https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-527-Sirius-Black-vs-Lucius-Malfoy/13685638/
Chapter 528: Having Fun, Lucius Malfoy?
The squirrel had just scrambled up the tree when a spell struck the spot where it had been, triggering a Split-into-Parts Spell that shattered the protruding root.
"Tch, quick reflexes," a voice muttered, laced with annoyance.
"Who's there?" Lucius Malfoy instantly pointed his wand in that direction.
A voice, faintly familiar, echoed from the darkness: "Having fun, Lucius Malfoy?"
It sounded like someone he’d heard before—deeply recognizable, yet elusive. He couldn’t place it.
Lucius narrowed his eyes, scanning the shadows. Though the man had just saved him, he held back from acting. Without knowing the stranger’s identity or intentions, he wasn’t about to take any risks.
Crackling footsteps rustled through the forest as a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
When Lucius Malfoy finally saw the man’s face, his eyes widened in disbelief, his expression frozen in shock.
"You?" he stammered, frozen in place. "You’re... alive?"
Little Barty Crouch stood before him, his face unnaturally pale, a sickly smile twisting his lips. His sunken eyes flickered with the dancing flames of the forest, glowing with a frenzied light.
He took two steps forward, his boots crunching on dead branches. "What’s the matter? Surprised?"
Lucius swallowed hard. His wand lowered slightly, but remained clenched in his grip. He whispered, "The Ministry of Magic declared you dead."
"They thought I was dead," Little Barty Crouch said, a bitter edge in his voice. "But thanks to my beloved father—" He let out a mocking laugh. "I’m still breathing."
"Barty Crouch? I never expected to see you again."
Lucius recognized how the younger man had been smuggled out of prison—by his father’s cunning. A smirk tugged at his lips, laced with contempt. "I thought he really was the staunch, uncompromising warrior they painted him to be—someone who’d never tolerate a single grain of sand in his eye!"
Relaxing slightly, Lucius reminded himself: Little Barty Crouch had always been a loyal Death Eater. If bones could be carved with runes, every one of his would be etched with the Dark Mark.
In truth, the sheer intensity of the young man’s fanaticism had once frightened even Lucius.
So even after all these years, there was no way Barty Crouch could have been swayed by parental protection or paternal influence. He would never, ever choose to go straight.
To Lucius, they were still allies—two criminals who had narrowly escaped justice. Though Death Eaters rarely spoke of loyalty or friendship, mutual use and opportunistic cooperation were the norm. Helping someone out when they were being chased by a furious Guard Dog? That was par for the course.
His body trembled with cold, blood seeping from the wound on his shoulder. He forced himself to turn the wand toward the injury, murmuring a healing spell.
But the look on Little Barty Crouch’s face was grim.
Lucius’s stomach tightened. Still, he managed a strained smile. "Thanks for your help earlier. You cursed those Frenzied Boggarts, didn’t you? Masterpiece. Looks like we’re thinking the same way—let’s cause chaos during this tournament."
"And what’s your goal, Lucius Malfoy?" Little Barty Crouch studied him, slowly revealing a grin, his teeth gleaming white in the dim light.
"Look at you—decades on, you’ve done quite well. Your estate, your treasure vaults, your vast wealth… a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, a guest of honor at the Ministry, Fudge’s personal advisor..."
He tapped his teeth, the sound like a serpent hissing. "Lucius Malfoy, you’ve lived a life most would envy. So why do you still wear a mask and stir trouble? If caught, you’d lose it all."
Lucius’s jaw clenched. His fingers whitened from the force of his grip.
Perhaps the blood loss was too great. Even as the wound closed, cold crept through his body, his heart pounding.
"I..." He hesitated, then whispered, "I want to declare to the entire magical world that we still exist... I think we mustn’t forget who we are..."
"Really?" Little Barty Crouch stepped forward slowly. "I thought you’d say you were testing the Dark Mark’s change—wondering if the Master might be returning?"
"Impossible!" Lucius’s breath hitched. He took an instinctive step back, clutching his wand tighter. "Of course we’re searching for him. We hope to serve him again!"
"Oh?" Little Barty Crouch sneered. "A coward like you—someone who wouldn’t even go to Azkaban for him—what kind of loyalty does that prove? You’ve lived freely for over a decade. Who would believe your devotion?"
Lucius frowned. "Don’t make it sound so crude. What’s the difference between you and me? Rotting in prison… is that really better than freedom? You, me, Theo Nott, McWever, Severus—none of us chose the easy path. We just chose a smarter way to serve."
"Never compare me to you cowards!" Little Barty Crouch snapped, swinging his wand.
Lucius reacted instantly, casting a spell—but too late. A red bolt struck his wrist. His wand flew from his hand, and he was thrown backward.
He clutched his arm, looking up.
The cold, deadly eyes of Little Barty Crouch stared down at him, wand leveled at his nose.
"Tell me, Lucius Malfoy," he said slowly, "have you ever tried to find the Master? Even once, in all these years?"
Cold sweat trickled down Lucius’s forehead.
"I..." He locked eyes with him, forcing the words out. "Of course I have—"
Before he could finish, Little Barty Crouch spoke calmly: "No. You haven’t."
Lucius’s pupils contracted sharply. He hadn’t even had time to react—
A blinding flash erupted from the wand tip.
Boom!
Lucius’s body convulsed violently. His bones twisted, reshaping in an instant. His scream of agony was cut off in his throat. When the air finally escaped, it came out as a gurgling, choked sound: Gurgle—gurgle—gurgle.
He stared in horror at the figure before him—now towering, monstrous. Little Barty Crouch’s already bulging eyes now seemed grotesquely enlarged.
Lucius’s clothes and wand lay scattered on the ground. Where he had stood, a large, yellow toad now sat, trembling.
In Little Barty Crouch’s cruel smile, the toad flinched, trying desperately to leap away—hoping to escape, to find someone who could break the spell. But it only managed two hops before a surge of magic pulled it back.
"I should’ve turned Sirius Black into a squirrel," Little Barty Crouch sighed. "Then he’d be trapped in my palm right now."
He reached into his robes and pulled out a slender golden ring. He slipped it behind the toad’s front leg, then waved his wand. The ring shrank, tightening, sinking into the flesh.
He gripped the toad, forcing it to look into his eyes.
"I know you can undo the Transfiguration," he said coldly. "But if I were you, I wouldn’t. Know why?"
He tapped the ring with his finger. "I asked the Master himself to bind it. The moment you revert to human form—he’ll split you in half."
"Enjoy your new life, Lucius Malfoy!"
With that, he tossed the toad to the ground. Bending down, he picked up Sirius Black’s clothing, found a single strand of black hair, and waved his wand.
Lucius’s discarded clothes, wand, and belongings burst into flames.
Little Barty Crouch turned and left.
Only the toad remained, crouched on the ground, trembling, emitting a desperate, hopeless gurgle.
(End of Chapter)
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