Stripping free-will ( warning dark, mind control)

(Its double update. uploaded two chapters)

"Bitch, how dare you betray Lord Voldemort and consort with your blood-traitor cousin," a deranged man shouted from his cell. Next to him was an older man who appeared to be in turmoil, likely feeling guilty for his actions. They were a father-son duo, Barty Crouch Sr. and Jr. Across from them, there was another inmate, a rodent-like man, who appeared broken and was staring blankly at the wall.

In the center of the dungeon stood a man with his arms crossed, looking impassive. He was accompanied by a witch who had a sneer on her face as she was being cursed by the deranged man. The witch mockingly replied, "What ickle Barty, then you be happy, you will going on a rescue mission," before the man cut her off and left.

As the witch left, she taunted the prisoner one last time, leaving him frothing with rage.

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(Sirius Pov)

The Head of the House, Crouch Sr., was informed of an intruder when Bella shattered the wards. He was ambushed upon his return by Bella and Barty Jr., who at the time, believed Bella to still be loyal. Once they arrived, I attacked Barty and threw the duo into the dungeon. The elf, Winky, that was captured, I didn't know what to do with her. Killing her would be a waste. Taking her as mine would be complex as she is devoted to Crouch Sr. Plus, the ministry strictly regulates elves. An extra elf was always a helpful one, you can't just shout "Free House-Elf" and receive one.

"So, how is Barty going to be the scapegoat?" Broken from my musing, I considered Bella's question. I gave her the rough sketch of my plan. I didn't tell her about the Quirrell. I mean, how could I explain that this guy would meet Voldemort? It was unnecessary.

I animatedly described my plan to her. "I have one of the elves looking around the Albania forests for any sign of Dark presences or a place that looks dreary. We will throw Barty Jr. in any of these places with the boxes of ashes of the Death Eaters. Create a dark enough ritual that would trigger the alerts of Albanian ministry. An informant (imperious person) would inform them how he saw a suspicious person in the forest. The auror forces will arrive and capture Barty. Barty will say how he performed a ritual to bring back the Dark Lord by sacrificing wizards he freed from the prison."

Throughout my explanation, Bella's face changed from the expression of "Are you stupid? How is this going to work?" to "Hmm, this does have merit." She "hmmm'd" a little before she started poking holes in my plan.

"How will Barty be following your command if you use Imperious? It will be found when he is questioned. What role does Sr. have?"

"Well, I hope to insert fake memories into Barty's head. As for Senior, he will also have fake memories inserted. That he facilitated his son. He left a Portkey on his wife's dead body, which his son used to enter Azkaban. That he was guilty of his son's imprisonment, so he helped him because of his deceased wife's promise."

"The fake memories will mess with their heads, altering or destabilizing the plan."

"What do you suggest then?" She looked hesitant for a moment. Perplexed, Bella being hesitant meant that whatever was up was pretty messed up, saying something.

"Well, our Aunt told me about our family's ritual. They used it on disobedient family members or those with bad ideas."

Well, that wasn't that bad; I mean, it was messed up, nasty, but pretty useless.

"But how will it help us?" Wait, after saying that, I felt stupid. Of course, she brought it up because it was relevant.

She somberly said, "Sirius, Imperious controls the mind. It can be broken, and the user retains all sense of rationality. If the caster doesn't remember to erase the memory, the victim can grieve and feel guilty. But what this ritual does is pretty worse."

"The ritual uses centuries of Black Family magic accumulated and changes the magic of the person and changes their personality, their core. They can change their mind. It's distinct from Imperious. Your freedom of choice and disobedience are taken away. The fact that obeying the family head is the wisest course of action and defying him is fruitless."

My spine shuddered at the thought, as it reminded me of a concept from DC comics. The Black family's ritual was eerily similar to the Anti-life Equation sought after by Darkseid. If this is what the Black family had, why weren't they more powerful?

"Many old families have similar methods or rituals to keep infighting to a minimum and stay united in times of need or when they face extinction," Bella said, perhaps sensing my unease. "Performing the ritual takes centuries of family magic. Its effect is weakened if the victim is not a Black family member. They never used it lightly. It weakens the victim, destroying any potential growth of their magic. Most often, it was used on daughters who refused to marry the family's choice. The last recorded use was by Phineas Nigellus Black (1847-1925) on his daughter, Belvina Burke (née Black), in 1886. She did not want to marry the Burke family. Sigh..."

The practice was despicable, and I breathed a sigh of relief when she said we couldn't overuse it. She looked sad, with madness lurking in her eyes. She stared at the wall and spoke brokenly. "When I refused to marry the Lestranges, grandfather threatened to use it on me. They were going to use it on Andromeda, but my father begged him. That day, I learned the importance of power."

It was hypocritical of her to be sad, considering how she had destroyed families and used the Imperius Curse like it was going out of fashion. Nonetheless, I got up and hugged her, and she returned the embrace. I made her sit on my lap, and she hugged me tightly, whispering in my ear. Her words sent shivers down my spine.

"You know, when you were acting up, your mother, Walburga, suggested using the ritual on you. But grandfather disagreed, saying you were still valuable in case something happened to Regulus."

We sat in silence, relishing each other's company. "Let's use it on those three," I said, and she relaxed in my embrace. I guessed why. A small part of her was maybe afraid that I would use the ritual on her. She whispered in my ear, "I will prepare the preparations."

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"Let me go, you whore!"

"Sirius, please, I didn't mean to betray James and you. Voldemort made me do it," pleaded the prisoner, tied up on the circular stage with two others. The third remained silent, seemingly resigned to their fate.

A witch arranged the ingredients in a particular order around the circle as a person stood on the ground, watching.

"Can't we shut them up?" the person on the ground asked.

"No magic is allowed. They must be conscious," the witch replied.

The prisoners who knew they were being subjected to the ritual were more vocal, but the witch easily ignored them. "You know, getting the brain of a Wampus Cat was pretty hard. They say they can hardly find them nowadays. Merlin!" she said.

After finishing setting up the ritual, the witch turned to the wizard. "Now make a blood circle around the whole circle. It's a sacrifice and recognition as the head of the house."

Following her instructions, the wizard cut open his palm and made a circle out of his blood, then drank a prepared potion. "Come now, repeat after me," the witch said.

"Morum Mutatio," he repeated. "Behavior Change."

"O Familia magica," he continued. "Family Magic."

"Sacrifice nostrum suscipe," he said. "Accept Our Sacrifice."

"Auxilium nigri in Success," he added. "Help the Blacks in Our Success."

"Morum Mutatio. O Familia magica. Sacrifice nostrum suscipe. Auxilium nigri in Success," he repeated, and the room shook.

"No, Sirius, I will swear loyalty to you. Please!" cried one of the prisoners.

"Dark Lord will avenge me," shouted another. "Tell him I am his most faithful."

"I hope the ghosts of the Crouch family curse you mad Blacks," cursed the third prisoner, who had been silent until now.

Even the silent prisoner had been shaken by the change of atmosphere and cursed their captors.

The Black Masima gathered circularly, bringing an ancient feeling to the place. The witch prodded the wizard. "Now, flow your magic to your tongue and address their true name. Then give your orders."

She sighed at the end, and it was unclear whether it was a happy or regretful one. "Well, there goes a hundred years of magic."

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