HP: Alchemy? Nah, It's Crafting

After climbing the exhausting staircase to the top floor, Kasen reached the wooden door to Dumbledore's office.

He paused deliberately, taking two deep breaths to steady himself.

Creak…

"Don't be afraid of what I'm going to say." Kasen sat down across from Dumbledore and began speaking directly.

"I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I am not scared easily. Go ahead," Dumbledore said calmly, placing his freshly polished glasses back on his face.

"Quirinus Quirrell. There's something wrong with him."

Dumbledore nodded. "Hmm… very perceptive."

"Of course. Back in school, all my teachers used to say I was—wait, huh?"

Kasen suddenly caught onto a critical point.

"I'm perceptive… which means you've already known Quirrell has issues. Then why are you keeping him around?"

Dumbledore poured a cup of tea and slid it across the desk toward Kasen.

"Do you remember the day I asked you to craft that fake Philosopher's Stone? I told you I needed bait for fishing. He is the fish."

"And do you know Quirrell's true identity?" Kasen probed cautiously, already preparing a speech in his head. If Dumbledore dared to say he didn't know, Kasen would let him have it.

Dumbledore nodded calmly. "He is Tom Riddle. Of course, his other name is much more infamous—Voldemort."

Kaisen leaned back in his chair a little depressed.

"You know. You know everything. And yet you seem to forget where you are. This is Hogwarts. The place is crawling with children."

[+10 satisfaction from Dumbledore]

[+10 trust from Dumbledore]

[+10 affection from Dumbledore]

Don't tell me it's that kind of affection...

"Forgive me, Kasen," Dumbledore said gently, his gaze soft. "But please trust me. Everything is under control."

"Ehm.. It's not that I don't trust you. Maybe you are as powerful as they say," Kasen replied, sounding almost like he was giving life advice.

After spending months at Hogwarts reading countless history books, Kasen no longer thought of Dumbledore as some quirky old man who liked to tinker with lighters.

He was undoubtedly the strongest wizard of the era.

"And yet, I still don't think you can monitor his every move."

"In fact, I can," Dumbledore replied. "Every painting within Hogwarts is my watchful eye, as are the house-elves and the professors."

"Fine. Let's pretend you can."

"Trust me, and since you're already aware of this, Mr. Kasen, would you mind helping me out with a small matter?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Please unconditionally assist Professor Quirrell and the person behind him." 

"In what way?" 

"In any way that falls within your moral boundaries." 

"...I'll only accept tasks related to alchemy." 

"Deal." 

"Damn slippery slope. I have another question: What about Quirinus Quirrell himself?" 

"He sought power and willingly allowed Tom to possess him. Unfortunately, his misguided choices have turned him into a complete dark wizard," Dumbledore said with a tone of regret. 

"Fair enough. I was just curious." Kasen shrugged. 

"Don't think me heartless," Dumbledore explained further. "Even if this fragment of a soul was once part of a wizard of immense power, it couldn't control a fully intact wizard. Quirrell's current state is the result of his own choices." 

"So, he sought him out? I always assumed the survival of such a dark lord was some closely guarded secret." 

"It's no secret to me," Dumbledore replied with a calm smile. "I've never believed that he truly died, so I've occasionally spoken about it openly."

"Alright." Kasen nodded, his enthusiasm noticeably dampened as he left the headmaster's office.

You couldn't blame him. Who would be thrilled to learn that one of their colleagues was a notorious criminal?

Returning to his office, Kasen picked up the basic alchemy book and continued cramming.

Although most of the so-called material transformations he could perform effortlessly, as long as he understood the concepts and could articulate them, teaching the students wouldn't be a problem.

Still, certain topics like rune inscriptions and energy applications were genuinely useful.

Perhaps paired with Redstone, he could create some intriguing inventions.

Knock, knock, knock…

"Who is it?"

"It... it's me, Quirrell."

"Speak of the devil," Kasen muttered with a sigh as he opened the office door.

Quirrell walked in carrying a fruit basket, smiling awkwardly.

Placing the basket on Kasen's desk, he glanced at the basic alchemy book lying there.

"You... you're still reading... reading books of this... level?"

"Ah.. Although over time, such techniques become second nature, articulating them into teachable language is no simple feat," Kasen said as he pulled out some tea leaves from his cabinet and prepared a pot for Quirrell.

"Ah, I see. Well, the reason... the reason I'm here today is that I have... have a favor to ask of you," Quirrell said, taking a sip of the tea.

"Go on," Kasen replied.

"I... I want to ask you to create a Philosopher's Stone for me."

Kasen's hand trembled slightly as he held his teacup.

"And what exactly... makes you think I can make a Philosopher's Stone?" he asked, his gaze turning sharp and suspicious.

"A f-fake one would be fine! This is at... at Dumbledore's request," Quirrell quickly clarified.

"Uh-huh. Let's hear it."

