Inside the Castle
Skylar and Karkaroff walked side by side on Durmstrang's magical meadow, as Karkaroff carefully explained the anti-frost magic that had been placed on the meadow, allowing the grass to remain evergreen all year round.
Skylar also saw Karkaroff give a signal to the assistant or professor who had been following him, and that assistant or professor then led Kristof and his entourage away from the group. It seemed they were in for a good punishment this time.
Skylar smiled, knowing that this was Karkaroff's deliberate act to impress him, but he pretended to be oblivious and continued chatting with him about everything related to Durmstrang.
This meadow is Durmstrang's Quidditch pitch—every summer, students, including Krum, Accio on their Broomstick, crossing the lake, soaring over the meadow, and traversing the woods and valleys.
Crossing the damp, cold stone steps, the group entered Durmstrang Castle. This four-story castle had a surprisingly large Entrance Hall, with towering, thick oak doors that had stood there for countless centuries. At least Karkaroff knew that the doors existed before he arrived.
On either side of the gate stand two obsidian statues.
The statue on the left is of a young-looking witch wearing a pointed wizard's hat; she is kneeling on one knee, looking up at the sky.
Below the statue is a line of small text: Nalida Vokanova (1013-1060), the first headmistress of Durmstrang Institute, one of the greatest witches in Balkans history. Born in Bulgaria in 1013, she founded Durmstrang in 1042.
This witch died at the young age of 47, which is quite rare in the wizarding world. Generally speaking, wizards and witches with powerful magic tend to live much longer than Muggle. Many powerful wizards can live to be over a hundred years old; Dumbledore is one example.
Skylar knew there were many suspicious aspects to her death, and that was one of the reasons Skylar had come here.
Skylar shifted his gaze to another statue, this one of an older male wizard, who held his wand aloft, facing forward with a strange smile on his face.
Below the statue is a line of smaller text: Harfon Monte (1024-1139), the second headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, a famous duelist and master of war magic, born in Byzantium, Constantinople in 1024 AD.
It was this wizard who pioneered Durmstrang's open course in Dark Arts. He placed great emphasis on various forms of combat magic, which brought Durmstrang fame. To this day, these elements remain an important part of the Durmstrang curriculum.
Karkaroff stepped forward and pushed open the door. A green light flashed from the ring on his hand, and the door swung open. It seemed that this door, like the one at Hogwarts, possessed considerable intelligence and could recognize visitors.
The other students did not follow Skylar and Karkaroff; they entered the castle through a smaller, more convenient door on the other side.
Durmstrang's Great Hall was completely different from the warm and magical atmosphere of Hogwarts. The space here was tall and gloomy, with a ceiling like an ice dome that shimmered with a cold light, as if sealing the chill of the entire Northland within the Great Hall.
The four walls are made of dark gray stone, bearing the marks of time and a cold touch. There is no superfluous decoration, only some ancient engravings that faintly emerge, telling the story of Durmstrang's long history and legacy of battle. Several huge iron pillars stand in the corners, wrapped with rough iron chains, occasionally reflecting a cold glint, like sleeping beasts that send chills down your spine.
In the center of the Great Hall stood a long stone dining table, its edges carved with ancient runes. The chairs were made of hard, dark wood, each exuding a rugged sense of power, devoid of any luxurious embellishment. There were no flames, no warm candlelight; the hall relied entirely on the cold, eerie blue light streaming down from the ceiling, emanating an unsettling chill.
Although there were no flames in the Great Hall, a profound sense of oppression permeated the air, as if silently reminding everyone that this was the Wizarding North, a stage for the strong, and only the most resilient souls could stand firm on this cold land.
Besides, the most eye-catching thing in the Great Hall is the power ranking on the wall, which lists the strength of duelists among students. This shows how prevalent the dueling culture is on campus. According to Karkaroff, the Dueling Club is also the largest and most popular club in Durmstrang.
There's a similar wall in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, but it's used to display the points of each house and compete for the House Cup awarded at the end of the year.
This reveals the difference in philosophy between the two schools— Durmstrang places more emphasis on cultivating students' individual abilities, while Hogwarts focuses more on the leadership of Prefect and the cohesion of the student body.
Skylar also noticed that the number one ranked person on the combat power list was not Viktor Krum or Eleanor, but a student he had never heard of before— Seferis Ludgia.
Karkaroff noticed Skylar's gaze and immediately explained that the combat power ranking primarily considers the student's win rate in duels, followed by the number of duels, and is not determined by the principal's or professors' ratings.
Krum devoted himself entirely to Quidditch Match and had little interest in dueling; Eleanor was even more so, single-mindedly immersed in the study of alchemy and hardly ever participated in any duels.
