Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

“Snape, you have no idea… what a monumental feat I accomplished for the Dark Lord! This is proof enough of my worth!” Barty Crouch Jr. puffed out his chest, his face beaming with pride and fervor, as if greatly encouraged. He deliberately kept everyone in suspense, his tone full of boasting, but he didn’t reveal any specific information.

Snape nodded noncommittally, his tone still icy and devoid of any warmth: "Oh."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and tossed the wand he had previously taken with the Disarming Charm. The wand drew an arc in the air before he casually tossed it back to Barty Crouch Jr.: "Alright, now take your empty head and leave."

?

Barty Crouch Jr. instinctively reached out and caught his wand, gripping it tightly in his hand until his knuckles turned white from the force. A few faint sparks even flew from the tip of the wand due to the surging magical energy within him. He looked at Snape, his gaze flickering, his eyes filled with resentment, unwillingness, and murderous intent. He was clearly engaged in an extremely difficult internal struggle—whether to endure the humiliation and leave, or to risk launching an attack, even if it meant mutual destruction, to avenge the humiliation he had just suffered.

This stalemate lasted for several seconds, until the wand in his hand began to make a faint "creaking" sound from the excessive force. He finally gritted his teeth, turned his head sharply, suppressed the murderous intent in his heart, and then rushed out of Snape's living room as fast as he could, returning to the dark street of Spider's End.

"Damn it! Damn Snape!" he cursed under his breath as he ran, his voice filled with resentment and bitterness. He ran quickly toward the riverbank, stopping only when he reached the bank where he had been standing. He then put his hands on his knees and gasped for breath.

"I have to kill someone! Find someone to kill, yes, that's it!"

In the dimly lit and quiet headmaster's office at Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Voldemort sat at a black wooden desk carved with intricate patterns, his face calm and serene, without the slightest emotional fluctuation. His long, pale fingers were gently turning the pages of an old, brown book with a yellowed cover and worn edges. The text on the pages was ancient and obscure, clearly a magical tome that had stood the test of time.

On one corner of the desk sat a steaming cup of black tea. The amber-colored tea rippled slightly with the subtle movements of him turning the pages, releasing a faint aroma, but it did nothing to dispel the inherent chill in the room. The entire headmaster's office was eerily quiet. Apart from the slight rustling sound of Voldemort turning the pages, there was no other sound. That sound was amplified infinitely in the silent space, making it exceptionally clear and audible.

Suddenly, a series of knocks broke the silence, the rhythm steady and respectful.

"Come in." Voldemort's voice was deep and magnetic, without any inflection, as if he were merely stating a trivial matter.

The door was slowly pushed open, and Barty Crouch Jr. walked in with his head down. His cloak had been neatly arranged, and the wounds he had sustained in his fight with Snape had been healed by magic. He showed no signs of being disheveled. He walked quickly to the desk, bowed deeply, and said respectfully, "Master, I am reporting back to you."

"Hmm..." Voldemort stopped turning the pages of his book. He slowly raised his head, his scarlet eyes, like the deepest, coldest pools, filled with a subtle scrutiny as they fell on Barty Crouch. His brows furrowed slightly, and his tone, though calm, carried an undeniable authority: "Barty, you and Severus have had a conflict?"

Barty Crouch Jr. was startled, as if struck by lightning. After killing the vagrant, he had carefully tidied his clothes, smoothed the wrinkles on his cloak with magic, meticulously treated all his wounds, and even adjusted his aura to try to appear normal. He never expected that Voldemort would see through his disguise at a glance.

“Master, I was reckless. I underestimated Snape’s magical abilities and impulsively got into a fight with him.” He dared not hide anything and immediately admitted his mistake. He knelt down with a thud, his forehead almost touching the cold ground, his tone filled with barely concealed fear and unease.

Voldemort slowly stood up, gently closed the old book in his hand, and placed it on the table with a soft thud. He strode over to Barty Crouch Jr., looking down at him with an unexpectedly gentle tone: "Barty, what have you done wrong?"

Voldemort smiled slightly, pointed to a chair next to the desk, and said in a gentle tone, "Sit down and talk slowly. Actually, I have the same concerns. Severus has been silent for so long, lurking by Dumbledore's side. I need to reconfirm how much of his magical ability he still has and whether his loyalty to me remains."

His gaze fell on Barty Crouch Jr. again, with a hint of inquiry: "What exactly happened between you and him? Show me that memory."

Demanding that someone contribute their memories is considered quite offensive and disrespectful in the magical world, since memories carry a person's most private thoughts and experiences. But Barty Crouch Jr. didn't care at all; he even felt that it was his master's trust and respect for him. He immediately stood up, nimbly picked up his wand, and almost "poke" it, pressed the tip of the wand hard against his temple.

As a faint silver light flashed, a silver, thread-like memory was extracted from his temple, hovering in mid-air, radiating a faint magical aura.

Voldemort reached out and gently took the silver thread of memory. With a slight pressure, he slowly inserted it into his temple. He closed his eyes and began to carefully peruse the memories within—from Barty Crouch's journey to Spider's End, to his verbal exchange with Snape, and finally their magical duel; every detail was vividly presented in his mind. In truth, Voldemort had already anticipated Barty Crouch's attack on Snape. He had sent Barty with the message partly to convey the summons, and partly to use this opportunity to have Barty test Snape's true strength and re-evaluate him.

