HP: Alchemy? Nah, It's Crafting

"What an arse! I can't believe it! Sirius was actually the real hero all along, and that Peter Pettigrew, the one who betrayed Harry's parents..."

"What do you mean, hit with twelve Avada Kedavra curses in the back and then ruled a suicide out of guilt?"

At the welcome-back feast, Hermione was reading the rushed-out edition of the Daily Prophet, her expression twisting into something very weird.

"No one cares anymore. Maybe Peter Pettigrew's skin was so thick it accidentally bounced off and hit his own back," Ron said, picking up a drumstick from the long table.

"I still can't believe it. No offense, of course—Harry, how's your godfather? Is he good to you? Or is he like your aunt and uncle?" Hermione asked.

"Well! Sirius is great! The first thing he did after he was cleared was to sign Harry's application to go to Hogsmeade. Then, to compensate for the loss of my pet, he bought me the most expensive owl in the pet shop!" Ron answered quickly.

"Oh, that's a good thing, right?"

"Of course it is. Actually, it wasn't just me—everyone got a present. Each of us. As for yours, Sirius left it in Professor Kasenhis's office, because he said a girl's gift wasn't really appropriate for us to see," Harry said awkwardly.

"Yeah, seems like he doesn't trust us—afraid we'd sneak a look," Neville added.

"Uh… understandable," Hermione added in a dry tone.

The feast ended quickly, and after a night's sleep, it was a new day again.

Compared to the day before, there were a few fewer Dementors in the sky.

No one knew whether it was because some disobedient young wizard had fed them to a Wither.

Kasenhis, however, wasn't worried about this.

He had long anticipated that some cheeky young wizards might try to raise a fully-formed Wither, so he had deliberately added a bit of small functional runework to the Wither Amulet's outer shell.

For example, the Wither shell would continuously drain the Wither's energy, keeping it in a half-dead, barely-alive state at all times. And once the shell broke, the Wither would be hit by a brutal strike—one of those overkill types—to ensure it completely dissipated from the world.

What matched the increasingly charming sky was Kasenhis's mood.

He had finally put up a sign at the door of his office, with bold writing on it: [Sirius and dogs not allowed inside]

"What does this mean? Isn't Sirius a hero?" Hermione asked with some confusion as she looked at the sign.

Harry scratched his head awkwardly. "I'll tell you quietly, but don't tell anyone else—Sirius is an unregistered Animagus."

Hermione nodded. Of course, she knew what an Animagus was—wizards who, through a very complex ritual, could gain a second form: an animal form.

"But what does being an Animagus have to do with this sign?"

"Sirius's Animagus form is .. um.. a big black dog," Harry said concisely.

And upon hearing that, Hermione understood immediately: "You mean that black dog in Professor Kasenhis's office—the one that likes to bark on boats and lick Professor Kasenhis's face… ew… I suddenly don't want this gift from that ..dog anymore," Hermione said, her face filled with awkward embarrassment.

"At the very least, it's a kind gesture from him. If you don't like it, give it to your friends," Neville advised.

"Yeah, don't waste it. Sirius isn't just rich—considering his Animagus form, he's basically a rich dog owner!" Ron added.

"Fine then."

The four little Gryffindors once again gathered and rowed over one by one to appear before Kasenhis.

"What up, gang! Here for your Christmas gifts, huh?" Kasenhis asked with a smile.

"Professor, after finding out that Sirius was that dog, how do you feel about it?" Hermione asked curiously.

"He's got his flaws, but he's still a decent person. Overall, he's not bad," Kasenhis said, waving his hand. The gift meant for Hermione flew out of the cabinet.

"Go ahead and open it."

"What's inside that even made Sirius afraid we'd peek at it?" Ron leaned over and asked.

"You'll see when you open it," Hermione replied as she unwrapped the box. Inside was a book, and upon opening it, she found it filled with all sorts of women's outfits.

From evening gowns to summer clothes, winter clothes, and swimsuits—everything was there.

"Is this an illustrated guide, or some fashion magazine swiped from a clothing store?" Hermione casually brushed her finger over one of the dress images, and the next moment, a surge of magic flowed from the book through her hand and spread across her entire body.

"What the.."

Almost instantly, Hermione appeared before them wearing the very dress.

"Woah.."

"...I still don't understand why Sirius didn't let us hold onto the gift... was he afraid we'd secretly play dress-up?" Harry said, baffled but clearly amazed.

The confusion came from not understanding Sirius's distrust. The amazement came from just how bloody cool this transformation book was—he wanted to try it too!

"Oh, this was made by the alchemist Arce. It can't be mass-produced; if you want one, you have to commission it. Just this one would cost at least three thousand Galleons," Kasenhis said, surprised at how generous Sirius was—and even more surprised at how much damn money Sirius actually had.

Could he make gold or something?

"Oh... I have to say..." Hermione tapped on the dress image again, and the dress vanished with the magic, returning her to her original clothes. "I take back what I said earlier—I absolutely love this gift! Harry, make sure to help me thank Sirius properly!"

"Oh, I will..." Harry said, then looked at Kasenhis. "Professor, does this dress-up book come in a male version?"

"Yeah, want me to give you Arce's business card?" Kasenhis pulled out a leather wallet from under his desk, packed full of cards.

"Uh, would it be any cheaper?" Harry asked cautiously.

"The more outfits, the more expensive it is. The fewer there are, the cheaper... I could take you to meet him? He might give you a discount," Kasenhis offered.

"No no no, Professor, that won't be necessary. Really," Harry waved his hands. This kind of thing—even thinking with his toenail he could tell—it'd cost him a lot in favors.

"Well then... if you don't want to pull my strings, you could always try Dumbledore's. Heh~ He's already covered in lice, he won't mind another... I mean, he's got a lot of ..um.. what's that word—reputation!" Kasenhis said awkwardly, trying to cover up his slip.

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