A Tangled Mystery

Skylar looked at the letter in his hand and learned of Kingsley Shacklebolt's death.

Although he had achieved his goal and successfully eliminated the character who was the biggest obstacle to Pure-blood glory in the original work, there was not much joy in Skylar's eyes.

He knew perfectly well that Kingsley hadn't done anything wrong; he'd just done what he thought was right. If anyone was to blame, it was their differing stances.

In the original books, after Voldemort's downfall, Kingsley became Minister for Magic. It was he who decided to appoint Harry, Ron, Hermione, and other pro -Muggle wizards as the political backbone, which led to a series of bills targeting Pure-blood families. It can be said that Kingsley's role was the most crucial factor in the decline of Pure-blood families!

It is said that those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. Sacrifice is necessary to achieve Greater Good. Skylar did not regret his decision, but he was not feeling well. He probably understood Dumbledore felt when the members of the Order of the Phoenix sacrificed themselves one by one.

Skylar sometimes wondered what it would be like if he were transported to the Weasley, Longbottom family, Shackle, or Prewett family Shacklebolt family.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, realizing he had been overthinking things.

Skylar snapped out of his reverie, took out a piece of parchment, on which was written a long list of Pure-blood families.

He first crossed out the name "Lestrange"—the entire Lestrange family consisted of only the two brothers still in prison, who were no longer a threat and could not amount to anything.

Then he crossed out the name "Rowle"—the House of Rowle was now down to just one son Dolfin Rowle, who was in prison.

Given the current situation, once Voldemort returns, the number of troops he can command will be greatly reduced, and his influence will be far less than in the original story.

If this situation shifts, Dumbledore's faction might gain the upper hand, which is not Skylar wants to see.

What he really wanted to see was for the forces of Dumbledore and Voldemort to maintain a delicate balance, so that his value could be better highlighted and both sides would know the importance of winning him over, allowing him to fish in troubled waters and profit from the situation.

Skylar knew that in this world, he wasn't born with the protagonist's halo. No matter how fast he grew, he couldn't possibly catch up with Dumbledore and Voldemort in terms of influence within the next few years. He hadn't even considered a three-way power struggle. To put it bluntly, his short-term goal was simply to have the ability to protect himself.

This is not impossible. As long as the strength of the two factions is appropriately and continuously weakened, keeping them in a balance from beginning to end, they will not be able to provoke more enemies at will, which will give them more time to grow.

As for long-term goals, let's leave that aside for now.

Therefore, Kingsley, who was born into the Shacklebolt family and also belonged to the Order of the Phoenix, had yet another reason to die.

Skylar moved his gaze down and crossed out the name "Shacklebolt" in the "Order of the Phoenix Factions" section.

Skylar carefully put away the parchment and sighed softly. He noticed that he had been sighing more often lately.

Kingsley's death was entirely his doing.

This is a meticulously planned scheme, and it was already in place during the summer vacation.

He was the one who provided the Ministry of Magic with anonymous intelligence about the nearby villages, and he also used his connections to get Scrimgeour to send Kingsley there.

The Little Wolf, on the other hand, had been captured earlier in Knockturn Alley by Bathory and Annis. Under the combined magic of the two, the Little Wolf had been brainwashed into the most loyal servant, and a deep fear had been implanted in his heart, leaving him with no courage to disobey orders.

At the Quidditch World Cup camp, the Little Wolf were present during the Lestrange massacre.

After that, the Little Wolf was sent to infiltrate Knockturn Alley and join Fenrir Greyback's Werewolf community. Originally, he was just intended to be a spy planted within the Werewolf community; it was an unexpected turn of events, and it was unclear when he would come in handy.

Unexpectedly, not long after, the House of Rowle fell into decline.

When Fenrir advocated for joining another Pure-blood families, the Little Wolf played a significant role in the split within the Werewolf community.

