Chapter 286 "Barty Crouch Jr"

Crouch Jr. sat on the floor, curled up, shooting a cold glance at his father, who barged in. He turned his head away in silence. Witnessing his son's state, Crouch was suddenly overcome with irritation.

Crouch could be seen swiftly advancing, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks with a furious look on his face.

Crouch Jr. had to shield his forehead with both hands, retaliating with kicks to his father's feet.

Amidst the struggle, Crouch Jr. glared at his father through the gap between his arms.

After venting his rage, Crouch stood up, panting, and cast an angry gaze at his son. He exclaimed, "You rascal, do you realize how much I've sacrificed for you?!"

Upon hearing his father's words, Crouch Jr. merely sneered, offering no response.

Witnessing the scene, Crouch's anger resurfaced, and he struggled to contain it. Eventually, he exploded, exclaiming furiously, "Just now, that insufferable Lucius Malfoy confronted me. Somehow, he learned about my role in rescuing you from Azkaban and threatened me to resign from the British Ministry of Magic, from my position as the head of the Magic Law Enforcement Department! It's all because of you!"

Hearing his father's accusations, Crouch Jr. was momentarily stunned, but then he erupted in rage, "You wretched Lucius! Does he have a death wish? I'll make him pay! He clearly knows the consequences of fighting against another Death Eater!"

Crouch was taken aback, observing his son's intense reaction. Clearly, Crouch Jr.'s response caught him off guard.

He thought his son would only stay silent for the whole time, let alone voice his own thoughts after hearing Crouch was being threatened.

Witnessing this, Crouch's anger subsided slightly. Yet, at that moment, Crouch Jr. roared defiantly, "This blasted Lucius. He's roaming freely in the outside world, seemingly thriving. Why doesn't he go searching for Lord Voldemort?"

Having spoken, Crouch Jr. abruptly halted, then spoke with contemplation, "No, no! He demanded your resignation from the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the British Ministry of Magic, but he isn't vying for the position himself. He's acting on someone else's behalf! Who is he working for? Could it be the lord's will? Has our lord returned?"

Subsequently, Crouch, consumed by a hint of madness after hearing his son's rambling especially when he said Voldemort's name and title, yelled within the room, "What are you even rambling about, you lunatic! There is no such thing as him returning."

"Yes, yes, Lucius must be serving our lord. The lord must've been back after all these years of waiting! The soon-to-be-appointed head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement must be one of our Death Eaters! Haha, tremble, for Voldemort is on the brink of resurgence. Come back, remember the terror of our dominion!"

Observing his son's frenzied state, Crouch couldn't help but feel a sense of despair, "Son... What are you..."

As for Thomas Vole, Crouch harbored no doubts about his allegiance to the Death Eaters.

After all, when Thomas Vole assumed the role of the head of the Auror Office at the British Ministry of Magic, Crouch was already his immediate superior.

Observing the unrepentant behavior of his son, Crouch couldn't resist sneering and remarked, "Death Eaters? That's a relic of the past! Wake up and start living in the present!"

Upon hearing his father's dismissal, Crouch Jr. was momentarily taken aback. He then glared at his father with hatred, declaring defiantly, "We will return sooner or later!"

Crouch dismissively spread his hands and retorted, "Even if you return, what difference does it make? Do you still think you instill fear in the wizarding world? No, you don't. Compared to the Alliance, you Death Eaters are insignificant!"

"Have you ever besieged the British Ministry of Magic? Have you breached Gringotts?" Crouch challenged.

In response, Crouch Jr. curled his lips in disdain and retorted, "Is that supposed to impress us? If our lord desires, we can accomplish those feats anytime! Just wait and see! When I reunite with our esteemed lord Voldemort, I'll promptly suggest fulfilling the two tasks you just mentioned!"

Upon witnessing this, Crouch sneered and remarked, "Oh? Really? Let's delve deeper. Has your lord ever pursued the presidency of the International Society of Wizards?"

Hearing his father's inquiry, Crouch Jr. Was caught off guard, stammering, "Ah?! Well, this..."

Without allowing his son to respond, Crouch pressed on, "Can your so called lord, backed by widespread support globally, incite unrest anywhere in the world at will?"

With a tone of disdain, Crouch added, "Beyond the borders of the UK, who recognizes you? The second generation of the Dark Lord?! Is that all he amounts to?"

In response to his father's words, Crouch Jr. Retorted defiantly, "What you say is untrue! Power! His power has been proven to endure through the passage of time! My lord stands as the most formidable dark wizard in history!"

Crouch burst into laughter upon hearing his son's proclamation. Perhaps, he contemplated, he might resign as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the British Ministry of Magic tomorrow.

Feeling that his political journey had reached its conclusion, Crouch displayed an unusual recklessness.

Observing Crouch, I noticed an exaggerated expression on his face as he declared, "The most powerful dark wizard of all time? Are you certain? Let your father enlighten you with the final chapter of magical history today!"

"In my perspective, only one dark wizard has ever claimed the title of the most powerful—Gellert Grindelwald! He faced a lifelong adversary, later becoming your lord's mentor, named Albus Dumbledore!"

Crouch sneered at his sluggish son, dismissing, "In a way, Voldemort and Grindelwald belong to different eras that bring different kinds of terrors when people hear of his name!"

In response to his father's words, Crouch Jr. Remained unresponsive for a prolonged moment. Satisfied with his son's reaction, Crouch continued. "Trying to compare Grindelwald to Voldemort? You must be out of your mind!"

Suddenly, Crouch Jr. Stubbornly retorted, "Even if he was once formidable, what about now? He's over a hundred years old! He's nothing more than an old man!"

Observing his son. 's exasperated expression, Crouch sneered and remarked, "Dumbledore is also over a hundred years old! Yet look at how strong he currently is!"

Crouch Jr. was left speechless hearing his father's words once again.

Continuing his discourse, Crouch added, "Furthermore, the Alliance is led by Gellert's descendant, the heir to the Grindelwald family. The actions I mentioned earlier are also attributed to this young Grindelwald!"

Crouch looked at his son with a cold gaze and declared, "Now, British wizards are focused on Alliance and Grindelwald. As for the Death Eaters and Voldemort? That's history—forgotten by the present."

Having said that, Crouch turned and left, paying no heed to his son.