HP: Alchemy? Nah, It's Crafting

Chapter 402 - 402: 402: That's it! That's it!

"I know... but will Snape actually teach us properly?"Harry said helplessly.

"Can you honestly say that the Potions knowledge he taught you was incorrect or useless? While I dislike some of Snape's behavior and his personality, he has indeed taught you the correct knowledge. That much is beyond dispute."

Lupin spoke from the perspective of a neutral observer.

"Professor Lupin, whose side are you on?"

Harry asked speechlessly.

"On the side of what's right, Harry. You can criticize Snape in other areas. His personality, appearance, character, habits, even his mannerisms—that's all perfectly normal. We do the same. But when it comes to professional skill and the seriousness with which he teaches, there's really very little to criticize. Being serious about teaching doesn't necessarily make someone a good teacher, but you certainly can't say he hasn't taught you properly."

Sirius chimed in to support Lupin, then raised his chin toward Kasenhis.

"Right?"

"As Severus's friend, I'd probably agree with you if your wording were a bit more polite. But your point itself is correct."

Kasenhis shrugged.

Harry looked at the three adult men he admired most, all of whom were disagreeing with him, and angrily put down his knife and fork.

"I'm full!"

Then he stood up stiffly and quickly left his seat, heading upstairs.

"I'll go check on him... just me. It'll be easier to talk that way."

Seeing this, Sirius immediately put down his own utensils and followed.

Kasenhis also slowly lowered the butt he'd just been about to lift and continued eating.

Sirius's persuasion proved highly effective.

Before long, Harry returned and obediently sat back down at the table, quietly resuming his meal.

Seeing this, Kasenhis let out a sigh of relief.

Children at that age were the most troublesome.

And magical children even more so.

When they decided to act out, they weren't always easy to manage.

Fortunately, while Harry had a fiery temper, he was still reasonable...

Mm...

Much better than Kasenhis himself had been during puberty.

........

The next day.....

This time, Dumbledore was surprisingly humane.

He didn't choose to wake Kasenhis while he was sleeping.

He simply didn't let Kasenhis sleep at all.

Because the whereabouts of the new Potions professor Dumbledore had in mind were currently extremely mysterious, the two of them had spent the entire night searching throughout England.

Finally!

At dawn...

The two appeared in front of a house.

"You sure about this?"

Kasenhis asked.

"Unless something unexpected happened, this is the place. Kasenhis, I need you to persuade him to come out of retirement."

Dumbledore replied.

"So... you haven't actually talked this through with him, have you? What if he refuses to come out no matter what? Damn it, you kept me up all night over a professor who hasn't even been confirmed yet?"

"Our bodies aren't the same, you know! I'm almost thirty. How am I supposed to compete with an old man who's barely over a hundred years old? Aren't you shortening my lifespan here?"

Kasenhis said angrily.

"Then answer me this. How much of your lifespan did you lose from staying up all night?"

Dumbledore asked speechlessly.

"About.... one night."

"......."

"......."

The two stared at each other in silence.

In the end, neither said a word.

By mutual understanding, they walked toward the house before them and knocked on the door.

........

"I knew he wouldn't answer. Fortunately, I sealed off the area beforehand."

With a smug look, Dumbledore used an Unlocking Charm to open the door and stepped inside.

"What do you mean you sealed the area? You're using my Ender Pearls to do it, and suddenly it's your accomplishment?"

Kasenhis looked at Dumbledore with utter disdain.

"Fine, I just wanted to show off a bit in front of my old friend. Since you refuse to cooperate, what a shame... Well then, why don't you locate where my old friend is hiding?"

Dumbledore patted Kasenhis on the back.

Kasenhis simply glanced around through his monocle, then casually walked over to a sofa and kicked it.

"Get out!"

Very quickly, the sofa transformed into a plump man.

Kasenhis looked at the familiar figure helplessly.

"Slughorn? You're the new Potions professor?"

Kasenhis stared at him in surprise, though it made sense.

If there was anyone whose Potions ability could rival Snape's—or at least not fall too far behind—it would be Snape's teacher.

"Kasenhis? I never expected you to be the one accompanying Dumbledore."

Although Slughorn said this, not a trace of surprise appeared on his face.

"Yeah. Dumbledore dragged me around the entirety of England all night looking for you. Seriously, I surrender. Why not just reject him openly?"

Kasenhis sighed.

"Because that feeling is pleasant. It's not that I crave authority itself. I simply enjoy being admired by talented and influential people, being surrounded at the center of attention. People like you. People like Dumbledore."

"But now I'm old. I've been retired for many years. Hogwarts no longer has so many talented and gifted students gathering around me. So why should I go back?"

Slughorn replied.

"How do you know they aren't talented?"

Kasenhis immediately became unhappy.

Slughorn waved his hand.

"I mean they can't compare to the days when I was Head of Slytherin. Back then, even the least successful student to enter my club ended up becoming a world-famous adventurer."

"My students aren't bad either."

Kasenhis clicked his tongue.

"Oh? Are you challenging me to a comparison?"

Slughorn suddenly became interested.

Standing between them, Dumbledore watched the two with a beaming smile.

Yes!

Just like this!

Exactly like this!

___

I need to start sleeping early and waking early. You should all go to bed sooner too—don't stay up too late.

Edit: This was 2 weeks ago... I did not start sleeping early..

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