HP: Dangerous Professor from Azkaban

Chapter 297 - 297: 298: Barty Crouch

Under the cover of night, on a desolate street, Peter Pettigrew was wrapped in an oversized black robe that nearly dragged along the ground, making his already short figure appear even more pitiful.His face was pale, his breathing rapid, and every slight use of magic left him dizzy, as though his magical power had nearly been exhausted.

The cold body of Nagini was tightly coiled around his torso and arms, her head resting upon his shoulder. From time to time, her scarlet tongue flicked out with a hiss, bringing an icy chill and oppressive weight.

The giant snake was still in poor condition, but a cruel excitement radiated from within her.

From inside Nagini's body came Voldemort's voice.

"Hurry up, Wormtail!"

Voldemort's voice was hoarse, yet carried a chilling sense of relief, as though he had narrowly escaped disaster.

"Sagres Greengrass... his 'performance' at the World Cup was truly astonishing. Draining wizards of their magic... hah, I underestimated both his creativity and his cruelty. Was it he who reduced you to this state?"

Nagini's body tightened slightly under the influence of the soul within her, constricting Peter until he could barely breathe.

"You should feel grateful now, you fool," Voldemort continued, his voice carrying both lingering fear and twisted admiration. "Grateful that we did not act rashly back then. Grateful that we did not walk directly into his trap. Otherwise, we would likely have ended up like those useless fools... perhaps even worse. That kind of power..."

He paused, as though still struggling to process the shock of that news himself.

"But precisely because of this, Wormtail, our plans must change! The Ministry of Magic must be in complete chaos now... and that is our opportunity! Bertha Jorkins, that foolish woman... she saw things she never should have seen. Although old Barty wiped her memory clean, such a thing could never stump the great Voldemort."

They stopped in front of a seemingly lifeless house with all its curtains tightly drawn. It was Barty Crouch's home.

"Now. Knock on the door."

Voldemort gave the command as Nagini's head brushed threateningly against Peter's neck.

Peter trembled violently, using nearly all his strength to raise his heavy arm and knock on the thick wooden door.

A moment later, the door opened slightly.

Barty Crouch Senior's stern and weary face appeared from behind it.

He was wearing pyjamas beneath a dressing gown, his eyes sharp and full of caution.

"Who is it?"

He frowned as he spoke, his hand instinctively moving toward the wand in his pocket.

At that very moment—Hiss~~!

Nagini shot forward like a bolt of lightning from around Peter's body, instantly wrapping herself around Barty Crouch with terrifying speed.

The icy coils tightened around him, forcing a muffled cry from his throat as his wand slipped from his hand.

"Now!"

Voldemort's voice rang out sharply in command.

Despite his magic being nearly exhausted, Wormtail instinctively raised his wand, but it was completely unnecessary.

A twisted purple light, almost invisible to the naked eye, shot directly from Nagini's open mouth and struck Barty Crouch Senior squarely in the forehead.

It was Voldemort's Imperius Curse, cast from within the giant snake.

Barty's struggling instantly ceased, his eyes turning hollow and vacant.

"Get inside!"

Voldemort's voice carried uncontrollable excitement and urgency.

Wormtail scrambled clumsily through the doorway while Nagini dragged the Imperius-controlled Barty Crouch in behind him.

The door closed silently at their backs.

Inside the house, everything was deathly quiet.

Nagini loosened her coils slightly, though she still remained tightly wrapped around Barty in vigilance.

Through Nagini's senses, Voldemort "surveyed" the cold, orderly, yet lifeless house.

"Now, my 'loyal servant,'" Voldemort's voice slithered through Nagini's hiss like icy venom, "take us... to see your 'good son.'"

Under the numb guidance of Barty Crouch Senior, they made their way upstairs toward a room hidden behind layers of magic.

Wormtail staggered after them, panting heavily, caught between terror and a twisted sense of relief. They were finally close to finding an ally, and his useless, nearly depleted body might at last gain a temporary reprieve.

Led by the vacant old man, they climbed the creaking staircase until they reached a door concealed behind a large map.

The door was protected by complicated locking charms and defensive magic, but before its own master, now controlled by the Imperius Curse, such protections were meaningless.

With stiff movements, Barty waved his wand and muttered several unlocking spells under his breath. The lock gave a dull click before springing open.

The door slowly creaked open, and the smell of dust mixed with potion fumes drifted out.

The attic was small and dimly lit, illuminated only by a faint oil lamp burning in the corner.

Curled up on a narrow bed was a gaunt, pale young man with light blond hair and hollow, lifeless eyes, like someone whose soul had already been drained away.

This was Barty Crouch Junior, who had spent years under his own father's powerful Imperius Curse, nearly losing all sense of self.

Beside the bed, the house-elf Winky stood with her back to the door, carefully wiping an empty potion bowl with a rag.

Hearing the door open, Winky assumed it was her master returning to deliver medicine or check on things, and without turning around she immediately spoke in her high-pitched voice.

"Master, Winky has already given the medicine to Master Barty. He is very quiet today. Winky will take good care of—"

Her words abruptly stopped.

She suddenly sensed that something was wrong and spun around sharply.

The moment she saw the scene at the doorway, her large tennis ball-like eyes widened even further, filled with overwhelming shock and terror.

She saw her master, Mr Crouch, standing there with hollow eyes, and behind him... a monstrous giant python with its tongue hissing, while beside it stood a trembling, wretched figure wrapped in a huge black robe.

"Mas—Master?!"

Winky screamed, the bowl in her hands crashing to the floor and shattering. "Behind you! Snake! Bad wizard! Danger!"

Instinctively, she rushed forward, trying to protect her master or at least block the intruders.

But the moment Winky moved, the giant python's head shot forward with terrifying speed utterly at odds with its massive body.

A streak of black lightning flashed past.

"No—!"

Winky managed only a short scream before her small body was instantly bitten, wrapped up, and swallowed whole by Nagini.

The attic filled with the horrifying sound of swallowing and the faint crunch of bones being crushed before silence returned once more.

Nagini slowly withdrew, satisfied, her scales scraping softly across the floor while the unnatural bulge in her stomach shifted slightly.

Wormtail was so terrified by the sudden scene that he collapsed onto the ground, covering his mouth to stop himself from screaming.

"One unnecessary nuisance... dealt with."

Voldemort's cold voice emerged from inside Nagini's body, carrying a trace of cruel delight.

"Now, Wormtail, go and greet our 'dear friend.'"

___

o(*≧▽≦)ツ???? Read up to 12+ chapters in advance on Patreon/DarkDevil1