In fact.
Old Barty Crouch did not really understand Vinson's way of thinking.
Who could possibly predict what would happen two years from now? Could Harry Potter's enrollment really cause a Minister for Magic to step down?
That logic was rather absurd.
Vinson could not explain it to Old Barty Crouch right now, because he could hardly say that he planned to find a way to steal the Philosopher's Stone from the Goblin Bank's vault and use it to frame someone, could he?
As long as he could learn that skill...
Or as long as that skill could achieve the desired result.
If everything could be handled properly, the Minister for Magic could be saddled with the blame.
[Normal Mission: Obtain Hogwarts' secret treasure, the Marauder's Map (0/1), Reward: Magic Skill—Teleportation, Incomplete.]
"How is Mr. Barty Crouch Jr. doing?"
Vinson Wright glanced at Old Barty Crouch, who was concentrating on driving, and habitually brought up a subject he should not have asked about.
"..."
After remaining silent for a moment, Old Barty Crouch's voice clearly sank. "I used the Imperius Curse on him before leaving this morning. He should be a little more obedient now..."
The relationship between father and son was truly rather tragic.
Barty Crouch Jr. deeply hated his father and firmly believed that Voldemort was the only one who could be his father, which made their relationship even more strained.
One hated his son for taking the wrong path.
The other hated his father for being cold-blooded and ruthless.
Only those who had spent a long time with Barty Crouch knew that this increasingly aged Ministry official possessed a tenderness that ordinary people could not see through.
"Now is not the time to show mercy."
Vinson Wright could hear the complexity in Old Barty Crouch's voice. The boy's childish voice carried a strange magic. "Mr. Barty Crouch Jr.'s survival was bought with his mother's life. We cannot let a great mother make that sacrifice in vain..."
"I have always understood that."
Old Barty Crouch gripped the steering wheel tightly. The wrinkles on the backs of his hands slowly drew taut as he said in a deep voice, "That is why I agreed to follow your wishes back then... As long as Voldemort is killed, everything will finally be freed."
Generally speaking, Voldemort's name could not be mentioned.
However, Old Barty Crouch and Vinson Wright's goal was to kill Voldemort. There was naturally nothing to avoid when it came to their enemy.
Back then.
Old Barty Crouch had been a Ministry official who openly and forcefully opposed Voldemort and his Death Eaters, sending one Death Eater after another to Azkaban Prison.
Just when Old Barty Crouch was riding high, his son, Barty Crouch Jr., was exposed as a Death Eater. His reputation plummeted, and Old Barty Crouch's hopes of becoming Minister for Magic vanished.
To continue opposing Voldemort and the Death Eaters, Old Barty Crouch personally sent his son to Azkaban Prison, becoming synonymous with cold-blooded ruthlessness.
However...
Barty Crouch Jr.'s mental state was poor. This loyal subordinate of Voldemort had astonishingly weak willpower, and after being tortured by the Dementors in Azkaban for a year, he nearly died.
At that time, Mrs. Crouch fell gravely ill.
Before she died, Mrs. Crouch begged her husband to secretly carry out a substitution. Mrs. Crouch took her son's place and died in Azkaban.
Barty Crouch Jr. was able to leave the prison and cling to life.
To prevent his son from causing trouble, Old Barty Crouch had no choice but to control Barty Crouch Jr. with the Imperius Curse and have the House-elf Winky look after and monitor him, preventing him from sneaking out.
A father-son relationship that could barely be maintained only through the magic of the Unforgivable Curses was an immense torment for both Barty Crouch and his son.
The outskirts of London.
The car slowly entered a residential area.
This residential area was not a place where wizards lived. It was inhabited by ordinary human Muggles, so it occasionally seemed rather lively.
The car finally stopped in the garage of an ordinary house.
As Old Barty Crouch opened the car door, he casually voiced his doubts. "I do not think living in a Muggle area will be very convenient..."
"But it is safe here."
