"A Basilisk?" Snape's brow furrowed deep. "I recall that a Basilisk doesn't petrify its victims; it kills them instantly."
Dumbledore turned to look at Kane. "Hmm... perhaps we have discovered a new trait of the Basilisk. If you see the creature through an optical reflection—say, a reflection in water on the floor—then you do not die. Instead, you are petrified."
As he spoke, he gently placed Mrs. Norris on top of Filch's head.
"I believe it is ti to call a eting for the students. Of course, only after we've manufactured glasses capable of defending against the Basilisk's gaze." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked at Kane. "Do you have a solution?"
Kane's solution... of course, he had one. While the glasses he'd seen in the Nightmare Realm were all hideously abstract and ugly, the technology of the real world wasn't half bad.
At its core, it was just about using optical reflection to mitigate damage—sothing a Muggle factory could whip up with a few mirrored lenses in no ti.
"I need to make a trip to the Muggle world," Kane said suddenly.
"Hmm... shall I send you to Germany?"
"No need. Just drop off at any chanical processing plant."
"A processing plant—" Dumbledore sat back, tapping his knuckles rhythmically against his desk. He actually knew a wizard who was making a living in a place like that... mostly because the man couldn't find a "respectable" job in the wizarding world.
"Severus, don't you have sowhere else to be?" Dumbledore said, glancing over at Snape.
"Hmph." Snape knew the signs. Dumbledore was about to say sothing impolite or sothing Snape definitely didn't want to hear. It was best to leave before he was roped into sothing tedious.
Once Snape had exited, Dumbledore pulled a map from beneath his desk. "Let see... the factory should be here.
Yes, the Monte Technical Manufacturing Plant. Go there and look for a man nad Remus Lupin. He will help you."
"Is he the owner?" Kane asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, I couldn't say for sure. But I asked him recently, and he said he was 'doing quite well' there, so he should be able to assist."
Dumbledore cast a spell, creating a small shimring arrow in the air that only Kane could see, pointing toward the factory.
He then handed Kane a magical business card belonging to Remus Lupin; a simple flick of the card would alert the owner that soone was looking for him.
"I'm off then." Kane pulled his broom out of Little Pumpkin's mouth, mounted it, and flew straight out of the Headmaster's office without another word.
Dumbledore sat back, looking quite content. Lupin was an honest lad; if he said he was doing well, he must be doing very well indeed. He'd surely be a great help to Kane and Hogwarts.
Yes, everything is under control.
A short while later, on the outskirts of London, Kane found a secluded spot to land.
He stuffed his broom back into Little Pumpkin's belly, slung the bag over his shoulder, and walked toward a factory belching black smoke in the distance.
From the outside, the place looked like a total sweatshop. Kane couldn't help but think that Dumbledore's "Lupin" was probably a heartless capitalist who deserved to be hung from a lamp post.
When he reached the factory gates, Kane took out the business card and flicked it. He sat down on a stone ledge nearby, expecting a stretch Lincoln or a Cadillac to co rolling out to greet Dumbledore's emissary.
Half an hour passed. No luxury cars appeared. Instead, a scruffy-looking man with a stubbly beard and a greasy, worn-out jumpsuit ca out and sat down next to him, looking around expectantly.
"Hey, mister? What are you doing here?" Kane asked.
"Waiting for soone," the man replied politely, turning to look at him.
A suspicion began to bloom in Kane's mind. To confirm it, he asked, "Did soone call you?"
"Oh, no. I can't afford a telephone. But if soone needs , I just... know."
"Erm..." Kane slowly pulled the business card out. This ti, he used his magical vision. He saw the ripple of magic connect the card directly to the man sitting beside him the mont he flicked it.
The man also recognized the card he had sent to Dumbledore. Both of them took a sharp breath at the sa ti.
Kane was the first to speak. "I thought you said you were doing 'quite well' in the Muggle world?"
Lupin's face turned a shade of embarrassed red. "I have food, a roof over my head, and I get to choose my own days off every month. I am doing quite well."
Kane rubbed his chin in silence. "Are you a Squib?"
"My grades in school were actually quite good," Lupin defended himself.
"Hmm... then how did you end up... here?" Kane knew it was impolite, but he genuinely had to know.
"Due to so... uncontrollable circumstances. But let's get back to business. I only gave that card to Dumbledore. What does he need help with?"
Kane pursed his lips. He was starting to doubt if Mr. Lupin could actually help with anything.
"Well... Hogwarts has a bit of a situation. A magical creature that can petrify with a glance is hiding in the castle," Kane explained, mixing truth with a bit of vagueness.
"Petrification by gaze... I haven't heard of a creature like that before."
"Right? Neither have I. But we've found that seeing it through an optical reflection can bounce the damage back, or at least mitigate it.
So we need a set of optical-reflective goggles. I thought you were the boss here, but now..." Kane looked at Lupin's sowhat ragged appearance. He was losing confidence.
Lupin, however, waved a hand dismissively. He'd worked at this factory long enough to know how things operated.
He stood up and gestured for Kane to follow, looking surprisingly reliable as he led the way.
Indeed, they were t with green lights all the way through the facility.
That is, until it ca ti to pay. Kane watched as Lupin pulled a few pitiful pounds from a very sad-looking wallet, and he suddenly felt a wave of regret.
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