Any spell related to thoughts or memories came with collateral damage.
If the changes were minor, that damage might be negligible.
But if they followed Barty Crouch Jr.'s suggestion and searched deeper into his memories—
in other words, if they increased the power of the Legilimency Spell without limit, the collateral damage would be too great.
He could lose intelligence, suffer amnesia, or even go insane.
Lockhart certainly didn't want that to happen, but Voldemort wasn't stingy with his magic.
"Trust me this once, Dark Lord. I promise I'll find the answer."
As Voldemort raised his wand, Lockhart dropped to his knees, his back ramrod straight.
"Ten minutes. No longer."
Voldemort took out his pocket watch and started the timer on the spot.
Lockhart didn't dare argue. He immediately tried to think.
"I don't see the point," Barty Crouch Jr. said quietly as he approached Voldemort. "All his memories have been altered, and he never noticed anything was wrong, so... even if you gave him a year, it wouldn't help."
"Sometimes, the Forgetting Charm can't make someone forget their memories completely."
Voldemort glanced at Lockhart. "For someone with a strong enough will, those memories may simply be hidden."
"But he doesn't look like that sort of person to me," Barty Crouch Jr. said, glancing at Lockhart as well.
Voldemort shrugged and didn't answer.
Will was an invisible thing, difficult to quantify. He decided to wait the ten minutes.
It wasn't that long, anyway.
"Click."
Voldemort snapped the pocket watch shut and looked at Lockhart, who jolted in fright.
"Time's up. Do you have an answer?"
Lockhart shook his head, his face pale, then looked up at Voldemort pleadingly.
But when he raised his head, silver spell-light came straight at him. Voldemort had already raised his wand while Lockhart was shaking