HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

"Fluorescent flashing".

The tip of the staff shone with a cold white light, illuminating the scene inside the tree hollow—

A huge black dog was curled up in the corner, its fur wet and clinging to its body, whimpering softly.

Its eyes reflected an amber light in the glow of the wand, alert and weary.

Sagres remained motionless, simply watching it silently.

“Sirius Black,” he said slowly, his voice deep and resolute.

The black dog's pupils suddenly contracted, and its body tensed slightly, as if it were ready to pounce or run away at any moment.

"Come out. Or I'll 'invite' you out."

Sagres's voice echoed clearly through the silent forest.

The tree hollow was deathly silent.

A few seconds later, accompanied by a low, suppressed whimper, a large black dog slowly emerged from the shadows.

The black dog did not run away immediately, nor did it intend to attack. It simply stood at the entrance of the cave, letting out a threatening growl, staring intently at Sagres, as if assessing the other's intentions and strength.

Sagres stared at it expressionlessly, the wand not trembling at all.

"Stop with this trick."

His voice was icy, as if he were issuing an ultimatum.

"Change back."

"Waaaaah—!"

The big black dog lowered its body and let out a short growl.

Immediately afterwards, it transformed into a blurry black shadow and suddenly shot out from the side of Sagres, attempting to break through using the complex environment of the woodland.

But Sagles did not give him the chance.

"His true colors are revealed!"

A powerful surge of magical energy swept past in an instant, and the agile black dog immediately fell to the ground.

Its body began to twist and expand in mid-air, transforming in the blink of an eye into a tall, thin man in tattered clothes, before crashing miserably onto the mud and decaying leaves.

Sirius, who had been forcibly removed from his Animagus form, staggered against the entrance of the tree hole, coughing violently.

The continuous escape, the harsh living conditions, and this sudden and powerful magical counterattack almost drained him of his last bit of strength.

He can't escape!

He didn't want to run away anymore!

He struggled, supporting his upper body with trembling arms, and leaned against the cold tree roots.

Her disheveled black hair fell down like withered grass, but it couldn't hide her pale and haggard face.

And in those deep-set eye sockets, a pair of eyes burned with an almost insane flame.

It contained a mixture of pain, deep-seated hatred, and despair on the verge of collapse.

He stared intently at Sagres, his voice hoarse:

"Kill me... or throw me into the Dementors' clutches..."

He forced a bleak smile, his voice filled with barely suppressed despair, "But before that... listen to me! You must listen to me!"

Sagles looked down at him and calmly nodded:

"I'm listening."

This statement was like opening a floodgate.

Sirius, who had finally managed to stand up straight, suddenly felt all his strength drained away, and leaned heavily back against the rough tree roots. A hint of madness and urgency flashed in his bloodshot eyes.

"I did not betray James and Lily!"

He whispered, his voice echoing through the Forbidden Forest, “It’s Peter—Peter Pettigrew! He’s the Secret Service replaced! He’s alive! He’s the traitor, he’s an Animagus!”

Sagles stared at the other man expressionlessly and without moving.

"continue."

Sirius Black was breathing heavily, his fingers trembling as he pulled a crumpled newspaper from his pocket—a clipping from the Daily Prophet, featuring a picture of the Weasleys traveling in Egypt, with a harmless fat rat perched on Ron's shoulder.

“Look…look at its front paw!” Sirius’s voice was hoarse. “It’s missing a toe, isn’t it? That’s what he deliberately left behind when he used the Explosive Charm to blow up the whole street to escape when I was chasing him.”

His fingers trembled violently, almost piercing the fragile clipping.

Sagles's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, but there was little change in his expression.

"You didn't catch Peter Pettigrew?" Sagres pressed calmly. "What about the bloodstains and hair on Ron Weasley's bed?"

"That was him using the same old trick again!" Sirius's voice was filled with resentment and bitterness. "Just like twelve years ago, he faked his death to escape and deceived everyone!"

Sagles nodded; it was just as he had guessed, but now there was a more pressing problem.

"Your foolishness and arrogance have alerted the enemy. Now, how do you plan to catch this cunning rat?"

"I……"

Sirius opened his mouth, but a surge of anger caught in his throat, leaving him speechless for a moment.

