"Little Barty Crouch! Do you know about the… uh, pregnancy curse?"
Regulus Black grinned like a salesman. The Crouch family line was about to end—leaving behind an heir through Little Barty didn't seem like such a bad deed, did it?
"What? You'd be so kind-hearted?"
Of course, Barty Crouch Jr. knew who Regulus Black was, and he also knew about the so-called "pregnancy curse."
Now the dilemma was placed squarely before him, and in this moment he felt the full terror of being forced to choose.
"In truth, you don't really have a choice. If I want to, I can take blood directly from your body. If I don't, then you'll simply become the last of the Crouch line."
Regulus Black tapped lightly on Barty Crouch Jr.'s carotid artery, and blood began to float out.
"In fact, I'll give you another choice. Do you want to die and stay dead, or die and become undead? You don't have much time."
The blood he extracted gathered into a floating sphere. A human body only contains a limited amount of blood—before all of it drains, the person is already as good as dead.
The artery in his neck leaked like a broken pipe. With the blood loss came a falling body temperature. Barty Crouch Jr. felt himself growing colder and colder—that chilling touch of death drawing near.
"Do whatever you want! I don't care. I'm already a dead man anyway. What more can you do to me?"
At last, Barty Crouch Jr. gave in to Regulus Black's demand.
Once his blood was nearly drained, Barty Crouch Jr. was well and truly dead, reduced to little more than a withered husk.
With the blood secured, Regulus Black separated a portion—enough to ensure the Crouch family could have ten heirs.
Then he began to work on the blood, infusing it with his own magic until it was thoroughly saturated. Finally, he poured the blood back into Barty Crouch Jr.'s dried corpse.
With a wave of his wand, Regulus conjured a coffin, placed the corpse inside, and carried it back to the Ministry of Magic. It was nearly closing time at the Ministry.
Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Auror Office Head Rufus Scrimgeour, and Auror Captain Judy were once again summoned into Regulus Black's office.
"It's done! Gentlemen, the agreement can now be honored. This is Barty's body. Feel free to check it, even chop it into pieces if you like."
He released the coffin, revealing Barty Crouch Jr.'s corpse. His words were meant only to prove he had indeed brought a body.
Rufus Scrimgeour immediately drew his wand and examined the body, even casting several provoking charms on it.
"It's definitely a corpse, and all signs confirm it belonged to a wizard. The face is unmistakably Barty Crouch Jr.'s, and there are no traces of Polyjuice Potion."
Satisfied, Scrimgeour trusted his own eyes. After such thorough inspection, there was no problem at all.
"You can take the body back to the Auror Office. I said I brought Barty's corpse, and you can do whatever you like with it—dismember it if you want."
Regulus Black reiterated his stance.
"What was the cause of death?"
Fudge asked Scrimgeour.
"There's a wound on the neck. Cause of death: blood loss. But the bloodstains have been cleaned."
Scrimgeour glanced up at Regulus Black. He hadn't expected to see Barty Crouch Jr.'s body laid out so neatly in a coffin, as if it had been prepared by a mortuary.
"So you're saying Barty died by accident, not by a wizard's curse. Which means no one bears responsibility here."
Fudge closed his eyes, speaking as though savoring the conclusion.
"As you say, Minister. I only brought back Barty Crouch Jr.'s corpse."
Regulus followed Fudge's words without correction. Now was not the time to argue.
"Excellent! Everything is in order. Since there's still a little time before closing, let's make our personnel announcements now."
A sudden thought struck Fudge—perhaps not an agreement exactly, but he had resolved to act according to its terms. Without another word, he headed for the door.
"Will you take the body?"
Regulus asked Scrimgeour. After all, he had just said the Auror Office would handle it. He couldn't go back on his word.
"No need. You handle it. The Auror Office can't be involved in this matter anymore. Besides, I'll soon no longer be in charge of the Auror Office. Congratulations to you both."
Scrimgeour glanced at Regulus and Judy Fox. His meaning was perfectly clear.
So Regulus quickly reclaimed the coffin. This body could not remain here.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The workday is nearly over, but before we leave, there's an important announcement to make."
Fudge stepped onto the Ministry's main hall podium. Behind him, the fountain burst into a dazzling spray before falling still, a signal for silence and attention.
"Regarding the murder of Bartemius Crouch Sr., Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, the Ministry expresses its deepest sorrow. He served long and faithfully in this role, steady and error-free. After his passing, the position has remained vacant, but the Ministry cannot allow it to remain empty indefinitely."
Fudge paused. Seeing no interruptions, he continued.
"After careful consideration, I hereby announce that Rufus Scrimgeour, former Head of the Auror Office, will serve as the new Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation!"
Fudge led the applause, and the watching crowd followed.
"The vacancy left by Scrimgeour's departure will be filled by his own recommendation, with Ministry approval. Miss Judy Fox will assume the role of Head of the Auror Office!"
Again, Fudge clapped, and again the crowd followed. The onlookers were stunned.
Since when was the Ministry so efficient? They thought the post would stay vacant for half a year or more! But here was not only a replacement for one position, but also the confirmation of another, all at once. Was this really Cornelius Fudge?
Those who knew the inside story turned their eyes toward Regulus Black. He was standing beside Judy Fox, the two whispering closely together.
"Tomorrow, the official appointment letters will be handed out. Let us congratulate them both!"
Fudge clapped a third time, and the crowd obligingly gave him face. As the closing bell rang, the announcement ended.
The next morning, the Daily Prophet carried the story of the two appointments on its front page.
At the center stood the Minister of Magic, flanked by the two newly appointed heads, while Regulus Black appeared only in the corner of the photo.
"So that's how it is! So that's how it is!"
Dolores Umbridge trembled with rage as she read the Daily Prophet. Everything was Regulus Black's doing.
Never once did it cross her mind that she herself was simply unsuitable for the role.
Instead, she blamed everything on Regulus, convincing herself that without his interference she would have had the chance.
"What are you reading? Is that today's Daily Prophet? Mind if I borrow it?"
Regulus suddenly appeared behind Dolores, startling the pink-clad toad so badly she nearly broke into a cold sweat. He smoothly took the paper from her hands.
"The appointments were announced yesterday. Minister Fudge is an impatient man! I was there too, but sadly, I wasn't the main character. The Daily Prophet only gave me a profile shot—off in the corner, no less."
Regulus spoke lightly, without noticing how much his words struck at Dolores Umbridge's heart.
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