"I know a thing or two, like building and renovating. Seriously, if you ever want to rebuild that hut of yours, just say the word. Trust my skills," Kaison said, brushing dust off Hagrid's coat.
"I'll keep that in mind, I will," Hagrid replied, buttoning up his coat. Kaison didn't press about why Hagrid was in a shady place like Knockturn Alley. The world wasn't black and white—not everyone in a bad place was a bad person. Besides, Kaison wasn't the nosy type.
More importantly, he trusted Hagrid was a good guy who wouldn't do anything despicable.
"Now what? Back to Hogwarts?" Kaison asked.
"We've done our bit, but there's still Harry's stuff to sort out."
The three headed to the Leaky Cauldron, where Hagrid booked a room until September 1st, the start of term.
"I reckon you don't want to go back to that so-called aunt of yours, so stay here. When the time comes, head to this address, catch the Hogwarts Express, and you'll get to Hogwarts. Got it?" Hagrid said, handing Harry a map and a train ticket.
"I'll manage. Don't worry," Harry nodded.
"Mm-hm. Three meals a day, you can eat here with old Tom. His cooking's decent. Diagon Alley's fine too, just steer clear of Knockturn Alley. Oh, and I left a surprise for you with Tom—go check it out," Hagrid added.
"Got it."
"One last thing…" Hagrid glanced around to ensure no one was eavesdropping, then lowered his voice. "The courtyard wall's been fixed. Here's how to get into Diagon Alley properly: find the trash can in the courtyard, count three bricks up, two over, and tap it three times with your wand. Got that?"
Hagrid gave Kaison a pointed look.
"OK, OK," Kaison said with a shrug.
"You two heading off now?" Harry asked.
"Sorry, Hogwarts business calls."
"Alright, see you at school."
"See you at school."
After saying goodbye to Harry, they tossed two silver Sickles to Tom, grabbed a pinch of Floo powder—Kaison had read about how to use it—and threw it into the fireplace. As the flames turned green, Kaison called out, "Hogwarts Alchemy Professor's Office!"
Whoosh!
Back in his office, the first thing Kaison did was change into dry pajamas. The soaked clothes went into a laundry basket in the corner, where a house-elf would quietly whisk them away, clean them, and return them.
"One night and a full day—exhausting," he muttered, collapsing onto the bed and closing his eyes.
A house-elf silently placed a soothing lavender candle on his bedside table and took the dirty clothes.
Kaison slept until the next morning. He got up, took a quick shower, dressed neatly, and opened his office door, only to run into Dumbledore, who was out for a stroll.
"Oh, Kaison, how was yesterday's adventure?" Dumbledore asked curiously.
"Adventure, huh?"
"Why not? Life is about doing things you've never done before. That's what we call an adventure," Dumbledore explained.
"Maybe. It was… nice. Well, not entirely nice. I killed three people," Kaison said with a shrug.
[Satisfaction from Albus Dumbledore +10]
[Goodwill from Albus Dumbledore +10]
[Trust from Albus Dumbledore +10]
"Three dark wizards, I know. I meant to ask you and Hagrid about it yesterday, but you were asleep, so I didn't disturb you," Dumbledore said with a nod.
"Mm-hm… I thought you'd be upset."
"Good people shouldn't suffer for being good. Do I seem that rigid to you?"
Kaison gave Dumbledore a once-over. "You seem… pretty old, at least."
"Naturally. In any case, I don't blame you. They chose to wield dark magic for evil—they should've known this day might come," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Honestly, you're a pretty great Headmaster. I half-expected you to be one of those… no-killing types."
"That would be rather foolish… You met the boy? Harry Potter?"
Kaison nodded. "Poor kid. Hagrid said his family vault's pretty flush, and you were holding the key. Why didn't you arrange some support for his aunt and uncle? His life could've been a lot better."
"My apologies. An old man may live long, but he's not perfect. That was my oversight," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Fair enough… I covered the support for you."
"Thank you. Submit a report to the Board of Governors, and they'll reimburse you."
"Nah, no need for that."
They chatted as they walked to Dumbledore's office.
"I've been meaning to say, at your age, climbing all these stairs every day—sure you're alright?" Kaison teased as they ascended.
"That's the secret to my vitality," Dumbledore replied.
"Alright," Kaison said with a shrug. They entered the office, and Dumbledore settled into his chair. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small cloth bag, placing it on the desk.
Kaison, sitting across from him, curiously picked it up and extracted an irregular red stone.
"This is the Philosopher's Stone, crafted by my old friend Nicolas Flamel. The pinnacle of alchemy," Dumbledore explained.
"Sorry, you're preaching to the choir here," Kaison said, smirking.
"Because you're capable of far more than this stone. In short, Nicolas and his wife are ready to face death, so they entrusted this to me. Also, a certain rat in the shadows has his eye on it, so they asked me to keep it safe."
"So, what's the plan?" Kaison asked.
"Could you make a replica? Something tangible, with similar magical fluctuations. I want to use it as bait for a fishing expedition, but I don't want the fish to actually get the bait. Can you help?"
Kaison studied the blood-red Philosopher's Stone, smacking his lips.
"Not hard."