Kasenhis stared at Dumbledore, whose demeanor remained calm and unruffled, for a rare moment of silence. Finally, he spoke. "You say you have everything under control, but what about today's mess?"
"Today's incident was an accident," Dumbledore replied evenly.
"If you keep handling things like this, you're going to regret it one day."
"Perhaps," Dumbledore admitted with a small shrug. "But until that day comes, I am still the headmaster of Hogwarts, and I have the authority to—"
BAM!
Kasenhis punched Dumbledore square in the nose, cutting him off mid-sentence!
Without another word, he stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him with a resounding crash.
"Hmm... familiar force.." Dumbledore muttered, holding his slightly crooked nose and sighing wistfully. "If he had hit just a little harder, it might've actually straightened out."
Meanwhile, Kasenhis, fuming and determined, made his way toward the hospital wing.
Then...
[+10 Satisfaction from Albus Dumbledore]
[+10 Trust from Albus Dumbledore]
[+10 Favorability from Albus Dumbledore]
"??? Could this be some kind of masochistic kink?"
Kasenhis involuntarily shuddered at the thought, quickly shaking it out of his mind.
He briskly made his way to the hospital wing, slipping into Quirrell's ward when Madam Pomfrey wasn't looking.
He stood there, debating whether to use an anvil, obsidian, or just unleash a wither skeleton skull to obliterate Quirrell—and whatever was attached to the back of his head.
"Kasen..." A low voice interrupted his thoughts from behind.
Kasenhis turned slightly, lowering his voice. "Severus?"
"We need to talk."
"If Dumbledore sent you, I'm sorry, but not until I deal with this," Kasenhis replied curtly.
"Heh~" Snape, ever cooperative when the situation amused him, nodded and turned his back.
Kasenhis wasted no time flipping Quirrell over so he was face down, exposing his back. Ultimately, he decided against the wither skull.
Instead, he took out some obsidian and began meticulously crushing it into fine powder along Quirrell's spine, focusing especially on the base of his skull. He ensured to hammer the area repeatedly, for good measure.
Finally, Snape, unable to ignore the increasingly unsettling sounds, reached out and stopped Kasenhis mid-swing, shaking his head slowly.
"Whew!"
Kasenhis followed Snape out of the hospital wing. Snape walked ahead in silence until Kasenhis suddenly spoke up, "It's not like that was a serious injury for Madam Pomfrey to deal with."
"I didn't really want to kill him… Well, I had the thought, but I still have some sense. Even if I don't know the specifics of Dumbledore's plans, I respect them," Kasenhis explained.
"I just figured if those two could stay bedridden a bit longer, Hogwarts might enjoy a few more peaceful days."
"You're a genuinely wicked person," Snape commented dryly, not bothering to look back at him.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Kasenhis replied with a nod.
"Suit yourself. And you don't have to think so much about it. Even though he's famous as the centuries' White Wizard, Dumbledore never pretended to be a saint. Did you know one of his nicknames, famous among the elites of the wizarding world? The White Dark Lord!"
"I was somewhat prepared for that. I know a stereotypical good guy wouldn't end up as the headmaster of a magical school. Especially one that has to constantly deal with the Ministry."
"I just can't stand that… that attitude of his. I can't quite put it into words. And his arrogance—four students nearly went to see Merlin, and he still insists everything is part of the plan, under control. I just couldn't hold back…"
"Maybe I should find a time to apologize to him."
Snape quietly acted as the listener, and when Kasenhis mentioned giving Dumbledore's nose a solid hit, a small smile crept onto Snape's face.
"Honestly, you did what I've always wanted to do."
"Maybe. But why would you want to do it? Also because of the students' safety?"
"Not that."
"Then... pent-up frustration against the boss?"
"Also not that. This issue is more complicated."
"Alright then." Kasenhis shrugged and fell silent.
"Dumbledore asked me to check if you were just planning to temporarily incapacitate Quirrell and vent your anger. Since you've clearly achieved both, my task is complete. Also, I recall you don't have any classes coming up… Perhaps you should find a way to relax," Snape said as he walked ahead.
"Wow, is this… are you trying to comfort me?"
"If that's how you want to interpret it, then yes."
"Thanks. Maybe I'll go find a small house to renovate. Like Hagrid's hut—been meaning to tear it down and build something new."
"Do as you please."
...
Back in his office, Kasenhis collapsed into his chair, leaning back with his feet propped up on the desk.
He sighed, realizing he'd acted too hastily earlier. He should have checked on Harry, Neville, and the others first, then gone to break Quirrell's spine.
Messed up the order.
Now, though, there was no fixing it.
Pfft~
Or rather, he didn't intend to. Kasenhis knew himself well—he was terrible at lying.
When Madam Pomfrey stormed up to him one day, furious, and asked, "Do you know who might have a grudge against Professor Quirrell?"
There was no way he'd be able to hold it in.
Absolutely not.
He'd probably laugh right there on the spot.
Just as Kasenhis was savoring this remarkably comfortable posture, appreciating the wonders of ergonomics, there came a knock at the office door.
"It's not locked, come in."
Dumbledore entered, a piece of gauze stuck to his nose with a support brace holding it in place. He was carrying a fruit basket.
"Kasenhis, I owe you an apology for my arrogance." Dumbledore placed the fruit basket on the desk.
Ah! So what did wasn't bad at all!
Kasenhis awkwardly pulled his feet down from the desk.
"Your plans didn't hurt me. If you're going to apologize, it should be to Harry, Neville, and Hermione."
"And Ron. Honestly, he's the perfect example of a Gryffindor. In the middle of it all, he even tried to choke the troll with his arms, even though the troll's neck was thicker than his waist."
"They've already woken up, and I've sincerely apologized to them," Dumbledore said. "Now I'm here to apologize to you. My arrogance has hurt the heart of a truly great professor who loves Hogwarts and its young witches and wizards."
Dumbledore sat down, his tone earnest and heartfelt.
"This feels a bit awkward… and stop looking at me like that, it's kind of gross," Kasenhis said with a shiver of discomfort.
Dumbledore shook his head with a small smile.
"Alright then."
Kasenhis adjusted his posture, sitting up straighter. He wasn't great at discussing grand ideals, so he opted to change the subject.
"I don't know your exact plan, but now that I've... incapacitated Quirrell, he shouldn't be able to cause any trouble while his spine grows back."
"I'm glad you didn't outright kill him," Dumbledore replied calmly.
"To be honest, I considered it. But then I thought, considering how hard you've made Voldemort out to be to kill, keeping him under watch might not be the worst idea."
"Thank you for your understanding."
_______
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