[HP] Aunt of the Savior

"This is really bad news." Jody took a sip of coffee, trying to suppress her inner anxiety. She restrained her fingers from shaking the coffee cup. "Barty hasn't mentioned it to me yet."

The timing of the news couldn't have been worse.The two years of intense and fulfilling life made her ignore the possibility that Regulus used to establish an agreement with her in the first place—even though she hadn't forgotten that little Barty was still obsessed with herself.

But... why now?She realized that she was restless, and an unprecedented panic surrounded her, leaving her mind in chaos.

"I think he may feel that he doesn't need to do this. He acted like he was going to win this time, as if he couldn't wait...to save you." Regulus twitched his lips, "Because he told me not long ago that he Thought you deserved a better place to live, served by a Crouch house-elf than a Muggle kind of forced to..." He searched for a line that wasn't too vulgar and faux pas. "Working as a maid in an old house."

"I guess I'll have to try and talk him out of it." Jody forced a smile.She should have thought that, as the son of an official of the Ministry of Magic and a descendant of the ancient Crouch family, Barty's contempt for Spider's End may be much more than what he showed.But at that time, he acted so afraid to comment on her life.

Now she realizes she was careless.Barty Crouch Jr. was no longer the stuttering young boy who had just sat at the Slytherin table, nor was he the teenager who would directly express his enthusiasm and fascination.Just like Regulus in front of him, he has completely become a mature man.He could endure not seeing her for two years, maybe just to surprise her with the change in him two years later——

Yes, she did feel taken aback now.Although Batty usually behaved as if he was still the same as when he was in school, he obviously already possessed the forbearance and cunning of a standard Slytherin.Perhaps Batty still has enough strength, otherwise Voldemort would not allow him to undertake such a task.

Jody found that he could no longer remember how Barty Jr. behaved when he was in the club.But that is also normal.She laughed to herself, when all she could see in her eyes was Severus Snape.

"I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to persuade Batty to change his mind." Regulus took a deep look at Jody, and finally couldn't help but speak after deliberation. "Jody, what happened to you recently? Is it related to Severus?"

Merlin testified that all his upbringing had taught him that he shouldn't, and he didn't want to, to pry into a young girl's mind, but that's a different story when the girl was supposed to be his cool and sensible collaborator.At this time, he didn't want his collaborators to mess up.For Jody Porter, there are not many people and things that can have such a big influence on her, and the answer is not difficult to guess.

"What happened?" Jody acted like everyone who was poked in the center, responding hastily and flustered.Then she realized that Regulus didn't even ask her if something happened, but got straight to the point to make sure what happened to her.

"It's no big deal." She said nonchalantly, continuing to drink coffee to cover her mood, but when she put the cup to her lips, she realized that there was no more drip left in it.

"No, this is very important." Regulus' tone looked tired. "It's more important to you," he said, as if he had made up his mind. "Like Jody, I'm completely sure now that you're not actually loyal to the Dark Lord."

Seeing himself being pointed at the tip of his nose by the wand for a moment, Regulus regretted that he said this sentence too directly.And the next second, Kreacher appeared behind Jody, his bullfrog-like voice was full of hostility instead of politeness just now: "If this guest really intends to attack you, can old Kreacher Attack her, Master Regulus?"

"She won't hurt me, Kreacher." Regulus said as calmly as possible, trying to ignore the wand that was pointing at him, ignoring the fact that the witch in front of him had quite powerful fighting power. "Jody, what I just said is just a reminder. If I want to harm you, I will tell the Dark Lord directly of my findings instead of reminding you. I think you should know that we conspired to let Sirius and Potter go." Mister's behavior itself is a betrayal of the Dark Lord, I will not do such a stupid thing."

Jody bit her lower lip lightly, unable to deny that Regulus' words were correct. "Okay, Kreacher, you can rest assured."

As she spoke, she slowly lowered her arms, and her body, which had been tense just now, also relaxed.

Kreacher stared suspiciously at Jody for a moment with tennis-ball eyes, then mumbled something disappeared.Jody didn't try to decipher what it said, she had no doubt the loyal elf had nothing nice to say about her just now.

