"Class dismissed!" Kayson cheered after hearing the dismissal bell, then vanished with a hum.
Hermione, who was assembling a semi-finished mechanical arm with the tools provided in the Alchemy classroom, twitched the corner of her mouth; she seemed to understand how Professor Binns of History of Magic felt when they all ran off as soon as class ended.
But isn't this character a bit off?
Kayson, back in his office, didn't hear the Little Wizards' inner thoughts; all he had was the most basic respect of a salaryman for getting off work, because, to put it not so nicely...
The fourth-year Little Wizards were no longer cute; he still preferred them when they were in first or third year, looking so soft.
It's a pity his course isn't compulsory, otherwise he could teach the first-year Little Wizards, who are so adorable.
Snape: First-year Little Wizards are worse than pigs!
"Eh?"
Kayson suddenly said "Eh," he always felt like he had forgotten something... Never mind, he had another third-year class later, it was time to make them help him install the rails!
.....
In the blink of an eye, it was late October, and Kayson was sprawled on the sofa in his office.
"Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are coming, why do I, a mere Alchemy Professor, need to be there? Shouldn't this be handled by the Principal and the four Deans... at most, add Grindelwald so the Durmstrang Little Wizards can see their excellent alumnus."
Kayson rambled on, but his central idea was one thing: he didn't want to stand outside in this cold weather, even if the sky fell.
Snape, who had been sent by Dumbledore to call Kayson, was also speechless; he genuinely envied Kayson's state of mind to the extreme. In his heart, welcoming other schools was truly less worthwhile than staying in his office to research new Potion formulas.
However, as the Dean of Slytherin, he would most likely be arranged by Dumbledore to host the Durmstrang students, as the Muggle Wizard ratio in both schools was very low, so they might get along.
It was fine for Hogwarts to fight amongst itself, but if it lost face outside of Hogwarts, that would be undignified.
For example, if Durmstrang and Gryffindor were made to share a table, Kayson, who was likely eating with his head down, wouldn't even have swallowed his second bite before a mischievous Gryffindor Little Wizards and a stern Durmstrang Little Wizards could form a significant grudge.
This all has historical origins. According to unofficial history, Lord Voldemort once, because he had no toilet paper in a Muggle public restroom, the Muggle on his left handed him a piece of sandpaper, and the Muggle on his right handed him a nettle leaf. In the end, the clever Lord Voldemort chose neither, pulled up his pants and stood up, then was discovered by a passing muscular man who wanted to forcibly 'play hooky', only to find that he hadn't wiped...
Of course... unofficial history... this is all unofficial history!
And if ordinary Muggles in a public restroom could cause such a big incident, then the Gryffindor Little Wizards, who are assigned students based on their trouble-making ability, if they sit next to Durmstrang, they wouldn't be Gryffindor if they didn't form an enmity.
"Then you can go directly to the Great Hall," Snape succinctly offered another option.
Kayson looked towards the Heavenly Dragon Slaying Cannon. Yes, if he went to the Great Hall now, it would just be sitting there for a bit longer, whereas if he waited until all the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons Little Wizards were seated in the Great Hall before going, it would give an impolite impression.
"You really are thoughtful, Severus!" Kayson said, giving Snape a thumbs up.
Snape was full of question marks, not knowing why he had been given a 'thoughtful' card, but he didn't think much of it. The two, one using Ender Teleportation and the other transforming into black smoke, left the office.
Kayson arrived in the empty Great Hall, happily sat in his seat, resting his chin on one hand, waiting for the Professors to return first. That way, he could blend in, and even Dumbledore couldn't say anything to him.
Then the Great Hall doors opened, and Dumbledore entered with the Professors, as well as the Principals of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. They, unfortunately, were standing very far forward, and the Professor's table in the Great Hall, unfortunately, was directly facing the Great Hall doors.
Kayson, caught in his passive blending-in, showed an awkward but polite smile. He stretched out his other free hand like a cat, flexing his fingers.
"Hello there."
Dumbledore looked awkward, and Professor McGonagall took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger.
Ultimately, the matter was left unresolved, after all, what was there to say about such a thing? Too much or too little would be awkward, the best approach was to deal with it coldly.
Kayson, on the other hand, fully exploited his thick skin, sitting there with one hand propping up his chin, he didn't even change his posture.
Only after the Hogwarts Professors and Little Wizards were seated did Kayson notice that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were still standing outside.
And their Principals, of course.
Kayson frowned, tugged at Snape's sleeve beside him, and whispered, "What's their game? Standing outside motionless? Are they trying to intimidate us, or just me? Will Dumbledore kick me out later to appease them?"
Snape's eyebrow twitched unnaturally: "It's probably just a special entrance. When entering an unfamiliar environment, one always needs to demonstrate their capabilities. Of course, if we look at it from our perspective, it could also be called an unfriendly arrival."
"My main question was actually the latter part."
Snape took a deep breath. Indeed, friendship only had a special filter when kept at a distance: "No."
"Then do we need to give them a taste of their own medicine?" Kayson asked further.
"You should ask Dumbledore about that."
Before Kayson could even look at Dumbledore, the entrance performance of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons began: performances from a sports school and an art school, filled with a large number of fair-skinned athletes and dance seniors.
And the Hogwarts Little Wizards...
Kayson once again looked at Dumbledore, who shrugged helplessly: "Although I don't particularly want to admit it... but what do you expect from a vocational technical school?"
"...."
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