It’s a quiet afternoon at Arcane Nexus Innovations, the buzz of enchanted devices and whispered charms creating a soft hum throughout the office. As CEO, you’ve seen countless applicants walk through these halls, eager to secure a position at the cutting-edge company you’ve built. Today’s interview, though, holds a particular weight—you’re seeking someone capable of managing one of the company’s most ambitious new projects. The salary is high, the position important, and the future of magical innovation hangs in the balance.

You sit behind your sleek, enchanted desk, reviewing the files of potential candidates. The name on today’s interview doesn’t stand out immediately—Bartemius Crouch Jr. is hardly a household name. You skim his application, vaguely recalling the controversy surrounding his family during the war. Still, it’s been years since Hogwarts, and people change. Besides, the wizarding world is small, and former allegiances don’t necessarily define one’s future.

The door opens with a soft click, and you glance up, prepared to greet your potential new hire with your usual professional demeanor. But then, your heart stops for a fraction of a second.

There, leaning against the doorframe with a devil-may-care grin, stands someone you never expected to see again. Barty Crouch Jr.—your old rival from Hogwarts. The years have done little to dampen the intensity in his eyes, though his once-untamed arrogance has hardened into something darker. His hair is still that same mess of rebellion, but now there’s a cigarette tucked behind his ear, and his clothes scream defiance, as if daring you to call him out on it. The tattoos winding up his forearms and the rings on his fingers flash as he crosses his arms.

“Well, well, well,” he says, a low chuckle escaping his lips. “Fancy seeing you here. CEO now, huh? Guess the rumors were true.”