Kasenhis had just returned to his office and hadn't even taken off his wizard robe when the crystal ball on his desk lit up.
He casually tapped it, and soon Harry and the others appeared beside him via a small boat.
"Professor, are you alright?" Neville asked with some concern.
Kasenhis shook his head. "Have a little more faith in Dumbledore's connections. Besides, it's not like the trial is happening right away. The professors at Hogwarts and Dumbledore himself will help me — you guys don't need to worry."
"Professor… did you really chop off that Fudge guy's arm?" Ron's questions were always so wonderfully unexpected — not even Bruce sniffing around him left and right could stop him from blurting out something random.
"Honestly, I didn't plan to go that far. I only meant to cut off his hand at first, but his constant cluelessness kinda got on my nerves… and then I just lost my temper and chopped the whole arm. But now I regret it," Kasenhis said with a sigh.
"Regret being so impulsive?" Hermione asked.
"What? Hell no. I regret not cutting off his head while I was at it."
"...." Silence ×4...
"Professor, the Sorting Hat must've sorted you into the wrong house. You're totally a Gryffindor," Harry remarked.
"I think it sorted me just fine... I actually think it was spot on. And who says a little Hufflepuff can't get mad and hack someone into scrap?" Kasenhis said with a sly grin.
"Uh... well, as long as you know what you're doing, Professor..." Hermione clearly didn't know what to say anymore.
"Anything else?" Kasenhis asked as he helplessly tugged Bruce's tail to pull him back just as the dog was about to pounce on Ron, clamping Bruce's head between his legs to restrain him.
"Professor, I actually really like him," Ron explained.
"I can tell he really likes you too. But since I didn't give him a silencing collar, if he accidentally bites you, that's on you," Kasenhis said as he knocked Bruce on the head a couple of times.
Everyone heard two dull thunk thunk sounds.
Clearly, Sirius had taken those hits pretty hard.
"Also, there's currently a huge crowd of Dementors surrounding the castle. Technically, they're not supposed to enter Hogwarts, but as you all know — every time old Dumbles makes a statement like this, things tend to go sideways. So try to avoid wandering around at night this term."
"Even though I know none of you are likely to listen to that..." Kasenhis said with a sigh.
"We'll actually listen this time," Harry said with a completely serious face.
"Highly doubtful," Kasenhis replied.
"Alright then." After chatting a bit more, Harry and the others left, and Kasenhis gave a big stretch — he had an early morning class the next day, so he'd better get to bed early.
The next day...
"You all know what I'm about to say, don't you?" Kasenhis stood at the podium, looking down at the group of freshly promoted third-year students.
The little wizards looked at each other, then slowly shook their heads.
"It means you're already falling behind. Kids, I had prepared a very thorough teaching syllabus," Kasenhis said, clearing his throat. As for the syllabus itself... what syllabus?
Well, he didn't actually have one, but you still had to say it like that.
"Professor, who exactly are we falling behind?" asked Draco Malfoy, who was taking Alchemy alone — apparently his two usual sidekicks didn't have enough confidence in themselves and had signed up for a different subject known for its laughably easy final exam.
Goyle and Crabbe were the only two students in their year who didn't take Alchemy.
And once again, Divination's reputation took another hit by implication.
"You are, by every metric, behind Mr. Neville Longbottom of third year," Kasenhis replied.
The entire classroom of young wizards immediately turned to look at Neville Longbottom — and the look in their eyes made it incredibly easy to read what they were all thinking.
Everyone had been slacking off the same — so how come you, kid, secretly made progress?
Is that fair?
That's not fair.
This kind of strange look came especially from the Gryffindor students.
"Alright, students, remember those Wither Amulets I gave you yesterday? Now place them in the corner of your desks," Kasenhis continued.
The young wizards quickly followed his instructions, and Kasenhis went around collecting all the amulets, making sure they were all genuine — none of the students had secretly tried to keep one Wither to invite Death over for dinner.
"Very good."
"Alright, dear students, I'm sorry to inform you that from this moment on, your days of enjoying the protection of the Wither Amulet at Hogwarts are over — they are now temporarily parting from you." Kasenhis waved his hand, and the amulets floated into the air and circled around him.
With a snap of his fingers, they all vanished into ash.
The young wizards below looked awkward and distressed at the sight, while Kasenhis began distributing hand-drawn blueprints and alchemical diagrams.
"Since you all chose to enroll in my Alchemy class, it's only right that I help improve your skills. For example, this Wither Amulet will be your final exam project this term. Let me tell you in advance — while it's quite simple for me to make, for you, it's going to be a serious challenge."
"Of course, this isn't just your final exam grade. It's also your pass to roam freely outside the castle this term. After all, as everyone can see, there's a huge crowd of Dementors outside. And while theoretically they're not allowed to set foot on Hogwarts grounds, I have absolutely zero faith in the Ministry's promises."
The young wizards all nodded earnestly.
If the Ministry were actually reliable, there wouldn't have been that emergency edition of the Daily Prophet last night, and Fudge wouldn't have lost an arm — barely managing to stop the bleeding by this morning.
"Of course, the Wither Amulet isn't your only ticket to getting in and out of the castle. You'll also be learning the Patronus Charm later in your Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
"I've even coordinated with your Professor Lupin — for example, if you successfully craft a Wither Amulet, your Defense Against the Dark Arts grade will be averaged with your Alchemy score."
"In other words, if you manage to make a Wither Amulet and score an O [Outstanding] in Alchemy, then even if you skip the Defense Against the Dark Arts final, your grade will be averaged with your Alchemy result, and you'll get two A's [Acceptable]. The reverse applies too."
"Of course, I still suggest you study hard and aim high, because according to my intel, your Heads of House have decided that this term, an A will be treated as a fail. Even though that grade's enough to get you promoted to fourth year, you still won't escape the punishment that comes with it."
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