The Yule Ball was scheduled to continue its festive celebration until the midnight, when the enchanted ceiling would demonstrate a spectacular magical fireworks display to mark the transition into Christmas Day.
However, around halfway through the evening's arranged entertainment, as the Weird Sisters transitioned between their more energetic rock performances and slower romantic ballads, some attendees began choosing to step outside for fresh air and quieter conversation away from the overwhelming experience of the crowded Great Hall.
To provide a suitable resting place for the young people attending the ball and perhaps to create opportunities for romantic encounters that were an inevitable component of such formal social events, Dumbledore had specifically used magic to create an exquisite temporary garden adjacent to the front entrance of Hogwarts Castle.
The magical landscape featured rose bushes that bloomed even in the December cold, their petals releasing subtle fragrances into the crisp night air. Zigzagging stone paths roamed through the space, lit by lampposts that had been decorated with exceptional splendor for the occasion.
Several massive stone sculptures depicting classical wizarding scenes and elegant fountains with self-replenishing water became central points throughout the garden.
Without any doubt, this place was the most suitable romantic venue for couples seeking privacy during their evening together.
However, Karkaroff and Snape were most absolutely not among those seeking romantic encounters.
After following Karkaroff from the Great Hall into this magical garden, Moody had immediately concealed himself using Disillusionment Charm. In the pitch-black December night, combined with the intentionally dim romantic lighting that Dumbledore had created, almost no one had sufficient visual to detect his transparent form.
Although Moody couldn't be absolutely certain whether Karkaroff genuinely had some dark conspiracy planned for tonight's events, his decades of experience dealing with dark wizards and Death Eaters had given him instincts that rarely steered him wrong. Every part of his body was screaming that this Death Eater's behavior needed careful surveillance and investigation.
The garden contained relatively few visitors at this particular moment, as most students preferred to remain inside enjoying the music and dancing.
Moody followed Karkaroff the entire distance from the castle entrance, moving with surprising sneakiness despite his wooden leg, and very nearly collided with a passing couple who were far too absorbed in each other to notice the invisible presence that brushed past them.
Fortunately, the preoccupied students failed to detect the concealed Moody who had come within inches of physical contact.
However, to Moody's considerable surprise, one particularly sensitive creature managed to see directly through his magical disguise with apparently effortless ease.
A magnificent white bird with grey markings stood on top of one of the decorative stone statues, its head was tilted at an snooping angle as its sharp, eyes stared directly at Moody's supposedly invisible location. The creature's gaze tracked his movements that left no doubt about its awareness of his presence.
Moody immediately recognized this bird. It was the Thunderbird that Professor Westeros kept, and its name was Ray if he recalled correctly from previous encounters.
However, though this clever bird had clearly discovered his concealment, it made no attempt to raise an alarm or draw attention to the invisible intruder. Ray simply continued observing quietly.
"Listen here, little fellow," Moody muttered under his breath in a whisper, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't let anything unexpected happen to compromise this investigation."
At the far end of one of the curving paths, Karkaroff and Snape stopped at a relatively secluded corner to engage in apparent urgent private conversation. Moody immediately held his breath and carefully drew closer.
His wooden prosthetic leg inevitably made slight scraping sounds against the path with each step, but fortunately the nearby fountain's continuous splashing provided adequate sound cover to mask these minor noises from anyone not specifically listening for them.
Karkaroff's voice was kept intentionally low, having a nervous, almost frantic tone that showed considerable anxiety about whatever topic they were discussing.
"...He's coming back very soon, Severus... you can feel it too through your mark, can't you? Tonight the connection is particularly strong, more intense than it's been in years... He gave me one final chance to..."
To hear the conversation more clearly and capture every critically important word, Moody risked moving several steps closer to their position.
Snape's face appeared especially severe and grim in the flickering lamplight; his black eyes were glittering with indecipherable emotion.
"Calm yourself, Igor," He hissed with controlled irritation. "Your nervousness is making you careless and obvious."
