"First, I would like to express my sincere apologies to Mr. Malfoy, and I hope you will accept them." This was a middle-aged man dressed meticulously in a black suit. He stood very straight, his movements were somewhat stiff, and his beard was trimmed very neatly, as if it had been cut with a slide ruler.
The man was standing next to a delicate table full of silverware, bowing slightly, and speaking politely to Malfoy, who was also standing aside.
This was Dumbledore's office. Many pieces of silverware were randomly placed, emitting smoke. The portraits on the walls seemed to be asleep, snoring softly without interrupting. On the gilded perch behind the door, Dumbledore's pet, the phoenix Fawkes, stood, watching everything happening in the room intently. It was not yet time for Fawkes to be reborn. At this stage of its life cycle, Fawkes was in its prime, full of vigor, with feathers that were exceptionally shiny and smooth, colored in wondrous reds and golds. Dumbledore himself was sitting at his desk, his long silver beard resting on the table, engrossed in reading a Muggle comic book, occasionally revealing a knowing smile.
"In recent days, the Ministry of Magic has been in a state of chaos for some reasons, so your commendation has only now had time to be processed," the man continued. "We have secured a Third Class Order of Merlin for you this time, in recognition of your outstanding contributions to the Ministry of Magic and the wizarding community, preventing the Ministry from further disgrace and maintaining the stability of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
At this point, the man extended his large hand, preparing to shake hands as a sign of friendship. He said amiably, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Barty Crouch, the current Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation." Then, Barty Crouch turned his hand to a middle-aged woman beside him, preparing to introduce her. The woman was short and stout, wearing a pink coat that made her look like a pale, large toad, with a wide, fleshy face, and a large mouth that drooped downward. Her eyes were large, round, and slightly protruding.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy, I am Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic. Your father and I are colleagues, and I am currently co-acting as Minister in place of Cornelius Fudge with Mr. Barty Crouch," Umbridge interjected before Barty Crouch could finish, using a deliberately high-pitched voice, and giving Malfoy what she considered to be a kind smile.
However, the smile looked sinister and terrifying.
Her bossiness and arrogance were directed at those she could easily trample on. The boy before her was clearly not one of them. His father, Lucius, was currently a senior official in the Ministry of Magic, and Malfoy himself was an outstanding young man heavily promoted in the newspapers.
Moreover, her further advancement to become Acting Minister was somewhat related to the support of this boy's family, so in any case, she would not offend this boy now.
"Actually, I think you deserve a Second Class Order of Merlin. I heard that you recently successfully exposed a werewolf hiding in Hogwarts? I'm increasingly unconvinced that this school is the so-called safest place in all of Britain. Fugitives, traitors, werewolves, all sorts of things are sneaking inside," Umbridge began to complain after a brief attempt to ingratiate herself, like a broken faucet, unable to stop.
"Ahem." Dumbledore put down the comic book in his hand and coughed lightly twice. His sharp gaze was intentionally or unintentionally directed at Umbridge. After Umbridge met Dumbledore's eyes, the woman felt a chill down her spine and immediately fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
"Dealing with a fugitive is just what a normal student would do. It's just that I might have been a little luckier to succeed. As for the werewolf issue mentioned earlier, you can ask Professor Dumbledore about it later. At least, in my eyes, Lupin is still a teacher," Malfoy retorted directly, ignoring Umbridge's slightly fawning flattery, and speaking humbly to Crouch, his eyes constantly sweeping across Barty Crouch's face.
"Lucius has a good son," Barty Crouch suddenly said with admiration, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat lonely, but this was only for a moment. He quickly adjusted back to his official demeanor.
"Also a pitiful person," Malfoy looked at Barty Crouch, catching the fleeting loneliness on his face, and sighed softly in his heart.
A workaholic father, coupled with a psychologically twisted son and a mother who doted on her son madly, formed an extremely deformity family relationship.
Everyone should pay for their mistakes. Barty Crouch may have maintained his integrity for the first half of his life, but he was ultimately ruined by his son. He sacrificed his wife for his son, which was unacceptable.
Even if his wife was already extremely weak at the time and could die at any moment, even if his wife volunteered.
But none of this could be a reason for his favoritism.
He also received his retribution. The son he tried so hard to protect ultimately committed the heinous act of patricide. What a tragic ending?
"Mr. Malfoy?" Barty Crouch asked tentatively, because he noticed that Malfoy was a little distracted.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was a little excited, so I was a little distracted," Malfoy then recovered, shaking his head gently to get himself back into the state as soon as possible. Leaving a good impression on this man was still a very necessary thing.
"Headmaster Dumbledore?" Barty Crouch called out to Dumbledore tentatively, and Dumbledore immediately responded.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Crouch?" Dumbledore said, adjusting his half-moon spectacles.
"I believe that an outstanding young man like Mr. Malfoy should not only receive an award from our Ministry of Magic, but Hogwarts should also not neglect his contributions. Even I, who do not hold a position at Hogwarts, think so," Crouch said.
"Of course, I will award him a special contribution award at the end of the semester," Dumbledore nodded slightly, then said with a smile, "Outstanding students should receive the rewards they deserve."
As Dumbledore spoke, he looked at Malfoy beside him with a smile, his fingertips touching each other.
"Very well, then I think we can now discuss the award process…" Barty Crouch's style has always been like this, decisive and efficient.
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