The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
Dumbledore's long beard stirred without wind, and behind his half-moon spectacles, his blue eyes gleamed dangerously.
"Apologize?" The old headmaster's voice was soft, yet it silenced the entire pitch. "For what? For stopping a gifted student from going down the wrong path?"
Sagreles gave a soft laugh, the sound like shattered ice scraping across glass.
"The wrong path?" He raised a hand, and the Everlasting Flowerwood Wand traced a dim arc through the air. "Look around you, Albus Dumbledore. Who allowed the poisonous tumor of pure-blood supremacy to spread through this school? Who permitted professors to wear hypocritical masks while trampling fairness and justice at will?"
His gaze swept over Snape's pale face. Beneath his black robes, Snape's fingers had already quietly reached for the spare wand in his sleeve.
"Don't move, Severus." Sagreles didn't even look at him. "Unless you'd like to try another grand adventure!"
Dumbledore also raised a hand to stop Snape. "What sort of apology do you want?" he asked, and for the first time, weariness entered his voice.
"A sincere apology." Sagreles stepped forward, and the gravel beneath his feet parted on its own. "Admit your negligence. Admit that you let a bullied student face the hostility of an entire house alone. Admit that you knew everything happening at Hogwarts, yet chose to turn a blind eye again and again."
A commotion rose in the distance. Professor McGonagall hurried over with the other teachers, but they all stopped when they saw the confrontation at the center of the field.
Dumbledore's brow furrowed deeply. "I never—"
"You're lying," Sagreles said calmly.
An invisible shockwave spread outward from him. Every torch around the pitch went out, and a cold, sinister magic swept across the crowd.
"I didn't know six