"I simply came here to tell you that we must—"
Before Karkaroff could complete his urgent words, Snape suddenly turned with the speed of a striking serpent and drew his wand in one motion, aiming directly at a nearby bush.
A spell flashed red through the darkness, and several panicked figures tumbled out of the bushes in panic.
This unexpected interruption made it obviously clear that their private conversation could no longer continue with any degree of security or confidentiality.
"Ten points from Ravenclaw!" Snape announced furiously. "And from Gryffindor as well!!"
The students who had been forcibly ejected from their hiding place looked absolutely terrified by their discovery and the instant punishment.
The group's apparent leader was Colin Creevey, the enthusiastic younger student who still clutched his beloved camera in both hands despite the chaos, they had apparently only been drawn by curiosity about what two professors might be discussing in such a secretive manner.
Karkaroff and Snape were such an unlikely and unusual combination that their private meeting had naturally attracted attention from observant students.
Having already suffered point deductions and public embarrassment, the caught students simply slowed their retreat rather than fleeing immediately, their curiosity was still somewhat overriding their fear of additional punishment.
Observing this unfortunate interruption to his surveillance operation, Moody couldn't suppress a surge of deep irritation. He had been tantalizingly close to hearing genuinely useful intelligence about Death Eater activities and Voldemort's plans when these meddling children had ruined everything.
However, the disruption didn't end with simply exposing a few eavesdropping students.
This initial commotion was like a stone thrown forcefully into calm water, creating expanding ripples of disturbance that spread rapidly throughout the garden.
Students scattered throughout the various pathways and secluded corners stopped their romantic conversations and turned to look curiously toward the source of raised voices and obvious conflict. The sound of Snape's furious statement resounded far in the quiet night air.
Several particularly bold or curious students even began walking directly toward the confrontation, clearly intending to investigate what scene had prompted such an angry reaction from the notorious Snape.
Moody remained concealed in shadow near the roadside rather than hiding within the bushes like the unfortunate students who had been discovered. His location should have been relatively secure from casual detection.
However, as more people converged on the area, the probability of accidental discovery increased exponentially. An approaching student tripped slightly on an uneven stone step and stumbled sideways, and his shoulder brushed directly against what should have been empty air but instead encountered Moody's solid invisible form.
Fortunately, Moody's combat-trained reflexes remained lightning-fast despite his age and injuries. The moment he felt contact, Moody immediately shifted positions silently, relocating himself behind one of the decorative stone statues before the confused student could fully process what his shoulder had touched.
As the crowd of curious onlookers continued to grow, Snape's already severe expression darkened further.
"Everyone—immediately—vacate this area!" He commanded coldly. "Return to the Great Hall or your dormitories at once, unless someone else wishes to volunteer for additional point deductions and possible detention!"
The gathered students naturally had no desire to further antagonize Professor Snape, whose reputation for harsh punishment was legendary throughout Hogwarts. They began preparing for leaving immediately.
However, just as the crowd was beginning to disperse and the situation seemed to be resolving toward a return to normality, an entirely unexpected accident occurred.
Moody suddenly felt the stone statue he was using as concealment tremble several times with intensity.
He cautiously looked up and spotted a white figure descending from above.
It was Ray.
Ray dove down like a bolt of silver lightning, its sharp claws extended with precision. Ray's trajectory was aimed with accuracy at Karkaroff's left arm, and the Thunderbird's speed made evasion impossible.
RIIIIIP!
The harsh sound of tearing cloth echoed through the suddenly silent garden as Ray's claws precisely shredded Karkaroff's sleeve from shoulder to wrist, exposing the pale flesh beneath.
Accompanied by this violent destruction of clothing, Karkaroff released a terrified shriek of pure panic and instinctively moved to cover his now-exposed left forearm but his reflexive attempt at concealment came far too late to prevent what Ray had revealed.
A hideous Dark Mark stood exposed in the pale moonlight and in full view of every person present in the garden.
