Upheaval on the Chessboard
Nothing major happened at Hogwarts after that.
The selection results for the exchange student program are in. The selected students are Blaise Zabini and Megan Jones, a fifth-grade girl from Hufflepuff. Blaise will go to Castelobruxo, while Megan will go to Ilvermorny.
Everyone in Slytherin congratulated him and threw him a small celebration, wishing him success in finding a girlfriend at another magic school.
At the celebration, Blaise was all smiles. After a few drinks, his face flushed red, and he enthusiastically declared that he would find at least three girlfriends.
Outside of Hogwarts, quite a few things have happened.
Prince Bathory sent word that unusual activity had been observed among Great Britain various alien races of Great Britain, which were being monitored by Vampire and Hag. The Banshee and Ogre were also exhibiting unusual behavior.
The Banshee is a dark creature often found in Ireland and Scotland. It resembles a woman with long, trailing hair, a skull-like face, and glowing green skin. It can emit a distinctive, deadly cry when attacking, much like a mature Mandrake.
Ogre are the ancestors of Ghoul, dark creatures born with cursed abilities. They have Troll, thick skin, huge, bell-like eyes, and two sharp, upward-pointing fangs protruding from their mouths. They look somewhat like the orcs that Skylar saw in the Lord of the Rings movies in his previous life.
The Ogre not only possesses strength and magic resistance comparable to Troll, but also knows some insidious poison curse magic. It can weaken the wizard's body through magic, causing the wizard to enter a state of poisoning, weakness, slowness, or drowsiness.
Unexpectedly, the enemy carried out the infiltration operation with extreme secrecy. On the same day the intelligence was sent, in less than a day, the Vampire and Hag responsible for surveillance were killed. By the time Bathory and Annis gathered their forces to investigate, the entire tribe of Banshee and Ogre had vanished, as if they had never existed.
Afterwards, Bathory and Annis each used their unique racial techniques to trace the truth. They discovered that only one person had acted, and only one spell— the Killing Curse —was used. It was cast three times, killing three people swiftly and decisively. The victims had no chance to dodge or retaliate, and probably didn't even know what had happened when they died.
In Skylar's dormitory room, having just received the intelligence, he rested his chin on his hands, staring solemnly at the Wizard's Chess floating before him.
If someone were watching from the sidelines at that moment, they would have noticed that Skylar's gaze was fixed on a chess piece the entire time, with the name "Tom Riddle" written on it.
The Killing Curse is Voldemort's signature murder spell.
If he wasn't mistaken, the Banshee and the Ogre had been taken away by Voldemort.
According to the intelligence Skylar had, the Banshee and Ogre weren't particularly powerful; even combined, they couldn't compare to Werewolf, Vampire, or Hag. It was unexpected that Voldemort would personally intervene for a force of this caliber.
His eyes flashed with a chilling glint. This Voldemort was different from the one in the original story. After failing to subdue the Giant and Werewolf, Voldemort had also grown in his mind and strategy. He was not only willing to condescend to personally recruit forces, but also learned from the lessons of the Werewolf war. He knew how to be patient and how to plan before acting. He did things so secretly that when he made his move, it was earth-shattering, giving Skylar no chance to react.
Furthermore, Harry's behavior this semester has been very strange. Although it can't be 100% certain, Skylar suspects that it's related to Voldemort. In the original book, Voldemort didn't initially realize the mysterious mental connection between himself and Harry, and even allowed Harry to sense a part of his emotions. It also allowed Harry to save Mr. Weasley's life through Nagini's perspective.
It wasn't until the end of the fifth book that Voldemort discovered this connection and used a false illusion to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. Now, Harry clearly no longer dreams of that corridor or door related to the Department of Mysteries; instead, he is gradually being emotionally influenced by Voldemort.
Skylar couldn't rule out the possibility that Voldemort had already noticed the mental connection between him and Harry, or even that he was deliberately influencing Harry, trying to lure Harry into corruption and ultimately make him his pawn. "Damn it, "Skylar cursed inwardly. Although he didn't know what had caused Voldemort in this world to regain his intelligence, this "Tom Riddle," who possessed both intelligence and strength, was probably far more troublesome than the "Voldemort" in the original books.
Skylar silently warned himself not to be easily misled by the original plot again—many people and things in this world had taken corresponding actions because of Skylar's existence and various schemes, which ultimately led to the deviation of the entire plot.
He finally turned his gaze away from the "Tom Riddle" piece, snapped his fingers, and a piece labeled "Banshee" and a piece labeled "Ogre" appeared on either side of "Tom Riddle," forming a triangle with "Fenrir Greyback" behind it.
He hesitated for a moment, a resolute glint in his eyes, as if he had made a decision. He snapped his fingers again, and a new piece appeared on the board, slowly moving to the side of "Tom Riddle," with the inscription—
"Harry Potter"
Having done all this, Skylar's gaze swept across the entire chessboard once more, and he snapped his fingers again, causing the chessboard to vanish instantly.
Then, he let out a long breath, composed himself, and picked up the Daily Prophet that was placed beside his bed.
The Cosmetic Potion invented by Skylar and Phoebe in the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship was a great success. After Phoebe named it "Celestial Maiden Elixir" and launched it in the Miraculous Alchymia, it quickly became popular throughout the Great Britain wizarding world, becoming an essential item for countless witches. Even witches from abroad wrote to inquire about it.
The book "Practical Potions Master" even praised it as the most influential innovation of the century, believing that this Potions completely changed the lifestyle of wizarding society and even triggered widespread social changes, making more people interested in and yearning for the field of Potions.
Under the leadership of Gulana and Hector, the Medieval European Wizards Association and the Society of Extraordinary Potioneers jointly awarded Skylar the "McQuaid Potion Contribution Award" in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Potions. This honor not only etched Skylar's name into history but also made him a recognized legend in the world of Potions.
Meanwhile, Shield Security Consulting Company has created a sensation throughout the Wizarding World in Diagon Alley. The shop is bustling with customers daily, becoming a hot topic in Britain wizarding society and attracting numerous foreign wizards, making it one of the most sought-after shops in Diagon Alley. Extensive media coverage has further boosted SHIELD's commercial influence, giving it the potential to become a business tycoon.
Seeing this, Skylar smiled with satisfaction, thinking that the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in the original story was probably no different.
Based on current trends, once the Death Eaters out of prison and Voldemort reappears, the panic in wizarding society will further drive up the market demand for defensive magical services. At that time, the popularity and buzz Shield Security Consulting Company will inevitably reach new heights, solidifying its legendary status in the magical business world.
Thinking of this, the slight displeasure caused by Voldemort had vanished without a trace. Although Voldemort had successfully recruited the Banshee and the Ogre, his own side was also growing rapidly, showing no signs of falling behind. He wondered what kind of countermeasures the Order of the Phoenix was taking with Dumbledore.