Hogwarts: Why do you call me the Demon King?

Because Umbridge is part of the Ministry of Magic.

But Lucius Malfoy didn't have that position, so he was at best a chamber pot.

This is also the main reason why Igor Karkaroff never returns to the British magical community.

His former buddies all seemed glamorous on the surface, but in reality, they were not as successful as him, the guy who betrayed them.

If he dared to appear openly in the British magical community, who knows what would happen.

How many Death Eaters are actually good people?

These former Death Eaters wished Karkaroff would just die on the street right then and there.

But now Karkaroff has no choice but to return, because his Dark Mark has sent him a summoning signal.

There was a time when Karkaroff thought the Dark Mark on the inside of his arm would never be activated again.

Who would have thought...

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Snape read Karkaroff's letter, in which Karkaroff humbly invited Severus Snape, his former "old friend," to a gathering somewhere in London.

Snape looked at the meeting place Karkaroff had left him. It wasn't in the wizarding world, but rather on an inconspicuous street in the Muggle world, in a small, mixed-race tavern.

After learning that Isaac had given a mission to Death Eaters outside of Britain through the Dark Mark, Snape thought of Karkaroff.

The main reason is that, as a former Death Eater, Igor Karkaroff is one of the more high-profile ones.

As the headmaster of Durmstrang, he is always a good subject for reports in the magical media, no matter the occasion.

Snape just didn't expect that the first person to come to him would be Karkaroff.

He knew very well that Karkaroff's quick arrival was not due to his loyalty to Voldemort, but rather to fear.

He feared that if Voldemort were to rise from the dead, he would be held accountable for his sins, for betraying the other Death Eaters in exchange for his freedom.

The Dark Lord is not some easy-going, nice guy.

After making a name for himself, his greatest skill was high-pressure rule—Karkaroff's behavior would have been fatal to Voldemort.

Even if he is the principal of Durmstrang, it won't make a difference.

The Dark Lord never considers a person's identity when he kills them; he only considers whether the person wants to and can kill them.

After Snape replied with a letter of agreement to Karkaroff, he met Karkaroff, who looked distressed and exuded fear, at an inconspicuous tavern at the address on the letter.

“We need to talk, Severus.”

"That person whose name can't be mentioned... I mean, did you receive His Majesty the Dark Lord's orders?!"

Upon seeing Snape, Karkaroff couldn't wait to speak. All the polite small talk and the usual "old friend" reunion greetings were completely abandoned.

Karkaroff is now desperate to know, or to prove, that it was all just a cruel joke.

“Of course, Igor, if you can receive his orders, then so can I,” Snape affirmed Karkaroff’s statement with a grim face.

As Snape spoke, he looked around. There was no one else in the tavern except for a bartender wiping glasses and waiting for customers.

The bartender behind the counter acted as if he didn't see Snape and Karkaroff, which was clearly Karkaroff's magic.

No one else has entered the tavern yet, so it seems that Karkarov, who arrived first, was the one who tampered with it.

It could be said that Karkarov was very well prepared, but no matter how well prepared he was, it was useless. It did nothing to prevent Karkarov from being scared like a grandson.

"He's back, isn't he??" Karkaroff stared at Snape with trepidation, like a frightened bird.

Back when Voldemort was still alive, Snape was one of Voldemort's most trusted subordinates. Now that Voldemort might return, asking Snape is definitely the right thing to do.

"I don't know either. I only received his orders, but I didn't see him in person."

His condition seems...not so good. Snape's main strength was telling the truth, so he didn't need to deliberately lie to Karkaroff.

Karkaroff dared not disobey Voldemort's orders.

Secondly... people like Karkaroff ask questions with the answer already in mind.

Just like now.

"Not in good shape? How could that be!" Karkaroff immediately rolled up his sleeve, showing Snape the Dark Mark on the inside of his arm.

Unlike Snape's light red mark, Karkaroff's mark was bluish-black.

Although it couldn't compare to the jet-black color of Voldemort when he was at his peak, it was certainly different from the light red of the day before.

