I'm the King of Curry at Hogwarts

Chapter 303 Louis's Power Tactics

Karkarov stared at the young man in front of him with suspicion and uncertainty, his mind racing.

He wasn't sure where the boy had gotten the information—from Snape, Dumbledore, or from a family elder.

Seeing that Louis still had a half-smile on his face, he decided to play dumb for now and test Louis further.

"I don't quite understand what Mr. Mountbatten is saying." Karkaroff feigned confusion, and his acting was quite good. If Louis hadn't been certain that he was a Death Eater, he might have actually wavered a bit.

That's an incredibly convincing impersonation.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand," Louis said, a noncommittal smile playing on his lips. "I have plenty of time, Principal Karkaroff. At least right now, I don't feel the burning sensation in my arm, and no one's calling me, don't you think?"

"You..." Karkaroff stood up, glaring at Louis, but Louis ignored him, simply sipping Sakuya's black tea. After a while, Karkaroff seemed to collapse from exhaustion, plopping back down on the sofa with a look of relief on his face.

"Yes, you're right. I was indeed a Death Eater. Tell me, did Severus tell you, or did Dumbledore?"

Karkarov's tone carried a hint of despair.

"Of course, it wasn't those two who told me," Louis said with a smile, putting down his teacup and crossing his legs. "Don't worry, I know you escaped trial in Wissengamo's court before, and of course, I have no interest in having you tried again."

"Mr. Mountbatten, is there something you need from me?" Karkaroff had completely given up. He wasn't sure what Louis was up to, so he could only play it by ear.

"I can remove the Dark Mark from you." Louis said casually, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Karkaroff with a hint of mockery.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Karkaroff could no longer maintain his complacent attitude. He abruptly stood up and asked, trembling, "Really...? You mean seriously? You can help me remove the Dark Mark?"

Louis didn't speak, but watched him calmly.

"No, you're so young, how could you possibly remove the Dark Demon Mark? Ah, you must be bluffing me..." Karkaroff muttered to himself.

Louis didn't offer any explanation; he simply posed a question: "Do you know why Professor Snape wasn't at all alarmed by the Dark Mark when you went to see him?"

Karkarov was struck dumb, his mouth agape like a toad's. After a long pause, he stammered, "Could it be...could it be you?"

Louis did not answer his question, maintaining his usual calm and collected gaze, which made Karkaroff feel like he was about to go crazy.

He swore that if it were someone else today… well, someone who wasn’t this strong who dared to speak to him like that, he would have thrown at least two Unforgivable Curses. But he really couldn’t figure out Louis’s true nature. He didn’t think that a proud woman like Catherine would submit to a man who was not as strong as her.

Based on this speculation, he believes that Louis is very strong, and that beating him would not be a problem.

As it turns out, he was indeed a man who had survived under Voldemort's command, and his ability to read people was quite remarkable. He guessed most of the things correctly, but he didn't realize that Louis might not have been able to beat Catherine when the two of them were together.

Of course, the roles have now reversed, and Louis often "beats" Catherine until she begs for mercy.

"Yes, it must be you..." Karkaroff grinned, revealing a set of not-so-good-looking teeth. "You can help me remove the Dark Mark, but I'll have to pay a price, right?"

"You are a smart man, Principal Karkaroff," Louis said slowly, raising his right hand in front of him and rubbing his thumb against his other fingernails.

Karkaroff was a little confused. He didn't know what Louis was up to and couldn't figure out Louis's intentions at all. He sat on the sofa racking his brains, but still couldn't figure out what to say.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Louis chuckled softly, beckoned Sakuya over, and then handed her his hand.

Sakuya obediently leaned against Louis, took his hand, and took out a nail file to start filing his nails.

Karkaroff finally couldn't hold back any longer and tentatively asked, "So you mean...?"

As she spoke, Sakuya finished filing one of her nails, then took Louis's hand and blew on it.

