Tom raised an eyebrow slightly, studying the distraught man before him with interest. The man seemed utterly terrified of him.
"Hm? Does this guy know me?" He turned to Hermione, curiosity in his voice.
Lucius, standing nearby, also noticed Barty Crouch Jr.'s near breakdown, and doubts crowded his mind.
What was wrong with Barty Crouch Jr.?
Why was he losing his composure even more at the sight of this subordinate of the Witch than he had at the sight of the Witch herself?
When confronted with the Witch's power, he had been shocked, but he had never looked as though his entire faith had collapsed, as he did now.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Hermione's lips curved into a meaningful smile.
"Allow me to introduce him," Hermione began with a playful smile. "This is my partner, the Witch Cult's current Sin Archbishop of Pride. As for his real name..."
She deliberately paused, her gaze sweeping over Lucius and Barty Crouch Jr.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"Or perhaps you're more familiar with another name-Voldemort."
Her words landed like a bomb dropped into a tranquil lake!
Lucius and Narcissa shuddered as though struck by an invisible sledgehammer. Their faces instantly turned deathly pale, and their legs gave way as they both collapsed into their chairs!
Unlike Barty Crouch Jr., whose fanatical devotion to the Dark Lord meant he knew his idol's real name and youthful appearance very well, they had no such knowledge.
Their only impression of Voldemort was a bald man with a volatile temper.
Lucius suddenly remembered something.
"The Chamber of Secrets, the Diary... it was you!" Lucius pointed at Tom, his voice trembling and his eyes filled with horror and fear. "You weren't destroyed! All of this... you were working together from the very beginning!"
He finally understood. One of the