HP: Alchemy? Nah, It's Crafting

"Hmm, Hagrid, do you know of any magical creatures that have huge yellow eyes, can kill instantly, and leave the body completely intact?"

Kasenhis took a tactical sip of his tea.

"Yellow eyes, kills instantly, and doesn't damage the body… I only know two—Nundu and Basilisks. Basilisk can kill with its gaze, but its victim has to look directly into its eyes while Nundu can kill with its breath. Why're you askin'?" Hagrid scratched his head.

Kasenhis stroked his chin, debating whether to tell Hagrid about Voldemort's Horcrux making a comeback. Eventually, he decided against it and deflected with another topic.

"You know the abandoned bathroom on the second floor of the castle? The one where the ghost Moaning Myrtle haunts? I'm investigating her cause of death."

"Oh… er…" Hagrid suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Why'd you suddenly decide to investigate her? Er… I might know a little about that. You know how I got expelled from Hogwarts?" Hagrid said, looking a bit awkward.

"Hmm?"

"Now, lemme say this first—I didn't kill nobody. I was framed. And the one who framed me? Oh, he's real famous now," Hagrid huffed, warming himself with another sip of tea.

"What do you mean..?"

"You know the Dark Lord went to Hogwarts back in the day, right?"

"I know. Of course, I know," Kasenhis nodded.

"It was him—he's the one who framed me. Myrtle Warren died in that bathroom, and the school launched an investigation. And who d'ya think went and reported me? Tom Riddle. He told the school it was my Acromantula, Aragog, that did it."

"But first off, Aragog promised me he'd never hurt anyone. And second, even if we assume—for the sake of argument—that it was Aragog, Myrtle's body wouldn't have been left untouched like that," Hagrid said, viciously biting into his rock-hard biscuit.

"Uh… who's Aragog?"

"He's a giant Acromantula. He lives in the Forbidden Forest now," Hagrid replied.

Kasenhis took a sip of tea, recalling the eight-eyed Acromantula specimen he had once seen in Snape's office.

Hmm…

Honestly, Voldemort bringing attention to Acromantula living in the castle might have been the only decent thing he ever did in his life.

"And then? Go on." Kasenhis gestured for Hagrid to continue.

"After that, well… it all went downhill. The Ministry—those fools—didn't care about Myrtle's perfectly intact body. After all, she was Muggle-born. Her parents only knew about the wizarding world in theory," Hagrid muttered, voice heavy with bitterness.

"The Ministry didn't bother with a proper investigation. They just needed someone to blame. As long as they could close the case quickly, they'd look like they were 'doing their job.'

"They punished me, declared the school 'safe again', and made sure to send a message to wizarding parents that Hogwarts was still a good place to send their kids."

Hagrid leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh, his frustration palpable.

"....."

"By the way—it's been decades. Why're you suddenly investigating this now?" Hagrid asked, narrowing his eyes.

"At first, I was just looking for the creature that killed Myrtle," Kasenhis admitted.

"But now? Now there's another reason." He tapped his diamond pickaxe against Hagrid's infamous rock-hard biscuit, breaking off a piece and dunking it into his milk.

"Or do you actually want to keep living with the title of 'murderer' on your name?"

"Oh… thank you, Kasen."

"No problem. About the creatures you mentioned—the Nundu and the Basilisk—do you have any detailed records on them? Or at least know where I can find them?"

"I'll put together some notes for you and hand them over later."

"Appreciate it."

Hagrid leaned forward, his massive palm giving Kasen a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"It's me who should be thanking you. You're helping me clear my name.

"I don't have your kind of magic—I'm not as quick-witted as you either. I can't do much to help you with other things, but at least I know magical creatures better than anyone."

"I can't just sit here, stuffing my face with rock cakes and drinking hot coffee, while you're out there running around Hogwarts in the rain, solving this mystery for me.

"I might be clumsy with a wand, but I can do my part in the ways I know how."

"Okay, okay. But just so we're clear—I'm not doing this for you. Or rather, you're just a bonus.

"My real priority is Myrtle, the victim, and the students who could become the next victims."

Kasen reached out to pat Hagrid's shoulder but, realizing the enormous tea table between them, settled for giving Hagrid's giant head a quick pat instead.

"Mm…"

"Emmmm…"

For the first time, Kasen heard a slight wobble in Hagrid's voice.

Sensing the moment, he decided not to say anything further and quietly slipped away.

After all, for a big guy like that, some dignity had to be preserved.

Back in his office, Kasen picked up a piece of chalk and wrote "Nundu" and "Basilisk" on the blackboard. Then, he stood there, staring at it intensely.

A few minutes later, aside from making his eyes sore, he had made zero progress.

Deciding to put the brainstorming on hold, he tucked the chalk behind his ear, reached under his desk, and pulled out a bottle of grape juice—the fermented version.

Just as he was rummaging through his cabinet for a wine glass, the red crystal ball on his desk suddenly lit up.

Kasen absentmindedly pressed it, and the office door swung open.

This time, Neville had learned his lesson—instead of running across the ridiculously large office, he glided in on a broomstick.

From the look of it, he had borrowed Harry's Nimbus 2000 and was slowly but steadily floating over.

Given Neville's usual broom-riding skills, he obviously wasn't flying as fast as the Quidditch team members, but at least he wasn't trudging across the room on foot this time.

"Hello, Professor!"

"Mm-hmm. Here for a lesson, or something else?"

Kasen instinctively reached for a second glass to pour a drink for Neville—then suddenly realized something was off.

With a quick change of course, he swapped it out for a cup of tea instead.

Neville sat down and pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket, spreading it out on the desk.

"This is something I designed for Harry. Since he's a Seeker, he has to wear both goggles and glasses, which is really uncomfortable. So, I wanted to make him a pair of glasses that could shield his eyes from the wind, work as protective goggles, and not fall off during a match."

Kasen leaned in and examined the parchment.

To call it a blueprint would be a bit of an overstatement—it was more of a concept sketch. The only thing on the front was a rough drawing of round glasses, accompanied by some descriptions of their intended effects.

"Not a bad idea. Have you thought about the materials and Runic engravings for it?"

"They're on the back, Professor."

Kasen flipped it over and gave it a glance, then nodded in approval.

"Not bad. You're learning well."

"Well… actually, I asked the Ancient Runes professor for help."

Neville rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish.

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P@treon: Dragonel