"Blow it one more time," Louis said softly to Sakuya, tilting his head to the side.

Sakuya smiled gently, then lifted Louis's hand and gently blew on it.

"I am willing to offer my loyalty..." Karkaroff said loudly without hesitation. He couldn't stand the atmosphere in the room anymore. Louis was obviously roasting him over a low flame, and the feeling was extremely agonizing for him.

"I told you, you're a smart man, Principal Karkaroff." Louis looked at Karkaroff with a half-smile, making him uneasy. "If you're not as smart as I think, it seems there's no need for us to cooperate."

Karkaroff now felt he would rather face Voldemort. Facing Voldemort would even feel a little easier, with the only worry being whether he would die. But this feeling of guessing what others were thinking was just too damn brain-burning. Karkaroff was trembling with fear, sweating profusely, completely unsure of what this young man wanted. He was terrified that he would say the wrong thing and suffer irreversible consequences.

Wait… Karkaroff felt like he had grasped something. He remembered Louis’s identity—a big shot in the Muggle world. Someone like that wouldn’t be satisfied with just his loyalty. Could it be…?

He felt his heart pounding; he had finally grasped the key to the negotiation.

Thinking this, Karkaroff no longer hesitated. He immediately knelt on the ground and said in an extremely obsequious tone, "Demstrang is willing to pledge his loyalty to you! My beloved prince!"

After Karkaroff finished speaking, the room fell silent, save for the soft sound of Sakuya trimming her nails. Karkaroff lay prostrate on the floor, not daring to look up, unsure whether he had made the right move.

Until I heard Louis's voice.

"See that, Sakuya?" Louis smiled, tilting his head to Sakuya as he said, "I do have some discernment when it comes to people. I believe a smart person is never a fool."

Upon hearing this, Karkaroff felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. He took a couple of breaths, then suddenly remembered the Black Demon Mark on his arm and said obsequiously, "Your Highness, look at my Black Demon Mark..."

"A Dark Mark?" Louis looked at Karkaroff with a half-smile. "I don't recall you ever having a Dark Mark, do I?"

"But..." Karkarov was about to say something when suddenly a thunderclap went through his head.

Yes, how come the burning and stinging sensation on my arm is gone, and I don't feel that calling out to myself anymore?

He quickly rolled up his sleeves and found that the black demon mark on his right arm had indeed disappeared.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!" Karkaroff was overjoyed, but at the same time, a deep sense of fear rose in his heart. To be able to remove the black magic mark on his arm so quietly, it seemed that this new master was indeed no simple person.

He's only fourteen years old and already has such strength. Karkaroff doesn't even dare to imagine how terrifying Louis could grow to in the future.

Even if Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Grindelwald joined forces, they probably wouldn't be a match for him, right? This thought inexplicably flashed through his mind.

But his vision was clearly limited.

"Get up. You're a principal too. What kind of nonsense is it to lie on the ground like that?" Louis gestured for him to stand up, then turned and called out, "Chris?"

The door opened, and the little dragon maid walked to Louis's side, bowed, and asked, "Is there anything you need, Master?"

"Put the cube out," Louis instructed.

Christa paused for a moment before realizing who the cube was. She took out a diary from her dimensional pocket, shook it, and young Tom Riddle fell out of the diary.

"Cube, long time no see," Louis greeted.

Cube stood up, dusted off imaginary dust, and bowed respectfully to Louis: "Master..."

"Alright, I'm assigning you a task." Louis pointed to Karkaroff, who was standing there dumbfounded. "You should be quite familiar with this Headmaster Karkaroff. Your task now is to protect him closely and prevent him from being harmed by the Death Eaters, understand?"

"Yes." Square bowed very respectfully.

Karkarov stared at the "square," finding it strangely familiar. After a long while, he finally realized who the square resembled... no, not just resembled, it was clearly... and with the diary in tow, he immediately understood.

