Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 88, take a look! This is my father!
Crouch's house, at some point, began to resemble a cave by the water.

It was cold and eerie, giving one only a chill to the bone.

Old Barty dragged his weary body home from the Ministry of Magic as the night wind blew through the birch grove beside him.

Or rather, he didn't even go inside the house.

He has become reluctant to go home ever since he did that thing five years ago.

In other words, it's a resistance to seeing that person at home.

He unbuttoned his robe, leaned against a tree in front of his house, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and stared blankly at the old house that resembled a prison.

From what day did this family begin to turn out like this?

Old Barty recalled.

It was in the winter of 1982 that he was shocked to discover that his son, whom he had once been so proud of, was actually a despicable Death Eater.

Back in the winter of 1984, his wife was diagnosed by St. Mungo that she had lost all hope of treatment and could only wait to die at home.

Or perhaps in the spring of the same year, he released that beast from prison, only to find that even though his mother had given her life and his father had ruined his reputation, he could not bring him back. He could only use the Soul-Stealing Curse to keep him at home.
Five years may not be a long time for a wizard, but for old Barty, it was a period so difficult that he could no longer recall those years.

Since what happened to Severus Snape, he's been coming home later and later lately.

The Ministry of Magic had a lot of work to do as its director, although Barty knew very well that he hadn't actually done much of a job and was mostly just playing the role of a fixer.

He patched up some of the messes that happened in the wizarding world, used political means to play the peacemaker between the various parties, and salvaged his already dwindling reputation to shield the Minister of Magic from blame.

In addition, many recent events have left Old Barty feeling extremely exhausted.

He stubbed out his cigarette, his mind drifting back to the last time he used the Soul-Stealing Curse was two weeks ago.

At that time, he was still entangled in the potion poisoning case, and the Slytherin headmaster of Hogwarts had not yet become involved in the matter.

At that time, he saw that the beast was being tortured by the curse to the point of being unrecognizable, trembling on the ground and calling for his mother. Shan Shan was also kowtowing to him, saying that he really couldn't take it anymore.

He was still thinking that he should give him a week off for now, since Shan Shan was watching over him anyway.

As a result, Snape got involved in that matter, which made the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement very busy, and he didn't even know what time he got home every day.

Occasionally, I would think of renewing the Soul-Stealing Curse, but each time I would find that the beast had already fallen asleep.

And so it's been postponed until now.

Old Barty has recently begun to suspect that the leak of information within the Auror organization is very likely related to that beast.

He had a lot of orders and materials from Scrimgeour in his study at home, which made it easy to determine their direction of action.

Today is the day he can no longer delay.

Gathering his robes, Old Barty no longer hesitated and turned to enter the house. However, as soon as he stepped into the foyer, he inexplicably sensed that something seemed amiss in the house!
Old Barty stopped in his tracks, slowly pulled his wand from his sleeve, and looked at the wide-open window.

The night wind howled through the room, causing the curtains to sway wildly.

"Blink!" he cried.

Normally, the house-elves would appear immediately if their names were called, but this time they did not.

The entire room was completely silent, as if there wasn't a single living person inside.

An ominous premonition washed over Old Barty. His body tensed, his right hand gripped his wand tightly, held it upright in front of him, cast an Ironclad Charm on himself, and then slowly groped his way into the inner room.

The living room was dark. The usually hardworking house-elf had encountered something terrible. The house was a mess, as if it had been ransacked by robbers!
Just as Old Barty was walking up the stairs to the second floor, a gust of wind suddenly blew in through the window, knocking over the clothes rack that was placed in the corner.

The sudden noise made Old Batty turn around abruptly!
he shouted.

"I knew it was you! Batty!"

His voice faded, but the room remained quiet, as if he were truly the only person in the room, with no one else present.

But just as Old Barty put down his wand, the door to the study on the second floor was suddenly opened from the inside!

Countless blinding red beams shot out from within, all of which struck Old Barty precisely!
The first five spells shattered the protective armor spell on his body immediately, and the following spell struck Old Barty!
The powerful impact of the spell sent him flying, crashing heavily into the wall behind him before finally collapsing helplessly onto the carpet.

Barty's wand, affected by the disarming charm, had been lost somewhere. His body was stiff and he couldn't move, but his eyes were fixed on the people in the study.

Under the dim light, a pale-faced young man sat with his legs crossed on the exquisitely crafted, uniquely designed high-backed chair.

His hair was messy, he was wearing a white shirt and black overalls, and he was playing with a magic wand in his hand. His young face looked like he was only in his early twenties at most!
A group of people had gathered around him!

Fenrir Graybuck, Dolphin Roll, Bruno Selwyn, Dino Perkins
These people include notorious werewolves, wanted criminals who have been on the Ministry of Magic's radar for years, fugitives who escaped the great trial, and wicked dark wizards!

But right now, all these people are gathered around that beast, his son!
"Look, look, everyone!"

The young man shouted.

"This is my father! A bastard who controls his son with a soul-stealing curse! A corrupt scoundrel who bends the law for personal gain! A hypocrite who is two-faced! A piece of trash as weak as a maggot!"

The group of thugs surrounding him burst into laughter!

Old Barty's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the young man he had given the same name as himself, the one he had always been proud of and on whom he had placed his hopes. There was no pleading or sadness in his eyes.

There was only a faint sadness and pity.

"How do you think I should repay him for taking care of me over the past five years?"

The young man grinned menacingly and raised his wand.

(End of this chapter)