HP: The Dangerous Azkaban Professor

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Harry focused all his attention on the task at hand, doing his best to bury himself in work and pretend Malfoy didn't exist. No matter how much Malfoy provoked him, he knew he couldn't let anything ruin the joy this Christmas was supposed to bring.

Honestly, he was glad he'd chosen to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays.

Coincidentally, Ron's father had planned a trip to Romania to visit Charlie, and with the other Weasley brothers either busy or still in school, Ron had nowhere else to go… so he, too, had decided to stay behind at Hogwarts.

After Potions class, the group left the dungeon classroom together, only to find their way blocked by a massive fir tree right outside the Great Hall. Hermione, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted a pair of huge boots peeking out from beneath the branches, and greeted the figure cheerfully, "Hey, Hagrid~!"

"Hello there, Miss Granger. Christmas is almost here… are you staying at Hogwarts too?" Hagrid replied, his voice as warm as ever.

Hermione shook her head. "I'll be taking the Hogwarts Express home tomorrow. I want to spend Christmas with my parents."

Ron poked his head in between the fir's branches too. "Hey, Hagrid, need any help with that?"

"Oh… no need, Ron. Professor Greengrass already helped me finish most of it, but I appreciate it all the same," said Hagrid gratefully.

Just then, Malfoy's cold voice rang out, laced with that signature arrogance of his. "Can you lot not block the whole hallway? Weasley, looking to earn some pocket money or something? Figures… the gamekeeper's little hut must seem like a palace compared to that shack your family lives in."

That did it. Ron, already fed up with the sight of Malfoy's face, snapped the moment he heard those words. His temper flared, and he lunged at him without a second thought.

"Weasley!" came the chilling voice of Snape from behind them.

Ron loosened his grip on Malfoy's collar, though he was still panting hard, barely holding back his fury.

"Professor Snape, he was provoked," Hagrid said as he set down the massive fir tree from his shoulder. His snow-covered head emerged from the branches. "Malfoy insulted Ron's family. Anyone would've reacted the same way."

"Be that as it may, Hagrid, fighting is still a violation of Hogwarts rules," Snape replied icily, his hollow gaze sweeping across the group. "That'll be five points from Gryffindor. Frankly, you should be thankful I'm not taking more, considering this isn't the first time."

He shot Harry, Ron, and Hermione a warning look, then barked coldly, "Now get out of here. All of you."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle walked off wearing smug, satisfied grins, shoving past the fir tree with no regard whatsoever. They barged through the branches roughly, sending pine needles flying in all directions, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione behind, stewing in silent frustration.

"Just you wait," Ron growled through clenched teeth, glaring at the backs of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle as they walked away. "One day I'm gonna teach those jerks a lesson."

"Hold it right there…"

A calm voice came from within the Great Hall, stopping Malfoy and his two cronies in their tracks just as they were about to walk off.

"If the three of you can't put that fir tree back exactly the way it was, then you'll have to head into the Forbidden Forest and chop down a new one for me yourselves."

"It's Professor Greengrass!" Hermione instantly recognized the voice. She squeezed past Harry and Ron, stepping forward to get a better look… and sure enough, there was Professor Greengrass, standing in their way, speaking sternly to Malfoy and the others.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, and matching grins of glee spread across their faces.

"But Professor, I don't understand…" Malfoy said, clearly a little confused.

"This year, I'm in charge of decorating the Great Hall and the Christmas trees," Sargeras replied evenly, his voice calm but firm. "So technically speaking, the fir tree you just damaged happens to be mine."

"But it was blocking the path…" Malfoy tried to explain, but Sargeras raised a hand and cut him off without hesitation.

"That's no excuse for destroying it." He stood squarely at the entrance to the Great Hall, completely blocking the way. Even Snape, who had just arrived at the foot of the steps, found himself halted.

"Now then, you have two choices. Either go into the Forbidden Forest and chop down a replacement, or each of you will lose five points."

At those words, Snape's face twisted slightly in contempt. With a scoff, he pulled out his wand, and the broken branches and fallen needles immediately floated back up, returning to the tree as though nothing had happened.

"Sargeras, it's just a few scattered leaves," he said dismissively. "Slytherin will not be losing points over something so trivial."

"It seems shielding students from your own House has become second nature to you, Professor Snape," Sargeras replied coolly, his expression unreadable. Without waiting for a response, he continued, "Then let's start with Malfoy. For insulting a fellow student, five points will be deducted."

With that, he gave Snape's darkening expression no further attention and turned back toward the tree. With a wave of his hand, the towering fir rose smoothly into the air and drifted gently into the Great Hall.

"Haha! That was incredibly satisfying…" Ron said with a grin, turning to Harry and Hermione. "Shame he didn't take off more points, though."

"Did you see their faces? They looked ready to explode," Harry murmured under his breath.

"By the way, Hagrid…" Hermione said, eyes still following the retreating backs of the Slytherins before turning back with curiosity, "are you really still not going to tell us who Nicolas Flamel is?"

"Forget about it," Hagrid muttered, sounding a little flustered and uncomfortable. "Whatever that dog's guarding… it's got nothing to do with you lot."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is," Ron added quickly, jumping in. "Unless you tell us, we'll have to find out on our own."

"And that would save us a lot of trouble," Harry chimed in cleverly, trying to get Hagrid to relent. "Even though, honestly, we've got nothing better to do anyway."

"Listen, I'm not telling you, so don't even think about it!" Hagrid snapped, his voice firm and final. There wasn't the slightest trace of negotiation in his tone.

"Well, in that case… we'll just have to find the answer ourselves." Hermione gave a helpless little shrug and shared a look with the other two. The trio exchanged a silent grin… then without another word, dashed off toward the Hogwarts library, their steps light and eager, leaving Hagrid behind, scowling after them with a face full of frustration.

"What's the matter, Hagrid?" Sargeras asked casually, twirling his wand as he continued decorating the massive Christmas tree.

"Oh, nothing, Professor," Hagrid replied quickly. Watching Sargeras work his magic so effortlessly made Hagrid feel a twinge of envy. Just like that, all the irritation from before slipped quietly from his mind.

Inside the hall stood over a dozen towering Christmas trees, each one decorated in a completely different style—some adorned with long, shimmering icicles, others with flickering candles, some bursting with magical firecrackers, and others strung with tiny gift boxes wrapped in bright paper.

Hagrid plucked one of the little gift boxes from a branch, opened it, and found a brand-new pair of dragon-hide gloves inside. He was absolutely delighted… until he realized, a little deflated, that with his enormous hands, there was no way he could actually wear them.

"That's such a shame…" Hagrid muttered to himself, cradling the gloves in his palms. "Maybe these gifts are meant for the little witches and wizards."

Just then, Sargeras, having finished decorating the hall, passed by and caught sight of Hagrid's dilemma. With a casual flick of his wand, he tapped the gloves in Hagrid's hands, and right before his eyes, the snug little pair magically expanded in size, growing large enough to fit him perfectly.

Hagrid slipped them on and flexed his fingers. They fit like a dream.

"Thank you so much, Professor Greengrass…" he said, his voice thick with genuine emotion. "This is the best Christmas present I've ever received."

"A small thing," Sargeras replied with a soft smile and a nod.

With the Great Hall now fully decorated, he finally allowed himself a rare return to his office. With Christmas approaching, he had many letters to send, though he considered most of them quite unnecessary.

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