Unlike Barty Crouch Jr., through this memory, Voldemort clearly perceived that compared to more than ten years ago, Snape's magical level had not only not declined, but had significantly improved. Whether it was reaction speed, magical control, or spell proficiency, it was all more refined than before. This was why he was able to subdue Barty Crouch Jr., who had attacked first, in such a short time.

Thinking of this, Voldemort couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Barty Crouch Jr. was actually a very talented wizard. Judging from his exam results alone, the fact that he was able to obtain twelve OWL certificates was enough to prove his intelligence and magical talent. Unfortunately, he had been imprisoned by his father with the Imperius Curse for too long. The long-term magical suppression and restriction of movement caused his magical level not only to not improve, but to regress quite a bit.

It was only after a year of recovery and training that his magical abilities gradually improved, but compared to Snape, there was still a significant gap.

Besides wanting to reassess Snape's magical abilities, Voldemort actually had a deeper plan—he wanted to use Barty Jr.'s memories to see what kind of attitude Snape had shown while lurking around Dumbledore over the years.

Although he had previously sneaked into Hogwarts once before when his strength had not fully recovered, he was too weak at the time and his movements were restricted, so he was unable to get close to Snape and naturally did not understand his true attitude. This time, through Barty Jr.'s direct confrontation with Snape, he was finally able to clearly see Snape's position and thoughts.

The core reason Voldemort was willing to give Snape another chance was that Snape had always kept his promise. During Voldemort's period of temporary decline and urgent need for assistance, Snape not only collected a large number of rare materials for him to repair his soul, but also thoughtfully processed these materials—brewing them into potions that were easy to store and use according to precise proportions, and storing them properly at the time and place specified by Voldemort, without ever making a mistake.

It was thanks to these highly effective soul-restoring potions that he was able to quickly recover his strength in a short period of time after suffering severe injuries and his soul was almost completely destroyed. He was able to reunite with Nagini, Barty Crouch Jr., and others, and then take control of Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with swift and decisive measures, turning it into his temporary stronghold.

Voldemort was well aware that he was under immense pressure. While the wizarding world was terrified of his return, the greater threat came from the combined suppression by various national ministries of magic and Dumbledore's tight control. Every step he took had to be taken with extreme caution.

Therefore, he thought of sending Barty Crouch Jr. to invite Snape, ostensibly to convey the order to summon him, but in reality to take the opportunity to probe Snape's current stance and attitude—after all, the loyalty of a pawn lurking in Hogwarts is directly related to the success or failure of the subsequent plan.

At least from the memory passed back by Barty Crouch Jr., Snape's attitude was quite clear. His eagerness to take a stand and his desire to regain recognition reminded Voldemort of his initial assessment of him—like a lost stray dog ​​desperately trying to find its owner, with an undisguised urgency and fear.

Clearly, Snape's years at Hogwarts were not very pleasant. Otherwise, he wouldn't have continued to live in that dilapidated house in Spider's End Alley, where the interior decorations remained unchanged from years ago, exuding a sense of neglect and desolation. Furthermore, his repeated mentions of "Gryffindor" in his conversations with Barty Jr., filled with sarcasm and disdain, further confirmed this.

Clearly, he had long harbored resentment towards Dumbledore, the representative of Gryffindor. This resentment gradually transformed into hatred over the years, which he could only vent through verbal mockery. If one had to pinpoint a change in Snape over the years, it would probably be that his mouth had become increasingly sarcastic and vicious.

Voldemort tried to put himself in Barty Crouch Jr.'s shoes and re-examine the words Snape had said in his memory—he had to admit that Barty had been quite restrained. If he were in that situation, facing such a barrage of humiliation and mockery, he probably would have lost his patience long ago and cast the Killing Curse on Snape to shut him up completely.

Especially the line, "Go home and cry to your father, and maybe you'll get some hot milk powder." Voldemort couldn't imagine how long Snape had been suppressing his feelings at Hogwarts, or how much resentment he had accumulated in his heart, before he could come up with such a sharp and sarcastic remark to attack others.

However, this was exactly the outcome Voldemort wanted to see. At least it showed that Snape was extremely dissatisfied with his current life, and this dissatisfaction was a breakthrough that could be exploited. What Voldemort needed now was precisely the kind of emotion Snape displayed—resentment towards the status quo, resistance to Dumbledore, and nostalgia for past loyalty.

Dylan and Dumbledore are utterly despicable! Voldemort's eyes instantly turned sinister, a surge of intense hatred rising within him. The final showdown of the Triwizard Tournament had completely shattered everything he had meticulously planned. It should have been a grand and awe-inspiring return ceremony, a stage for him to announce his triumphant return to the wizarding world, but they had turned it into a complete mess!
He failed to rescue even the loyal Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban, resulting in severe damage to his power. Perhaps the only good news is that, despite the strict blockade and information suppression by the Ministries of Magic in various countries, many pure-blood families still learned of the truth about his return through various channels and were curious about the details, showing a subtle intention to align themselves with him.

This was exactly the effect Voldemort hoped to achieve—to awaken the pure-blood forces lurking in the wizarding world and accumulate power for himself. Therefore, he had already begun to secretly prepare to meet with the leaders of these pure-blood families at the right time to discuss cooperation.

Before that, he desperately needed more loyal and reliable confidants to fill the gaps in his power. This was the core reason why he insisted on having Barty Crouch Jr. find Snape. However, Voldemort did not intend for Snape to return to his side immediately. His task for Snape was to continue to infiltrate Hogwarts, using his position as a professor to continuously provide him with crucial intelligence on Dylan, Dumbledore, and Hogwarts. (End of Chapter)