HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

Required reading for the course "Advanced Spells Theory and Practice"

1. *Advanced Spells Application* by Miranda Goschak (1897 revised edition)

2. *Introduction to Magic* - Ancient Rune Research Society

3. *Advanced Magic Topology* by Sagres Greengrass (manuscript facsimile)

The pen paused for a moment, then added a small line at the end: "Recommended tools:"

1. Mystic silver plated slide rule

2. Double-sided crystal prism

As he finished the last stroke and put the stopper on the ink bottle, sunlight streamed through the cellar window and shone on his profile.

Sagres unbuttoned his shirt collar and stood in front of the dressing mirror. The Hogwarts professor's black robes automatically adjusted their cut until the silver embroidery on his left breast revealed the Ravenclaw eagle emblem.

This is a privilege he enjoys as an alumnus.

————————————————————

Steam wafted from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, carrying the smell of coal dust. Sagres weaved through the group of freshmen pushing luggage carts, the hem of his black robe brushing against the suitcase of a red-haired boy—a Chocolate Frog card peeking out from the corner of the suitcase, with Dumbledore's portrait winking at him.

"Make way! Make way! This broken box is about to fall apart!"

Ron Weasley's shout rang out at the same time as the sound of the suitcase springs snapping open.

A huge pile of magic books, along with magazines, comic books, newspapers, and even half a bag of leftover Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a lame rat, all flew past Sagrais's boots. Behind him, another boy wearing glasses was trying to repair the cracked box with duct tape.

“Restored to its original state,” Sagres said with a gentle wave of his hand. The scattered items flew back into the case at an even faster speed, while the brass clasps on the case automatically reassembled into a more stable geometric structure.

Ron stared wide-eyed at the box, now restored to its original state. Sagrais asked, "Redhead? You're from the Weasley family?"

Sagres noticed the worn-out wand sticking out of the boy's pocket. There was a fine crack in the ash wood grain, the tip of the wand was slightly shiny, and the core of the wand, made of unicorn tail hair, was worn out and exposed.

Before Ron could answer, he continued, "Even a freshman shouldn't be unable to use the most basic healing spell, let alone a Weasley."

Seeing the two boys standing there speechless, Sagres shook his head and turned to walk towards the back of the train.

The sound of the ship's horn drowned out the two boys' stammering thanks.

As soon as he entered the compartment in the last carriage, ice crystals immediately formed on the door handle—a powerful repelling spell caused all passersby to subconsciously ignore the compartment.

————————————————————

Hermione Granger pushed open the door to the cubicle: "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville lost a toad."

Harry and Ron, who were snacking, looked up and shook their heads at the girl in the cubicle door. Just then, the Daily Prophet was blown open by the wind blowing in from the window, revealing its front page headline: "Merlin Medal Winner Cleared of All Charges! Controversial Genius Returns to Hogwarts"

In the accompanying image, a handsome man in a black robe has a cold, sculpted profile, while the iron fence of Azkaban behind him is distorted into a blurred background in the morning light.

"Merlin's mustache! He's the new professor at Hogwarts!" Ron's nose was almost touching the newspaper, chocolate frog crumbs clinging to the edge of the headline. "It says he used magic to kill five wizards!"

Harry leaned closer to take a closer look, and in the photo, Sagres suddenly looked up at the camera, a glint of silver flashing in his gray eyes. Startled, Harry's hand trembled, and the Chocolate Frog jumped into Ron's pumpkin juice.

“It’s five dark wizards,” Hermione corrected, turning to close the cubicle door as she did so. “I’ve read reports about him, more than one.”

"What is the Order of Merlin?" Harry asked, seizing the opportunity.

Hermione took out her wand and cleaned the stain. "I've read reports from several newspapers. I've heard that the Daily Prophet always likes to deliberately confuse concepts. Because it's very clear in the Ministry of Magic's Execution Department Files that those five were dark wizards who tried to kidnap Muggle senators, and Professor Greengrass was a newcomer to the Auror Command at the time."

“But it says here that he burned the bodies to ashes…” Ron shuddered.

“It wasn’t burning; it was a spell he created himself.” Hermione pointed to a line of small print in the report: “Witnesses said he only used one spell and didn’t even chant a spell.”

"You still haven't told me what the Order of Merlin is!" Harry couldn't help but ask again when the two didn't answer his question.

“How come you don’t even know this?” Hermione looked at him in surprise. “The Order of Merlin is one of the highest honors in the wizarding world, awarded by Wizengamot since the 15th century, symbolizing recognition of a wizard’s personal achievements and contributions.” Hermione waved the newspaper in her hand. “The newspaper said that on the very day he was expelled from Hogwarts, he improved several healing spells, including Episkey, Vulnera Sanentur, and Rennervate. He increased the healing rate of serious injuries by at least 60%, and Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster who expelled him at the time, was criticized by many media outlets, who said he was senile.”

"It sounds like he's sulking with the person who fired him..."

“I’ve heard my father talk about this before, but actually Professor Greengrass didn’t even attend the award ceremony.”

Hermione remained noncommittal, pointing to another passage: "The newspaper said that after being expelled from his fifth year, he chose to study at Durmstrang and graduated two years later. He was then invited to teach at Evamorney, but left a year later. After traveling for a year, he was exceptionally hired by the British Ministry of Magic."

Ron muttered while chewing on his Super Bubble Gum, "So he ended up in Azkaban for murder?"

“It was self-defense!” Hermione’s curly hair trembled with excitement. “The Wizarding Rights Protection Act clearly states that when an Auror encounters danger while on a mission, he may take defensive measures as appropriate.”

