Parting Ways

Seeing the awkward silence that had fallen over them, Skylar coughed softly and said, "That's roughly how things went—as for whether that powerful black wizard was the Mysterious Man, I think—everyone has their own opinion, and there's no need to convince others, right?"

"Malfoy!" Harry roared, "You knew perfectly well that he was Voldemort —and you talked to him about so many things, about the House of Malfoy's betrayal... about the Goblet of Fire being tampered with, and—you even mentioned that Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch. was dead at your hands! Isn't that right?!"

"Potter," Skylar's smile slowly faded, his eyes flashing with a sharp, hawk-like edge, "Even if we had any disagreements before, please don't slander the House of Malfoy so easily— the House of Malfoy's innocence has already been proven by Wizengamot. My father was under the influence of the Imperius Curse when he did those foolish things, and my family paid the price and made amends afterward. If you dare to say again that the Malfoy are Death Eaters, I will make you pay for your words!"

At that moment, Harry no longer thought of Skylar as an underage wizard like himself, or even as a kind wizard.

The sudden burst of power emanating from Skylar even caught Dumbledore's attention, while Harry involuntarily took two steps back. When he came to his senses, his entire cheek was flushed red; he had actually been frightened away.

"I'll say it again—I didn't witness the process of the Mysterious Man's resurrection that you described. I only saw a powerful black wizard who claimed to be the Mysterious Man. He was indeed very powerful, but I can't be sure of his identity..." Skylar said.

"As for Barty Crouch Jr...." Skylar said softly, "He tried to kill me, and in my haste, I used a powerful Blasting Curse to destroy his wand, but I accidentally..." Skylar lowered his head slightly, a look of guilt on his face, "I'm so sorry, my Blasting Curse seems to have gone too far, and I accidentally blew him away as well..."

Just as Fudge was about to speak, a cold snort came from behind him.

Fudge turned around and saw Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa standing there with unfriendly expressions.

"My son was in danger at Hogwarts, during a competition overseen by the Ministry of Magic, and was nearly killed—don't tell me it was an accident in self-defense; even if he had killed a criminal, would he be punished for that?" His voice was icy cold, clearly indicating that the danger Skylar had faced had truly enraged him. "I want to see what the Ministry of Magic does... I can't help but wonder if the House of Malfoy has been keeping a low profile for too long... letting the world forget the power of our Pure-blood families..."

"Oh dear," Fudge said with a smile, "My old friend Lucius, don't be so quick to anger. Nobody said they'd sentence Skylar —don't worry, I can assure you right here that he won't even need a trial; he's definitely innocent."

"Hmph, Fudge," Lucius said in a slightly threatening tone, "I can trust you this once, but I just seemed to hear... someone bringing up the mistake I unintentionally made back then, linking the House of Malfoy's name back to the Death Eaters..."

"No, no, that's not true," Fudge quickly interjected, "It's all a misunderstanding. Potter is just a show-off, talking nonsense kid. Don't take his words seriously!"

Harry stared at Fudge in disbelief, unable to believe he would say such a thing.

"I'm not lying!" Harry shouted. "You're all insane— Bertha Jorkins is missing, Barty Crouch is missing, they're probably both dead... and you still think this is just the crazy plan of a madman all by himself?"

"I don't see why not!" Fudge raised his voice again, his face turning a deep purple, anger burning in his chest. He glared at Harry first, then turned to Dumbledore. "It seems to me that you are all determined to create a panic and ruin everything we've worked so hard to build over the past thirteen years!"

Skylar's face remained expressionless, but inside he was overjoyed—everything was unfolding exactly as he had predicted.

Although Diggory's death and Barty Crouch Jr..'s confession under the influence of Veritaserum were absent this time, and the addition of himself as a variable was also present, the plot ultimately managed to return to its original trajectory.

With Fudge daring to roar at Dumbledore, the end of their relationship was marked— the Ministry of Magic was now definitely going to turn against the Order of the Phoenix.

According to Skylar's memories from his previous life, the Order of the Phoenix was established as early as the Grindelwald Rebellion. Under Dumbledore's manipulation, this underground organization had been sabotaging Grindelwald's various plans until 1945, when Grindelwald was defeated and imprisoned, after which the organization briefly disappeared from public view.

