite intelligence that Sirius Black will be in the vicinity of Hogsmeade tonight, so out of a sense of duty as a law-abiding citizen, we have informed Minister Fudge."
"In that case," Crouch said, his tone clearly displeased, "why not set up an ambush where he might appear, instead of gathering all our men here to talk nonsense?"
"Precisely because the intelligence is accurate, we must be even more cautious." A subtle, enigmatic smile played on Lynch's lips. "Black's ability to escape from Azkaban and remain at large for so long indicates he's no ordinary wizard; he's extremely cunning. Traditional encirclements and searches will be detected and evaded by him. What we need is not aimless ambushes, but to precisely target his exact location at the precise moment. The reason I've gathered you all here is so that once the intelligence is confirmed, we can make an instantaneous decision and launch a swift and decisive strike."
As he spoke, Lynch's smile widened: "As for Headmaster Dumbledore, he's here to assist us in verifying the authenticity of intelligence and ensuring the absolute safety of Hogwarts students, since this place is so close to Hogwarts. And our friends at the Daily Prophet are here to objectively present the Ministry of Magic's efforts to uphold justice to the public. After all, when the truth comes out, the public has the right to know."
Crouch frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the explanation, and was about to press for more information when a Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce employee who had been adjusting equipment by the wall quickly approached and whispered to Lynch, "Sir, everything is ready."
Lin Qi nodded slightly and turned to the crowd: "Now that everyone is here, please witness together that our Stone Tower Chamber of Commerce's latest monitoring equipment will provide us with real-time updates on Blake's movements."
He made a graceful gesture, indicating that everyone should look at the white curtain.