Kasenhis and Dumbledore spent a good while calming Colin down.
It wasn't until Dumbledore called his friends back that he finally settled down. Clutching his new glasses, Colin followed his friends back to Gryffindor Tower.
"Well… at least the situation is still within acceptable limits for now," Dumbledore murmured as he sank into his chair.
"…And that's why you're the Headmaster—able to just sit there and take it," Kasenhis said, giving Dumbledore a thumbs-up.
"I know you're mocking me. Put that thumb away."
"Good." Kasenhis nodded thoughtfully, then flashed his middle finger instead.
"I've been looking into Hogwarts' history, trying to figure out where this Basilisk—which has been lurking in the castle for nearly seventy years—actually came from. And unfortunately, I found out that this snake's history goes back even further than Professor Binns, our ghostly History of Magic teacher."
Dumbledore pulled out a parchment, detailing all the information he had compiled about the Hogwarts Basilisk.
It contained a mix of records from Hogwarts: A History, The History of Magic, various folktales, and all sorts of miscellaneous legends—all tied together into one comprehensive document.
Kasenhis took a closer look and realized—this Basilisk really had been around far longer than Professor Binns.
Its origins could be traced all the way back to the days when the Four Founders were still alive.
Apparently, Salazar Slytherin had built a chamber deep within the castle, and legend had it that only his true heir could unlock it. Inside, they would find a treasure—one that could help them purge all impure blood from Hogwarts.
"Slytherin's house animal is a snake, so your reasoning actually makes sense," Kasenhis mused.
"So when Voldemort possessed Lockhart, he had Lockhart plant the diary inside the Chamber ahead of time."
"When his soul left Lockhart, it was drawn back to the Horcrux diary, which conveniently led him straight to the so-called 'Treasure of Slytherin'—the Basilisk. Makes perfect sense." Kasenhis nodded in agreement.
"Now, all we need to do is find the Chamber of Slytherin's actual location. I've put together a list of notable living members of Slytherin's history. Perhaps if we ask them, we might learn something useful."
Dumbledore stood up, pulled a parchment from the bookshelf behind him, and handed it to Kasenhis.
Kasenhis took it and glanced over the names.
"Well, I know all of them. But I'm only acquainted with them at best. If they do know anything about this deeply hidden secret, I highly doubt they'd spill it to me. After all, their children and relatives aren't the ones being hunted by Slytherin's heir."
He set the list down on the desk, recognizing every name on it.
The oldest among them was Horace Slughorn—Kasenhis had met him once at a Ministry banquet, where he had managed to walk away with a bottle of Felix Felicis.
Sure, Snape always looked like he had a personal vendetta against joy, but he wasn't the kind of person who would treat his students' lives lightly.
Besides, just last term, Draco had called Hermione a Mudblood, and Snape had reacted pretty strongly to it. He probably didn't harbor actual hatred toward Muggle-born wizards.
"Tom has already lost his mind. I don't even consider purebloods safe anymore, so I'll keep my thoughts to myself."
Kasenhis rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Oh… The Weasley family is considered pureblood, right?"
"According to mainstream wizarding opinion… Yes."
"That's why I say the Weasley family knows how to raise their children properly. If the other pureblood families put even half the effort the Weasleys do into teaching their kids, the wizarding world would have a much brighter future ahead." Fresh chapters posted on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Unlike professors, who had the bad habit of going off-topic mid-lecture, Dumbledore—who had long since stopped being a professor—was perfectly skilled at redirecting conversations back on track.
"I've instructed Hagrid to buy a large number of roosters—since they're natural Basilisk killers."
"…Do you know about Muggle phonographs?" Kasenhis asked. "Hogwarts might interfere with electromagnetic signals, but old-fashioned record players should still work."
"You clearly don't manage household finances," Dumbledore remarked. "Buying roosters is cheaper."
"Fine… Anything else?"
"Not for now…" Midway through his sentence, Dumbledore suddenly paused, realizing that he still hadn't settled the Wither incident with Kasenhis. "Although, about the part where you had students create dangerous alchemical creatures—"
"Ah! I need to go! …..Goodbye."
Kasenhis fled back to the Alchemy Office, finally letting out a breath of relief.
His eyes landed on the glowing red crystal ball sitting on his desk. He pressed the button underneath it.
A moment later, Neville came flying in on a broomstick.
The gift he had made for Harry had already been delivered in advance.
After all, with the Binding Curse on these glasses lasting who knows how long, there was a chance he wouldn't have another opportunity to give it later.
But this time, Neville had brought something else—
"Ron's wand is hand-me-down from one of his older brothers. He has a hard time using it properly. I want to help him… um… How should I go about it?"
Kasenhis, lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed, replied, "It's not just Ron's wand. I also noticed yours is… quite old. But the Longbottom family is far better off financially than the Weasleys. Mind telling me why?"
Neville tightened his grip on his wand. "This was my father's wand. I don't want to lose it."
"…My condolences. I'm sure he's in a better place right now and is happy watching you from the stars."
Neville awkwardly shook his head. "He's not dead… not in a better place either and certainly not happily watching me. He's alive.. Just… not in his right mind at St. Mungo's."
"...…Ah. Yeah, I… don't really know how to comfort you on that one. What happened to them?"
Neville shook his head again. "I… don't know."
"Then don't worry about it. If you can't remember, don't force yourself to."
Kasenhis leaned forward. "So, you want to make Ron a wand that actually suits him…? That's easy."
A glowing book appeared in Kasenhis' hand.
"This Enchantment Book contains the Loyalty spell. All you have to do is let Ron enchant his wand using this book. Or, if you want, you can do it for him—just tweak a few things in the spell settings."
Neville stared at the Enchantment Book, clearly tempted.
"…Can I just sneak into his room tonight and take his wand for a bit?"
Neville clutched his head. "Professor, why did you hit me?"
"Colin Creevey—a first-year—was just petrified by the Basilisk in broad daylight, and now you're thinking about sneaking out at night?" Kasenhis scolded, sounding thoroughly disappointed.
"But… don't we have the safety teleportation system you designed?"
"Then you better pray that when it finds you, it only tries to kill you with its eyes—and not by swallowing you whole with its giant, gaping mouth."
Kasenhis sighed, utterly speechless.
(づ￣ 3￣)づRead two weeks ahead of WN: