Troll Practical Course

"Are you going to keep hiding?" All expression vanished from Sagreles's face. He looked at a desk near the door as the old headmaster's figure slowly emerged from it.

The other man wore a smile, showing none of the embarrassment of being caught spying.

"You did very well, Sagreles. Honestly, even I couldn't have done any better..." Dumbledore said rather exaggeratedly.

"Is that so? Then you must be truly terrible, Professor Dumbledore, because even I couldn't do something like this. How did you come up with the idea of using the Mirror of Erised to tempt an orphan who had never seen his parents?"

Sagreles frowned, his gaze probing. "Do you find it fulfilling to toy with a young wizard who has suppressed his desires since childhood? Or did you think Harry Potter should get a good look at the parents and family Voldemort killed, so he could strengthen his hatred for Voldemort?"

"You misunderstand me, Sagreles..." Dumbledore naturally walked over to the Mirror of Erised and said gently, "I merely hoped this child could undergo a few trials, so that when he encountered hardships in the future, he would be able to see his own heart clearly and not let false things blind him."

"Mm, I understand what you mean, Headmaster. You mean that in order to keep Harry Potter from losing himself in the future, you should first let him completely sink into obsession while he is still in school, is that it?"

"Sagreles, you know that isn't what I mean..." The old man smiled at him, shaking his head and chuckling as though he were meeting him for the first time. "Still, you care about them even more than I imagined. I never would have guessed you had such a kind heart. So? Is it tiring to put on that cold expression every day?"

"At least it isn't more tiring than pretending to be warm and benevolent." Sagreles looked disdainful. "You must already have planned that boy's ending in your heart. What, did I disrupt your plans?"

He deeply disliked that self-assured, wisdom-filled look on the other man's face. To casually arrange another person's fate simply because they were weak was, in his view, a form of arrogance unique to the old. He had learned that lesson once before when he had studied at Hogwarts.

"I think you truly misunderstand me." Dumbledore looked at the mirror and spoke to Sagreles without turning around. "Even if you had not come out to stop him today, I would have come out and said those things to him."

"Then what was the point of all this?"

"There was one, Sagreles. Of course there was..." He finally turned around. "I understand the human heart better than you do. More than strength, I would rather believe in things like 'love' and 'tolerance.'"

"You do not believe in strength because you already possess enough of it." Sagreles did not agree with him at all. "Inner strength needs something to rely on. You expect a first-year student who has never faced life and death and has no experience whatsoever to become strong inside?"

"Harry has faced life and death, Sagreles. He experienced it when he was just born." The old man blinked. "And isn't this experience valuable to him as well? I told you from the beginning that your teaching was excellent. Harry will benefit greatly from it."

"Then I also hope you heard what I just said—put this mirror somewhere the young wizards cannot find it. At least until they are ready, do not let it appear at Hogwarts again."

"As you wish. I will hide this mirror away." The old man smiled. "But before that, do you really not want to come over and take a look?"

"Do you truly want me to look, Professor Dumbledore?" Sagreles gazed at him calmly and asked without a ripple in his voice.

The old man opened his mouth but did not answer. Sagreles turned and left the classroom.

Hogwarts seemed to have once again sunk into its former tranquility.

After teaching Gryffindor and Slytherin students a lesson on how to deal with Trolls, Sagreles received a reply from Lady Snow Owl.

When he saw the three crystal bottles enclosed with the letter, a gloating smile could not help appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Earlier, the sixth- and seventh-year students of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had also achieved complete success in their in-depth "negotiations" with Headmaster Dumbledore.

After consulting Sagreles, the old headmaster decided to allow younger students to sit in on Sagreles's classes, though only his spell theory classes.

Practical courses carried a certain degree of risk, after all, and were unsuitable for young wizards who had not even taken their OWLs.

At this time, Sagreles's Troll practical course was also being prepared at full speed.

He carefully selected a large clearing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and placed the three crystal bottles containing different types of Trolls in their own distinct locations.

The Alpine Rock Troll was placed in a rocky mountain area covered in boulders, while the Rhine River Mud Troll was placed in a vast muddy swamp. As for the Black Forest Moss Troll, it was placed deep within a dense, verdant forest.

To ensure safety, he used the Banishing Charm to establish isolation wards around the area, preventing any young wizard or other creature from accidentally entering.

In addition, he cleverly created three trigger-based magical traps—once someone attempted to pick up a crystal bottle, the Troll inside would automatically be released, and all restrictive spells placed upon it would be lifted at once.

Portkeys would be used to enter and leave the area. Each team entering would be randomly sent to one of the zones, and the Portkey at each zone's exit would be clearly marked. However, it could only be used after the Troll had been knocked down, banished, or completely lost its target.

Naturally, he would not allow these young wizards to face Trolls without any preparation.

For this reason, he specially cast protective magic on them, ensuring that if they were struck by a Troll's strength, they would be safely transported to a designated location.

After personally testing the setup and confirming that all the mechanisms could trigger properly, he went to Professor McGonagall to discuss the final details.

This could be considered a midterm examination. Sagreles believed that this practical course would, to a great extent, reveal these young wizards' ability to solve real problems.

For these young wizards raised in an era of peace, facing a Troll head-on was undoubtedly an immensely challenging task. Even during the turbulent times of the past, most wizards had merely lived out their lives peacefully and obediently.

Sagreles did not know how many of these young wizards would take up dangerous professions in the future, but if possible, he would rather their first encounter with a Troll take place in the relatively safe environment of a school.

"They may never use what they learn, but that is far better than discovering they never learned it when they truly need it." It was precisely with this belief that he successfully persuaded Professor McGonagall.

In the end, however, Sagreles still had to agree to Professor McGonagall and the other professors' request to observe. They insisted on being present to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Though he felt it was entirely unnecessary, he could only agree after their repeated insistence. Let them watch, then. Perhaps it would be best if it made them change their excessively protective approach to education.