HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

“Miss Granger, you are a wise witch. Your spell was precise and decisive, making the right choice under pressure.”

“But I…” Hermione looked up, tears still welling up in her eyes.

“This is not a fault,” Sagres continued, his tone resolute. “It is a manifestation of courage and strength. The ‘filth’ you feel is the mark that the battlefield imposes on its soldiers.”

He reached out as if to pat her shoulder, but paused in mid-air and withdrew his hand, simply looking at her with calm eyes.

Hermione's sobs had stopped, though she was still pale, but the confusion in her eyes seemed to have been torn open by Sagrais's words.

Feeling nauseous? Feeling scared? Feeling like there's blood on your hands?

Sagles took a step forward, his gaze calm and gentle. "This is perfectly normal. It would be abnormal not to have this reaction when facing death for the first time, especially when it is one's own doing."

His voice held neither praise nor blame, only his usual calm: "This precisely proves that you are not born executioners, and that deserves recognition."

The trio were stunned.

They expected to hear a reprimand or a cold "you'll get used to it."

Sagres's gaze fell on the shadows illuminated by the flames deep within Knockturn Alley, as if staring at a fragment of the past, his voice deepening:

"Also in Knockdown Alley, in an even dirtier corner. For just a few copper nats, a rat tried to slit my throat."

He paused slightly, turned his head, and added, "You probably won't believe it, but he doesn't even have a wand."

The calm narration, devoid of any embellishment, made the three young wizards hold their breath, even silencing Hermione's last faint sob.

Only the crackling sound of the flames burning remained in the alley.

“Then… were you in the same situation as we are now?” Harry couldn’t help but ask, his voice hoarse.

“Not exactly the same.” Sagres withdrew his gaze, refocusing on the three terrified faces. “It took me a minute to figure out: why did I have to kill him?”

He asked himself a question and answered it, each word clear and forceful: “Because he wanted to kill me. At that moment, there were only two paths: I died, or he died. There was no third path.”

He waved his hand, and a gust of wind blew by, instantly extinguishing the raging flames in the alley.

Hesitation gives them an opportunity. Weakness only reinforces their greed.

He waved his hand again, and the building destroyed by the blasting spell quickly returned to its original state under the effect of "restoration to its original state." At the same time, without turning his head, he said:

"It's the same today. What will those ruthless dark wizards do if they capture you?"

His sharp gaze swept over the three men's bodies, which tensed instantly. "Extortion? Torture? Or... like with that short guy, turn you all into a pile of ashes to be scattered in the wind?"

Hermione's body trembled again, and she instinctively hugged her arms tightly. The cold touch of the deathly green light brushing against her hair became clear again.

"On a real battlefield, in the life-or-death moment, any hesitation or mercy towards the enemy will cost you and those you care about your lives!"

He raised his hand, pointing to the battlefield that had returned to normal: "Knocking you back, knocking you away, or even stunning you is not safe. Because as long as they have a wand in their hand, or even if they can move a single finger, they can use a Killing Curse to take your lives in the next second!"

Sagres lowered his hand and glanced back at the three of them.

“This kind of scene plays out every day. Since they choose to point their wands at innocent students, being killed is the inevitable outcome they choose.”

He nodded to the three of them, saying, "You just did what you were supposed to do."

The three remained silent, and Sagres stopped his brainwashing efforts.

It took a while for the young wizards to calm down.

“Professor…” Hermione’s voice was soft, filled with deep weariness, “Will that feeling… disappear?”

Sagrais was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "It won't disappear completely, Miss Granger."

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the girl before him, seeing something else entirely. "It will merge into your body, becoming a part of you. But this is not a curse, but a mark of growth."

Chapter 190 I Suck

The three of them stared at him blankly.

“Alright,” Sagles said, changing the subject, “Lochtis will escort you back to the Leaky Cauldron.”

The raven on his shoulder slid silently down and landed on Hermione's shoulder. It tilted its head and looked at the three of them with its deep eyes.

"And you, Professor, aren't you coming along?" Harry asked.

"I'll be there shortly. There are still some things to clean up."

Sagres's gaze fell upon the seemingly flat ground, his tone as calm as still water, "Go, Loktis will ensure your safety."

The three looked at each other. Although their hearts were still heavy and churning, Sagres' words and attitude acted as an anchor, temporarily stabilizing their almost capsized emotional boat.

Harry reached out and helped Hermione up, who was still trembling slightly. Ron also struggled to his feet and dusted off his robes.

Urged silently by Loctis, they supported each other and walked heavily away from the alley that had just swallowed lives, heading towards the Leaky Cauldron.

The light at the alley entrance brightened slightly, but the shadows in the three people's hearts had not completely dissipated.

After walking in silence for a while, away from the battlefield, Harry took a deep breath and broke the silence: "I...I have to tell you. Today's trip to Knockturn Alley...was actually for Black."

Hermione and Ron both looked at him abruptly, their eyes filled with astonishment.

“In order to bring Sirius Black to justice as soon as possible,” Harry explained with difficulty, “I’ve decided to act as bait to lure Black out, while Professor Greengrass will take care of him in the shadows…”

"Are you crazy?!" Ron gasped. "Alone? To be bait? That's Sirius Black!"

