A Home Visit

Kayson stepped down from the platform and approached Quirrell, who lay on the ground. Only after confirming that the old bastard would most likely be bedridden in the Hospital Wing for one or two weeks did he finally look away.

As for the missing Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons, he was sure someone would be more than happy to fill in.

Back in his office, Kayson did something unusually rare: he took a bottle of champagne from the cabinet and headed for Hagrid's hut.

The next day...

Hagrid left his hut early, carrying a bundle of red ribbons. Christmas would be arriving soon, and though no one knew why wizards celebrated the holiday—

The Christmas trees were still needed. To the pine trees in the Forbidden Forest, the red ribbons in Hagrid's hand were like the King of Hell calling roll.

Any tree tied with one today would basically not live to see next year.

What a tragedy.

Unlike Hagrid, Kayson had no classes today. He could stroll leisurely back to the castle and return to his office, warmly greeting every young wizard he met along the way.

Then he returned to his office, picked up the students' attendance register and parchment, and began preparing gifts one by one. Once everything was ready, all that remained was to wait.

Wait for Christmas.

Whooo! Whooo! Whooo!!!

Kayson stood at Hogsmeade Station. It was his first time seeing the Hogwarts Express, and he was rather curious about this performance art of cosplaying as a Muggle train.

After all, a train powered by magic theoretically had no need to produce smoke.

Holding the ticket Dumbledore had given him, he boarded the train.

As the old man had put it, ever since the Hogwarts Express had been invented, nearly every young wizard had ridden it. Kayson, however, had missed out on the experience because he had never enrolled.

So Dumbledore had specially saved a ticket for him, allowing him to experience that feeling.

Of course, he had not boarded solely for the experience. He had already packed up all his belongings from the Muggle World and moved them to Hogwarts, and he planned to spend the Christmas break there as well.

His main reason for leaving the school this time was to make a home visit, as well as return gifts to his Muggle friends.

Given Neville's personality, Kayson believed his grandmother's temperament was probably too forceful. He had previously considered writing to Neville's grandmother, but he had always been busy, and whenever he picked up a pen, he had no idea how to write.

Compared to that, he preferred sitting face-to-face with someone, with a cup of hot tea and some fragrant but not overly sweet pastries before them, and wildly demonstrating the charm of language.

And so, the home visit to the Longbottom family came about.

However, he did not sit in the same compartment as Neville. Even though Harry and Ron were staying at Hogwarts for Christmas, leaving empty seats in the compartment, he did not go over.

After all, he was a professor. Sitting with Neville would always make him feel awkward.

A home visit was already... quite presumptuous.

Time passed until the train pulled into the Muggle World's station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross. After getting off, Kayson quickly spotted the highly recognizable witch Professor McGonagall had mentioned.

An elderly woman in an incredibly elaborate wizard's robe, wearing a broad brownish-green pointed hat, with a stern expression. In short, she looked like someone who must have been very close to Professor McGonagall.

Apart from their styles of dress, that was. This elderly woman favored extravagance, while Professor McGonagall favored restraint.

But their bearing was remarkably similar.

"Professor Heath, I am Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother. He has written me nearly a whole box of letters, all about you. Thank you for taking care of that poor child."

Augusta noticed Kayson as well, his figure standing out among the young wizards, and walked over as she spoke.

"Kayson Heath. Please, just call me Kayson, Mrs. Longbottom. The main reason I came this time concerns Neville's personality."

"Has that child caused you trouble?"

"No, no, no." Kayson hurriedly waved his hands. "No trouble at all, absolutely none. In fact, he is excessively well-behaved, excessively honest. So honest that he hardly seems like a Gryffindor."

"I see... That child has always been like this. Far too... far too timid. I always thought he belonged in Hufflepuff," Augusta said in agreement.

Kayson nodded and was just about to say something when he heard a rapid patter of footsteps. Neville came running over from the distance.

"Grandma! Professor Kayson!"

"Would you care to have a simple meal at Longbottom Manor?" Augusta asked.

"Of course. Just a simple meal."

Augusta took Neville's little hand in her left hand and placed her right hand on Kayson's shoulder. The next moment, the three of them appeared on an island.

Kayson looked at the ancient, majestic manor in the distance.

If I were the one decorating this place...

Kayson immediately drove that inappropriate thought from his head.

There were only two people at Longbottom Manor now, plus Kayson, an outsider.

Of course, Kayson had no idea how many members the Longbottom family had in total, nor was there any need to ask.

He was here for a home visit, not to investigate their family register.

At least today, the enormous manor truly contained only the three of them, if one ignored the House-elves hidden in every corner.

That also gave Kayson a more accurate understanding of Mrs. Longbottom's forceful nature.

With such a vast manor under her control, how could she not be forceful? If she were not, distant relatives from God knew where would have long since devoured everything.

The wizarding world might have the Ministry of Magic, but its efficiency was, frankly, nothing special. They were quick to catch anyone performing magic tricks, cooking, or renovating in the Muggle World.

Yet those who murdered, set fires, and committed every imaginable evil in the wizarding world seemed to vanish like corpses, playing dead.

The three of them first sat down in the living room—though it was not really three of them. When Neville wanted to listen in, Augusta merely gave him a look, and he obediently returned to his bedroom.

"Please go ahead, Professor Heath."

"What you just did is exactly what I came to discuss, Mrs. Longbottom. Under the pressure of someone as forceful as you, this child has been crushed to the point where he can barely breathe. There will be other problems as well. As a Gryffindor, he has been pressured by you into losing his courage."

Kayson drew upon the mindset and eloquence he had developed when he first entered the renovation industry, negotiating with those damned clients. He was already prepared to use his tongue until he spat out his last drop of saliva.

Unexpectedly, Augusta did not rush to argue about how wise her educational methods were, like those idiotic clients. Instead, she nodded helplessly.

"Of course I know all that. But honestly, it is not that I mean to look down on Neville. It is just that he truly cannot do anything well."