"Professor Greengrass…" Hagrid's eyes widened at the sight, and he quickly tried to stop him. "Don't hurt them, they're just—"
"Hagrid!" Sagres cut him off. "Do I need to remind you? That Centaur just shot three arrows—each aimed at our throats."
"But Professor…"
"Think carefully before you speak, Hagrid," Sagres said expressionlessly.
"Oh, Mernil's beard.. how could this happen… How did things turn out like this…" Hagrid finally gave up on pleading for the Centaurs, standing in place and muttering to himself anxiously.
The others, however, were not worried at all. This group of Centaurs had been unfriendly from the start. Except for Hagrid, everyone else felt they deserved to suffer a bit.
It was only because Sagres was still thinking about his commission that their fate wasn't even worse. He was now prepared to give these Centaurs a profound lesson, as they didn't seem likely to hand over the payment willingly.
Of course, he couldn't actually turn them into bean paste.
Tree roots lifted from the soil, transforming into sharp wooden spikes, and treetops extended downward from above, their leaves turning into sharp razors. They moved as if alive, menacingly pointing at the Centaurs' throats.
The young wizards' eyes widened. These were extremely advanced Homorphus Charms, something they had never seen before.
Even Malfoy was stunned. Only now did he understand why his father had warned him never to provoke that dangerous madman at school.
The trio stared intently at the vines and wooden spikes, listening to every word Sagres spoke.
"I hear Centaur tribes usually have two leaders," Sagres said. "One male responsible for hunting and war, and one female responsible for teaching astrology and magic…"
He approached Bane, the Centaur, lowered his head to take out his wand, and asked mockingly, "What? She didn't give you a divination prophecy before you left today?"
"Pfft~" Nightingale scoffed.
The Centaurs couldn't answer at all—their mouths were tightly bound by vines.
Sagres stood there, calmly watching them, continuously toying with his Everlasting Flower Wood Wand.
"I didn't want to do this. After all, my purpose here is simply to complete a commission. My friend rescued your companion from poachers, and I'm responsible for returning him to the Forbidden Forest and collecting the reward."
He looked past Bane toward Lyon. "That's not hard to understand, is it? After all, it cost a considerable price to buy him from the underground auction house…"
Sagres clearly explained the entire situation, ensuring they understood his purpose and how the Unicorn's body came to be there, detailing everything.
"Now… willing to communicate in a more civilized way?"
He waved his hand, removing the vines from their mouths.
"Centaurs never—"
Sagres then coldly sealed their mouths again.
His patience was wearing thin.
The Dementors of Azkaban were easier to communicate with than these Centaurs. At least Dementors could feel fear, whereas this group of Centaurs seemed to believe no one would dare to harm them.
Swoosh!
An arrow rose from the ground, piercing through the Centaur's shoulder blade like a meteor. The pain made the Centaur twitch uncontrollably. Seeing this, Nightingale promptly covered the young wizards' eyes.
"Never what?" Sagres asked coldly.
"Never gentle and humble?" The arrow returned, piercing through the other side of the Centaur's shoulder.
Spulch~!
"Or never admit mistakes?" The arrow penetrated the Centaur's body again and hovered before Lyon.
Swoosh~!
"Never show gratitude?" The arrow once again pierced Lyon's right foreleg, which was corroded by Dark Arts.
"Or never fulfill promises?" Finally, the arrow directly shattered the Centaur's injured leg.
Hagrid finally couldn't hold back. He stepped forward, attempting to persuade Sagres to stop the "violence." Nightingale also seized the opportunity to intervene, and only then did he temporarily cease.
However, Sagres was determined to secure this reward; if the commission failed, he wouldn't get either the time-turner or De Vermis Mysteriis from Snowy Owl.
Coincidentally, he had no intention of giving up either of these items. If necessary, he wouldn't hesitate to give this group of Centaurs a profound lesson.
The ground vibrated slightly, and a jarring clamor echoed from deep within the forest.
"It's a Centaur charge," Nightingale turned to look at him.
A chaotic sound of hooves arrived in an instant. Sagres raised his wand, and a massive stone wall immediately rose from the ground, precisely separating the charging Centaurs.
"Please forgive my reckless kin…" Unexpectedly, the tall Centaur leading them spoke very sincerely. "I apologize for their actions, and I have also brought you the agreed-upon payment."
Sagres couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It seemed the Centaur astrologer truly had some skill—the other party had actually divined the exact course of events.
Of course, there was another possibility. Kestrel had told him before that when a person's fate was about to undergo a major change, divination could more easily yield effective conclusions.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this series of foolish actions that the Centaurs' tribe had fallen into crisis, allowing them to derive such accurate prophecies.
"I can accept your apology…" Sagres said calmly. "However, in addition to these materials from the agreed-upon payment, you will also need to provide a free astrological reading for Snowy Owl."
His polite demeanor somewhat surprised the young wizards.
The other party had just been aiming bows and arrows at them, and the professor had even left permanent marks on two Centaurs. Yet, in the blink of an eye, both sides were calmly negotiating. This was likely something only a qualified Slytherin could achieve.
"Of course…" The Centaur leader nodded. "Before I came here, a Snowy Owl had already found her with an astrological prophecy."
"That's even better," Sagres replied, very satisfied.
He opened the pocket on his wizard robe, and all the materials brought by the other party floated into the air one by one, continuously flying into the pocket, which he had enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
…
On the way back to the castle, Nightingale said goodbye to them and then left using Apparition. However, this beautiful and powerful lady left a deep impression on the young wizards.
"Professor…" Hermione asked hesitantly, "Is Miss Veiliss a Veela?"
Harry and Ron looked bewildered, clearly not knowing what a Veela was. Sagres, however, looked surprised—he hadn't expected the little witch to know so much.
"Hm, we shouldn't talk about someone behind their back, but Veiliss and I are good friends, so it's okay to talk about it." He smiled. "Veiliss does have Veela blood, but she's not a pure-blood Veela."
"How is that possible…" Hermione seemed somewhat incredulous. "Only a few pure-blood Veela can attract females. So if she's just a half-blood, her influence on me shouldn't be this strong…"
Sagres understood completely upon hearing this. He smiled and explained to Hermione, "That's because she also has another magical bloodline—Snow Elf. These two bloodlines intermingle, leading to some special changes."
He seized the opportunity to warn them, "Don't be too afraid. You can learn Occlumency after your sixth year. This spell can effectively reduce mental interference and resist temptation."
All along the way, the trio kept asking various questions, and Sagres answered them one by one. Malfoy, uncharacteristically, remained silent; the events of that night had left a profound impact on him.
First the cloaked specter, then the hostile Centaurs—Malfoy realized that his pure-blood status, which he usually prided himself on, was utterly useless in the Forbidden Forest.
Or rather, the forest had its own set of rules.
Perhaps it was the same outside the Forbidden Forest. The Malfoy family's esteemed position in Britain's magical world wasn't solely due to bloodline.
Recalling Sagres's overwhelming magic, Malfoy began to seriously consider this question for the first time.
"Oh, by the way, Hagrid…" Sagres called out to him, "Don't enter the Forbidden Forest alone for the time being."
"Alright, Professor Greengrass."
"Of course, if you absolutely must go, you must be accompanied by a professor." He warned seriously, "I will speak to Dumbledore about this."
"Thank you, Professor. I'll be careful," Hagrid said gratefully.
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