Ghost Voyage Incident
The young woman, whom Kristof called "Miss Savannah," looked at Skylar, her blue eyes reflecting a faint light, both scrutinizing and probing. Their eyes met, and Skylar was speechless for a moment, feeling that the woman before him possessed an otherworldly charm, like a Northern Europe elf emerging from the night, stunningly beautiful and ethereal, yet unapproachable.
Kristof's henchman quickly explained the whole story to her in a low voice.
When Savannah heard Skylar claim to be Karkaroff's VIP, a hint of surprise flashed across her icy face, and she immediately turned her gaze to the iron plaque in Skylar's hand.
"Young sir, may I ask your name? The students are ignorant; if they have offended you in any way, I apologize on their behalf." Savannah's icy voice rang out, its cold and distant tone carrying an irresistible allure.
Skylar sighed inwardly. He hadn't originally planned to make a big fuss about his visit to Durmstrang, given Karkaroff's sensitive identity. Skylar didn't want their alliance to be exposed for the time being, attracting the attention of any forces to Karkaroff. But if he continued to conceal it now, it might escalate the misunderstanding and conflict.
"I come from the House of Malfoy of Great Britain. I am indeed a distinguished guest invited by Karkaroff. Please pass on a message to Karkaroff, and this will clear up any unnecessary misunderstandings," Skylar said politely, nodding respectfully.
I'm being polite to you because of Karkaroff, not because I'm really afraid of you.
These people are so blind! Once Skylar gets serious, I'm afraid no one on this ship will see the sun rise tomorrow.
"Then, Mr. Malfoy, may I see the Durmstrang nameplate in your hand?" Savannah asked, though it was a request, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Skylar couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. "What if I said no? Would you all gang up on me?"
She frowned slightly, a hint of grievance in her bright eyes, making her exceptionally pitiful. She said softly, "Please, Mr. Malfoy, don't put me in a difficult position. Durmstrang has very strict rules. If an outsider were to infiltrate due to my negligence, I would face unimaginable severe punishment."
The surrounding students were buzzing with discussion. Savannah must be the goddess type in the hearts of many boys at Durmstrang. Several older boys couldn't contain themselves and wanted to step forward and teach Skylar.
Skylar sighed softly.
"I'll say it again, I really am a distinguished guest invited by Karkaroff. If you choose to offend me now, you'd better think carefully about how you're going to explain this to your headmaster later," Skylar said coldly.
The boys who had been standing in front of Skylar suddenly felt an extremely powerful pressure coming towards them. It was an unprecedented feeling, as if their magic, spirit, bloodline, soul, and will were being crushed at the same time. The boys' legs went weak and they knelt down in a neat row on the ground.
Skylar didn't even draw his wand!
The students behind finally realized what kind of person they had messed with.
Some sharp-eyed observers even recognized Skylar from the lower half of his face, Skylar, "It's... it's him, Skylar Malfoy, this year's Triwizard Tournament champion!"
"Damn! It's him! What's he doing here? And... the difference in strength between us and him..." The boy swallowed hard, unable to continue speaking.
Because everyone, like him, was trapped in an inescapable despair. The gap between them and Skylar was simply too vast, so vast that they might never be able to catch up in this lifetime.
"This is Durmstrang, not a place for you to indulge yourself." Savannah stepped forward, standing between Skylar and the boys. Her movements were elegant and efficient, as if each step had been precisely calculated.
Skylar didn't speak, but just stood there, watching Savannah gently wave her wand, creating an invisible barrier that separated Skylar from them. The boys then stood up, panting, and looked at each other, their faces showing relief at surviving a close call.
"I have already stated my position. Now, can we go and consult your principal?" Skylar said calmly.
"No need," Savannah said, gazing intently at Skylar as if trying to etch Skylar image into her mind. "Durmstrang has always respected the strong. Since you've demonstrated such strength, the nameplate in your hand must be genuine."
Then, she curtsied gracefully to Skylar and said softly, "Mr. Malfoy, please forgive me for my previous offense. Now, please come with me, and I will take you to the VIP reception room for dinner."
Skylar's lips curled up slightly, but in his heart he was reassessing the woman's cunning and resourcefulness. Her ability to quickly grasp the big picture and to condescend to quell the incident demonstrated her extraordinary intelligence and adaptability.
After that incident, Skylar never saw Savannah again, and no one dared to mess with Skylar again.
Skylar was happy with this arrangement, spending his days resting and dining in his private VIP room, and reading in his spare time. He was equally diligent in his studies during his convalescence at Skylar 'Ella Cottage and during his leisure time on the train.
He read through those Dark Arts books from various Pure-blood families. He naturally benefited greatly from reading them, but it was too early to say that he had become a Dark Arts Master. After all, he had only read the theories and lacked actual experiments, research, and practice. In this way, he could not truly grasp the essence of Dark Arts.
Dark Arts doesn't require sophisticated spellcasting techniques or wand gestures, but it demands a higher level of skill in guiding emotions and outputting magical power.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, all in one look!
Two days passed in this way, during which the Ghost Ship docked twice more, once in a port in Sweden and once in Norway, picking up a considerable number of students. Finally, the Ghost Ship left the Norway mainland and sailed rapidly towards the Arctic, finally approaching an unnamed island in the North Sea at night.
It was an unmarkable location; the island was not marked on Muggle world maps, so Skylar didn't actually have its exact coordinates. Skylar could only deduce from the general direction of the voyage and the time that the island was in the far north of the North Sea, and he could clearly feel that its temperature was much colder than that of mainland Norway.
When the Ghost Ship was less than eight miles from the island, Skylar had already quietly come to the deck and was gazing at the island in the distance. The cold wind blowing on his face invigorated Skylar, who had been cooped up in the cabin for two whole days.
Around him were young wizards, their cloaks pulled tightly shut, whispering amongst themselves. The sharp-eared Skylar knew they were discussing why he wasn't cold.
Skylar wasn't immune to the cold; rather, his wizard robes had a temperature-regulating function. In addition, he had consumed many Potions since childhood and absorbed the Source of Life, giving him an extraordinary constitution that made him quite resistant to heat and cold.
As the ship approached, a mysterious mist suddenly appeared, blending the black hull of the ship into the mist, indistinguishable from it in the darkness.
Just when Skylar thought the island was Durmstrang's location, what happened next surprised him once again.