HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

While the students waited for their grades to be released, the tense atmosphere in the castle instantly dissipated, transforming into an omnipresent hustle and bustle.

The corridors were filled with students talking and laughing loudly, the common room was packed with small groups discussing holiday plans, and even the portraits seemed to be infected by the joy, singing off-key songs.

The air was filled with the feeling of freedom.

With the holidays just around the corner, Hogwarts has become like a party that's about to end.

Beyond the clamorous torrent, Sagres stood by the office window, silently overlooking the bustling campus below through the eyes of the raven Lochtis.

He needed to make sure one thing: that Astoria Greengrass wouldn't become the target of the family's firepower during the summer holidays for some reason.

“Write me a letter,” Sagles said without turning his head. “Send it to Greengrass Manor. Don’t be subtle; make it clear that all family members must maintain good relations.”

He paused, then added, "Remind them that holidays are a time for family reunions, and excessive criticism is not good for their physical and mental health."

“And if anyone ignores this warning…” He thought of those old relic lurking in the shadows of the manor, his voice turning slightly cold, “they will bear the consequences.”

"Yes, Dobius!"

The house-elf nodded eagerly, its two large ears swaying back and forth.

The raven's gaze swept across the bustling crowd, eventually settling on a corridor near the Ravenclaw Tower.

A few students had gathered there, but the atmosphere was completely out of place with the cheerful atmosphere around them.

Luna Lovegood's expression remained vacant as she clutched a roll of parchment listing lost items (which included a shoe with an elf pattern on the upper, a carrot necklace, and a copy of "The Quibbler").

Her best friend, Astoria Greengrass, who always spoke softly, was now like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Several Ravenclaw boys and girls blocked their way, their faces smirking mockingly.

"Hey, is that crazy girl hallucinating again?" Larry deliberately raised his voice to attract the attention of others around him. "Is this time it your harassment fly-catching net that's been thrown away?"

His companion covered his mouth and laughed.

One of the girls deliberately bumped the bulletin board with her shoulder. The lost and found notice that Astoria had just painstakingly pasted up tilted crookedly with a "whoosh".

The little girl's cheeks flushed bright red instantly. She pulled out her wand abruptly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Those eyes, usually filled with timidity, were now burning with a flame that was a mixture of fear and anger.

"Go away!"

Her voice trembled slightly at first, but then suddenly rose in pitch, "You've gone too far!"

"We're being unreasonable?" Larry spread his hands innocently, glancing at Luna with disdain. "You're the ones who plastered these 'unique' things everywhere, shouldn't you clean them up?"

He looked at his companions, who echoed his sentiments.

"Don't think I don't know, it was you who hid her things!"

Astoria's chest heaved violently; she almost roared it out, drawing even more onlookers.

She raised her wand high, her slender arm trembling with anger and tension, as if it would break at any moment.

"I'm warning you! Return it immediately! Otherwise—"

She took a deep breath. "Otherwise, I'll challenge you to a duel!"

When she uttered her last sentence, her voice carried a resolute quality, as if she had used up all her courage.

A suppressed gasp erupted from the students watching.

The cowardly Astoria challenges someone to a duel for the sake of the "madwoman" Lovegood? That's truly bizarre, worthy of being in the Daily Prophet.

Maison Larry was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha! A duel? You, for this crazy Lovegood? Have you lost your mind? Or..."

He looked Astoria up and down with an arrogant gaze. "You're in cahoots with her, aren't you? You're a freak too?"

"shut up!"

Astoria’s wand tip uncontrollably spewed out several dangerous sparks, but Luna gently pulled her back beside her.

"It's okay."

Luna's ethereal voice rang out, as if the surrounding malice did not exist.

She gently took Astoria's hand and said calmly, "Don't be angry, Astoria. What you lose will always come back in unexpected ways. Getting angry will only let harassing flies build their nests in your ears."

“Did you hear that? She doesn’t even care herself! You…” Larry’s vicious curse was about to come out.

"Gah—!"

A hoarse, cold sound, like the scraping of rusty metal, suddenly exploded in the corridor, instantly drowning out all the noise.

Everyone seemed to be petrified, turning to look in the direction of the sound.

A raven perched steadily on the windowsill of the stained-glass window high up, like a black stone statue.

Its dark eyes coldly gazed down, locking onto Mason Larry and his few most boisterous accomplices.

The corridor fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

"It's Professor Greengrass's raven!" a student recognized it and exclaimed in a low voice.

