HP: Supreme Potion Collector [Original Female Protagonist]

For a long while, Orli stood frozen in place, silent.

The moment Snape appeared in the woods, she knew she had been completely exposed. She had no idea how to justify herself.

"Orli Waters," Snape began, stepping closer until only half a step separated them. "Will you confess on your own, or shall I resort to Legilimency?"

"If you'd rather I use Veritaserum, I'm more than willing to go through the trouble," he added with a cold sneer.

"What do you want to know? Haven't you already seen it all?" Orli replied stiffly, her voice devoid of emotion.

"I've seen plenty," Snape hissed. "If you'd been born a few decades earlier, I might've personally recommended you to the Dark Lord! Such a perfect candidate for a dark witch—murder, dismemberment, disposing of evidence without leaving a trace. Tell me, how long have you been planning this?"

"About one or two weeks... Dobby knows a house-elf named Winky. By chance, Winky's secret was uncovered: she's been guarding Barty Crouch Jr., the Death Eater who supposedly died but was actually kept under the Imperius Curse by his father. And Winky even planned to take him to the Quidditch World Cup," Orli said, fabricating the story as she went, knowing it was her most plausible cover.

"So you had Dobby monitor the situation and bring you there, hoping to play the righteous hero?" Snape mocked, his tone dripping with disdain.

"No, I only wanted to eliminate any possibility of Voldemort's return," Orli said firmly.

"Those Death Eaters who escaped justice years ago, like Lucius Malfoy, won't earn Voldemort's trust again until he regains his full power. If he's looking for a loyal and capable follower, Barty Crouch Jr. is the obvious choice—he's more competent than Peter Pettigrew and far more fanatical. Most importantly, he's never betrayed Voldemort, having been under the Imperius Curse all this time," Orli explained, her voice steady.

She paused briefly before continuing, "No secret stays hidden forever. If even Dobby could uncover Barty's existence, what happens if Voldemort finds out? Or if Barty escapes his father's control? The consequences would be catastrophic. And as far as I know, the effects of the Imperius Curse diminish over time when used continuously for years. Barty might already be regaining moments of lucidity."

"If you had such information, you could've informed me or Dumbledore. Instead, you chose to act on your own and commit murder," Snape accused, his suspicion undiminished.

"If I told the Headmaster, he would've handed Barty over to the Ministry of Magic," Orli said with a bitter smile.

"You know what happened last time. That rat escaped, and now look where we are! During the holidays, Harry wrote to me, mentioning that his scar was hurting. I always assume the worst-case scenario—has Voldemort already..."

"Enough!" Snape snapped, cutting her off abruptly.

"You don't need to know the rest," he said curtly.

Orli closed her eyes in frustration. She didn't know when she'd stop being treated like a child, but she made one last effort.

"If you can reach the Headmaster, please urge him to pressure the Ministry to expedite Barty's execution. Don't let this turn into another drawn-out disaster," she pleaded.

"The Ministry has at least twenty witnesses to Barty's existence. No matter how clever old Crouch is, he can't Obliviate everyone who was there," Snape replied, his tone icy as he turned and began walking toward the open ground outside the manor.

"I'm going to find Dumbledore now. You'd better think carefully about whether there's anything else you need to confess. Don't make me use spells on you; my patience is wearing thin," he warned.

"And one more thing," Snape added, pausing to glance back at her.

"If I return and find you've left the house, I'll personally hunt you down, force-feed you Veritaserum, and deliver you to Dumbledore myself. Consider this your final warning."

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