Magical Understanding Woven into Life

Old Barty Crouch sat down again. "Winky, bring out some more refreshments."

"Yes, Master!" the house-elf Winky answered at once, breathed out softly, and vanished from the sitting room.

By the time Winky brought in the refreshments, Old Barty Crouch lowered the hand he had been using to rub his brow. He had used the interval to sort through his thoughts again.

"Albus, this 'All-England Wizard Duelling Competition' you mentioned earlier... did you, in fact, come face-to-face with the Dark Lord?"

Dumbledore set down the muffin he had just picked up. Vizet, who had been about to speak, saw Dumbledore's movement and pressed his lips together instead.

"As you suspected before, the werewolf attack was Voldemort's doing..." Dumbledore admitted. "We did indeed come face-to-face with Voldemort, but he escaped."

"Even you couldn't catch the Dark Lord?" Old Barty Crouch's eyes flickered, as if he were thinking something over. "He has actually become that troublesome?"

"Is that why you came here?" As if realizing something, he leaned forward slightly. "Your real target was never me at all..."

"It was my son... You want him to return to the Dark Lord's side and find out the Dark Lord's secrets... Albus, am I right?"

At that moment, Old Barty Crouch seemed to return to more than ten years ago, when he had still been the Director of Magical Law Enforcement;

Back then, in order to reduce Auror casualties and to intensify the Auror Office's efforts against the Death Eaters, he had temporarily granted the Auror Office the authority to use the Unforgivable Curses.

"Old Barty..." Dumbledore's tone was very particular, like he was greeting an old friend he had not seen in a long time. "That is indeed what we had in mind..."

"If I am not mistaken... after all these years,