Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

Finally, Eric arrived early at the grove of trees outside the stadium and waited there.

He couldn't use magic on Little Barty in the crowd; that would cause even more chaos.

If you want to catch Little Barty, this is the best place.

Because Barty Jr. uses Harry's wand to release a Dark Mark, representing Voldemort, here.

These are all plot points from the original Harry Potter books.

Eric, as the only one who possessed this information, had already prepared a trap, like a mantis stalking a cicada.

then……

“You’re in quite a mood, Barty Crouch Jr.”

Eric walked out of the grove and appeared in front of Barty, while Harry and his two friends were hiding nearby.

After he said that with a smile.

Naturally, he showed an expression of extreme shock on Little Barty and Sparkle's faces.

……

Eric?

Harry, his two friends, and his companions stared wide-eyed.

They knew Eric's voice all too well.

But they never expected Eric to appear here.

Hermione couldn't hold back any longer. She carefully parted a small patch of bushes and looked ahead.

Harry and Ron followed suit.

In the open space ahead, a tall, thin man stood with his back to Harry and his companions. Beside him was the house-elf they had seen in the box earlier.

The man was holding a magic wand.

Clearly, he was the one who launched the black magic mark into the sky just now.

Directly opposite this man, Eric, also holding a wand, stood facing him, smiling as he looked at him.

Chapter 173 Mutation! The Door Key!

When his gaze fell on the man's hands, Harry gasped and covered his mouth in surprise.

He tugged at Hermione and Ron's sleeves.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked in a low voice.

Harry covered his mouth and said, "That's my wand."

"what?"

Ron and Hermione were also startled and looked at the man's hand.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed true; Harry's wand was being held in that person's hand.

The two were also very familiar with Harry's wand design and could easily recognize it.

Ron asked, "Why is your wand with him?"

Harry was confused: "I don't know either. Maybe he picked it up after my wand was knocked away."

Ron then asked, "Did Eric just call him Barty Crouch Jr.? What's his relationship with that director of the Ministry of Magic?"

Harry and Ron both looked at Hermione. If anyone here knew the answer, it was Hermione.

As a result, Hermione just kept staring at the man called Barty Crouch Jr., seemingly unable to believe her eyes.

"what happened?"

"...That's impossible. If he really were Barty Crouch Jr., he would have died long ago."

Hermione looked at her as if she had seen a ghost.

Just as Harry and Ron were wondering what was going on, Barty Crouch Jr. spoke up again: "Clapton...you really are terrifying. Out of all the people in the box, you were the only one who noticed me. When did you start following us?"

Upon hearing this, Flash trembled all over and looked at Little Barty in fear.

Eric said casually, "It probably started from the moment Shining sneaked out of the private room."

Upon hearing this, the next moment, Little Barty didn't even look to the side and slapped Shining across the face.

With a snap, Flash was knocked to the ground by Little Barty in a flash.

"waste."

Little Barty looked down at Sparkle and uttered a derogatory word in a clear, crisp voice.

Caught off guard, Flash could only cover her face, lie on the ground, and look at Little Barty in shock and fear.

Harry and his two companions, who were hiding in the bushes, were all taken aback by what they saw.

Harry and Hermione both felt a rush of heat to their heads, and Harry almost rushed out.

Fortunately, Ron held the two of them back tightly, not for any other reason than that he was more afraid of Eric than Barty.

Eric, however, continued to smile at Barty, his gaze never lingering on Shining.

"Why blame others when it's clearly your own fault?" Eric said.

Little Barty sneered, "Your own fault? If it weren't for this piece of trash, you wouldn't have been able to catch me at all."

“Oh?” Eric chuckled. “You really think so? Well, since you still have a wand, why not try Apparition?”

Little Barty said, "Because I know that Apparating in front of you is no different from suicide. Are you satisfied with that explanation?"

“It’s an honor to hear you say that…” Eric said nonchalantly, “the most notorious Death Eater, a fanatical Voldemort worshipper, and once hailed as a genius, Barty Crouch Jr..”

"Come on, I'm not some kind of mole idiot," Little Barty added.

Eric exclaimed in surprise, "You know about moles?"

"of course."

"Can you answer one question for me?"

"……Speaking."

"When did you reconnect with Voldemort?"

Eric's expression revealed a hint of curiosity.

He really doesn't know.

How Voldemort learned that Barty Jr. was still alive while he was in exile is not explained in detail in the original books.

All Eric knew was that Barty Jr. was the kind of person who would give his life for Voldemort without hesitation.

In other words, he was a pure Death Eater.

If it weren't for the still-intense shouts of the surrounding crowd, Harry, his friends, and their companions would never have believed that Eric and Barty were actually chatting like friends in the woods.

The two seemed to have an unspoken understanding; neither wanted to be the first to break the seemingly friendly atmosphere.

The two were clearly enemies, yet they exchanged questions and answers.

Upon hearing Eric's question, Barty Jr. looked up with a fanatical expression and laughed, "Bertha Jorkins... no, even earlier than that, the master sent someone to contact me, who was hiding in the Crouch family."

“I see,” Eric nodded.

Bertha Jorkins was a member of the Ministry of Magic who had previously disappeared in Albania.

He has been missing for over a month.

There have long been rumors that Albania was where Voldemort hid.

However, Eric didn't expect to get the answer from Barty Jr. himself about how Voldemort found out he was still alive and how he got in touch with him.

Once he has Little Barty under control, Little Barty will naturally start talking.

“Then let’s not waste any more time,” Eric said with a smile. “It’s a bit impolite for two people to stand here chatting at night.”

Little Barty laughed and said, "It really isn't very particular."

As soon as he finished speaking, Little Barty's expression suddenly changed, revealing a fierce and crazed look in his eyes.

His change in expression was like a signal.

Then, a sudden change occurred!

Two blurry, twisting shapes suddenly appeared in the air behind Eric.

Everything happened completely without warning.

The next moment, two figures wearing hooded masks appeared behind Eric.

Illusion Spell!

While Eric and Barty were talking, these two actually used the Disillusionment Charm to get to a position behind Eric.

The two men were dressed in black robes, looking very much like the group of dark wizards causing trouble outside the stadium.

However, they are not entirely the same.

It is clear that their clothing and appearance are highly uniform, indicating that they belong to the same organization.

The two figures each unleashed a powerful spell from their hands, striking Eric's back.

At such close range, the spell moves so fast that it's impossible to see it clearly.

Barty Jr. responded by leaping up like a leopard poised for action, dodging to the side and simultaneously aiming his wand at Eric.

He knew he was Eric's primary target.

So they're trying every possible way to create chaos for Eric.

This is clearly a trap set for Eric!

The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind!

A sinister and cold smile appeared on Little Barty's face.

He could almost see Eric lying in front of him, looking miserable.