HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

“Our defenses are very strong, but the other side was clearly prepared.”

Swift added, "It must have used some kind of combined explosive spell, concentrating the power on one point and forcibly tearing apart our defenses."

“How did they find the safe house?” Sagres asked.

“We didn’t have time to figure out how they found the place,” Stork said calmly. “There were a lot of people on the other side, so we had no choice but to retreat. But we didn’t expect that they had set up anti-phantom teleportation devices in advance, so we could only leave with our badges.”

"The hummingbird and the robin immediately erected the second layer of defense, buying everyone time to activate the door key," the nightingale added.

"And then you split up and left?" Sagres asked again.

“No.” Thunderbird shook its head.

Under Sagrais's questioning gaze, Red Falcon whispered, "It was me... I summoned Stinfalis..."

“Stinfalis?” Sagres repeated the unfamiliar name, looking at the crowd with a puzzled expression.

"It's the flesh and blood creation inside the badge; Stinfalis is the name I gave him." A hint of pride appeared on Red Falcon's face.

Sagres watched the undisguised smugness on the falcon's face, a hint of helplessness flashing in his gray eyes.

He turned to the others and continued to press, "So, what happened after this 'Stinfalis' appeared?"

"It's practically a living city wall!"

Ms. Snowow's voice was filled with barely suppressed amazement, "Those dark magic spells, instead of causing any harm, actually made it grow even bigger."

The nightingale nodded slightly in agreement: "Indeed. The moment those spells struck it, its size expanded at a visible speed. And then..."

"Then it stretched out a lot of tentacles," the robin finally couldn't hold back any longer, excitedly taking over, "like a predatory octopus, it wrapped the attackers up one by one. The whole process was incredibly fast, probably... less than two seconds?"

The swift added, "Moreover, after it had devoured all the attackers, it automatically retracted into the badge."

Sagres nodded thoughtfully and took out the emblem of the Bronze Feather from his pocket.

With a flash of dark red light, a writhing mass of flesh appeared in the center of the safe house.

Sagles looked at the other person and asked with interest, "I heard they gave themselves a name?"

Flesh and blood slowly coalesced into shape, emitting a low, indistinct voice: "Stinfalis...that's what they call me."

Sagres keenly sensed the change in the other party—although its tone had become languid, its words revealed a rationality far beyond what it had shown before.

“You protected my companion,” Sagres said, staring directly at the writhing mass of flesh. “I will never forget that help.”

Stinfalis trembled slightly, as if considering how to respond.

After a long silence, it slowly said, "This is... my duty."

After a brief reply, it fell silent again.

Sagres gazed at the now silent creature of flesh and blood, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

“Stinfalis, if you knew that a person would commit countless crimes in the future, would you choose to end his life prematurely?”

The flesh and blood creatures slowly writhed, as if seriously contemplating the question.

After a moment, it gave a deep, affirmative answer: "Yes."

Sagras nodded slightly, his tone calm: "I won't."

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Sagrais continued, "Then tell me, what do you want now?"

Stinfalis twitched slightly, its tentacles unconsciously curling and stretching.

After a long silence, it finally gave its answer: "Freedom."

Everyone looked at Sagles, waiting for his response.

“No problem,” Sagres agreed quite readily.

This unexpected reply left everyone present looking at each other in bewilderment, and even Nightingale unconsciously sat up straight.

“However,” Sagres changed the subject, “this freedom comes with conditions. You cannot consume life at will unless you have my permission or it is in self-defense. Also, you must attend every gathering of the Bronze Feathers from now on.”

He leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming formal and serious: "I must tell you in advance that your every move will be under my watchful eye."

Stinfalis was also stunned, his tentacles twitching uneasily in the air.

It took a long time for it to finally calm down.

"I agree."

Chapter 430 The Somber Atmosphere of Malfoy Manor

Before he could finish speaking, Red Falcon excitedly pulled out the empty chair next to him and patted the seat enthusiastically: "Stinfalis, you'll sit next to me from now on!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the mass of flesh slowly wriggled towards the chair.

Unexpectedly, it did not sit down, but suddenly opened a gap and instantly swallowed the entire chair.

The next second, the perfectly intact chair was "spit out" from behind it and gently landed back on the ground.

“It seems it doesn’t need a chair,” Nightingale said with a soft laugh.

The kestrel, however, didn't care at all. Instead, it moved even closer to the writhing mass of flesh with greater excitement: "We can go on adventures together in the future! By the way, can you fly?"

Stinfalis was silent for a moment, then suddenly two slits split open on his back, and a pair of blood-red membranous wings slowly unfolded.

"can."

It answered briefly, its wings flapping gently, creating a strong gust of air.

"awesome!"

