Rewards and Punishments

"I really regret it... I only wanted to learn some powerful magic from him... then expose him, but I never thought things would turn out like this..."

Quirrell said weakly, "Sagreles, I envy you so much... Your formidable strength, your great fame, the respect of others... Any one of those is something I have pursued desperately but could never obtain... Ha, I really envy you..."

Quirrell's voice grew quieter and quieter until it vanished completely.

He died just like that, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as life completely left him.

"Was he a Death Eater?" Harry finally asked.

Without looking back, Sagreles buried Quirrell with a wave of his wand and answered, "Not really... He was merely an ordinary man whose eyes had been blinded by greed for a time."

Sagreles's words plunged the young wizards into silence, though that was indeed the truth.

Most Death Eaters came from pure-blood families. Most followed Voldemort because his pure-blood ideology could win them greater benefits.

The pie of modern magical society was fixed, yet the few pure-bloods monopolized eighty percent of society's wealth. Even so, they were not satisfied, because long ago, the entire pie had belonged to them.

"But he tried to kill me, didn't he?" Harry said with pursed lips. "Even if he didn't succeed..."

"Indeed." Sagreles nodded. "If you're asking whether he did it, then yes, he did. But his inner resistance made his methods clumsy."

With a casual motion, he restored the shattered Mirror of Erised to its original state and continued calmly, "Not everyone can choose to resist the Dark Lord to the very end... So Quirrell submitted, but perhaps he never truly wanted to kill you in the first place."

"Professor, I don't really understand..."

Seeing the confused young wizards, Sagreles unusually took the time to explain. "If he truly wanted to kill you, why would he choose the Quidditch match? Wouldn't it have been better to act in private? With the entire school watching, even if you really fell from your broom, you would not have been in mortal danger, Mr. Potter."

Seeing the trio hesitate, Sagreles drew his wand and pointed it at a stone. "For a powerful wizard, killing a newcomer who has only just entered the Wizarding World is effortless—so easy that all it takes is a wave of the wand!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the stone crumbled into dust.

"But Professor, like Professor Quirrell... what Quirrell said, not everyone is as powerful as you." Hermione was clearly still unconvinced.

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Granger..." Sagreles gave her a slight bow and smiled. "But you must not underestimate your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. After all, how could someone who broke into Gringotts alone and escaped unscathed be an ordinary man?"

"But he..." Ron pointed at the little mound of earth.

"Yes, in the end, he still died..." Sagreles looked at the mound as well, somewhat wistful. "Abandoned mercilessly by Voldemort."

Then he murmured slowly, "It seems Voldemort is not only as ruthless toward his enemies as the rumors say. He is equally cold and merciless toward his followers."

The young wizards nodded heavily, and Sagreles led them slowly back. They did not walk quickly, and Sagreles even found time to restore the things that had been damaged along the way.

"By the way, Professor, where is Headmaster Dumbledore?" Harry asked. "Doesn't he know what happened here tonight?"

The other two young wizards also looked at Sagreles.

"He received a last-minute notice from the Ministry of Magic and went to London." Sagreles had no intention whatsoever of keeping the old headmaster's secret.

"All right..." Harry nodded, then after a while, cautiously spoke again. "Professor Greengrass..."

"What is it, Potter?"

"May I ask you some questions?"

"Of course. I said before that answering your questions is one of a professor's duties."

"It's like this... Voldemort said he killed my mother because she desperately wanted to protect me. But then, why did he want to kill me? How did I escape from him? Why did he say I was the one who turned him into that?"

Harry fired off several questions in a row, while Hermione and Ron pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

"Unfortunately, Potter..." Sagreles shook his head as he walked. "I do not know much about such matters. After all, I was only ten years old back then and had not even come to Hogwarts... But perhaps you could try asking Dumbledore. He always seems to know many secrets."

"All right..." Harry nodded. "Then what about that Invisibility Cloak? Do you know who gave it to me?"

"Ah, I still don't know, Mr. Potter..." Sagreles looked a little awkward. "But I suspect Dumbledore gave it to you, because I once saw an identical one in his office."

