Hogwarts: My name is the Unforgivable Curse...

Chapter 366 The Black Mark

"Of course, Your Excellency Grindelwald."

Karkaroff answered respectfully, then extended his hand to him and Barty: "Then, please take my arm, I'll take you up... Also, I need to remind you that at Lord Grindelwald's request, everything that happened here has been transmitted to the outside world through the Triwizard Tournament's broadcast magic, and has been seen by the Durmstrang people—therefore, we may encounter some resistance when we return."

"joke."

Grindelwald snorted and grabbed Dumbledore by the collar, who was slumped to the side. "After seeing Dumbledore defeated by me, what decent resistance can they possibly put up? Wasn't the reason I had you maintain the broadcast magic to completely demoralize them?"

"Even if they intend to rely on Durmstrang Castle's defenses to put up a stubborn resistance, don't you still have the headmaster here? Igor, by the way, you should be able to remove the Apparition restriction here, right? We finally defeated Dumbledore in front of everyone, and I don't want to see any more trouble."

"Of course, Your Excellency."

Karkaroff smiled confidently: "This was part of our plan from the beginning... Let's go up."

After Grindelwald, carrying Dumbledore, and Barty Jr. each grabbed one of Karkaroff's arms, he took a deep breath, and then his entire body suddenly spun around, disappearing into the dim underwater space along with the other three...

Above the lake, the Durmstrang campus.

It was now noon, and the golden sunlight shone on the calm lake and the deserted yellow-green lawn, bringing a noticeable warmth to the still chilly May air. If someone chose to take a nap on the lawn by the lake after lunch, they would surely enjoy an incredibly pleasant afternoon rest.

Unfortunately, the massive protective shield emanating a fierce and dangerous light from the huge ancient castle seemed to indicate that things here were not as safe as they appeared. The spectator stands by the lake, now completely empty, were in disarray, seemingly out of place with the surrounding tranquility, as if the people who had been there had suddenly encountered something terrible and vanished in an instant…

Snapped!

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the distinctive loud bang of Apparition—four figures abruptly appeared not far from the audience seats: Grindelwald, Karkaroff, Barty Crouch Jr., still resembling Ludo Bagman, and Albus Dumbledore, still unconscious and being dragged by the collar by Grindelwald…

"So they've chosen to hide in the castle after all."

Grindelwald turned to look at the massive protective barrier that firmly held Durmstrang Castle in place, and gave a faint snort—if those professors had chosen to fight to the death right now, there might have been a tiny sliver of hope to stop his next plan; but unfortunately, they didn't seem as brave as he had imagined…

"In that case, let's continue watching. After witnessing Dumbledore's fall, what follows is naturally the resurgence of another Dark Lord and the birth of a new order..."

"Igor, has the Apparition restriction here been lifted?"

"The restrictions around the castle have all been lifted."

Karkaroff pulled out his wand, waved it around, and said, "But I don't have the authority to remove the restrictions inside the castle for the time being. That shield will protect everything inside perfectly..."

"That's enough—this place will be ours sooner or later anyway, so a few more minutes won't make a difference." Grindelwald waved his hand dismissively. "You can go and prepare for the resurrection ritual."

Then, he took out the Elder Wand that he had just retrieved from Dumbledore and turned to Barty Jr.: "Now, can you summon your companions?"

"……certainly!"

Little Barty's voice had begun to tremble slightly, and seemed to carry a hint of sobbing—he had waited for this moment for far too long.

For him, who had been imprisoned in a dark and gloomy room not long ago, everything that had happened in the past few months felt like a dream—his companions, whom he had once thought had betrayed their master, were actually just as loyal as him, and even more capable; Gellert Grindelwald, a powerful dark wizard second only to his master, had become their ally, and had even defeated Dumbledore, their greatest obstacle all along; and now, his master was about to be reborn in front of everyone…

"They're back, they're all back..."

"Then, reveal your Dark Mark."

Grindelwald ignored the complex emotions in Barty's heart and continued to give him orders in a calm tone.

"Yes."

At this critical moment, Barty Jr. naturally couldn't afford to cause any trouble. He immediately rolled up his sleeves, revealing his unremarkable left arm—he was still in the Polyjuice Potion transformation state, and his Dark Mark was naturally hidden. However, for Grindelwald, who was holding the Elder Wand, this level of concealment was practically the same as not having it at all.

Moreover, this spell, which summons all Death Eaters by triggering the Dark Mark, was originally only known to Voldemort himself; other Death Eaters could only contact Voldemort using their own marks. However, Gellert Grindelwald, being a top-tier dark wizard himself, could naturally decipher the spell after studying the Dark Mark for a period of time and send out the summoning signal on Voldemort's behalf.

At first, many Death Eaters involved in the plan were quite critical, believing it was an attempt to usurp their master's authority. However, after some consideration, they had to admit that it seemed to be the only way for them, far away in England, to confirm that Durmstrang's side had truly won. Moreover, as someone whose strength was not much less than their master's, and who had been of great help in his resurrection, Grindelwald seemed to be qualified to be on equal footing with his master...

"So——"

Grindelwald lightly swept his Elder Wand across Barty's arm, instantly revealing the Dark Mark that had been hidden. Staring at the black mark of a skull and serpent, a smile crept across his aged face: "Let me offer my successor his first gift."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tip of the Elder Wand struck Barty's Dark Mark, sending a searing pain through his head. But he didn't care about that now—he just stared intently at the resurrection ritual that was about to be completed beside Karkaroff, his tearful eyes unblinking.

(End of this chapter)