Chapter 528: Enjoying Yourself, Lucius?
Chapter 528: Enjoying Yourself, Lucius?
The squirrel had just darted up the tree when a spell struck the ground where it had been, shattering the raised roots into fragments.
"Tsk, quick reflexes!"
A voice grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"Who's there?" Lucius Malfoy immediately pointed his wand in the direction of the voice.
A vaguely familiar voice echoed, "Enjoying yourself, Lucius?"
The voice was familiar, but he couldn't place it immediately.
Lucius Malfoy stared warily in that direction, but he didn't attack rashly, unsure of the man's identity and intentions.
The rustling of footsteps sounded through the forest, and a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
When Lucius Malfoy recognized the man's face, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"It's you?" Lucius stood frozen, his voice filled with shock. "You're still alive?"
Barty Crouch Jr.'s pale face was twisted in a sickly smile, his sunken eyes reflecting the flickering firelight with a hint of madness.
He took two steps forward, crushing dry twigs under his boots, and said with a smirk, "Surprised... are you?"
Lucius' Adam's apple bobbed, and his wand lowered, though he still clutched it tightly. He murmured, "The Ministry declared you dead."
"They thought I was dead, but thanks to my dear father—" Barty's eyes flashed with derision and resentment. "I'm still alive."
"Barty Crouch? I never would have guessed."
Lucius had figured out how Barty's father had smuggled him out of prison, and a sneer of disdain crept onto his face.
"I thought he was as principled as they made him out to be—a man of unyielding resolve, incapable of turning a blind eye to injustice!"
Lucius relaxed, knowing that Barty was a loyal Death Eater. If bones could be inscribed, Barty's would be covered in the Dark Mark.
Honestly, the young man's fanaticism when he first graduated from school had once terrified Lucius.
So even after all these years, Barty wouldn't have reformed because of his parents' protection or his father's teachings.
To Lucius, as a fellow criminal who had narrowly escaped Azkaban, they were still uneasy allies.
Of course, among the Death Eaters, there was little real camaraderie. Mutual manipulation and cooperation were the norm, and helping a comrade or setting a trap for a relentless hunter were common occurrences.
Feeling the blood seep from the wound on his shoulder, Lucius's body began to grow cold. He quickly turned his wand and cast a healing spell on the wound.
Noticing Barty's dark expression, he felt a chill and quickly added a smile.
"Thank you for your help earlier. Those crazy goblins were cursed by you, right? A masterpiece. It seems we have the same idea—causing chaos during this tournament."
"What's your goal in causing chaos, Lucius?"
Barty's eyes narrowed, and he slowly revealed a chilling smile, baring his white teeth.
"You've had a good life, haven't you? Your manor, your vault, your vast wealth, a seat on the Hogwarts Board, a guest of honor at the Ministry, and a special advisor to Minister Fudge—"
His voice hissed like a venomous snake: "Lucius, living such an enviable life, why do you still wear a mask and cause trouble? If you're caught, you'll lose everything."
Lucius's jaw tightened, and his fingers turned white from the strain.
Perhaps from the blood loss, despite the wound healing, he still felt a chill, and his heart raced.
“I...” Lucius’s voice dropped to a whisper as he thought of Barty Crouch Jr.’s fervor and loyalty. “I want to announce to the entire wizarding world that we still exist... I think we can’t forget who we are...”
“Really?” Barty took a slow, menacing step forward. “I thought you were going to say... that you suspected the Dark Lord might have returned because of the change in the Dark Mark, and you were using this as a test!”
“How could I?” Lucius’s heart leaped to his throat, and he instinctively took a step back, tightening his grip on his wand as he stammered, “Of course, we also want to find the Dark Lord, hoping to serve him again...”
“Oh?” Barty sneered. “A coward like you, who wouldn’t even go to Azkaban for him, who has no honor, who has been on the run for over a decade—why would anyone believe in your loyalty?”
Lucius frowned. “Don’t be so harsh. What’s the difference between you and me? Rotting in prison, is that really better than being active outside? You, me, Nott, Macnair, Snape—we all just chose a smarter way to show our loyalty.”
“Don’t compare me to your bunch of cowards!”
Barty suddenly swung his wand, and Lucius hurried to cast a spell, but he was too late. A red spell hit his wrist, sending his wand and his entire body flying.
He clutched his arm and looked up to see Barty’s cold, murderous eyes and the wand pointed at his nose.
“I ask you, Lucius Malfoy...” Barty said slowly. “Have you tried to find the Dark Lord these past years? Even once?”
Cold sweat trickled down Lucius’s forehead.
“I...” He locked eyes with Barty, forcing himself to speak. “Of course I have...”
Before he could finish, Barty calmly said, “No, you haven’t!”
Lucius’s pupils dilated, and before he could react, a bright light erupted from the tip of Barty’s wand.
With a loud bang, Lucius’s body convulsed, his bones twisting and deforming. His scream was cut short, and when the air finally escaped his throat, it came out as a series of croaks.
He looked up at Barty, now seemingly a giant, his already protruding eyes bulging even more.
Lucius Malfoy’s clothes and wand fell to the ground, and in their place lay a fist-sized, yellow toad.
In Barty’s malicious smile, the toad trembled in fear, struggling to hop away and find someone to lift the curse. But after two jumps, a magical force pulled it back.
“I shouldn’t have turned Sirius Black into a squirrel,” Barty sighed. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have escaped my grasp.”
As he spoke, he took out a thin golden ring and slipped it around the toad’s front legs. The ring shrank, eventually locking tightly around the toad, sinking into its flesh.
Barty held the toad, forcing it to look into his eyes, and sneered, “I know you can reverse the Transfiguration Spell, but if I were you, I wouldn’t do it... Do you know why?”
He flicked the golden ring and said, “I asked the Dark Lord, and he personally cast a Binding Charm on it. The moment you transform back, it will split you in half!”
“Enjoy your new form, Lucius Malfoy!”
Barty tossed the toad to the ground, bent down to pick up Sirius Black’s clothes, and found a black hair. With a wave of his wand, Lucius Malfoy’s clothes, wand, and other items burst into flames. Barty turned and left, leaving the toad crouched on the ground, croaking in despair.
(End of Chapter)
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