The Seed of Curse fell to the ground. As the altar fragments buried it, it sank deep beneath the soil and took root and sprouted at a visible speed. In the blink of an eye, it became an utterly ordinary-looking weed. Once the Seed of Curse had taken root and sprouted, flowers and grass gradually began to grow around it. Everything returned to normal, with no sign that a curse had just been performed here.
Of course, that was only how things appeared on the surface. In truth, any wizard with even a little skill could sense the faint aura of Dark Magic here. Gavin's notes had recorded this as well, and Sean had prepared potions to remove traces of Dark Magic.
He took out the last two bottles of potion on him, sprinkled some over the surrounding ground, then splashed a little on himself to remove the Dark Magic aura that had clung to him. Only then did Sean cast the Disillusionment Charm again and run toward the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade.
Slytherin Common Room.
Tarkoon lay in bed, already deeply asleep. He tossed and turned beneath the covers, his breathing growing heavier and heavier. On closer inspection, a layer of cold sweat had formed on his body, dense beads of perspiration covering him from head to toe.
At that moment, an eerie and sinister silver-white rune suddenly appeared over Tarkoon's heart. The rune quickly shrank until it was the size of a thumb, then burrowed into Tarkoon's flesh like a seed, silently planting itself deep within his body.
In that instant, Tarkoon's eyes flew open. His eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, his lips dry and cracked, and cold sweat the size of beans streamed down his cheeks.
"Damn it, am I sick?"
Throwing back the covers, Tarkoon