HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

Snape pulled out his wand and pointed it at the goblin that was still flying around them. The goblin instantly turned into a small clump of harmless colored powder and perished on the spot.

Then his icy gaze, like a polar wind, swept across the messy auditorium and finally locked onto the two red-haired "arms dealers" still standing on the table.

"Twenty points deducted from Gryffindor!" he said expressionlessly. "Professor McGonagall, I think you have no objections, do you?"

Professor McGonagall remained silent, her lips pursed; she was quite indignant as well. It was the young Gryffindor wizards who protested:

"Professor Snape, it was Malfoy who hit you, a student of your Slytherin. What does it have to do with us Gryffindors?"

"Disrespecting the professor, another five points deducted!" Snape remained expressionless. He waved his wand, and the messy Great Hall immediately began to return to its original state.

Seeing this, the other professors also took action, while the young wizards stood obediently in place like quails, waiting for their fate.

Ultimately, this "all-out war," ignited by Peeves, escalated by the twins, and nearly subjecting several highly respected senior executives to a farting goblin baptism, came to an unexpected end.

……

Sagrais was completely unaware of what was happening inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts, because he was currently in a safe house in the Forbidden Forest, having a meeting with the members of the Bronze Feathers.

The flickering candlelight cast swaying shadows on the smooth wooden table, and the air was filled with the scent of pine and earth.

The stork pushed a newly delivered copy of the Daily Prophet to the Thunderbird. The Thunderbird took the newspaper and read it by candlelight.

The three-school battle is over, Durmstrang wins!

The subtitle reads: Krum triumphs over all rivals, Diggory and Delacour draw – an unprecedented dueling extravaganza concludes, the “Magical Duel Arena” shakes the wizarding world!

Below the title are three animated photos: Krum's resolute profile as he raises his wand to accept the cheers; Cedric and Fleur's smiles as they look at each other after their wands are simultaneously disarmed on the frozen lake; and a panoramic view of the magnificent and ever-changing magical dueling arena.

A bold, highlighted paragraph prominently reads: "...This magical wonder, the 'Magic Duel Arena,' built by Hogwarts, is undoubtedly the brightest star of this event! It not only perfectly simulates various extreme environments, but its mysterious magic has also left even seasoned wizards in awe! According to inside sources, the design blueprints for this arena will become the model for future magical dueling arenas..."

"What a grand undertaking!" Thunderbird put down his newspaper, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes. "Perhaps I should suggest to Principal Fontaine that the students of Iphamoni also participate? That would be fantastic."

“Of course,” Sagres replied calmly, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, “as long as your school doesn’t mind the distance across the ocean.”

He then turned his gaze to the hummingbird sitting quietly to the side: "How is your Soul Mending learning going?"

The hummingbird raised its head, its eyes focused and serious: "I've mastered it. I'm starting to prepare the actual treatment plan for soul trauma."

“Very good,” Sagres nodded slightly, his eyes full of approval. “This means your Order of Merlin medal is on its way.”

"To be honest, I don't actually have that strong a desire for the medal itself..." Hummingbird pondered for a moment and said frankly, "Just like you, you improved so many healing spells back then, but in the end you didn't even show up at the award ceremony."

“It’s different,” Sagrais replied calmly. “I thought it was useless to me because I didn’t need it and had no intention of getting involved in any of the Ministry of Magic’s political turmoil.”

The hummingbird nodded knowingly, agreeing with the other party's statement.

Sagles changed the subject: "How's Lockhart doing lately? Is his recovery going smoothly?"

“St. Mungo’s has convened a consultation with several top medical experts,” Hummingbird said with a slightly grave expression. “The conclusion is that the life force he lost may not be fully restored.”

"And his current state..." Robin couldn't help but interject, her tone tinged with complexity. After all, Lockhart had once been her fervent idol.

"He looks much older, with obvious wrinkles, and his hair is almost all gone," the hummingbird described truthfully. "However, his physical injuries and magical imbalances have basically stabilized."

She paused, then added, “Interestingly, he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to be discharged. His attending therapists say that Mr. Lockhart is planning to finish his two new books in the intensive care unit—Back to Hogwarts as a Professor and Duel with the Basilisk.”

“The Duel with the Basilisk?” Sagres raised an eyebrow and repeated it with a puzzled tone.

“Yes,” Hummingbird affirmed, “the overwhelming coverage of Hogwarts dueling events has clearly fueled his ‘creative passion.’ His hospital room is now practically flooded with related newspapers.”

A smile flickered across Sagras's lips, but vanished in an instant. "Alright, let him be for now. It's not time to send him to Azkaban yet." He paused, his gaze returning to the hummingbird. "By the way, how's your memory magic coming along?"

