HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

Chapter 475 The Foundation of Pureblood Families

The entire process of breaking the curse in Sargeras was silent. About a minute later, the ferocious magic in the vault was completely "frozen".

The door opened fully, and a cold wind mixed with metal and dust rushed in.

The vault was more spacious than expected, with mountains of Galleons, various gems, antique furniture, and black magic artifacts gleaming alluringly in the torchlight.

Sagres quickly scanned the area and directed the two goblins to count the valuables in the vault one by one.

Beside a pile of seemingly carelessly discarded gold artifacts, he sensed something unusual.

It was a dark magic fluctuation that was being tried to conceal, yet still revealed an evil aura.

He waved his wand, and an invisible force gently lifted a golden goblet from the clutter, floating it to his face.

The cup has a simple yet magnificent shape and exquisite craftsmanship; even when covered in dust, its brilliance cannot be concealed.

The cup is engraved with an exquisite badger emblem, surrounded by lifelike ears of wheat and vines.

However, a layer of cold, dark magic coiled around it like a venomous snake, distorting its original warm glow and giving off an unsettling sense of evil.

Sagres examined the cup carefully, a trace of magic swirling around his fingertips as he gently touched the rim, then a look of understanding appeared on his face.

"Do you recognize this?" Sagras asked without turning his head, his voice echoing clearly in the silent vault.

The two fairies had already stopped what they were doing, their four eyes fixed intently on the golden cup.

Upon hearing Sagles's question, they instinctively wanted to shake their heads.

But Sagles had already turned around and looked at them calmly.

"Ok?"

He looked at the two fairies with a half-smile, "You really don't recognize them?"

The two fairies immediately tensed up.

"It looks...it looks like the Hufflepuff's Golden Cup!" Ropnec exclaimed, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "One of the legendary relics, capable of bringing abundance and..."

"Yes."

Sagres nodded. He had been somewhat unsure, but he did indeed sense the powerful, inexhaustible magic emanating from this evil cup.

This closely matches the legendary Hufflepuff's golden cup, and with the badger-shaped relief and herbs and wheat ears on the cup, he was almost certain it was the real thing.

Ignoring the demons' greedy yet fearful gazes, he took out a specially made lead box from his pocket and carefully sealed and stored the golden cup away.

"Continue counting. Next vault."

Over the next few hours, Sagres moved between several vaults marked as high-risk.

Each time, he skillfully circumvented those insidious personal defenses, reaping rewards far exceeding mere monetary gains.

In a vault that exuded a faint herbal scent, he discovered a simple white jade cauldron.

The vessel is engraved with ancient healing runes and entwined ivy patterns.

“The Cauldron of Mungo’s Mercy,” Sargeras ran his fingertips over the runes, feeling the powerful healing magic within them, “the treasure of the founder of St. Mungo. It’s actually ended up here.”

This was a completely unexpected delight; the Christmas gift for the hummingbird has been secured, and in a sense, it's a return to its rightful owner.

The other vault was filled with the scorching smell of metal.

On the stone platform in the center of the vault, lay quietly a dark silver metal ingot, no bigger than a fist, yet seemingly imbued with the light of countless stars and furnace fire.

It constantly radiates faint starlight to the surroundings, as if silently calling out to something.

When the two fairies saw it, their breathing became heavy, the greed in their eyes almost materialized into a green light, and their fingers twitched involuntarily.

"The Heart of Ragnark's Forge..."

The veteran exorcist's voice was hoarse, filled with immense longing, "The work of the greatest craftsman king in fairy history... It can forge the most perfect silverware in the world, imbuing creations with soul... It should belong to the fairies!"

Sagrass merely glanced at them, an expression that instantly snapped the two goblins back to reality, causing them to hurriedly lower their heads.

“I don’t care at all who it originally belonged to.”

"All I know is that it's in my vault now, so its ownership is clear," Sagres said casually.

"Sir! Mr. Greengrass!"

Lopnek said urgently, a humble smile plastered on his face, “We…we know, of course. It’s just…such a sacred object is truly incapable of realizing its full value if left in the hands of wizards. Gringotts, or rather the entire goblin race, is willing to pay any price to exchange for it!”

“Any cost?” Sagres asked again.

"Any price!" the fairy replied immediately.

As Sargeras put away the "Heart of the Forge," he slowly said, "I can trade with you. But I must make it clear beforehand, I don't want Galon."

"No gold?" The two fairies were somewhat puzzled. "How about gemstones?"

Seeing the fairies' eyes suddenly light up with apprehension, Sagrais replied with a half-smile, "That depends on what kind of gems you're prepared to offer to match the value of this 'fairy relic'..."

"What do you want? You can just say so," the fairy asked eagerly.

What do I want?

Sagres repeated the question in a low voice, then shook his head. "I don't know, maybe it's a tower?"

The fairy looked completely bewildered. "Tower? What tower?"

Sagrass smiled, ignoring the other's eager questioning, "Let's talk about it later, I haven't thought it through yet."

