Ding ding ding...
Kasenhis leaned back in his chair, wearing an apron with both hands busily rubbing a flower. Before long, he'd ground it into pulp, leaving behind only magic-infused fibers.
He casually tossed the fibers into the small dish on his desk, where a neat little pile had already accumulated.
Only then did he sit up straighter, stretch, and lazily smack his palm against the crystal ball on his desk.
This time, Dumbledore—rarely—did not use Apparition to suddenly appear in his office. Instead, like a civilized human being, he actually knocked properly before entering.
Soon enough, he arrived in a skating boat.
Kasenhis gave him a suspicious look. "Alright, out with it. You need my help with something again, don't you?"
Dumbledore shrugged. "Can't I just be bored wandering the castle and want to chat?"
"If you were really just here for a chat, you would've Apparated or used Fawkes to pop up and give me a jump scare. You? Knock on the door? Politely? Please." Kasenhis scoffed.
"Lupin got into a conflict with the Malfoy family. On Privet Drive," Dumbledore said concisely.
"...What kind of conflict could those two possibly have? And where the heck is Privet Drive?" Kasenhis asked.
"Harry lives on Privet Drive, and the conflict between Lupin and the Malfoys... it started because Lupin had been keeping watch there. Since Sirius escaped from Azkaban, he went to protect Harry," Dumbledore explained.
"But while he was guarding Harry, he encountered Greyback—that mangy werewolf. And backing Greyback is Lucius Malfoy."
"So what were Greyback and Lucius Malfoy doing on Privet Drive? And what's the current state of the conflict? Anyone hurt?" Kasenhis frowned as he asked.
"They're still in negotiations. It's happening at Harry's house. One of my informants on Privet Drive told me," Dumbledore said.
Kasenhis nodded. "So there hasn't been any bloodshed yet?"
Dumbledore nodded in confirmation.
"Then let's keep it that way," Kasenhis muttered as he tossed a few spider webs onto the magic research table.
Right now, he wanted to make a Binding Rune, and in the beginner tier of Magical Crafting, the Binding Rune required spider webs and Earth Essence. But Kasenhis didn't have any Earth Essence—or rather, it was questionable whether such a thing even existed in the natural world.
However, he had found something else instead: Terra Vis from the Thaumic Age.
Soon, his spellbook showed the newly added Binding Rune.
"So where exactly is Privet Drive?"
Dumbledore handed Kasenhis a small compass.
"The direction it's pointing in is where Privet Drive lies. As for the exact location, it'll be the most magical place in the vicinity—that's where they're currently facing off… And also—kill Greyback."
Kasenhis gave Dumbledore a slightly strange look.
At least in his eyes, Dumbledore had always been merciful—maybe even to a saintly degree. Never had he heard him outright say to kill someone. Yet now, here he was, calmly telling him to kill Greyback…
Which meant Greyback must've committed unspeakable horrors.
"I will," Kasenhis nodded, then immediately used Ender Shift to teleport out of his office. He slapped an Invisibility Spell onto himself, then followed the compass's direction straight toward Privet Drive.
...
Privet Drive, inside Harry's aunt's house…
"Perhaps we could step outside to talk… what do you say, Mr. Malfoy?" Lupin said quietly, wand raised and held defensively toward the two men.
Greyback prowled lazily about the living room, picking up whatever caught his eye and giving it a curious sniff or even a bite. If something didn't taste good—or wasn't interesting—he'd just drop it unceremoniously on the floor.
In the far corner of the room, the Dursley family huddled together, trembling and trying to make themselves as small as possible. Harry stood in the opposite corner, clearly leaning toward Lupin's side.
It wasn't that Lupin had done anything particularly charming—it was just that Harry instinctively disliked Lucius Malfoy.
As for Lupin, all he wanted right now was to coax these two out of the house. Yes, coax. He was trying to shoo them out of the Dursleys' home. Right now, this tiny Muggle house was crammed with four wizards.
And Lupin didn't count Harry in that equation. In his eyes, this was grown-up business—Harry absolutely couldn't be involved.
As for the other two—Lucius Malfoy and Greyback—the former was still relatively composed, lounging on a fabric-covered sofa with one leg crossed over the other, wearing a faintly amused smile as he swept his gaze across everyone in the room.
Especially the Dursleys huddled in the corner. He seemed to be positively reveling in the way these weaklings trembled before him... in their fear.
Greyback, on the other hand, was a completely different story—barefoot and feral, the kind of lunatic who wouldn't hesitate to bite even the man he called master, Lucius, if he lost his temper. A mad dog through and through.
Neither of them being here was good for anyone—not the Dursleys, not Harry.
And as for Lupin, he was in a bind. If this had been outside the house, he would've already cast a full volley of proper Dark Magic spells at these two without hesitation.
But right now… he didn't dare.
"Mr. Potter, would you mind coming over here for a moment?" Lucius said softly from where he sat.
"No! Don't go, Harry!" Lupin barked furiously. "Lucius, if you've got something to settle, come at me. Leave the child out of it!"
"No, no..." Lucius shook his head. "Our dear Mr. Potter is hardly innocent. He used some unknown means to manipulate my property—my house-elf—into unknowingly aiding him. He even started showing signs of disloyalty to me," Lucius said, still gazing unblinkingly at Harry.
Lupin quickly stepped in front of Harry, shielding him.
Lucius frowned at the sight and said coldly, "Greyback."
Greyback licked his lips as he strode forward. Much like Lucius, he greatly enjoyed the fear that radiated from the weak.
Unlike Lupin, whose fear stemmed from worrying he might hurt others, Greyback detested that kind of fear. He preferred a different flavor—like what he saw in the Dursleys huddled in the corner. Pure, undiluted fear for their own safety.
So when faced with Lupin, it all felt a bit dull. Even so, he still made a show of licking his lips, trying to put on the creepiest performance he could.
"Lupin, remember? I bit you when you were little!" Greyback said in a low, almost taunting voice.
But just then, a loud hum echoed through the room.
A flash of red light burst through the air—a binding curse that slammed into Greyback, instantly freezing him in place. He couldn't move an inch.
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