HP: Azkaban's Outstanding Graduate

"They're still alive... as long as they drink the medicine..."

The thought was like a lifeline, but then panic gripped his throat: "Ron! Hermione! What if they... were killed before they could even be petrified..."

A jumble of thoughts exploded in his mind, and a crazy idea even flashed through his mind: "Use Parsleyan? Control it? Banish it?"

But he fiercely suppressed the urge to turn back, running forward without stopping for a moment: "No! This doesn't just concern me! I have to find the professor, find the principal..."

This decision stung him more than facing the basilisk—he had always despised being a coward, yet now he had to abandon his companions and escape alone.

……

Sagres gripped the crystal bottle tightly in his left hand, and the Pippi Spirit inside futilely struck the bottle's walls, producing dull "bang" sounds and muffled curses.

He walked steadily, with a clear goal—Myrtle's washroom.

There was no one else on the stairs, only the faint sounds of students making noise coming from the distant corridor.

Suddenly, a cold, slippery smell mixed with a strong fishy stench, like a tangible tide, surged in from the corner of the corridor!

Sagres' pupils suddenly contracted, his wand instantly slipped into his palm, and he instinctively gripped the crystal bottle tightly—the Peeves inside seemed to sense something as well, shrinking into a ball in terror.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from afar, and a figure suddenly rushed out from around the corner, quickly turning and heading towards the stairs.

It's Harry Potter!

The other person also saw him.

"Professor?" Harry was startled, then immediately pointed down the corridor and shouted, "Basilisk! It's in the corridor!"

Sagres immediately connected with the raven's vision, and dozens of frozen young stone statues instantly came into view.

Meanwhile, the basilisk, the instigator, was opening its massive jaws, lunging to bite at Ron and Hermione's backs.

Sagres's figure vanished from the stairwell in an instant, and the next second he appeared in the middle of the corridor, bringing with him icy fury.

His usual composure vanished, replaced by a pure will to destroy.

"Magic Roar!"

A low, murderous curse burst from his throat.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of immense energy tore through the air and swept across the corridor in an instant.

It was a spiral shockwave even larger than the basilisk, its pitch-black surface wreathed with grayish-white magic, like a roaring maw of an abyss, carrying the force to crush everything, and crashed slammed into the basilisk's massive body!

Boom! ...

The entire corridor trembled violently, paintings on the walls fell off one by one, and the ceiling peeled off in a rustling sound, with dust and gravel pouring down like a torrential rain.

The basilisk's massive body was violently slammed into the wall by the impact, accompanied by a heart-wrenching thud as it cracked its bones, before finally sliding to the ground like a lifeless mass of rotting flesh.

Its two enormous eyeballs were forced out of their sockets by the impact, barely held together by a few strands of bloody flesh. Yellowish-white brain matter mixed with blood gushed from its shattered nostrils and mouth.

Its massive body was also torn in many places, with foul-smelling, slimy internal organs and broken intestines squeezed out from the huge gaps in its scales.

Even its proud, hard scales were shattered at this moment, and the chaotic magic power, like a red-hot blade, frantically eroded its flesh!

But it didn't die! The thousand-year-old serpent monster's vitality is beyond imagination!

Sagres stood in the middle of the messy corridor, his eyes flashing with a chilling light.

He twirled his wand, and several soft rays of light immediately emanated from its tip. All the statues, along with the still-shaken Ron and Hermione, were gently and swiftly drawn behind him by this light.

"Hiss—Roar!" The dying basilisk struggled wildly, its huge head suddenly swung out, and a mouthful of dark green venom that emitted a strong stench sprayed like a high-pressure water gun directly at Sagrais and the little wizards behind him.

However, Sagres reacted quickly. He waved his wand again, and the metal armor scattered in the corridor instantly melted into molten iron, which was poured directly into the basilisk's open mouth.

He then thrust his wand forward again, and the venom in the air instantly solidified and deformed, turning into sharp daggers that shot back at an even faster speed!

Swish swish!

The venomous dagger pierced the basilisk's damaged body, but the monster seized the critical opportunity and let out a hiss filled with pain and resentment.

Then, ignoring its wounds and the blood flowing from its body, it used its huge tail, with all its remaining strength, to lash out at the huge stained-glass window next to it!

Crash—!!!

The entire stained-glass window, along with the surrounding walls, shattered with a crash, and the basilisk, writhing its broken body, crawled out through the huge hole.

The blood-soaked snake's body crashed onto the courtyard below with a heavy thud, and then it frantically fled into the darkness.

Sagres walked to the edge of the hole and saw only a shocking, winding trail left by the basilisk, mixed with blood and signs of corrosion, and the bushes in the courtyard that it had crushed.

He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the dozens of cold stone statues in the corridor and the chaotic scene.

"Everyone—put on your glasses immediately! Stay indoors!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it immediately pierced through every corner of the castle, precisely reaching everyone's ears.

Then, ignoring the still-terrified Ron and Hermione, he instantly transformed into a ravenous shadow and rushed straight towards the direction where the basilisk had disappeared.

This blind, trapped beast is at its last gasp and must be dealt with immediately.

