Kain shook his head, signaling for the three of them to stay back. He then took out the potion he had prepared in advance. He'd been planning for this moment for a long time, and there was no way he was going to wait for another opportunity.
Casting the spell on himself, Kain quickly downed the potion.
As the transformation began, an image of a bird appeared in his mind. At first, he thought it might be an eagle or a sparrow. But as the image became clearer, he realized it was something far more extraordinary—a phoenix.
However, something unexpected happened during the transformation. Kain's blood vessels began to glow a fiery red—the Extremis virus within him had activated, reacting to the mutation in his body and attempting to "repair" it.
"Damn it, not now," Kain muttered through gritted teeth.
He concentrated, channeling his magic power and Chakra to signal the Extremis virus to stand down. After a tense moment, he managed to suppress its "repair" function, allowing the transformation to continue.
Kain's clothes seemed to melt into his skin, and his body began to change. Silver feathers sprouted all over him, and he grew in size until he towered above the lawn.
"God, is that the Godfather's Animagus form?" Hermione exclaimed in amazement.
Harry, ever the voice of reason, reminded her, "Hermione, this is Hogwarts. You're supposed to say Merlin."
"I know it's supposed to be Merlin," Hermione snapped, barely able to contain her excitement. "But do you even know what kind of creature the Godfather just became? I've never seen a bird like this before! Silvery white feathers, a body over two meters tall—"
"It kind of looks like Professor Dumbledore's Fawkes," Harry interrupted.
"Fawkes?"
"Yeah. That's a phoenix. I saw Fawkes the last time I went to the Headmaster's office. But Fawkes has red feathers, and the professor's transformed into one with silver feathers," Harry said, adjusting his glasses as he studied the massive bird.
"It's impossible! A phoenix is a magical creature. An Animagus can't transform into a magical creature!" Hermione protested, though her tone was more curious than skeptical.
As Kain's transformation stabilized, Hermione's curiosity overcame her caution. She darted forward, her small frame looking even smaller next to the two-meter-long silver phoenix.
"Godfather?" she called hesitantly, craning her neck to look up at the majestic bird.
In response, the phoenix dipped its head, gently grabbing Hermione by the collar with its beak. Before she could react, it tossed her onto its back. Hermione yelped in surprise, nearly losing her balance, but she quickly grabbed onto the feathers to steady herself.
"Wow, look, Harry! Hermione's riding a phoenix!" Ron exclaimed.
"I see it, Ron," Harry replied, a tinge of envy in his voice. "But unfortunately, that's her godfather, not ours."
He adjusted his glasses again, silently wishing he had a godfather who could transform into a phoenix and let him ride it.
"I heard phoenix feathers are really valuable," Ron mused aloud. "They're used to make magic wands, aren't they?"
After hearing Ron's bold idea, Harry quickly shook his head in disbelief and warned him, "Ron, take back whatever you were just thinking. That's the Professor's Animagus, not an ordinary phoenix!"
Kain, in his Animagus form, tested his new abilities. He spread his magnificent wings, which were about four or five meters long. With a single flap, a strong gust of wind knocked Harry and Ron off balance, sending them stumbling to the side.
With another powerful beat of his wings, Kain soared straight into the sky. But not before he grabbed Harry and Ron with his sharp claws and carried them along.
As a phoenix, Kain had gained incredible flying speed and razor-sharp talons. He flew high above Hogwarts, giving the trio a breathtaking experience of soaring through the night sky.
However, for Hermione and the boys, the experience was drastically different: Hermione's ride on Kain's back was like a first-class seat, while Harry and Ron, dangling from his claws, felt like passengers with a standing ticket—or perhaps one outside the train altogether.
After the flight, Kain gently placed the three of them back at the Gryffindor Tower. Returning to his human form, he found Hermione still bubbling with excitement.
"Godfather, that was amazing! Don't you think so, Ron, Harry?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Yeah… amazing…" Harry replied reluctantly, still pale. He had barely managed to keep himself from throwing up mid-flight.
"All right, enough excitement for tonight," Kain said. "You've got class tomorrow. Off to bed, all of you."
Learning Animagus had greatly improved Kain's mood, so taking the trio for a ride felt like a fitting celebration. After seeing them safely back to the Gryffindor Tower, he cast a flying spell on himself and headed back to his office.
While the flying spell was undoubtedly more practical than phoenix flight, it lacked the same flair and grandeur.
Hermione, inspired by what she'd seen, was now determined to learn Animagus herself. Yet she remained curious. "Why does your phoenix form look so much like Fawkes, Godfather?" she had asked.
Kain, however, brushed off her questions, vaguely remarking that his form was just a bird similar to a phoenix.
Still unconvinced, Hermione resolved to do more research. After all, Fawkes and Kain's phoenix form bore similarities, but there were clear differences. She planned to comb through bird encyclopedias during the next holiday to satisfy her curiosity.
Kain, on the other hand, felt the semester had been highly productive. In addition to mastering new magic, he'd acquired a basilisk and other valuable magical materials.
As Hermione's second year drew to a close, Kain also finalized several deals with Guy. With these new agreements, the Kain Potion Materials Store was poised to expand into other European markets.
"Almost time to check back," Kain thought, reflecting on his progress in the Marvel and ninja worlds. He'd already laid a solid foundation in the wizarding world, ensuring his potion store's stability with ironclad magical contracts.
Still, before he could return to his other ventures, he needed to finalize all his arrangements in the wizarding world.
….
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