"Professor Karkaroff, what kind of person do you think Voldemort really is?" Harry asked, curiosity written all over his face.
Of course, he knew plenty about Voldemort. In fact, he knew more about him than most wizards in the wizarding world.
The only thing he was curious about was something he had never heard before: how Death Eaters judged Voldemort.
As for why he had time to stand around so leisurely, it was naturally because Dumbledore had stood him up.
To be precise, Karkaroff had stopped him just as he was about to enter the Headmaster's office and told him that Dumbledore had been called away on urgent business.
A trace of surprise appeared on Karkaroff's cold face, as though no one had ever asked him that before.
"Why do you ask?"
"I'm just curious. You know, Voldemort and I are destined to be enemies."
At that, Harry couldn't help sighing.
Even now, when he had already accepted that fact and had even prepared himself to face Voldemort, he still felt helpless whenever he thought about it. His once-happy family and complete childhood had all been destroyed by Voldemort, by a single prophecy.
He had clearly just been an innocent little kid!
Karkaroff showed a look of understanding. Perhaps something had occurred to him, because the corners of his mouth lifted in a slightly eerie way.
"What kind of person is Vol... the Dark Lord? That is a question only he himself could answer completely."
"However," a vicious glint flashed through his eyes, "if you ask me, I will tell you this. The Dark Lord is exceptionally good at making people feel fear!"
Harry did not notice anything strange about Karkaroff. His answer only made him even more curious.
"Fear? Aside from his power, I don't really see what's so frightening about Voldemort."
Harry might have been frightened into panic before, but that fear had only come from the fact that he was about to face Voldemort directly.
As long as he did not have to confront Voldemort, Harry was just like most of the students at school. He did not actually feel that Voldemort posed much of a threat.
The Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix had long since strangled every threat in the cradle. Apart from the initial panic, those living at Hogwarts could discuss Voldemort openly and at length inside the school.
Especially after the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, almost every student at the school knew that Voldemort had once been nothing more than a wandering soul hiding on Quirrell.
If they had not known that the book differed somewhat from the truth, they probably would have mocked Voldemort endlessly for it.
With that mindset, the students, and even most wizards in the wizarding world, did not feel there was much to worry about.
Seeming to notice the disdain in Harry's eyes, Karkaroff gave a cold laugh.
"That is only because none of you have personally experienced the Dark Lord's methods!"
"I can guarantee you this. If the Dark Lord ultimately defeats Dumbledore and Tver, he will punish everyone who ever defied and opposed him with the utmost cruelty!"
"When that time comes, Potter..."
"You, your friends, and your friends' loved ones will all be tortured beyond recognition by the Dark Lord himself. You will be forced to watch them scream in agony, one by one losing their lives before your eyes and growing cold."
"And not only will you be unable to save them, you will not even be able to escape yourself!" he said hoarsely.
"That kind of suffering is more terrifying than death!"
As if he had already imagined that scene, a chilling coldness appeared in Karkaroff's eyes. Only then did Harry realize that something was wrong with him.
"Professor Karkaroff, are you all right?" He quickly shook Karkaroff's arm. "If my question made you remember something unpleasant, I'm sorry!"
The shaking seemed to dispel that inexplicable chill. Karkaroff composed himself and returned to his usual cold expression.
"My apologies. Whenever I think of what the Dark Lord was like back then, I cannot help becoming like that," he said stiffly.
Harry nodded in understanding. After all, Karkaroff had once been a Death Eater. Though he did not know whether other Death Eaters would react the same way, this reaction fit what he had imagined.
Seeing that, Karkaroff showed Harry a rare friendly smile.
"If you want to know more about the Dark Lord, you may come to me anytime. I would be happy to answer those kinds of questions for you."
"No, no, no. That's enough."
Harry waved his hands again and again. After only a short chat, Karkaroff had seemed like a completely different person. If they kept talking any longer, Karkaroff might end up possessed by Voldemort himself!
And to be honest, he had not felt that kind of fear from Voldemort. Instead, he had felt it from Karkaroff.
"What's enough?"
From the shadowy corner, Tver's figure suddenly stepped into the bright area lit by the torches. It was hard to tell whether he had been eavesdropping for a long time or had simply appeared there by chance.
"Professor Fawley?"
"Tver? What are you doing here?"
Harry and Karkaroff both looked at him in surprise, as if this corridor leading to the Headmaster's office did not allow him to appear there.
"I have something to discuss with Dumbledore too. That shouldn't be a problem, should it?" Tver said casually.
"I'm more curious about what the two of you were talking about. You were so absorbed that you didn't even notice me arrive."
"Then you might be disappointed, Professor. Dumbledore has something to take care of and hasn't come back yet, so we can only wait for him here," Harry said helplessly. Still, with a professor joining them, he thought talking about something else might not be bad.
After all, when it came to the courage needed to deal with Voldemort, Professor Fawley certainly did not lack it.
"I see. Then why not go inside and wait?" Tver waved his hand, and the door that had been blocking them slowly opened.
"What?"
Harry and Karkaroff looked at him in surprise again, but Tver walked in first without any intention of explaining.
"I only came to pass a message to Harry, so I won't go in." Leaving those words behind, Karkaroff hurried away.
Harry was somewhat confused and could only follow the professor into the Headmaster's office in a daze.
As Tver lit the candles inside, he said to Harry, "Don't get too close to Karkaroff. He won't be of any help when you face Voldemort in the future."
Harry thought back to Karkaroff's behavior and agreed wholeheartedly.
"I only talked with Professor Karkaroff for a little while just now, and I already felt uncomfortable. Is fear how Voldemort controls his subordinates?"
"You could say that, but Karkaroff is a bit more special."
"Special?"
This time, Tver did not explain. Instead, he sat down in Dumbledore's own chair and considered Karkaroff's condition.
There was no way Tver would completely trust Karkaroff just because of one confession.
In fact, it was the opposite. Because of that conversation, Tver increasingly felt that Karkaroff's current condition was somewhat strange.
After all, when Karkaroff confessed back then, he had only told him about the Imperius Curse. He had never said exactly how he had broken free from it.