Karkaroff (Bonus Chapter)

For the remainder of those two classes, Karkaroff lingered behind Snape's desk. He seemed determined not to let Snape slip away after class.

Harry was eager to hear what Karkaroff had to say, so he deliberately knocked over the bottle of anteater bile just two minutes before the bell rang. This way, while the other students were noisily heading towards the door, he would have an excuse to squat behind the cauldron and wipe the floor with a rag.

Skylar remained in the classroom. He gestured for Daphne to leave with the others, then went to Harry, drew his wand, and exclaimed, "Scourgify!" The anteater bile on the ground vanished instantly. "Alright, Potter, let's get out of here!" Skylar told Harry to leave as well, his tone leaving no room for argument. Harry was somewhat reluctant, but having lost his excuse to stay, he had no choice but to leave.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Karkaroff asked, noticing the commotion Skylar and Harry were making.

"Professor Karkaroff, I think I'm qualified to hear what you have to say to our Dean, so I deliberately sent Potter away who wanted to eavesdrop on your conversation and stayed here," Skylar said bluntly. He wasn't afraid of Karkaroff at all. With his current reputation, power, and strength, there might be some people and forces that could make him wary, but Karkaroff was definitely not one of them.

Snape then spoke up, "Karkaroff, let him stay. He's right, he deserves it."

Karkaroff glanced at Snape's somber but incredibly serious face, then at Skylar, and suddenly seemed to understand something. He could only say, "Since you insist, fine!"

"What could be so urgent?" Snape asked Karkaroff in a low voice.

"Look." Karkaroff lifted the left sleeve of his robe, revealing Dark Mark on his arm—a skull spitting out a long snake, now faintly radiating magical energy. "See it? It's never been so obvious before—"

Karkaroff's tone became uneasy and anxious. "You should know what this means, right?"

"The Mysterious Man is about to be resurrected and return," Skylar said abruptly.

Karkaroff's face paled instantly. Although he had suspected it for some time, having it stated to his face still terrified him. Karkaroff was actually quite strong, ranking among the top Death Eaters; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the headmaster of one of the three great magic schools in Europe. However, he was cowardly and weak-willed, so he couldn't face the fact that the Mysterious Man was about to return.

"How... how can you be so sure?" Karkaroff said, his lips trembling.

"It wasn't hard to guess," Skylar said casually. "When the Dark Mark appeared at the Quidditch World Cup, I already had people closely monitoring intelligence from all sides..."

"Among the numerous intelligence reports, two things particularly caught my attention," Skylar said. "The first is that a Muggle named Bryce has gone missing in Little Hangleton, a small town in Britain. This Muggle was responsible for guarding Riddle House..."

"A Muggle died? Riddle House? What does all this have to do with that person?" Karkaroff asked impatiently.

Skylar's lips curled into a slight smile. "Riddle... that's that person's surname, and Riddle House is his hometown!"

Karkaroff swallowed hard. "And then? You said two things caught your attention, so what's the second one?"

Skylar knew that Karkaroff believed him and was impressed by his intelligence capabilities, so he continued, "The second thing happened in Albania. As you probably know, there are rumors circulating in many places that the Mysterious Man didn't actually die after his fall from power, but instead hid in the Albania jungle, hoping to wait for his loyal disciples to find him and help him make a comeback..."

"My intelligence tells me that someone saw Peter Pettigrew, who should have been dead, there, and that one night he even met up with Bertha Jorkins, an employee of the Britain Ministry of Magic. After they left the hotel, they were never seen again, and Bertha Jorkins has been declared a missing person by the Ministry of Magic."

"Considering both of these events, I think the most reasonable speculation is that Peter Pettigrew is actually a Death Eaters, and he appeared in Albania to help his former master resurrect. The missing Bertha Jorkins and that Muggle named Bryce are probably both part of the Mysterious Man's plan to return from the dead."

Karkaroff was stunned. These two missing people were both unknown individuals. Why would the Mysterious Man want to kill them? Don't misunderstand, it's not surprising that the Mysterious Man kills people, but to say that killing them would help the Mysterious Man resurrect is a bit far-fetched.

Skylar, seeing Karkaroff's expression, knew exactly what he was thinking. He sneered, "Are you doubting what I say?"

Karkaroff glanced meaningfully at Snape before stammering, "I don't quite understand, how would killing those two help that person's plan to return from the dead?"

"Hey," Skylar shook his head, "I say, your imagination is really lacking. Who are Bertha Jorkins? She's an employee of the Ministry of Magic. It's not surprising that she knows some valuable information, is it? At least I think the information that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year is quite useful."

"Ah!" Snape exclaimed, looking at Skylar with a sudden realization. "You mean...?"

"Wait a minute, what are you two saying? I don't understand a word you're saying!" Karkaroff was about to lose his temper as he looked at the two of them speaking in cryptic terms.

Skylar looked at Karkaroff with a disdainful gaze, as if he were looking at a complete idiot. "We've gone this far, and you still can't guess? How did you become the head of a school?" Seeing Karkaroff's face turn ashen, Skylar knew when to stop and withdrew his mockery. "Let me ask you, if a person is left with only a remnant soul, how can he be resurrected?"

Karkaroff muttered to himself, "Possession? No, possession can't last long, backlash is inevitable... The Sorcerer's Stone? I heard it's been destroyed... So, only one possibility remains..." He seemed to have thought of something, and his expression suddenly became very serious.

"You guessed it too, didn't you? It's Flesh-and-Blood Sacrifice Ritual. This ritual requires the father's bones, the servant's flesh, and the enemy's blood." Skylar smiled and said calmly, "That's also the cause of death for that Muggle named Bryce. The father's bones have already been obtained from Riddle House, and the servant's flesh can be obtained from Peter Pettigrew, so only—"

"Harry Potter!" Karkaroff suddenly understood the key point and couldn't help but exclaim, "The Mysterious Man wants his blood!"