HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

“The duel agreement is between you two,” Sagrais said calmly, his voice not loud but enough to temporarily quell the argument. “Perhaps Professor Lumina can be a witness; she has always been very interested in such matters. As for the winner…”

His gaze lingered for a moment between the confident Malfoy and the slightly uneasy Harry.

"Mr. Malfoy's diligence deserves recognition..."

He paused, "But the real result will only be revealed the moment you raise your wands."

He didn't favor either side, nor did he deny anyone's efforts, but his words slightly dampened Malfoy's strong confidence.

“Alright, you can go and take care of your appointments now.” Sagres gestured for them to leave. “I still have some things to attend to.”

"What is it, Professor Greengrass?" Hermione couldn't help but ask curiously.

Sagraeth smiled smugly. "First, I need to deduct ten points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin."

"what?"

"what?"

Why?

The five people present spoke almost in unison, their faces filled with astonishment and confusion.

“The reason is obvious,” Sagres said gently and matter-of-factly. “You were planning an unauthorized private duel, which violated school rules, and I caught you red-handed.”

Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something, but Ron quickly tugged at her wizard robe sleeve. "Alright, Hermione, look on the bright side... at least the professor didn't deduct points per person."

Hermione glanced at Ron, then swallowed her words, letting out a helpless sigh.

"Alright, Professor!"

Malfoy seemed a little disappointed by Sagres's refusal, but he maintained his composure, nodded politely, and turned to leave with Goyle.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione also bid farewell to Sagrais.

Hermione glanced curiously at Sagrais as he stood there surveying his surroundings, seemingly wanting to ask something, but Ron pulled her away to chase after Harry.

Sagres watched their figures disappear into the shadows and dappled light of the castle, and in the distance, Malfoy's declaration, "This time I'll show you what's what," and Ron's defiant rebuttal could be faintly heard.

He shook his head, walked straight to the center of the square, and slowly closed his eyes.

The powerful magic spread like mercury, continuously reaching outwards.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and murmured to himself, "This is it."

Chapter 482 The First Linker

The smooth stone slab beneath Sagres's feet suddenly gleamed.

A soft silver light emanated from him, quickly outlining a huge magic circle.

Immediately afterwards, a low tremor came from the ground.

The ground began to rise at a steady pace, and solid rocks began to grow and pile up wildly.

The tower does not stand vertically, but rather rises upwards in an elegant spiral, like a crystal that grows naturally from the earth.

The tower rose higher and higher, surpassing the nearby buildings and even echoing the main tower of the castle in the distance.

Finally, a dark silver spire with subtle magical light flowing across its surface stood firmly beneath the floating arena.

The spire is not a traditional cone, but a slowly rotating multifaceted crystal that continuously absorbs the surrounding magical energy and radiates outwards in circles of almost invisible magical ripples.

Almost the instant the crystal at the top of the tower began to rotate steadily, a golden-red flame suddenly ignited on the newly formed platform at the top of the tower.

As the flames subsided, Fawkes gracefully folded his wings, and Dumbledore stood before Sargeras.

His silver-white beard fluttered in the breeze, and his deep blue eyes first turned to the students below the tower who had stopped and were exclaiming in surprise, before he carefully examined the brand-new building and the view from the top of the tower.

The platform at the top of the tower was open, and the wind became noticeable there, making his wide wizard robes flutter loudly.

“Truly…astonishing efficiency, Sagres.”

Dumbledore's voice was devoid of much emotion. He walked to the edge of the tower, overlooking the familiar view of Hogwarts in the sunset, and then looked back at the tower, which was so different in style yet strangely harmonious.

"It looks...very nice..."

“Indeed quite impressive,” Sagres said, standing before the ever-spinning crystal at the top of the tower, slowly lowering his wand. “Ready to connect to the magic network, Professor Dumbledore?”

"Probably, I think so," Dumbledore said slowly.

“Very good. Now you need to look at the crystal and concentrate,” Sagres instructed. “The first connection will be somewhat intuitive, and you will need to confirm a Basic Agreement.”

Dumbledore did not hesitate and did as he was told.

A moment later, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and it seemed as if an invisible interface had appeared in his field of vision, which surprised him.

He even subconsciously reached out his hand, but his fingers passed right through the illusory light and shadow.

“Oh, I see… something. Does this mean the link is working?” Dumbledore asked, clearly still adjusting quickly.

"That's right, you can now create your own mirror image, which will become your future appearance in the magic network. Of course, this is limited to online only..."

Dumbledore's eyes lit up, his face filled with astonishment. "What do I need to do? How do I create this 'mirror image' you speak of?"

"Just one thought is enough."

Sagras explained, "The magic network captures your physiological characteristics, knowledge structure, and thinking habits to build a stable projection of you within the magic network."

"Another me?" Dumbledore asked with great interest, "And the same name?"

“It’s not a copy of your thoughts, but more like a… highly realistic interactive interface and knowledge repository,” Sagres replied. “You can decide the ‘appearance’ of the mirror image; it can be yourself, or you can adjust it to some extent. The name is arbitrary; after all, it’s just a ‘nickname’.”

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore's lips curled into a smile.