This is indeed a rather tricky problem; it's too easy for rats to hide.

“Then let me tell you,” said Sagrais.

Just then—

"Shh... Crack..."

The crisp sound of dead branches snapping underfoot and the faint shouts of people pierced the silence of the forest, growing louder as they approached.

It was Dumbledore and the professors.

They had just received a message from Lochtis and were rushing over!

Sirius's face turned deathly pale instantly, like a frightened trapped beast struggling to get up again.

Sagres shook his head at him.

"Don't move," he said calmly. "In order for the truth to come out... I will give you a chance."

"What opportunity?" Sirius asked nervously, "Can I kill that bastard with my own hands?"

“It’s not impossible,” Sagles replied crisply, “but we have to catch him first.”

“But they’ll probably kill me,” Sirius said, his voice lowering as he looked at the approaching group of wizards, “or hand me over to the Dementors…”

Sagrass turned his gaze to the arriving crowd and said calmly, "Don't worry, no one can touch a hair on your head without my permission."

Sirius raised his head, and a faint flame of hope flickered in his deep-set eyes.

"What...what's your name?" He asked instinctively, his dry throat bobbing.

Sagrass turned his head slightly, glanced at him with his gray eyes, and then casually replied, "Sagrass."

“Thank you, Sagres!” Sirius murmured, his voice a mixture of gratitude and vulnerability. “Thank you… for believing in me.”

“Heh.” Sagres let out a low, enigmatic laugh, his gaze returning to the crowd rushing towards him. “I only trust myself.”

The moment he finished speaking, all the threads of "mind control" quietly disappeared, and the professors rushed to the edge of the forest clearing.

"He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!"

A blinding beam of cursed light burst forth from the tip of Snape's staff, carrying his burning hatred and ruthless impatience, and arrived before Black in the blink of an eye.

Sagres raised his wand and pointed it out, instantly extinguishing the thick red light.

He turned around to face the surging crowd. His upright figure stood like an insurmountable dam, forcefully blocking the tide of their anger.

"Let him finish speaking!"

His calm voice echoed through the gunpowder-filled forest clearing, drowning out all the noise.

Chapter 218: Lure the snake out of its hole

Dumbledore's deep blue eyes gazed at Sacramento, then looked past him at the gaunt Sirius Black, and raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down.

Snape let out a hateful snort, his wand poised to strike.

Under the unseen protection of Sagres, Sirius seemed to have grasped at the last straw, and once again recounted Peter's betrayal, the switch of the Secret Service, and the other party's Animagus identity.

"Absurd!"

Snape was the first to erupt, his face filled with deep-seated hatred and utter contempt. "Black, do you think you can wash away your sins by fabricating a story that no one can prove and slandering others? Peter Petillo stopped you, and you blew him to pieces. That's an undeniable fact."

“You’re just as stupid as you were in school, Severus,” Sirius said disdainfully.

"you--!"

Snape's rage reached its peak. He swung his wand sharply, his voice filled with cruelty, "Give me a reason, and I swear I won't hold back!"

His face contorted, revealing gleaming white teeth. "How about we hand you over directly to those wandering Dementors outside? Let you slowly rot under their 'sweet kisses' and become a real walking corpse?"

“Severus,” Dumbledore finally spoke.

Snape turned sharply to Dumbledore, his chest heaving: "Dumbledore, you don't believe this traitor's ravings, do you?"

The Potions professor's voice was shrill with anger, "He's stalling for time, weaving lies, looking for a chance to escape!"

Sagres watched Snape's outburst with cold indifference, and only spoke calmly after Snape had finished speaking:

“Anger and hatred cannot cloud the truth, Professor Snape. Since Black claims innocence, and you are so certain of his guilt… why not verify it in the most direct way?”

His gaze swept over Dumbledore and the other professors present:

"Truth serum will make even the most cunning criminals reveal their innermost thoughts. If they lie, their lies will have nowhere to hide; and if they are telling the truth..."

Sargeras paused, his gaze sweeping over Sirius and Snape, "...So that means the real traitor is still at large."

The scene instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Truth serum is indeed the most effective way to break a deadlock.