"Do you... do you know about the Dark Lord?" Quirrell asked hesitantly.

Kasen nodded silently.

"Dumbledore has long... long believed that the Dark Lord is not truly dead. This year, he... he has set a trap here at Hogwarts."

"And the bait for this trap... is the Philosopher's Stone. Of course, it's the one Dumbledore has publicly claimed to possess. He told me... told me he needs a fake Philosopher's Stone, a decoy... to lure the Dark Lord out."

Kasen nodded, calmly taking another sip of his tea. 

"Oh... so that's how it is. Why didn't Dumbledore come to me directly?"

"He wants to keep... keep this matter known to as few people as possible. Among the professors, only we... we know that the Philosopher's Stone is... is fake. So... so when you meet Dumbledore... don't mention this matter to him..." Quirrell stuttered through his explanation, while Kasen watched him patiently, his expression unreadable.

Quirrell added, "That's his instruction... let this secret... die in your stomach."

The stuttering performance might have tested anyone else's patience, but Kasen endured, analyzing every word. 

A fake Philosopher's Stone, and he couldn't even talk about it with Dumbledore? That part was easy to decipher—this was a classic switcheroo.

Quirrell, or rather, the one controlling him, intended to swap the fake Philosopher's Stone for the real one.

The irony?

The so-called "real" Philosopher's Stone was also a counterfeit. 

And both fakes originated from the same manufacturer: Kasenhis.

What puzzled Kasen the most, though, was this: if Quirrell—or the Dark Lord lurking behind him—could concoct a lie to uncover Dumbledore's trap, why hadn't they considered that Dumbledore might actually be using a fake stone as bait in the first place?

After turning the matter over in his mind, Kasen came to a single conclusion: these two weren't exactly geniuses.

That was the only explanation.

Otherwise, there was no accounting for this convoluted and ultimately pointless "take off your pants to fart" strategy.

"How... how is it? Can you make it?" Quirrell asked eagerly, his eyes almost shining with hope.

"Hmm... It's doable," Kasen replied, leaning back slightly. "A fake is just a fake, right? All I need is the general shape and magical fluctuations. But the problem is, I've never actually seen the real Philosopher's Stone. How am I supposed to replicate something based on just a book's illustration?" He gestured at the beginner alchemy book on the corner of his desk.

"That's not a problem. Look at this," Quirrell said, pulling out his wand and making a few precise movements.

In an instant, a lifelike illusion of the Philosopher's Stone materialized before them, its crimson glow radiating faintly.

"This shape?" Kasen asked, inspecting the projection.

"Exactly. How... how long will it take?"

"Given the size... not long," Kasen replied nonchalantly.

Taking the illusion in hand, Kasen scrutinized it briefly. This task was even simpler than when he'd created a fake Philosopher's Stone for Dumbledore.

Back then, he'd had to replicate a physical object with intricate details. Now, Quirrell's illusion served as a straightforward template. All Kasen needed to do was carefully assemble the fake stone by layering countless tiny redstone blocks into the shape.

In no time, Kasen's "Philosopher's Stone 2.0" was complete.

"Truly... truly impressive alchemy," Quirrell stammered in awe, holding the replica with both hands as though it were the most precious treasure in the world.

"You might... might rival the great Nicolas Flamel himself."

"Not at all, would you like another cup of tea?"

"No… no need. I still have to prepare for class."

"Safe travels, then. I won't see you out."

After seeing Professor Quirrell out of the office and waiting for five minutes, Kasen once again made his way to Dumbledore's office.

"So, that's the situation. He might be trying to pull a switcheroo."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm glad you came to tell me this."

"Uh... should I not have said anything? This is for the students' safety, Hogwarts' safety… and my own."

"That's exactly right, Professor Kasen. You're proving to be a capable professor," Dumbledore said warmly.

"Say what you will. I still need to go study how to teach fourth-year students… Honestly, haven't you ever thought about assigning me to a different position?"

"Absolutely not," Dumbledore said, shaking his head.

"I wish you would."

...

The next day…

"Deep breath, Kasen. You can do this. Today, you're teaching alchemy to a group of beginner-level fourth-year students. Believe in yourself, and you'll nail this!"

Kasen stood in front of the full-length mirror in his office, giving himself a pep talk.

After all, today's class was different from yesterday's group of fresh-faced first-years. These fourth-years had already been studying alchemy for a year, and it wasn't entirely certain that his two months of crash-course preparation would measure up to their knowledge.

For this first class, Kasen had set a very simple goal: don't get exposed!

"As long as I don't get exposed, it'll be fine," Kasen muttered, taking a deep breath and exhaling sharply.

About ten minutes later…

"Getting up three hours early was really pushing it… maybe I should just nap a little. Besides, even if I do get exposed, it's not that big of a deal…"

He lay sideways on his bed, clutching his blanket, as the sky outside the window remained ink-black.