Chapter 142: The Christmas Ball (Subscription Requested)

"Why is it you again? Instead of wasting time coming to see me, you should go to Beauxbatons and find some pure-blood families. Given their wealth and resources, if even a few are willing to help the Delacour family, you might find a way out..."

Opening the door and seeing Fleur standing outside holding a box of pastries, Kahn frowned and said, "If you are hoping to rely on that method, you are far too naive."

Did she really expect mercy and passage from the people in this business world?

Once the compensations were settled, Kahn's French branch of the potion material store might well devour the Delacour family's business entirely. By that time, they wouldn't even be able to keep their storefronts; their businesses, distribution channels, and everything else would be taken over by Kahn's people.

"I wanted to ask you for some advice regarding the Dark Arts, and I brought you a dessert by the way, Professor Pente," Fleur Delacour said with a smile, the charm of her Veela bloodline blooming with her expression as she raised the box of pastries to indicate her intent.

Kahn, however, did not even look at her. Yet Fleur suddenly felt a completely different aura emanating from Kahn, causing her breathing to quicken slightly.

Kahn said calmly, "Ask whatever questions you have directly."

As the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, with students from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang currently visiting and studying at Hogwarts, Kahn could not refuse to answer their questions unless they touched upon forbidden topics or were completely beyond his knowledge.

Granted permission, Fleur stepped inside, naturally placed the pastries on the desk, and asked, "About the curses used in defending against the Dark Arts..."

After listening to her question, Kahn thought for a moment before replying, "Being able to ask this question means you intend to become an Auror in the future. Strictly speaking, all hexes are considered curse-type magic; it's just that some take effect immediately while others are harder to detect, belonging to the insidious, gradual category. This type of curse magic..."

Suddenly, a sharp scratching sound against the door echoed from outside, followed by a few faint meows.

Interrupting his explanation to Fleur, Kahn waved his hand to open the office door. A shadow immediately darted in, rushed straight to Kahn's side, leaped onto his lap, let out a single meow, and curled up.

"Is this... a black cat kept as a pet by a student?" Fleur asked curiously.

Among wizards, black cats were often associated with ill omen. Almost every school taught astronomy or divination, and the Ministry of Magic even housed the Department of Mysteries. To overcome such deep-seated prejudice and keep a black cat was exceedingly rare.

"Probably some student's pet. Returning to what I was saying; immediate-effect curses and hexes are taught and can be countered in detail during Charms classes, but true curse-type magic can only be treated by wizards specializing in the field. This kind of magic is generally believed to originate from magical creatures..."

Kahn's explanation was exceptionally thorough. To be frank, while his current depth of magical knowledge might not match that of a centenarian wizard like Dumbledore, he was vastly superior to the average wizard. Shadow clones accelerated the accumulation of his magical knowledge, and combined with his keen interest in the Dark Arts, he had managed to read through almost the entire Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library within two years.

If he draped a cloak over himself right now, Kahn would be the Third Dark Lord—and quite possibly the most powerful one.

When he finished, Fleur looked grateful and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Professor Pente. I feel I have gained a great deal. Though perhaps I shouldn't say it, your explanations regarding Defense Against the Dark Arts are truly much better than Professor Leite's at Beauxbatons."

Few people disliked flattery, though Kahn did not let his emotions show on his face. He said calmly, "It is my duty. If there is nothing else, we will end here for today. If you have any further questions in the future, you may attend the seventh-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

Instead of responding to what Kahn said, Fleur asked, "There is one last thing, Professor Pente. I heard that during the Triwizard Tournament, on Christmas Eve, there will be a friendly Yule Ball. Would you be willing to be my dance partner that night?"

"That day..."

Before Kahn could finish, the black cat resting on his lap suddenly stood up and let out a series of meows at him. A split second later, however, it was ruthlessly suppressed by Kahn, who grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and placed it on the floor.

"I may not have much time that day, and as for students, it is best to find a student for a dance partner. If there is nothing else, let's leave it at that. I have some matters to research."

With that, Kahn made his intention to dismiss her quite clear. Knowing she had reached her limit for the day, Fleur stood up, bowed to Kahn, and slowly walked out.

"What is wrong with this cat? There are no obvious signs of abuse on it, so why does it keep running over here every day?"

Kahn picked up the black cat and set it on the desk. Using Transfiguration, he conjured a nameplate and hung it around the cat's neck. The inscription read that the cat's owner should come to the third-floor Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office for a chat—if worse came to worst, he would just buy the cat outright.

"Cats probably can't eat pastries; you should have some dried fish instead." Kahn retrieved some dried fish he had prepared in advance from the drawer. It wasn't the black cat's first time visiting him, so he kept some food on hand for it.

Kahn even thoughtfully used a flame charm to warm up the dried fish. The charred aroma of the fish made even his mouth water. However, the black cat merely gave it a sniff and then leaped onto a nearby sofa to rest.

"Ungrateful little creature..."

Seeing that the cat refused to eat, Kahn ignored it, split off a few shadow clones to manufacture magical items, and set to work himself on researching and constructing the Source of Magic.

The black cat, which had just prepared to rest on the sofa, suddenly witnessed this scene. Its eyes widened in absolute shock, turning into vertical slits. This was the magic clone technique the godfather had talked about? Could it really be this magical? And those swirling runic patterns—they had to be a combination of Runes and other ancient runes. What on earth was the godfather planning to do...

After watching for a while, however, Hermione began to lose her energy, and with a sleepy yawn, she curled up on the sofa and drifted off to sleep. During the day she had classes, practiced brewing potions, and had to carve out time to help those two idiots figure out methods to deal with the tournament tasks; at night, she occasionally had to maintain her Animagus form to patrol.

