"Like Barty Crouch Jr.?" Wizet raised an eyebrow slightly and followed that line of thought. "It seemed the potion in that basin had worked beyond Voldemort's expectations?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "You could say that Barty Crouch Jr. had lacked something quite important throughout his life: the freedom to choose."
"After he drank that potion that touched upon 'hope,' he regained that very thing." He let out a soft breath. "That was the turning point I mentioned."
"Barty Crouch Jr. had originally been able to do nothing but grope his way forward in the darkness. Darkness lay all around him, so there was no such thing as a direction—until he encountered the Death Eaters, and encountered Voldemort."
"Voldemort used some honeyed words. That was one of his strengths, and quite a few people had been beguiled by them. Barty Crouch Jr. was no exception."
"Once beguiled, Barty Crouch Jr. regarded Voldemort as a guide and allowed him to lead him toward an even deeper abyss."
"At least from our perspective, that was terrifying!" He sighed. "At any moment, he could have been swallowed by the abyss."
"Yet the hope Barty Crouch Jr. gained from the potion was like a faint glimmer kindled in the darkness. It illuminated another path for him and gave him the chance to see that possibility."
"As for whether he would choose to ignore that glimmer and continue sinking into the darkness he knew so well, or gather the courage to follow it and truly choose a direction for himself... that remained unknown."
Wizet's eyes flickered. "Professor Dumbledore, did Voldemort notice this change in Barty Crouch Jr.?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Fortunately, Voldemort did not notice it."
"Voldemort had always been very confident in himself. Or rather... that was the arrogance brought about by walking the magical