HP: Alchemy? Nah, It's Crafting

"Hmm, agreed."

Dumbledore took a tactical sip of his cappuccino.

"You really are... straightforward."

"That's one of my strengths. Now, the next problem is that this Ender Pearl only works for me—no one else can use it."

"..."

Dumbledore glanced at Kasenhis.

"...You're not planning to use me as a test subject, are you?"

"Unless you'd rather I experiment on the young wizards?"

"...Fine."

Dumbledore sighed in resignation.

Thus, the rest of the night was spent with the two of them holding an Ender Pearl, trying every possible method to alter its teleportation function. This included—but was not limited to—enchanting, using an anvil, cursing it, and more.

Eventually, at his wit's end, Kasenhis decided to fall back on a classic concept straight out of old-school fantasy novels.

Blood recognition.

...And it worked.

"So, we just wasted an entire night in the office over something this simple," Dumbledore said helplessly.

"This is absolutely—" Kasenhis grumbled, gulping down a glug glug glug of healing potion. "I feel like you of all people shouldn't be the one saying that…"

A glint of amusement flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. "Judging by your state, perhaps we should install a pile of cushioning mats in the room to prevent injuries."

"I could also shrink the device so that it directly teleports them to their beds—assuming they don't get petrified in too ridiculous a position," Kasenhis pointed out.

"That would be helpful. First, make a prototype—we need to demonstrate it to the students."

"We also need to design glasses that are stylish and elegant… You don't interact with students much as Headmaster, but trust me—some of them would rather face the threat of death than wear ugly glasses that ruin their charm."

"Then this lovely task—"

Before Dumbledore could even finish his sentence, Kasenhis quickly interrupted, "This task is all yours. I trust you to use alchemy to craft glasses they'll love. After all, Transfiguration-based glasses would conflict with the later enchantments."

"No, no, no—After meeting you, I can fairly say that I don't understand a damn thing about alchemy."

"Dumbledore, would you really exploit a poor professor who has dedicated his entire life to the noble cause of education?"

"...Oh… fine."

After receiving Dumbledore's reluctant agreement, Kasenhis immediately teleported back to his office. On the way, he also swung by Professor McGonagall's office to grab a student roster.

Every student, plus the professors… Honestly, crafting that many teleportation devices sounded like a nightmare.

As he was pondering this daunting task, his gaze landed on the two mysterious golems playfully wrestling beside his desk.

"....!"

...

Evening, Great Hall

Kasenhis, holding an opaque insulated cup, lazily strolled into the Great Hall, where nearly all the young wizards had gathered.

Meanwhile, the only other person in the castle who could even remotely claim expertise in alchemy—Dumbledore—was currently swinging alchemical tools so aggressively that sparks were flying off the enchanting table.

With each completed pair of glasses, he quickly barked out, "Next!"

Slurrp~

Kasenhis stood leisurely behind him, sipping his drink while observing alongside Snape, who was watching with a rather amused expression.

"This is quite the sight, isn't it?" Snape remarked with a sneer. "As a member of Hogwarts, I must say, it warms my heart to see our esteemed Headmaster rediscovering the youthful energy of hard labor."

"Severus, if you have nothing better to do, could you at least refrain from making sarcastic comments?" Dumbledore said without looking up, his hands still busy working the alchemy station. "There are so many students crammed around me that even the house-elves wouldn't be able to squeeze through. If you're free, kindly fetch me something to drink."

"Oh… of course." Snape's gaze shifted toward the insulated cup in Kasenhis' hand.

"Do you dislike him?"

"Uh… not really." Kasenhis instinctively wanted to refuse, but then a fun idea popped into his head. With a completely natural expression, he handed the insulated cup over to Snape.

Kekeke~

Snape, in turn, passed it to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore unscrewed the lid and took a sip.

Then, he fell silent.

After a long pause, he snapped his fingers, and the liquid inside the cup suddenly ignited with a soft blue flame.

"....."

He turned around and, sure enough—

"That was from Hogg's Head Inn, right? Since you are here, why not help me?" Dumbledore looked like he wanted to murder someone.

"No, believe it or not, I just happen to look like Professor Kasenhis. I'm actually his twin brother. Completely incapable of alchemy."

"....."

"Alright, let's get on with the demonstration of the teleportation device for the students."

As he spoke, Kasenhis casually conjured a new pair of glasses by hand and enchanted them with Magic Resistance. Stepping onto the platform, he addressed the gathered students.

"Students, has Headmaster Dumbledore told you why you're here? A Basilisk is lurking in the shadows of Hogwarts Castle. These enchanted glasses are an essential tool to help you survive an encounter with it. And paired with them is this little device right here."

He scanned the crowd of young wizards before selecting a participant.

"Mister Morgan, come up and assist me."

Morgan quickly climbed onto the platform. "It would be an honor, Professor."

"Alright, I need a drop of your blood."

Morgan nodded, not even bothering to draw his wand.

Instead, he simply rubbed his fingers together, casting a minor cutting curse to create a small wound. After smearing a bit of his blood onto the Ender Pearl, he muttered the counter-curse, and in the blink of an eye, the wound healed completely.

"Fear it, children! This is a step each and every one of you must take—unless, of course, you happen to have a nosebleed today," Kasenhis declared dramatically as he placed Morgan's blood-bound Ender Pearl into the bubbling water.

Then, he took the freshly crafted enchanted glasses and handed them to Snape.

"Would you mind duplicating these?"

In no time, a primary pair and a duplicate appeared in Kasenhis' hands. He placed the duplicate into the teleportation machine's chest.

"These glasses are enchanted with a composite spell that absorbs the Basilisk's deadly gaze, reducing instant death magic to a reversible petrification effect. Let's have a round of applause for the Weasley twins—one of these spells was actually their invention, though their original purpose was just for sneaking out at night."

A few scattered laughs and claps came from the audience.

"The second enchantment causes the glasses to shatter upon absorbing dark magic. At the same time, the duplicate pair in the chest will also break. This signals the machine that you're in danger, prompting it to smash your bound Ender Pearl."

"The moment you're petrified, the shattered Ender Pearl will teleport you back. Got it?"

The young wizards below the platform nodded in unison.

"Good. Let's test it."

Kasenhis casually placed Morgan's machine in the corner, then cast a 'Dark Magic spell' directly onto the glasses.

"Ugh!"

"Excellent… It might hurt a bit, but don't worry—by the time this happens for real, you'll already be petrified and won't feel a thing. Now, once you've finished crafting your own glasses, come to me. I'll adjust your machine and enchant your glasses."

After Kasenhis finished speaking, he also set up a small table in the auditorium and began his miserable work.

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○( ＾皿＾)っ Read two weeks ahead of WN-

P@treon/Dragonel