The little girl nodded to herself as she said this, "The two pure-blood families are jointly accusing him, it must be because one of their people is among those five dark wizards!"

"So, why did Headmaster Dumbledore expel him in the first place?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

Hermione fell silent for a moment before speaking again: "I don't know either..."

Chapter 3 Sorting Ceremony

The candlelight in Hogwarts Great Hall flickered in the downpour. As Sagles followed Professor McGonagall into the hall, Peeves was hanging upside down above the Ravenclaw table, preparing to pour ink onto the seats.

He and Pipi Ghost exchanged a glance, a faint smile appearing on their lips, but the other person froze, falling to the ground in the aisle like a frozen bat specimen.

Professor Flitwick was wiping the dust off his Sorting Hat, the candlelight illuminating his graying temples, and the blue and silver lapel pins of Ravenclaw gleamed slightly.

"Felius, your cufflinks," Professor McGonagall whispered, startling Mrs. Lorris from her nap.

The diminutive Charms professor clutched his left sleeve, a simple silver cufflink slightly askew. He turned to look at the porch, a sudden, delighted smile spreading across his wrinkled face: "Ah, Sagres!"

“Long time no see, Professor Flitwick.” Sagles strode forward, bowing as he extended his hands to shake hands with his former dean.

In the corner, Snape, who was usually expressionless, looked annoyed.

------------------

Inside the castle, candlelight flickered, and torches cast dancing shadows on the walls. In the distance, the noise of other students in the auditorium drifted over.

The freshmen huddled together nervously, their robes damp with the chill of the night wind, and some were shivering.

Professor McGonagall, dressed in a turquoise robe and with a solemn expression, carried a scroll of parchment (the list of new students) as she strode down the marble stairs, her footsteps crisp and clear, her robes billowing behind her.

As she reached the steps, her sharp gaze swept over the group of new students, and the noise instantly ceased, as if they had been frozen in place.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The opening banquet is about to begin, but before you take your seats to enjoy the delicious food, you must first go through the Sorting Ceremony."

"The Sorting Ceremony will determine which house you will study in for the next few years: the brave Gryffindor, the honest Hufflepuff, the clever Ravenclaw, and the astute Slytherin."

“Each house has a proud and long history, and has produced countless outstanding wizards who have made outstanding contributions to the magical world.”

"During your studies at Hogwarts, your house is like a warm home. Every outstanding performance adds glory to the house and earns you points; while any violation of rules and regulations will tarnish the house and result in point deductions."

"At the end of the year, we will tally the total scores of each college, and the college with the highest score will win the College Cup—an unparalleled honor that every student dreams of."

“Now, everyone…” She waved her wand, a silver light flashing at the tip, signaling the new students to quickly form a neat single line. Then she commanded loudly, “Line up and follow me.”

Before pushing open the massive oak door of the auditorium, she paused slightly, turned to face the pale-faced freshmen, and softened her tone, but still maintained an undeniable authority: "Don't be nervous, the Sorting Ceremony will not harm you in any way."

"You only need to put on the Sorting Hat, and it will keenly sense your qualities and potential, and then loudly announce which house you should belong to."

Her lips curled up slightly, as if trying to inject a touch of warmth into the tense atmosphere, but soon her serious expression returned like solid ice.

Then, she turned around and strode confidently to the front of the group, while the freshmen followed closely behind her with trepidation, stepping into the solemn and mysterious auditorium.

The auditorium was silent, with thousands of eyes fixed on the new students. Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool steadily at the front of the auditorium, on which rested the worn-out, patched, and seemingly unremarkable Sorting Hat.

Then, she quietly stepped aside, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and watched intently as the entire branch process proceeded.

Just as the group of first-year students were looking at each other in confusion, the old hat with a crack on it, which looked extremely ordinary, suddenly seemed to come alive and began to sing.

You might not think I'm pretty.

But never judge a book by its cover.

If you can find a hat smarter than mine,

I can eat myself.

Try it on me and I'll tell you.

Which college should I be assigned to?

……

Come on, put me on! Don't be afraid!

Don't panic!

In my hands (even though I don't even have one hand).

You are absolutely safe.

Because I am a thinking magic hat!

After the Sorting Hat finished singing, Professor McGonagall came forward with the list of new students. "Now we will begin the sorting process. Those whose names I call, please take a seat."

"Hannah Abbott—"

A little witch nervously stepped out of the crowd and sat on a four-legged stool, while Professor McGonagall placed the tattered hat on her head.

Hufflepuff!

The Sorting Hat suddenly shouted from its cracked mouth, and a cheer erupted from the Hufflepuff table.

Seeing this familiar scene, Sagres couldn't help but smile.

His memory also returned to ten years ago, to the scene when he first came to Hogwarts. At that time, Voldemort had just fallen, and the old oak wood and the smell of candle smoke in the Great Hall were no different from now.

Eleven-year-old, clutching his secondhand wand, walked toward the Sorting Hat, his cuffs still stained with coal dust from Knockturn Alley. The moment the hat was on, a Death Eater's son's sneer pierced the Great Hall:

"Mudbloods dare to wield wands?" A sneer came from the Slytherin table, like the sound of a viper slithering across a stone slab.

"A pure-blooded traitor..."

“Dirty bastard…”

"He is not a member of our Greengrass family..."

Then all the sounds disappeared, and the voice of the Sorting Hat appeared in his mind.

"Okay, let me see which college suits you best..."

Ah, you are full of ambition... yet you disdain honor.

You are courageous... yet you despise recklessness.

You are loyal enough and absolutely fair... but you seem unable to tolerate laziness and mediocrity.