"Me?" The hummingbird pondered for a moment. "My mastery of memory restoration is fairly solid, but as for other aspects of memory magic... I can only say that I'm at an average level."

Sagres nodded slowly, his eyes calm as he suggested, "Then you'd better deepen your understanding of 'memory recall' during this time. Although you can use truth serum to pry open his mouth, the safest way is to directly and accurately find the list of the real victims whose lives he stole from the depths of his chaotic memories. This way, you can ensure that nothing goes wrong."

The hummingbird nodded solemnly, making sure it remembered the task.

“Besides,” Sagrais’s voice rang out calmly, breaking the brief silence, “is there any other magic you would like to learn this time?”

"Me! Me! Me!" The red falcon immediately raised its hand high, as if it were someone answering a question in class, its excitement overflowing. "I want to learn that weather magic you used today! The one that controls clouds and rain!"

"Why are you learning that?" Nightingale tilted her head curiously, a hint of teasing in her voice. "Want to become a mobile weather forecast station?"

"Hmm... no way!" The kestrel blushed slightly and offered a more practical excuse. "I often spend the night outdoors, and if it rains or snows, it's cold and wet, so annoying! If I could just chase away the clouds or stop the rain, that would be so convenient!"

“Didn’t I give you a magic tent?” Sagres reminded him with a hint of doubt. “It’s kept at a constant temperature and humidity inside, so you won’t get wet even if it’s raining or hail.”

"Come on, I'm a wizard!" Red Falcon waved his arms exaggeratedly. "Besides, what's the use of magic compared to a tent? With a flick of the finger, you can summon wind and rain. That's the true style of a wizard!"

Sagres looked into her longing eyes, shook his head helplessly, but did not refuse.

……

Chapter 148 The Past of Ms. Xuexiao

The other seven quickly decided on the magic they wanted to learn, from ancient magic to runic magic, from specific anti-curses to advanced illusion spells, and finally to Fiendfire control. Sargeras used "Memory Diversion" and "Mechanical Mind" to quickly complete the teaching.

At this moment, the swift, which had been listening quietly, slowly spoke:

"Gringotts has discovered a new magical site on the seabed near the island of Deria. Notably, there are wizard sightings that claim to have seen... a five-legged monster on that island."

"A five-legged monster?!"

"Is the news reliable?!"

The group immediately became interested.

Five-legged monsters are extremely rare, and none of the people present had ever seen one in person.

Records of wizards encountering five-legged monsters and surviving are extremely rare, so research on them is very scarce, existing almost exclusively in ancient legends and the Ministry of Magic's confidential archives.

“It’s highly credible,” Swift nodded affirmatively, “and three Muggles died because of it.”

“Muggles?” Sagrais frowned immediately. “Wasn’t Dria Island under a powerful Muggle-repelling charm by the Ministry of Magic? How did they end up there?”

“The exact reason is still unclear,” Swift explained, “but I heard from several familiar unravelers inside Gringotts that a parchment map, as well as… a lot of professional fishing gear, were found on the three Muggle fishing boats. They seem to have been fishing according to the map.”

“A map?” Sagres paused for a moment. “But as far as I know, the island of Deria has also been enchanted with an unmappable spell, so it won’t appear on any map.”

Everyone frowned upon hearing this.

Only the kestrel and the robin were unfamiliar with the name "five-legged monster." The two looked at each other blankly.

"A five-legged monster? What is that? A giant monster with five legs?" Red Falcon couldn't help but ask.

Swift glanced at them and explained in a clear voice: "The five-legged monster originated from the feud between two Scottish wizarding families—the MacLeod and the MacBurne. The patriarch of the MacLeod family used magic to turn the entire MacBurne family into a five-legged monster. The transformed MacBurne slaughtered the MacLeod family, but due to intellectual degeneration, he could not regain his human form, and his descendants were forever turned into five-legged monsters."

"This thing... is dangerous?" The robin swallowed hard.

“Extremely dangerous,” Swift said with unwavering certainty. “It is explicitly classified as a Class 5X magical creature by the Department of Magical Creatures Control of the Ministry of Magic and is a key target for monitoring. Although they are extremely rare, every appearance of them is accompanied by bloodshed.”

"Does the Ministry of Magic know about this?" Thunderbird asked in a deep voice.

“There doesn’t seem to be any official notification yet,” Swift pondered. “But even if they did, the Ministry of Magic probably wouldn’t take any action. As long as no one else accidentally trespasses on Deria Island, they’ll most likely choose to let it go.”

“Of course, unless it comes out on its own,” he added at the end.

