It had been a month since Kasenhis' last "experiment," where he managed to launch a Wither Skeleton Skull at his own feet in his office, blowing himself straight into the medical wing.
Of course, if it were just a regular explosion, Madam Pomfrey could've easily healed him in no time. The real trouble was the Wither effect. That cursed energy from the Wither somehow invaded his body, which was neither entirely dead nor entirely alive.
To put it plainly, he had been hit by dark magic backlash. Or, in simpler terms, he was stuck in a "Withering" state, like in Minecraft—constantly losing health over time.
Unfortunately, he hadn't unlocked the Milk Block yet, and regular milk seemed to have no effect on him.
Still, he hadn't been lying idly in the medical wing for a whole month. He'd used the time to make some progress, particularly in making his spellcasting more wizard-like.
Although he couldn't use magic the same way wizards did, his Minecraft blocks and their unique properties allowed him to convincingly cosplay as one.
Plus, he could now use a wand.
Granted, his wand was the DIY one he had crafted using rose vines and a phoenix tail feather. Surprisingly, while he didn't use it often, it was handy when he did.
"Professor His, after a morning of observation, I can confirm you're ready to be discharged," Madam Pomfrey said. (P.S. Ok, so his name is Kadenhis and they call him Mr. His. Comformed.)
She knocked lightly on the doorframe before pulling back the curtain and leaning halfway into the room to deliver the news.
"Thank you, and may God—I mean—Merlin bless you, Madam," Kasenhis said, instantly springing back to full health. He quickly got dressed, snapped his fingers, and summoned a pixelated carnation.
[+10 Favorability from Madam Pomfrey]
"I should tell you that even though you gave me this flower, I won't forgive you for doing this to yourself. Also, because of your dangerous magical experiments, my two-month vacation was shortened to one," Madam Pomfrey said, accepting the flower with satisfaction but still maintaining a stern tone.
"Yes, absolutely. I'm very sorry. If I wasn't afraid you'd find it tacky, I would've given you a cubic meter of gold instead. For now, I can only hope this carnation conveys my admiration for you—nothing else."
Once the medical wing was empty and Madam Pomfrey was left alone, she held the carnation in her trembling hand.
A thought stuck in her throat:
I am that kind of tacky person! Give me my cubic meter of gold!
However, in the end, she didn't say it out loud.
Just as in any school, where teachers return before the students for preparation, the professors of Hogwarts followed the same tradition.
Some prepared their lesson plans in advance, while others inspected various aspects of the school.
Take Professor McGonagall, for instance.
The sound of Professor McGonagall's voice froze Kasenhis mid-step. A moment later, he sped up his pace.
"Kasen! Professor Kasen!"
Hearing the voice behind him, just one decibel short of a roar, Kasenhis reluctantly stopped in his tracks. He turned around with a bright, cheerful smile plastered on his face.
"Professor McGonagall, what can I do for you?"
"I recall asking you for a lesson plan for the term, specifically for the third to sixth years and the advanced classes…" Professor McGonagall, arms crossed and stern-faced, stared at Kasen like a teacher scolding a student.
Kasen then made a rather foolish decision. "I wrote it, but… it got destroyed during my magical experiment. You remember the Wither Skeleton incident, right?"
McGonagall listened to this excuse, which was nearly on par with "I did my homework, but my dog ate it."
Having dedicated years to the field of education, Professor McGonagall was, of course, immune to such transparent tricks. She stood her ground without flinching.
"You can just give me an oral explanation. I only need a general idea of your plan."
"Don't tell me you spent an entire month in bed and didn't prepare anything?"
"And what about the students' textbooks?"
"They'll use the ones they already have," Kasen said, silently adding in his mind: "It doesn't make a difference to me anyway—I can't understand them either."
Ultimately, under the overwhelming authority of Professor McGonagall, Kasen found himself assisting her in moving a stone statue that had been standing guard in one of the castle's corridors.
Well, "moving" wasn't quite the right word.
Over the past month, Kasen had picked up some basic knowledge of magic. By mimicking certain effects, he could recreate similar results, such as the Levitation Charm.
Using his ability, he could control a swarm of tiny blocks to lift heavy objects, achieving an effect comparable to the charm.
The two of them placed the stone statue by the edge of the Black Lake. McGonagall then pulled out her wand, touched it to the statue's head, and murmured a chant. The statue seemed to come to life, moving in place and standing guard.
"Now create one of your iron knights. As a professor at Hogwarts, it's our duty to ensure the school's safety, including upgrading its defense systems," McGonagall finally revealed her true intention.
Kasen shrugged, pulled out his wand, and casually waved it.
A T-shaped iron structure quickly took form, followed by a pumpkin skull placed on top. Just like that, an iron golem was created.
Feeling something was missing, Kasen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. After a moment, he conjured two more iron blocks and a wooden block, combining them to craft a massive iron greatsword.
The iron golem obediently took the sword, planted it into the ground, and stood motionless.
McGonagall: (★ ω ★) wow~
"Let's have them fight," McGonagall said, glancing at the iron golem, then at Kasen.
McGonagall pulled out her wand and commanded the statue to attack the iron golem. The clash produced a loud clang, but it was clear the attack didn't penetrate the golem's defense.
The iron golem, seemingly unfazed, glanced down at the statue, then picked up its greatsword and swung it in a wide arc.
Bang. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽
The stone statue shattered into pieces.
[+10 Satisfaction from Professor McGonagall]
[+10 Trust from Professor McGonagall]
The light in Professor McGonagall's eyes grew even brighter.
The next moment, she grabbed Kasenhis and began pulling him toward the Headmaster's Office.
Judging by her determination, it seemed she was set on convincing Dumbledore to completely overhaul Hogwarts' defense system today.
On the way, she could already imagine the scene: her wand waving, a steel army marching in perfect unison through Hogwarts, crushing all enemies with the force of an earthquake!
She couldn't even fathom how happy she would be when that day came.
"Hey, hey, hey, hold on a second!" Kasenhis hurriedly slowed his pace. With a quick flick of his wand, the iron golem and the greatsword broke apart into individual blocks, vanishing into the void.
"Kasen, I must say, that was an incredible waste," McGonagall said with her hands on her hips, a bit exasperated.
"That guy had already been hit once. I'm a perfectionist, you see."
"Oh, a perfectionist who doesn't write lesson plans, is that it?"
"I'm also a libertarian," Kasen replied with a shrug.
The two of them arrived at Dumbledore's office, where he appeared to have been waiting for them. On the desk in front of him were three freshly brewed cups of tea.
"When did he become this healthy? Usually, his drinks need to be paired with insulin," Professor McGonagall remarked sharply.
"I was using a form of exaggerated rhetoric."
Professor McGonagall gracefully sat down, picked up a cup of tea, and took a sip.
Then, Dumbledore, who had arrived fashionably late, spoke up, "Minerva, that cup of tea was just sipped by Fudge."