Winning Over Igor

"Now you know, right?" Skylar's lips curled into a smile. "Harry has always been under Dumbledore's protection, whether at Hogwarts or at his Muggle relatives' house, he's always been protected by powerful protective magic. If you want to catch Potter, the Triwizard Tournament is the best opportunity!"

"I see! I see!" Even the most foolish Karkaroff had now grasped Voldemort's entire plan. "This is why Dumbledore hired Moody as a professor, this is why Potter was chosen as one of the heroes, this is why Moody reacted so strongly when Potter was chosen... I finally understand..."

"We must stop Potter from participating in the competition! Come on! We must tell Dumbledore about this!" Karkaroff said urgently.

"It's not that easy..." Snape shook his head. "The Goblet of Fire is bound with a contract magic that has existed for centuries. It's extremely powerful. Once you're chosen as Champion, you can't back out halfway. You have to participate in every tournament until the very end."

"Then, what do we do? Just let that person's scheme succeed?" Karkaroff was starting to panic. He had finally figured out the key to the problem, but he couldn't stop it, which made him feel extremely powerless.

Snape fell silent and turned his gaze to Skylar.

"So—" Skylar smiled, a smile brimming with absolute confidence, "I'm participating in the competition too, aren't I? Do you think Potter has a chance?"

"Hogwarts forbids Apparition, and the Floo Network the Headmaster's prior permission to connect," Skylar stated confidently. "Therefore, unless the Mysterious Man sends a large-scale attack on Hogwarts, there's only one way to get Harry out of Hogwarts— "

"Portkey!"

Karkaroff nodded at first, then shook his head. "You're wrong. The casting of the Portkey Charm is supervised by the Ministry of Magic. It might be one thing in other places, but in a heavily guarded place like Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't make a mistake."

Skylar nodded. "You're right. It's indeed impossible to cast the Portkey Charm Hogwarts, but when did I say that it was necessary?"

Karkaroff thought about it and realized it was indeed true. He had just made up the Portkey Charm in his head, and he immediately looked a little embarrassed. In front of this ridiculously powerful boy, he felt that his intelligence was really not up to par. Although he didn't say it, he was already convinced of Skylar's abilities and had a faint sense of admiration for him.

"As far as I know, the first two events of each Triwizard Tournament are different, but the last event is always the same, right?" Skylar asked.

Snape and Karkaroff exchanged a glance and slowly nodded.

"Then I can safely assume this year will be no exception. The final event will undoubtedly involve the Champion navigating a maze to the finish line and touching the Goblet of Fire of Fire placed there—" Skylar's eyes gleamed brightly, "Whoever touches the Goblet of Goblet of Fire will be directly transported to the judges' table, where the judges will declare them the winner!"

"In other words, the Goblet of Fire itself is a Portkey— " Skylar smiled like a fox, "That person's subordinates, whoever they are, only need to cast a Confundus Charm on the Goblet of Fire to change the destination of the teleportation to the location of the Mysterious Man; there's no need to cast Portkey Charm at all!"

Skylar didn't say was that, according to the original story, that person's magical power wasn't enough to completely change the destination of the Portkey Charm. He could only add a procedure to teleport to Little Hangleton's grave before teleporting to the judges' table. The instruction to teleport to the judges' table wasn't replaced or eliminated; instead, it was moved to become the destination of the second instruction. This explains why Harry was able to be teleported back to Hogwarts and escape death when he touched the Goblet of Fire a second time. It also explains why Harry wasn't teleported back to the center of the maze, but rather to the area between the judges' table and the audience.

Karkaroff and Snape both gasped in unison, utterly impressed by Skylar's incredibly precise deduction. Who were these people? Compared to Skylar, they felt as if they had wasted so many years of their lives.

Skylar's deductions were meticulous and flawless.

The reason behind Potter's participation in the Triwizard Tournament has been perfectly explained. According to Moody's deduction, the Goblet of Fire was under a powerful Confundus Charm, mistaking Potter for the Champion of the fourth magic school, and the only applicant from that school. This ensured that Potter would definitely be selected to participate in the tournament.

If that person's subordinate was able to influence the Goblet of Fire once during the registration process using Confundus Charm, then it makes sense that he could use the same method to influence the Goblet of Fire a second time.

Snape and Karkaroff fell silent as they tried to process what Skylar had said, and the room fell into a deep silence.

After a long pause, Snape slowly spoke, "Skylar, do you know who put Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire of Fire?"

Skylar shrugged. "I don't know about that, but I do know..." Skylar smiled somewhat maliciously, "Dumbledore and Moody are definitely suspecting you, Professor Karkaroff."

"I'm innocent! It really wasn't me!" Karkaroff finally realized the trouble he was in. He said anxiously, "Severus, you believe me, right? You know it wasn't me, right? You have to help me!"

Snape pursed his lips tightly, and after a long pause, he said, "Veritaserum and Legilimency are no longer very effective against wizards of our level, but they also mean you've lost the ability to prove your innocence. I'll try to talk to Dumbledore about it, but you'd better prepare for the worst as soon as possible."

"The worst-case scenario?" Karkaroff's face turned deathly pale. "You mean I should run? Where can I run to?"

Snape turned his gaze to Skylar, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Skylar chuckled inwardly. "As expected of the old bat," he thought, "He really knows how to play the game; he knew to give us an assist so quickly."

"Professor Karkaroff," Skylar's eyes gleamed with confidence, "If you think I'm capable enough, how about serving me? I can guarantee your personal safety."

Karkaroff finally understood why Skylar had stayed here today and talked to them so much.

A bitter feeling welled up inside him, but he also knew he had no better choice. To be honest, he was quite envious of Snape, who had latched onto Dumbledore and didn't have to worry about his safety.

On the surface, he is the headmaster of a famous magic school, enjoying great prestige. However, in reality, the school's School Governor and professors don't really like him, and while the students are afraid of him, they have no respect for him. If something were to happen to him, the support he could get from Durmstrang would probably be almost zero.

What he didn't know was that Snape had actually been Skylar's man for a long time.