“Severus, don’t try to comfort me!” Karkaroff’s voice was hoarse and filled with fear. “This mark wasn’t like this just a day ago!”

It hasn't changed since that order was issued!

Chapter 102 "Redeemers, Assemble!"

Professor Snape fell silent, a rare occurrence, but not because of Igor Karkaroff's words.

His silence was mainly due to Isaac's questionable actions.

Isaac used the Dark Mark on his arm to send orders from his "master" to the other Death Eaters, which was quite absurd.

But Snape's Dark Mark on his arm was something Isaac had already used and discarded.

It turns black and burns when it "sends a message," just like when Voldemort was still alive.

But when Isaac’s wand left, Snape’s Dark Mark returned to its original form.

Isn't this normal?

The Dark Lord never truly "returned," and Snape knew why Isaac had come to find him.

Besides using the Dark Mark, another reason was to have him, a former Death Eater and someone trusted by the Dark Lord, give a guarantee of trust to the Death Eaters.

Tell them that Voldemort has truly "returned" to a place unknown to anyone, and now his sacrifice is needed.

Snape always thought he would need to put in some effort to persuade these cunning former colleagues.

The Death Eaters were being heavily purged by the Ministry of Magic, so the brainless and stubborn ones naturally lived a good life in Azkaban.

The Death Eaters who are still active outside are naturally cunning.

The orders conveyed by a mere black demon mark are unlikely to be enough to command them at will.

But Snape never expected that only his own Dark Mark would revert to its original state, while everyone else's Dark Mark remained unchanged!

The Black Mark, which hadn't reverted to its original form, suddenly became incredibly convincing—so much so that it was unbelievably strong.

When Voldemort was "defeated" by Harry Potter, all the core Death Eaters with the mark turned back to the light red color they had the day before.

The changes in the Dark Mark are also considered by all Death Eaters to be a barometer reflecting Mystic's state.

When Voldemort was at his peak, or rather, when he was alive, his Dark Mark was jet black and didn't look like a good thing.

But when Voldemort lost power and fell from grace, and was even rumored to be dead... the Dark Mark became a faint, indelible scar.

Now that the mark on Karkaroff's arm has turned black, doesn't that mean his former master is recovering his strength?

“Igor, you know, sometimes I can’t say too much.” Snape finally broke the silence, glancing at the Dark Mark on Karkaroff’s hand before falling silent again.

Upon seeing this, Karkarov showed no displeasure whatsoever; instead, he displayed an expression of utter astonishment.

“Severus, we're old friends. Out of consideration for everyone who used to stand by us... I supported so many people back then, but I never mentioned you!”

I don't want you to say things you can't say.

Dude, I just want to know... is this his punishment or something else?

The composition of Death Eaters is actually not that complicated.

It can be roughly divided into two parts.

Part of the reason is because of Tom Riddle's personal charisma and his beliefs.

This includes Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolph Lestrange, Rabasta Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr....

These Death Eaters belong to this group; they were either captivated by Voldemort's charisma or were inherently evil and found their own organization.

The other group believed that investing in Voldemort was profitable.

Lucius Malfoy is a prime example of this.

Clearly, Lucius did not possess the same abilities as his father to navigate the Ministry of Magic effectively, or even to directly unite other factions to impeach the current Minister of Magic.

His abilities are at best suited to make him a political broker.

Being the chief advisor to the Minister of Magic is not an official position, and it cannot even be made public.

In this light, investing in a future big shot might just propel Lucius to a position he could never normally reach.

Many people shared Lucius's idea, including Igor Karkaroff.

Therefore, after Voldemort's downfall, the loyal Death Eaters all went to Azkaban to be tortured by the Dementors.

Those who are disloyal will naturally be busy making righteous ties with the Death Eaters.

Karkaroff is slow, but he has unique escape techniques.

He sold out a large number of loyal Death Eaters in exchange for his freedom—it's a legal transaction, that's how it is in Muggle society, and it's the same in the wizarding world.

Now that their former master is likely to return, Karkaroff wants to know whether sending them to Gringotts is a mission or simply a death sentence.