Chapter 225 "Barty Jr. Assault"

"Finally, I can let go and fight." Skyler rubbed the wrist, holding the wand, and sighed softly.

"Ventus!" Skyler quickly waved his wand, and several air currents generated in all directions of Skyler simultaneously. The air currents intertwined and merged together, spinning into four tornadoes that attacked Skyler's front, back, left, and right sides simultaneously.

"I told you to hide!" Skyler sneered. Simultaneously, four balls of light appeared behind him in four colors: red, blue, yellow, and green, illuminating the area within ten feet of him.

The tornadoes knocked down trees one by one, and a black shadow quickly jumped out of the trees, shouting, "Avada Kedavra!" A green light struck Skyler, indicating the intention to inflict a deadly blow.

With a powerful wave of Skyler's wand, two large oak trees were uprooted and staggered in front of him, effectively blocking the Death Curse's attack.

"Ventus!" Skyler drew a small circle with his wand, using the whirlwind spell again to launch another wave of attacks. A strong wind with a loud whistling sound blew the two fallen oak trees away. The leaves were all rolled up, each shining with a sharp luster, shooting towards the black shadow with the strong wind.

The sound of flying leaves filled the air, cutting through like knives. The black shadow couldn't dodge and was cut by several flying leaves, splashing blood on the ground.

Simultaneously, the mysterious attacker revealed his true face.

This was likely a young man in his early thirties, lacking the vitality one would expect. Instead, he appeared lifeless, with wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes.

His facial features closely resembled Mr. Crouch's, but his complexion was unusually pale, almost akin to the vampires Skyler had encountered in the Transylvanian castle. He possessed a slightly freckled face and disheveled light blond hair.

"Barty Crouch Jr.," Skyler whispered the other person's name, "Are you here to kill your father?"

Barty Jr. hesitated briefly upon hearing his name but became emotional at the following sentence. He lost control, "He is not my father! I don't have such a father!" His eyes brimmed with hatred as if he spoke not of his blood relatives but of a father-killing enemy.

"Since I was young, he taught me the nobility of pure blood and the glory of the family..." Barty Jr. gritted his teeth, "But when something happened, he wished he didn't have me as his son. His cold eyes said it all in the courtroom—he wanted to send me to Azkaban! Tell me, what kind of a father that would send his own son into Azkaban wholeheartedly!"

"Very well," Skyler nodded, "He is still useful to me. If you plan to kill him, do it quickly. Just a reminder, Dumbledore is almost here."

"I can't defeat you," Barty Jr. said coldly. "But I want to know, will you stand in the way of the master's plan?"

"Master?" Skyler flashed a playful smile. "May I ask which master you're referring to?"

Barty Jr.'s face changed abruptly, and he shouted coldly, "Tell me what do you know! How far have you learned of us?!"

Skyler excelled at seizing the moment when his enemy was distracted, and this time would be no exception.

At the instant Barty Jr. lost focus, one of the light balls behind Skyler erupted, emitting a dazzling bright light.

As Barty Jr. instinctively covered his eyes, a silent and formless stunning curse struck him, causing him to stiffen and fall backward. "That's what I'm about to ask more from you. You'd better explain everything while you have a touching reunion with your beloved father." Skyler smiled sardonically.

Skyler swiftly stowed Crouch and his son into the suitcase space, casting an invisible phantom spell upon himself.

As an extra precaution, he activated the invisibility and breath-masking functions of the Supreme Wizard robe, ensuring a flawless concealment. Carefully hidden in the bushes, he waited.

When Dumbledore and Harry arrived, the once-devastated clearing bore only the remnants of a fierce battle, with all individuals conspicuously absent.

Dumbledore furrowed his brow, drawing his wand and gently waving it while uttering "Trace Appearance."

A plethora of golden powder erupted from the wand, swirling and scattering across the clearing. Two distinct sets of golden footprints materialized on the ground, accompanied by remnants of an Avada Kedavra and two Whirlwind Curses.

Dumbledore knelt down, meticulously examining the footprints and magical traces, scrutinizing details such as length, depth, and angle. His keen observation encompassed every nuance of the scene.

"Professor, can you decipher what transpired here? How is Malfoy?" Harry, breaking the silence, inquired.

Despite his disapproval of the arrogant and somewhat hypocritical Malfoy, Skyler had sacrificed himself to shield Harry. Deep down, Harry's inherently simple and kind-hearted nature wished no harm upon Skyler.

"Malfoy is unharmed. The death curse cast here left no trace of hitting its target," Dumbledore's blue pupils flickered with an inexplicable light. "This indicates that regardless of the adversary Malfoy faced, neither party perished in the encounter. My deduction is that Malfoy successfully fended off the attacker."

"Malfoy..." Harry bit his lip, sporting a complex expression, and couldn't resist asking, "Professor, is Malfoy truly that formidable? Am I too far from his level?"

At Hogwarts, Skyler was revered by everyone, including his best friend Hermione, a situation that left Harry feeling uneasy.

Could it be that everyone had forgotten his sacrifice of his parents to save the world? What about his first year, where he alone thwarted the mysterious man's plot to seize the Sorcerer's Stone and resurrect Voldemort?

"Harry," Dumbledore scrutinized him critically. "He possesses innate abilities that set him apart from others. Yet, Harry, you understand that everyone is unique. You are not inferior to him. In fact, I believe you surpass him in certain aspects. What you require is more training."

"Let's go! Back to the castle first. I presume Mr. Malfoy is already waiting for me in my office."

After the two departed, Skyler mentally summoned Dobby and then Apparated back to the castle dormitory. From there, he leisurely walked toward the entrance of the Headmaster's office.

Approaching the stone statue of the Winged Demon guarding the entrance, it promptly stepped aside to allow Skyler passage.

In the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore sat behind his desk, fixing Skyler with a sharp gaze. He refrained from employing Legilimency, aware of its futility against Skyler's formidable Occlumency skills.

Since his first year, Skyler had demonstrated remarkable mental fortitude, notably defending against Miss Moreau's attack during the Christmas dance.

No one in the world could access them unless Skyler willingly shared his memories and thoughts.

"Skyler, should you not enlighten me on what transpired? This whole ordeal affects even the Hogwarts safety as well." Dumbledore's voice conveyed no emotion or anger, yet it imposed an unseen and immense pressure on Skyler.