Claiming the Reward

"Professor Greengrass..." Hagrid's eyes widened at the sight, and he hurriedly tried to stop him. "Don't hurt them. They're only..."

"Hagrid!" Sagreles cut him off. "Do I need to remind you? That Centaur fired three arrows just now, and every one of them was aimed at our throats..."

"But, Professor..."

"Think carefully before you speak, Hagrid," Sagreles said expressionlessly.

"Ah, how did this happen... How did things end up like this..." Hagrid finally gave up pleading for the Centaurs. He stood there anxiously muttering to himself.

The others were not worried in the slightest. This group of Centaurs had been hostile from the beginning. Other than Hagrid, everyone wanted them to suffer a little.

Sagreles was only holding back because he still had his commission in mind. Otherwise, their fate would have been far worse. He was prepared to teach these Centaurs a profound lesson, since they did not look like the type to obediently hand over the reward. Of course, he could not really turn them into bean paste.

Tree roots rose from the soil and transformed into sharp wooden spikes. Branches reached down from above, while leaves turned into razor-sharp blades. As though alive, they watched the Centaurs hungrily, all aimed at their throats.

The young wizards stared wide-eyed. These were all extremely advanced Transfiguration Spells, unlike anything they had ever seen before.

Even Malfoy was stunned. Only now did he understand why his father had warned him never to provoke "that madman" at school.

The trio watched the vines and wooden spikes with shining eyes, listening closely to every word Sagreles said.

"I hear Centaur tribes usually have two leaders," Sagreles said. "The males are responsible for hunting and warfare, while the females teach astrology and magic..."

He stopped before Bane, lowered his head, drew out his wand, and asked teasingly, "What? Didn't you have her divine a prophecy for you before you left today?"

The Centaurs could not answer at all, their mouths tightly bound by vines.

Sagreles simply stood there, calmly watching them while continuously turning the Everlasting Flowerwood Wand over in his hand.

"I never intended to do this. After all, I only came here to complete a commission. My friend rescued your companion from poachers, while I was responsible for sending him back to the Forbidden Forest and collecting the reward."

He glanced past Bane at Leon. "That isn't hard to understand, is it? After all, buying him at an underground auction cost quite a price..."

Sagreles explained the entire course of events, making sure they understood why they had come. He also explained exactly where the Unicorn corpse had come from.

"Now, are you willing to communicate in a more civilized manner?"

With a wave of his hand, he removed the vines covering their mouths.

"Centaurs will never..."

Sagreles coldly sealed his mouth again.

His patience was nearly exhausted. Even the Dementors of Azkaban were easier to communicate with. At least Dementors felt fear, while these Centaurs seemed to believe that no one would dare harm them.

An arrow rose from the ground and shot through the Centaur's shoulder blade like a meteor. The pain made him convulse uncontrollably, and Nightingale quickly covered the young wizards' eyes.

"Never what?" Sagreles asked coldly.

"Never be gentle and humble?" The arrow turned back and pierced his other shoulder.

"Or never admit your mistakes?" The arrow passed through his body and came before Leon.

"Never repay kindness?" The arrow pierced Leon's right forehoof, which had been corrupted by the Dark Arts.

"Or never honor your promise?" The final arrow directly shattered the Centaur's injured leg.

Hagrid finally could not bear it any longer and stepped forward, trying to persuade Sagreles to stop the "violence." Nightingale also spoke up to stop him, and only then did he temporarily cease.

Still, he was determined to obtain this reward. If the commission failed, he would receive neither Lady Snow Owl's Time-Turner nor The Creeping Darkness.

He did not want to give up either of those things, so if necessary, he did not mind teaching these Centaurs an unforgettable lesson.

The ground trembled faintly, and piercing clamor came from deep within the forest.

"It's a Centaur charge!" Nightingale turned toward him.

A chaotic thunder of hooves arrived in an instant. Sagreles raised his wand, and a massive stone wall rose from the ground, precisely separating the charging Centaurs.

"Please forgive my reckless tribesmen..." Unexpectedly, the tall Centaur at the front spoke with great sincerity. "I apologize for their actions, and I have also brought the promised reward."

Sagreles could not help raising an eyebrow. It seemed the Centaurs' astrologers truly had some skill. They had actually divined the entire course of events in such detail.

Of course, there was another possibility. Red Kestrel had told him that when someone's fate was about to undergo a major change, divination could more easily produce useful conclusions.

Perhaps this series of foolish actions had plunged the Centaurs' tribe into crisis, allowing them to receive such an accurate prophecy.

"I can accept your apology," Sagreles said calmly. "However, in addition to these materials, you must give Lady Snow Owl one free reading of the stars."

His courteous manner left several young wizards somewhat bewildered.

The other side had just been aiming bows and arrows at them, and the professor had left permanent marks on two Centaurs. Yet in the blink of an eye, both sides could speak calmly together. Perhaps only a qualified Slytherin could manage that.

"Of course..." The Centaur leader nodded. "Before I came here, a night owl had already brought her the prophecy of the stars."

"Then that could not be better." Sagreles was greatly satisfied.

He opened a pocket on his wizarding robes. All the materials the other side had brought rose into the air one by one, drifting into the pocket enhanced with an Undetectable Extension Charm...

On the way back to the castle, Nightingale said goodbye to them and left by Apparition. Still, that beautiful and powerful lady had left a deep impression on the young wizards.

"Professor..." Hermione asked hesitantly, "Is Lady Villis a Veela?"

Harry and Ron looked utterly confused. Clearly, they had no idea what a Veela was. Sagreles, on the other hand, looked surprised. He had not expected the young witch to know so much.

"Yes. I should not have told you, but Villis and I are very good friends, so there is no harm in saying it." He smiled. "Villis does indeed have Veela blood, but she is not a pure-blooded Veela."

"How is that possible..." Hermione looked incredulous. "Only a few pure-blooded Veela can attract women, so if she is merely half-blooded, she should not affect me this strongly..."

Sagreles immediately understood. Smiling, he explained, "That is because she has another extraordinary bloodline as well: Snow Demon. Those two bloodlines have blended together, causing certain unusual changes."

He took the opportunity to warn them, "There is no need to be too afraid. Once you reach sixth year, you can learn Occlumency. That spell can effectively reduce mental interference and resist temptation."

Along the way, the trio kept asking all sorts of questions, and Sagreles answered them one by one. Malfoy was unusually silent. Everything that had happened tonight had shaken him deeply.

First there had been the strange hooded figure, then the Centaurs who attacked without regard for right or wrong. Malfoy realized that the pure-blood status he had always been proud of was 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 lofty status in England's Wizarding World was not due to bloodline alone.

Thinking of Sagreles' powerful magic, Malfoy began seriously considering the matter for the first time.

"Oh, right, Hagrid..." Sagreles called out to him. "Do not enter the Forbidden Forest alone again anytime soon."

"Alright, Professor Greengrass."

"Of course, if you truly must go, you need to have a professor accompany you." He warned him seriously, "I will speak to Dumbledore about this."

"Thank you, Professor. I'll be careful," Hagrid said gratefully.