The falcon was so excited it almost jumped for joy. "Now we don't even need the Shadow Step technique! Just imagine, sitting on a flying lump of meat, how cool would that be!"

Stinfalis seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the kestrel's enthusiasm; his newly grown wings uneasily folded and unfolded, ultimately choosing to remain half-open, like an eerie cloak hanging behind him.

Just as the kestrel was still basking in the excitement of having a "flying partner," Sagles gently tapped the table, bringing the conversation back on track.

"Regarding that attack," his voice drew everyone's attention back, "besides their considerable strength and excellent teamwork, do you have any other clues about the attackers themselves? For example... were they human, or fairies?"

This question made everyone present think.

“The situation was too urgent,” Robin recalled, her tone tinged with frustration. “The changes in light were drastic, and after the explosion, smoke and dust filled the air, so I couldn’t see what it looked like.”

“I could sense that their magical fluctuations were very chaotic,” the hummingbird added, “but I didn’t have time to discern any specific characteristics.”

A deep voice came from beside the falcon:

"There are fairies and wizards."

Stinfallis suddenly spoke.

The mass of flesh twitched slightly, as if recalling the details of that time.

"Six fairies and seven wizards."

It added, "Fairies' magic is different from wizards', and they are not tall."

A sharp glint flashed in Sagrais's grey eyes as he nodded thoughtfully. "Fairies and wizards working together... that's a noteworthy development."

He didn't delve deeper into the matter, but everyone could see that he had firmly memorized the information.

Afterwards, the atmosphere at the gathering gradually relaxed.

Snowowl complained about the recent soaring prices of magical materials, while Thunderbird shared his new discoveries on improving the stability of wand cores.

The falcon remained enthusiastic in trying to teach Stinfarlis to recognize several basic omens in the crystal ball, while the lump of flesh occasionally responded with a monosyllabic word or two, seemingly not possessing any talent for divination.

During their conversation, they discussed the issue of Sagres returning to the past, and it wasn't until nightfall that everyone gradually got up to say goodbye.

……

The following afternoon, after finishing his class, Sagres set off for Malfoy Estate.

When he appeared on the meticulously manicured lawn, the air was filled not only with the fragrance of the yew hedges, but also with a subtle tension.

The manor gates slid open silently as he approached, and Lucius Malfoy was already standing in the foyer, dressed in an impeccably dark green robe, but his face was paler than usual.

Narcissa stood half a step to his side, her posture still elegant, but her tightly pursed lips and slightly rapid breathing indicated that her heart was not as calm as it appeared.

“Professor Greengrass,” Lucius said, trying to remain calm, but his voice still carried a hint of tension, “it is…an unexpected honor.”

"I hope I haven't disturbed your leisurely afternoon."

"Of course not, please come in."

Narcissa responded quickly, gesturing for a young house-elf to take the non-existent luggage.

Sagres stepped into the magnificent yet desolate foyer, his grey eyes calmly sweeping over the surroundings.

He could clearly sense that the manor's protective magic had been strengthened to an almost obsessive degree, with layers upon layers of incantation auras that felt like taut strings to his senses.

Narcissa's gaze swept quickly behind Sagrais, as if to check if there were any other people.

They moved into the living room, where an awkward and uneasy atmosphere filled the air.

Instead of remaining calm and collected as usual, Lucius eagerly cut to the heart of the matter.

“You must have heard,” Lucius said in a lower voice, his voice tinged with barely concealed worry, “about Azkaban… and that name has been brought up again.”

“I already know.” Sagres sat down in a velvet armchair, relaxed, a stark contrast to Lucius’s tension.

Lucius took a deep breath: "He's back, and... he's rescued his most loyal, and also most fanatical, followers. The Lestrange brothers, and Bellatrix..."

Narcissa's body trembled when he said the name.

“...They came out. They knew...they knew I hadn't answered the call, and..."

And all the Death Eaters who responded to the summons afterward were slaughtered by you, wiped out completely—Lucius didn't say these words aloud, but fear was written all over his face.

Voldemort would never forgive betrayal, and Lucius's current actions, in the Dark Lord's eyes, are undoubtedly the most thorough betrayal.

“I now personally inspect the estate's defenses three times a day,” Lucius said, his tone tinged with a hint of embarrassed embarrassment. “I even wake up frequently at night… I’m worried…”

He feared retaliation from the Dark Lord or his henchmen, the destruction of the Malfoy family's century-old legacy, and even more so, the safety of his only son, Draco.

Sagres listened quietly until Lucius finished speaking before slowly saying, "Relax, Lucius. Fear solves nothing."

His voice wasn't loud, but it gradually calmed the Malfoys down.

"You chose the right side back then, and that wisdom deserves to be rewarded."