Hogwarts had to change

Read 20+ Chapter's Ahead in Patreon

For a moment, it felt as though the air itself had frozen still.

Dumbledore's long silver beard swayed despite the absence of wind, and behind the crescent-moon spectacles, his blue eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

"An apology?" The old headmaster's voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper, yet it silenced the entire Quidditch pitch. "And for what? For trying to stop a gifted student from straying down a dark path?"

Sargeras let out a soft laugh, and that laugh was sharp and cold, like the sound of shattered ice scraping across glass.

"A dark path?" he echoed, raising his hand. The Everbloom wood wand traced a faint arc through the air, leaving a dim afterglow in its wake. "Take a good look around you, Albus Dumbledore. Who allowed the poison of blood purity to fester and spread through this school, unchecked? Who turned away while professors hid behind masks of false virtue, trampling fairness and justice without restraint?"

His gaze swept across Snape's pale, strained face. Beneath his billowing black robes, the Potions Master's fingers had already begun inching silently toward the spare wand concealed in his sleeve.

"Don't move, Severus," said Sargeras without even sparing him a glance. "Unless you're itching for another 'great adventure.'"

Dumbledore raised a hand as well, motioning for Snape to stand down. "What kind of apology are you looking for?" he asked, and for the first time, there was a weariness in his voice.

"A sincere one," Sargeras replied, stepping forward. The shards of stone beneath his feet parted on their own as though yielding to his will. "Admit your failure. Admit that you left a bullied child to face the hostility of an entire House alone. Admit that you knew exactly what was happening at Hogwarts, yet time and again chose to look the other way."

From the distance came the sound of hurried footsteps — Professor McGonagall had arrived with the other teachers in tow. But the moment they saw the confrontation unfolding in the center of the pitch, they all came to an abrupt halt.

Deep furrows formed on Dumbledore's brow. "I never…"

"Liar," Sargeras said quietly.

An invisible shockwave rippled out from where he stood, snuffing out every torch around the pitch in an instant. A wave of cold, eerie magic swept past the crowd like a sudden chill sinking deep into the bone.

"Six years ago, I truly didn't know. But just now, when Malfoy called Hermione Granger a Mudblood, you were right there in your office, watching. And you did… absolutely nothing."

The words hit like a sledgehammer blow to the chest, knocking the wind from everyone present. Hermione Granger turned pale as a sheet, and the Gryffindor students slowly turned to stare at the old headmaster in stunned disbelief.

Dumbledore's shoulders sank ever so slightly, as if weighed down by guilt.

"I was…" he began softly.

"Caught up in pursuing some 'greater good' again?" Sargeras cut in without a hint of emotion on his face. "No, Albus. Not this time. I'm done accepting excuses."

At the tip of his wand, a dangerous red glow began to gather… but his voice remained eerily calm, and that calm made it all the more chilling.

"I used to be too weak. I once believed that, in time, you might change. But reality has proven me wrong. Hogwarts was supposed to be the beacon of knowledge and magic… a sanctuary of wisdom for the wizarding world. It should never have become a breeding ground for prejudice.

Today, I'm going to return this school to what it was meant to be…"

The crimson light at the tip of his wand suddenly flared, casting long shadows across the ground. "Anyone who stands in my way will disappear... forever."

The air grew thick with tension. For several seconds, not a soul dared breathe.

"…I apologize, Sargeras." Dumbledore finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "For my failure."

"And for Miss Granger," Sargeras pressed, unyielding.

The old headmaster turned toward Hermione. Behind the lenses of his crescent-moon spectacles, his blue eyes held a rare and genuine sorrow.

"Please accept my sincerest apology, Miss Granger."

"Uh… actually, I…" Hermione fumbled, waving her hands awkwardly, "I don't even know what that word really means…"

"It's a deeply offensive slur," Dumbledore said as he straightened up, his voice gaining strength and resolve. "And I swear, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, that from this day forward, such a word will never again be uttered within these castle walls."

His eyes swept sharply toward the Slytherin students. "As for you, Mr. Malfoy, I will be writing to your father."

At last, he turned back to face Sargeras: "Is this resolution… acceptable to you?"

"You've made the right choice, Headmaster."

Sargeras turned and began walking toward the Forbidden Forest, his black robes billowing behind him.

