On the morning of the first day of term, the sky had not yet fully brightened, and the spires of Hogwarts Castle were faintly visible in the dim dawn. A biting chill permeated the air.
Just then, a massive shadow cut through the thin clouds, silently gliding towards the castle.
It was an enormous raven, its wingspan as wide as a bus when fully extended, like a flying black fortress.
Sagres stood on the raven's broad back, the hem of his black robes flapping in the strong wind, yet he stood incredibly steady, as if his feet were not on a giant bird, but solid ground.
He looked down at the gradually clearing outline of the castle below, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
This feeling was completely different from riding a broomstick, though somewhat similar to riding a flying carpet.
Noctis let out a clear cry, its massive wings subtly adjusting their angle as it slowed down and skillfully descended towards a secluded tower terrace on the western side of the castle.
Sagres slid down from the raven's wing. Almost the instant his feet touched the terrace, Noctis had already shrunk back to the size of an ordinary raven.
It lightly flapped its wings, silently landing on his shoulder, and used its beak to preen its slightly ruffled feathers.
Sagres pushed open the terrace door, and faint sounds of students hurrying to various classrooms and chatting drifted through the corridor.
He walked along a relatively quiet corridor towards his office. As soon as he turned a corner, he ran straight into Alastor Moody.
Moody's clanking wooden leg echoed between the stone walls. He wasn't carrying any books, and Sagres noticed that he even had his wand strapped to his left forearm like a concealed blade.
"Sagres."
Moody greeted him gruffly and stopped walking.
His magical eye briefly fixed itself on Sagres, while his normal eye cautiously swept towards the end of the corridor, as if worried someone might be eavesdropping.
"Professor Moody." Sagres gave a slight nod, his tone calm.
"I read those wishy-washy Daily Prophet reports," Moody said bluntly, skipping any pleasantries. "About what happened at the World Cup. Well done."
His normal eye stared intently at Sagres, without the slightest hint of jest.
"You deal with scum like that using the harshest methods. Hesitation will get you killed, and kindness will only make them think you're easy to bully."
Moody lowered his voice, a cold edge creeping into it. "I don't know what method you used, but it was clean and decisive, putting an end to the whole thing. Let those masked bastards still hiding in the sewers see what happens when they dare step out!"
As he spoke, his magical eye continued spinning, monitoring everything around him in all directions.
Sagres listened quietly, his expression unreadable.
Moody's deep hatred of Dark Wizards and his undisguised approval of extreme measures made Sagres raise an eyebrow slightly.
"The circumstances demanded it. Ensuring the safety of innocent people was my primary consideration," Sagres replied flatly, though he did not specify what spell he had used.
"Exactly! Ensuring safety!"
Moody slammed his walking stick heavily against the ground with a dull thud. "Sometimes you have to be ruthless, just like when I dealt with that scumbag behind the rubbish bin yesterday!"
He spat to the side, seemingly recalling yesterday's "battle."
"Too bad he got away... but there won't be a next time!"
Sagres's gaze flickered slightly.
He had already read The Daily Prophet's detailed report on the "Rubbish Bin Attack," though it was clearly somewhat different from Moody's "version" of events.
But at this moment, facing Moody's unwavering conviction and faint post-battle exhilaration, Sagres could understand it. He was simply more inclined to believe it stemmed from the post-traumatic stress left behind by Moody's years as an Auror.
"It's always wise to remain vigilant, Professor Moody," Sagres said calmly, although his own methods differed somewhat from Moody's.
"Of course, vigilant!" Moody's magical eye snapped back to Sagres, staring at him intently as if trying to see through his calm exterior.
"You too, Sagres. What you did at the World Cup undoubtedly ruined their plans, and those scumbags might come after you. Don't think Hogwarts is truly safe just because it looks peaceful right now..."
He paused meaningfully, his magical eye rotating towards a dozing nun in a nearby portrait.
"If you ask me, there's no such thing as a completely safe place in this world," Moody warned.
"Of course. I'll be careful." Sagres nodded.
"Good!"
Moody seemed satisfied with the answer. He took another swig from his hip flask. "That's the spirit! Constant vigilance! Right then, I need to go teach those kids their first lesson. Time to teach them some real things..."
He muttered the last few words, said nothing more, nodded to Sagres, and continued clanking down the corridor.
Sagres remained where he was, watching Moody's somewhat stiff back disappear around the corner.
This old Auror was even more paranoid than he remembered.
After a moment of thought, Sagres turned and calmly walked towards his office.
For the first class of the new term, Sagres planned to give the sixth-years a refresher on Apparition.
Logically speaking, every Hogwarts graduate should have mastered this branch of magic, but reality was quite different.
Apparition was taught as a "special training course" for sixth-year Hogwarts students, with official instructors from the Ministry of Magic coming to conduct the lessons.
It was not part of Hogwarts' regular curriculum, but more like an additional programme.
Even more absurdly, students had to pay an extra fee to participate in the course. Every student attending had to hand over an additional twelve Galleons.
This further demonstrated its "non-compulsory" nature. If it were truly required for graduation, the school would likely cover the expense or simply make it mandatory.
In fact, whether a Hogwarts student could graduate mainly depended on their O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. results.
An Apparition licence was a separate certification, unrelated to those academic achievements.
It greatly increased a wizard's freedom of movement, but using it without a licence was illegal.
Put into Muggle terms, it was more like a "magic driving licence" or an advanced life skill, rather than part of compulsory education.
While most students were still struggling with the finer points of Transfiguration or memorising Potion recipes, Sagres had already prepared the first lesson for the sixth and seventh-years.
Rather than teaching in an ordinary classroom, he led a group of nervous yet excited students through the long corridor towards the duelling platform suspended high in the air.
After arriving at the platform, he first instructed the students to spread out and leave enough space between one another, then directed the lower-year students who had come to observe towards the stands.
"Today, and over the next two lessons," his clear voice carried throughout the entire arena, "we will be learning Apparition and Disapparition here."
"Apparition?"
A Ravenclaw girl's eyes immediately lit up, her voice full of anticipation. "Does that mean I won't have to rely on Floo powder and the Knight Bus anymore?"
"What's so exciting about it? My mum says it feels horrible, like being squeezed through a rubber tube..." a Hufflepuff boy whispered to his companion, his face slightly pale.
"This exam must be really difficult. I heard loads of people get Splinched!" another student added worriedly.
A low wave of murmuring spread through the crowd, and the eyes of those students who had never had the chance to attend the paid Ministry course gleamed with hope.
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