In the end, wire and hooks alike were shattered before the might of Minecraft.
"What a disaster… no other word for it…" Sherlock muttered dejectedly as he shuffled back home. Dropping onto the sofa, he flipped through his card case absentmindedly, hoping to find a contractor's business card inside.
But before he could, Kasen came knocking next door.
"What is it?" Sherlock asked gloomily, clearly still wounded by Kasen's habit of changing the locks the moment he moved back in.
"A little case… want me to translate it for you?" Kasen said.
"Mhm."
"The arch-enemy of a terrorist is my student. Some time ago, I got intel that this terrorist would cause trouble at a major event. I figured the terrorist was targeting my student.
But when the incident ended, my student was safe and sound. Meanwhile, that terrorist lost at least thirty fairly capable subordinates and a horde of rabble. And yet now we know the terrorist's emotional state is joy. So I've come to ask for your analysis."
"Your student's unharmed?" Sherlock asked.
"Yes."
"Could it have been a feint? Were there any other incidents happening at the same time?"
Kasen thought for a moment. "No, nothing else."
"It doesn't have to be an 'incident.' It could've been something stolen, someone kidnapped… or a prisoner broken out. Any of those could be enough to make that terrorist joyful." Sherlock shook his head as he spoke.
"Mm… the scene was chaotic. Even if something like that really happened, I might not have noticed."
"There's too little to go on. You're not treating me like a detective—you're treating me like a fortune-teller. You are a Professor at a magic school. Don't you know any seers?" Sherlock tapped his temple with a finger, muttering.
"Such talent is rare in the wizarding world too. I do know two—one reliable, but he might not talk. The other is half-reliable, and her prophecies depend on luck." Kasen explained.
"Mhm… then this doesn't even count as a proper case. It doesn't even have a complete premise." Sherlock said quietly.
"Well then… your mobile number's still the same?" Kasen nodded, then suddenly asked, as if remembering something.
"What is it?"
"Just making sure I can reach you anytime. That terrorist hates everyone equally. If the day comes when I call you two and tell you to get out of England, promise me you'll buy plane tickets the very next second." Kasen said.
"With so many ordinary people, you think he could really kill his way through? And even if he could, would fleeing abroad really help?" Sherlock asked doubtfully.
"I'm not overly worried about other people. That terrorist's real battlefield is still the wizarding world. At least, that's where he'll break things completely. But since you know me, there's no telling—he might come after you to kidnap, take revenge, or use you to threaten me." Kasen explained.
"Then when that day comes, would you set down your wand for our safety?"
"No." Kasen shook his head.
Sherlock bounced a little on the sofa. "Beautiful! I suppose I'd better stock up on a few airline business cards."
...
Back in his own house, Kasen sat down on the sofa with a sigh. Things being what they were… best to just sleep first.
One morning…
No one knew whether Sirius even had a driver's license, but somehow he'd bought himself a rather decent off-road SUV, which he now parked right in front of Kasen's house.
Neville volunteered eagerly, bounding up to Kasen's door and knocking hard.
"Professor! We're going to Diagon Alley!"
"By rights, isn't everything you need for term already bought by Mrs. Weasley? What's this about?" Kasenhis asked, toothbrush in hand.
"Uh… because this year Hogwarts wants us to buy dress robes," Ron explained.
"Mhm, that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"And… this is the dress robe my mum prepared for me." Ron pulled a photo out of his pocket. Kasen took it and glanced at it.
"Pfft—Cough.. cough.. ehm.. For you… it is a bit too old-fashioned. But if you got rid of that collar, honestly it wouldn't be bad. So this trip is just to buy new dress robes?"
"Mm." Ron's face flushed red as he answered.
"Alright, let me change clothes." Kasen nodded and headed inside. He didn't even shut the door, so the others got out of the car and went into the living room to wait.
Soon after, washed up and dressed, Kasen sat rather stiffly in the passenger seat next to Sirius.
Strictly speaking, no matter the model, the front passenger seat was always the most dangerous place in a car. Of course, if the driver was reliable, it didn't matter much.
Unfortunately, the driver of this car was Sirius…
Well, whatever. He couldn't very well let one of the kids sit here, could he?
So Kasen kept repeating this to himself like a mantra as he nervously endured the ride to the front of the Leaky Cauldron.
When they walked in, old Tom greeted them warmly. He even clapped Sirius on the shoulder. "You're quite fond of these Muggle things now… oh right, you always did like them before."
Sirius shrugged. "Yeah, like that motorcycle I gave Hagrid."
When they reached the courtyard, Kasen glanced at the brick wall in front of him. His first instinct was to rear back and smash it with a punch—but luckily, a wizarding family stepped out from Diagon Alley just in time, sparing the wall from destruction.
It wasn't entirely Kasen's fault. Aside from his very first visit, every other time he'd come to Diagon Alley, he'd just Apparated straight in. He hadn't actually dealt with this wall much, so forgetting it was understandable.
"Where are we buying the clothes?" Harry asked.
"Twilfitt and Tatting's," Sirius replied.
"Ah? That's too expensive, I don't have enough money…" Ron said awkwardly. For this trip, he had emptied out all the pocket money he'd saved from the whole holiday and his third year.
"Heavens, little Ronnie—if you dare pull out your wallet in front of me again when you're out with me, you'd better watch your backside or my pointed leather shoes will land on it!" Sirius said with a look of exasperation.
"Uh… should I just let you kick me now?" Ron asked, blurting out a foolish question.
At that moment, Kasen spoke up. "No need to feel embarrassed about this. Sirius is your elder—of course he should spend a bit on you."
Sirius quickly nodded. "Exactly. And not just you, the other three aren't getting away either." He pointed at Harry, Neville, and Hermione as he spoke.
_________
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