The air around the long table instantly solidified.
"You mean… this thing… is Lord Voldemort?" Swift couldn't help but ask.
"Strictly speaking, only a part of him is," Sagres explained. "A fragment of Lord Voldemort's soul, from a Horcrux he created, by some strange twist of fate, came to reside in this flesh puppet. Then, a powerful Memory Charm from Gilderoy Lockhart completely washed away all memories and personality belonging to Tom Riddle."
A faint arc curved at the corner of his lips. "Under the catalysis of a series of ironic changes, that broken soul fragment completely merged with the out-of-control flesh magic, and eventually… it became the form you just saw."
"Horcrux? And this flesh monster… what exactly are they?" Kestrel also asked, somewhat confused.
"A Horcrux is an extremely evil Dark Art, through which the user can achieve immortality by splitting their soul," Thunderbird commented with disdain. "Extremely evil, and the price is heavy…"
Sagres nodded, agreeing with Thunderbird's words.
"Later, I will place a mark on your badges. When necessary, you can summon it into battle through your badges."
Sagres then looked at everyone. "Also, how is your magic study progressing?"
"Oh! Oh! Oh! I can fly now!" Kestrel almost blurted out, her voice filled with uncontrollable exhilaration. She even subconsciously straightened her back. "Hehe, it's much faster than riding a broom! It's so convenient, I've already used it to travel to several places…"
She shook her head triumphantly.
Several inexplicable coughs came from beside the long table, and a few members exchanged strange glances.
Traveling with a flying spell? The idea sounded a bit bold and… a bit reckless.
Sagres frowned almost imperceptibly, gently rubbing his temple. "Be careful, Kestrel. Don't fly too conspicuously, or you'll end up being buried in 'unidentified flying object' reports from Muggles—or worse, be sent to trial by the international pursuit team for violating the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy."
His tone carried a hint of warning.
"No way! I'm not a dummy, Mr. Raven~"
Kestrel immediately retorted, still wearing that self-satisfied look. "I only go to remote, small places where magic monitoring is weak. Some places don't even have a proper Ministry of Magic; they can't control me!"
She evidently thought she had considered everything quite thoroughly.
"Where exactly did you go?" Nightingale couldn't help but press, her voice carrying curiosity and a hint of imperceptible worry.
"Just casually flying around over the European continent," Kestrel waved her hand vaguely.
"Uh… Kestrel," the intelligence expert Stork cleared his throat, speaking with a serious expression, "it's better to be careful. The recent rumors in the European magic world… are not very peaceful."
He paused, his gaze subtly drifting towards the head seat. "Especially in Britain, there's an undercurrent within the Ministry of Magic, and something big seems to have happened at Hogwarts. I heard dozens of students were…"
Stork didn't finish his sentence, but Sagres already understood. He calmly took over. "Indeed, there was a petrification incident involving dozens of students."
He said in a flat tone, "However, the root of the problem has been removed. In a few days, you'll see the news in the papers."
Then he turned his gaze to the slender Hummingbird. "How is your 'Soul-weaving' progressing?"
Hummingbird seemed startled by the sudden call, her body tensing slightly, her voice a little nervous. "The… theoretical principles and basic operations can be mastered proficiently, Mr. Raven. But I haven't actually practiced on a person yet."
She nervously wrung her fingers. "I think… I might need more practice and simulations to ensure everything is foolproof…"
Sagres nodded slightly, understanding her caution. He asked about the progress of the other members one by one, and satisfyingly, almost everyone had successfully mastered the magic they were studying.
This remarkable efficiency was, on one hand, due to the members' innate talents; they were all one-in-a-hundred outstanding individuals in the wizarding community, and their learning ability naturally far surpassed ordinary people.
On the other hand, it also benefited from Sagres's unique teaching method—using memory diversion to precisely impart the core of knowledge, combined with the Mechanical Mind state to eliminate distractions and enhance focus, greatly optimizing the learning path.
However, Sagres was not in a hurry to assign new tasks.
Between "initial learning" and "proficient mastery," there was a chasm that required time and practice to bridge; even the highest talent could not instantly cross this process.
He needed to ensure that these powerful spells truly became a part of their muscle memory, rather than mere theoretical knowledge.
"Now, let's talk about something interesting." Sagres leaned back casually in his chair, his tone gentle. "Hummingbird, if I'm not mistaken, you work at St. Mungo's Hospital?"
The other party nodded honestly.
"We have a Professor at our school who might need to go there for treatment soon. There's something I need you to pay special attention to…"
At this, everyone's expressions became somewhat strange—Sagres's words sounded as if he were sending someone directly to the hospital.
Sagres clearly noticed their expressions and smiled indifferently. "Don't misunderstand…"
As he spoke, he gently tapped the table, and a drink instantly appeared in front of everyone.
"Professor Lockhart, whom I mentioned earlier, had most of his life force absorbed by Lord Voldemort's Horcrux. He's probably on his way to St. Mungo's right now."
The image of Lockhart's sneak attack and his powerful Memory Charm flashed in his mind, and he couldn't help but frown. "I think his sneak attack method and Memory Charm level are unusually high, but other aspects are extremely mediocre. Combined with the books he wrote, I have reason to suspect that he is someone who gains fame by stealing others' experiences and memories."
"This…" Everyone looked at each other.
"Really? I even bought his books!" Robin couldn't help but exclaim.
"Are you trying to… expose him?" Snowy Owl asked tentatively. "I mean, does he have a grudge against you? Or… what benefit can we get from this?"
"Hummingbird is a very excellent Healer."
Sagres's gaze swept over everyone. "Soon, when she masters Soul-weaving and successfully cures those patients driven to madness by Crucio, I believe she is fully qualified to receive an Order of Merlin for it."
Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this, so he continued, "Then, with her to expose the true face of the 'great writer' Lockhart, plus some of our secret help… she will have a great chance to become the youngest Dean in St. Mungo's history."
He paused, looking at everyone meaningfully. "I believe it's necessary to push our people into some key positions. This will greatly benefit any of our future actions. And this is just the beginning."
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