Old Crouch definitely reacted fast.
Winky the house-elf had her memory wiped and was ordered by Mr. Crouch to stay in the kitchen and not come out.
He only spent a few minutes erasing all traces of the basement's existence, and then a few more minutes using a new wand to create signs of a wizarding scuffle throughout the house – all while Cohen was just placed to the side by Mr. Crouch, witnessing the entire "cover-up" process.
The Dementors couldn't understand his actions, nor could they reveal his secrets to any wizard – and Cohen indeed acted just like a regular Dementor.
This was definitely the best option, much better than letting a Dementor out with Barty Junior's corpse and letting public opinion explode.
Old Crouch's preparations ended with "leaving numerous wounds on Barty Junior's body" to prevent the Aurors from discovering that Barty Junior's cause of death was the Avada Kedavra curse.
He was as skilled as a seasoned criminal – this was likely due to Old Crouch's experience as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during the First Wizarding War.
His motto was to fight fire with fire, so of course, he knew how criminals would try to cover up their crimes, and he also knew how to exploit loopholes in the law – the law always has loopholes, which is why the Department of Magical Law Enforcement exists.
Old Crouch casually tossed Barty Junior's bloody corpse onto the floor of the hall, piling it together with the deliberately smashed and messy furniture, then threw a handful of green, glittering Floo powder into the fireplace and shouted loudly:
"Amelia! Come over here!"
The originally orange flames in the fireplace instantly rose to the height of a person, and a few seconds later, a short-haired witch with graying hair, who hadn't had time to change into regular clothes, hurried out.
"Mr. Crouch, what happened here – oh..."
Amelia Bones saw the hall of Crouch Manor, looking as if it had just been through a major battle, the moment she stepped out.
Cohen remembered this name. The current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she had taken over Old Crouch's position after he was transferred to the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
"An Azkaban prisoner has escaped," Mr. Crouch said with a cold face. "Someone who shouldn't be around at this time –"
As he spoke, Mr. Crouch pointed his wand at Barty Junior, who was lying amidst the ruins.
He even deliberately used his left hand to cover a fresh wound on his abdomen – as if the wound was "inflicted during a struggle with Barty Junior."
This action wasn't obvious, but Crouch knew Amelia. Anyone who could reach the position of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had to climb up step by step from the Auror Office with tough methods, and she would definitely notice this.
Cohen watched from the side – it was quite a treat to be a fly on the wall during this Christmas Day drama.
"Barty Junior?" Madam Bones frowned slightly, nimbly stepping over the debris of the exploded furniture, examining Barty Junior's body in disbelief. "How is this possible – the guards at Azkaban said he died a long time ago..."
"A Dementor chased him here," Old Crouch said. "You know my attitude towards Death Eaters, and... the old feud between him and me."
If anyone else said they had an "old feud" with their son, perhaps no one would believe it.
But this was Barty Crouch Senior, the ruthless man who sent his own son to Azkaban twelve years ago without even blinking.
Coupled with the fresh wound on Old Crouch's abdomen, no one would doubt him.
"Of course, Mr. Crouch," Madam Bones said, pursing her lips. "Although I don't understand how he could 'come back from the dead,' there's no doubt he would be hostile towards you."
The reappearance of a dead Death Eater made her feel a dangerous aura – Sirius Black's escape seemed to have become a signal.
A signal urging the Death Eaters who were in hiding to start taking action, a signal foreshadowing the return of You-Know-Who.
"This matter needs to go through the normal escaped convict trial process," Mr. Crouch said coldly. "If one dark wizard can escape death, there will be more dark wizards using fake deaths as a cover to escape Azkaban. The Department needs to take the nominally 'dead' prisoners in Azkaban in recent years more seriously and revoke the Dementors' right to dispose of the bodies."
"I'll contact Scrimgeour in the Auror Office right away," Madam Bones said. "This might have to be discussed with Fudge later – let's treat it as an emergency and bypass him. If the Minister knows, he'll definitely want to handle it secretly. The hunt for Sirius Black has already made him a bit irrational."
At three in the morning, Cohen, who had been busy all night, slowly floated home with his trunk.
He had caught several mice today and, unusually, hadn't kept any for himself, giving them all to his "adopted daughter," Caroline.
"Quite the family man, aren't you?" Cohen shoved the trunk under the bed, changed into his pajamas, and prepared to sleep.
"How's things with Barty Junior?" Earl asked curiously. "Yesterday was Christmas, you know. Going to his house on Christmas night to assassinate his son... tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"He should be thanking me," Cohen said. "I helped him put on a new act of 'righteous extermination of family,' and he's claiming to the public that he killed Barty Junior himself."
"But this guy is also blinded by power," Cohen added. "After his son died, it took him less than half an hour to get everything ready, take his son's body and me, this 'Dementor,' to the Ministry of Magic to make a record, and firmly state that he killed the escapee without hesitation – I think he wants to stir up public opinion to undermine Fudge's prestige and then return to the political arena..."
With Sirius Black's escape remaining unsolved for so long, the wizarding world had actually been in a state of anxiety.
Old Crouch had picked a good time too... but his family is almost extinct, and he's still obsessed with power. Isn't that a bit too crazy?
"Humans..." Earl sighed. "Clearly, living is about eating the most filling meals and seeing the prettiest sights, yet some people insist on going in circles and end up with nothing..."
"Don't be so anthropomorphic. I'm increasingly suspecting you're a human who transformed," Cohen said, sticking half his face out from under the covers and staring at Earl.
"So what if I'm a transformed human?" Earl asked with interest. "Would it have a big impact?"
"Having an old geezer over three hundred years old living in the same room as me is too disgusting," Cohen said. "And it's very likely that when he was human, he was old, ugly, had a foul mouth, and was very perverted..."
"That's truly terrifying... thankfully, I've been an owl from start to finish," Earl said dryly. "Always have been."