Chapter 3

In fact.

Old Barty Crouch did not quite understand Wesley's line of thinking.

No one could predict what would happen two years later. Could Harry Potter's enrollment really cause a Minister of Magic to resign?

This logic was a bit absurd.

Now, Wesley could not explain to Old Barty Crouch, as he couldn't say that he planned to steal the Philosopher's Stone from the goblin bank's vault to frame someone.

As long as he could learn that skill…

Or if that skill could meet expectations.

If everything could be handled properly, it would make the Minister of Magic take the blame.

[Normal Task: Obtain the secret treasure of Hogwarts, the Marauder's Map (0/1), Reward: Teleportation spell, Incomplete.]

"How is young Barty Crouch doing?"

Wesley Wright glanced at Old Barty Crouch, who was driving attentively, and habitually brought up a topic that shouldn't be asked.

"……"

Old Barty Crouch fell silent for a moment, his voice clearly becoming more subdued: "I used the Imperius Curse on him this morning. He should be more obedient now…"

The father-son relationship was truly a bit tragic.

Young Barty Crouch hated his father deeply and was convinced that Voldemort was the only one who could be his father, which made their relationship even more tense.

One son, hating his father, had gone down the wrong path.

One father, hating his son, was ruthless and unfeeling.

Only those who had spent a long time with Barty Crouch knew that this increasingly aged high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic had a soft side that others couldn't see.

"This is not the time to be merciful."

Wesley Wright sensed the complexity in Old Barty Crouch's voice. The young boy's innocent voice carried an inexplicable charm: "Young Barty Crouch's survival is thanks to his mother's sacrifice. We cannot let a great mother's sacrifice be in vain…"

"I have always been clear about that."

Old Barty Crouch's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, the wrinkles on his hands slowly tightening. He said in a low voice: "That's why I agreed to follow your wishes… As long as Voldemort is killed, everything will be resolved now."

Generally speaking, Voldemort's name could not be mentioned.

However, since Old Barty Crouch and Wesley Wright's goal was to eliminate Voldemort, there was no need to avoid mentioning their enemy's name.

Back then,

Old Barty Crouch was a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic who openly and forcefully opposed Voldemort and his Death Eaters, sending one Death Eater after another to Azkaban.

Just as Old Barty Crouch was basking in his success, his son, Young Barty Crouch, was discovered to be a Death Eater, which greatly tarnished his reputation and dashed his hopes of becoming the Minister of Magic.

To continue his fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters, Old Barty Crouch personally sent his son to Azkaban, earning him a reputation for being ruthless and unfeeling.

However…

Young Barty Crouch's mental state was poor. This loyal follower of Voldemort had an unusually weak will and was nearly driven to death by the Dementors in Azkaban after a year.

At that time, Mrs. Crouch was unfortunately suffering from a serious illness.

On her deathbed, Mrs. Crouch begged her husband to secretly switch places with their son, and she died in Azkaban in her son's place.

Young Barty Crouch was thus able to leave the prison and survive.

To prevent his son from causing trouble, Old Barty Crouch had to use the Imperius Curse to control Young Barty Crouch, and had the house-elf Winky take care of and monitor him to prevent him from sneaking out.

This father-son relationship, maintained only through the use of an Unforgivable Curse, was a great torment for both Barty Crouches.

In the suburbs of London.

The car slowly drove into a residential area.

This residential area was not where wizards lived, but where ordinary Muggles resided, so it occasionally seemed lively.

The car finally stopped in the garage of an ordinary house.

As Old Barty Crouch pushed open the car door, he casually raised a question: "I don't think living in a Muggle area is very convenient…"

"But it's very safe."

Wesley slowly shook his head and said softly: "You should know our setup here. It's hard to say if anyone could find the person we are hiding…"

The house looked very ordinary.

In reality, the inside was quite different.

The entire house was actually divided into four parts.

The first area, the ground floor living area.

This was the living area for Wesley Wright and Old Barty Crouch in the future. It looked no different from any ordinary family, and there was nothing special about it.

The second area, the second-floor trap area.

This area was set up with Muggle Repelling Charms and protective spells, making it look like a wizard's living space, filled with magical traps and potions.

Generally, any wizard attracted by the Muggle Repelling Charm and breaking through the protective spells to invade the second floor would have to rely on their knowledge to survive.

After all, Old Barty Crouch, who set up the traps, was an experienced and outstanding wizard, and even Dumbledore had once praised Old Barty Crouch's knowledge.

The third area, the basement trap area.

The entire basement was not small and was warded by Old Barty Crouch. Only a wizard of Dumbledore's level could break through the wards.

In addition, the entire basement was set up as a hidden wizard's laboratory, with expensive potions and equipment hidden on the surface…

But in reality, it wasn't a laboratory…

It was filled with Muggle gadgets like landmines and grenades.

The fourth area, the underground bunker safe room.

The underground bunker area was the core of the house.

Due to the Cold War between two major Muggle countries, there was always a possibility of a catastrophic crisis, leading to the creation of nuclear-resistant underground bunkers.

The bunker was well-stocked with supplies.

Tonight,

Old Barty Crouch would place Young Barty Crouch and the house-elf Winky in the underground bunker.

Once they entered the underground bunker…

No one except Wesley Wright would be able to find the underground bunker, as it was protected by the Fidelius Charm, and even Old Barty Crouch couldn't find it.

In a sense, Young Barty Crouch, who would be imprisoned in the underground bunker in the future, would also serve as a hostage for Wesley Wright to control Old Barty Crouch.

As a nuclear-resistant facility, the underground bunker was very sturdy.

Moreover, Old Barty Crouch had used the Fidelius Charm to turn it into a true safe room, a room that could not be destroyed.

The Secret-Keeper of the safe room was Wesley Wright.

To be honest,

It had been seven or eight years since the Dark Lord Voldemort disappeared.

For Wesley Wright to still have Old Barty Crouch take such stringent protective measures, other wizards would likely think they were a bit crazy.

Even Old Barty Crouch himself felt that these layered protective measures were overly sinister, making even the cunning Dark Lord Voldemort seem somewhat pure in comparison.

Old Barty Crouch couldn't understand what this young boy, Wesley, was thinking.

If Wesley was timid, this young boy had already planned to deal with the potential return of the Dark Lord…

If Wesley was bold, this young boy was overly concerned with safety, and the security of this house could be said to be even higher than that of Hogwarts.

When Wesley Wright and Old Barty Crouch entered the house, the house-elf Winky and Young Barty Crouch had already been waiting for some time.

Young Barty Crouch, once a prodigious wizard, no longer showed any trace of his former pride.

His hair was somewhat messy, and he had a stubble on his chin.

Due to being controlled by the Imperius Curse, Young Barty Crouch's eyes were dull, even less spirited than the house-elf standing by his side.

What a pitiful young man…

"From now on, there's no need for the Imperius Curse in this base…"

Wesley Wright looked at Young Barty Crouch and explained calmly: "And I believe that Mr. Barty, to live a conscious life, will be willing to stay in the underground bunker…"