Heir of Merlin | Harry x Reader

Cheeky Smile

Let's get into it!

First Person POV - Y/n

"Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing, the Ministry of Magic's in disarray. Terror everywhere, panic, confusion, that's how it used to be."

"Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others," said Remus, "Crouch started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort's supporters. The Aurors were given new powers, powers to kill rather than capture. Aboran was an Auror at the time and he can vouch for it. The instructions he and his colleagues were given were brutal."

"And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial," said Sirius, "Crouch fought violence with violence and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects."

"I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had his supporters, mind you-plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister of Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened..."

Sirius smiled grimly, and continued, "Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently, they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."

"Crouch's son was evil?" gasped Hermione.

"Yep," said Sirius. "Nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd imagine."

"Was his son a Death Eater?" I asked.

"It made headlines that he was," said Remus. "Barry Crouch's Son: The Traitor in Disguise seemed to be the most prominent."

"Crouch didn't help his son did he?" I asked and they shook their heads, "What did he do?"

"He sent him straight to Azkaban."

"He gave his own son to the dementors?" asked Harry quietly.

"That's right," said Sirius. "I saw the dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can't have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though, they all went quiet in the end, except when they shrieked in their sleep."

"So he's still in Azkaban?" Harry said as Remus held Sirius's shoulder.

"No," said Sirius dully. "No, he's not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought him in."

"He died?"

"He wasn't the only one," said Sirius bitterly. "Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming because the dementors could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. Crouch being an important Ministry member, he and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward...Y/n, you haven't said anything."

I wasn't saying anything because I was thinking. This could've all been some sort of elaborate ruse to cover up what was really going on and Moody could be connected to it.

"What was the son's name?" I asked.

"Yes, Bartemius Crouch Jr. Why?"

"On the Marauder's map, does it show Junior or Senior?" I asked and both of them shook their heads.