Barty's Mission
"The McFasty Clan?" Old Barty asked in confusion, "That Dragon Clan? What happened to them?"
Skylar smiled without answering, his smile appearing increasingly enigmatic and unfathomable to Barty Crouch Sr.. "I need their strength, and for that, I want you to go through this ordeal for me, to find a way to get them to join our ranks."
Barty Crouch Sr. remained silent. The McFusty Clan had always lived in the desolate wilderness of the Hebrides, with no dealings or ties to most of the powers in Great Britain.
Barty Crouch Sr.'s knowledge of it mainly came from the Ministry of Magic. Every year, the Ministry of Magic's tax office and the Department for the Control of Fantastic Beasts would routinely send people there to inspect the Fire Dragon breeding situation. This was mainly to ensure that the risk of the Fire Dragons ' existence was not exposed to Muggles, strictly adhering to International Statute of Secrecy, and also to collect the year's taxes. Apart from that, he didn't know much more about this mysterious clan.
However, this does not mean that this clan is easy to mess with.
By the end of the 20th century, the term "clan" had almost become history. Even the most powerful Pure-blood groups only dared to call themselves "family" rather than "clan."
The biggest difference between a clan and a family is that a clan is a large lineage with the same ancestor and surname. Based on a shared economic life, they develop a common language, customs, and primitive religious beliefs. Their leader is called the clan head or patriarch, not the head of the household. It can be said that so-called families are actually all branches that split off from the ancient clans.
A family can have only four members like the House of Malfoys, or it can have many branches like the House of Blacks, but the number of members will never exceed one hundred, and even fifty is a stretch. A clan, however, even the smallest clan in Great Britain history, will have at least one or two hundred members.
According to a secret report from the Ministry of Magic, the McFusty Clan has at least one hundred members, the vast majority of whom are wizards. Less than 10% of them are Squibs, Squib are usually assigned to various heavy jobs such as planting crops and repairing and cleaning the clan castle and have no status in the clan.
Barty Crouch Sr. can safely assume that this clan has at least seventy to eighty adult wizards, and if the underage wizards are included, the number would probably exceed one hundred.
However, this number is almost equivalent to the total number of Aurors, Hit Wizard, and Scouts in the Ministry of Ministry of Magic's three major armed forces.
Recruiting them is easier said than done.
"Don't worry," Skylar's tone was so calm it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry. "Since I've given you this task, it means I believe you're capable of completing it for me. I won't give you an 'impossible mission.' I'll assign you helpers." He paused, then drew an X on a small island on the map with his finger. "Go to this place first. This is Hermetray Island, where Zygmunt Bach lived in seclusion. It's now an uninhabited desert island. Someone will be there to meet you."
Skylar smiled confidently. "Given your current situation, it's not suitable for you to appear in the public eye; doing so would make you a target for the Mysterious Man forces." He continued, "Getting away from the Great Britain mainland to an isolated island group would be extremely advantageous for concealing your existence, and I happen to need someone eloquent and perceptive to accomplish this for me. Having you do it would be a win-win situation for both of us."
Seeing Skylar's confident smile, Barty Crouch Sr. felt his worries and anxieties fade away, and he felt that the task might not be too difficult. The wisdom and skill Skylar had previously displayed were also factors that gave him great confidence; after all, Skylar didn't seem like the kind of person who would do something as foolish as sending his own people to their deaths.
Skylar was, of course, completely confident.
The so-called dragon-raising clans are actually just large groups. This group, which lives a shared economic life, revolves around the dragon-raising industry, which inevitably leads to the simplicity and predictability of their magic. As Skylar's involvement in and understanding of different magical fields deepened, he increasingly realized that complex methods combined with precise tactics were the key to real combat.
Rather than focusing on mastering a single type of magic, Skylar preferred to have the Sleeping Dragon Society recruit talent from different fields, moving towards a more diversified approach to magic.
This can be seen from the various arrangements he made to cultivate the abilities of his six girls— Daphne excels at offensive spells and direct combat, Morrie excels at analyzing and breaking spells (such as researching the Fidelius Charm), Cho Chang excels at Transfiguration, Luna is a summoner, Astoria is Potions, and Susan excels at defensive magic...
Skylar arranged for Barty Crouch Sr. to have helpers who could control these dragon-raising clansmen.
The Hohenheim Family, the first Pure-blood families in Germany.
Led by the current patriarch, Kodes von Hohenheim, the team of alchemists will set up Dragon-Sealing Seals around the island where the McFusty Clan's castle is located, thus limiting their combat power to the greatest extent possible.
As for the terrain around the castle, traps, detection and defensive magic, and even evil curses against intruders, Skylar also arranged another group of helpers for him—
The International Confederation of Wizards and Silver Spear's professional adventurers, Curse-Breaker, and wilderness survival warriors.
Led by "The Clown," one of the Four Silver Spear Archwizards, these people will serve as the main frontal force after the Dragon-Sealing Seal takes effect, breaking through the various defensive mechanisms and setups on the island, and then acting as a direct deterrent.
Just in case, Skylar also had several experienced Fire Dragon experts and tamers from the Romanian Dragon Reserve accompany him. In addition to serving as Barty Crouch Sr.'s bodyguards, this would also increase Barty Crouch Sr.'s bargaining power in negotiations with the McFusty Clan, letting them know that even if his entire clan were wiped out, Skylar was not incapable of taking over the Hebridean Black breeding area.
Of course, if possible, Skylar would not want to wage war against such a powerful force; peacefully subjugating them would be the ideal outcome.
Skylar believed in his allies and in the survival wisdom of such an ancient clan; he believed that they would know how to make choices in the face of absolute power.
The conversation between Barty Crouch Sr. and Skylar has come to an end.
Skylar gave Barty Crouch Sr. a specially made alchemical bracelet. The bracelet was made of solid Black Gold forged by Goblin and was engraved with mysterious Magic Runes. It had mental magic that could resist the Imperius Curse and magic that could shield his name, making it impossible for owls and most known Tracking Magic to track his whereabouts.
With that, there was no need to worry about Barty Crouch Sr.'s safety. Since Barty Crouch Jr. believed he was dead, it was unlikely he would take any further action against him. This alchemical bracelet was simply an extra layer of security that the naturally cautious Skylar wanted to provide for his plans.
Skylar returned to Hogwarts Castle through the Secret Passage, while Barty Crouch Sr. rested briefly in the basement of the Miraculous Alchymia before using the one-time Floo Network that Skylar had specially set up for him through his connections in the Ministry of Magic to pass through the furnace and leave.
[The Crouch Family, our "ally," has been acquired!]
After finishing so much, Skylar was no longer sleepy. After returning to his quiet dormitory, he first sat on his bed and flipped through a book for a while. Then, thinking that he couldn't sleep anyway, he decided to enter the Suitcase Space.
In the Suitcase Space, besides the private laboratory that Skylar had shown Luna not long ago, he had also added a dungeon in the basement. Inside were the four Hogwarts students he had captured during the Battle at the Bottom of the Lake in Second Task.