"Could there be other fishermen, like those three Muggles, who find that...Drea Island?" Stork expressed his concern.

“It’s unlikely,” Swift analyzed. “Those three Muggles found it because they had that parchment map of unknown origin. Without a map, the Muggle banishment spell and the island’s own seclusion should be enough to keep others away.”

Sagres had been listening in silence until he finally spoke slowly: "Swift, about that magical ruin you mentioned earlier... Do you have any specific information about Gringotts? About its age and nature?"

“Gringotts hasn’t done any substantial development yet,” Swift shook her head. “Dria Island is already a sensitive area, and with the newly discovered ruins and the rumors of the five-legged monster, the Ministry of Magic is now monitoring that area very closely. What, are you interested in those ruins?”

He astutely grasped the key point of Sagres's question.

Sagres tapped his fingertips lightly on the wooden table: "It's just that... Gringotts killed so many Muggles because of the 'development accident,' and in the end, it was all swept under the rug without any proper investigation or accountability. That makes me... want to do something."

"Then should we...?" Ms. Xuexiao's eyes lit up, asking.

“No need,” Sagres shook his head decisively, instantly composing himself. “Let’s just let things take their course. The ruins are there, and the five-legged monsters are there. The Ministry of Magic and Gringotts will make their move sooner or later. Let’s wait and see.”

……

"Have all three of you been at Hogwarts lately?" Madam Snowowl glanced at the kestrel, nightingale, and robin before asking casually.

Both the kestrel and the nightingale nodded.

“I’ll be heading back to Beauxbatons tomorrow,” Nightingale added.

"Oh..." Ms. Xuexiao responded, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rim of the teacup, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Is there a problem?" Sagles keenly noticed her hesitation and calmly asked.

“Ah, it’s nothing, it’s nothing,” Ms. Snowow quickly waved her hand, trying to cover it up. “It’s just… I heard from the gossip in the business that Professor Kettleburn from Hogwarts will come to our Magical Creatures Business as a special advisor after he retires next year.”

"So?" Sagres remained unmoved, waiting for her to continue.

“Well, think about it,” Ms. Snowhawk carefully chose her words, her eyes slightly unfocused, “Professor Kettleburn has always been the Professor of Conservation of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts, right? If he's not teaching next year and a new professor takes over… the textbooks will likely have to be changed, right? I was wondering… if the Chamber of Commerce has any chance of securing a supply order for the new textbooks…”

Her voice trailed off, carrying a hint of calculation and unease typical of businesswomen.

Sagles, observing her clearly concealing something, remained silent for a moment before suddenly posing a question that immediately piqued everyone's interest:

"So, Snow Owl... what exactly was the reason you were blacklisted by the British Ministry of Magic back then?"

The question was like a silent spell, instantly silencing the entire safe house. Even Dobby, who was wiping the walls in the corner with a rag, perked up his ears.

Everyone's gazes, filled with undisguised curiosity, were all focused on Ms. Xue Xiao.

A palpable embarrassment spread across Ms. Snowflake's face. She chuckled dryly, her eyes darting away. "It's nothing... cough... it's just... a few years ago, the British Ministry of Magic's Department of Education... um... they were going to buy a batch of 'The Book of Invisibility' as teaching materials for Hogwarts, you know... and that book... you all know, they can make you invisible, right? So... that..."

Sagres almost immediately recalled the textbook farce that had shocked Hogwarts years ago, and his lips twitched slightly.

"You wouldn't be..." Red Falcon's eyes widened in disbelief and astonishment, "You took this order, but in the end... you didn't give the Ministry of Magic anything, did you?!"

This was too outrageous; she didn't quite believe it.

“How could that be!” Ms. Xuexiao immediately raised her voice in rebuttal, “I’m a legitimate businesswoman! How could I give nothing at all! It’s just… it’s just…”

Her momentum waned, her voice barely audible, "...a little less than the quantity agreed upon in the order..."

"Specifically?" Nightingale asked.

Sagrais's voice carried an all-knowing calm as he revealed the answer: "More than a thousand books are missing. Moreover, the Ministry of Magic didn't discover it immediately. Most importantly, those books were textbooks that Hogwarts students desperately needed back then!"

He recalled the chaos at the time, “Ha! Because of your ‘tiny’ shortage, the book was sold for more than a hundred gallons on the second-hand market! For the entire semester, half the students in the school were going crazy trying to find a copy of the book they could see.”

"Haha..." Ms. Xuexiao let out an extremely dry and embarrassed laugh, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground. "Yes...yes...but I was punished later. I was fined a lot of money...well, a lot..."

She added quietly, thus putting an end to this less-than-honorable past—at least in her own eyes.