146: Who's the dark wizard here?

"Mr. Lucius Malfoy, I'm going to need a reasonable explanation here—a pure-blood family head showing up here with a deranged werewolf to bully a second-year wizard who just finished the term?"

Kasenhis stood with both hands in his pockets, his spellbook floating gently at his side.

Lupin let out a visible sigh of relief. So did Harry behind him, and even the Dursley family trembling in the corner seemed to breathe easier.

Lupin and Harry were simply reassured by Kasenhis's presence—they trusted him a lot.

As for the Dursleys, their trust came from something else entirely: they trusted Kasenhis's character.

Compared to people like Hagrid—who, in their eyes, was the kind of wizard who showed up demanding to take the child without even offering a dime and breaking rifles in half—or the three who had barged in today: one with shabby clothes, one who reeked of pompous old nobility, and the last one, Greyback, who looked outright insane and acted like a rabid dog…

Kasenhis, the handsome and polite wizard, came off as downright friendly. Especially since, in that light-house, he had once given them a child support payment… in gold. When Vernon had taken that gold to the bank, even the bank staff had never seen anything so pure.

So now, meeting Kasenhis again in such a bizarre moment, the Dursleys were shocked to feel… comforted?

"Why aren't you talking? Does bullying the weak bring you joy?" Kasenhis asked, frowning.

Lucius shook his head, still lounging on the sofa without rising. "Actually, I have no such idle hobby. I'm simply here for my property. Dobby!"

Bang! A loud pop sounded as a big-eared house-elf appeared in the room.

"So... is this finally a real 2v2?" Lupin asked as he walked over, wand in hand, making Kasenhis blink in confusion.

"What?" Lupin asked.

"...I'm just wondering when you're finally going to remember that there's a sixth magic-capable creature in this room," Kasenhis replied, glancing toward the binding spell he had previously cast—one that was now beginning to wear off.

Actually, saying "beginning to wear off" wasn't quite accurate.

It had already worn off.

"Grr!"

Greyback lunged toward him.

Kasenhis frowned, raising his hand slightly. The Binding Sigil activated once more, projecting a wave of suppressive magic outward from him in a focused direction. The force of the spell slammed down on Greyback mid-air.

The werewolf froze, suspended mid-pounce.

"I was wondering how this guy managed to stay alive after all this time being hunted by you. Turns out the Malfoy family's been protecting him," Kasenhis muttered.

In his hand appeared a Wither Skeleton Skull, wrapped in the aura of decay and death.

Without hesitation, he pressed it into Greyback's chest.

"??—!Awoooooooo—!!??"

The next second, Greyback's body rapidly crumbled—like rotten tiles collapsing inwards—until all that remained was a small pile of blackened ash.

Kasenhis looked down at the pile, then glanced apologetically toward Petunia in the corner.

"..."

"..."

Everyone: ...What the fuck..?

"Apologies, Mrs. Dursley... you might need to vacuum again later. I'm not very good at housekeeping spells."

Curled up in the corner, shielded by Vernon Dursley, Petunia gave a trembling nod. To be honest, what Kasenhis had just done was far more terrifying than that unhinged wizard earlier. But she still swallowed hard and said, "I will."

"Excellent. Now then, Mr. Malfoy, shouldn't we perhaps move this discussion elsewhere?" Kasenhis asked with a calm smile.

"There.. ehm.. There's no need anymore. Besides, I'm not in the mood for these pointless negotiations," Lucius said through clenched teeth, his expression ashen as he pulled out his wand—not to duel, but to Disapparate and get the hell out of there.

Originally, he had assumed that this Professor Kasenhis was simply skilled in alchemy. He hadn't expected him to be so proficient in Dark Magic as well—so proficient, in fact, that he knew Dark Arts but didn't know any household spells to clean the ashes…

Compared to this man, Lucius wasn't even sure who between them was the real Dark wizard.

Meanwhile, in the corner, Harry's eyes darted back and forth. He glanced at Dobby, then at Lucius, whose face was stormy and pale.

That's when he suddenly remembered what Dobby had told him the last time they met: "A house-elf can only be freed if their master gives them clothes—directly."

Acting on impulse, Harry grabbed a very expensive silk scarf that had been laying on the table—one of Aunt Petunia's, carefully laid out over the dust.

Petunia, from the corner, felt her heart clench at the sight of her scarf being sacrificed. But at this point, she didn't dare say a word.

What if that wizard over there—yes, even the one who paid child support—got upset and casually turned someone into a pile of ash again?

In her eyes, Kasenhis was now a terrifying demon who could vaporize someone without a second thought—even if he did pay well.

Very quickly, Harry wrapped most of the ash in the silk scarf. After tying it up, he picked it up and walked toward Lucius.

"Mr. Malfoy, you forgot your friend," Harry said, trying hard to keep a straight face.

Lucius frowned. The once-elegant silk scarf had been deliberately dragged through the dust and dirt by Harry, now looking nothing like its original state.

Still, a trace of ingrained politeness made Lucius reach out and pinch the bundle between two fingers with visible disgust.

"Dobby, catch," Lucius said briskly, and tossed the small dusty bundle toward the house-elf.

Unlike Lucius, who had just been preoccupied fixing his appearance and focusing more on Kasen, Lupin had been watching Harry's little actions the entire time. And now, he spoke up at just the right moment.

"Dobby, you should open that little cloth bundle—see what it really is."

Dobby looked from Lupin to his master, Lucius.

"Open it and drop it on the floor," Lucius instructed curtly.

Taking that as permission, Dobby gave the bundle a light shake. The silk scarf slid open with a smooth rustle.

"This is… a human's silk garment? Lucius Malfoy gave Dobby this scarf—Dobby is free!!" Dobby's large eyes sparkled as he looked from Harry to Lucius, absolutely overjoyed.

Lucius stared at the scene before him, and for a moment, his mind was clouded with rage. He instinctively drew his wand—but then he saw Lupin standing protectively in front of Harry.

And beyond that, there was Professor Kasenhis, who—although they hadn't openly turned hostile yet—had already made things pretty clear.

Kasenhis, who had just one-shot Greyback with a single spell...

Kasenhis, who didn't even think before killing someone...

Kasenhis, who knew terrifying dark magic...

In the end, Lucius slowly lowered his wand and put it away. Instead, he lashed out with a kick at Dobby, just like he had done countless times back at Malfoy Manor.

But then it hit him—he had let his guard down and forgotten something very important.

Dobby was, strictly speaking, no longer his house-elf.

And so...

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