The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 548 The mantis stalks the cicada
Wiltshire is located in the southwest of England. It is home to crop circles, Stonehenge, and a large number of UFO sightings. Not long ago, a strange hurricane occurred in the southwest counties of England, which was also related to this place.

The man who created this hurricane now lives in a small building on the banks of the Avon River. His name is Barty Crouch, but many people are more accustomed to calling him Little Barty to distinguish him from his dead father.

Barty Crouch Jr. was acknowledged by Voldemort himself as his "most loyal servant", but Barty had rarely appeared since the cemetery in Little Hangleton Village. Although he was the one who planned the typhoon in the southwestern counties, the people responsible for its execution were several dark wizards and giants.

It was raining outside the window, and Barty Crouch Jr. in his bedroom was also in a bad mood. It was not because he was not valued that he felt resentful, but he was worried about today's action plan. He felt that St. Mungo's must be a trick.

Although it is unclear why Voldemort wanted Florin Fosco, and the Dark Lord never explained it to his loyal servants, the Dark Lord's determination to obtain the soda fountain owner has never changed.

After the failed raid on Diagon Alley, Corban Yaxley brought intelligence from the Ministry of Magic, saying that the Ministry would relocate Florin Forsco in advance to prevent the Death Eaters from taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Barty Jr. was skeptical about the internal plan of the Ministry of Magic brought by Yaxley.

Yaxley hadn't brought back any intelligence for many days, and it was hard not to be suspicious when he suddenly brought back such important intelligence.

Barty's father was a senior official in the Ministry of Magic and almost became the Minister, so Barty knew the incompetence of the Ministry of Magic. But now the Ministry of Magic has changed a lot, as if there is a hand behind it pushing the Ministry of Magic forward and forcing it to change.

Combined with the intelligence that Yaxley had brought back previously, the hand behind the scenes was most likely Esmeralda Drizzt. Her arrest by the Ministry of Magic was just a self-directed drama in order to support Pius Thicknesse to take power.

The loyal Barty Junior privately reported his concerns to the Dark Lord. He did not believe that his wise and powerful master could not see the vortex hidden in the Ministry of Magic. However, as the Dark Lord's "most loyal servant", Barty Junior still chose to express his suspicions.

Persuasion was futile and Voldemort did not change his mind, so Barty Jr. volunteered to participate in the St. Mungo's operation to deal with possible crises.

But Voldemort rejected him again, choosing Bellatrix Lestrange as the person in charge of the operation. There was no explanation, nor any comfort.

After the Death Eater meeting, Barty Jr. returned to his hiding place on the banks of the Avon River. He was a little puzzled by his master's decision. Although he was pessimistic about this action, he believed that the Dark Lord had other intentions in mind.

It was precisely because little Batty could not understand his master's intentions that he was depressed and in a very bad mood.

There were two other people living with Barty Crouch Jr., one was tall and thin, and the other was shorter but sturdy. Both of them were dark wizards who joined the Death Eaters after Voldemort's resurrection, and they had always been with Barty Jr.

The tall and thin man is called Bart, and the short and strong man is called Bobby. Bart is trying to understand Voldemort's intentions in the bedroom, while Bart and Bobby are in the living room wondering why Bart is unhappy.

Bart and Bobby are not qualified to attend the Death Eater meeting. They are cannon fodder and insignificant little characters, just like those who go to St. Mungo's today.

The rain was still falling outside the window. Bobby wanted to go to the bathroom and solve his personal problems, so the short and strong man walked out of the reception room.

Bobby came and left in a hurry, whistling as he left the bathroom in a relaxed manner. He was supposed to be heading towards the reception room, but he stopped abruptly, his eyes a little unfocused due to fear.

Bart, who stayed in the reception room, was fiddling with a deck of cards. Bobby's whistle suddenly stopped, and the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground made Bart's heart alarmed.