The Werewolf, now separated and without support, naturally turned to crime. Meanwhile, a plan to eliminate Kingsley took shape in Skylar's mind.

Using the Little Wolf leading a few Werewolf who wanted to return to Fenrir as bait, Kingsley was then sent to the vicinity on a mission, and everything that followed proceeded according to the pre-arranged script.

Sacrificing four Werewolf who were already disloyal to him in exchange for the life of an elite Auror —it was a worthwhile trade.

Next, he snapped his fingers, Winky Dobby appeared together, with a middle-aged man sitting on the ground in front of them, looking dejected.

Dobby said, "As instructed by our master, we lay in ambush in the men's restroom of the Ministry of Magic. We finally got the chance to capture him when he was alone."

Skylar narrowed his eyes slightly. The Sprite, after being brainwashed and able to let go of his awe of wizards, displayed quite astonishing strength!

The man was Barty Crouch the Barty Crouch Sr. worked at the Ministry of Magic. As the head of a Pure-blood families, Barty Crouch Sr. was no pushover, and even a sneak attack would be difficult to succeed with.

However, even with the two Sprite working together, he was still easily captured.

House Elf possess a magical system entirely different from wizards. They are naturally drawn to magic, possess powerful magical abilities, and have longer lifespans than wizards. However, their playful, peaceful, and obedient nature makes them unsuitable for actual combat. In particular, their innate awe of wizards' authority prevents them from going all out in real battles.

In the original story, Lucius, Death Eaters was Dobby -versed in Dark Arts, after breaking free of his master-slave contract, is the best proof of this.

Now, Dobby, Winky, and Dino, who isn't here, have had their reverence for other wizards erased by Skylar, leaving only their fanatical loyalty to their master.

Skylar had them capture Barty Crouch Sr. to see just how far the original storyline had gone wrong, whether Barty Crouch Sr. was still under the Imperius Curse, and whether Mad-Eye Moody was actually Barty Crouch Jr....

With his Magic Eye, Skylar could confirm that Barty Crouch Sr. had indeed been controlled by the Imperius Curse.

Skylar did not intend to remove the Imperius Curse from him. Given Voldemort's strength, if he rashly removed the spell he had placed on him, Voldemort might sense something, and it would be bad to alert him.

Not breaking the Imperius Curse doesn't mean there aren't other options. Skylar cast Hypnosis Charm on Barty Crouch Sr., putting him into a hypnotic state.

As mentioned earlier, Legilimency could leave traces, which posed a risk to Barty Crouch Sr., who lived with Voldemort constantly. Given Voldemort's shrewdness, it wouldn't be difficult for him to detect anything unusual about Barty Crouch Sr.. Therefore, Hypnosis Charm was a better choice.

Tell me, what happened to you?

Barty Crouch Sr.'s body trembled slightly, then he slowly spoke, "That person— the Mysterious Man is back... He, he, I saw him as soon as I opened the door..."

"Where is your son? Has he been released?"

"Yes..." Barty Crouch Sr. suddenly gasped for breath, "Yes, tell Dumbledore, the Dark Lord... he's grown strong... Harry Potter... his target is Harry Potter..."

Skylar waved his hand, and Barty Crouch Sr. suddenly fell silent, drifting into a deep sleep.

It seems the plot hasn't completely fallen apart; Voldemort's target is still Harry, and Moody is most likely Barty Crouch Jr.. in disguise. So, the question is, why does Barty Crouch Jr.. possess the unique aura of the Shadow of the Magic Dragon?

This was something that existed in the original story, but was it that no one in the original story could see through it like he did? Or did something unexpected happen in the plot?

If the plot changes, then who will Barty Crouch Jr.. truly be loyal to? And will Voldemort be aware of Barty Crouch Jr..'s unusual behavior?

Skylar fell into deep thought. He couldn't figure these things out in a short time.

"Take him back to the men's restroom now, and remember to do it discreetly so no one sees him."

"Yes!" Dobby and Winky responded in unison.