Chapter 487
Riddle House
Chapter 487 Riddle House
Dumbledore listened quietly until the conversation came to an end.
Sirius did not see the two people talking in person. Even in his memory, there were only dense bushes and lush green leaves swaying around.
Wormtail's voice was trembling and nervous, just as he had always seemed to be.
It seemed that even in the Death Eater camp to which he was loyal, Peter Pettigrew did not receive the corresponding respect or trust, and Dumbledore was not surprised at all.
As for the other person, his voice was hoarse and deep, completely different from the former Barty Crouch Jr. However, they could not conclude that the person was not Barty Crouch Jr.
After all, even if that person did not die in Azkaban, so many years have passed, and outsiders have no idea what he has experienced, so it is natural that he has changed greatly.
He may also have used Transfiguration or potions to completely transform himself from head to toe into another person, moving around in the outside world under another identity, and only his fellow Death Eaters would know who he really was.
Rather, if his voice was exactly the same as Dumbledore remembered, then the headmaster could be certain that this guy was an imposter.
Therefore, Dumbledore did not distract himself to identify the voice, but focused on the content of what he said. After listening, he tapped the Pensieve with his wand, and the sound and image in the air disappeared, leaving only those silver-white memories spinning calmly.
Sirius couldn't wait to say, "Dumbledore, is that man really Barty Crouch Jr.? Was there something strange about his death that year?"
Dumbledore groaned for a moment and said, "Voldemort has not yet truly resurrected. He must be in a very weak state now. There are only a few people among the Death Eaters who can still be trusted by him at this time and who can easily subdue Lockhart and Gal Trocca."
For example, Malfoy is a fence-sitter. Voldemort will only let him crawl at his feet when he is strong. When the Dark Lord is weak, he will never let Malfoy know his whereabouts.
Sirius was speechless for a moment.
So... is it Barty Crouch Jr.? Is his father Barty Crouch also in trouble?
He opened his mouth and was about to ask further questions when he suddenly realized that Dumbledore would not easily express his guess without definite evidence.
After all, Barty Crouch was currently the director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Although his prestige was not as high as before, many people still trusted and respected him far more than Minister of Magic Fudge.
"They are targeting Harry." Sirius asked with a dangerous look: "Dumbledore, I still remember that place. Should we..."
Sirius drew a line across his neck with his fingers, his meaning was very clear.
Dumbledore looked at him for a moment and said, "Leave this to me. You have only one task, Sirius."
"What is it?" Sirius asked eagerly, leaning forward.
"Protect Harry." Dumbledore said, "That is the most important thing."
……
The locked iron gate opened quietly in silence. Dumbledore walked through the overgrown garden and gently waved the wand in his hand. An invisible wave spread out.
The surroundings were eerily quiet; not even an insect made a sound. Only the cold night wind blew as usual, causing the old man's silver beard and hair to flutter.
This courtyard seemed empty and desolate to others, but to Dumbledore, there were traces of magic everywhere.
But the source of magic has left here.
He walked past a wooden house and heard the sound of water dripping from inside. Dumbledore looked inside and found an old man lying on the ground, his gray eyes staring at the sky, dead. On the table next to him, an aluminum kettle was overturned, and clear water kept dripping along the edge of the table.
Next to the kettle was a plate of steak, half of which had been eaten, with the blackened fork placed haphazardly aside.
Dumbledore crossed the courtyard and tapped the lock of the front door with his wand. When he heard a slight click, he opened the door and walked in.
The corridors and hallways were covered in dust and smelled rotten, and it looked like no one had been in there for a long time.
He followed the traces of magic and began to go upstairs, to the top of the stairs, through the corridor, and finally saw a room that had been carefully maintained.
The room was clean and tidy, with thick curtains blocking out the sunlight. The floor was covered with soft Persian carpets, and the firewood in the fireplace was not completely burned out, with flickering sparks still visible.
There were water cups and small bowls on the table nearby. There was also an exquisite silver spoon in the porcelain bowl. There was a little white liquid remaining at the bottom of the bowl, which looked like some rare potion.
Dumbledore took a step forward and suddenly raised his eyebrows slightly.
A blood-red light suddenly lit up under my feet, hidden in the soft long hair of the carpet. If it wasn't late at night, it would have been very hidden.
"boom--"
If someone stood in the courtyard and looked up at this time, they would see a thick, dark green smoke suddenly erupting from a room upstairs.
Then, as if time was turning back, the smoke that carried an ominous aura shrank back in a very short time, leaving only a faint, stinking smell in the air.
Not long after, Dumbledore came downstairs. Apart from his hat being slightly askew, he looked no different from when he came upstairs.
Afterwards, Dumbledore went to the nearby cemetery and found, as expected, that a grave had been split in the middle and the corpse inside had disappeared.
The old man stood beside the empty grave and sighed silently.
He became more and more certain that the person who helped Voldemort resurrect should be Barty Crouch Jr.
Voldemort was an arrogant man. Even if Lockhart and the other man broke into his hiding place, after interrogating them and finding out that they were desperate fugitives, he might kill them or force them to work for him, but he would not move to another place in a hurry.
But Barty Crouch Jr., who had been in prison and escaped, and had hidden for more than a decade without being exposed, was cautious and would choose a safer approach.
Dumbledore learned from some Death Eaters that Barty Jr. had a very close relationship with Voldemort. Voldemort treated him like his own son, and the young man also regarded Voldemort as his father.
Therefore, Barty Jr. has the possibility to persuade Voldemort to choose a safer option, but the same may not be true for other Death Eaters.
They even took away the remains of Tom Riddle, Voldemort's father.
But this approach made Dumbledore feel a little uncomfortable.
If they didn't want to reveal their hiding place, why did the cowardly Wormtail dare to lead Lockhart and the others to this place?
Dumbledore stood in the desolate cemetery, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking into the distance, his fingers gently stroking the ancient wand, recalling every bit of detail.
(End of this chapter)