Bart shouted Bobby's name loudly to alert little Barty in the room, and then he held his wand tightly and walked out of the reception room to check.

Bobby couldn't hear Bart's loud shouts, but Little Barty, who was alone in the bedroom, could hear them. Little Barty, whose thoughts were interrupted, heard the uneasiness in Bart's voice. Without thinking, Little Barty grabbed the wand with his silver hand and hurried out of the bedroom. Little Barty didn't see Bart and Bobby when he pushed the door open. He only saw a green light flash outside the door of the reception room, and then heard another sound of heavy objects falling to the ground.

Even a dull person could understand this situation, not to mention the clever Barty Crouch. Barty rolled up his sleeves to reveal the Dark Mark on his arm, but he did not press it down. Instead, he pointed his wand at the door of the reception room.

As footsteps sounded, Little Barty cast the Killing Curse without any hesitation, and a fierce green light immediately illuminated the entire reception room.

But little Batty only hit Bobby's soft body. When Bobby's body fell to the ground with a dull sound, the uninvited guest from the Avon River walked into the reception room.

"Long time no see. What should I call you?" the visitor asked, "Professor Moody, or Barty Crouch II?"

"Esmeralda Drizzt!" Little Barty said, his voice trembling a little, not because of fear, but rather excitement.

The person took off her rain cloak and it was Ada who had been staying at the Ministry of Magic for many days. Her face looked a little pale, and it was unclear whether it was because she had been staying at home for too long without seeing the sun, or because of the bad weather outside.

In the 94-95 school year at Hogwarts, Barty Crouch Jr. disguised himself as Alastor Moody and sneaked into the school in order to revive Voldemort. In that year, the Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. taught many Hogwarts students real skills and also allowed many students to witness the power of the Unforgivable Curse for the first time.

If you put it this way, Barty Jr. can be considered as Ada's teacher. However, this teacher has some problems. He is a fugitive from Azkaban and a Death Eater who has done all kinds of evil.

The most outrageous thing was that as a professor, Barty actually physically punished his students. He hit Ada with a club in the cemetery outside the village of Little Hangleton, teaching Ada that no matter how skilled you are in martial arts, you can still be knocked down by a brick.

"You've made it very difficult for me to find you, Barty Crouch, especially with the terrible weather in Wiltshire today," Ada continued. "I can't even appreciate Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge properly."

Barty Crouch was not afraid of Ada's appearance, nor was he angry or sad because of the loss of his two companions. Barty raised his hand tremblingly and pressed hard on the Dark Mark on his other arm.

Only those with the Dark Mark on their arms are worthy of being called Death Eaters. Voldemort can press the Dark Mark on the arm of a Death Eater, and other Death Eaters will sense the call of their master and thus Apparate to Voldemort's side and obey his orders.

When a Death Eater touches the Dark Mark on his left arm, Voldemort can also feel the call and Apparate to his side. What Barty Jr. is doing now is to summon his master.

The touched Dark Mark gradually turned red, and after completing the summoning, Barty Jr. showed a crazy, evil smile on his face. To be honest, Barty Jr.'s genes are really good, and he looks pretty handsome.

Ada did nothing but watched Barty Jr. finish the summoning. Today, Ada came for Barty Jr.'s life. No one could stop him. Even if Voldemort himself came, Ada would send him to see Merlin.

One minute... five minutes... ten minutes... time passed slowly, but Voldemort still did not appear in the small building on the Avon River, as if the Dark Mark on little Barty's arm had been shut down due to unpaid bills.

Little Barty's pupils trembled violently. He didn't understand what happened and why the Dark Lord didn't come to his "most loyal servant".

Ada was also a little confused and had a bad feeling in her heart. She was now worried that Voldemort would go to St. Mungo's and take Florin Fosco away personally.

It's time to end this farce. Ada doesn't want to delay any longer. She wants to return to London as soon as possible. She can talk about the cathedral next time.

(End of this chapter)