After finishing his meal, Kasenhis hummed a little tune as he strolled back to his office. Then, behind him, came a series of thunder-like footsteps.
He turned around and saw a panting Hagrid running toward him.
"What's wrong?" Kasenhis scratched his head and asked.
"Kasenhis, you have to help me! Buckbeak can't be imprisoned for life—she'd rather be killed! She loves her freedom too much!" Hagrid said, sniffling and on the verge of tears.
"...Didn't Tonks already tell you the solution?"
"What solution?" Hagrid asked.
"Never mind. If you have time, go ask Lupin."
"Then, Kasenhis, could you maybe talk to Malfoy? Ask his family to withdraw the charges against Buckbeak? All those little wizards respect you so much—even Malfoy!" Hagrid continued pleading.
Kasenhis pinched the bridge of his nose helplessly. "First of all, Hagrid, I might be a decent candidate, but I'm nowhere near the level of influencing a pureblood family's decision-making."
"And even if I could convince Draco to withdraw the accusation, I still wouldn't. That's his right—as it is the right of every student at Hogwarts. If students face bias or targeting from professors, then at least this gives them some way to push back, even if it's a bit like smashing the pot just because it's cracked."
"Even if Draco was only spat on by Buckbeak, this precedent can't be set. Today I might be persuading Draco to drop the charges because we're in the right, but maybe someday in the future, a scumbag professor who's clearly in the wrong might use Hogwarts' privileges or some quasi-legal means to force a student to withdraw a complaint." Kasenhis sighed and explained.
"Then what about Buckbeak...?"
"Oh god.. that's why I told you not to play partial with the Potter boy and just stick to the lesson plan.." Kasenhis rubbed his face helplessly. "Sigh.. Where is Buckbeak being kept right now?"
"I'm really sorry about that.. She is in the Forbidden Forest right now." Hagrid wiped the corners of his eyes.
"Take me there."
Although Hagrid had no idea what Kasenhis was planning, he still led him to the clearing.
Buckbeak was tied up with a thick rope, the other end secured to a large tree.
"Sniff Look at her... so pitiful. She loves freedom so much, and now she's like this..." Hagrid looked at Buckbeak tethered to the tree and once again couldn't hold back his tears, wiping his eyes.
Kasenhis sighed again, picked up the rope—only to hear a cough come from the shadows.
"Magic's going to be detected by the Ministry, you know." Tonks and Lupin strolled out from the shadows of the Forbidden Forest.
"So?"
"A saw. Or the Sand-Cutting Charm. Take your pick." Tonks pulled out her wand, while Lupin, flustered, fumbled out three saw blades from Merlin knows where.
"Uh…"
Kasenhis stared at the two of them, speechless. Then, calmly, he picked up the rope—thick as an adult's fist—and gave it a light tug.
Snap!
The rope broke cleanly with a loud pop.
"What the hell?!"
"Huh?!"
Lupin and Tonks nearly popped their eyeballs out, staring dumbfounded at the rope Kasenhis had just ripped apart with his bare hands.
"Kasenhis, be honest—did you do some kind of weird human transmutation experiment on yourself again?" Lupin asked, inhaling sharply.
"You really think those blocks of mine are weightless?" Kasenhis rolled his eyes and casually conjured a golden cube, which he lobbed at Lupin.
Lupin instinctively reached out to catch it—only to be instantly yanked down by the cube's absurd weight, slamming straight into the ground in a heartfelt embrace with Mother Earth.
"Uh… I always thought you were using a wandless Levitation Charm," Lupin said, managing with great effort to wiggle his hand out from under the gold block.
On the other side, Tonks had already whipped out her trusty undetectable extension pouch. Just as she was about to clip the pouch onto the chunk of gold, Kasenhis walked over and promptly stored the gold away himself.
"..."
Tonks awkwardly stuffed the things she had flung out back into her extension pouch.
"All right, you're free now. Go find your own food in the wild. And don't go spitting at people for no reason—do that to someone hot-tempered and you're gonna get smacked with a super-sized chicken wing." Kasenhis said as he unfastened the rope around Buckbeak's neck.
Whether Buckbeak actually understood or not was anyone's guess.
But it looked like she understood…
Because Buckbeak gave a very human-like nod, then subtly edged away from Kasenhis and didn't relax until she'd scurried behind Hagrid.
"Anything else, Hagrid?" Kasenhis asked.
"Shouldn't be… oh, right—thank you all! I've got to go get food ready for Buckbeak's long flight… she'll get hungry…" Hagrid mumbled through a fresh wave of tears as he waddled off in the direction of his hut.
"Okay… so, anything else?" Kasenhis turned to look at Lupin and Tonks after watching Hagrid and Buckbeak disappear into the distance.
"I thought you two would just tell him outright. Didn't expect you to personally show up for the rescue mission."
Tonks scratched her head a bit awkwardly. "I mean, it's kinda rude to say this, and I do get along well with Hagrid, but objectively speaking… he's just way too… honest."
"Oh… yeah, fair enough. I won't bother you two anymore. Bye," Kasenhis said, and immediately used Ender Teleport to vanish from the spot.
"…Did he misunderstand something just now?" Lupin found Kasenhis's parting words a little odd and couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing. Come on, let me show you a secret base I used to hang out at back in school, deep in the Forbidden Forest. I remember there's a really cool spot in there. I called it the Secret Grove." Tonks ignored Lupin's emotionally astute comment and dragged him deeper into the forest.
"You snuck into the Forbidden Forest during school?!" Lupin exclaimed in surprise.
"By Merlin's beard, can you focus on the important part?"
"That's against Hogwarts rules… I mean, yeah, I wasn't exactly a model student either, but I am a professor now. I have to say it."
"Merlin's beard…"
Back in his office, Kasenhis stared blankly at the newly thickened pile of homework on his desk. Then, he glanced over at Bruce, who was casually grooming himself in the corner.
A dog. That can dance. That can sail a boat. And sail it pretty well, too…
…So maybe… he could grade homework?
_________
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel