Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 182 Karkaroff

Finding the Dark Wizard has always been an extremely difficult task. Even the Aoro clan has to search for a long time based on intelligence leads before they can make a determination.

In the period following Comrade Lao Fu's failure, news of Aoruo arresting the wrong person was commonplace. Even professionals need a lot of time to find a hiding dark wizard, let alone a novice like Ike?

Therefore, Comrade Lao Fu did not set a deadline for him at all, and Ike was naturally not in a hurry.

He walked slowly, resting when he was tired, hunting some wild game when he was hungry, and casting some defensive magic to sleep when he was sleepy. Compared to looking for someone, Ike seemed to be on a trip.

More than ten days later, Ike finally found a clue.

It was a large tree with a palm-sized tear in its trunk, as if something had exploded. It wasn't a firearm, but a mark of a curse.

This time, the guiding spell worked.

But there was no rush. Ike decided to rest for one night and set off again tomorrow.

The next morning, having rested and recovered, Ike touched the mark of the spell with his left hand, feeling the little magic power remaining. He then tossed his wand into the air with his right hand, and the wand spun several times before straightening in one direction.

"Have you passed by?"

Ike frowned, pointing his wand diagonally behind him.

"We've gone astray."

Following the direction the staff tip pointed, this time Ike used a silencer spell and an illusion spell to hide his figure, as he didn't want to be discovered by Karkaroff.

They walked for a full half day when the tip of the staff suddenly turned in a different direction. Ike didn't pay any attention; Karkaroff was fleeing and certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to stay in one place forever.

He quickened his pace; Ike didn't want to fight at night.

Several hours later, the sun gradually set in the west. The setting sun, having lost much of its energy as it passed through the dense forest, made the surroundings somewhat dark.

Suddenly, the wand stopped, its tip twitching rapidly from side to side. Ike was startled, grabbed the wand, and cautiously surveyed his surroundings, only to find countless trees but no sign of human life.

He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!

A red light suddenly appeared behind a large tree to his side. Ike remained calm, waved his wand lightly, and directly dispelled the stun spell.

"Thunderous explosion!"

"Crushed to pieces!"

"Disarm you!"

Three spells came in succession, but they had no effect and were all easily blocked by Ike.

"Reveal quickly!"

Ike stretched out his left hand, and a silver shield appeared. He then swung his wand sharply with his right hand, and a silver-white ripple appeared from the tip of the wand, pushing horizontally in front of him.

"Snapped!"

It sounded like a cookie being broken; a person appeared not far ahead.

It was Karkarov.

He was still wearing the fur coat from the tournament, but without the hat, and his pale hair looked messy.

"Which old friend has arrived? Why are you hiding?" Karkaroff shouted. "You should have told me beforehand. If it weren't for your wand giving you away, I probably wouldn't have known."

Ike removed the Disillusionment Charm, his wand still pointing at Karkaroff, and said, "Professor Karkaroff, I'm sorry to disappoint you. It's me, Ike."

"Ike?" Karkaroff became even more wary, his eyes fixed on him, his tone filled with doubt. "What are you doing here?"

"Because I came here specifically to find you." Ike smiled, raised his left arm, shook it, and let the sleeve fall down to reveal the vividly depicted Dark Mark. "Look, we're the same."

"Damn it!"

Karkaroff cursed under his breath, growing anxious. He had witnessed Ike's performance in the Triwizard Tournament firsthand; such magic was something he couldn't replicate.

This is tricky.

"You actually sided with him? That's quite surprising. I imagine Dumbledore must be heartbroken that his best student has betrayed him instead of being loyal to him."

“I was never loyal to him,” Ike said calmly, “so there’s no question of betrayal.”

"I don't want to talk about you, Professor Karkaroff. You are a complete traitor."

"I didn't!" Karkaroff shouted, his expression contorted with rage. "I just... I just..."

"Just what?" Ike said. "Stop making excuses. You didn't heed the teacher's call, that's a fact!"

"Teacher?" Karkarov was taken aback; this was unexpected.

Ike ignored the fascinating expression on his face and said fiercely, "My teacher asked me to ask you something. He wants you to give him an answer..."

"Why do you have the courage to run away, but not the courage to see your master?"

"Damn it!"

Seeing Ike's expression, Karkaroff cursed under his breath, then suddenly swung his wand and shouted, "Thunder Explosion!"

With a slight flick of his right wrist, Ike easily unleashed the Explosive Spell onto the trunk of a large tree nearby, the massive explosion blasting a large chunk of the trunk away.

"They'll all be petrified!"

"Disarm you!"

"Avada Kedavra, eating a giant melon!"

Karkaroff unleashed a barrage of powerful spells at Ike, but each one was repelled by Ike. A series of deafening "bangs" followed, and the nearby trees suffered, their bark and trunks scattered across the ground.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

As Ike strolled leisurely toward him, Karkaroff's forehead was covered in cold sweat. For a moment, he felt as if he were facing the Dark Lord.

It was absurd, but that was his true feeling at that moment.

"Almost there..." Ike's tone was calm, but Karkaroff felt a chill run down his spine. He waved his wand in a fit of rage, his voice even becoming hoarse.

"Avada Kedavra, eating a giant melon!"

"Snapped!"

"They'll all be petrified!"

Unexpectedly, Ike recited the spell, and the petrification spell struck Karkaroff's body at a speed Karkaroff could hardly imagine.

"Bang!"

He lay stiffly on the ground, still conscious, but his body was rigid and he was completely unable to move.

Ike walked up to him, squatted down, looked directly into Karkaroff's fearful eyes, and gently shook his head.

He sighed, took a small flask from his pocket, plucked a few strands of Kakarov's hair and put them in, shook it, and smelled it. His brows furrowed instantly.

"It stinks."

As he spoke, he put away the wine jug, took out a small box, opened the lid, and with a light wave of his right wand, Karkaroff's body shrank and fell into the box.

Ike stared blankly at the stiff Karkaroff in the box and said softly, "The petrification spell will automatically lift in two hours. There's enough food inside; you won't go hungry."

"But I hope you won't make a sound, and don't even think about running away..."

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee I won't cast a killing curse on you."

"After all, I'm a Death Eater now, Professor Karkaroff!"

(End of this chapter)