Dumbledore-Fudge confrontation in GoF

[Wanda Sherratt]

No: HPFGUIDX 29050

I was discussing with a friend a little spot in GoF that's bothered me 
since I first read it.  During the confrontation in the infirmary, 
Fudge is defending himself for having turned a Dementor on Barty 
Crouch Jr., and says "It seems he has been responsible for several 
deaths!"  Then Dumbledore retorts that now Crouch "cannot give 
evidence about why he killed those people," and Fudge goes on 
blustering about how it's because he was a raving lunatic.  But this 
doesn't make sense to me.  In fact, Crouch is NOT responsible for 
"several deaths" - he wasn't even present when Cedric was killed.  The 
only person he personally killed was his father.  And Fudge wasn't 
present at the interrogation, so he couldn't even know that. So what 
is he talking about?  I can see him supposing that Crouch could be 
responsible for Cedric's death, without knowing the details, but how 
does this translate into "several"?

And the way Dumbledore is staring at Fudge during this conversation 
makes me wonder if perhaps this is a trap of some kind.  Like one of 
those Agatha Christie novels, where a suspect reveals something that 
only the killer could know.  Is he realizing something about Fudge 
here - does Fudge know something that he couldn't know unless he was 
on Voldemort's side?  Dumbledore's remark that Crouch can't give 
evidence about why he killed those people doesn't make sense, either - 
Crouch already has given evidence under Veritaserum, and Dumbledore 
knows everything about the deaths of Cedric and Crouch Sr.  Now, maybe 
he doesn't want to admit this to Fudge, or maybe he just wants to see 
what Fudge will say in response.  Anyway, I have a bad feeling about 
Fudge.  Any ideas about this?