Vinson slowly shook his head and said softly, "You should know about the arrangements we have made here. It is hard to imagine that anyone could track down the person we intend to hide..."
The house looked extremely ordinary.
In reality, there was far more to its interior than met the eye.
The house was actually divided into four sections.
The First Area: the living quarters on the first floor.
This was the future living area for Vinson Wright and Old Barty Crouch. It looked no different from any ordinary family home, and indeed, there was nothing special about it.
The Second Area: the trap area on the second floor.
The Muggle Repelling Charm and Protection Charm had been laid here. It looked like a wizard's residence, and it was filled with magical spells and Potions traps.
Generally speaking, any wizard drawn in by the Muggle Repelling Charm and thus breaking through the Protection Charm to enter the second floor would have to rely entirely on the breadth of his knowledge if he wanted to survive.
After all, the person who had set up the traps, Old Barty Crouch, was an experienced and outstanding wizard. Dumbledore had even praised Old Barty Crouch's knowledge.
The Third Area: the basement trap area.
The entire basement was quite spacious and had been enchanted by Old Barty Crouch. Only a wizard of Dumbledore's caliber could probably break through it.
Besides that, the entire basement had been arranged to resemble a wizard's hidden laboratory. On the surface, it was filled with expensive potions and equipment...
But in reality, it was not a laboratory at all...
It was filled with Muggle toys such as land mines and grenades.
The Fourth Area: the Underground Fortress Safe House.
The Underground Fortress area was the true core of the house.
Because of the Cold War between the two great powers of the Muggle world, a devastating crisis could erupt at any moment. Thus, an Underground Fortress capable of resisting a Nuclear War had come into being.
The fortress was also well stocked with supplies.
Tonight.
Old Barty Crouch would settle Barty Crouch Jr. and the House-elf Winky inside the Underground Fortress.
Once they entered the Underground Fortress...
Apart from Vinson Wright, no one would be able to find it, because the Fidelius Charm had been cast over it. Even Old Barty Crouch would be unable to locate it.
In a sense, Barty Crouch Jr., who would later be imprisoned in the Underground Fortress, was also a hostage Vinson Wright would use to control Old Barty Crouch.
As equipment designed to resist a Nuclear War, this Underground Fortress was extremely sturdy.
It had also been transformed by Old Barty Crouch with the Fidelius Charm into a genuine Safe House—a Safe House that could not be destroyed at all.
Vinson Wright was the Secret Keeper of the Safe House.
To be honest.
It had already been seven or eight years since the Dark Lord Voldemort disappeared.
Vinson Wright had still made Old Barty Crouch establish such secure protective measures. If other wizards found out, they would probably think the two of them were somewhat insane.
Even Old Barty Crouch himself felt that this series of layered defenses was excessively devious. Compared with the cunning Dark Lord Voldemort, it even made Voldemort seem somewhat innocent.
Old Barty Crouch could not see what the little fellow Vinson was really thinking.
If Vinson was timid, then this little fellow had clearly already begun preparing for the possible return of the resurrected Dark Lord.
If Vinson was bold, then this little fellow placed far too much importance on security. The safety of this house was arguably even greater than Hogwarts's.
When Vinson Wright and Old Barty Crouch entered the house, the House-elf Winky and Barty Crouch Jr. had already been waiting there for quite some time.
Barty Crouch Jr., who had once been considered a genius wizard, no longer showed any trace of his former arrogance.
His hair was somewhat disheveled, and a layer of stubble covered his chin.
Because his father controlled him with the Imperius Curse, Barty Crouch Jr.'s eyes were also somewhat dull and lifeless. He even seemed less spirited than the House-elf standing by his leg.
What a heartbreaking young man...
"From now on, the Imperius Curse will not be needed at this base..."
Vinson Wright looked at Barty Crouch Jr. and calmly explained, "Besides, I believe that, in order to live with a clear mind, Mr. Crouch Jr. will willingly move into the Underground Fortress..."
Before you continue