Furthermore, the basilisk's scales had a much stronger resistance to magic than he had expected—he had thought he could kill it with a single spell, but he had almost blasted it into a sack full of minced meat, and it still had the strength to escape.

However, he soon spotted the basilisk, and the other professors finally arrived.

Snape blocked the basilisk's path and unleashed a powerful "Sword of Despair" strike aimed at its head!

The sharp cutting spell left a deep, bone-revealing wound on the basilisk's thick scales, but accomplished nothing except shaving off its already useless eyeball.

Sagres descended from the sky, and with a wave of his arm, a flock of fiery ravens swooped down on the basilisk with shrill cries.

These fire crows were exceptionally agile, precisely burrowing into the basilisk's shattered wounds and beginning to burn its internal organs from the inside out.

The basilisk writhed and struggled wildly in agony, while the remaining fire crows seized the opportunity, rushing into its open mouth the moment it opened its mouth to hiss.

In the end, the enormous creature was burned to ashes from the inside out, turning into a charred, curled-up, empty shell of snake scales.

……

……

The basilisk was dealt with, but the real culprit is still at large.

The shadow of the monster in the secret chamber once again looms over the castle, and the young wizards are reminded once more of the fear of being dominated by the heir.

To make matters worse, Sargeras' potion was insufficient to undo such widespread petrification. He used only two drops to heal Hermione Granger's injured eye, but was powerless to help the remaining petrified young wizards.

Since we can only save a portion of them, it seems unfair to save anyone.

Moreover, this potion is very precious; it can be used to heal wounds, detoxify, and break curses. Dumbledore himself has a phoenix, so why wouldn't he let Fawkes shed tears?

In addition, the number of victims was so large that Dumbledore could no longer suppress the news.

Just as the Gringotts ruins excavation accident was exposed, the monster attack at Hogwarts conveniently diverted public attention—while goblins certainly played a part in this, Dumbledore did indeed get himself into considerable trouble.

Especially after news of Draco Malfoy's petrification spread, his father Lucius Malfoy immediately led several pure-blood family members to his door in a fit of rage, and forcefully took away his petrified son.

The Daily Prophet was filled with news that many parents wanted to take their children away from school, and the Ministry of Magic kept sending letters, ninety percent of which were accusations, both overt and covert.

As for the basilisk itself, few people care anymore, let alone its heir hiding behind it...

Inside the school clinic, Sagles stared blankly at the students lying in a row on the hospital beds, lost in thought.

Dumbledore and the other professors were still hoping that the mandrakes in Professor Sprout's greenhouse would mature. Sagres, however, was deeply puzzled: Was it really true that they felt safer eating grass they grew themselves?

Is it true that you can't buy mandrakes in Diagon Alley?

One cat is one thing, one person is another, but why are dozens of young wizards lying stiffly in hospital beds, still so determined to wait for this "harmless" potion?

Even Lucius knew to take his child home, so surely the vast Hogwarts couldn't get a bottle of resurrection potion made from mandrake?

Chapter 91 The Petrified Ghost

Bad news followed one after another, but it had nothing to do with Sagres; he wasn't the principal, so it wasn't his place to worry about it.

However, there was one thing that made him unable to resist calling Harry and the others over to ask them about it.

"You mean Lockhart didn't appear in the corridor? You didn't see him encounter the basilisk at all?"

"No, Professor, we've never seen him from beginning to end."

“I understand…” Sagres nodded slightly, his thoughts churning.

Lockhart has disappeared.

Since yesterday's basilisk attack, he has become the only person in the castle to have disappeared.

But what's the reason?

Was he too unlucky and swallowed by a basilisk? If that's the case, then his fire... well, he probably won't even be found as ashes.

Or did he escape? Is he the heir lurking in Hogwarts?

Considering the other person's flamboyant manner, Sagres simply couldn't reconcile him with the image of the Slytherin heir.

After all, if it really is him, then the other party has hidden himself too well, almost fooling everyone.

“Professor… Lockhart, is he…” Harry began hesitantly.

“Hmm?” Sagres raised an eyebrow slightly.

"……nothing."

“Don’t worry, tell me any clues you have,” Sagrais said calmly. “As for the whereabouts of your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, I think we will find out eventually.”

"Will Hogwarts really be closed?" Ron asked worriedly. "The Daily Prophet said..."

“That’s not something you need to worry about, Mr. Weasley.” Sagrais smiled. “Hogwarts has stood for a thousand years, and even if it’s closed, it will only be temporary. I assure you that.”

Ron nodded.

Hermione remained almost entirely silent. Since the attack, the little witch seemed like a different person, always quiet and reserved, appearing preoccupied and lost in her own thoughts.

“Miss Granger?” Sagres noticed her unusual expression. “Is there something you want to say?”

“Uh, me?” Hermione seemed to wake up suddenly. “No… nothing to say, Professor Greengrass.”

“I hope you don’t resent Loctis’s actions at the time,” Sagles said, looking into her eyes calmly. “The situation was critical; it had no other choice.”

“You’ve misunderstood, Professor!” Hermione waved her hand urgently. “I’m so grateful! Mr. Lochteis saved my life. I just… I just feel…” Her voice trailed off, tinged with disappointment.

"Do you feel like you're always held back by your instincts at crucial moments?" Sagles voiced what she hadn't said.