Snape's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced toward Kasenhis, who was lying on the sofa—vomiting in a stream of rainbow colors. Dumbledore quickly noticed him as well.
Snape looked at Kasenhis, then at Dumbledore, and within seconds, he understood exactly what kind of ridiculous mess he had just walked into. With a flick of his hand, he drove everyone except Kasenhis out of the infirmary, shut the door behind them, and turned to face him.
"Alright, let's hear it. What kind of nonsense are you pulling this time?" Snape said, dragging over a folding stool, sitting down, and speaking in that low, deadpan drawl of his.
"Uh… I, uh, ate too much spicy hotpot, and then Dumbledore disgusted me a little, and… I accidentally threw up," Kasenhis said sheepishly.
"Oh… I was referring to them—why did they all look like they'd just seen a corpse?" Snape rephrased, unimpressed.
Kasenhis pursed his lips, clearly irritated, and launched into a tirade about how he'd been working tirelessly in his office, giving Cedric extra lessons and striving for Hogwarts' victory in the Triwizard Tournament—all for the school's glory!
And what did he get for his efforts? Dumbledore stabbing him in the back! Was that fair?
How was this any different from serving a betrayal as a side dish with eighteen golden plates?
And then, to top it all off, the Board of Governors had slapped him with a "penalty notice" for the heinous crime of not writing lesson plans! How was that fair?!
Snape's mouth twitched uncontrollably as he listened to Kasenhis's endless ranting. Finally, he sighed helplessly and said, "As long as you're happy… So, what do you want me to say? That you're beyond saving?"
Kasenhis stared up at the ceiling, eyes half-lidded. "Pretty much. You're the expert in this sort of thing—just make up something like 'he mustn't be emotionally stimulated,' 'he can't handle sadness,' or 'his condition worsened from overwork.' Let that old codger Dumbledore stew in guilt for a while."
Snape nodded, stood up, and pushed open the infirmary door. Taking a deep breath, he announced flatly, "He's beyond saving. Let him die."
Madam Pomfrey's expression collapsed as she looked from Snape to Kasenhis, who was lying on the sofa with a bewildered face. "...What?"
"Just make sure his last days are happy ones," Snape said quickly before hurrying out—mostly because if he stayed any longer, he was afraid he'd lose his composure entirely.
Madam Pomfrey rushed into the room in a panic, dragging Cedric along. Both of them looked flustered and frantic—completely unlike Dumbledore, who entered a moment later with a calm, almost serene look.
Moments earlier, in the hallway, the three of them had been standing in awkward silence when Dumbledore suddenly remembered something—he was a master of Legilimency.
Hmm… poor Cedric, utterly unaware that he'd just accidentally betrayed his professor without saying a word.
Now, Dumbledore's back no longer ached, his legs felt light, and with brisk steps he approached Kasenhis's bedside. "No matter what it takes, we'll save you. Don't you worry."
Kasenhis gave two weak, pitiful coughs. "Cough, cough—no need. I know my own body best. Don't waste your time on me. Just… send me back to my office. I'd like to spend what little time I have left devoted to the one thing I've always loved most—renova— I mean, education."
Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "Very well. I completely agree with your sentiment."
With that, he placed a hand on Kasenhis's shoulder. A second later, the two of them vanished, reappearing inside the Alchemy Office.
Then, without missing a beat, Dumbledore went right back and dropped Cedric off where he belonged.
Back in the hospital wing, Dumbledore could only shrug helplessly under Madam Pomfrey's sharp, beast-hunting glare. "You heard Severus yourself—let him spend his remaining days happily, and allow him to leave with dignity."
Madam Pomfrey sighed heavily. "How could this happen…" She sat down on a chair, placing both hands under her hips like a puppet with its strings cut, rocking back and forth. "He was such a good man… What do we do now… What should we do…"
Dumbledore ignored her, turning instead to stride out of the infirmary. He found a nearby portrait and said calmly, "Inform all Hogwarts students to gather in the Great Hall."
...
Meanwhile, back in the Alchemy Office, Kasenhis poured himself a glass of whiskey and was leisurely guiding Cedric through the process of assembling his new skeleton.
Cedric carefully followed the custom designs Kasenhis had drawn for him, inspecting every single component with meticulous focus.
Soon, with the final piece hand-forged and fitted into place, he lifted the completed spine up with both hands.
"Professor, take a look—see if there's anything wrong with it," Cedric asked, passing the spine over.
Kasenhis accepted it, giving it a casual flick. "Looks good. Once you add the alchemical rails, you'll boost both the weight capacity and signal conductivity. Oh, and don't forget your skull."
"Can't forget, can't forget…" Cedric muttered quickly.
At that moment, the two of them—enjoying a peaceful, almost father-and-son atmosphere in the office—had no idea that in just one minute, something truly terrifying was about to appear before them.
A minute passed quickly. Kasenhis stood up, intending to change the record on the player—when suddenly, he felt a strange vibration ripple through the floor.
"What's going on? An earthquake?" He glanced at Cedric.
"No… oh, Professor, I think you'd better lie down. What I'm seeing looks like a whole army charging straight at you," Cedric murmured in confusion, staring toward the office door.
Hearing that, Kasenhis instinctively turned to look as well—
"The hell!?"
Even years later, Kasenhis would still vividly remember that scene: the icy hallway outside his office filled with sliding boats, each one speeding toward him like a fleet of F1 race cars.
In that instant, he knew it—his brilliant plan to fake an illness had completely spiraled out of control.
If he didn't collapse right now and convincingly act like he was on the brink of death, he was fairly certain he'd be hurled out the nearest window by an angry mob of emotional young wizards.
After all, the atmosphere had already been built up this far—if he didn't die now, it would just be rude.
"Professor, what do we do?" Cedric asked, eyes wide in panic. But when he turned, the spot where Kasenhis had been standing was empty.
Looking the other way, he saw Kasenhis already lying on the sofa again, weak and breathless, every bit the image of a dying man. The spine he'd left on the coffee table was now mysteriously stained with fresh blood, and with the crimson seeping out from beneath the sofa, the entire scene looked exactly like Cedric had just torn out his professor's spine with his own hands.
"What the hell!? They're coming for blood!" Cedric muttered, utterly dumbfounded.
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