HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

The remaining two vampires included one who was originally preparing to ambush from the side and rear, and the one who was closest to the door and witnessed the horrific scene of his companions being scattered and killed.

Boundless fear instantly overwhelmed all reason.

escape!

We must escape from here immediately, and get as far away from this monster as possible!

Chapter 495 Let's Change Locations

The vampire closest to the door reacted the fastest.

Almost the instant the light blade lit up, he had already given up the attack, using all his strength to fly backward, while trying to turn into a shadow and escape.

The other one also turned around without hesitation and lunged at the seemingly closed window on the other side of the bar, attempting to break through the window and escape.

Sagrath's gaze fell on the vampire at the door, but his wand calmly pointed at the one attempting to break the window.

The moment the dark figure in front of the window leaped into the air, the window frame burst into flames, turning the figure that had entered into a fireball.

"what--"

The fireball was reduced to ashes in an instant, and the screams stopped abruptly.

Sagres lightly swished his wand toward the doorway again.

A silver-white light blade, even faster than before, burst forth and arrived in an instant.

"call out--"

The light blade sliced ​​through his body without any resistance, entering from his left shoulder and exiting from his right waist.

The vampire froze, and the next moment, his upper and lower body slowly separated along the smooth cut surface, falling to the ground with two thuds.

Smoke rose from the incision and quickly spread throughout his body, following in the footsteps of his companion.

Of the vampires still standing in the bar, only Sir Edwin, pale-faced, remained.

Although his face was already pale, he was clearly frightened at this moment.

It wasn't that he didn't want to escape, but as the leader, the shock of that moment and Sagres's intentional or unintentional lock-on had frozen him in place.

After Sagres dealt with all the escapees, he turned his attention to Sir Edwin.

He stretched out his wand and pointed it at the distinguished "sir".

A simple levitation spell, yet it seemed to carry an irresistible force.

Sir Edwin felt like a puppet being manipulated by invisible threads, his feet dangling in the air as he was "dragged" to within a yard of Sagrais before coming to a stop.

Sagres tilted his head slightly, looking at the vampire count before him who had been arrogant just moments before but was now filled with fear, his tone remaining calm:

“You had the opportunity to leave…Sir Edwin.”

The vampire opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to beg for mercy, but Sagrais didn't give him the chance.

He gently touched Sir Edwin's forehead with his wand, and the blazing beam instantly pierced through the man's head.

The vampire's body trembled violently, and the red light in its eyes quickly went out, replaced by empty, lifeless ashes.

Thick blue smoke rose from his body, and his skin carbonized at a visible speed. In the end, along with his luxurious velvet coat, he turned into ashes and fell to the ground.

The bar was completely silent, with only the lingering smell of burning in the air and a few puddles of ashes dissipating on the ground.

Sagras glanced at the ashes on his body, cast a "Cleanse" spell on himself, and turned to look at Professor Slughorn, who was still somewhat bewildered.

"It seems this isn't a suitable place to talk, Professor. Shall we move to another location?"

His tone returned to its previous gentleness, as if he hadn't been the one who had just attacked.

Professor Slughorn nodded hastily: "Of course! Professor Greengrass... I mean Sagles, it's your decision!"

Sagres nodded, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he turned and walked toward the werewolf boss who had been hiding behind the bar.

“You did a great job,” Sagres said to the boss. “As your reward for tonight, the magic network will soon cover this area. I can guarantee that this kind of ‘forced operation’ situation will never happen again.”

The werewolf boss stuck his head out from behind the bar, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Sagres added, "You will be protected by the magic network. As long as you do not break the law or harm others, other dark creatures or black wizards cannot force you to do anything or use this place as a hunting ground."

The werewolf owner struggled to crawl out from behind the bar, almost kneeling down, his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you! Thank you, Professor Greengrass! I... I will definitely follow the rules! Thank you!"

Sagles nodded slightly and said no more.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the messy bar, then casually waved his wand: "Restored to its original state."

The broken tables and chairs flew up and pieced themselves back together automatically, the overturned candlesticks stood up, and even the marks on the walls from the battle were quickly smoothed over.

The bar quickly returned to its previous state, only now it looked cleaner.

Sagres walked to a table, picked up a newly repaired wooden wine glass, and his fingertips inadvertently brushed the inside of the rim.

He paused, brought his fingertips close to his eyes, and his brows furrowed sharply—there was a thick layer of old stains on the inside of the cup, which he doubted even a simple cleaning spell could remove…

Sagres calmly put the cup back in its place, and casually added to the still grateful werewolf boss, "Also, pay attention to hygiene. Guests won't like using unwashed cups."

