Chapter 369 The Ominous Mark
Feeling the swift surge of magic in his body, Evan breathed a sigh of relief.
Never before had he felt as powerful as in that moment. Voldemort's magic hadn't been triggered, and Professor Trelawney's prophecy hadn't come true.
He hadn't been chosen by Voldemort's magic. All he cared about was...
Suddenly, a dark substance emerged from the golden lines that occasionally sparkled on the Philosopher's Stone.
Before Evan could react, the black magic surged more and more, transforming into faint black vapors rising up his arm.
Like a serpent, the black mist spread, feeding off the magic enveloping Evan's body. He felt an unprecedented piercing pain.
Under the pressure of the dark magic, in the blink of an eye, all his magical power stirred. Voldemort's leftover dark magic far exceeded his imagination!
He tried to control his magic and resist those black vapors, but it was in vain.
Under the impact of the violent magic, Evan passed out and fell straight from the sky.
After fainting, the Philosopher's Stone suddenly shone brightly. The red light grew increasingly intense, pushing all remaining black vapors away, expelling them from Evan's arm.
Three different magical forces fought within Evan's body, finally returning to calm, leaving only a thin black line silently coiled around his right wrist.
It was as if he were bound with a fine black thread. However, upon closer inspection, it was a small snake gleaming with a cold light. It coiled in a circle, its mouth open, biting its own tail.
As for the remaining black vapors expelled by the Philosopher's Stone, they floated around Evan for a moment, then rose straight up into the sky as if they were living among the stars.
The mist quickly began to distort and eventually turned into a black symbol.
On the platform below, no one knew what was happening. They only saw Evan suddenly falling from above, and Hermione shouted in horror.
Sirius rushed forward, with Harry and the others hurrying to follow.
"Look, that, what is that...?" Ron nervously said as he glanced at Evan and noticed the black pattern that had just appeared beside him.
Following closely, everyone also took notice of this striking symbol.
It was a colossal skull, composed of what appeared to be emerald stars, with a snake protruding from its mouth like a tongue.
As they watched, the skull rose higher and higher, glowing amidst a mist of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation.
"Damnation, it's the Dark Mark!" Sirius yelled, turning to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, growling. "Stay here and don't move!"
He continued to advance, waving his wand.
A red ray of light shot forth and expanded like fireworks. Through the darkness of the night, it was so bright that the castle couldn't help but notice...
Under the influence of Sirius's magic, Evan's body descended slower and slower.
Seeing that Evan had been rescued, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sighed in relief. They looked up again at the Dark Mark above them, as did the two Centaurs beside them.
It had now risen enough to illuminate the entire sky like a grotesque neon sign, spreading fear rampantly through the Centaur colony.
"The war is about to begin, and the Centaurs cannot escape..." The voice of the elder Centaur sounded slowly. He seemed to be trembling, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.
"What the devil is going on?" said Harry, surprised to see Hermione's face so pale and terrified, constantly wiping her teary red eyes.
"It's the Dark Mark, Harry!" Hermione moaned, unable to help but exclaim. "Evan must have found something up there! This is the sign of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"
"Do you mean, Voldemort's..."
Before she could finish speaking, the Dark Mark in the sky began to change suddenly.
The great snake in the skull's mouth emerged suddenly, as if drawn by something, and like a meteor, it soared straight towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"DUCK!" shouted Sirius, vigorously waving his right hand.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione fled, but it was too late, and the Black Mist hissed as it passed by them, rustling their robes.
On the skin, the Dark Mark that had shrunk countless times was slowly taking shape...
In this black temple that used to be filled with countless malignant taboos, the ancient magic of the Dark Demon marked the chosen one, and he would return once again to gain a power beyond the world's imagination. This time, death would no longer be the end.
No one noticed. Panic still prevailed, and everyone thought it was another dark magic, but nothing happened.
The platform was in disarray, far less cheerful than when Evan had just passed the test to acquire the Gryffindor House Key, and everyone stared at him intently.
In the spacious Hogwarts school hospital, everyone surrounded Evan's bed.
Dumbledore raised Evan's right arm and carefully observed the dark green stripes of the snake. Snape, Sirius, and Professor McGonagall stood beside him.
"Severus, this is your area of expertise," Dumbledore said calmly, turning to the somber Snape. "Do you believe this to be..."
"Undoubtedly, this is the curse the man left behind!" Snape responded, with a grimace on his lips. "It's a magic I've never seen before. It's very powerful and cunning. In fact, I can't believe Mr. Mason is not dead yet!"
Upon hearing his words, Hermione stood nervously to the side, choked up, tears flowing uncontrollably. Harry quickly patted her shoulder and tried to console her in a whisper.
"Don't get too upset," Sirius said softly. "I've just checked that Evan's vital signs are very stable, and there is no issue."
"Black, is that what you believe?" Snape turned to Sirius, his small eyes gleaming with malice. "You think you know more, but in fact, you were lost and returned to Hogwarts with the dying body of Mr. Mason from the Centaurs..."
"Severus!" Dumbledore warned.
Snape coldly snorted but didn't continue speaking.
Sirius observed him for a moment longer, then sat down heavily, gazing at Evan, who still hadn't recovered in his bed.
"I can't believe it. The Dark Mark reappeared at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall clutched her robe's collar tightly, her face paler than ever. "Luckily, not many people saw it; otherwise, what would 'The Prophet' say tomorrow?"