September... Hogsmeade Station.
Kayson sat on the platform watching the young wizards get off the train one by one. After each young wizard got off, he would draw a horizontal or vertical line in his notebook. Only when he knew that the number of drawings matched the number of students at Hogwarts this year did he put away the notebook, which was filled with tally marks.
This year, Grindelwald was on patrol at the start of the school year, so he was able to relax a bit, which was a rare treat.
"Should we go to the Three Broomsticks... or the Hog's Head?"
Kayson stood up as he pondered.
The alcohol content was a bit too high; one glass was enough to knock out Hagrid, which was a bit too strong.
The place was quite dirty, and the old man with the goatee looked rather strange.
Never mind... let's go to the Great Hall instead.
This year's opening ceremony was almost identical to previous years, but it was a bit of a surprise for Kayson.
The two most important classes of students in a teacher's heart are probably the first and last classes he taught.
The first woman came to the new school with her teacher, and the second woman left the school with her teacher.
However, for Kayson, a self-taught elective professor, his first class did not come to this new school with him, and they had already graduated early.
The students who came to this school with him are now in the seventh grade.
Just like before parting, people always like to simulate in their minds how sad, how reluctant, and how passionate the parting will be.
But when the day of parting actually arrives, you'll find that you have nothing left.
People left the room one by one, going their separate ways, so at first Kayson thought he would be sad for a long time after the Weasley Twins and Cedric's class graduated.
But the truth is... it's just so-so.
However, this year's cohort is unlikely to be the same, since it has truly been with me for seven years.
Should I prepare some eye drops beforehand, so I can use them to simulate tears when the atmosphere is right, and make myself, as a professor, seem a little more human?
Yeah, I'm a fucking genius.
"What are you doing, all alone, laughing like an idiot?" Dumbledore asked, puzzled.
Kayson realized what he meant and said, "No, no, I was just thinking about what kind of wine to drink later."
As he spoke, he pulled out a small flask with a built-in Hufflepuff glass.
"Don't drink too much. We still need to find Tom's Horcrux tomorrow. We can't put all our hopes on the Room of Requirement. What if Tom doesn't know which room he's in? Then we'll have a lot of trouble finding him," Dumbledore said.
"The new students will be here soon. You can tell them that this year's taboo rule is that Voldemort's Horcrux must never be found in any corner of Hogwarts. I reckon the young Horcrux will find them somewhere before Christmas and then cause a huge mess at Hogwarts," Kayson suggested.
"I can't believe this idea came from you. Haven't you always been the one who values the safety of young wizards the most?" Dumbledore looked at Kayson with some surprise.
"Hmm... you can take this as a form of entrapment." Hou explained.
Dumbledore touched his nose, which had been straight at first but then crooked, and now remained straight, feeling a slight pain.
"Except for the love of the Horcrux."
"Hmm?" Kayson asked.
"The protective magic on Harry will wear off this year," Dumbledore said.
"I thought it had already lost its effect. Doesn't that magic require a blood relative to be by your side?" Kayson scratched his head, puzzled.
"Every time I have a holiday, I secretly use spatial magic to connect the Black family manor with the Dursleys, so that they can still be considered a family in terms of space."
"And this year... Harry is about to come of age." Dumbledore said, picking up a potato, peeling it, and mashing it into a paste.
"So you're telling me to prepare, because Voldemort might launch a huge counterattack this year," Kayson said with a shrug.
"Pretty much... We can leave the task of guarding against Voldemort to Snape. Your main job is to protect Harry and keep a close eye on him," Dumbledore explained.
"Uh-huh."
The dinner party ended slowly amidst their conversation.
Slightly tipsy, Kayson quickly washed up after arriving at the office and went to bed.
the next day...
"As the Hogwarts Headmaster, don't you feel ashamed of yourself?" Kayson said with a hint of helplessness as he watched Dumbledore repeatedly casting spells on himself with the Elder Wand in front of the Room of Requirement.
"You're such a contradiction. I didn't use any defenses or cover to get the Resurrection Stone Ring, and you said I didn't cherish my life. Now that I do, you say I have no dignity." Dumbledore shook his head helplessly.
In his eyes, Kayson's actions were just like his father's on his weight loss journey, who would cook all sorts of different dishes every day, adding bricks and tiles to the stumbling blocks on his weight loss path.
The latter shrugged. "What I mean is, now that you have such a brilliant Alchemy Professor like me by your side, you can relax a bit."
"The last person to be this relaxed was Snape, who almost had his leg bitten off by Hagrid's three-headed dog. What you're saying now is exactly what he said back then," Dumbledore said quietly.
"..." Kayson, who was circling in front of the Room of Requirement, suddenly stopped and turned to Dumbledore: "I remember that time with Snape, it was just the two of us. How did you know?"
"The portraits at Hogwarts are all my informants. I'm very curious to see what kind of sparks will fly when a fledgling Alchemy Professor and Potions professor collide."
"Obviously, in the end... at least your wool bandages are still quite impressive," Dumbledore said with his exceptionally high emotional intelligence.
Kayson, with his half-moon eyes, looked at Dumbledore speechlessly. "Heh... thank you... I'm so sorry I didn't figure out the alchemical potion back then. I'm sorry I didn't let Dumbledore have any fun."
After saying that, he circled around in front of the door again.
"I need a room to hide things." ×3
The door opened.
[Requesting a gift]
[Submission area]
[Yuzu Liang Bai] is so cute!