Thomas Potter-Love is a Different Dimension

Hold Me Back

Ministry of Magic, October 1995

Barty Crouch Jr POV:

There was a trick to the use of polyjuice when passing through the high-security wards of the Ministry of Magic. The ministry wards comprised seventy complicated layers of enchantments. The new Ministry of Magic continues the warding ritual to strengthen the spell, instead of blood magic they use natural wild magic from British soil. A symbolic testament to the magic Merlin himself has taken and used to make Wizardry Britain prosper.

In one of the layers, was a special enchantment that was able to detect those who are using polyjuice potion. Posing as a Ministry Official could get one sent to ten years time in Azkaban. But Barty Crouch Jr had observed his father for nearly twelve years. Since his weak father had succumbed to his dying mother and smuggled him out of Azkaban. He saw what his father did, polyjuiced both him and his mother so they could switch places. His father had placed him under a strong Imperius curse, but Barty heard and saw everything. Every detail about the Ministry, the idea of the tweaked polyjuice potion, and the fact that his father was getting weaker as every year went by.

The Imperius curse meant to hold Barty captive was weakening. His father's influence in the Ministry was weakening. Winky, the family House Elf who had 'cared' for him, her resolve to be Barty's warden was also weakening.

They grew weak, but Barty grew strong.

The standard polyjuice potion, changes one's outer skin and body to be of the person you choose for an hour. Highly regulated by the Ministry, mostly used by Aurors or Unspeakables. The way the wards work in the Ministry is to be able to detect two things- one's wand ownership and one's magical presence. The Ministry used the exact logic they are able to detect the Trace in the 'muggle world' to guard and create a highly monitored system in the Ministry. The secret to tweaking the polyjuice potion, therefore, is not in the ingredients, it is in the ritual one does before consuming it. The Concealing Ritual is old dark magic that takes one's magical core and conceals its true properties. A highly dangerous and complex ritual. The sacrifice used for the ritual to work- another wizard.

His own father.

That's where Bertha Jenkins, the nosy witch that had tried to spy on Barty's father, came into the picture. His father had spelled a very strong Obliviate when she found out Barty's existence by accident. Barty at the time was already feeling his father's hold on him slipping. When Winky was able to convince his father to take Barty to the Quidditch World Cup, he felt strong enough to overpower his father, steal his wand and release the Dark Mark in the sky.

There were former servants of his master roaming free. Allowing themselves to pretend as if they were no longer devoted to the Dark Lord. The injustice and anger fueled his magic, giving him the power to defeat his prison. Barty had them all punished severely. Dedicating himself to avenge his master.

Then the unthinkable happened. Bertha Jenkins returned from her visit to Albania, but she wasn't alone. She was possessed by a dark wraith that Barty immediately knew was his master.

Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord had not disappeared, all hope was returned. Barty was recognized as Voldemort's true loyal servant. And he was on a mission to help bring his master to power again.

Barty had found a young muggle-born child for his master to possess, and when he left Bertha's body she was an empty husk. Useless. Barty took it upon himself to cut every section of her body using a cutting spell and scattering her remains over inconspicuous wizardry homes, specifically purebloods who used to pretend to be in Lord Voldemort's good graces. It caused an uproar, the message was clear. Barty was carefully 'revisiting' his Lord's older servants, both for revenge for his master, and also to determine which would remain loyal and useful.