Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

When asked by Barty Crouch, the Warriors shook their heads, their faces showing certainty, indicating that they understood completely and had no questions.

As the outline of the Quidditch pitch gradually becomes clear in the night, an intense ultimate challenge is about to begin.

The outline of the Quidditch pitch became increasingly clear in the night, and the evening breeze carried the dampness of the grass. Just as the group was about to reach the entrance, a deep and magnetic voice suddenly broke the silence: "Mr. Crouch, may I have a moment's delay? I would like to speak with Mr. Hawkwood alone for a few minutes. Would that be convenient?"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lucius Malfoy standing in the shadows by the roadside. His well-tailored black robe accentuated his tall figure, and his face still bore his usual arrogant expression, but there was a hint of barely perceptible anxiety hidden deep in his eyes.

Draco frowned, subconsciously stopped, and muttered to himself, "That's strange. Why is Dad suddenly here? He clearly said he wouldn't come to watch the game on purpose."

Her tone was full of doubt, clearly puzzled by her father's sudden appearance.

Barty Crouch looked at Lucius, then at Dylan, his brow furrowing slightly. He glanced at his pocket watch and said, "The third project is about to begin. Time is of the essence, so I hope you can get to the point and not waste too much time."

After saying this, he gestured for the other warriors to continue forward, while he and Ludo Bagman stayed behind to wait.

Dylan stopped and watched the other warriors walk away before turning to Lucius Malfoy and asking calmly, "Mr. Malfoy, you must have something important to discuss with me at this hour, right?"

Because Malfoy is also participating, and his relationship with Harry and Dylan is currently quite good.

This Malfoy doesn't seem to be acting as arrogantly as before.

“I didn’t want to bother you at this crucial moment.” Lucius Malfoy walked to the streetlight, the light illuminating his tense profile. He coughed first, as if considering his words. “But I found out about this at noon and have been looking for a suitable opportunity to meet you all day, and I’ve only just managed to do so now.”

"What happened at noon?" Dylan didn't continue, but waited for him to finish.

“I received urgent letters from several old friends.” Lucius Malfoy lowered his voice, glancing around unconsciously to make sure no one was eavesdropping before continuing, “We haven’t been in touch for a long time—they are friends I met during that particular period, and you should understand what I mean.”

Dylan nodded slowly, already understanding.

The "special period" and "old friends" that Lucius mentioned undoubtedly refer to those Death Eater companions who once followed Voldemort.

“After that incident ended back then,” Lucius Malfoy said with a hint of complexity, “they ultimately chose to leave and seek refuge elsewhere. I never expected that so many years later, they would suddenly contact me again.”

He took a deep breath, his tone becoming serious: "They said in their letter that they've discovered they've been secretly monitored recently. And those monitoring them... according to them, are some of our 'old friends' from back then. So I wanted to ask you, has Headmaster Dumbledore made any unusual moves recently?"

Lucius Malfoy's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the past.

Before the major reshuffle of the board of trustees, he didn't actually have much fear of Dumbledore.

After all, the earth-shattering duel between Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald was a distant memory, and many details had become blurred in the process of being passed down. In addition, Dumbledore had stayed at Hogwarts for many years, and even though he was repeatedly maliciously slandered by the Daily Prophet, he never publicly defended himself. This led Lucius Malfoy to believe that Dumbledore had grown old and his magic power had declined, which was why he chose to retire in the "safe haven" of Hogwarts, having lost his former sharpness.

But everything changed after the major changes at the board of directors meeting.

Several magical families that supported pure-blood supremacy, including the Parkinson family, were not only completely expelled from the Board of Trustees, but their businesses were also divided up by neutral families such as the Scamander, resulting in heavy losses.

It was only then that Lucius Malfoy was jolted awake. Dumbledore was still the same formidable Dumbledore he once was, and Hogwarts' motto, "Do not disturb a sleeping dragon," was no exaggeration. Even though this "fire dragon" seemed dormant, once disturbed, the power it unleashed was enough to destroy everything.

Whenever Lucius thought about how he had dared to flaunt his power in front of Dumbledore in the past, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. Dylan keenly noticed the undisguised worry in Lucius Malfoy's eyes. His tone remained calm, but it carried a penetrating insight: "Mr. Malfoy, what you're really worried about is that those old friends who are being monitored will implicate you, isn't that right?"

“No, that’s what I used to worry about.” Lucius Malfoy shook his head, his eyes growing increasingly complicated. He slowly raised his left arm, his robe slipping down to reveal smooth skin—where the Dark Mark of the Death Eaters once stood, but now it was just a flat patch. “This is what I’m worried about now.”

His voice trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with confusion and fear: "I'm wondering if Headmaster Dumbledore... has he already sensed something? Could it be that the Black... Mysterious Man is about to return? Is that why he took action in advance to monitor my old friends, to prevent them from colluding in secret?"

Dylan didn't answer directly, but continued, "Mr. Malfoy, has the mark on your left arm shown any unusual activity recently? For example, burning, stinging, or reappearing?"

“No, never.” Lucius Malfoy shook his head vigorously, his face full of confusion. “That’s why I can’t understand it at all. If the Mystic really wanted to come back, the mark couldn’t possibly go unnoticed, but the appearance of those watchers is just too abnormal.”

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he had made a difficult decision. His voice trembled uncontrollably as he voiced the long-held suspicion: "I've been thinking about something lately... Could it be... that the mysterious man... has actually returned? But he's been hiding his whereabouts and hasn't summoned us, his old subordinates?"

