Plotting with Dumbledore
Skylar maintained his nonchalant expression, a slight smile playing on his lips. He didn't answer Dumbledore's question, but instead drew his wand and used a Conjuring Spell to conjure a large mahogany chair adorned with various jewels in front of him.
The chair's cushions are woven from Unicorn fur, shimmering with a bright silver luster. The left armrest is carved into the shape of a honey badger, and the right armrest into the shape of a hawk, both in a crouching posture with their heads bowed.
At the very top of the chair back were ninety-nine Unicorn horns, each swirling with iridescent light. Between the horns coiled a large, emerald-green serpent, exquisitely sculpted, its Snake Eyes gleaming with an eerie red light, as if a real snake were watching its prey. Most remarkably, the serpent bore a striking resemblance, over ninety percent, to the snake representing Slytherin in the Hogwarts crest.
The four chair legs are slender and long, with a simple-looking dark gray stone resting on the bottom. Anyone with a basic understanding of Britain history can immediately recognize this as the Stone of Destiny from Scotland legend, a sacred object of medieval royalty that could only be subdued by a king chosen by fate.
The wood grain throughout the chair subtly gleamed with a dark, sharp golden light, creating a chillingly oppressive atmosphere, as if...
To rule the world.
Skylar smiled, seemingly quite pleased with his Transfiguration creation. He first adjusted his robes, then, with an impeccable posture, slowly sat down in the imposing chair.
The moment he sat down, an invisible wave of magic suddenly emanated from the chair and spread outwards in all directions. Fawkes, who was dozing on the gilded wooden frame, was suddenly awakened and let out a shrill cry. The silver instruments on the low table against the wall not far away made tinkling sounds, and a device that looked a bit like a pipe even emitted light green smoke.
Skylar seemed oblivious to the commotion he had created. His left hand rested lightly on the honey badger, and he leaned languidly to the right, his right elbow resting on the eagle. He supported his upper body weight with his wrist supporting his chin. The Serpent Ring on Dumbledore's right hand emitted a faint green light, while the ancient-looking Guardian Ring radiated a deep, invisible magical aura, like a ferocious beast silently gathering strength, ready to pounce at any moment.
Skylar certainly wouldn't choose to stand while answering Dumbledore's question, putting himself at a disadvantage from the very beginning. Since you, Headmaster, are sitting down to talk to me, then I'll answer you sitting down too, and my chair has to be cooler and more awesome than yours!
Dumbledore stared at the serpent carving that represented Slytherin, lost in thought for a moment.
Intelligent people never waste words. Skylar's actions, besides demonstrating his strength, also indicated that the entire Slytherin House had stood behind him. Although he was alone, he could represent the will of an entire house. As for the symbolism of the two armrests, it clearly meant that they were also under his control.
Don't forget, the principal's power is not absolute.
In the original world, because of Dumbledore fame and prestige, which made him someone to be looked up to, and his absolute control over Hogwarts, the school's management—the professors—was almost a monolithic entity. The Board of Governors was completely sidelined, becoming a shadowy institution of Hogwarts. Students only knew of the Headmaster and the professors, and never noticed that Hogwarts actually had Board of Governors, an organization that could check and balance the Headmaster's power.
The original work is written from the perspective of Harry, a young wizard who is just entering the wizarding world. Throughout the seven books, the Board of Governors only described in a few words, and a considerable part of it appears as a failed buffoon, such as Lucius's embarrassing incident of being expelled from the Board of Governors, and Lucius's failed attempt to kill Buckbeak.
In this world, although Lucius was still expelled from the Board of Governors, Faculty Hiring Committee was established, and Skylar happened to be one of its members.
As Skylar's reputation grew, Dumbledore's authority was challenged to some extent. The fickle members of the Board of Governors couldn't possibly ignore Skylar's potential or remain unmoved. After all, no one who could win a seat on the School Governor Trustees amidst so many competitors was simple; everyone knew Dumbledore was over a hundred years old, and everyone wanted to prepare for what would happen after Dumbledore's passing, thus preserving their own power and status.
At this moment, Skylar appropriately expressed his authority in Slytherin House, the underlying threat of which was self-evident.
There was another point that Dumbledore didn't voice, perhaps because he didn't want to consider this possibility—
We already have honey badgers, eagles, and green snakes, so what about Griffin? The chair backs and armrests are already taken, so what's left is...
Dumbledore's gaze flickered behind his two Half-moon Spectacles, and after a long while, he sighed.
