Magic Understanding Integrated into Life

Barty Crouch Sr. sat back down. "Winky, bring out some more snacks."

"Yes, Master!" Winky the house-elf hurriedly replied, then vanished from the sitting room with a soft exhale.

As Winky served the snacks, Barty Crouch Sr. lowered the hand that had been rubbing his brow. He had used that time to sort through his thoughts once more.

"Albus, earlier, when you mentioned the All-England Wizarding Duelling Tournament... did you actually come face-to-face with the Dark Lord?"

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

"Just as you previously suspected, 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?" Barty Crouch Sr.'s gaze flickered as though he were considering something. "Has he really become that troublesome?"

"Is that why you came here?" Something seemed to occur to him, and he leaned forward slightly. "Your true target was never me..."

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

At that moment, Barty Crouch Sr. seemed to have returned to more than a decade ago, when he was still the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement;

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

"Barty..." Dumbledore's tone was unusual, like that of an old friend greeting someone he had not seen for a long time. "That is indeed what we had in mind..."

"If I'm not mistaken... after all these years, Barty Crouch Jr. should not have changed much, should