At the same time, Skylar keenly noticed that the unassuming Kristof who had offended him on the Ghost Ship was actually quite strong in duels, ranking third on the combat power list.
The students lined up quietly to enter the Entrance Hall through the side door of the Great Hall, and then from there they went up the spiral staircase back to their dormitories.
Skylar and Karkaroff used the faculty-only passageway, which was a giant suspended stone slab. After they stood on it, the boulder seemed to know their destination and slowly rose up on its own.
The Headmaster's Office was on the fourth floor, Karkaroff planned to take Skylar to the office first to discuss the itinerary for the next few days.
After the boulder reached the height of the fourth floor, the two descended from the floating boulder. Karkaroff extended his hand, gesturing for Skylar to follow him to the Headmaster's Office. The corridor leading to the Headmaster's Office was gloomy and eerie, just like Durmstrang's impression on outsiders, with every step exuding a chill.
There were no torches in Durmstrang; the castle's lighting came from magical crystals that emitted a green glow. These crystals were embedded in the walls of the dimly lit corridors, casting a faint green light that illuminated the surroundings. The light was uneven, sometimes blindingly bright, sometimes so faint as to be almost extinguished, as if these crystals were living beings breathing the cold air.
Along the corridor, one could occasionally encounter terrifying statues of various shapes and sizes: some were ferocious dragons with bared fangs and claws, others were wizards with distorted faces, and still others were hideous dark creatures— Giant, two-headed wolves, and even a creature with outstretched bat wings, resembling a demon from Muggle legend. Each statue also had crystals embedded in its eye sockets, like pairs of spying eyes that followed the footsteps of passersby, radiating an unsettling pressure.
Ghost occasionally drifted through the depths of the corridor. Compared to the somewhat noisy Ghost of Hogwarts, each Ghost here had a cold and stiff face, dressed in ancient Durmstrang uniforms adorned with blurred runes. Some Ghost would stop and stare at Skylar, their empty eyes flashing with a faint green light, their eerie expressions sending chills down one's spine.
"The atmosphere here suits your style, Karkaroff." Skylar stopped in front of a stone archway covered in magical runes, glanced back at Karkaroff, and a slight smile played on his lips.
Karkaroff chuckled, flicked his wand and lightly touched the rune. The stone door slid open silently, revealing a spiral staircase behind it.
Hmm, it seems this castle, like Hogwarts, has hidden spaces. Even though the two of them had already reached the fourth floor, they still needed to climb another set of stairs.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, all in one look!
Skylar stepped onto the stone steps, which glowed with a dim green light, as if illuminating the way for his arrival. However, there were no railings on either side of the stairs; instead, there was a row of Gargoyle statues with gaping mouths, as if they were about to pounce and devour anyone who strayed near.
Halfway up the stairs, there was a hidden door on the left side, from which faint, painful groans could be heard.
"This is the disciplinary classroom used by Mr. Bath, the administrator of this Durmstrang, to discipline students. Those being punished inside are the same few fools who offended you on the Ghost Ship," Karkaroff said respectfully.
Through a small iron-framed window in the thick stone door, Skylar could vaguely see several figures with their hands chained high to the ceiling, their feet about a foot off the ground.
Judging from the figure's weak and listless posture, it seemed to have been punished quite severely.
Skylar was not surprised—before Dumbledore became headmaster of Hogwarts, the Hogwarts had also adopted the same strict disciplinary measures—the previous headmaster, Mr. Apollon Pringle, often hung up and whipped students who violated the rules, and Mr. Weasley was one of his victims.
Skylar nodded to Karkaroff and said softly, "Giving them a lesson is enough. Don't go too far. There's no need to actually hurt them. They're still your students, and important connections for your future."
No wonder Karkaroff in the original story wanted to escape as soon as he heard Voldemort was back. His harsh school rules were unpopular, and few students would fight to the death to protect him, which was a stark contrast to the widely beloved Dumbledore.
Karkaroff nodded quickly in agreement and announced that he would take them to the Hospital Wing for treatment shortly.
The two climbed all the way to the top of the stairs, finally arriving at a huge ebony door. The door frame was carved with intricate runes and two dragons facing each other, their eyes inlaid with bright rubies, creating a stark contrast with the cold green light surrounding them.
"Young Master Malfoy, please," Karkaroff said in a low voice, pushing open the door with a respectful and careful gesture.
Skylar glanced at Karkaroff's expression, a meaningful smile appearing on his face. He then strode confidently into the Headmaster's Office, his figure illuminated by the green light behind him, resembling a king in the night.