Red Face, White Face, and a Curse

Tarkoon left.

In the end, he still did not dare truly offend Snape.

Others might not know, but as a member of a newly risen and powerful family, Tarkoon naturally knew very well that Snape could once have been considered one of the Dark Lord's most trusted servants. Whether in strength or other respects, he was exceptionally capable. Tarkoon dared provoke others, but he ultimately did not dare provoke Snape.

Watching Tarkoon leave, Snape stood in the deep, dark corridor and said quietly to Sean, "Though Tarkoon's family is not one of the Twenty-Eight Pure-blood Families, it is among the foremost of the rising families. Compared to many old families that have declined, the Hunter family Tarkoon belongs to is actually much stronger.

"At the same time, Tarkoon, who comes from the Hunter family, is also an extreme pure-blood supremacist. His words and actions are both extreme and dangerous. Stay away from him."

"I understand. Thank you, Professor."

"If you really thank me, then stop causing me trouble. Stay at Hogwarts obediently for seven years. Though I think that is unlikely. With that reckless brain of yours, which is infinitely close to Gryffindor, it would already be a stroke of luck if you survived those seven years unscathed."

In the end, the Slytherin Snake King still spat a mouthful of venom at Sean.

Watching the billowing robes recede into the distance, Sean was thinking about something else.

He had been absolutely certain just now that Tarkoon had felt killing intent toward him. He truly wanted to kill him. Sean had no habit of waiting for someone who wanted to kill him to make the first move, so he had already made up his mind: Tarkoon had to die!

So the question before Sean now was how to kill someone while keeping himself out of it.

As it happened, he had an option.

He headed straight back to the Common Room. When he reached the door to his room, he immediately saw a refined-looking young man waiting outside.

The moment the other man saw him, he stepped forward and said warmly, "Hello. You must be Sean Bulstrode?"

Again?

Since when did I become so famous?

The moment he saw this person, Sean vaguely knew that he was most likely in league with Tarkoon.

Sure enough, when the man came before Sean, he introduced himself directly. "Hello, I am Dorian Cooke. First, I would like to offer my deepest apologies for Tarkoon's earlier rudeness toward you."

"There is no need to apologize. After all, I did not suffer any loss."

Seeing how calm Sean was, without the slightest anger or fear, Dorian's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Clearly, Sean was very different from those he had met before. But considering Sean's two previous Pureblood Duels, such a reaction was understandable.

"An apology is still necessary. Tarkoon was indeed rude first. But please try to understand him a little. He was born into a pure-blood family and has picked up some extreme pure-blood ideas, so his manner of doing things can be rather discourteous. Please allow me to apologize here on his behalf for his rudeness."

As he spoke, Dorian took out a palm-sized pouch and stuffed it into Sean's hand.

After weighing it slightly, Sean knew that it held more than ten Galleons. For a student still at Hogwarts, those Galleons were absolutely a huge sum. Using them as an apology was indeed a remarkably sincere gesture.

Sean did not refuse the Galleons. They were an apology, and he accepted them. But accepting them was one thing; forgiving Tarkoon for ambushing him was another. As for Tarkoon wanting to kill him, revenge would still be taken.

Tossing the pouch in his hand, Sean asked Dorian, "I accept the apology. Do you have anything else to discuss?"

Watching Sean skillfully put away the Galleons, Dorian smiled. "Of course I do. But it is already quite late today, so Sean, you should get some rest. I will visit again another day."

"Alright. Goodbye."

Watching Dorian leave, Sean smiled. One played the red face while the other played the white face. If he truly had been a twelve-year-old child, they might really have fooled him. Unfortunately, the soul in his body had long ceased to be twelve years old.

Turning around, Sean returned to his room. After resting briefly, he fed Kulkan some snake food, then sat at his desk and opened Gavin's Notes.

Gavin's Notes was quite substantial, nearly three hundred pages long. Sean kept flipping through it until he reached page sixty-six. At last, he found what he had been looking for.

A curse recorded in Gavin's Notes!

Of the knowledge recorded in Gavin's Notes, Potions made up the majority. There was only a small amount concerning curses, but every curse recorded within was an exceptionally sinister and vicious piece of magic.

The curse Sean chose was neither the most powerful nor the easiest to cast. However, it possessed one greatest advantage: it did not place high demands on the caster's strength. As long as the materials were prepared, the target was clear, and the caster genuinely wished to kill the other person, even an ordinary first-year student could cast it.

Of course, this curse had another characteristic: it was sufficiently secretive. So long as no one found the detailed incantation and did not know where the curse had been cast, there was no way to discover who the caster was. This was also a major reason Sean had chosen this curse.

However, there were still two major problems with successfully casting it.

The first problem was the need for the blood of a magical creature containing immense magic power, such as a fire dragon, a Phoenix, or a Thunderbird. The specific effects of the curse varied depending on the magical creature's blood, and the curse's strength also differed according to the magical power contained in that blood.

The second problem was obtaining the target's hair, blood, or teeth. To do it without drawing attention or arousing suspicion, he would need to carefully seek out an opportunity to acquire those things.

Compared to the second problem, Sean felt the first would be easier. He vaguely remembered that a Unicorn would soon die in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. A Unicorn was a magical creature on the same level as a fire dragon and a Phoenix. Its blood would definitely be enough for this curse.

As for the second problem, after thinking it over, Sean felt he could not make a move at Hogwarts. Outside Hogwarts, he could only act when Tarkoon went to Hogsmeade. If he were not afraid that using magic would be traced by the Ministry of Magic, Sean might have chosen to act in Hogsmeade.

Of course, Tarkoon was already a sixth-year. Even if Sean truly tried to deal with him, he might not succeed. If Tarkoon escaped, that would also be a major problem. A curse was more reliable.

So the question was, how could first-year Sean get to Hogsmeade without a sound?

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