Penelope nodded. "No problem, Professor. I'll handle it right away."With that, she sat back down in the little boat, and whoosh—she was gone.
"These kids… never a moment's peace," Kasenhis muttered as he leaned back in his chair, exhaling a long sigh. After a pause, he decided to write another letter—this one to Professor Flitwick.
When it came to conflicts between young witches, he really didn't have the experience to deal with them—certainly not as smoothly as he handled things like the usual spats between Neville and Draco. Better to trust someone with more teaching experience. Flitwick would know what to do.
Ding dong…
A crystal ball on his desk lit up. Kasenhis glanced at it, then casually grabbed a massive, hardcover book and lobbed it in the general direction.
Moments later, Hagrid appeared—crammed into the tiny boat like a full-grown giant trying to ride a tricycle.
"Oh… maybe I should build you a supersized version of the boat," Kasenhis said, blinking.
Hagrid waved it off. "No need, no need. When it comes to flexibility, I'm number one in Hogwarts—no one dares claim second place."
Kasenhis looked at the sweaty, red-faced Hagrid behind the controls of the tiny boat and gave a sincere nod. "Yeah. You're quite flexible."
"Darn right I am. Kasen, I came here 'cause I've got a favor to ask," Hagrid said, suddenly a bit bashful.
"If you've got something to say, just say it. Sit, I'll pour you a drink," Kasenhis said, pulling out two glasses and filling them with strong liquor. He handed one to Hagrid.
"Thanks. Look, what I'm about to say might make you want to yell at me, but… I still gotta say it."
"…So say it already?"
"Ahem. First take a look at my first lesson plan. I've been working on it for ages. Professor McGonagall even pushed my class further down the schedule so I'd have more time to prepare, but honestly, she doesn't seem too confident in my plan," Hagrid said, handing over a few parchment sheets.
Kasenhis took them and gave them a look.
[Lesson Objective: Introduce Students to Hippogriffs…]
Kasenhis stared at the title, then down at the photo attached.
"…Who named this thing? Did they even graduate primary school?"
"Uh… dunno," Hagrid muttered awkwardly.
"Alright, let's look at your curriculum… So why exactly did Professor McGonagall object?"
"She said Hippogriffs are a Class 3X Magical Creature—too dangerous for first-timers."
Kasenhis looked up at the ceiling, expression deadpan.
Class 3X… what even was that?
With a sigh, Kasenhis reached toward the bookshelf behind him. A book on magical creatures floated into his hand.
"Hmm… says here this thing can easily rip a human open from chest to belly…" he trailed off, eyes scanning the page. "Yeah, Professor McGonagall's totally right."
"So you also think it's a bad idea?" Hagrid asked, deflating a bit.
"Why are you so determined to teach them about this creature? Aren't there any safer magical beasts?"
"Because they're adorable!" Hagrid said earnestly.
Kasenhis glanced at the picture attached to the lesson plan. Try as he might, there was absolutely nothing remotely cute about the creature staring back at him.
"Uhhh… I'm gonna go with: I don't recommend it. At least, not for third-year students."
The light in Hagrid's eyes dimmed immediately. "Then what should I do?"
"Can't you pick a different animal?"
Hagrid shook his head firmly.
"Then at least scale it back a bit. You want them to recognize, understand, and interact with it, right? How about just recognize and understand? Cut the interaction part. Let the kids look at it from a safe distance."
Kasenhis rubbed his temples helplessly. He knew exactly what Hagrid was thinking right now. The current Hagrid was like a child who'd never gotten attention before—now suddenly thrust into the spotlight like a superstar.
And like any newfound celebrity, he was desperate to show off all the "cool" things he thought would impress his audience—namely, the little witches and wizards.
It was like a kid who just learned a curse word somewhere and couldn't wait to run to his friends to proudly show off his new "talent," even though he had no idea what the word meant. Just like that, Hagrid didn't really understand what a 3X-rated magical creature could actually do to a third-year student.
The desire to show off couldn't be stopped entirely—but it could be nudged in a safer direction. Kasenhis figured they could still let Hagrid brag to the students about his cool hippogriff—just... no physical contact.
"Let them take a look from afar...? Will they really learn anything that way?" Hagrid scratched his head, unsure.
"Care of Magical Creatures is also about protecting oneself, isn't it? Let them know this creature is called a hippogriff, that if they meet one in the wild it could absolutely solo them, and that they should stay far away. That's still knowledge," Kasenhis reasoned.
"...Alright. I was hoping to pack my first lesson full of excitement... shame about all those lesson plans I wrote..." Hagrid muttered, clearly deflated.
"Mhm. Nervous?" Kasenhis asked with a glance.
"...Er... yeah, I'm nervous." Hagrid shifted awkwardly, fidgeting as he nodded honestly.
"…Want me to come with you?" Kasenhis offered.
"Really? You can?" Hagrid's eyes lit up instantly, like a child being offered candy.
"Of course. I've got nothing else planned. When's your first lesson?"
"Tomorrow morning!"
"Alright then, I'll come to your place in the morning."
Hagrid immediately agreed with enthusiasm, "I'll have the drinks ready!"
After seeing Hagrid off, Kasenhis glanced at the bottle already sitting on the coffee table.
"Well... it's already open... Might as well drink it."
...
The next day…
Morning…
After finishing breakfast, Kasenhis headed over early to Hagrid's hut. First thing, he gave Fang—who was waddling around the yard—a few good pats. He had once considered playing matchmaker between Fang and Bruce, but sadly, Bruce seemed adamantly opposed to the idea.
Every time Kasenhis brought up anything remotely related to Fang, Bruce would dart straight under the bed like it was life or death.
While Kasenhis was busy playing with the dog, Hagrid came into view, tugging along a magical creature that looked... extremely unapproachable.
"You're here early! I've got some freshly baked rock-hard scones in the oven—go on, try a few!" Hagrid called out cheerily.
Kasenhis thought it over and figured, why not, he hadn't dunked anything in milk for a while anyway. Might as well.
"You go ahead and eat! I'll set things up out here—gotta make it look more like a classroom and less like a vegetable patch!" Hagrid's voice shouted from outside.
"Got it!" Kasenhis replied.
_________
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