He knew he should have felt some measure of triumph — some taste of victory — but all he could feel was a bitter dryness coating his tongue, a hollow emptiness spreading in his chest.

Inside his sleeve, his fingertips quietly brushed against his wand. A part of him, dark and whispering, had even been hoping… hoping that the Elder wand would turn against him, would give him a reason, a justification, to strike first. Then he could have turned Dumbledore into nothing more than a moving portrait on the wall and stood by the consequences, even if it meant being branded the next Dark Lord.

But in the end, they had chosen to bow their heads.

And he… he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing in front of these wide-eyed, innocent students… not when his dream had always been the revival and flourishing of the wizarding world.

The setting sun cast his shadow long across the grass, a dark streak stretching all the way across the lawn. In the distance, the windows of the castle began to glow one by one, warm light spilling out onto the grounds and illuminating a crowd of children who still knew nothing of the dangers that lay ahead.

Hogwarts had to change!

When eleven-year-old children came here and were taught not tolerance but prejudice, when whispers of blood supremacy still echoed through the Slytherin common room, this castle had long since drifted from the original vision of its four founders.

And if the Dark Mark ever rose into the sky again, how many Slytherin students would follow without a second thought?

Could Dumbledore see this? Of course he could. But in those calm, blue eyes of his, the entire world was a chessboard… and these children were just pieces he was willing to sacrifice.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Sargeras came to a stop. He raised a hand and caught a falling maple leaf as it drifted silently through the air.

A flame sprang to life in his palm, soft and controlled, and in moments, the leaf crumbled to ash between his fingers.

Tonight was only the beginning.

Hogwarts was the perfect place to start. These young hearts were still soft, still unformed… like fresh clay, waiting for someone to shape them.

From overhauling the curriculum to restructuring the House system, from deciding which professors stayed to rewriting the rules of admission, he would let the wildfire of change sweep through these ancient halls.

And after that… the Ministry of Magic. Then the International Confederation of Wizards…

"You look like you're being plagued by a swarm of Wrackspurts!" a dreamy voice suddenly drifted over from behind.

Sargeras turned abruptly. Two first-year girls were standing on tiptoe, offering handfuls of hay to the Thestrals. The warm light of the setting sun cloaked them in a soft, golden haze.

"Luna Lovegood. Astoria Greengrass," he said, recognizing the speaker. He forced down the restless storm in his mind and straightened his posture. "Students are forbidden from approaching the Forbidden Forest. Were you unaware of that?"

"Professor, we were just…" Astoria mumbled, nervously wringing her fingers, her pale blond hair rippling in the evening breeze.

"Oh! The Wrackspurts suddenly disappeared!" Luna suddenly gasped, her misty eyes widening as she tilted her head and studied Sargeras with innocent curiosity. "How did you do that?"

Sargeras felt a wave of powerlessness sweep over him — one unlike anything he had ever known. His voice came out tight, restrained.

"Ravenclaw, ten points off…"

"How odd… they're back again," Luna murmured to herself, completely unfazed by the point deduction, her voice floating like wind through reeds.

Sargeras took a long breath. The fading sunlight drew soft shadows across the sharp angles of his face.

"This is your last chance," he said quietly. "Explain what you're doing here."

"We're making friends with the Thestrals," said Luna Lovegood. Her voice had an odd lilt to it — strangely similar to the Rowena Ravenclaw's, though missing the weight of solemnity. "You can see them too, can't you?"

Sargeras didn't reply. Instead, he turned toward the other girl. "Astoria. When did you start seeing Thestrals?"

"I can't see them," the young Greengrass replied in a soft voice. Her hand, however, moved without hesitation, stroking the ridged spine of a Thestral as it stood quietly beside her. "But I can feel them. Luna told me they're beautiful…"

Sargeras shook his head helplessly, but somewhere deep inside, the heavy weight in his chest began to ease… just a little.

"All right," he said at last, his voice returning to calm. "It's time for you both to return to the castle. The Forbidden Forest holds many dangers after dark."

**

**

[IMAGE]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Chapter End's]

🖤 Night_FrOst/ Patreon 🤍

Visit my Patreon for Early Chapter:

https://www.patreon.com/Night_FrOst

Extra Content Already Available