HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

"All students! Return to your dormitories immediately! Prefect, take responsibility! No one is to discuss this matter again!"

Amid the students' commotion and the prefects' urging, the crowd began to move reluctantly, but the gazes directed at Lupin did not diminish.

The storm arrived as expected over the next few days.

Despite Headmaster Dumbledore's attempt to quell the situation with all his prestige, insisting that Professor Lupin's werewolf identity was under magical control and posed no threat to the students, owl letters continued to flood into the Headmaster's office.

A strongly worded letter of interrogation, a letter filled with panic and pleading...

The pressure from parents is immense and unanimous: they must not allow a werewolf, no matter how gentle or talented, to remain with their children.

Chapter 262 A New Journey

The air seemed to freeze in the faculty and staff lounge.

The flames in the fireplace burned quietly, but could not dispel the heaviness that permeated the room.

Dumbledore and the professors sat silently on the sofa, no one speaking, as if each of them was processing a silent defeat on their own.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Sagles walked in.

Without exchanging pleasantries, he walked straight to Dumbledore, his grey eyes a deep, calm sea.

“Professor Dumbledore,” Sagres said bluntly, “I already know about the riot caused by Peeves. Things didn’t have to get to the worst.”

Dumbledore nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"Remus Lupin is no longer a werewolf in the traditional sense."

"He is now a healer, a living proof of magical progress," Sagres said calmly. "This news can be made public to the magical world."

As for the trouble that follows? That doesn't matter.

His plan to infiltrate the werewolf pack might be thwarted? It wouldn't be a big deal.

A brief silence fell over the lounge, and finally, Dumbledore slowly shook his head.

His deep gaze swept past Sageres, as if he could already see this "perfect solution" struggling in the mire of reality.

“Sagres, it’s not that I’m unwilling to believe you or Remus,” the old man’s voice was filled with deep weariness, “but have you considered that ‘going public’ means that you and Remus will be placed under the endless scrutiny of the magical world?”

“They will demand verification, they will demand to observe your ‘healing methods,’” Snape said coldly. “They will examine every step of your process as if you were dissecting a magical creature they’ve never seen before. Are you prepared for endless questioning, doubt, and even slander? If you offer even the slightest refusal, they will not hesitate to declare it to be dark magic, a dangerous and forbidden art.”

Professor Flitwick added in a shrill voice, “Oh! And those pure-blood families! They probably won’t accept a ‘cured werewolf’ near their child! They’ll say it’s not absolutely safe, that it’s just a temporary illusion!”

“More importantly,” Dumbledore concluded, his voice heavy with weariness, “that once panic is ignited, it is very difficult to extinguish with reason. People are afraid of the label ‘werewolf’ itself, of the prejudice ingrained in their blood, rather than the specific truth. For most of them, there is no line between ‘being cursed’ and ‘still being a monster,’ because they will ignore all evidence of being ‘cured.’”

Sagras frowned, a hint of confusion and impatience flashing across his face: "If you knew me well enough, you would know that none of this is a problem for me. Because as long as we are right, we should not bow to anyone. And the most important fact is—Lupin is an excellent professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and we all know that."

“Yes, of course I know.” Dumbledore nodded. “But it was Remus’s own choice.”

Sagles fell silent.

At this moment, all his logic and power crashed into a wall called "personal will," and could not advance even an inch further.

Lupin's choice resulted in the least harmful outcome for Hogwarts, for Sacramento, and for everyone else.

Except for himself.

……

The moonlight, like a layer of cold silver gauze, covered the quiet corridors of Hogwarts Castle.

Remus Lupin finished packing up the last few books in his office. The worn-out suitcase stood quietly at the foot of the table, as if it too was infected by its owner's despondency.

The knocking was very soft, almost drowned out by the howling wind outside the window.

Lupin opened the door, and standing outside was Sagles, his grey eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the dim light.

“I heard you’re leaving.” Sagres’ voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

Lupin forced a smile, a smile tinged with his usual weariness and a hint of barely perceptible bitterness.

“Yes, I suppose… news always travels very fast.” He stepped aside to let Sagles in. “You know, because of my… problems.”

“Your ‘problem’ is solved,” he told Lupin. “You can tell everyone the truth: none of this should have happened.”

Lupin simply shook his head calmly.

He knew better than anyone that some "problems" could never be solved, and those were the fears and prejudices deeply rooted in people's hearts.

He is no longer a werewolf, but his werewolf identity will stay with him for the rest of his life.

He didn't want Headmaster Dumbledore to be at odds with the world, nor did he want to cause trouble for Sacramento.

Sagles's gaze swept over the almost empty bookshelves and desks before getting straight to the point: "Your departure is a loss for the school, especially for the students who need your guidance."