The raven spread its jet-black wings, nimbly spun in the air, and then landed steadily on Astoria's thin shoulder.

It glanced at the lost and found notice in the girl's hand, and with a lightning-fast peck, it caught the parchment in its black beak.

Then, it flapped its wings suddenly, like a black shadow, and pounced straight at Maison Larry.

To everyone's astonishment, the raven snapped its beak open, and with a "smack," the parchment landed squarely on Maison's face.

Before he could react, it had already landed lightly on his other shoulder, its claws digging slightly into the fabric of his robe.

Maison Larry was terrified. He knew all too well whose raven it was. The thought of that professor cutting off Umbridge's finger in front of everyone and getting away with it made him panic.

"Find it."

The raven's unpleasant cawing rang in his ears, and Mason Larry felt a chill run down his spine.

Chapter 172 Badgeryard's Unexpected Victory

The raven Lochtis turned its small head, its cold eyes slowly sweeping over the students who had been the most vocal in their commotion.

Everywhere the eye falls, it's as if an invisible whip is lashing down.

The group snapped to attention and, without a moment's hesitation, sprang into action, rushing toward their various hiding places.

They frantically searched, gathering up all the hidden shoes and magazines.

Throughout the entire process, Loctis stood firmly on Maison Larry's shoulders, like a heavy black statue, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Finally, when Maison Larry handed Luna's belongings back to the "crazy girl" with trembling hands, Astoria's tense face finally broke into a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Loctis."

Luna's ethereal voice rang out as she hugged her recovered belongings and earnestly thanked the majestic raven perched on Maison's shoulder.

The raven ignored her greeting.

It took flight again, swiftly skimming over the bulletin board, its sharp beak precisely seizing the teetering parchment and tearing it off completely.

A pale flame hissed and ignited from the edge of the parchment.

The flames leaped, but did not engulf the entire paper; they merely scorched a charred mark along the edge.

Then it released its grip, and the burning parchment swirled and, as if by magic, landed precisely in Maison Larry's stiff hand.

With trembling hands, Maison unfolded the parchment with its charred edges.

The lost and found notice above has disappeared without a trace, replaced by extremely sharp, knife-carved lettering:

Maison Larry:

Apologize immediately for your and your associates' foolish actions.

At the same time, a detailed written report was submitted to Professor Flitwick.

Note: The above steps must be completed before the Hogwarts Express departs.

If the task is not completed by the deadline, the consequences will be borne by the individual.

Just as Maison and his companions could make out the writing on the paper, the eerie pale flames reignited on the edge of the charred parchment.

Although he felt no heat whatsoever, the sight itself was enough to terrify anyone. Maison was so frightened he nearly jumped out of his skin; his hand trembled, and the parchment slipped from his grasp and fluttered to the ground.

"Gah—!"

Upon seeing this, Lochtis let out a shrill, ear-piercing scream. Maison was so frightened that he stumbled and hurriedly bent down, almost crawling, to pick up the burning pieces of paper again.

The handwriting on the paper changed again:

I repent for your rudeness and despicable behavior.

During the summer vacation, I copied the Muggle book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" (by Dale Carnegie) five times in its entirety.

On the first day of school, I delivered the copybook to the door of the Office of Advanced Magic Theory and Practice.

If the task is not completed or is done perfunctorily, the consequences will be borne by the individual.

The raven's black eyes swept across the terrified faces, finally lingering for a moment on the pale-faced Maison Larry and his accomplices.

The group immediately bowed respectfully to Luna and Astoria in apology.

Then the raven ignored everyone's reaction, its black wings suddenly unfurled, and like a swift black streak, it flew away rapidly along the towering dome of the arched corridor.

……

The Great Hall was bustling with noise as the young wizards crowded around four long tables, all waiting for Dumbledore to announce the winner of this year's House Cup.

This academic year, both traditionally strong houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin, suffered setbacks, not only missing out on the championship but also "steadily" occupying the bottom two spots with nearly identical low scores, making the competition as "intense" as last year.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff engaged in a closely contested battle, with the number of gems in the hourglass remaining extremely close at one point.

In the end, Hufflepuff narrowly won the College Cup.

This scene hasn't been seen for many years.

Professor Sprout's face was beaming with uncontrollable joy, his usually gentle and kind smile now incredibly radiant.

The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers, the little badgers' shouts nearly lifting the enchanted ceiling.

Cedric Diggory deserves much credit for achieving this result.