"Kane, what are you doing?" Harry and Ron jogged up to catch him, and then they imdiately froze, staring at his head.
"Whoa, is that a cowboy hat? That looks so cool!" Ron said, eyeing the customized headwear with pure envy.
"If you want one, I can make it for you," Kane said, tilting his head. Without missing a beat, he pulled a bundle of spider silk from his pocket. His hands blurred in a flurry of movent, and in seconds, he handed Ron an exquisite, pristine top hat.
"Mine started like that too. If you want the cowboy look, just... adjust the shape yourself." Kane turned to Harry, already reaching for more silk.
Harry waved his hands frantically. He liked his ssy hair just the way it was, and besides... a figure he really didn't want to see was slowly manifesting behind Kane like a vengeful spirit.
"And what, precisely, is that white material in your hands?" Snape's voice drifted through the air, sudden and cold.
"Uh... spider silk." Kane turned around awkwardly. Facing Snape always made him feel a twinge of guilt—mostly because of the "culinary masterpieces" he'd accidentally created during Potions class.
Snape let out a long, knowing "Ah..." He seed to recall Kane's peculiar ability to transmute biological matter. "From the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest? I believe your relationship with Hagrid is... quite amicable?"
Kane nodded. It was. But why was Snape bringing that up? What did spiders have to do with Hagrid?
"Mmhmm... so?"
"So... did Hagrid neglect to ntion that those spiders—the ones capable of cracking a human skull like a walnut—are his beloved pets?" Snape didn't wait for an answer. He pushed open the classroom door and swept inside.
Kane stood frozen. Above his cowboy hat, a dozen invisible question marks appeared.
"Wait, what? Seriously? Those giant spiders are Hagrid's pets? If Hagrid finds out what I did, he's going to disown , isn't he?"
"Well... hard to say." Harry scratched his head, unwilling to bet on it. Ron, however, shook his head. "Nah, impossible. I an, it's Hagrid, but who has taste that weird? Snape's probably just ssing with your head."
Kane looked at the two conflicting opinions and realized neither was helpful. At that mont, a reliable adult popped into existence.
"Max, your thoughts?" Kane looked at Maxwell.
"Professor Snape is a serious, distant man," Maxwell explained. "If he didn't want sothing from you, he wouldn't bother speaking to you at all—especially given how much he avoids your 'cooking' in class."
Kane caught the drift imdiately. "He needs sothing I have, but he's too proud to ask. So he pointed out the Hagrid connection to give a reason to seek his help. It's a trade."
Kane looked at the remaining silk in his hand. "He wants the silk, doesn't he?"
"Kane? You okay?" Harry asked.
Kane snapped out of it. "Nothing. I have so business with Professor Snape. You guys go ahead—and rember to bring so dinner!"
He knocked on the Potions classroom door. Harry and Ron shared a look. Kane had a habit of staying late for "private tutoring" in Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Now he was finally reaching out his "claws" to Snape.
"I bet Snape ends up half-dead from frustration." "I bet he gets so mad he cancels class next week."
The two left the corridor just as the door swung open. It looked as though Snape had been standing right behind it, waiting for the other two to leave.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Heath?" Snape asked silkily.
"Professor! Help !" Kane didn't play gas. Sincerity was his ultimate weapon. He held out the spider silk like an offering. "I won't let you help for nothing! Think of it as an early Christmas present."
Snape had expected many things, but not this level of bluntness. It was... surprisingly refreshing.
"Fine. Co in."
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Snape asked with a hint of dry sarcasm, not moving an inch as his eyes locked onto the silk on the tray.
"Green tea, please. Thanks."
Snape: "..."
Despite the silence, Snape flicked his wand, magically brewing a pot of tea.
"Professor, I killed a bunch of those spiders. I didn't know they were Hagrid's. What's the plan?" Kane took a sip of tea, looking genuinely distressed.
"How did you find them?"
"Hagrid gave a silk ball."
Snape rolled his eyes. "And it never occurred to you to wonder where he got such an item? Truly, the Gryffindor spirit is alive and well."
"I thought it was just a GPS! So, how do we fix it?"
Snape's eyes drifted back to the tray. The hint was obvious.
Kane obliged, pulling a mountain of silk from his pockets until it ford a small white hill on the desk. Snape pulled the tray toward him, satisfied.
"The properties of this material are remarkably similar to the secretions of a Lethifold. While your potion-making is... catastrophic, your ability to harvest materials has its uses."
"So, what do I do?"
"Is Aragog—the patriarch—still alive?" Snape asked. He knew Kane was a "Black Magic magnet." If the boy had decided to solo the boss, it was possible.
"A huge, ancient, terrifying spider? Yeah, he's alive."
Snape nodded. "Hagrid visits them at the end of every month. He just went. You have until the end of next month to feed Aragog a mory Obliviation Draught. Since he is the only one who speaks, the rest of the colony won't be able to tell Hagrid anything."
Kane scratched his chin. "That's it?" He reached out his hand.
"Co back in two weeks. I used my last batch of venom recently; I need ti to brew more."
"Fair enough." Kane wasn't worried about how to deliver the potion. Once he had his next machine, he could craft a Pan Flute from Mandrakes to put the whole nest to sleep.
Ti for the final step. He looked at Snape with a grin. "Professor, you have so test rabbits in the corner, right?"
"Take them and leave." Snape retreated into his private lab with the silk.
Kane stuffed five rabbits into his pockets. Before leaving, he turned back. "One more thing, Professor—what does Hagrid actually like?"
"Anything the rest of the world finds repulsive, dangerous, or ugly," Snape said curtly. "As long as it moves, he'll love it."
"Thanks!"
Gryffindor Tower
Harry and Ron pushed open the door, carrying a pile of takeaway food from the Great Hall. They stopped in their tracks.
In the corner of the room stood a bizarre, imposing machine with a large hat as its centerpiece.
"What... is that?"
Kane turned around, chewing on a piece of roasted rabbit. "This? I call it... the Prestigahatitator!"
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