"So... are there any particularly strange forms of magic?" a Gryffindor boy asked boldly.
"That depends on how you define 'strange.'"
Sagres dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin.
"In Egypt, certain ancient alchemical families still preserve the art of combining spells with sand to create temporary 'Sand Miracles.' Deeper within the Amazon, some isolated tribal Wizards form symbiotic bonds with specific magical plants, allowing them to cast fragrant magic that influences dreams and emotions."
He paused, looking at the stunned faces around him before continuing.
"Magic is not limited to wands and incantations. Uagadou's gesture magic, Castelobruxo's use of botanical essences, Ucaro's resonance with the land, all are expressions of magic's diversity. Even in the remote corners of Northern Europe, there are still Wizards studying the most fundamental power of runic engraving."
"Then... what about Muggles? Don't they notice any of this?" another student asked curiously.
"Not entirely," Sagres replied evenly. "Many Muggle myths, legends, and folktales originated from distorted glimpses of our world. What they call supernatural phenomena or unsolved mysteries are, at times, merely traces of magic unintentionally leaking into their reality."
He continued answering the students' endless questions while casually eating his dinner.
More students throughout the Great Hall were gradually drawn into the conversation, drifting closer to listen.
Even several professors at the staff table put down their knives and forks, listening with thoughtful or intrigued expressions.
For a time, the Great Hall seemed to forget the divisions between Houses, becoming a magical salon filled with boundless curiosity, where the only thing that mattered was the vastness of the wizarding world.
After describing several more secret magical settlements that were not officially recognised by the International Confederation of Wizards, Sagres looked up to find Dumbledore approaching with a warm smile.
"Sagres, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. It concerns the Halloween decorations for the Castle."
Dumbledore smiled, hesitating slightly.
"I know you have... rather unique ideas in this area. However, this year is special. We have many distinguished guests arriving from abroad, and I hope the Castle's decorations will capture the spirit of Halloween without becoming... well... too frightening. I'd rather we didn't terrify our visitors, especially those students who may be more sensitive to darker themes."
Sagres nodded calmly.
"Understood. I'll create a welcoming atmosphere while showcasing Hogwarts' inclusiveness."
Dumbledore looked as though he wanted to add something, but after seeing Sagres's expression of complete understanding, he merely smiled gently.
"Very good. Then I'll leave it in your hands. I trust your sense of aesthetics."
As Halloween approached, subtle changes gradually spread throughout the Castle.
At first, they were minor.
The suits of armour lining the corridors appeared older, their surfaces marked with scars as though they had survived countless battles. The portraits whispered more frequently, their conversations drifting towards distant legends from faraway lands.
But when night fell on the eve of Halloween, everyone at Hogwarts finally realised that Professor Greengrass's understanding of "not too frightening" and "welcoming" differed rather significantly from everyone else's.
Under Sagres's meticulous magic, Hogwarts Castle transformed into a bizarre masterpiece that blended the horror aesthetics of seven magical schools.
Every decoration carried deeper meaning, displaying both the exotic charm and unsettling atmosphere of magical cultures from around the world.
The Entrance Hall and the corridor leading to the Great Hall had become a churning sea of blood-red water, through which sailed a Nordic longship with tattered sails unfurled.
Its hull was fashioned from ice and bone, while translucent ghostly Viking sailors stood upon its deck.
The most startling moment came when the one-eyed ghost pirate captain suddenly barked an order and fired glowing grappling hooks.
The hooks would accurately "capture" unsuspecting students, lifting them into the air amid startled screams before carrying them across the crimson sea and gently setting them down at the opposite end of the corridor.
The captain's hoarse laughter would always follow.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Another brave soul has completed the voyage!"
Every student who was "captured" received a small treasure chest filled with gold coins.
The coins, however, were not real gold at all, but chocolate wrapped in gold foil.
Sagres was convinced that the students from Durmstrang would feel right at home when they saw this ghost ship.
In addition, groups of winged skeletal fairies occasionally fluttered through the Castle.
They danced gracefully through the air, though the blue flames flickering within their hollow eye sockets gave them an eerie appearance.
These skeletal fairies carried delicate bone baskets filled with "Giggling Skull" sweets.
Once a student accepted one, the sweet would trail after its owner with tiny bursts of laughter until it was eaten.
If someone refused, the skeletal fairies would gather around them with mournful expressions and perform a sorrowful dance before drifting away.
Sagres believed these unusual fairies would surely win the hearts of the Beauxbatons students, as they had probably never seen fairies quite like these before.
In secluded corners of the Castle and outside abandoned classrooms, miniature phantoms of the Pyramids of Giza appeared.
At each entrance stood mummy guardians wrapped in ancient linen.
They never attacked, but instead posed riddles or questions about African magical creatures and magical plants in deep, ancient Egyptian.
If the answer was correct, the mummies would stiffly step aside, and a small gift would emerge from deep within the pyramid, such as a chocolate scorpion that twitched on its own.
If the answer was wrong, the mummy would let out a long sigh, and a gust of sandy, ghostly wind would sweep through the area, covering the unfortunate student in magical dust that stubbornly refused to brush off.
This was a recreation of the entrance trials to the Uagadou library, and Sagres believed it would evoke fond memories for students from that school.
The Herbology classroom and the corridor leading to the greenhouses had been transformed into a dense, humid tropical rainforest.
Tangling vines wound themselves around moss-covered gravestones that whispered stories of the dead.
Whenever students passed by, some of the vines would suddenly spring to life and gently coil around their wrists or ankles.
They never harmed anyone, merely holding them in place until they patiently listened to one of the gravestones' tales before letting them go.
This setting was inspired by the rainforest surrounding Castelobruxo. Sagres had personally spent several days there while searching for clues to ancient magical ruins hidden within the gravestones' whispers.
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