The Dark Mark seemed to possess a kind of magic that could stir up the fears buried deep within people's hearts.
This was especially true for Ministry of Magic employees who had reached middle age. The Dark Mark struck them the hardest, as though they had been transported back to that terrible era of bloodshed and constant terror.
"The Dark Mark!"
"Why is there a Dark Mark?"
"You-Know-Who has returned? But wasn't he already..."
These middle-aged Ministry employees let out miserable screams. Some collapsed limply to the ground, their eyes rolling back as they fainted. Others scrambled away on hands and knees, desperate to find somewhere they could not see the Dark Mark.
"The Dark... the Dark Mark..." Cornelius Fudge trembled as he immediately turned to look at Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore... what exactly is happening?" Like a student who had run into trouble and was seeking answers from a professor, he asked, "Why... why is there a Dark Mark?"
While Cornelius Fudge sought Dumbledore's help, Barty Crouch Sr. had already sprung into action, drawing his wand and aiming it at the Dark Mark overhead.
He gave his wand a sharp flick. The Dark Mark swayed a few times like a candle flame, yet remained stubbornly suspended in the night sky, radiating an eerie green glow.
"This is different from the previous Dark Marks!" A trace of puzzlement appeared between his brows as he began searching for the possible cause of the Dark Mark.
Barty Crouch Sr. noticed Karkaroff in the distance. Karkaroff was sitting collapsed on the ground, and the Dark Mark had appeared directly above him.
"It seems Karkaroff is the source..." He turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, I'll go over and examine him!"
"No problem!" Dumbledore nodded at Barty Crouch Sr. before continuing to give instructions to the professors.
"There's