He interacted with the interface for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction—the long beard of the virtual old man in the interface had quietly disappeared.

"At the same time, you can also organize your knowledge and research results, or even the inheritance of a certain magical skill, and 'load' it into the mirror, setting the conditions for acquisition."

Sargeras continued, “For example, it could be completely open to the public, or require completing a specific challenge, or require paying ‘arcane points,’ or be open only to specific individuals.”

"Just 'think'?" Dumbledore confirmed.

"Yes. The magic network will clearly sense your requests. For example, you can try now to set 'The Twelve Uses of Dragon Blood' as a publicly accessible knowledge pack."

Dumbledore closed his eyes, as if trying.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes again, a hint of novelty in them: "Success. A new entry has appeared next to the mirror, showing 'Published, pending review'."

"The review process is automated."

Sagrais added, "The Magic Network's basic protocol has built-in security and ethical boundaries. It automatically scans for core knowledge content that you are trying to make public or pass on."

"So, not all knowledge can be shared on the Magic Network?" the old headmaster asked.

"Of course, if it contains content that violates the agreement, such as direct and dangerous malevolent curses, detailed teachings of unforgivable curses, or black magic rituals that are clearly intended to cause serious harm, that part of the information will be automatically isolated and marked, and will not be allowed to enter the public domain."

Sagles continued, "But theoretical discussions, historical records, and defensive research generally do not trigger removal unless there is a strong intent to induce action. The review log is transparent to linkers."

"A very meticulous design."

Dumbledore commented, "So, about identity? You mentioned that one can have a 'nickname'?"

"Yes, you are free to choose the titles displayed when interacting with other Linkers in the Magic Network. This helps protect privacy and increases fun. However,"

Sagres' tone became more serious. "In the underlying records and core arbitration mechanism of the Magic Network, each mirror image is strictly bound to a unique real identity. This is the foundation for accountability and ensuring the execution of agreements. Ordinary linkers cannot see the real identity of others unless the other party voluntarily discloses it or the system authorizes its disclosure in specific arbitration scenarios."

Dumbledore nodded, seemingly satisfied with the arrangement.

"But why is it telling me 'name is too long'?" he asked, suddenly puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Sagles frowned immediately. "Too long a name? That shouldn't be the case. What name did you use?"

“Albus Percival Woolflick Bryan Dumbledore,” Dumbledore recited fluently in one breath.

Sagles paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Perhaps... you don't need such a long name. 'Dumbledore' is distinctive enough."

Upon hearing this, the old headmaster shrugged immediately, "Alright, alright..."

He fiddled with the interface for a while, then asked a crucial question: "Sagres, suppose right now, at this very moment, I were to use magic to attack you without cause and with clear malice through this newly connected network—what would happen?"

Chapter 483 Curious Students

Dumbledore: "What would happen if I tried to attack you right now?"

Sagres met his gaze and answered clearly and calmly: "First, before your attack spell is cast, the magic network will send you a strong warning that cannot be ignored. It will clearly tell you which clause of the Basic Agreement your upcoming action violates and warn you of the possible consequences."

"What if I ignore the warnings and insist on attacking?"

"Then, from the moment you begin to gather your magical power for the attack, your 'session' or 'action' will be recorded in its entirety by the Magic Network. These records are unalterable. Once the attack is completed and you are deemed 'guilty' by the Magic Network's arbitration system, sanctions will be automatically triggered according to the pre-set agreement."

"What form will the sanctions take?"

"Within the effective range of the Magic Tower, currently it only includes Hogwarts Castle and the surrounding area,"

Sagres pointed to the steadily rotating crystal at the top of the tower, "The sanctions can be multi-layered: the mildest is to forcibly disconnect your magic network link, during which time you cannot use any magic network functions; the moderate is to cast a powerful magic interference field on you, making it difficult for you to cast any spells smoothly; the severe is that if you have committed extremely serious acts of harm, the magic tower can temporarily restrict your movements, or even use the magic of the surrounding environment to suppress you."

"Won't the demon attack me directly?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"The purpose of all sanctions is to stop the infringement, prevent further harm, and provide a basis for subsequent real-world handling, such as disciplinary action or legal proceedings."

"But if it is authorized to access regional laws, then it can replace law enforcement and make decisions directly," Sagles explained.

Dumbledore listened quietly, watching as more and more students gathered below the tower out of curiosity, and then glancing at the rotating crystal not far away.

"Instant alerts, unalterable records, tiered automatic sanctions... it sounds like an omnipresent sentinel."

Dumbledore said slowly, “It is very efficient, enough to prevent most impulsive evils. But is the system’s standard of ‘guilt’ always fair? Who can ensure that those ‘agreements’ themselves are always correct?”

"The agreement can be revised through consensus among the linkers."

Sagles replied, “The fairness of the system is built on the transparency of the rules and the precision of their enforcement. It is free from human bias and will not be swayed by fear or bribery. That in itself is a form of fairness. Of course, I understand your concerns. That is why you were the first linker.”

Dumbledore finally stopped asking questions.

Sagles asked one last question: "So, you don't really intend to harm me, do you?"

……

On the Hogwarts bulletin board, a simply designed announcement caught everyone's attention.