Once the Triwizard Tournament was over, she was definitely going to get a good, long rest.

***

The Source of Magic concerned the very foundation of Kahn's mastery over the limits of magic; he could not afford to be careless. He had experimented with many designs, but none of them satisfied him completely—none were what he considered truly perfect.

The more perfect the construction of the Source of Magic, the greater the benefits for Kahn afterward. Ordinary wizards hardly grew their magic power at all after reaching adulthood, but Kahn was different.

His genes were constantly being optimized and perfected under the effects of the Extremis virus, allowing him to absorb natural energy to raise the upper limit of his magical power. If he compromised even slightly on the Source of Magic he built now, it would only restrict him in the future.

Life at Hogwarts was not monotonous. Aside from sending his clones to teach classes, Kahn rarely left his office.

Nevertheless, students gossiping about him behind his back was on the rise. A few days earlier, several students had witnessed Kahn driving away centaurs at the edge of the Forbidden Forest with a rather "cold and ruthless" demeanor, and they had talked about it upon returning to the castle.

At the time, Kahn truly had no patience to negotiate with the centaurs, and those centaurs had made some overly aggressive moves upon seeing him, prompting Kahn to simply throw them deep into the Forbidden Forest using the Levitation Charm.

He had also given the centaurs a final ultimatum: if they ever failed to understand their place again and tried to ride roughshod over humans, he would turn them into an endangered magical species.

The centaurs Kahn threw had ended up with either broken limbs or fractured arms. Word had it that Hagrid had ultimately played the good guy by escorting them back to the centaur tribe in the Forbidden Forest.

After that incident, within a ten-mile radius of Hogwarts, not a single centaur hair could be found. Some students supported Kahn's actions, while others disagreed, arguing that centaurs and Hogwarts had been neighbors for centuries and such violent expulsion was unwarranted.

Hermione, however, had overheard some students discussing Kahn and promptly got into a fierce argument with them. Naturally, she was the one defending Kahn. Having known the whole story from beginning to end, she knew it was the centaurs who had attacked first, and after being taught a lesson, they had still come to the school to cause a fuss. While her godfather's methods were a bit rough around the edges, he was definitely not in the wrong.

Still, no one ever dared to discuss him in Kahn's presence. Though he usually seemed easy to talk about, his formidable reputation preceded him.

Whether it was defeating over twenty Death Eaters or striking down the centaurs, Kahn had solidified his position as the most untouchable person at Hogwarts. The Slytherins in particular did not dare make a single sound of trouble in his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, listening with utmost attention.

Time flew by, and Christmas Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

The young wizards' attention was entirely captured by the upcoming ball. Beauxbatons was renowned for its beautiful girls, and students from the school, led by Fleur, were invited by numerous boys—a hormonal stirring that no one could avoid.

There were subtle differences in formal wear across the three nations, but everyone wanted to present their absolute best at the ball. Kahn and Hermione didn't need to worry about attire; the outfits they wore were meticulously crafted by London's finest tailoring shop.

"Godfather."

At the doorway of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office, Hermione stood wearing an evening gown that exuded elegance. Her hair was styled into a sophisticated updo, and she appeared to have applied a light touch of makeup. Having rested well during the days leading up to the ball, her complexion was already much improved, and the makeup made her look even more stunning.

Without sparing his praise, Kahn said, "You look very beautiful tonight, Hermione, though you can head down to the Great Hall first..."

Hermione feigned a troubled expression and said, "I'm afraid that might be difficult, Godfather. Because of my research into brewing Felix Felicis recently, I neglected to secure a dance partner. This is a grand ball, after all, and going without a partner would be terribly embarrassing for a girl..."

"Felix Felicis? You're already attempting to brew that potion?"

Kahn was momentarily surprised. As one of the most difficult and valuable potions in existence, Hermione was studying it as early as her fourth year. With such talent and dedication, it was no wonder Snape could only ever find fault with Hermione by docking points for classroom etiquette.

"No dance partner... Well then, I shall be your partner. Though doing so will likely draw a lot of curious stares from the others."

Because of the unicorn gene, his presence was difficult to conceal, which was why Kahn rarely went out. Acting as Hermione's dance partner would almost certainly attract widespread attention.

According to his calculations, once he finished constructing the Source of Magic within his body, the noble and sacred aura of the unicorn gene might finally be restrained.

Hearing his consent, Hermione smiled happily. She quickly reined in her triumph, however, and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Godfather."

"Although tradition suggests having Phil deliver it to your dormitory tonight, since we've run into each other, I might as well hand it to you directly."

Kahn produced a pair of earrings and continued, "My third piece of crafted alchemy. It features curse defense..."

Before Kahn could finish, Hermione chimed in, "Cleansing, rejuvenation, and offensive magic?"

"Impressive, you got two out of three right," Kahn said with mild surprise, before correcting her, "The last one is wrong. This type of alchemical item is unsuited for building offensive ancient runes, so the final function is similar to the Disillusionment Charm."

"Thank you, Godfather! I love this gift very much!" Hermione said with a smile, thinking to herself that she had deliberately misguessed the last function—otherwise, she might have risked exposing her Animagus secret.

"Let's go, it's almost time."

Kahn spoke to Hermione as they walked toward the Great Hall, mentioning a recent annoyance on the way.

"I seem to have frightened a student. Their black cat kept wandering into my office. It was quite a pleasant connection at first, but after I put a nameplate on the cat, I hardly ever saw it again. I suppose its owner must have locked it up...

"It's a real shame, I was hoping to buy that black cat."