Chapter 8

Conscience is something that...

Wesley Light definitely possesses it.

Just like the birthday cake that old Barty Crouch bought, even young Barty and the house-elf Dobby, who were confined in the underground fortress, received a piece.

And Wesley Light personally delivered it.

However, after living in the underground fortress for over a month, young Barty painfully expressed his desire to return to life on the surface, even if it meant being subjected to the Imperius Curse. At least that way, he wouldn't feel the clear and constant despair of a prison cell every day.

There was no one to talk to here at all.

In the underground fortress, the only one he could communicate with was the diligent house-elf Dobby, which was worse than when he was in Azkaban, where at least there were other prisoners to shout at each other.

Young Barty had never hated his own clarity so much!

"Let me out of here!"

Young Barty clung to the iron door of the underground fortress, his face twisted in agony, and shouted, "Even if... you use the Imperius Curse on me, it doesn't matter... let me out of here!"

"Sorry, this was your choice," Wesley Light politely refused him.

As expected, it was exactly as Wesley had predicted.

All Death Eaters loyal to Voldemort actually enjoyed causing trouble everywhere and could not endure this kind of psychological loneliness!

Wesley Light did not completely refuse to offer help and kindly reminded young Barty, "However, before you entered this underground fortress, I anticipated that you might have these psychological issues. I recommend you read the self-help books on the bookshelf again..."

"..."

This little brat is truly a devil!

Young Barty looked at Wesley Light with anger, knowing that this little rascal had known he would go crazy from being confined in the underground fortress but still lured him into choosing to live here!

"You despicable little brat..."

"Speak properly, don't curse," Wesley Light frowned slightly, forcefully pried open young Barty's hand that was gripping the iron door, pushed him back into the underground fortress, and said softly, "Learn to be more open-minded. At least here, you can break any bad habits you've developed in the past..."

After saying this, Wesley Light ignored the even angrier young Barty, called the house-elf Dobby, and earnestly instructed, "Don't talk to Mr. Barty in the future. Just make sure he doesn't die here..."

"But..."

The kind house-elf hesitated a bit.

"No buts," Wesley Light shook his head, smiled, and whispered, "If you talk to him too much, you'll waste Mr. Barty Crouch's good intentions for his son. You don't want them to become enemies, do you?"

"...Yes, Master Light."

The kind house-elf finally nodded.

Wesley Light glanced at the lavish lunch on the table in the underground fortress and continued to instruct softly, "You don't need to prepare such lavish meals for him in the future. This is a spiritual trial we've prepared for him. A trial should be a bit harsh. A cup of water and a piece of bread each day should be enough..."

"Yes."

The kind house-elf understood the meaning of a trial.

"You little devil..."

Although the gray-haired boy's voice still sounded very young, it did not stop young Barty from believing that these were the whispers of a devil!

This little bastard!

How could he say such things!

Why did he have to interfere with his life in the underground fortress, giving him only a piece of bread and a cup of water each day, which was even worse than life in Azkaban!

"Alright, only those who work hard will be rewarded," Wesley Light ignored young Barty, subtly praised Dobby, and slowly closed the door of the underground fortress under young Barty Crouch's angry and desperate gaze.

"Stop!"

"You little devil!"

"Bad kid with festering feet!"

"Brat, you'll get what you deserve!"

"You'll suffer the Cruciatus Curse a thousand times!"

Young Barty Crouch angrily pounded on the iron door of the underground fortress, ignoring the redness and swelling on his fists, hoping his curses could penetrate the iron door.

Unfortunately...

Wesley Light could no longer hear him.

However, this did not stop Wesley Light from guessing that young Barty Crouch would definitely curse, because of his low moral standards.

Wesley ran his hand through his gray hair, turned to leave, and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Moral education needs improvement. I hope his attitude will be friendlier the next time we meet..."

Compared to his father, young Barty still had a long way to go.

As a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, old Barty Crouch had always maintained a serious and dedicated attitude, remaining calm no matter what situation he was in, and considering things very thoroughly.

This was one of the reasons Wesley Light admired old Barty Crouch.

Now that Wesley Light had received his acceptance letter from Hogwarts, old Barty Crouch naturally had to take him to the most prosperous trading market for wizards—

The legendary Diagon Alley.

Only there could they purchase all the items on the new student list.

If they wanted to go to Diagon Alley, there were generally two ways. The first way was through the Leaky Cauldron in London, which had a mechanism to enter Diagon Alley.

The second way was through the Floo Network fireplace, where they just needed to grab a handful of Floo powder and throw it into the fireplace to arrive directly.

Naturally,

Wesley Light chose the more stable way.

Wesley Light explained to old Barty that he wanted to see the Leaky Cauldron, the magical place where ordinary people first encounter the wizarding world.

In addition,

There was a relatively simple exploration quest at the Leaky Cauldron.

[Exploration Quest: Enter Diagon Alley from the back of the Leaky Cauldron (0/1), Reward: Unlocking Charm, Incomplete]

For entering Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, old Barty Crouch himself didn't mind, as all wizards had no ill feelings towards the Leaky Cauldron.

In fact,

Every young wizard's first real contact with the magical world began when they were led by their families through the Leaky Cauldron into Diagon Alley.

The Leaky Cauldron has existed for nearly five hundred years, growing alongside all wizards, giving it a unique significance.

In the past, before the Leaky Cauldron used the Muggle Repelling Charm, it was almost demolished by Muggles to build a road. The entire wizarding community united to cast the Memory Charm on the Muggle engineers to modify the road plans, thus allowing the Leaky Cauldron to survive to this day.

In the heart of London,

Between a Muggle bookstore and a record store, there is a narrow, old wooden door. Passersby, due to the Muggle Repelling Charm, are oblivious to the existence of this small wooden door.

These passersby would never know that if they accidentally stepped through this wooden door, they would enter the magical world.