"Really, Professor? You think Dumbledore gave Harry the Invisibility Cloak?" Ron suddenly asked.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley..." He thought back before saying, "It was a very rare Invisibility Cloak, perfect in every respect... Of course, it could merely be a coincidence. Perhaps they happened to own two identical cloaks... After all, I said from the beginning that this was only my speculation, didn't I?"

"Could Dumbledore have intended for you to do all this?" Ron suddenly turned to Harry, his voice filled with probing doubt. "All of it?"

"No way!" Hermione could not help saying. "If that were really the case... I mean—that would be terrifying... Because Harry could have been killed."

They both looked at Harry, who was immediately at a loss.

"I believe Dumbledore. I believe him. He must have had his reasons for doing this..." Harry muttered, as though trying to convince himself. "Just as Professor Greengrass said, we are all newcomers who have only just entered the Wizarding World. And Dumbledore is the greatest wizard in the world today. If he truly wanted to do something to us, all he would need to do is wave his wand. There would be no need to go through so many twists and turns!"

"What do you think, Professor?" Hermione asked Sagreles after hearing Harry's words.

The professor in black robes smiled first, then said thoughtfully, "Dumbledore is a very interesting man... I think he knew more or less what was happening here, and he also knew exactly what you intended to do... Perhaps he did not stop you because he believed you had the right to face Voldemort..."

In Sagreles's view, Dumbledore was a good man, but not a saint.

The old professor was complex and multifaceted. There was no doubt that he was a good man. He was kind, gentle, and deeply perceptive. He was the greatest headmaster in Hogwarts history and had devoted immense effort to protecting the Wizarding World.

But he was not a saint, because he too possessed the weaknesses of human nature.

For instance, his desire for power had led him astray in his youth; his decisions could sometimes be overly idealistic, even tinged with a certain arrogance; and his concern for the greater good sometimes caused him to overlook individual feelings, making him seem somewhat cold.

That was why Sagreles had always disliked the old headmaster, because he had experienced it deeply himself—if you were weak enough, Dumbledore would be extremely tolerant of you, even if you had made mistakes. But if you were powerful enough, then even if you did nothing, the old professor would still instinctively suspect and scrutinize you.

Still, he greatly respected this titan of the Wizarding World, even if they were not the same kind of people.

"No wonder. Those obstacles looked like a test, a trial..." Hermione murmured. "It's a pity that Vol... I mean, the Dark Lord... It's a pity he still escaped."

"You can call him by his name directly, Miss Granger..." Sagreles came back to himself and said calmly. "Fear of a name only strengthens fear of the thing itself. And with Voldemort's current strength, trying to cast Name Magic is nothing but wishful thinking. So you can call him directly—Voldemort."

Seeing the three of them nod, he continued, "Of course, regarding the punishment for your violation of school rules..."

"Professor..." Ron's eyes widened in disbelief. "We successfully stopped Quirrell and kept Voldemort from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone. Are you still going to deduct points from us?"

"Mr. Weasley, and the two of you as well..." Sagreles pointed at the three of them. "More accurately, you helped Voldemort obtain the Philosopher's Stone and nearly caused it to be stolen."

He raised a hand to stop the trio from speaking and explained his reasoning amid their astonished gazes.

"The final Mirror Magic was personally arranged by Dumbledore. It was a very ingenious method that could combine with the Mirror of Erised to peer into people's inner thoughts."

He looked at Harry and said seriously, "Under this magic's effect, only someone who truly wanted to obtain it, yet had absolutely no intention of using it, could take it from the mirror. So if Quirrell had been alone, he could have racked his brains all he wanted and still never obtained the Philosopher's Stone. The same was true for Voldemort."

The three young wizards were dumbfounded.

"Of course, some of your performances during this whole affair were indeed commendable..." Sagreles changed the subject. "For example, Mr. Weasley..."

Ron immediately listened attentively.

"Your performance on the chessboard was extremely impressive. Especially in the final moves, the courage you displayed was admirable..."

Ron's face turned red at once, but it was clear that he was very happy.

"But considering your violation of school rules, I must deduct one point... Believe me, the other professors would only deduct more. I have already been quite merciful."

"How many? One point?" Ron nearly failed to react.

"Do you think that is too little, Mr. Weasley?"

"Of course not, Professor! Your decision is absolutely wise!" Ron hurriedly answered. He was no longer sad in the slightest. In fact, he was rather pleased.

