Night in the Constant is a true void—absolute, oppressive, and utterly blind unless you possess a light source.
Kane's newly unleashed Shadow Surge was proving to be much the sa. In that pitch-black expanse, Charlie could do whatever she pleased, and Kane felt he was approaching that sa level of freedom; after all, the Shadow Surge was fueled by his very own essence.
In the Constant, Charlie would indiscriminately attack anyone without a light source—well, everyone except her sister.
As for Kane... if he wished, he could likely strike anyone caught within his shadow. But he wouldn't. Not yet.
Voldemort had ntioned being able to track him through magical fluctuations. It wasn't just a matter of not wanting to startle the snake; he had also accepted a "performance fee" from Dumbledore. He had to stay professional.
"Excellent, Kane. I believe you have learned this quite well. Retract it," Voldemort said, standing motionless behind his desk, his voice echoing in the void.
Kane nodded. As the shadows receded from the outer edges, the office slowly regained its original appearance. Voldemort, looking slightly frail, gripped the edge of his desk and sat down.
"Very well, Kane. I believe you have perford admirably today. You may leave."
"So soon?" Kane raised an eyebrow.
"Why else do you think schools have breaks between classes?" Voldemort countered.
"Fair point. See you next Wednesday, Professor Quirrell," Kane said, exiting the office. It was finally ti for a proper sleep.
On his way back to Gryffindor Tower, Kane held his lit wand aloft, yawning periodically. Suddenly, he felt a prickle of unease. It wasn't the heavy, existential gaze of Death this ti, but rather...
Well, it wasn't anything sophisticated. It was just two students from so house or another tailing him.
He knew because their shadows were sticking out past the corner.
Kane slowed his pace intentionally. Seeing this, the two followers realized they had been spotted and decided to drop the act. They hurried forward to stand directly in front of him.
Kane sized them up. Slytherin second-years.
"Can I help you?" he asked bluntly.
"Are you the Gryffindor, Kane Heiss?" one of them asked, stepping forward.
Kane gave a single nod. In that instant, as if they had received a starting signal, the two boys whipped their wands out of their pockets.
Two prank jinxes—which, in Kane's eyes, were about as threatening as a toddler's tantrum—flew toward him and dissipated harmlessly against his Night Armor.
"...Heh!"
He wasn't even angry; he just laughed. He laughed because two older students had spent half the night stalking him, acting like high-level assassins with a "zero-fra" draw, only to produce... that.
It seed anyone thought they could pick a fight these days. Kane reached for his wand, intending to summon a few small monsters from the Constant to give his seniors a proper appetite for trouble.
But then he rembered he wasn't far from Quirrell's office. Quirrell had seen the tentacles under the trapdoor; if he saw more Constant-style horrors, he might put two and two together.
Other magic... an Abyssal Blade would be a bit too "heavy" for this. After so thought, he decided to use the new toy he'd just received from Voldemort.
Kane narrowed his eyes and whispered: "Shadow Surge."
The two seniors, realizing their spells hadn't even caused a spark on his armor, were already beginning to regret being goaded into this by their older housemates.
They realized Kane was a "hard stubble"—soone best left alone. They imdiately invoked the principle of "if you can't win, run," but as they turned to flee, they suddenly went blind.
Then, a flurry of punches, kicks, stabs, and bites seed to rain down on them from every direction within the darkness.
Later that night, the Great Hall was quiet. Most of the ghosts had retreated to their respective corners to brood or were huddled in small groups chatting.
Only Kane stood in the center of the Hall, with two Slytherin seniors floating behind him. He was carefully considering which part of the ceiling would be best for hanging them.
"Ugh..."
Hearing the groans behind him, Kane asked one last ti, "Still not going to talk? Who sent you to jump ?"
Silence.
"Alright then." Kane sighed. Before he could figure out how to hoist them up, Peeves suddenly erupted from the floorboards beneath his feet.
"Hi-hi-hi-hi! Lookie here! A little Gryffindor bullying his schoolmates! Stay right there, Professor McGonagall will be here in a jiffy!"
Peeves started to zoom away, but Kane called out calmly, "Go ahead and tell her. I'm not scared. What's she going to do? Deduct points, make write an essay, or give detention? Been there, done that."
Peeves paused, looking genuinely surprised. He'd never t a student who didn't fear the professors.
"Oh? Think you're a tough one, do you? Tougher than the Great Peeves?" The poltergeist turned a round, chubby face toward him, looking comically curious.
"..."
"...If you can find two lengths of rope, I'll admit you're the tougher one," Kane said, pinching the bridge of his nose to suppress the urge to tell Peeves how annoying he was.
"Aha! A student with discernnt! I like it! You know who the big man in this castle is—the one who can get you anything you need!" Peeves nodded vigorously at Kane, looking highly satisfied, and flew off through a wall.
Kane watched him go. Excellent. Alone again. Well, not quite alone.
He poked the two floating boys behind him. "Do either of you know where to find so rope? I can't hang you without it."
The two students shook their heads frantically. They truly didn't know where the rope was.
Just as Kane was considering going on a scavenger hunt himself, the "big man" of Hogwarts—Peeves—returned, carrying two long, thick coils of hemp rope.
"Peeves, I know this is only our second eting, but I truly think you're a stand-out ghost," Kane said. Looking at Peeves, who had arrived like a savior in his ti of need, Kane felt like they were practically brothers.
Peeves waved a hand dismissively as if to say, Don't ntion it, we're buddies. As long as there was trouble to be made, Peeves was in. Together, they spent the next few minutes expertly suspending the two Slytherins high from the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall.
"Ah! Finally, I can go to sleep," Kane sighed. He bid Peeves farewell—the ghost heading off to plan his next prank, while Kane headed for his bed.
The Next Morning, The Great Hall
Snape stood before the two Slytherin students who had just been cut down from the ceiling. Suppressing his cold fury, he hissed:
"Tell ... who was it that left the two of you hanging from the ceiling all night?"
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