The twisted serpentine pattern glowed with a sickly dark red glow, as if the brand had been freshly seared into his flesh by a hot branding iron. The mark pulsed with magical energy looking extremely conspicuous against his pale skin.
The students who hadn't yet fully dispersed released gasps of shock and horror. Several of the younger ones actually screamed at the sight of the infamous symbol that had haunted their parents' generation and represented the darkest period of recent wizarding history.
"Merlin's beard! That's his mark!" one older student exclaimed with terror.
"What is that thing?" a confused lower-year student asked, not yet educated about the Dark Mark's significance.
Colin Creevey didn't fully understand the mark's meaning, but seeing everyone else react with such shock and fear, he instinctively raised his camera and pressed the shutter multiple times rapidly.
Snape's reaction was startlingly fast.
With a single sharp wand movement, he erected a shimmering barrier that instantly separated Karkaroff from the gathered crowd while he said urgently. "Everyone leave this location immediately!"
Moody's magical eye nearly ejected itself from its socket with the intensity of his surprise and vindication at this revelation.
He immediately cancelled his Disillusionment Charm, allowing his body appear seemingly from empty air. His wooden leg landed heavily on the cobblestones with a resonant thud as he shouted with fury.
"Nobody moves a single step!" His gravelly voice was firm. "Everyone remains exactly where they are until this situation has been properly evaluated!"
Caught between the fearsome Old Bat Snape issuing one set of contradictory orders and the suddenly appearing Mad-Eye Moody giving completely opposite commands, the gathered students froze in confused paralysis, genuinely uncertain whose instructions they should follow or what would happen if they chose incorrectly.
The previously peaceful garden scene had fallen into complete chaotic disorder within the span of few seconds.
Meanwhile, the instigator of this entire turmoil, Ray released a cry that echoed across the castle grounds before vanishing into the darkness with powerful wing beats.
Inside the Great Hall, Adrian had been in seemingly casual conversation with Dumbledore about various aspects of the evening's dinner service and entertainment, discussing the house-elves' exceptional performance and the Weird Sisters' surprisingly restrained musical selections.
Suddenly, his ears detected a familiar sound carrying across the distance from somewhere outside: Ray's warning cry.
"There may be a serious situation developing outside, Professor Dumbledore," Adrian said with immediate gravity, his casual demeanor transforming instantly into focused concern. "Ray has just issued his emergency alert signal."
About three minutes later, after moving through the castle corridors with considerably more speed, Adrian arrived at the garden scene alongside Dumbledore.
The sight that they saw looked like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.
Moody, Karkaroff, and Snape stood locked in a tense standoff that radiated hostility, while the atmosphere in the garden had transformed from romantic to genuinely dangerous. Confused students gathered at the edges of the confrontation, too frightened to leave but too curious to completely retreat.
Moody occupied the foremost position, his wooden leg wedged firmly in a crack between cobblestones to provide stable footing. His wand was pointed at Karkaroff firmly, and his entire posture resembled an old predatory beast preparing to strike at the slightest incitement.
Karkaroff's face had turned deathly pale in the moonlight, with beads of sweat continuously sliding down his forehead despite the December cold. He clutched desperately at the Dark Mark on his exposed left arm, which continued glowing with that disturbing dark red light that.
Snape stood between the two men, his expression terribly grim.
The moment Adrian and Dumbledore appeared at the scene, both immediately focused their sharp gazes on Karkaroff's arm.
Though Karkaroff was desperately trying to conceal the mark, the dark red glow remained particularly visible and conspicuous in the surrounding darkness.
"Alastor," Dumbledore's voice cut through the volatile silence, "perhaps you could explain to me exactly what has happened here to create such an unfortunate scene?"
Moody's magical eye remained locked on Karkaroff with focus as he responded with cold satisfaction.
"The situation is quite obvious, Albus. We have two Death Eaters who were together in secret conspiracy, undoubtedly plotting some contribution toward their master's return to power. The evidence literally glows on Karkaroff's arm for all to witness."
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