Chapter 161
Two weeks later…
Both Barty Crouch Jr. and Peter Pettigrew had spent every waking moment searching for any clue that might lead them to Lord Voldemort's whereabouts.
But despite all their effort and endless searching, neither of them had managed to find the Dark Lord.
Barty had scoured every place he could possibly imagine Voldemort might be without finding even the faintest trace.
He had visited several key locations: the Riddle House, which he knew as well as Peter did, and even the Kolopin River, near which stood an abandoned house Voldemort often used before launching the First Wizarding War.
It was there, by that river, that Voldemort then still in his human form, known as Tom Riddle had once pursued his obsession with Dark Magic research.
At that time, Tom Riddle's greatest ambition had been to become a professor at Hogwarts.
He spent countless hours studying and experimenting with Dark Arts spells, hoping that Headmaster Dumbledore would accept him as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
His goal in pursuing this position, however, had little to do with teaching.
Riddle's true purpose was far darker: to gain entry into Hogwarts and hide one of his Horcruxes within its walls somewhere impossible to find.
But to his fury, Dumbledore had seen through him.
The wise headmaster refused his request, recognizing the evil intent lurking behind Tom Riddle's charming mask.
That rejection marked a turning point.
Before leaving Hogwarts, Tom Riddle cast a terrible curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position itself an eternal curse ensuring that no one who taught the subject would last more than two years before suffering tragedy or death.
After placing the curse, Riddle finally hid one of his six Horcruxes inside the Room of Requirement, a vast chamber overflowing with forgotten objects, broken furniture, and stacks of unwanted books.
In that chaos, he placed Ravenclaw's Diadem, now containing a fragment of his soul, deep among the endless piles of discarded things.
The room was so immense and cluttered that finding the Horcrux would be nearly impossible.
Satisfied, Riddle left with a twisted smile of triumph.
Of all Voldemort's followers, only Barty Crouch Jr. knew about this.
As the Dark Lord's most loyal right hand, he had been entrusted with that secret.
And yet, even Barty had failed to find Voldemort in that place.
Leaving the Kolopin River behind, he stopped suddenly as if struck by an idea, or recalling something vital.
He placed his right hand thoughtfully under his chin, his eyes narrowing in concentration.
"The Dark Lord is extremely weak right now," he muttered. "He once told me that the easiest way to regain power quickly is by drinking unicorn blood. But unicorns only live in the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts… and I've already searched there completely. Hm… could he be in the forests of Albania instead?"
It was known that, apart from the Forbidden Forest, the Albanian forests were one of the few places in the world where such rare creatures as unicorns could still be found.
And if Voldemort was as weak as Barty believed, he would never dare go near Hogwarts not while Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard alive, remained there.
A sinister smile crept across Barty Crouch Jr.'s face. He had finally found a lead.
He rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing the Dark Mark burned into his skin.
Raising his wand toward the mark, he whispered wi
th a grin,
"I summon you… Wormtail!"
To be continued ...