“The professor said he would keep an eye on things…” Harry’s voice trailed off, tinged with frustration, “but instead of attracting Black, he attracted a few… lunatics.”

He paused, seemingly wanting to change the subject, or simply wanting to confide something to dispel the heavy feeling, so he told the other two about how Aunt Maggie had been poisoned and rendered mute during the summer vacation.

Hermione's attention was indeed drawn, and although her voice was still a little weak, it was filled with curiosity.

"Have you lost your voice?"

“Hmm,” Harry nodded, a complex expression on his face, whether from relief or helplessness, it was hard to tell. “She drank a… uh, a drink mixed with Mr. Lochteis’s… excrement. And then she couldn’t say anything anymore.”

"Excrement...bird poop?!" Ron's eyes widened, momentarily forgetting his fear. "Merlin! Did you order it to do this? Does the Ministry of Magic know?"

Harry neither admitted nor denied it, but simply shrugged: "The Ministry of Magic went there and said she's completely mute and has lost all her teeth. There's no cure, but... they didn't hold me responsible."

"No investigation?!" Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, temporarily suppressing the gloom in her heart. "How is that possible? A Muggle was... poisoned and rendered mute? This violates the Act of Secrecy! How could the Ministry of Magic..."

“I find it strange too,” Harry frowned, “but Minister Fudge came to the Leaky Cauldron to see me, and then… he left. It seems that Aunt Maggie’s muteness isn’t a big deal to them.”

“That’s not fair!” Ron immediately exclaimed, with a hint of indignation and envy. “If I were to poison one of those horrible aunts and make her mute, the Ministry of Magic would definitely throw me into Azkaban right away!”

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming strange, "But before that, they'll have to dig me out of the ground—because Mom must have already killed me!"

Ron made an exaggerated expression as if he was being choked.

The sudden outburst of criticism was like a faint electric current, instantly breaking the heavy atmosphere that enveloped the three of them.

Hermione paused for a moment, then her lips twitched involuntarily, slightly easing the heavy atmosphere from before.

Meanwhile, Flip-over Alley.

Sagres stood quietly at the alley entrance until the three figures had completely disappeared before slowly raising his wand and casting a powerful Confusion Charm on the surrounding area.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, as an invisible force field silently enveloped the area, completely isolating it from all sights and sounds.

Then he casually waved his hand at the spot where the three of them had just stood, and the flat ground immediately began to writhe silently, like a sleeping giant turning over.

The soil and gravel parted to the sides, and three faintly breathing people were lifted up slowly from the ground by an invisible force.

These were the three black wizards who had been swallowed by that giant rock maw: Scarface, Yellow Teeth, and the strongman.

Their bodies were covered in cold, wet mud, their tattered clothes clung to their skin, and their exposed skin was covered with dark purple bruises left by the rough crushing of rocks.

The three men had their eyes closed and their chests heaving very faintly, like three broken dolls just dragged out of a tomb.

Sagres looked down at them, his eyes calm and unwavering, filled with a cold scrutiny, as if selecting experimental subjects.

His gaze finally settled on Scarface.

Without any hesitation, Sagres stepped forward, the tip of his cane gently pressing against Scarface's grime-covered and sweat-drenched forehead.

"Magic Siphon!"

The deep chanting, carrying an undisguised predatory intent, echoed in the quiet alley.

Instantly, a subtle surge of magical energy erupted from the tip of the staff!

"Ugh—ah—!!!"

Scarface, who had just been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Those pupils were unfocused, only filled with bewilderment and horror as they were instantly torn apart by extreme pain.

A horrific scream erupted from deep within his throat, and his body convulsed violently, arching like a shrimp thrown into boiling water.

He felt something inside his body being torn apart by a cold and greedy force.

The pain penetrated to the bone marrow, and the very essence that sustained his existence as a wizard was being stripped away and crushed bit by bit.

Sagles looked at him expressionlessly.

A chilling, bone-chilling stream of magical power, like poisoned blood forcibly extracted, surged back into his palm along the Immortal Flower Wood Wand.

The force brutally pierced through his arm, bringing a tearing, stinging sensation, and finally flowed into his long-dormant core of magic.

The feeling... was like a cold, venomous snake burrowing into the heart, yet it also brought a chilling sense of fullness.

Scarface's screams went from shrill to hoarse, from high-pitched to weak.

His violent convulsions gradually subsided, replaced by uncontrollable spasms.

The magical light in those eyes quickly dimmed, leaving behind a hollow, lifeless grayness.

Scarface's mouth was open, but he could only make a "hoarse" sound, with saliva mixed with dirt dripping from the corner of his mouth.

With a slight flick of his wrist, Sagres removed the wand from Scarface's forehead.

The once fierce black wizard collapsed to the ground with a thud, like a lump of mud that had lost all support, his body still twitching slightly unconsciously.

His magic vanished completely, leaving only an empty shell, as if his soul had been ripped out—he had become a Muggle!

A newly born Muggle, completely abandoned by the magical world.

Sagres closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment.

The magical barrier, which had remained unshaken for many years, now showed a clear, subtle crack.

Magic power... has indeed increased slightly.