HP: The Dangerous Azkaban Professor

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"Still planning to keep hiding?"

All the expression on Sargeras' face faded away, his gaze settling on a desk near the doorway. From behind that desk, the old headmaster's figure slowly emerged into view.

The other man was smiling, looking completely at ease, not the slightest hint of awkwardness for having been caught spying.

"You did very well, Sargeras. Honestly, even I couldn't have done it better…" Dumbledore said, his words exaggerated just enough to sound playful.

"Is that so, Professor Dumbledore? Then I'm afraid you've done quite terribly," Sargeras replied, his tone dry. "After all, even I couldn't pull off something as… distasteful as this. Tell me, what possessed you to tempt a child — an orphan who's never even seen his parents since childhood — with the Mirror of Erised?"

His brows furrowed as his sharp eyes studied the old man. "Do you really feel some great sense of accomplishment, toying with the desires of a young wizard who's spent his whole life suppressing them? Or is it that you think letting Harry Potter stare at the murdered faces of his parents will somehow help him deepen his hatred for Voldemort?"

"You've misunderstood me, Sargeras…"

Dumbledore naturally walked over to the Mirror of Erised, his voice as gentle as ever. "All I hoped was for the boy to face a few trials early on. So that in the future, when real hardships come, he'll be able to look within himself and see clearly… rather than be blinded by illusions."

"Ah… I see your point now, Headmaster," Sargeras replied with cold amusement. "You're saying that to prevent Harry Potter from losing himself in the future… you've decided to let him completely lose himself while he's still in school. How very thoughtful."

"Sargeras, you know that's not what I meant…"

The old man smiled at him, his eyes filled with that maddening twinkle, as though seeing him for the first time. He shook his head lightly, still smiling.

"But I must say, you care for them far more than I expected. I never would've guessed there's a kind heart hidden under all that icy exterior. Tell me… doesn't it get tiring? Putting on that cold, emotionless face every day?"

"At least it's not as exhausting as pretending to be kind and approachable all the time," Sargeras replied with open disdain. "I'm sure you've already mapped out that boy's future in your mind, haven't you? So, tell me… have I disrupted your grand plan?"

He despised that self-satisfied, wise-old-man act of Dumbledore's. It was that arrogant belief that the weak had no say in their own fate, that the powerful could manipulate them at will. He'd seen it all before — back when he was still a student at Hogwarts.

"I think you have truly misunderstood me…"

Dumbledore stood by the mirror, his back turned as he spoke to Sargeras, his voice calm and composed. "Even if you had not stepped in to stop him today, I would have come out and spoken to him myself."

"And… what would have been the point of all that then?"

"There is a point, Sargeras… of course there is…" The old man finally turned around, his expression calm yet resolute.

"I understand people far better than you give me credit for. More than strength or power, I would rather place my faith in things like love… and kindness… and acceptance."

"You only dismiss power because you've never lacked it," Sargeras shot back without hesitation, clearly unimpressed by his words. "Inner strength doesn't appear out of thin air. You expect a first-year student who's never truly faced life and death, never experienced anything real… to just magically become strong inside?"

"Harry has already faced life and death, Sargeras," Dumbledore replied softly, his eyes half-lidded with thought. "From the moment he was born… his life brushed against death. And besides, is this not exactly the kind of trial that will shape him? The kind of experience that will be invaluable to him in the future?"

"I have told you before… your teaching is excellent. Because of you, Harry will benefit from all this… far more than you might imagine."

"Then I hope you were also listening to what I just said…"

Sargeras' eyes sharpened, his voice low and steady. "Put that mirror somewhere the young wizards will not stumble upon it. At least… not until they are ready. Do not let it appear at Hogwarts again before then."

"As you wish. I'll hide the mirror." The old man smiled as he spoke, but there was a trace of mystery lingering behind that gentle expression.

"But before I do… you really don't want to come over and take a look for yourself?"