The werewolf boss blushed and hurriedly nodded and bowed: "Yes! Yes! I'll do a thorough cleaning tomorrow! No, I'll start tonight!"

Sagles ignored him and walked back to Slughorn's side. "So, Professor, where would you like to talk? I'm not very familiar with the area."

Slughorn, wanting nothing more than to leave this place that had nearly cost him his life, quickly said, "You decide, Sagrais, anywhere is fine!"

"Let's go with Hogsmeade. It's a three-broomstick wine, the environment is fairly comfortable, and it's not far from Hogwarts."

"good, very good!"

Slughorn immediately agreed; he had never returned to Hogwarts since retiring there, nor had Hogsmeade.

……

Hogsmeade, the Three Broomsticks pub.

Compared to the dark "crucible" we just saw, this place was obviously much brighter and safer.

The warm fire dispelled the chill of the night, and the air was filled with the aroma of butterbeer and roasted pumpkin.

Ms. Rosmerta was busy behind the bar, while a few villagers returning late and a few visiting wizards were talking in hushed tones.

Sagles and Slughorn requested a quiet private room. They closed the door, shutting out the outside noise.

Slughorn plopped down in the soft armchair, grabbed the mead that had been prepared beforehand on the table, and took a big gulp to calm himself down.

Sagres poured himself a glass of water before getting to the point.

“Thank you for keeping your promise, Professor Slughorn. My question is simple, but also crucial.”

Sagres looked directly into the other man's eyes and said earnestly, "Regarding Tom Riddle, who later became Voldemort, I heard that he asked you about Horcruxes back then? Did he... tell you how many Horcruxes he would create?"

Professor Slughorn's hand trembled as he held the wine glass, nearly spilling the golden liquid.

Although he had expected it, he still felt a chill when the question was asked so bluntly.

“Ah…Sagres, this…this is truly…a very unpleasant memory…”

Chapter 496 The Discussion in the Private Room

The intense urge to escape resurfaced, and he habitually resorted to vague and ambiguous expressions to deflect the question.

“I understand perfectly, Professor.”

Sagrath's voice remained steady, but his eyes sharpened. "This is indeed unpleasant, but it concerns whether Voldemort's threat can truly be ended, so every clue is crucial. Please recall carefully the specific conversation, his attitude, and any details."

Under Sagles's calm gaze, Slughorn knew he could no longer fool anyone.

He sighed and began to recount the story with difficulty, but he spoke very slowly, clearly indicating that he had deliberately buried that memory and that it was not easy to unearth it.

“Tom… he’s incredibly intelligent, with an extraordinary interest and talent for dark magic. He asked me about the methods for making Horcruxes… very specifically, especially regarding the quantity. I remember him mentioning… seven is a magical number, the most powerful…”

Slughorn's voice trailed off, his face filled with remorse.

Sagres nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the private room.

Knock knock knock!

Before Sagles or Slughorn could respond, the door was gently pushed open.

Several people were standing at the entrance, blocking most of the not-so-spacious corridor.

Leading the group was Dumbledore, flanked by a serious-looking Professor McGonagall and a gloomy-looking Snape, along with two other heads of the department.

Surprisingly, Minister of Magic Amelia Bornes was also present, dressed in a smart official robe, her face showing a hint of fatigue, but her eyes were bright.

Dumbledore's gaze immediately bypassed Snape, who had opened the door, and accurately landed on the round, chubby Slughorn, and Sagles opposite him.

The old headmaster and Sagles's eyes met in the air. Although they didn't speak, a hint of undisguised surprise and approval flashed in their deep blue eyes.

"Ah! What a coincidence..."

Dumbledore let out a pleasant sigh, his wrinkles smoothing out as he turned to his companions, his voice tinged with the surprise of their unexpected encounter.

"It seems that coming out for a drink tonight was absolutely the right decision! We actually ran into an old friend we haven't seen in a long time, and of course, our busy Professor Greengrass!"

Everyone else also saw the two people in the private room. Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses in surprise, while Minister Burns showed an interested expression.

Only Snape, looking like he had successfully betrayed someone, was now watching the two in the private room with schadenfreude.

Good evening, professors. I hope I haven't disturbed your conversation.

Minister Burns greeted the two men, his tone not too abrupt, "If you don't mind..."

She looked at the private room, which could obviously accommodate more people.

"Of course I don't mind."

Sagres calmly stood up. "Please come in, everyone."

Dumbledore chuckled and walked in first, patting a still somewhat dazed Slughorn on the shoulder: "Horace, it's been a long time! You look great..."

"You're nowhere near as good as me, Albus..."