A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Amelia Bones wore a surprised expression, her monocle slipping down her face, and she took it off to wipe the lens.

"Dumbledore, if I'm not mistaken, neither of them has an owner..."

Winky had been standing blankly until that moment when she suddenly screamed, "No—Winky belongs to the Crouch family! Winky has her own master! His name is Barty Crouch—"

"Not true!" Dobby retorted. "Wizards, Mr. Barty Crouch gave Winky her freedom! Dobby saw it himself!" Winky closed her eyes and screamed, "No! No! No!" Dobby shouted louder, "Now Winky is free like Dobby!" He proudly puffed out his chest, leaving the surrounding wizards bewildered.

Never had they seen such an unconventional house elf—or rather, some had—in the "Future World" company. They turned their heads towards Felix.

Felix calmly stated, "Winky used to serve a prominent family, then she gained her freedom, and I offered her a job," he emphasized, "just a job."

"I've heard about the odd house elves at the 'Future World' company," muttered one wizard.

Winky continued to scream while Fudge rudely interrupted her, "You, little creature! Are you called Winky? Formerly owned by Barty Crouch?"

"No—not—not—" Winky continued shouting, rolling on the ground, tears and snot streaming. Dobby tried to pull her up, but his attempts failed. He stood in front of her, helplessly waving his slender arms. "Yes! She's Winky, and I'm Dobby."

"I don't agree," Dumbledore smiled, "Their clothes indicate their complete free will. There's no need to worry about them being bound by unbreakable magical contracts."

Fudge stared, watching Winky rolling on the ground. "Are you sure? Apart from an extra piece of clothing, she's no different from other house elves."

"Dobby, could you talk about what happened that night at the Crouch Manor?" Felix asked. "Only what you saw."

"Oh, of course! Dobby’s more than willing!" Dobby quickly recounted the events of that night, mentioning only the chilling voice and Crouch's unusual behavior. But most present seemed to believe him, confirming that Crouch was indeed under someone's control, and it wasn't his son—he was at Hogwarts at the time.

As Dobby spoke, Winky gradually quieted down, sobbing softly.

"He didn't mention that person," Amelia Bones quickly checked her notes and asked.

"Dobby is an outsider. He had nothing to do with this incident other than inviting friends for Christmas," Felix said. "For more information—" He glanced at the house elf sitting on the ground, speaking gently, "Winky, your testimony is helpful. It at least proves that Mr. Barty Crouch isn't an evil lunatic."

"The master is not a lunatic!" Winky hoarsely shouted. "He's under a terrible spell!"

"Then—Winky? Is that the name? Can you elaborate?" Amelia Bones inquired. "If there's more to this, I can consider reopening the case of Barty Crouch."

"Will the master be freed?" Winky asked excitedly, finally calming down.

"Impossible!" Fudge exclaimed. "Impossible." He repeated, and Amelia Bones reproached him, turning to Winky, "Acquittal... highly unlikely, but we'll reconsider his sentence. He was supposed to be in Azkaban for life."

Winky's eyes sparkled with hopeful light. "Winky... Winky is willing to testify."

"A year ago... the master was at work when suddenly, someone barged in. He disarmed me and freed young Master Barty—"

"Who was that person?" Amelia Bones asked sternly.

"A man named 'Peter,' he could turn into a rat, Winky saw!" Winky squeaked, and wizards exchanged glances. Someone murmured, "The little dwarf, Peter." Winky continued describing him, "Short, plump, somewhat bald... with small eyes..." She glanced at Fudge and whispered, "Reminds me a bit of this wizard."

Fudge's chest heaved like an ancient bellows, about to explode.

"Short, plump, somewhat bald..." Amelia Bones repeated playfully, tracing an outline in the air. "Was it him?" The portrait in mid-air depicted the little dwarf, Peter.

"It was him!" Winky confirmed and mentioned crucial information, "He held an ugly baby and called that baby his master!"

The meeting room echoed with gasps.

"Are you sure it was a baby?" Amelia Bones asked seriously.

