Dumbledore saw Kasen steadily approaching and hurriedly added, "It could also encourage them to deepen their alchemical skills—have them focus their efforts on learning how to craft Wither Amulets."
Kasen suddenly froze in place. His eyes, previously locked onto Dumbledore's old face, abruptly turned into little bean-sized dots, and a question mark mysteriously popped up over his head.
"How do you know about that?"
Dumbledore gave a small smile. "There's nothing at Hogwarts I don't know."
"..." Kasen awkwardly shuffled back to his seat and sat down again, while Hagrid, sitting off to the side, remained completely clueless about the exchange between Kasen and Dumbledore.
Fudge, however, had caught on—and it made him feel something strange about Kasen.
That earlier move, with Kasen flexing and shaking out his hand, had clearly looked like he was about to give Dumbledore a solid smack.
Yet Dumbledore didn't object in the slightest. On the contrary, he had rushed to explain himself.
That's something else!
There were only two possibilities: either Professor Kasenhis was so strong he could physically overpower Dumbledore…
Which, if it were purely physical, might be possible—but if it were magical? That seemed rather unlikely.
That left only one other possibility: Professor Kasenhis was so important to Hogwarts that even Dumbledore had to yield to him, avoid direct conflict, and sometimes even go as far as to explain himself or apologize.
Sssssssss…
Fudge quietly sucked in a long, cold breath.
Terrifying.
Meanwhile, Kasen and the other two weren't lost in such internal drama. They simply strolled out of Fudge's office, casually made their way to the Auror Office, and found Scrimgeour.
"How have you been lately, Scrimgeour?" Dumbledore asked as he led Kasen and Hagrid into Scrimgeour's office.
"Not great. What's the matter?" Scrimgeour didn't look like he'd slept well. The dark circles under his eyes were downright frightening at first glance.
"Fudge gave us this note. The Moaning Myrtle case from years ago has been solved—we've found the true culprit who killed her."
"Oh, you're here for Hagrid, then? Well, this matter is perfectly legal. As long as we bring the real culprit to Azkaban, Hagrid will be free to use a wand openly."
As Scrimgeour finished, Hagrid's face suddenly stiffened, and a bead of sweat slowly rolled down his forehead.
"Don't be so surprised. Who in the wizarding world doesn't know you've got a wand? I believe it's hidden inside… a little pink umbrella, isn't it?"
Hagrid still looked thoroughly embarrassed.
"Unfortunately, the culprit won't be making it to Azkaban," Kasen spoke up, diverting the conversation to save Hagrid from further awkwardness.
"In theory, the Ministry doesn't allow any vigilante justice," Scrimgeour said, his mouth twitching slightly.
"The culprit was a basilisk. Its corpse is currently lying in Snape's office, waiting to be tossed into a cauldron," Dumbledore explained.
"Oh …Alright then." Scrimgeour pressed his lips together, nodded, and placed a hand on a small bell on his desk. "Tonks, come in!"
A moment later, a lively young witch with gradient pink-blue hair and brimming with energy walked into the office.
"At your service, sir," Tonks said. As soon as she stepped inside, she immediately shot a few playful winks and expressions at Dumbledore and Hagrid, then shifted her attention to this Professor Kasenhis, whom the rookie Aurors in the office had just been gossiping about.
Only after that did she finally look at her superior, Scrimgeour.
"Head to Hogwarts, collect the evidence, take photos, and get a proper mugshot of the, uh, snake offender. Make sure it's in tomorrow's paper," Scrimgeour instructed, pointing at Tonks and then at Dumbledore and the others.
"Yes, sir!"
With that, Dumbledore's phoenix reappeared above his head, and in a flash of gold and crimson flame, they were all transported back to Hogwarts.
...
Swoosh!
"Phew! Finally back. You have no idea how exhausting it is to keep up appearances in front of that old lion," Tonks said as soon as they returned to Hogwarts, immediately making herself at home. She scanned the room, spotted the little sofa in the Headmaster's office, and plopped down onto it.
"Looks like you're doing pretty well over at the Auror Office," Hagrid said with a laugh.
"Of course I am…" Tonks replied, then walked straight over to Kasen. "So you're the one, huh? The little Hufflepuff junior."
Kasen's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Merlin knows which bloody gossip had spread the fact that he'd been sorted into Hufflepuff back at Hogwarts.
But well, it was what it was. No big deal. The issue wasn't so much the fact itself—it was that his time in the house didn't quite match his actual age, which led to an awkward little problem…
Certain social butterflies insisted on treating his house age as if it were his real age—like this Tonks in front of him now.
But fine, social butterfly or not, he chose to let it slide. He reached out and shook Tonks's hand.
"Kasenhis."
"Nymphadora Tonks. Just call me Tonks, I really don't like that 'Nymphadora' name."
"Sure thing, Nymphadora. No problem at all, Nymphadora," Kasen nodded earnestly.
"…You really holding a grudge like that?"
"…Huh? What makes you think that, Nymphador—"
"Ok. Shut it! Bahaha.. so you do hold grudges."
"Yup." Kasen also laughed.
The two of them pulled matching silly faces, and that was the end of it. Afterward, Kasen led Tonks toward Snape's office.
"I used to think that once I graduated from Hogwarts, I'd never have to see Professor Snape's face again. Never thought I'd end up back here," Tonks grumbled. She knew the layout of Hogwarts far better than Kasen and didn't need him to guide her—she headed straight toward Snape's office on her own.
"Mhm, let me guess… you were a Hufflepuff? Or Gryffindor?" Kasen asked casually from behind.
"Hufflepuff."
"Oh… in that case, are you going to visit Professor Sprout while you're back?" Kasen asked.
"Of course I am! But I'll wait until after we finish our business… Speaking of which, Snape's face—what's your relationship with him like?"
"Severus? We get along pretty well," Kasen replied.
"You call Snape Severus, but you still call Professor Sprout Professor Sprout… you two must be really close."
"Ahem, don't tell anyone, but here's the thing: with Professor Sprout, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick… I always add the 'Professor' title because I think their character fits the role of a professor. Plus, they remind me of my student days, so there's this weird sense of respect—or maybe lingering fear."
"But Severus is different. We get along just fine, and his potions skills are absolutely top-notch. But the way he acts… forcing me to pinch my nose and still call him 'Professor' is honestly too much to ask."
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