The reporter was clearly a novice. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if this obviously controversial interview should be published—but soon his reason overcame his doubt.
"If I put this article out, I'll definitely make a fortune!" he muttered, dashing out of the box at top speed.
Kasen, meanwhile, placed a hand on the little wizard's shoulder. "Slow down a bit—I already see your father." He waved to the sausage vendor, and only after the man took his son back did Kasen head toward Lupin and the others.
"Where'd you run off to?" Sirius asked curiously. "This year's match was absurdly exciting. Pity you missed it."
"Went to buy a few sausages." Kasen shrugged as he answered.
"Skipping the match for sausages…"
Lupin nudged Sirius with his elbow. "Not everyone loves Quidditch. And sausages are indeed delicious."
"Exactly!" Kasen clapped his hands, and with that the group left the stadium and made their way back to the campsite.
Mrs. Weasley and Lupin clearly had their own refined opinions about food—not sarcasm, but genuine appreciation. At least, that was the impression Kasen had after receiving his own serving of stew.
After eating several helpings in a row, Kasen finally hiccupped, then temporarily used Ender Teleport to slip out of the camp. He returned shortly after, holding a softly glowing Ender Pearl in his hand.
He tapped the Ender Pearl twice with his finger—the glow flared brightly for a moment. Two more taps, and the glow dimmed again.
"No problem now," he muttered, slipping the pearl into his pocket. Then he returned to the tent, where he, Lupin, and Sirius were sharing space with the three young wizards, while Hermione stayed with Mrs. Weasley.
Late at night, Kasen hadn't slept a wink. He just kept watching the map in his hand as it refreshed constantly.
The pixel dots shifted every second—perhaps a tent somewhere had been blown away by the wind, or a campfire had gone out, or maybe one had flared up again. Each of those changes caused the map's points to flicker.
But aside from that, everything remained… calm. Calm to the point of being eerie.
He leaned back into the human-sized "dog bed" he had piled together with wool, grumbling to himself as he studied the map. Around him came the strange, almost comical snores of the other five…
Understandable, really. He had napped half the day away, while Lupin and Sirius had spent the whole day partying. A true contrast in lifestyles—impossible not to envy a little.
Just as he set down the map and reached for the little flask on the side table to perk himself up, the map suddenly flashed with a massive update.
Across the enormous camp, more than half of it lit up in blazing red.
Seeing this, Kasen immediately kicked Lupin and Sirius awake, then roused the three young wizards as well.
"So? What the hell happened?" Sirius asked groggily, still half-asleep.
"A fire broke out in the distance—the chaos may have begun," Kasen said as he stepped out of the tent. Sirius immediately started explaining to Neville and Ron that the target of this chaos was likely Harry. Though he still didn't understand why Dumbledore's plan wasn't to have Harry immediately escorted to safety by an adult wizard, but instead to let him follow a few adults into danger.
Still, the plan had already been made, and it was too late to change now. Thinking about it another way—if that prophecy really was true—then letting Harry witness the cruelty of the wizarding world a little earlier wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
At the very least, if he faced danger in the future, he wouldn't panic so easily.
Unlike Harry, Neville and Ron hadn't even fully woken up yet, when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley burst in. In just a few quick motions, they dressed the boys and hurried them away with a large group of children toward safety.
"Why aren't they Apparating?" Kasen asked.
Sirius frowned, then tried it himself: "There's an Anti-Apparition Jinx here."
Kasen pulled out his Ender Pearl. It still glowed faintly, not in an active state.
"Death Eaters set up the Anti-Apparition Jinx? Bold of them," Kasen muttered, then strode outside. Lupin and Sirius quickly took their positions at his sides, subtly moving to shield Harry in the center between them.
By now, the entire campsite was in utter chaos—like a pot boiling over. In the distance, flames leapt high into the sky, accompanied by waves of terrified screams.
One family after another, clutching their children, fled in the opposite direction of the fire.
"The Ministry's Aurors and Hit Wizards have already gone to maintain order—but right now, wizards from all over Europe, even up into the Nordics, are gathered here. The British Ministry just doesn't have the manpower!" Mr. Weasley came running up, panting as he explained the situation.
Kasen's mouth twitched, and he strode forward quickly.
Before long, they saw a massive mob gathering together. Kasen watched as they let out shrill, inhuman screeches. Their wands seemed like the only thing they could rely on, flinging curses of every kind wildly in all directions.
Compared to this mob, individual wizards who were powerless to resist were fleeing in panic, running straight in Kasen's direction.
The cacophony of screeches grew more chaotic, and Kasen thought it might be the worst sound in human history. Just then, a young wizard—separated from his parent—stumbled frantically, trying to dodge a curse that came crashing down from above.
Kasen immediately raised his mechanical arm to block it.
Then, with his other mechanical arm, he swiftly grabbed the child and pulled him behind him.
"Send those spells at me instead, you scum!" Kasen shouted, waving his hand. The Codex of Neo-Alchemy appeared in his grasp, and in the next instant a sea of fire surged forward like a tidal wave, sweeping toward the mob.
In just moments, the inferno had wiped out nearly half of the rabble.
After being swept once by that terrifying sea of fire, they no longer thought of themselves as unrecognized talents, nor as Death Eaters or holy martyrs, nor that their current miserable lives were the fault of Muggle-born wizards.
Now they had only one thought: run. But the Anti-Apparition wards set up by the real Death Eaters had bound them in place.
"Run!" shouted some quick-witted fellow, and only then did they remember that below their belts they still had two legs.
The Aurors maintaining order, along with Kasen and the others, didn't bother with the rabble who chose to flee. Instead, they all drew their wands, focusing on dealing with the ones who stayed behind—those wizards who still had their own schemes in mind.
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