Terminally Oblivious Straight Man

A magnificent ship rose from the waters of the Black Lake, gleaming under the moonlight.

It looked strange, like a skeleton, as though it were the wreckage of a sunken ship that had just been salvaged.

Dim, misty light flickered behind its portholes, making them look like ghostly eyes.

Amid repeated splashing sounds, the great ship emerged completely, bobbing over the choppy lake as it headed toward the shore.

A moment later, Hogwarts' teachers and students heard a plunk as an iron anchor was thrown into the shallows, followed by a smack as a wooden plank was laid across the shore.

The people inside the ship were disembarking. Everyone could see their shadows cast by the lights as they passed the portholes.

They were almost all huge, even bigger than Crabbe and Goyle.

As they approached the castle across the lawn, they were illuminated by the light spilling from the entrance hall.

The reason they had looked so large was that every one of them wore a thick fur cloak.

The man at the front was somewhat different. The fur on his cloak was silvery white, soft and smooth, much like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" After climbing the slope, the man called out warmly, "My dear old friend, how have you been?"

Dumbledore stepped forward to meet him, replying loudly as he walked, "Excellent! Thank you, Professor Karkaroff."

Karkaroff strode into the light spilling from the castle entrance, and the students could finally make out his tall, thin figure.

His white hair was cropped short, while his goatee did not fully cover his chin, its tips curled into little ringlets.

Dumbledore stopped before him, and Karkaroff enthusiastically reached out to clasp both his hands.

"My dear old friend." Smiling broadly, Karkaroff revealed a mouthful of large yellow teeth.

He looked up