As the inventory continued, they discovered an amethyst containing a miniature lightning storm inside another vault, as well as a complex and intricately structured astrolabe.

Sagles recognized it as Mrs. Ravenclaw's planetarium because it had two letters engraved on the chart: RoR.

This item was quite famous at Hogwarts in the past, belonging to the same type of school asset as the Book of Admission and the Pen of Guidance.

Legend has it that it can control the unpredictable moving staircases of Hogwarts Castle.

However, in "Hogwarts: A History of the School," it was stolen many years ago.

Sagrais suspected that one of the Hogwarts headmasters took it away from the castle and kept it for himself, and then it ended up in the hands of other pure-blood families.

These unexpected discoveries secretly delighted Sagrais, for they were not simply antiques or magical artifacts, but fragments of the history and power of the magical world, testaments to legend.

Pure-blood families possess incredibly rich heritage, and ordinary wizarding families might never witness even one of these treasures in their entire lives.

Under the intense, yet desperately concealed gazes of the two fairies, Sagres silently and carefully put away several precious treasures, quickly planning their future whereabouts and uses in his mind.

He had seen the fairies' longing for the "Heart of the Forge".

This is not a bad thing.

An item they desperately want but cannot forcibly take might become an important bargaining chip for a deeper dialogue with Gringotts and even the entire goblin race in the future.

Chapter 476 The Relics of the Four Giants

When Sargeras returned to Hogwarts, dusk had already fallen.

The castle corridors were filled with the aroma of dinner and the clamor of students returning home, but this warm, everyday scene could not dispel the doubts in Sagres's mind.

He took the lead box containing the golden cup, along with the Slytherin locket he had always kept safe, and went straight to the headmaster's office instead of returning to his own.

The stone beasts silently made way, and the spiral staircase turned quietly.

Dumbledore seemed to be waiting for him again; the door was ajar, and warm light and the silvery glow of the Pensieve shone through.

You look preoccupied.

Dumbledore looked up from the Pensieve and glanced at the lead box in Sagres's hand, keenly catching the suspicion in his eyes.

"Is something the matter? I heard you went to Gringotts."

Dumbledore said, gesturing for him to sit down, and the silver pot automatically filled both of them with steaming hot honey tea.

The old man's gaze fell on the unassuming lead box in Sagrais's hand, and he said with a smile, "This doesn't contain Galon, does it?"

Sagres placed the lead box on the table, then took out the pendant box and placed it next to it.

“I found this in Bellatrix’s vault—”

He opened the lead box, revealing the golden cup shrouded in darkness.

"—Hufflepuff's Golden Cup. Like the Slytherin Locket, it was made into a Horcrux."

Dumbledore's smile vanished. He approached the desk, examining it closely, his blue eyes reflecting the distorted luster of the golden cup.

After a long silence, he let out a heavy sigh: "Another one... It seems that Tom's obsession with immortality has indeed reached a terminal stage. To desecrate the founder's relics, which bear witness to his broken soul, is quite in line with his character and quirks."

That's exactly why.

Sagres interjected with certainty, "This gave me an idea: since he chose the relics of Slytherin and Hufflepuff, it is very likely that the relics of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor also met the same fate."

"That is indeed a possibility."

Dumbledore's expression turned serious. He slowly sat down behind the table, his fingers interlaced.

"Tom is extremely obsessed with pure-bloods, fascinated by immortality, and has a twisted possessiveness and desire to conquer Hogwarts. What could satisfy this psychology more than having his fragmented soul reside in the relics of the founders, which symbolize the school's origins and power?"

Silence fell over the office, broken only by the soft hum of the silverware.

"The Ravenclaw tiara... has been missing for a long time. It is said to grant the wearer wisdom, but its whereabouts are a mystery, even Lady Grey is tight-lipped about it. As for the Gryffindor sword..."

He glanced at the bookshelf, his gaze lingering for a moment on the Sorting Hat. "It's quite special. It's said to only appear before wizards who truly possess Gryffindor qualities, and it absorbs substances that strengthen it. It has always been well-preserved, and I don't think it has been corrupted."

“It’s not just the crown and the sword,” Sagrais said. “I think we need to thoroughly investigate all items related to the founding of Hogwarts that have powerful magic or symbolic significance. For example, the Sorting Hat, which is a joint creation of the four great masters, has a long history and unique magic. The Pen of Admission and the Book of Admission—these two items determine who gets into Hogwarts, and are also potential targets.”

Dumbledore fell into deep thought. The office was silent except for the occasional rustling sound of Fawkes preening his feathers.

After a long while, Dumbledore stood up and walked to the gilded shelf in the corner of the room, where the worn-out, patched Sorting Hat was quietly placed.

“Suspicion is necessary, even when it comes to our closest old friends,” Dumbledore said softly, taking off his Sorting Hat.

The hat seemed to twist in his hand, as if he had been startled awake from a dream.

"Albus?"

A slightly sleepy and somewhat disgruntled old voice came from inside the hat, "Why did you take me off the shelf? Is it already a new year? Sorting season is here so soon?"