"Miss Granger..."

"Yes, Professor." Hermione also perked up.

"Your reasoning ability is quite outstanding, and you have learned many advanced spells ahead of schedule. Although you can become somewhat flustered in dangerous situations, I have seen your improvement—for example, when facing the Troll, your timing in casting spells was quite good."

The young witch looked a little embarrassed and pressed her lips tightly together.

"But considering your violation of school rules, I must deduct an additional two points. And I can approve your participation in my practical classes next term. Of course, you may refuse."

"Really, Professor?" Hermione's eyes immediately lit up. She had originally only been allowed to audit the theory classes, so Sagreles's decision filled her with delight.

"Of course it's true. Will you refuse?"

"Of course not, Professor..." Hermione hurriedly waved her hands. "I mean, I am willing to participate. I'm honored."

"That's good..." Sagreles nodded and continued, "Mr. Potter—"

"I'm here, Professor," Harry hurriedly replied.

"Hmm... Potter," he said after a moment's thought, his expression complicated. "To be honest, I think the thing you did best was all those lies you made up when facing Voldemort..."

Harry's face immediately grew awkward. He thought Sagreles was teasing him, because he had dragged many people into his lies, including Professor Greengrass standing before him.

"Please don't misunderstand, Potter... I am telling the truth." Noticing the young wizard's embarrassed expression, he smiled and explained, "That required a very flexible mind, as well as the courage to remain calm in danger. I was pleasantly surprised that you could do that. Although you did not fool Voldemort, that was only because he knew Legilimency."

"Legili-what?" Harry asked blankly.

"Legilimency," Sagreles repeated. "You may learn it in the future."

Harry's performance at the time had indeed been quick-witted. When facing Quirrell, it was already quite impressive that he had thought of disguising himself and using lies to stall for time. After all, at that moment, Quirrell represented death.

Sagreles even felt that Harry possessed some Slytherin traits, though he did not say so aloud.

"Therefore, Mr. Potter, apart from the points deducted for violating school rules, you can still win approximately... three points for Gryffindor."

"So that means..." Ron suddenly interrupted.

"No points gained or lost!" Hermione said.

"All right, before dawn arrives, the three of you should hurry back and get some sleep..."

Sagreles used the Levitation Charm to move the young wizards from the underground chamber into the corridor, while also taking the opportunity to lull Fluffy, the three-headed dog, back to sleep.

"The results will be out in a few days. I hope all of you have a happy holiday."

After seeing them to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, he bid them farewell.

"Oh, Professor..." Hermione called out to Sagreles as he turned to leave, pulling a red stone from her pocket. "I forgot this—the Philosopher's Stone."

Sagreles pondered for several seconds. "Just keep it with you, Miss Granger..."

"What? But..." Hermione and her two companions were extremely surprised to hear that.

"Dumbledore will return tomorrow, and then you can give it back to him..." At this point, he blinked, a hint of mischief in his tone. "And don't you have many questions to ask him? This is a good excuse."

"But this is... the Philosopher's Stone!" the young witch repeated.

"I know, Miss Granger. Of course I know it is the Philosopher's Stone. It can turn stone into gold, grant people eternal life, and perhaps has other wondrous uses as well..."

Sagreles smiled. "But in truth, if you think carefully about it, you will realize that it is not so wonderful... At least in some ways, it is not wonderful..."

Looking at the three young wizards, who could hardly believe it, he continued, "With it, no matter how much wealth you wanted or how long a life you desired, your wishes could be fulfilled! Inexhaustible riches and undying life—those happen to be the two things humans desire most... But how could human desire ever have an end? Once you own a mountain of gold, you want another mountain of gold. Once you have lived a thousand years, you want to live another thousand... It forcibly breaks the cycle of life and death and infinitely magnifies the desires within people's hearts. That is a violation of nature's laws!"

The young wizards were speechless. Finally, Sagreles said slowly, "That is why I say it is not as wonderful as you imagine..."

With that, he left under the thoughtful gazes of the three children.

"I keep feeling like... Professor Greengrass is trying every possible way to cause Professor Dumbledore trouble..." Ron said in confusion.

"I think so too!" Harry agreed.