"You really want me to look, Professor Dumbledore?" Sargeras met his gaze with perfect calm, his eyes unwavering, his voice quiet but firm.

The old man opened his mouth as if to answer… but in the end, he said nothing.

Sargeras turned and walked out of the classroom.

It seemed as though Hogwarts had returned to its usual peace and quiet once more.

After finishing a lesson for the Gryffindor and Slytherin students on how to deal with trolls, Sargeras received a reply from the Snowy Owl.

When he opened the letter and saw the three crystal bottles carefully tucked inside, a faint, mocking smile curved at the corner of his lips.

Earlier, the sixth- and seventh-year students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had also reached a rather satisfying conclusion to their in-depth… "negotiations" with Headmaster Dumbledore.

After consulting with Sargeras, the old headmaster had finally agreed to let lower-year students audit Sargeras' classes—but only the theoretical Charms lessons.

After all, practical lessons carried real risks. They weren't exactly suited for little witches and wizards who hadn't even gone through their OWL exams yet.

At that moment, preparations for Sargeras' troll practical lesson was already being prepared in full swing.

He had carefully chosen a large, open clearing near the edge of the Forbidden Forest and placed the three crystal bottles, each containing a different type of troll, in carefully designated locations.

The Alpine Rock Troll was set down among a rugged, rocky mountain slope covered with massive boulders.

The Rhine River Swamp Troll was placed in a vast, swampy marshland thick with reeds and stagnant water.

And as for the Black Forest Moss Troll… it was hidden deep within the dense, overgrown heart of the forest, where the sunlight barely reached through the thick canopy.

To make sure everything remained safe, Sargeras had also cast Repelling Charms around the entire area, sealing it off completely to keep curious young witches and wizards or… any other creature from accidentally wandering in.

On top of that, he had also devised three clever, trigger-activated magical traps. The moment anyone tried to pick up the crystal bottles, the trolls sealed within would be released automatically, and at the same time, every restriction spell placed upon them would be lifted without delay.

Access to the area was strictly controlled through Portkeys. Each team entering the training ground would be randomly transported to one of the troll zones. The Portkeys that marked the exits were also clearly indicated…but they could only be activated once the troll in that area was either knocked down, driven away, or completely lost track of its target.

Of course, he wasn't about to send these young witches and wizards face-to-face with trolls completely unprepared.

For that reason, he had placed protective enchantments on them in advance, ensuring that if any student was struck by the brute force of a troll, they would be safely teleported to a designated area without injury.

After personally running tests and confirming that all the magical setups worked flawlessly, Sargeras went to consult with Professor McGonagall to discuss the final details of the lesson.

In his mind, this could very well be considered a midterm exam. Sargeras believed that this practical lesson would provide a clear opportunity to see how well these young witches and wizards could handle real-life problems.

For these students, who had all grown up during peaceful times, facing a troll would undoubtedly be an extremely serious challenge. Even back in the more turbulent days of the past, most wizards had simply kept their heads down and lived out quiet, ordinary lives.

Sargeras had no way of knowing how many of these young witches and wizards would go on to pursue dangerous professions in the future. But if there was even the slightest chance of that happening, he would much rather their first encounter with a troll happen here… within the controlled, relatively safe environment of the school.

"Maybe they'll learn these skills and never need to use them… but that's still far better than the alternative… realizing they never learned them when the moment truly comes."

It was precisely with that belief in mind that he successfully managed to persuade Professor McGonagall.

In the end, though, Sargeras still had no choice but to agree to the requests from Professor McGonagall and the other professors to observe the lesson in person. They insisted on being present to ensure that absolutely nothing could go wrong.

Though deep down, he really didn't think their presence was necessary at all, there was no point arguing with their stubbornness. In the end, he simply agreed.

Let them come, then…

Maybe seeing this lesson unfold with their own eyes would finally push them to rethink their overprotective approach to education.

Sargeras thought to himself with quiet amusement.

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