Chapter 165
(First of all, my friends before I begin this chapter I want to clarify something. In one of the earlier chapters, maybe in the first or second year, I wrote that Albert had found a book containing a spell called the "Piercing Charm," and that he had to fully master it before learning the next spell within that book a spell said to counter the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra. Do you remember that? Well, thinking about it now, if Albert truly had such a spell, he'd basically be a hacker in the wizarding world. So I've decided to remove that ability completely. From now on, if Albert is hit by Avada Kedavra, he will die. I want to bring back tension real danger especially in the upcoming battles with the Death Eaters, where death itself will be breathing down Albert's neck. He might live… or he might die. Everything is possible when facing the Killing Curse. Now, let's begin.)
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The sun was setting, letting night slowly spread its heavy blanket across the sky.
Deep within the forest stood an old, crumbling house barely fit to be called a home, but still standing.
Inside lived a woman alone. But she was no ordinary woman.
She was a witch a member of the Ministry of Magic and assistant to the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, Barty Crouch Sr.
Her name was Bertha Jorkins. And she was nine months pregnant.
The reason she had fled to this remote, perilous place was because of her healer.
When she had visited him to check on her baby's condition, the healer told her that her unborn child suffered from a rare condition called "Severe Magical Saturation."
This affliction caused the unborn infant to absorb vast amounts of magic from its mother. The more it absorbed, the weaker and more exhausted she became.
If she failed to replenish her drained magic, she would eventually die.
So Bertha had devised a desperate, clever plan.
She knew this forest well a place brimming with raw magical energy, teeming with unicorns, giant spiders, and countless other magical creatures.
She believed she could draw upon the ambient magic here to strengthen her own life force, and protect her child.
That evening, she rose from her makeshift bed of soft orange leaves surprisingly comfortable when layered and shuffled toward the tiny kitchen to prepare a potion meant to bolster her immunity.
But suddenly, the air shifted. The forest's hum died away. Even the nocturnal birds outside fell silent.
Bertha froze. A shiver ran down her spine.
Then BANG! the door of her hut burst open. Two figures stepped inside.
One of them was holding something gelatinous and dough-like in his hands a quivering, pulsing lump.
Bertha's eyes widened in horror. She recognized them immediately.
After all, she worked for the Ministry's department that hunted dark wizards. She knew exactly who these men were: Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr.
Her first instinct was to reach for her wand lying on the nearby windowsill.
But before she could move
"Imperio!"
Crouch Jr. had already struck.
Her limbs froze. Her expression went blank.
From within the pulsing blob, a rasping, broken voice emerged.
"Do not… kill her… We must… learn… what she knows…"
Crouch bowed slightly, then commanded in a cold voice, "Sit."
Bertha obeyed, lowering herself to the floor, trembling as her wide eyes lifted toward them.
Voldemort or rather, the horrifying jelly-like remnant that was all that remained of him spoke again, each word dragged out like breath through a dying throat.
"Junior… read… her mind… see… what she… hides…"
Obeying at once, Barty raised his wand. He layered a Legilimency spell on top of the Imperius Curse a feat so difficult that only a truly skilled dark wizard could manage it.
Casting two advanced spells simultaneously required immense magical control proof of Barty's frightening talent.
As his magic reached into Bertha's mind, her memories unfolded like fragile pages every secret, every thought laid bare.
If she had been a master of Occlumency, she might have resisted him. But Bertha Jorkins was defenseless.
And so, Barty dove deep into her mind, uncovering all that she had seen, all th
at she knew… and everything that had been done to her.
To be continued...