As Weilan firmly spoke these two sentences, a white light flashed in his right eye—
【Parting the mists of time, discerning past truths. Eye of Time Traces experience +2】
This indicated that Weilan’s summary and deduction of past information were completely correct!
It was Olena who orchestrated the serial murders and the incidents during the Triwizard Tournament.
However, she did not orchestrate Bader’s Death.
“Then who cruelly killed this child?”
William couldn’t help but ask.
“What we encountered at the time was the scene where the body was dumped, not the primary crime scene.”
Weilan lowered his head and murmured:
“To further advance the case, we must first find the primary crime scene.”
“To find the primary crime scene, the best way is to start with the victim’s social relationships and gradually screen potential suspects.”
After saying this, Weilan looked at Carson.
Madam Lupin had promised that the Aurors would collect background information on the Crouch family members.
He wondered how their collection was progressing.
“We’ve checked.”
Carson told him in a low voice:
“Mr. Crouch—that is, Barty, who died in the Forbidden Forest—his charred remains have been brought back to Crouch Manor in Upper Hogsmeade Village.”
“He deeply loved his adopted son during his lifetime, and their father-son relationship was very good. Moreover, on the day of the incident, he was working at Hogwarts, which many people can attest to.”
“So he can basically be ruled out as a suspect.”
“Madam Crouch, she is a noblewoman who married in from the Greengrass family. Barty didn’t treat her too well, but it certainly wasn’t indifferent.”
“She is not Bader’s biological mother, and her relationship with this son was lukewarm. Although she never grew close to Bader, according to the house servants, she never spoke ill of Bader either.”
“More often, Madam Crouch preferred to associate with her own family—that is, the Greengrass family.”
Carson paused in his speech here:
“Besides his parents, the people Bader interacted with most were the house servants.”
“But on the day Bader disappeared, only his mother took him out for a walk; the servants all stayed home to clean…”
Carson stopped there, as if he realized something was amiss.
Weilan broke through the barrier:
“You just said that Madam Crouch didn’t like to be close to this son.”
“Then why would she ‘alone’ take her son out for a walk?”
After saying this, Weilan looked out the window in the direction of Upper Hogsmeade Village.
He also recalled that the night before last, Madam Crouch had invited him into the manor and adamantly pushed all suspicion onto her husband and his “mistress.”
Why was she so insistent on shifting the blame to her husband and his “mistress”? Wasn’t her affection for this family always very faint?
The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
Carson immediately stood up from his chair:
“William, call a few people. We must go to Crouch Manor again immediately!”
“Oh, right!”
Weilan called out to Carson; he had forgotten to ask one more thing:
“Madam Crouch originally entrusted me to track Mr. Crouch…”
William turned his head, baring his teeth at him and making a face:
“That commission is naturally canceled.”
“We’ve already brought Mr. Crouch’s body before her.”
“If Bader wasn’t killed by her, then she’s truly pitiful!”
“Pitiful that she, at such a young age, lost her husband and son, becoming the sole heir in line for the Crouch family’s inheritance, and can only live out her days guarding mountains of wealth… Alas!”
Weilan and William sighed in unison, and certainly not out of sympathy or regret.
“But you don’t need to be sad about the lost reward.”
William, in the end, gave him another piece of good news:
“Tonks was afraid you wouldn’t get paid and would have a hard Christmas, so she’ll send you some money in a few days… This money was pooled together by several Aurors.”
After they left, Weilan stayed in the Hospital Wing until the afternoon, when Hermione and Ron finally arrived late.
“Sorry, we actually came in the morning.”
Hermione brought cake and biscuits to visit him:
“But at that time, Mr. Carson and the Auror named William were still in the Hospital Wing talking to you, and Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t let us in.”
Weilan didn’t blame them but instead asked if the events in the Forbidden Forest had reached the students’ ears.
“So many Aurors, Dumbledore even came, and there was that ‘boom—’ of a loud bang.”
“How could they not know something happened in the Forbidden Forest? It’s just that no one knows exactly what happened in the Forbidden Forest.”
Ron gesticulated wildly as he described the bizarre speculations circulating among the students:
“Some say a Dark Wizard set up a base in the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest—”
Weilan’s eyebrows furrowed, and his gaze imperceptibly shifted downwards.
Well, you know what, someone actually guessed something quite close to the truth.
“Some say you discovered ancient Dark Wizard magic spellbooks left behind beneath the Forbidden Forest.”
This one was quite far-fetched.
Weilan took a bite of the soft, sweet cupcake and slowly swallowed it.
“And others say you discovered a sleeping beautiful princess in the Forbidden Forest, imprisoned by a group of Dark Arts creatures, needing a magic kiss to awaken her…”
“Stop! Cough, cough, cough!”
The cupcake went down the wrong pipe, choking Weilan.
Such an outrageous rumor, still spreading? And people believe it?
Hermione covered her mouth, turning her bushy brown head to the side.
But her violently trembling shoulders already betrayed the fact that she was trying hard to hold back laughter and failing.
“Who started such an outrageous rumor?”
“Lavender and Parvati. This was the result of their divination in Professor Trelawney’s class.”
“…”
Weilan rolled his eyes dramatically.
“But in every version of the story,”
Ron said:
“You are the most important character.”
“Hermione and I were pacing anxiously outside the Forbidden Forest, but Hagrid said the situation inside was very dangerous, with many Inferi and Dementors.”
“So Hagrid settled us in his hut, and he took Dumbledore into the Forbidden Forest.”
With that, Ron looked at Weilan with the reverent gaze one might give a great figure:
“Weilan, you will become a legendary figure at Hogwarts for many, many years.”
“Now everyone knows that you, a fourth-year, tore apart Inferi with your bare hands, trampled Dementors underfoot, and fought your way out of a pile of monsters all by yourself.”
“Did Mr. Carson invite you to become an Auror this morning?”
Weilan’s mouth twitched, unsure what to say for a moment:
“It wasn’t quite that fantastical…”
Hermione and Ron continued to chat with him in the Hospital Wing for a while, then both left.
In the evening, he successively received many condolences gifts from friends.
Madam Pomfrey, to ensure Weilan got more rest, blocked all these students outside. Weilan could only receive their gifts and the messages they wrote on notes.
Neville sent him a few packets of Chocolate Frogs, telling him to rest assured, as his parents were completing the follow-up investigation work in the Forbidden Forest.
And, after inspecting the scene, the Longbottoms gave Weilan a very high evaluation.
“Mum said you’re good Auror material,”
Neville recounted.
Cho and Fleur both sent him a lot of food.
Especially Fleur; her adoration was practically overflowing from the letter.
“I still haven’t found a dance partner. Do you really not want to dance with me at the Christmas Ball?”
She hadn’t given up on Weilan rejecting her.
“No, I really don’t want to.”
Weilan silently replied in his heart:
“Now, whenever I see a Veela, I feel pain all over.”
