Kane, sitting comfortably in the Great Hall, had no idea about Hermione's internal calculations.
He was far too busy sampling the buffet—a bite of sothing savory here, a nibble of sothing sweet there. By the ti he was done, he was perfectly satisfied.
The next step was simple: head back to the common room and wait for Hermione to deliver his books. For now, studying magic was his only real path forward.
As for building an Alchemy Engine...
He had no gold. As for Harry's modest collection of Galleons—Hogwarts didn't have a branch of Gringotts, and even if he lted down every coin Harry owned, it wouldn't add up to the volu of a single solid gold nugget.
"Whatever, no rush for now," Kane mused, sinking into a sofa in the common room. "Worst case, I'll wait for the Christmas holidays, head back to the Muggle world, and perform so 'magic' to raise so funds."
While Kane waited, Harry and Ron approached him. "Kane, we're going to go ask Headmaster Dumbledore about the real aning of those four words. Want to co?"
"I'm waiting for Hermione's books. You guys go ahead. Give him my regards," Kane declined. Whenever he recalled the bewildered, comical expression on Dumbledore's face the last ti he asked, he felt not only foolish but incredibly bored.
He'd let Harry and Ron handle the boredom this ti. Just as they left, he spotted Hermione walking into the common room, lugging six heavy volus.
She placed three of them in front of Kane. "I skimd these on the way back. They're very detailed; Professor McGonagall's recomndations are excellent."
"Mm-hmm," Kane grunted, imdiately picking up the first one and diving in.
It was a text on the precise control of one's imagination. It posited that between two wizards of equal power, the one with the more vivid and detailed ntal image would always produce superior Transfiguration.
It even ntioned a condition called "Aphantasia," where a person lacks a mind's eye; in the wizarding world, they were known by the specific term "Transfiguration Squibs."
The book offered exercises to make one's imagination more expansive and detailed—very similar to "right-brain training" in the Muggle world.
Using your non-dominant hand, listening to music, writing poetry, or simply observing landscapes were all suggested as ways to subconsciously heighten one's Transfiguration potential.
Kane found this thod refreshingly accessible. He was already that kind of person.
The rest of the book covered technical nuances, like how to add intricate engravings while turning a match into a needle, or how to transfigure a table full of "delicacies" that satisfied the palate but contained zero calories.
A footnote emphasized that such "cheat als" must be transfigured from water or air.
Kane had an epiphany. The Summoning Charm operated on a similar principle. Summoning a al from air was a literal "phantom feast," but summoning sothing using one's own mana was far more taxing and complex. This was clearly why McGonagall had put this book first on the list.
The book was thin, and he finished it in about twenty minutes. As he reached for the next one, he realized Harry and Ron were back, standing before him with identical expressions of profound resentnt.
"Uh... what happened?" Kane asked.
"We went to see Professor Dumbledore, but the gargoyles wouldn't let us in," Harry said, pouting.
"The upper-years say you need a password to get into the Headmaster's office," Ron added, eyeing Kane suspiciously. "Kane, what was the password when you went? Maybe he hasn't changed it yet."
"When I go, the gargoyles just open the door for ," Kane said flatly from the sofa.
"WHY?!" Harry and Ron let out a simultaneous, high-pitched "explosive" cry, causing Hermione—who was reading quietly nearby—to jump and glare at them in annoyance.
"It can't be because you're just that charming! Do those statues even have eyes?" Harry grumbled.
"I think they do," Ron countered, before narrowing his eyes at Kane. "Or maybe you never went to the office at all? Were you just pulling our legs?"
"Do I look that bored? Wandering around just to make up a story for you two?" Kane looked at them with half-lidded eyes. The two boys exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.
"Well... how about you take us to see Dumbledore then?" Harry suggested, scratching his head. He figured it was a good plan—assuming the Headmaster wasn't busy with anything important.
"Take you there, eh?" Kane leaned back into the cushions.
Actually, it wasn't a bad idea. He had his own business with Dumbledore. He could try asking for so gold to build the Alchemy Engine.
He doubted Dumbledore would grant such an outrageous request, but hey—you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take. If it failed, he lost nothing; if it worked, he'd be set.
"Alright. Shall we?" Kane raised an eyebrow.
"Let's go!"
The trio hurried out of the Gryffindor common room. Hermione watched them go with a sigh. The image of Kane as a "Magical Aristocrat" was now firmly burned into her mind.
Custom wands where the maker pays him... hanging out with the Headmaster whenever he felt like it... it was just his life.
As for ... back to the grind. Reading changes destiny.
Up on the eighth floor, the three boys used the Lumos light from their wands to navigate toward Dumbledore's office. Kane led the way while Harry and Ron whispered behind him.
"I still think he's bluffing," Ron whispered, loud enough for Kane to hear. "When we catch him in a lie, I'm going to use it against him forever."
"What's the plan?" Harry asked, intrigued.
"Well, you know those atballs Kane makes? I'm going to make him provide my dinner for a month. You should start thinking about your terms."
Harry rubbed his chin. What should he ask for? Maybe make Kane take Hujin back and look after the raven himself? Or maybe insist Kane cos with him to the Dursleys' during Christmas to apologize to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon? He didn't want to go back either, but if it kept Kane from being a "holess wanderer" during the holidays, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
Kane rolled his eyes at their "conspiracy." "We're here. You two done talking yet?"
Harry and Ron snapped to attention. Ron, suddenly feeling a bit bad for his friend, tried to give him an out. "Look, Kane, we can just go back. It's late, the Headmaster's probably asleep. I'll just take your word for it that you can get in."
Kane looked at Ron. The boy was a decent sort—planning to extort him for atballs one second and giving him a graceful exit the next.
Harry, however, was dead serious. He looked at the entrance and then at Kane. "This is it, Kane. Go on."
Ron looked at Harry in shock, his face saying: Wait, mate? Are you for real?
Kane didn't disappoint. He looked up at the stone gargoyles. "Don't you recognize ?"
A second later, the gargoyles rumbled and slid aside, revealing the spiraling stone staircase.
Harry and Ron's jaws hit the floor. "Wait, mate... YOU'RE for real?!"
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