"Did she do something to you?"

Rose asked cautiously.

"Could she be the child of a member of the Silver Key?"

"I'm more inclined to think she took on some strange side job," Cohen replied.

The girl had been carrying a stack of part-time job pamphlets and looked pretty broke—most likely she'd been paid by some fake business disguised by the Silver Key to do a money-making errand.

"I can go talk to her and find out what's going on," Cohen said after thinking it over.

"Maybe I should go instead?" Edward offered, clearly uneasy.

"My social skills aren't so bad I need my parents to handle my conversations for me…" Cohen muttered. "I can manage. I'm not like Harry and Ron, who blush and stammer every time they talk to a girl."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Edward leaned in and whispered, "I'm worried that because of the Silver Key, you—"

"I'm just going to talk about a part-time job," Cohen interrupted. "Honestly, you sound more dangerous than I do..."

"Someone's coming," Herbert cut in, his voice low.

Outside the tent, a familiar soul appeared in an instant—

Barty Crouch.

What was he doing here?

"Sorry to interrupt," Crouch called politely from outside.

"Come in," Edward replied.

Crouch looked as meticulous as ever, though it was obvious his hair had gotten a little whiter.

"I have some updates regarding Herbert's situation," he said as he stepped inside. He glanced around the tent and spotted Cohen. "Good game today, Cohen."

"Hmm?" Cohen responded vaguely, not really getting why adults always started with small talk.

"What's going on with Herbert?" Rose asked.

Herbert looked a little confused himself. He hadn't done anything remotely questionable lately—he'd been extra careful not to mess up Cohen's tournament. Crouch showing up in person was clearly serious.

"It's about Herbert's second trial," Crouch said to Edward, Rose, and Cohen. "It's scheduled for nine o'clock on the morning of July 15. The old court documents and the inspection report from the Burke Manor have already been retrieved. Amelia will send everything over within the next two weeks. Herbert will not be heavily restricted before the trial, but he'll still need to be accompanied by either a family member or a Ministry official."

He paused and turned to Herbert.

"Thirteen years ago, the trial lacked some direct evidence. My ruling was based on the chaos at the time and your attitude during the trial—"

"I had basically decided to rot away somewhere for the rest of my life. No one else is to blame," Herbert shook his head. "And honestly, not much has changed..."

"But the wizarding public is putting on a lot of pressure now," Crouch said. "A retrial is inevitable. Based on what Edward and Rose have said, you've already served your sentence and paid your dues. I'll help however I can—but be aware, reporters from The Daily Prophet and The Wizarding Weekly are on their way for interviews."

The implication was crystal clear.

Crouch wanted them to say the "right" things in the interviews.

"And another thing—it's about your family and the Silver Key," Crouch continued. "We apprehended a group of five Silver Key members in Caithness County."

"Caithness?" Edward narrowed his eyes. "That's not far from here."

"Their target was this location. Under Veritaserum, we confirmed they were after the Triwizard Tournament," Crouch said.

"And the full story?" Edward asked. "You don't use Veritaserum just to get a vague 'we're targeting the tournament,' right?"

"They were only in charge of setting up the scene. But this group's memory control was... unusual. It's almost as if they knew they'd get caught. Either it's been meticulously planned, or they're seasoned criminals. That said, we've already pinpointed their accomplices. The Auror Office has dispatched a full team. This is their job—you don't need to pursue them yourselves."

"Thanks for the heads-up," Edward replied.

Crouch said nothing more and left the tent swiftly.

Only seconds later, two reporters and several photographers showed up outside their tent.

Rita Skeeter was among them.

While the others scrambled to ask Herbert what it felt like to be "wrongly convicted by the Ministry for thirteen years," Rita, surprisingly, didn't rush in first. Instead, she shot Cohen several exaggerated winks, as if asking:

Is this one of those 'write about it and you'll die' situations?

Cohen gave a small nod.

Only then did she spring into action.

The interviews dragged on until just before dinner. The journalists had practically dug out every tragic detail of Herbert's life—except the results of his experiments, of course.

"I feel like they're going to paint you as some tragic victim—a poor soul crushed by the dark forces inside the Ministry," Cohen said.

"I mentioned that Crouch helped me—I hope they don't turn this back on him..." Herbert said uncertainly. "He really has done a lot for me recently. Not giving something back just feels wrong..."

"He wouldn't have helped you before," Rose disagreed. "He was the kind of man who couldn't even be bothered with the proper legal process when handing out sentences. Honestly, his son's death changed him a lot. I still think there was something off about the whole Barty Crouch Jr. murder case last year..."

"Compared to Fudge, I'd say Crouch is slightly more... sane," Edward said. "He might actually use this momentum to replace Fudge. If that happens, at least the Ministry might start taking the Silver Key seriously, instead of Fudge's usual 'stick your head in the sand' attitude."

"Better to rely on yourself than wait for others," Cohen said expectantly. "Why don't you consider aiming for the Minister of Magic position yourself? That way, Mom can finally relax a bit and get some of the rest she deserves after everything she's done for this family."

"Cohen has a point, Edward," Rose nodded. "You could have Arnold help you get into the Auror Office first, then work your way up. It would also solve the pressure you feel from staying at home."

"Sounds like a solid career plan," Herbert laughed.

"Oh shoot—it's already past four! Time to make dinner!" Edward yelped, scrambling into the kitchen to escape the conversation.