"Now you still deny that something happened to you?" Regulus, who was threatened just now, looked at Jody helplessly and calmly. "Even when you were still studying at Hogwarts, you didn't have the... impulsiveness like just now."

Jody had never felt so embarrassed.The moment she heard the question, she actually made the equivalent and acquiescing move of pointing her wand at Regulus.She had to admit that her reaction just now was not at all like herself, it was more like what James might do.Maybe there was some side effect of the magic circle she was using to lay the trap that diverted James' urges to her?Or, as Severus comforted her back then, there was always Potter family and Gryffindor blood in her body, even if she eventually became a Slytherin.

...Severus.

This name, which I have repeatedly called countless times on various occasions and in various tones, at this moment, just thinking of it makes Jody feel an unprecedented pain in his heart.

Just because of this man's betrayal, she was no longer able to think of any kind of cunning tricks or traps calmly and clearly, or deal with others with a calm and easy attitude like before.

From her current standpoint, the situation was fatal.Obviously, not only is it not a good idea to avoid it, but it also makes things develop in a worse direction.

"I'm afraid my situation is really bad. I can't believe that I acted so recklessly just now..." Jody whispered, looking at Regulus. "I would like to thank you for reminding me, if it is true, as you have just said, that you do not intend to reveal this matter to anyone else."

"Yes." Regulus nodded and sincerely assured: "I am very glad that you... are not in good condition today. You know, I hope to prove your position since we made the unbreakable oath, but these You have been hiding it well all these years, and if you hadn't been too concerned about James Potter's safety today, I still wouldn't be sure of it. Frankly speaking, your position is very important to me now."

He was not surprised to see Jody's surprised expression at his words.

In fact, Jody was no longer in the mood to hide her emotions anymore, and she suddenly had a premonition that the young man in front of her wanted to say something.And that's probably exactly what Dumbledore had been hoping for...

Her premonition came true.

There was a tone of pain and disappointment in Regulus's calm: "Because I can no longer be loyal to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord...he is powerful, but he is not worthy of my loyalty to him."

"It's surprising." Jody encouraged Regulus to continue speaking in a soft tone.But she was really taken aback.Regulus had previously shown no less infatuation with Voldemort than his cousin Bellatrix.

"I've been hesitant these days," Regulus said. "You know, as a Slytherin, as a man, it's hard for me not to be attracted by the strength that the Dark Lord has shown. I'm eager to lead The Black Lord seems to have pointed out to me a shortcut that is full of flowers as the Black family moves toward glory and splendor rather than decline. Therefore, I have been working hard to get his approval, even though I have been shaken countless times. But in the end, the stupid me It wasn’t until I was actually marked that I completely changed my mind.”

Jody watched Regulus silently with his eyes, and he could see that it was obviously not an easy task to overthrow his original belief.Also, when Regulus spoke of his ambitions, a momentary blank thought flashed through her mind that she had never spoken directly to Snape about his purpose in joining the Death Eaters.

... He was right to accuse you then, Jody Potter, said a small voice in her heart.Maybe he did betray you, but you did ignore him and get your damn manipulative again, didn't you...

Oh, that's enough!Jody forced himself to turn his attention back to his conversation with Regulus, refraining from thinking about Snape.

Regulus stood up, walked to the tapestry embroidered with the Blake family tree, stretched out his fingers, and lightly stroked the scorched dot next to his name. "If Sirius knew what I'm thinking now, he'd probably laugh out loud at my stupidity, because I'm only now realizing what he knew when he first came to Hogwarts. How about you, Jody? When did you start Are you aware of this truth? Or, like Sirius, you knew from the beginning that that person was not worth following?"

He turned his head and looked directly at Jody, who walked to the tapestry with him, "Perhaps you would like to tell your collaborators more real thoughts? See, now that I have begun to learn Sirius, try to be straightforward in Gryffindor style." circumstances."

"I don't know." Jody thought for a moment, then found that she couldn't answer the question. "Maybe it's because I knew too early how powerful the Dark Lord is and how terrifying he is. So I have never been able to truly worship this man."