In the darkness, his eyes were filled with fear and unease; clearly, the guess made even him tremble. Since Lucius Malfoy had been so frank, expressing his doubts and fears without reservation, Dylan felt there was no need to hide it any longer. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable certainty: "Mr. Malfoy, your guess is correct. Voldemort has indeed returned."

He paused, then added, "As for your old friends being monitored, it's not necessarily Voldemort who's watching you; perhaps it's Dumbledore's doing?"

The name "Voldemort" exploded in Lucius Malfoy's ears like a thunderclap. His face instantly turned ashen, devoid of any color, and his body even began to tremble uncontrollably.

The fear that had once dominated him swept over him like a tidal wave, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

“But…but this isn’t like him!” Lucius Malfoy’s voice was filled with deep fear, mixed with barely concealed frustration and confusion. He shook his head violently, as if he couldn’t accept the fact. “This is so abnormal, completely unlike his usual behavior. Why would he choose to return so quietly?”

"Oh?" Dylan blinked, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. "Mr. Malfoy, in your opinion, what kind of person is Voldemort? What kind of actions do you think he would take upon his return?"

“He shouldn’t! He’ll definitely show his power immediately!” Lucius Malfoy abruptly pulled open the sleeve of his robe on his left arm, revealing smooth skin. His voice was sharp with excitement. “As his power gradually recovers and grows stronger, the Dark Mark on our bodies should appear and heat up! That’s his style!”

“He used to do this all the time.” His gaze drifted into the distance, as if he were immersed in terrifying memories of the past, his tone somewhat dazed. “He would reflect his emotions directly on the Black Mark, making us followers clearly feel his anger, his pleasure, and making us always feel awe and fear towards him.”

“If he really wanted to make a comeback, the Dark Mark should have appeared much earlier, and become more and more obvious and scorching as his power increased… He has always done that before, and has never been so discreet!” Lucius Malfoy’s voice trembled again, his speech became faster and faster, and he gradually lost his coherence. Clearly, that memory was too terrible for him.

“As he approaches us, the Black Mark slowly changes color; the closer he gets, the darker and deeper the mark becomes.” He raised his hand to stroke the skin of his left arm, as if he could feel the burning sensation. “This Black Mark is like a precise hourglass, allowing us to know his exact location and condition! Moreover, if he really returns, he will definitely summon all our old followers immediately! Whoever bears the Black Mark must unconditionally respond to his summons, or face annihilation!”

Dylan listened patiently to Lucius Malfoy's somewhat disorganized words, and from them he also discerned some of Voldemort's past habits and characteristics.

of course.

Actually, these are all...

He had already figured it out long ago.

Once Lucius had calmed down a bit, he interrupted, saying, "Mr. Malfoy, we can actually look at this from a different angle. Voldemort has indeed returned, but the Dark Mark on you hasn't reacted at all. This actually indicates one thing—he doesn't intend to alarm you old followers right now."

"Not planning to alert us?" Lucius Malfoy's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief and doubt. "Is this really the same aloof, all-powerful Black... Mysterious Man? How could he possibly tolerate such a low profile?"

“During the years Voldemort disappeared, he was in a state of isolation and helplessness,” Dylan said slowly. “Those of his former followers who were not imprisoned in Azkaban did not actively seek out his whereabouts; most of them chose to protect themselves. After experiencing so many setbacks and failures, he should have changed in some way.”

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming serious. "The Dark Mark is essentially a form of war magic, Mr. Malfoy, you should be well aware of that, shouldn't you?"

“Uh…” Lucius Malfoy was momentarily speechless, his face showing a mixture of embarrassment and panic.

The Dark Mark was personally branded on them by Voldemort and contained powerful dark magic. He had always only dared to be in awe of it, never daring to study it in depth.
Dylan's gaze was fixed on Lucius Malfoy's left arm, his tone tinged with approval: "I must say, Voldemort is indeed very powerful. To be able to create such a war magic that combines identification, communication, and deterrence is quite remarkable."

“Back then, he was at the height of his power, with immense influence and an arrogant attitude. He didn’t think things through too much, which is why the situation you just mentioned occurred—the Black Mark would appear indiscriminately depending on his mood and distance,” Dylan said. “Perhaps he didn’t care to control it at the time, or perhaps he wanted to create an omnipresent atmosphere of intimidation, so that you followers would be completely devoted to him and dare not have the slightest thought of betrayal.”

"Hiss—!" Just then, Lucius Malfoy suddenly gasped, his face instantly turning even more ashen. He clutched his left arm, his expression contorted in pain.

On his once smooth skin, the Black Demon Mark that terrified him suddenly appeared out of thin air, turning pitch black and radiating a scorching heat, as if it were burning into his bones.

“Mr. Malfoy, please don’t be anxious, stay calm.” Dylan’s voice rang out at the right time, steady and reassuring. “This is not Voldemort’s summons, but my temporary control of your Dark Mark, just to help you understand my meaning more clearly.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lucius Malfoy felt the burning sensation in his left arm vanish instantly, and the dark mark disappeared completely as if it had never existed, leaving only a faint coolness.

"What????"

Lucius Malfoy was stunned. "You can influence this magic... no, you can actually affect, no, you can actually control my Dark Mark???"

“It’s just a little magic,” Dylan shrugged.

“Okay, so that means…” Lucius Malfoy snapped out of his daze, a look of sudden realization finally appearing on his face. He looked at Dylan, his tone tinged with uncertainty. (End of Chapter)