The house number 93 Diagon Alley was nailed to a moldy brick wall, and passing Wizards all thought it was an abandoned warehouse.
Sargeras tapped his wand three times, and the bricks rose and rearranged like piano keys, revealing a spiral staircase leading to the basement—this was his temporary residence, rented for two Galleons a week, originally the candy cellar of a dessert shop.
"Cleaning Charm." He waved his wand at the oak barrels covered in frosting. Amidst the scent of aged cream, twelve barrels automatically combined to form a desk, and the toffee syrup stuck to the wall transformed into an amber-colored lamp.
When The Daily Prophet slid in through the window crack, the front page prominently displayed "order of merlin Recipient Cleared, Will Teach at Hogwarts," with an accompanying photo of his back as he walked out of Azkaban, his black robe hem lifted by the sea breeze.
Just below the title was a copy of the Ministry of Magic's pardon.
Sargeras folded the newspaper into a paper crane and tossed it into the fireplace; the flames licked at the words "Dangerous Genius" in the title, and it was burned to ashes in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, a warm blob of bird droppings landed on the pardon.
"You're two minutes and seventeen seconds late," he said without looking up.
As soot fell, the Raven Locketis folded its metallic wings, a letter with an intact wax seal clutched in its beak.
This creature was a cursed creation he found in the ruins of Durmstrang; its modifier had embedded a piece of obsidian capable of refracting magic in its left eye. Now, it relied on Sargeras's magic to sustain its life, and in return, this Raven named Locketis served as a messenger for Sargeras.
Sargeras took out the letter and glanced at it, and a quill and parchment automatically flew out of the dragonhide trunk.
He pulled out a handful of mithril dust, and Locketis immediately flew onto his arm, tilting its head and letting out a piercing cry.
"Quiet."
The reprimanded Raven turned its head to peck at the mithril dust, and at the same time, the quill scribbled across the parchment:
Required Reading for Advanced Charms Theory and Practice:
1. Advanced Charm Applications by Miranda Goshawk (1897 Revised Edition)
2. Introduction to magic by the Ancient Runes Study Group
3. Cutting-Edge Magical Topology by Sagres Greengrass (Photocopied Manuscript)
The quill paused, then added a small line at the end: "Suggested Tools:
1. Mithril-plated slide rule
2. Double-sided crystal prism
As the last stroke was completed and the inkwell capped, sunlight streamed through the cellar's air vent, illuminating the side of his face.
Sargeras unbuttoned his shirt collar and stood before the changing mirror; the Hogwarts Professor's black robe automatically adjusted its cut until the silver thread embroidery on his left chest revealed the Ravenclaw eagle crest.
This was his privilege as an alumnus.
The steam at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, smelling of coal dust, enveloped them. Sargeras walked through the crowd of new students pushing luggage trolleys, the hem of his black robe brushing against a red-haired boy's trunk—a chocolate frog card peeking from the corner of the trunk showed Dumbledore's portrait winking at him.
"Move it! Move it! This rotten trunk is going to fall apart!"
Ron Weasley's shout and the sound of the trunk's springs breaking burst forth simultaneously.
A pile of magic books, mixed with magazines, comic books, newspapers, and even half a bag of leftover Every Flavor Beans, and a limping old rat, flew past, grazing Sargeras's boots. Behind him, another bespectacled boy was trying to repair the cracked trunk with tape.
"Reparo." Sargeras waved his hand lightly; the scattered items flew back into the trunk even faster, and at the same time, the trunk's brass clasps automatically reconfigured into a more stable geometric structure.
Ron stared wide-eyed at the restored trunk. Sargeras then asked, "Red hair? Are you from the Weasley family?"
Sargeras noticed the worn-out wand peeking out of the boy's pocket; there was a faint crack in the ash wood grain, the tip glowed slightly, and the Unicorn tail hair core was visibly worn.
Before Ron could answer, he continued, "Even as a new student, you shouldn't be unable to use even the most basic Repairing Charm, especially since you are a Weasley."
Looking at the two boys who stood dumbfounded and speechless, Sargeras shook his head and turned to walk towards the back of the train.
The train whistle swallowed the two boys' stammered thanks.
After he entered the compartment in the last carriage, ice crystals immediately condensed on the doorknob—a powerful Banishment Charm caused all passersby to subconsciously ignore this compartment.
Hermione Granger pushed open a compartment door: "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost a toad."
Harry and Ron, who were eating snacks, looked up and shook their heads at the girl at the compartment door. At that moment, The Daily Prophet was blown open by the wind from outside the window, revealing the front-page headline—"order of merlin Recipient Cleared! Controversial Genius Returns to Hogwarts."
In the accompanying photo, the handsome, black-robed man's profile was as stern as a sculpture, with Azkaban's iron bars distorted into a blurry background in the morning light behind him.
"Merlin's beard! He's the new Professor at Hogwarts!" Ron's nose was almost pressed against the newspaper, chocolate frog residue clinging to the edge of the title. "It says he used magic to blow up five Wizards!"
Harry leaned in to look closely; Sargeras in the photo suddenly looked up and glanced at the camera, a silver gleam flashing in his grey eyes, startling him so much that his hand trembled, and the chocolate frog jumped into Ron's pumpkin juice.
"They were five Dark Wizards," Hermione corrected, and at the same time turned to close the compartment door. "I've read reports about him, more than one."
"What is the order of merlin?" Harry seized the opportunity to ask.
Hermione casually pulled out her wand to clean a stain. "I've read reports from several newspapers, and I hear The Daily Prophet always likes to deliberately confuse concepts. Because it's clearly written in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement Archives that those five were Dark Wizards attempting to kidnap Muggle parliament members, and Professor Greengrass was a newcomer in the Auror Headquarters at the time."
"But it says here he burned the bodies to ashes..." Ron shivered.
"It wasn't burning; it was a magic he created himself." Hermione pointed to a line of small print in the report: "Witnesses say he only used one spell, and he didn't even chant anything."
"You still haven't told me, what exactly is the order of merlin!" Harry, seeing that they hadn't answered his question, couldn't help but ask again.
"How can you not even know that?" Hermione looked at him in surprise. "The order of merlin is one of the highest honors in the magic world, awarded by the Wizengamot since the 15th century, symbolizing recognition for a Wizard's personal achievements and contributions." Hermione waved the newspaper in her hand. "The newspaper says that on the very day he was expelled from Hogwarts, he improved several healing spells, including Episkey, Vulnera Sanentur, and Rennervate. He increased the healing rate of severe injuries by at least 60%, and at that time, Headmaster Dumbledore, who expelled him from Hogwarts, was criticized by many media outlets, saying he was senile."
"That sounds like he was holding a grudge against the person who expelled him..."
"My father also mentioned this, but actually, Professor Greengrass didn't even attend the award ceremony later."
Hermione was noncommittal, pointing to another section: "The newspaper says that after he was expelled in his fifth year, he chose to study at Durmstrang and graduated two years later. He was then invited to serve as a Professor at Ilvermorny, then resigned a year later, and after traveling for a year, he was exceptionally recruited by the British Ministry of Magic."
Ron mumbled, chewing on a Bubblegum: "And then ended up in Azkaban for murder?"
"It was self-defense!" Hermione's curly hair trembled with her agitated tone. "The Wizard's Rights Protection Act clearly states—when Aurors encounter danger while on duty, they can use defensive measures as appropriate." The young girl said this, then nodded to herself, "Two pure-blood families jointly accused him; it must be because some of those five Dark Wizards were from their families!"
"So, why did Headmaster Dumbledore expel him back then?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
Hermione immediately fell silent, then after a while, she spoke again: "I don't know either..."