Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 309 The Truth Behind the Killing Curse

"Professor Karkaroff,"

He took a deep breath before speaking clearly: "Why didn't you use a wand when you cast the projection spell on that parchment the night before Bagman was murdered?"

"And not only that one time, but in fact, no one saw you use your wand at all that afternoon, or until Mr. Bagman's murder the following day. Yet, after Mr. Bagman's death, when you were projecting the new tournament schedule, you started using your wand again... Why is that?"

"...This is my freedom."

Karkaroff replied stiffly.

"No, that's because your wand wasn't in your hand at the time, it was with Barty Crouch, right?"

Avada stared at Karkaroff, a barely perceptible hint of doubt flashing in the depths of his eyes, before continuing loudly, "So, can I conclude that what killed Mr. Bagman wasn't just a killing curse, but actually another curse...?"

"Flashback Spell".

"What?"

The students, who had been whispering amongst themselves, were taken aback—what was the connection between the Flashback Curse and murder, and the Killing Curse?

However, as the answer was revealed, the expressions of many quick-thinking students changed. And the joy on Karkaroff's face vanished instantly…

"Mr. Crouch himself demonstrated this to me—yes, the Killing Curse is a profound spell, almost impossible to cast silently. But the Flashback Curse is different; it simply causes the wand to release a previous spell, and any slightly skilled wizard can cast it silently."

Avada Kedavra looked at Barty Crouch, her eyes filled with even more doubt, but she continued without changing her expression, "So, the truth about Mr. Bagman's death is that Karkaroff first used his wand to cast a Killing Curse, and then gave it to Crouch a day earlier. This was to minimize the recording of the Killing Curse on the wand, making it easier to cover up the traces without affecting its effect..."

"Then, after my interview with Bagman concludes the following day, Crouch can enter the still-open office wearing an invisibility cloak, simultaneously aiming Karkaroff's wand at Bagman and casting a Flashback Charm with his own!"

"This way, Bagman would be instantly killed by the flashback-evoked Killing Curse, resulting in a death in which he is completely unaware of the attack. Then Crouch only needs to cover Bagman's chest with his Invisibility Cloak, stab him with the Fairy Dagger, turn around and leave, and then rush over as soon as the students outside notice something amiss... The whole process is silent and can be completed in a matter of seconds. That's why Bagman will die instantly after I leave, and why no one will notice even if the door is open!"

"Then, shift the blame onto warriors and fairies who have no connection to the matter, muddying the waters. After all, the power to examine the corpses is in your hands, and almost no one can expose your lies; and even if they are, the matter of the Killing Curse will only make the whole thing more confusing, and then..."

"What you're saying are nothing but baseless speculation."

Crouch suddenly interrupted Avada: "Do you have any solid evidence to offer?!"

"……have."

Avada frowned, deciding to temporarily postpone exposing the conspiracy against Dumbledore and instead focus on bringing the current case to a definitive conclusion: "Professor Karkaroff, could you please expose your left arm completely?"

"All Death Eaters are marked with an indelible Dark Mark by Voldemort in this location. And since it's cold now, and you usually wear winter clothes when you go out, you probably didn't have time to conceal the mark. Besides, the Unbreakable Oath can also be verified at the same time..."

"Furthermore, I know that after you got your wand back, you must have used a lot of magic to cover up the record of the Killing Curse. In addition, with that nearly one-day delay, a normal Flashback Charm certainly wouldn't be able to flash back to that Killing Curse in your wand... But do you dare to let Professor Dumbledore flash back to your wand?"

"You should have heard that Dumbledore is not only powerful himself, but also possesses a wand with immense power, capable of easily doing things that other wands simply cannot... Is it possible that the Flashback Charm that Dumbledore used to cast with that wand could have unlocked the Killing Curse?"

"I've finished speaking. Now, answer me, Professor Karkaroff, Mr. Crouch!"

"...Are you done talking?"

Karkarov leaned back in his chair, his entire body visibly relaxing, as if he had completely resigned himself to fate...

"Now, let's announce the scores for the first item!"

Ludo Bagman emerged from the side door with a grin, stepping into the dead silence and taking his seat in the teacher's section. Karkaroff, Crouch, Dumbledore, and Maxim, watching the students below frozen like statues, could no longer suppress their laughter…

"!!!"

Already in a daze, Krum and Fleur were stunned when they saw Ludo Bagman reappear. Avada's initial confusion instantly turned into astonishment and disbelief—outwardly, his reaction was exactly the same as everyone else's.

Let me explain this to you first.

Karkaroff seemed to have transformed; his previous "gloomy" and "angry" expressions had completely vanished. He laughed and loudly explained, "We've always said that a person's true ability is only revealed when facing the unknown. Therefore, we unanimously decided to use this method to form the first competition, and its theme is—solving the murder of Ludo Bagman. So please rest assured, Mr. Ludo Bagman wasn't dead to begin with. Everything that happened in the past few days was just part of the first competition..."

"Furthermore, to ensure the authenticity as much as possible, we made many preparations, including referencing some long-standing conspiracy theories in the fabrication of the case, and even making minor modifications to the memories of some participants... For specific details, please refer to the Triwizard Tournament section in next week's Daily Prophet, where we will reveal the interesting behind-the-scenes story of the entire project."

The auditorium remained silent; it seemed no one had yet recovered from this dramatic reversal. Karkaroff then stood up and took a parchment from Bagman: "Now, let's announce the scores of the three warriors in the first event."

"First is Miss Fleur Delacour. She displayed extraordinary courage and action, daring to put herself in danger to obtain crucial information, and her skillful use of her talents is also commendable. However, she showed a slight unwillingness to cooperate from the beginning... Taking all the above evaluations into account and the sum of the scores from the five judges, Miss Delacour's score is—forty-five points!"

Furong shook her head stiffly.

"Mr. Viktor Krum—he demonstrated admirable inclusiveness and judgment, playing an indispensable role in the team, and it was his contribution that persuaded Miss Delacour to join the collaboration; and finally, when revealing the truth, facing the possibility of shame for himself and his alma mater, he made his choice resolutely and correctly, standing fearlessly against his headmaster… His final score is forty-seven points!"

"And finally, Mr. Ken—who possessed incredible intelligence and logical abilities, almost single-handedly uncovering all the clues, and was the first to actively seek to unite the three warriors, demonstrating the strongest initiative among them… His final score was forty-nine points!"

(End of this chapter)