Despite his best efforts to overestimate Skylar's potential, he still found himself far underestimating Skylar. He couldn't help but wonder if he was truly getting old.
It had only been a short time since my last meeting with Skylar. At that time, Skylar, whether in his eyes, tone, or attitude, showed at least a degree of apprehension towards me, if not reverence.
Skylar now has absolutely no fear of me, like a long-lurking beast that dares to bare its fangs.
Dumbledore knew very well that Skylar was never an impulsive student, and that his current behavior must mean he had enough confidence in his heart!
"Skylar, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just worried about your safety and the other students' safety." Dumbledore's tone was much gentler than before.
Skylar did not show any contempt for Dumbledore because of his show of weakness.
In his view, Dumbledore's ability to manipulate people with words was no less than Grindelwald's. Didn't you see how the Order of the Phoenix, an organization with no money, no food, and no Fawley, could have a group of people who could be considered social elites willing to sacrifice their lives for a noble ideal?
"Alright, I think we can talk about this openly." Skylar's frivolous expression vanished, and he said seriously, "I can confirm that the madman was Mr. Crouch. As for the person who attacked me, he was most likely under the command of the Mysterious Man, but it could also be the Shadow of the Magic Dragon."
"Oh," Dumbledore said, placing his hands on the table, fingers interlaced, looking at Skylar with interest, "And the reason?"
"The one who attacked me used Killing Curse right from the start, leaving absolutely no room for retreat. He clearly had no intention of leaving me alive. That's the Death Eaters's style—brutal and direct," Skylar explained. "Then I injured him with Wind-Spinning Vortex Curse, and then he unleashed a black aura similar to what I'd seen on Pettigrew and Lockhart. Seeing that things were going badly, and not being able to wait for your reinforcements, Headmaster, I decided to retreat."
"As for Mr. Crouch, he's fine. I put him in the suitcase Scamander left behind and took him with me."
"Then, Skylar," Dumbledore said slowly, "May I ask you to release Mr. Crouch? I have something to ask him."
"It's possible, but..." Skylar deliberately left his sentence unfinished.
"Don't worry. I know this is an important favor, and I'll make it clear to him that you were the one who saved him, so I won't steal your credit," Dumbledore said confidently.
Skylar feigned a moment of hesitation.
"Alright," Skylar finally spoke after a long pause, seemingly having carefully considered his decision in that short time. He shrugged and said, "What can I do? I still owe you that book Abatair."
Skylar lifted the still-sleeping Mr. Crouch from the Suitcase Space and placed him on the ground. Then, he quickly waved his wand above Mr. Crouch's head to dispel the sleeping spell, saying softly, "I think Harry has already told you. Mr. Crouch acted strangely when he suddenly appeared, and later his emotions became somewhat out of control and manic. I was worried that he might do something to harm himself or others, so I put him to sleep."
Dumbledore nodded to indicate that he understood.
After Crouch woke up, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked in confusion, "Dumbledore? Malfoy? Where am I? How did I get here?"
Dumbledore's deep blue eyes Winky as he stared intently into Crouch's eyes and said, "Barty, don't you remember anything?"
"Remember what?" Crouch asked, somewhat confused. "I only remember being very busy at work today. There's been no progress on that international ban on private duels, so I put young Weatherby in charge of it... He's very enthusiastic... to be honest, a little too enthusiastic... I just got home, didn't even have dinner, and fell asleep on the sofa. And then... I woke up here."
"Now..." Crouch said grimly, "It's your turn to tell me what happened, isn't it?"
Dumbledore succinctly described to him how Skylar and Harry found him in the Forbidden Forest, how he was attacked, and how Skylar bravely rescued him.
Crouch's eyes widened, clearly unable to believe what he had experienced in one night. If it weren't for Dumbledore speaking to him, he would never have believed a single word. But obviously, Dumbledore and the young Malfoy had no reason or motive to deceive him with such a thing.
He wanted to go home, but Dumbledore insisted that he rest at the Hospital Wing for the night and have Madam Pomfrey observe him to make sure there were no aftereffects before letting him leave. Crouch couldn't argue with him, and given his very weak condition, he had no choice but to comply with Dumbledore's wishes and stay at Hogwarts for the night.
Several hours later, to be precise, at midnight.
Crouch, who had been sleeping with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and sat up from his lying position on the hospital bed in the Hospital Wing. He was alone in the room, and the sound of Madam Pomfrey's footsteps could be heard outside.
He touched his forehead and face and found that his temples were covered in cold sweat, making his face completely wet.