Then came the rise of the second Dark Lord, which sparked the First Wizarding War. The Order of the Phoenix was once again summoned in the name of fighting Voldemort, and many brave and passionate young members joined, such as the Marauder. However, the Order of the Phoenix was still not recognized as a legitimate organization by the general public, especially by the Ministry of Magic governing body.

In a description of McGonagall written by the original author on his official website, Professor McGonagall was not a member of the Order of the Phoenix at the time. Instead, she served as an informant for the Ministry of Ministry of Magic, using her Animagus abilities to gather intelligence for the Ministry of Magic. This was because the Order of the Phoenix was considered an illegal and rebellious organization by the Ministry of Magic (the original text is "Renegade," meaning disobedience to authority). Several Minister for Magic who took office in succession were afraid of Dumbledore's personal charisma and magical talent, and secretly worried that he would want to replace them.

Therefore, it is clear that the Order of the Phoenix is not the unknown, mysterious organization described in those nonsensical online novels of my past life. At least the Ministry of Magic has long been aware of its existence and has always regarded it as a potential threat. If it weren't for Dumbledore's deterrent presence, the members of the Order of the Phoenix might have been arrested as criminals.

Fudge and Dumbledore were never on the same page, and if Skylar handled things properly, it wouldn't be difficult to make them go their separate ways.

The real challenge is to prevent Skylar from getting himself involved, or at least to prevent both sides from seeing him as a greater threat. Once they clash and weaken each other, even if he resurfaces later, it will be too late for them to deal with him.

Skylar was not blinded by arrogance because of his earlier achievement of being able to fight three archmages.

On the contrary, this great battle gave him a clearer understanding of his own level.

He carefully examined his own strength— Skylar's true magical power level was still at the level of a novice Auror, but he had a soul-level bond with Sarf, which allowed him to draw upon Sarf's magical power at any time. When borrowing Sarf's magical power, Skylar's magical power could reach the peak of the elite Auror level, which could also be called the level of a quasi-magic master.

Furthermore, at this moment, his wand has completed its evolution, becoming a legendary magical artifact comparable to the Elder Wand.

The amplification of his magical power by using the Nether Night Wand was so great that it was enough to allow him to reach the peak of the Grand Sorcerer!

But Skylar was still not satisfied with this.

As far as he knew, Dumbledore was already a true Grand Sorcerer, powerful enough to defeat Grindelwald, even without the Elder Wand. If the Elder Wand's power was included, he was probably even stronger than Skylar.

Voldemort was the same.

Despite easily suppressing Voldemort before, in a contest of pure magic power, Voldemort, as Grand Sorcerer, is in no way inferior to him. Imagine if Voldemort also started looking for equipment, or even acquired a legendary magical artifact; he wouldn't have much of an advantage the next time he faced him.

Ultimately, I still have to play it safe a little longer.

As for how to improve his strength while surviving, Skylar already had a plan in mind— the Paracelsus's Chamber, the Gryffindor's Chamber, the remaining Abatair Fragments, and the Pure Blood left to him by Slytherin...

In addition, he had obtained the right to visit Durmstrang. As the most secretive magic school among all wizarding schools in the world, Durmstrang is never open to outsiders. Even the location of its castle is a closely guarded secret. All visitors must agree in advance to have their memories of its location erased after the visit.

Unlike Hogwarts, which has Four Founders, Durmstrang has only one Founders: Nalida Vokanova, a legendary Bulgaria witch.

Nalida Vokannava, like the Four Founders of Hogwarts, was a figure from the tenth century. To be able to establish a magic school in an era of great upheavals, she was certainly no ordinary person.

Unfortunately, she did not live long. About ten years after she founded the school, she died mysteriously, and the cause of her death is listed as one of the ten unsolved mysteries in the history of magic. Her successor, Harfon Monte, soon implemented sweeping reforms, focusing on teaching dueling skills and combat magic, which led to Durmstrang being associated with Dark Arts.

Regardless of the cause of Vokanna's death, obtaining her legacy would undoubtedly be enough to further enhance Skylar's strength.

As for whether Barty Crouch Jr.. is really dead, how he died, and where his body went, that remains to be seen.

But who would really care?

Even Fudge has guaranteed that he won't put Skylar on trial, so who in the Ministry of Magic would dare to really provoke Skylar?