Lupin shook his head, his voice soft: "This is the best option."

Sagles nodded. "I respect your choice."

He then changed the subject, saying, "But the knowledge you teach should not be lost."

"You have put a lot of effort into building your memory mirror, a projection capable of teaching independently. It is still missing the most crucial part—your unique, in-depth understanding and on-the-spot judgment regarding Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Lupin was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting the other party to bring this up.

Sagles continued, “If you wish, before you leave, you can fully infuse that mirror with your core knowledge and what you most want to pass on to your students. In this way, even if you yourself cannot remain in the castle, your knowledge and ideas can still continue through it, allowing you to do what you were unable to accomplish.”

Lupin took a deep breath, turned around, and although there was still weariness in his eyes, there was a glimmer of determination.

“What should I do?” he asked.

Sagres nodded slightly, and the wand silently slid into his hand.

"Think about what you most want to teach them. Not just spells, but also the courage, wisdom, and composure in the face of fear that you hope they will have."

The tip of the wand glowed softly as it was slowly touched Lupin's temple.

A wisp of silvery memory thread was slowly drawn out, and Sagres guided this thread of light, injecting it into a crystal container that had been prepared beforehand on the table.

“I will help you infuse it into the Duel Stone.” Sargeras put away his wand. “The castle will remember you, in a more eternal way.”

Lu Ping felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

He looked at the crystal container and it was as if he saw another version of himself sleeping inside it.

“Thank you, Sagres,” he said softly. “This is more precious than any farewell gift.”

“Knowledge should not be interrupted by prejudice and fear,” Sagles replied calmly. “Have a safe journey, Remus. Hogwarts is with you.”

The next morning, before dawn and with the morning mist shrouding Black Lake, Remus Lupin quietly packed all his personal belongings from his office into an old suitcase.

He changed out of his professor's robe and into his worn-out Muggle suit.

He did not hold any farewell ceremony, but simply had a brief and silent meeting with Dumbledore at the door of the headmaster's office.

The old man's gaze was complicated, but in the end he just sighed heavily.

“You don’t have to do that, Remus.”

Dumbledore's voice was as gentle as ever, but it sounded somewhat heavy at this moment.

“I have to do this, Principal.”

Lupin's voice was soft, "I've already caused too much trouble."

He gently placed his resignation letter on Dumbledore's desk. The portraits of the past headmasters were all silently watching him, some with sympathy, others looking away.

Lupin picked up his suitcase and walked through those familiar yet unfamiliar corridors one last time.

The castle gates slowly closed behind him, separating him from that brief but beautiful "normal" life.

He stood on the threshold of Hogwarts, took a deep breath of the crisp, cool air, and looked out at the future shrouded in mist.

But this time he was not empty-handed; his fingers gripped the bronze feather badge tightly in his pocket.

One mission has ended, but another is just beginning.

Chapter 263 The End of Peeves

The corridors of Hogwarts are no longer safe; they have become a dark domain where Peeves roam freely.

His revenge spread like a plague, and every moment he returned to the castle became his exclusive celebration.

The paint bucket was poured precisely onto the head of the class monitor who was hurrying along.

The area where the steps disappeared was maliciously expanded.

The corridor is always covered in sticky, mushy mud.

The armored figures were stuffed with captured goblins, making a clanging noise all night long.

Except for Blood Man Barrow, all the ghosts were constantly harassed by Peeves with chalk stubs.

The young wizards complained bitterly, and Filch was furious.

Peeves's sharp, maniacal laughter echoed in every corner of the castle, like a mental patient who had just escaped from a hospital.

Sagres stumbled upon the farce in a secluded corridor.

Peeves was floating in mid-air, giving his "final touches" to a portrait of a sleeping nun.

He was holding a piece of blue cheese he had stolen from the kitchen, and he was gleefully smearing it on the canvas. The pungent, sour smell mixed with his self-composed swearing rhymes echoed down the corridor.

Sagres didn't say anything; he silently raised his wand.

A dark red energy storm erupted instantly, coiling around Pipi Ghost's legs like a venomous snake.

The laughter of the mischievous Pikachu stopped abruptly, and it immediately began to struggle frantically, its dark, wicked little eyes filled with terror as it darted around.

Sagrass stepped forward slowly, quietly observing the mischievous sprite imprisoned by magic.

As soon as Peeves saw Sagras, his pointed mouth spewed out a string of filthy and vicious curses and insults at an astonishing speed.

It contains a great deal of vulgar speculation and insults about the Sargeles family and his own origins.

"...I'm going to shove your stinky face, which grew out of a sewer, into the troll's—"

The curses abruptly stopped when Sagres pulled out a familiar crystal bottle.