Orders After Arriving at Hogwarts

Kayson looked at Professor McGonagall with a smile, only to be fiercely glared back at her. In an instant, the authority of a teacher washed over him, forcing him to lower his gaze and keep his nose to the grindstone.

"Alright, is there something you need?" Dumbledore swapped out two more cups, refilled them with Cappuccino, and pushed them over.

"We have an idea, regarding an upgrade to Hogwarts' defense system." Professor McGonagall then recounted the matter of the Iron Golem obliterating the stone statues to Dumbledore in full detail.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Of course, that's fine. I have no objections, but it depends on you, Kayson. Can your magic sustain such an effort?"

Sitting calmly in his chair sipping Cappuccino, Kayson felt underestimated. If he used the same pitch from back when he ran the Custom Workshop, this would be his first order since arriving at Hogwarts—a sure thing!

And then...

Afternoon, at dusk in Hogwarts.

Kayson had just finished building an Iron Golem and equipped it with a greatsword, when Hagrid came up behind him carrying a huge bucket of paint. The paint was transparent, its main purpose being rust prevention.

Even though Iron Golems weren't afraid of rust, the proper respect still had to be shown.

"Kayson, you alright?" Hagrid asked tentatively, watching Kayson's movements grow slower and slower.

"Me... I feel..." He looked up at the dusk sky.

"I feel like the sun is green."

Although this wasn't magic in the traditional sense, like wizards, he had mana inside him. Summoning blocks and Iron Golems all required mana supply.

"Good heavens, you really need to rest. You've made enough Iron Golems today. If you keep this up, I'm afraid you'll drop dead here before you even start teaching." Hagrid set down the paint bucket, forcefully picked Kayson up, and placed him on the Weapon Base in front of the Iron Golem to rest.

Hagrid also sat down on the floor nearby, and the two of them spotted a big black bat—no, it was Professor Snape passing by.

Snape saw them too, along with the line of Iron Golems stretching from the Hogwarts gates and Great Hall all the way here, and he understood what the two of them were sitting there doing.

With that thought, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of deep blue potion.

"Mana Potion."

Kayson took the potion and downed it in one gulp, feeling a bit more comfortable, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Returning the favor, he placed a square cauldron on the ground.

"I'm definitely not as good as you when it comes to potions, so I don't know if this cauldron is any good for them. Take a look."

Snape crouched down, knocked on it, and examined it.

"The materials are solid, but ordinary flames probably won't heat it easily. Thank you for the kind gesture."

"Alright, then what about this? A rough method I came up with myself before."

Kayson pulled out an alchemy station, with a glowing rod radiating heat at its center, along with three potion flask clamps.

Snape's mouth twitched.

"Professor Heath, you're different from others. Don't waste your time on potions."

"OK, I'll keep your advice in mind."

Kayson waved a hand, still lacking energy.

Snape returned to his office, but he still took the oversized cauldron with him. As he said, it might be useful for soaking potion ingredients, since it was really too big.

As for Kayson, he patted Hagrid beside him.

"Keep going?"

"Before ten o'clock at night, I have boundless energy."

"And after ten?"

"After ten is no time for humans to be working. Kayson, that's when we should head back to the room, have a couple of drinks. Come to my place tonight—I've got some pretty good bottles." Hagrid said cheerfully.

"Of course, I'd be happy to. I didn't know you knew how to enjoy life."

"Naturally. How could someone who doesn't enjoy life grow pumpkins in front of their yard... Oh, Kayson, about those pumpkins... Could my pumpkins create these big guys too?"

"Sorry, no."

"Well, alright... No need to apologize."

"OK."

Late at night...

Kayson couldn't hold his liquor, or rather, he couldn't handle Hagrid's kind of liquor.

Because if you went by alcohol content, none of the huge stash of bottles Hagrid pulled out was below sixty proof.

This kind of pure hard liquor would be used for mixing cocktails in the Muggle World, but Hagrid was downing it glass after glass.

Really, pour this level of liquor into an engine, and it could make a car run. And then...

Well, he'd accepted the drinking invitation, so he had to finish it even if it made him cry.

And so, with every glass he drank, his favorability with Hagrid went up by +10. It seemed he really liked bold friends.

It went on like that, until eventually Hagrid sat down next to Kayson, slapping him on the back with a palm as big as a winnowing fan, his hearty laughter filling Kayson's ears.

"I really... can't drink another drop."

The next day...

Kayson groggily woke up on Hagrid's bed—had to give it to Hagrid, the guy looked rough around the edges but was actually pretty clean. As for Hagrid himself, he was lying on the floor, dazed, still blowing bubbles from his mouth.

Kayson rolled his neck, waved his wand to control the small blocks, and lifted Hagrid onto the bed. He then disposed of the empty bottles and crept out of Hagrid's hut.

Stepping outside, he took a deep breath and still felt the little hut was too small for Hagrid. He waved his wand again, using the small blocks to leave a message by the door.

[If you want to expand your house, feel free to come find me. I'm a professional. —Kayson Heath]

After doing all that, he rubbed his head and headed back to his office. He vaguely remembered from last night that Hagrid's satisfaction had maxed out, earning him a new block.

What was it again?

Tch—his head hurt, and he'd forgotten.

Back in his office, his head was still foggy...

Knock, knock, knock...

"What is it?"

Snape led Kayson into the office.

"To be honest, this is overkill for the job, but Madam Pomfrey is on leave, so I had to come to you."

Before Kayson could finish, Snape tossed him a bottle of potion.

"Hangover cure."

"Thanks."

Gulping down the hangover cure, his foggy head finally cleared, and he remembered the new block he'd gotten last night.

A dark green pixel ball appeared in his hand, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Ender Pearl!"

He murmured to himself, delighted.

"Actually, I need your help with something too—related to potion brewing." Snape finished organizing his potion rack and turned around.

"I'm pretty clueless about potions, honestly."

"It's mainly about alchemy." Snape added.

"Go on."

"Brewing potions requires extremely precise temperature control. In the past, I've had to manage the flame's temperature while stirring the potion—both delicate tasks. When brewing high-end potions, I need total focus, so I'd like you to custom-make a magical device that can control temperature." Snape said.

"...A Muggle induction cooktop."

"Hogwarts interferes with those."

"Find an apprentice to help control the temperature."

"I'm often alone."

"I might have a way... using redstone... Give me some time. I'll design it and come back to you."

[Trust from Snape +10]

"Thanks." A faint, barely noticeable smile crossed Snape's face.

"And tell me your requirements too."

"No problem."