4 a.m., The Crouch Family Manor.

After the discovery of the Dark Mark, before dawn had even broken, the highest-ranking officials of the British Ministry of Magic's law enforcement had gathered at the home of the Department Head… including Crouch himself, who is the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, along with Scrimgeour, Robards, who had been at the scene, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

The reason for summoning nearly the entire armed leadership of the Ministry wasn't just about the Dark Mark.

At this point, no one truly believed that man could return… not even someone as close to Dumbledore as Kingsley had ever considered the possibility of the Dark Lord's resurrection.

Therefore, while the Dark Mark was alarming, it wasn't enough to make them this tense.

What truly set off their sense of crisis was the fact that the Aurors' recent operations had been consistently failing… especially against the werewolves.

Even if the Aurors hadn't yet connected the werewolves to the Dark Mark, they could guess the two incidents were likely related.

"I sent my people to investigate the werewolf pack, but they didn't even get the message… they were too busy chasing Snape at the time." Kingsley said cautiously.

At this time, Robards mentioned two names.

"Philo Anderson and Horace Beck. These two are suspicious. Before the werewolf operation, they were assigned to the task, but Philo suddenly took sick leave the day before, claiming he had to go to St. Mungo's. Horace did join the mission, but at one point, he disappeared for about five minutes. He said he'd Apparated to the wrong location."

Scrimgeour narrowed his eyes.

"Did you check St. Mungo's?"

"Yes. Philo did have a medical record, but that doesn't completely clear him. As for Horace, we ran Apparition traces on the location he claimed… there were signs of someone appearing there, but five minutes is still too long."

Crouch couldn't help but rub his temples. The pressure from these recent incidents had all fallen on the Aurors, making things difficult for him as the Department Head.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement's director, who had once been all but guaranteed to succeed Minister Bagnold, had been mired in scandal since the shocking incident seven years prior.

Rumors had begun circulating that once Bagnold fully retired, Crouch would be transferred from the department to the Department of International Magical Cooperation… a move that, while seemingly a lateral shift, was effectively a demotion.

If this had happened to anyone else at such a time, most wouldn't have bothered expending much effort.

But Crouch was a man who valued his authority and reputation. He refused to leave the department with even more political stains on his record.

Yet recently, there had been the Snape incident, followed by internal issues within the Aurors, and now the Dark Mark had been cast. If things weren't handled carefully, he might not even retain the facade of a lateral transfer.

As the four men sat in the drawing room, smoking and discussing the situation within the Auror Office amidst the haze of smoke, Kingsley suddenly frowned and looked up toward the staircase.

"Who's there?"

His voice drew the attention of the other three.

At this moment, there was an obvious panic in Crouch's eyes!

"Winky! Is that you?" He shouted uncharacteristically loudly.

At that moment, a timid house-elf with drooping ears peeked out from the staircase.

"Winky… Winky didn't mean to be here… Winky had no choice..."

"Get back to the kitchen! Now! Immediately!"

Crouch roared.

Not to mention Kingsley and Robards, even Scrimgeour was taken aback by his sudden outburst.

"Apologies, gentlemen," Crouch said wearily after driving the house-elf away, looking at the three of them, "Let's call it a night for now. Continue with the internal investigation, and as for the Dark Mark… make sure to keep The Daily Prophet reporters in check. No reckless statements! As for the dark wizard who cast Morsmordre, Scrimgeour, you'll personally lead the investigation."

With things put so plainly, Scrimgeour and the others saw no reason to stay. One by one, they left the Crouch Family's manor with Apparition.

Once everyone had left, the vast house fell into complete silence.

Only Crouch remained, nearly collapsed in his armchair. The house-elf Winky, whom he had earlier banished to the kitchen, reappeared.

The moment she did, she began banging her head against the wall.

"Winky is bad! Winky is terrible!!"

"Stop it, Winky!" Crouch shouted to stop her from committing self-harm.

Winky stopped, slumping to the floor in tears, sobbing wretchedly.

As the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Crouch now had none of the authority and presence he had commanded earlier. He looked like a man drained of all strength, even speaking seeming to require immense effort.

After a long time, Winky's sobs gradually quieting.

Crouch's gaze shifted to a corner near the fireplace. There was clearly no one there, but he stared as if someone stood there, his voice icy as he spoke.

"I expect you've been staying quietly at home. None of what's happening outside has anything to do with you!"

The room remained deathly silent, as if Crouch had merely been talking to himself.

…

The next day, under the Aurors' oversight, The Daily Prophet indeed toned down its coverage of the previous night's Dark Mark sighting.

Not many wizards had witnessed the event, and while rumors swirled about something terrifying happening overnight, only few knew the full details.

In The Daily Prophet, the incident was only briefly mentioned in an article stating that dark wizards had been spotted in East Sussex, where they had theatrically cast the forbidden spell. The Aurors, it claimed, were already organizing a manhunt.

Other publications seemed to have received similar warnings, and none gave the story significant attention. Only the ever-unconventional Quibbler addressed it in its headline, though Xenophilius Lovegood clearly lacked inside information. He made no connection to the Dark Mark, instead using the incident to mock the Aurors.

However, even without press coverage, some wizards living near East Sussex had seen the Mark with their own eyes.

Lacking widespread means to spread the word, they could only wait in fearful silence for the Ministry's response.

It was not until dawn that three men arrived in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

They had taken a peculiar bus, and along the way, they overheard whispers about the previous night's events.