Kasenhis returned to his office, thought for a moment, then cast an invisibility spell on himself before flying toward the Forbidden Forest. There, he found Lupin sitting under a large tree, idly playing with leaves. Kasenhis gently patted him on the shoulder.
Lupin stiffened, fidgeted for a few seconds, then got up and headed toward the restroom.
Once inside, he first set up a soundproofing charm, then looked at Kasenhis with a teasing grin. "So, how was dying? Fun? Comfortable?"
"I'm here on serious business this time," Kasenhis said helplessly, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "You've heard about Harry's situation, right?"
Lupin's expression turned serious—though only just. "Yeah. Seems like someone deliberately made him the fourth champion, probably to get him killed through the tournament. But this is Hogwarts—we've got plenty of professors around. I'm honestly not that worried."
"You've got quite the big heart. Has Neos been acting strange lately?" Kasenhis asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Not at all. He wakes with the sun and sleeps at dusk. He's living healthier than I am," Lupin replied.
"The mirrors—anything unusual on the surveillance inside them?" Kasenhis pressed.
"Nothing. Ever since he noticed that flash of light from your last teleportation, he hasn't done anything suspicious in the bathroom again," Lupin said, shaking his head.
"I see… Have you all been eating at the camp lately?" Kasenhis continued asking.
"Yeah, Neos has been cooking for us at the camp. He always refuses to eat Hogwarts food. Remember the first day we arrived, when he had dinner in the Great Hall? He barely ate anything, then made himself a late-night snack after we got back to camp," Lupin replied.
"Ah~ He's afraid Hogwarts might poison him, huh," Kasenhis muttered, curling his lip slightly. Inwardly, his level of alertness toward Nios rose another notch. "That's quite a take on constant vigilance."
"Anything else?" Lupin asked.
"Not for now. I need to talk to Dumbledore," Kasenhis said, then vanished on the spot with Ender Teleportation.
This time, Lupin stayed in the restroom for a few extra seconds, waiting until the last traces of that purple shimmer faded completely before stepping out.
Back inside the castle, Kasenhis immediately hurried toward the Headmaster's office.
Today was supposed to be a semi-holiday—he had no classes scheduled and should've been resting. But clearly, the situation wasn't about to let him rest.
It actually felt like he was busier than usual.
Well, scratch that—he was busier than usual.
"Dumbledore! Where'd he go? Do you know?" Kasenhis called out as he entered the Headmaster's office, only to find Grindelwald lounging comfortably in the Headmaster's chair.
"He's temporarily left Hogwarts," Grindelwald said lazily. "The champions were just chosen, after all. He has to handle the reporters and issue a formal apology to the European Wizarding Association on behalf of the two other schools."
"When's he coming back?"
Grindelwald shook his head. "No idea. The so-called 'Association'—with a wizard of his stature showing up, they'll definitely throw a banquet, don't you think?"
"Mm-hm, then I'll just wait two days," Kasenhis said, acting as if Grindelwald didn't exist at all. He walked straight toward the wine cabinet, blatantly grabbed a bottle of red wine, and left the Headmaster's office without hesitation.
...
The next morning, Kasenhis came downstairs from his bedroom and looked at the utter mess around the little sofa and tea table beside his desk.
"…Did I do this?" He blinked in confusion, then decided to go back to bed. Clearly, he'd woken up way too early—so early the house-elves hadn't even had time to clean up his office yet.
He slipped back under the covers, barely had time to close his eyes—when suddenly, a huge face appeared right in front of him.
"Bloody hell!"
Bang!
A head was neatly embedded into the ceiling, leaving only a dangling body swaying back and forth in midair.
Kasenhis finally got a good look at the intruder… The outfit looked a lot like Sirius Black's.
"Uh… you okay up there?" Kasenhis asked, patting the swaying legs lightly.
"Owww! FUCKKKK! I THINK I'M FINE!"
A furious curse came from inside the ceiling.
"Uh… you sure you're okay up there?"
"I'll live! Now hurry up and pull me down!" Sirius shouted hoarsely.
"Okay, okay." Kasenhis climbed onto the bed, grabbed Sirius by the legs, and gave a firm tug downward.
Crack!
"Uh—"
"What the hell?" Kasenhis frowned at the ominous sound, and then it hit him—what exactly he'd just done.
"Madam Pomfrey!!!"
With a shout, Kasenhis vanished with Ender Teleportation—then reappeared a second later, dragging Madam Pomfrey along.
"This is… oh dear, his neck's broken."
"Can he still be saved?" Kasenhis asked urgently. If Harry found out he'd accidentally taken out his godfather in one combo move, Kasenhis would definitely become the next person on his hit list.
"It's simple. First, get him down for me," Madam Pomfrey said calmly.
The moment she finished speaking, two mechanical arms unfolded from Kasenhis's back, tearing the ceiling apart into splinters before carefully pulling Sirius down in one piece.
"Now hold his head and spine. Push them together—harder," Madam Pomfrey instructed.
"Got it." Kasenhis pressed one hand on Sirius's head and the other on his chest, then forcefully shoved his skull downward.
Crack!
Another crisp snap echoed through the room. Madam Pomfrey seized the moment and poured a bottle of Skele-Gro down Sirius's throat.
"Is it fixed now?" Kasenhis asked.
Before she could answer, Sirius suddenly began coughing.
"Cough, cough!"
"This is murder!"
"This is murder!!!"
Kasenhis gave him an apologetic smile. "Believe it or not, it really was an accident. Trust me. Now, why the fuck were you in front of my face!?"
"I originally came to ask you about… Harry," Sirius wheezed, barely breathing properly.
Hearing that, Madam Pomfrey leaned over to look at the patient's face. "Sirius Black?"
"Mm-hm. Hello, Madam Pomfrey," Sirius said weakly.
"Mm-hm. Wishing you well too. And I also hope you two can please behave yourselves from now on, understood?"
Kasenhis nodded quickly. "Promise! Promise!"
_________
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel