TBAY: Crouch Redux

[B Arrowsmith]

No: HPFGUIDX 85535

From: B Arrowsmith <ARROWSMITHBT at btconnect.com>
Date: Thu Nov 20, 2003  12:29:33 PM Europe/London
To: hpforgrownups at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: TBAY: Crouch Redux

In a dimly lit alcove of the  Canon Museum, Kneasy stirred irritably.
He'd sneaked in to find a nice quiet warm spot where  he  could sleep  
off his liquid lunch. And then all this chattering started.

"Got  no consideration, some people," he grumbled to his constant 
companion, "diggin' up past 'istory when some of us is tryin' to sleep."

The snot-beribboned mite that was Snape!Son made no answer but drooled 
over Kneasy's shoes and clamped himself tighter  to our hero's left leg.

"Wouldn't mind, but they left  out the interestin' bit," continued 
Kneasy. " O'course Crouch was tipped for Minister, course  he wanted 
it, course he loved power; but  I heard a whisper as that didn't suit 
some people. Too straight, too stiff, not 'flexible' enough." He 
chuckled. "So they decided to  get  rid of him; he was getting too good 
  at sortin' out the DEs and some was wonderin' who'd be next.

"You don't think that young Barty  was found with them DEs by accident, 
do  you? Not  what I  heard.  I heard it was 'arranged' by 'interested 
parties' to  bring old  Crouch down. Couldn't win, you  see; either he 
goes easy on Barty and everybody thinks it's nepotism, or he goes hard 
and everybody looks at  him as if he's somethin' the cat dragged in. 
Either way he gets knocked off  his pedestal. Worked too. Bound to. 
Folks not so keen on his methods no more. Lookin' for an excuse to get 
shut of him. And suddenly there ain't so many DEs in court when old 
Fudge gets his feet under the desk. Has to look after his friends, 
don't he? O'course later old  Crouch realised what had happened, so he 
gets young Barty out o'  the slammer." He shifted to a more comfortable 
position.
"Just somethin' I heard," he muttered.

It wasn't long before gentle snores rolled among the  exhibits.