"Didn't expect him to have such a childish side," Kasenhis raised an eyebrow, then looked at Harry. Seeing the mix of embarrassment and helplessness on his face, it really didn't look like he was being bullied during lessons. Kasenhis shrugged and let Harry head upstairs.
After going down to the ground floor, he naturally walked toward a small bar counter. Sirius, Lupin, and Hagrid were there, their table piled high with all kinds of fine alcohol they had dug out from who knows which dusty corners of the Black family residence.
Kasenhis pulled over a chair and sat down like a fish returning to water. In other situations, he could only be said to like things in moderation, but in this kind of setting… honestly… he really loved it.
"With a fish's tolerance and the ocean as the limit, let's go big!" Kasenhis decisively mixed a large glass of spirit and a small glass of whisky into a powerful depth charge.
After downing it in one go, he couldn't help but keep blowing out breaths.
"Hah… hah… that's amazing. It's been ages since I drank like this!" Kasenhis said, his face flushed red as he kept exhaling.
"Isn't that a bit too intense… I'm worried Voldemort won't even get the chance to attack before you drink yourself into St Mungo's," Lupin, the only one still rational, said with concern.
"No problem, no problem… just remember to call me next time you drink. Sneaking off without me like this isn't allowed," Kasenhis said while continuing to pour himself another glass.
"I'll go get some snacks. What do you want… fish and chips? Hmm… maybe a pork pie as well," Sirius said as he headed toward the kitchen.
"He can cook?" Kasenhis asked, dumbfounded.
"Maybe after Kreacher was sent off to Hogwarts by him, Sirius ended up developing some decent cooking skills himself," Lupin explained.
"But why didn't he just get another house-elf? Even though the Black family now only has Sirius left, if he wanted one, it shouldn't be hard at all. You could just find a trading guild and buy one, right?" Kasenhis said, puzzled.
"He probably doesn't like a lifestyle where someone is watching him all the time," Lupin explained.
At that moment, Sirius came over carrying two plates of snacks. "Give my cooking a try!"
Kasenhis casually picked up a fry… it tasted exactly the same as what he'd eaten at a shop in Diagon Alley before. Still, thinking of that, he decided—
"Your cooking's really good, Sirius. Once Voldemort is completely dealt with, you could totally work as a chef in a restaurant!"
Kasenhis, Lupin, and Hagrid all started showering Sirius with praise at the same time.
In no time, Sirius was so flattered he looked like he might float away, practically itching to order a few more takeaways on the spot.
"Well, with Voldemort running rampant right now, I've just been bored at home. Picking up a healthy little hobby to cultivate my character," Sirius said smoothly, blatantly talking nonsense and going along with it.
He wasn't worried in the slightest about boasting too much and accidentally saying something outrageous that might invite Merlin's wrath and get himself struck by lightning.
The lively and harmonious drinking session came to an end with Sirius still riding that wave of self-satisfaction, and along with it, the Christmas holiday ended as well.
The new Minister of Magic was far more reasonable than Fudge. Aside from those stationed at the Ministry and those guarding several important wizard gathering points, almost all Aurors had been sent to escort the Hogwarts Express.
Kasenhis was naturally among them.
Although he was quite dissatisfied with the hard seats in the train compartments, and the Hogwarts Express clearly didn't live up to its name. From London to Hogsmeade took nearly an entire day, and he had no idea which genius had decided to call it an "Express."
Seriously…
After the train clattered along the tracks for an entire day, Kasenhis stepped off, walking on his toes with every step, hoping it might ease the stiffness and pain in his backside, even if just a little.
Even a tiny bit would do.
He wandered around outside like that until the last of the young wizards had entered the Great Hall, then followed them in.
All the professors and students were already seated. He was the only one left.
Seeing this, he quickly returned to his seat. Dumbledore slowly stood up and simply said two words: "Now... Eat."
The students all liked a headmaster like this, and Kasenhis did too.
A headmaster who didn't hold meetings during free time and didn't give long speeches before meals. Who wouldn't like that?
…
The next day…
Kasenhis woke up from a hangover, rubbing his head as he walked downstairs.
In the corner of his office was a pile of all kinds of gifts, stacked high, instantly putting him in a good mood.
There were yellow ones, red ones, blue ones, and green ones. Although there were slightly fewer than in previous years, the quantity was still considerable.
"Looks like I'm not that unpopular in Slytherin," Kasenhis said, picking up a Slytherin gift and opening it. Inside was an exquisite brooch, shimmering with a silver-green glow. Then, with a pfft, it sprayed water all over his face.
"…Honestly, I'm speechless. This wasn't bought from the Weasley twins, was it?"
Kasenhis wiped his face helplessly, then pinned the brooch to his chest.
He planned to study its magical circuitry later and, if the chance came, spray Dumbledore in the face with it.
Soon, he finished opening all the gifts. But honestly, most of them were… fairly ordinary.
The water-spraying brooch was still the most surprising one.
Next, he began tidying up the wrapping paper from the different houses, placing them into a high-temperature steam press to smooth out all the creases. That way, he wouldn't need to buy wrapping paper next Christmas.
After all, money… should be saved where it can be saved and spent where it should be spent.
If not for the fact that the gift cards were sometimes directly attached to the ribbons, he would've just reused those as next year's Christmas cards.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't want to spend money to buy them. He just couldn't be bothered to write them.
After all, even if there were only forty people per year, across seven years, excluding the first and second years, that was still nearly two hundred people. Add in the staff and other friends… my god.
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