"What's this thing for?" Ron looked at the Spirit Particle Disintegrator, then took off the Top Hat on his head. "Don't tell me my hat can be made into a machine like this too?"
"It really can, but having a machine like this isn't all that useful to me right now." Kane scratched his head awkwardly. The Spirit Particle Disintegrator could make many important items, such as a Meat Effigy that could bring someone back to life. But he had never died before, so he could only make one and leave it in a cabinet. If he ever needed it himself, it would have been worth it.
The Panpipes that hypnotized other creatures needed Mandrakes, which he didn't have. He could ask Dumbledore for a couple someday. That solo instrument could hypnotize most creatures and turn them into his friends, but he had no gold and no pigskin.
In short, aside from the Meat Effigy, making anything was painfully difficult for him right now, even the incredibly cost-effective Shadow Armor and Shadow Blade...
Wait, no, he could make those two!
Both Shadow Armor and the Shadow Blade only needed Nightmare Fuel and Living Wood, and those were actually the easiest things for him to get right now.
With that thought, Kane quickly took off his Top Hat and pulled his bed out of the tent.
"What's he doing now?" Ron asked, watching the scene in confusion.
"You know, from the first day I met Kane, I always thought there was something wrong with his head." Harry pointed at his own head and circled his finger twice, then shrugged, giving off the strange impression that he was caring for a psychiatric patient.
The following Monday...
Kane sat up from his bed in a daze. Shadows swirled around him, almost instantly strangling several Shadow Monsters that had been hunting him.
Perhaps because he had worn a Garland and Top Hat before, along with eating all sorts of delicious food, he had raised his SAN to an extremely high level. He had spent an entire week studying magic without recovering any SAN before lowering it enough for tangible Shadow Monsters to touch him.
As for the Living Wood, he had prepared that long ago. Other than that, he had spent the week studying magic, farming all sorts of raw materials, and asking every professor what Hagrid liked. Though by the next time Hagrid visited Aragog, the old fellow would most likely have forgotten everything anyway.
Still, having done that left Kane feeling a little guilty. He had to find a way to secretly give Hagrid a gift to make up for it.
And now...
Kane picked up all the scattered Nightmare Fuel, woke the soundly sleeping Harry and Ron, and took them to breakfast. The gift he had bought for Hagrid should be arriving today. If he went too late, other students might gather around to watch.
"Is getting up this early for breakfast really worth it? I remember we don't have class today." Ron sat at the table, bleary-eyed. Harry was no more alert on the other side, mechanically stuffing food into his mouth.
Kane, meanwhile, watched the Owls drawing closer outside the skylight of the Hogwarts Great Hall and relaxed slightly. The delivery wasn't late. He wouldn't need to file a complaint.
Other than Kane, Harry and Ron both felt that such a huge pile of deliveries had nothing to do with them. They merely symbolically protected the food in front of them. Harry's effort was clearly unnecessary, though, because a long package came crashing straight toward his head.
Harry instinctively shot the owl a resentful look, but the moment he saw the note on the package, he perked up completely and grabbed Kane and Ron to leave.
"I've got a package coming too. What's wrong with you?" Kane looked at Harry in surprise. What kind of package could make him this excited?
"A flying broom! A brand-new flying broom Professor McGonagall gave me!" Harry said in a low voice. Ron jolted awake. "Really? Hurry, let's go!"
Harry and Ron hurriedly carried the package back to the dormitory. Kane continued waiting for his own package until most of the deliveries in the Great Hall had been claimed. Then a small squadron of Owls finally flew in, trembling as they carried his parcel.
"It's finally here." Kane pulled out his wand and used the Levitation Charm to take the enormous package. Carrying it away from the Great Hall, he headed to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where few people ever came and it was more convenient to do anything.
He opened the package and found a sleeping baby yak inside. He allowed his Shadow Erosion to seep into the little yak's body, transforming it into a little Moo Moo.
After all, imagining Hagrid's massive build paired with a fully grown Moo Moo made it seem like a wonderful sight no matter how he thought about it. Hagrid should like this gift.
Before getting the gift, Kane had been too embarrassed to come visit Hagrid. He always felt as though he had let Hagrid down.
It felt like using an honest man's money to keep a mistress, only to discover that the mistress was the honest man's long-lost sister. It gave him the desperate urge for the kind of free fall where he didn't want to take the stairs or the elevator.
"Eh? Kane? Haven't seen you in ages. So, how did your talk with Aragog go?" Hagrid had also finished breakfast in the Great Hall. When he returned to his hut, he spotted Kane sneaking around nearby.
"Ah, I thought it was a very good start. Oh, and this is a gift for you. Take a look and see if you like it?" Kane laughed awkwardly and changed the subject, gesturing for Hagrid to look at the peacefully sleeping Moo Moo in the package.
Curious, Hagrid walked over. The moment he looked down, he saw a little Moo Moo that looked at first glance like nothing more than a squat walnut, covered from head to toe in earth-brown fur, with four round little legs and an exceptionally honest-looking face.
"Oh~ This little thing looks so cute. Is it some kind of special magical creature?" The instant Hagrid saw the little Moo Moo, even his voice softened, and he seemed to radiate maternal warmth.
"Sort of. I made it myself. It's similar to a Treeguard. Do you like it? It'll grow bigger in the future, maybe as big as your house. If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Kane knew Hagrid's tastes well by now. Bigger was better, and stronger was cuter, so he slightly exaggerated Moo Moo's adult size.
"Oh, this might be a little too precious." Hagrid hesitated.
"Then I guess I'll have to take it back and roast it." Kane pretended he was about to take Moo Moo away. Hagrid immediately changed his tune. "I like precious gifts. Thank you, Kane. I love it."
Hagrid carefully cradled the little Moo Moo in his arms. "I'll call him... Walnut."
"Mm-hm. Maybe it's because of the color. Anyway, as long as you like the little Moo Moo, I'm happy. I need to get back to studying my Shadow Blade and Shadow Armor. I've got all the materials ready, so I can finally put them into practice."
Hagrid spoke as he prepared to return to Hogwarts Castle.
"Eh? You're not coming in to sit for a while? I barely saw you at all this week." Hagrid scratched his head.
"No." Kane still felt a little guilty whenever he looked at Hagrid. Then he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Hagrid. Don't keep Walnut indoors, because he grows very fast. Sometimes you might wake up and he'll just..."
Kane held both hands before his chest, then suddenly spread them wide as though outlining a huge balloon.
"I understand. Thanks, Kane." Hagrid held Walnut in one arm and waved to Kane with the other. Seeing that, Kane only quickened his pace.
Ah! Move, damn legs! The more he looked at Hagrid like that, the more he felt like an animal!
Soon, Kane controlled his dead legs back to the dormitory. There, he found Harry giving Ron a ride on an ornate broom, flying low and steadily through the air.
When Harry saw Kane return, he immediately called out to him. "Kane, get on! This is a Nimbus 2000, the newest and best broom! I can't believe how stable it is!"
Kane declined Harry's invitation. "No, Harry. I need to study my own things now. It's like waiting a month for a delivery, and it finally arrives today. Nothing can stop me from unboxing it as fast as possible."
Harry and Ron shrugged helplessly and continued flying low through the air. But every few seconds, the Spirit Particle Disintegrator started making a series of pleasant sounds.
Finally, Kane's baffled voice rang out.
"What the hell is this thing?"
Before you continue