She thought of the first time she met Voldemort (it reminded her of Snape, damn it), the one who ordered the woman who loved him to marry someone else, who didn't hesitate to read the most precious memories of the two children and No matter how powerful the taunting wizard is, she cannot be convinced.Maybe that's why she never really became a follower of Voldemort.

"However, I can't help but follow him." Jody said, showing a wry smile, "Anyone with a brain will not doubt the strength of the Dark Lord. No one can guarantee that the current battle situation will evolve into the final victory." The person will not be him."

"The Dark Lord may have been great once, he was powerful and full of power, and he was aspirational." However, when he heard Jody say this, Regulus narrowed his gray eyes, showing that he hadn't shown it for a long time. He was weak and wavering, and he obviously made a lot of determination to say it: "But, I'm afraid he must fail."

Jody gasped silently.Although she has been walking between the two sides, she has never had such a bold and determined idea. "That's why you have to make sure of my position first? You want to fight the Dark Lord?"

Regulus nodded silently: "You should be very aware of how many terrible things the Dark Lord has done over the years."

"Yes, a completely incalculable killing." A self-deprecating line was drawn on Jody's lips.Because of her identity as a double agent and her instinctive repulsion, she relatively seldom participated in the bloody games of the Death Eaters, but even so, her hands were stained with blood that could never be washed away, and she carried a burden that could never be forgiven. It will always be an indelible burden in her heart, even if she never regrets doing such a thing.

"More than that, there are all kinds of dangerous creatures." Regulus said tremblingly. "You may not know that recently the Dark Lord asked the Death Eaters to bring back a large number of Muggle corpses for refining Inferi."

Regulus felt his scalp tingle at the thought of those Muggles who had died miserably and would be "fully utilized" after death.

He understood very well the meaning behind Jody's self-deprecating expression just now, and when he said the word infernal corpse, he felt so sick that he almost vomited. "It's ridiculous that I turned a blind eye to these crazy and cruel actions before, and even participated in them, thinking that these killings and sacrifices were necessary... I must have been crazy at that time..." Thinking of what he had done, he Finally, he couldn't help moaning, and hugged his head with both hands. "I think his recent actions may have doomed him not to succeed."

"So you just came to your senses?" Jody tried her best to control herself so as not to empathize with Regulus's feelings. She said a little irritably, "Maybe you should go to Dumbledore."

"No, my mother won't allow me to do this." Regulus showed a twisted smile, "If I also take the initiative to go and hang out with the self-willed Gryffindor, she probably can't help but think I also kicked out of the house."

"Ha, can I understand that Mr. Black thinks that he is strong enough to fight against Voldemort alone?" Jody said the name of Voldemort in front of Regulus mockingly, seeing that the young man in front of him was like most wizards Instinctively revealed a flinching movement.She curled her lips, "It doesn't seem to be possible."

That sounded like Severus, Regulus mused to himself.He coughed lightly, trying to hide his embarrassment at being satirized. "Calling it by first name - amazing courage. Also, the Blacks and the Dark Lord are so close that I'm not sure Dumbledore would have believed my decision to want to stand up to the Dark Lord."

"That's just a little gain from meeting Dumbledore often." Jody brought the topic back, and she looked at Regulus disapprovingly: "If you want to hear my opinion, then I will tell you Dumbledore Yes. He even wanted you to do that all along, to be on the same side as Sirius, and he even tried to convince you to join the Phoenix when I told him I would give you the phoenix feather for emergency notifications The idea of ​​the society. If you don't go to Dumbledore to cooperate, what can you do?"

"As long as the Dark Lord can be stopped, I will do whatever it takes." The young head of the Black family emphasized in a tone that was far from his usual determination. "at all costs."

Jody looked at Regulus thoughtfully, and she always felt that there seemed to be some emotion behind his determination that she couldn't identify.But in this preoccupied situation, it is really difficult for her to get to the bottom of it: "If you need help, according to the oath between us, I will help you." She showed a tired smile, "No matter what at all costs."