Gurglegurgle...
Gurglegurglegurgle...
Kayson went to The Hog's Head and had the bearded old man at the bar pour some whiskey into the bottles. As for what kind of whiskey it was...
Don't ask. As long as it didn't give Dumbledore diarrhea, it was good liquor.
This time, he did not use the password to enter the Headmaster's Office. Instead, he used Ender teleportation straight to the windowsill outside it.
He grabbed the windowsill with both hands and heaved himself up. He needed to see whether Dumbledore was actually in the office; otherwise, if he teleported inside only to find Dumbledore sitting there, how awkward would that be?
Fortunately, when he looked through the window, no one was there. Perfect!
Kayson forced open the office window from outside and climbed straight in. He took the two bottles from the back of his waistband and set them securely on the desk, so neatly that he might as well have measured their placement with a ruler.
As for whether there was something off about the liquor and whether it would be discovered?
Hagrid had said Dumbledore could hardly bear to drink this stuff, so probably not.
He straightened up and stretched. Just as he was about to use Ender teleportation to leave, he saw half a person inside a cabinet in the corner of Dumbledore's office...
The lower half of a person...
Or rather, Dumbledore had stuck his upper body into the cabinet.
And the person in the cabinet had noticed Kayson the moment he opened the window. Dumbledore immediately called out in a muffled voice from inside, "So energetic? Which little wizard are you? Come over and give me a hand. I'm stuck in the cabinet!"
Hearing Dumbledore say that, Kayson let out a long breath. It was good that he did not know who he was. Naturally, Kayson had no intention of helping Dumbledore get free.
After all, the Headmaster was immensely powerful. This cabinet was not some Treasure Chest Monster. If he wanted to get out, all it took was a thought—he would not even need his wand.
Right now, the most important thing was getting away as fast as possible. What a pity he could not use Ender teleportation.
Kayson quickly climbed onto the windowsill, bent over, and crouched on one knee. A water source block appeared in his hand, as though he were about to give Hogwarts itself a tiny demonstration of the shock of a water landing.
Then Dumbledore suddenly said from inside the cabinet in a muffled voice.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Kayson. Besides you, is there anyone else at Hogwarts who would sneak into the Headmaster's Office to steal the poor Headmaster's prized collection?"
Kayson, who had been psyching himself up, instantly put on a different expression.
"Ah, isn't this the Headmaster? How did you get stuck in a cabinet?"
As he spoke, he quickly jumped down from the windowsill. With the force of Lu Zhishen uprooting the willow tree, he wrapped his arms around Dumbledore and desperately yanked him outward.
It was as if he wanted Dumbledore to cosplay a 2.5 Shang Yang inside that poor cabinet, as though that would keep anyone from knowing he had stolen liquor.
Of course, in reality, as Kayson pulled, he controlled tiny blocks to carefully separate the cabinet from the places where Dumbledore was stuck.
Dumbledore was over a hundred, after all. He could not actually yank the old man to death.
Soon, like two stacked plastic stools suddenly pulled apart, there seemed to be a soft pop from the void, and Dumbledore saw daylight again.
"Er... thank you, Kayson."
Kayson sat in a chair, looking disgruntled.
"Still, I'm curious. How did you know it was me who came here, rather than some naughty little wizard riding a broomstick?"
"First, the two fellows at the door told me that you had come here earlier and taken two bottles of my liquor."
"Second, Kayson, you underestimate your own nerve. Though little wizards can certainly be audacious, sneaking into the Headmaster's Office is still a bit beyond their level."
"Okay... ahem, that's good. Since you're out, I should be leaving too. Um... Professor McGonagall is waiting for my lesson plans, you know." After hearing the explanation, Kayson rose from his chair with extreme slowness and gradually shuffled toward the office door.
As if Dumbledore were a frog who could only see moving objects and not stationary ones.
"...Kayson, do I seem senile to you?" Dumbledore sat in his chair with his arms folded, silently watching Kayson perform. Then, just as Kayson was about to walk out the door, he spoke faintly.
"Oh... fine. Is there anything I can do?" Kayson turned around, sat in the chair opposite Dumbledore, and said it all in one breath.
"Thank you for not choosing to teleport away directly."
"Oh... is it still not too late?"
"I'm sorry, it isn't."
"Fine. What is it?"
Dumbledore first picked up the two bottles of liquor from the desk with some helplessness, then walked toward the cabinet in the corner.
"Time makes liquor mellow. You can store a few bottles yourself too; after some time, even ordinary liquor will become good liquor."
Kayson nodded. "I will."
"By the way, where did you get the liquor for these two bottles?"
"The Hog's Head."
Dumbledore froze halfway through placing the bottles into the cabinet, then abruptly changed direction and tossed both bottles into the trash.
"...Is there something wrong with the liquor there? I drank it quite happily before." Kayson's mouth twitched.
"Nothing. If you're happy, keep drinking it."
"You have something you need me to do, don't you?"
"No, of course not. Why would I have something for you to do? Do you see me as the sort of person who never acts without profit, who expects a return for every favor?" Dumbledore shrugged.
"...Then why did you stop me from leaving?"
"Because the way you were treating me like a frog was so amusing that I couldn't resist. All right, Kayson, you may leave now."
Kayson curled his lip, stood up, and prepared to leave.
"Oh, right, Kayson. Has Hagrid had too much to drink?"
Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. Why?"
"And you?"
"You scared the smell of liquor right out of me... but at least I'm still sober." Kayson turned around and spread his hands.
"In that case, as Hagrid's loyal drinking companion, perhaps you should take Hagrid's place and complete his work tonight," Dumbledore said.
"Patrol the Forbidden Forest? Sure."
"Ten o'clock tonight... you have two hours to straighten yourself out." Dumbledore glanced at a small clock in the corner of his desk.
Kayson nodded and left the Headmaster's Office, lighthearted and unburdened.
He had drunk two bottles of liquor and would patrol the Forbidden Forest for one night. That seemed fair enough.
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