Karkaroff looked like he was drowning, his hand trembling as he pointed at the cube, making "hoarse" sounds, but he couldn't say a word.

"Old friend, is this how you are, Igor?" Square looked at Karkarov, who was uttering swear words, with a mocking expression on his face.

Karkaroff stammered for a long time before finally managing to utter a few words: "You...you are...black...black..."

"Now I have been given a name by my master, you should call me Cube, my dear Igor." Cube gave Karkaroff a rather bloodthirsty smile, which, in Karkaroff's eyes, was nothing short of the most terrifying demon.

"Alright, Cube, stop teasing him." Louis gave a perfunctory reprimand. "Your current appearance is a bit against the rules. You should think of a way to change your appearance. I'm really afraid you'll cause a riot in the magical world if you go out..."

"You're right, my beloved master," Square said, transforming himself into a face that bore a striking resemblance to a Hollywood star.

"Why does he look so familiar?" Louise couldn't quite remember who the cube had conjured up. He felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't quite place the name.

Square chuckled and said, "Marlon Brando, a very classic movie..."

Oh, Louis remembers now, this outfit, this face, isn't that the Godfather from the classic movies?

"To be fair, things in the Muggle world aren't entirely useless," Square said, lifting his clothes, sniffing the rose hanging on his chest, and speaking in his classic voice, "If I had been able to roam the wizarding world like the Godfather back then, perhaps even Dumbledore wouldn't be a match for me now."

"A force bound together by violence will never last long," Louis said with a smile.

"Your wisdom is comparable to an entire ocean," the blocky Godfather said elegantly.

Catherine, sitting behind her desk, covered her mouth and chuckled upon hearing this, then transmitted her voice to Louis: "The Assyrian Sea..."

Louis turned and gave her a look that said, "You just wait tonight, I'm angry, and the consequences will be severe!"

Catherine curled her lips into a smile and gave Louis a defiant look.

Louis secretly hardened his heart; this was not an anger that could be quelled by simply calling him "Dad."

He turned to Karkaroff, who was still staring blankly at the cube, and said, "You don't need to doubt it, Principal Karkaroff..."

"You can just call me Igor..." Karkarov said obsequiously.

"Well, Igor," Louis readily agreed, explaining the Cube to Karkaroff: "You guessed right, the Cube is one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, but I've completely subdued it, so you don't need to worry. It will only protect you now."

"Understood! Understood!" Karkaroff nodded vigorously. "I completely trust you and Black..." He glanced at the cube and immediately corrected himself, "And Mr. Square!"

"Hmm." Louis gave a noncommittal, nasal "hmm," and began to dismiss him: "It's getting late, I think your classmates must be getting impatient?"

"Ah, I really forgot if you hadn't mentioned it..." Karkarov grinned. "It's always so pleasant to talk to you. I lose track of time without even realizing it. Well then, I'll take my leave now, Your Highness."

"Hmm." Louis nodded slightly, and as Karkaroff reached the door, he reminded him in an emotionless tone, "Igor, you're a truly intelligent man, aren't you?"

"Don't worry, Your Highness!" Karkaroff turned around and bowed deeply to Louis, then left the office, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Sakuya looked at the closed door and said meaningfully, "This Principal Karkaroff does seem to be a smart man."

"Whether someone is smart or not depends on their future actions." Louis snorted, his eyes gleaming as he looked ahead. "Actually, there are no truly smart people. Sometimes, they can't control whether they're smart or foolish. They use their intelligence when they need it and discard it when they need it."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Catherine: "But your young mistress is different. Sometimes she's not very bright, so I have to discipline her."

Upon hearing this, Catherine put down her book, tilted her head with a dazed expression, and tapped her lips with her index finger, asking innocently, "So, how does Young Master plan to discipline his not-so-bright girlfriend?"

Louis stood up and walked to Catherine's side, reached out and pinched her chin, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You'll find out soon enough..."

(End of this chapter)