"Y-yes!" Winky stammered, not daring to look at her. "A very, very... very ugly baby!"

"When the master returned in the evening, Master Barty finally got a wand, hiding under an invisibility cloak, and attacked him when the master uncovered— " Winky gasped, in pain, "Oh, Barty is such a bad boy, he brought back a terrible friend!"

"We got it, what happened next?"

"After that, the master was controlled and went to work as usual. Winky even cooked for them..." Winky wailed, tears streaming like beans, "It seemed fine to Winky, my goodness!" Winky mourned, tears dripping, "Winky even took care of them, made them food..."

"Likely Confundus," Felix suggested.

"Later, they accidentally mentioned planning to ambush someone, to substitute for him at school and complete a dangerous mission—"

"What mission?"

Winky widened her eyes. "Winky doesn't know! When they discussed, Winky was ordered back to her place. Winky obeys orders, Winky is a good house elf!"

"Good, we can roughly guess who it is, poor Alastor. Keep going, do you know anything else?"

"That man named Peter disappeared, supposedly caught. Later, young Master Barty also left, returning only after several days. Winky was tasked to take care of that baby. Winky..." she suddenly looked terrified, "Winky sometimes saw that baby tormenting the master! Winky watched!" she exclaimed, tears streaming down her face.

She covered her face, tears flowing through her fingers.

"That's enough," Felix said, signaling to Dobby. With a nod from Dobby, he pulled Winky away with a soft "pop."

An oppressive silence filled the office.

"You should have let her finish," Amelia Bones looked displeased, addressing Felix.

"She said what needed to be said. If you're expecting a specific name or a grand plan, I'm sorry, you've heard it all. She knows limited information. In fact, you had a chance, that was Peter—unfortunately, the Dementor took his soul."

Fudge glared, speaking slowly, "That house elf—she's been cursed too."

"I can't pretend it didn't happen," Felix said. "It's likely a Confundus. Voldemort underestimated house elves, thinking a Confundus was enough, or maybe she was meant to be disposed of, not worth the effort. But anyway, Winky's memory hasn't

been altered. Her actions afterward, even before, show a consistent line of thought."

"If Winky is testifying, I'll arrange for a healer from Saint Mungo's to verify."

Fudge was dumbfounded for a moment and then erupted, "All this is mere conjecture! All of it! I don't know the point of our discussion today!"

"Cornelius," Dumbledore spoke wearily, "I brought this up not to deny or overturn anything, but to remind. We discussed this in private, but you—due to certain reasons—refuse to believe the existing evidence. You should know how much we lost in the last war; do you want to go through another unprepared conflict?"

"I—You—this isn't—" Fudge was flabbergasted.

"A crucial question is, do you know what you're doing, Minister Fudge?" Felix softly questioned.

"What do you—mean?" Fudge's face turned beet red.

"We could consider a hypothesis." Felix leaned intriguingly towards Amelia Bones and those present. "Please, Madame Bones, and everyone here, witness—"

Madame Bones adjusted her monocle to better see Felix.

"Today, we heard two completely opposite views, neither yielding. But time will prove who's right. However... we need to ask ourselves if, in the event of war, someone should be held accountable—"

"Nonsense!" Fudge shouted loudly. "Do you know what you're saying? Accusing a sitting Minister of Magic—Who authorized you to do this?" He glared fiercely at Felix, shifting his gaze between him and Dumbledore.

"As I said, Minister Fudge... I know what I'm saying, but it seems you don't understand what you're doing." Felix smiled. "These are merely hypotheses, discussing possible futures, right?"

"I indeed lack the power to dismiss a sitting Minister of Magic or subject them to punishment," he said contemptuously. Fudge was close to boiling in anger; no one had openly threatened him like this before. Yes, he took Felix's words as a blatant threat.

"...But, everyone should be responsible for their words and actions, especially those in power," Felix said. "So, I'd suggest everyone present remember today's arguments. Keep your thoughts, and when everything becomes clear, you'll naturally know whom to support and whom to deny."

>

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