Stripping free-will ( warning dark, mind control)

"Bitch, you dare betray Lord Voldemort and consort with your blood-traitor cousin."

A deranged man was shouting while in the cell.

Adjacent to the cell was another older-looking guy who wasn't, per se, shouting but was in turmoil and most like guilt.

They were a father-son duo, Barty Crouch Sr and Jr.

Right at the end, on the side of the dungeon, was another in-mate, a rodent-like man. He is not reacting to his new neighbors but looking at his walls like a broken man.

An impassive man with arms crossed stood in the dungeon's center with the witch. The witch who was being cursed had a sneer plastered on her face.

She mockingly retorted, "What ickle Barty, then you be happy, you will going on a rescue mission."

Any more was interrupted when the man cut her off and went out.

The witch mocked the prisoner one last time before leaving.

Leaving the prisoner frothing with rage

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(Sirius POV)

The Head of the House, Crouch SR, was informed of an intruder when Bella shattered the wards. He was ambushed when he returned by Bella and Barty JR, who, at the time, believed Bella to be still loyal. Once they arrived, I attacked Barty and threw the duo into the dungeon. The elf Winky that was captured, I didn't know what to do with her. Killing her would be a waste, hmmm. Taking her as mine would be complex as she is devoted to Crouch Sr. After the ministry strictly regulates elves. You can't just shout Free Houself and receive one.

"So how is Barty going to be the scapegoat?"

Broken from my musing, I consider Bella's question. I give the rough sketch to her.

I didn't tell her about the Qurell. I mean, how would I say that this guy would meet Voldemort? It was unnecessary.

I animatedly described to her my plan.

"I have one of the elves looking around Albania forests for any sign of Dark presences or a place that looks dreary. We will throw Barty Jr in any of these places with the boxes of ashes of the death eaters. Create a dark enough ritual that would trigger the alerts of Albanian ministry. An informant(imperious person) would inform them how he saw a suspicious person in the forest. The auror forces will arrive and capture Barty. Barty will say how he performed a ritual to bring back Dark Lord by sacrificing wizards he freed from the prison."

Throughout my explanation, Bella's face, from the expression of

'Are you stupid? How is this going to work to 'hmm, this does have merit.'

She  "hmmm"   a little before she starts poking holes in my plan.

"How will Barty be following your command if you use imperious? It will be found when he is questioned. What role does Sr have."

"Well, I hope to insert fake memories into Barty's head. As for Senior, he will also have fake memories inserted. How he facilitated his son. He left a portkey on his wife's dead body, which his son used to enter Azkaban. That he was guilty of his son's imprisonment, so he helped him because of his deceased's wife's promise."

"The fake memories will mess their heads up, altering or destabilizing the plan."

"What do you suggest then?"

She looks hesitant for a moment.

Perplexed, Bella being hesitant meant that whatever was up was pretty fucked up, saying something.

"Well, our Aunt told me about our family's ritual. They used it on disobedient family members or those with bad ideas."

Well, that wasn't that bad; I mean fucked up, nasty,  but pretty useless.

"but how will it help us?"

Wait, after saying that, I felt stupid. Of course, she brought it up because it was relevant.

She somberly said, "Sirius, Imperious controls the mind. It can be broken, and the user retains all sense of rationality. If the caster doesn't remember to erase the memory, the victim can grieve and feel guilty. But what this ritual does was pretty worse."

"The ritual uses centuries of Black Family magic accumulated and changes the magic of the person and changes his personality, his core. They can change their mind. It's distinct from imperious. Your freedom of choice and disobedience are taken away. The fact that obeying the family head is the wisest course of action and defying him is fruitless."

My spine felt a chill because this reminded me of a DC concept. This felt eerily similar to the Anti-life equation Darksied was after. But if this is what the Black family had, why couldn't they be more powerful?

"Many old families have similar methods or rituals to keep the in-fighting minimum and united in times of need or when they are in danger of extinction."

Perhaps noticing my situation, she answered my unasked question. "It takes hundreds of years of family magic to perform the ritual. And the effect is lessened if the person is not from a Black family. They never used it sparingly. It weakens the victim and destroys any potential growth of magic in them. Most victims were usually daughters who didn't want to marry the family's choice. The last one to use it was Phineas Nigellus Black (1847-1925) on his daughter 1886 Belvina Burke (née Black). She didn't want to marry The Burke Family.......sighs....."

I was disgusted with this practice and breathed relief when she said we couldn't spam it.

She looks sad and has signs of madness showing in her eyes. She looks towards the wall and says brokenly, "You know..... When I refused to marry the Lestranges... Grandfather threatened to use it on me.....They were going to use it on Andromeda, but my father begged him......that day, I knew the importance of power."

Pretty hypocritical of her when she destroyed families and used imperious like they were going out of style. Still!

I got up from my seat and hugged them, which she returned. Adjusting in her seat, I made her sit on my lap while she hugged me tightly. She mumbled in my ear, which made me shiver.

"You know when you were acting up, your mother, Walburga, suggested using the ritual on you. But grandfather disagreed, saying you were still valuable. In case something happened to Regulas."

We just sat in silence while basking in each other's presence.

"Let's use it in those three!"

She relaxed in my embrace a little more. I could guess the reason. A small part of her, though, I would use on her and or her sisters.

She still mumbled in my ear, "I will prepare the preparations."

(POV END)

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Next day

"You whore let me go this instant."

"Sirius, please, I didn't mean to betray James and you; please, Voldemort made me do it."

The third bonded person remained Silent as if he accepted whatever outcome came to him.

Three people were tied on a circular stage through contraptions.

A person was standing on the ground, and a witch arranged the ingredients in a particular order around the circle.

"Cant we shut them up."

"No magic is allowed, while they have to be conscious."

The prisoners who knew they were being subjected to the ritual were more vocal.

The witch easily ignored the voice and talked over them,

"you know, getting the brain of Wapus Cat was pretty hard. They say they can hardly find them nowadays. Merlin!"

After finishing setting up the ritual, the witch turned to the wizard.

"Now make a blood circle around the whole circle. A sacrifice and recognition as the head of the house."

Following the witch's instruction, the wizard cut open his palm and made a circle out of his blood; healing cut, he drank a prepared potion.

"Come now, repeat after me."

"Morum Mutatio" 'Behavior Change'

"O Familia magica" 'Family Magic'

"Sacrifce nostrum suscipe"'Accept Our Sacrifce'

"Auxilium nigri in Success" 'Help the Blacks in Our Success'

"Morum Mutatio" 'Behavior Change'

"O Familia magica" 'Family Magic'

"Sacrifce nostrum suscipe"'Accept Our Sacrifce'

"Auxilium nigri in Success" 'Help the Blacks in Our Success'

The room shook,

"No, Sirius, I will swear loyalty to yuoooooo pleasse"

"Dark Lord will avenge me" "Tell him I am his most faithful."

"I hope the ghosts of the Crouch family curse you mad Blacks."

Even the silent prison had been shaken by the change of atmosphere and cursed his capturers.

Black Masima gathered circularly. It brought an ancient feeling to the place.

The witch proded the wizard.

"Now, flow your magic to your tongue and address their true name. Then give your orders."

She sighed at the end. Whether it was a happy or regretful one couldn't be differentiated.

"Well, there goes a hundred years of magic."

Note: Tell me you thoughts