The next day, Cedric took the excuse slip Kasen wrote for him and went to Diagon Alley overnight, ordering a large batch of clothes with capes.
Since openings could be made in the back of the capes, they would help cover things up a bit so he wouldn't ruin a set of clothes every time he used his mechanical arm.
The following period was peaceful—almost as peaceful as school years without major events.
Of course, the Daily Prophet still contributed a small ripple to an otherwise uneventful stretch of time.
Even though the text inside had none of Rita Skeeter's usual flavor—no gossip, no rumor-mongering—its group photo became the main topic of conversation in every pub across wizarding Britain.
After all, not everyone can manage to plant the Daily Prophet's reporter in the dirt. Many people want to, but whether they have the ability is another matter entirely.
Ah—no, there was one more interesting thing. Hagrid.
He followed Dumbledore's advice and decided to show his worth at just the right moment. And then he went straight for…
Telling Madame Maxime a piece of information she already knew long ago—specifically, the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Every headmaster knew it involved dragons, but Hagrid thought it was Hogwarts' secret. So, once Dumbledore granted him permission, he boldly extended an invitation to Madame Maxime.
Cedric also told Kasen that Hagrid had invited not only Madame Maxime but Harry as well—and supposedly Harry had invited him along.
In the end, Hagrid must have said something that touched Madame Maxime's taboo, and the two parted on bad terms. But Harry still told Cedric what the task was.
"So our first task is… defeating a dragon?" Cedric stared blankly at Kasen.
"Not quite. You're just stealing an egg from under a mother dragon's nose. Very simple, isn't it?" Kasen said with a hint of malicious amusement.
"I'd rather we just kill the dragon outright," Cedric muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Mmhmm. There's not much difference between the two… And someone's coming now—guess who?" Kasen said, stopping halfway as he glanced at the crystal ball on his desk.
"Uh… Hagrid?" Cedric guessed.
A moment later, he looked toward the figure arriving by boat. "Mmhmm, you guessed right."
Before long, Hagrid appeared before Kasen with a miserable expression. He nodded at Cedric first, then sat down beside him.
Cedric instantly felt like a small asteroid being pulled into the gravity well of a much larger celestial body—inevitably drifting toward the greater mass.
Well, more accurately, Hagrid had just sunk a massive crater into the sofa.
"Let me guess.. you had a failed date?" Kasenhis asked.
"W-What? How'd you know?" Hagrid said in surprise.
Kasen glanced at the sweat-drenched Cedric, then smoothly shifted the blame. "Dumbledore told me."
"Alright. Then do you know why?" Hagrid asked miserably.
"That part I don't know." Kasen shook his head.
"Because I said the wrong thing. I thought Madame Maxime looked tall and impressive, so I asked if she had giant blood," Hagrid explained.
"Obviously, that's not something she wants to hear." Kasenhis poured him a drink.
"Mm… she said she's just big-boned. Then we had a falling-out. What should I do now?"
"Ask her out again and apologize," Kasen said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"And.. She'll come?" Hagrid asked doubtfully.
"Midnight. If she had no interest in you at all, wouldn't she just sleep in her carriage? Why would she come out to stargaze with you in the Forbidden Forest?" Kasen rolled his eyes.
"But last time, I asked her out using the first task of the Triwizard Tournament as an excuse," Hagrid said.
"Oh, you mean the dragons? How did she react when she saw them?" Kasen asked.
"She was very excited, very grateful, and she even held my hand for a moment," Hagrid said, embarrassed.
"Aha!" Kasen clapped his hands hard. "Then there's no problem at all—Madame Maxime definitely likes you!"
Hagrid blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"She already knew the first task was dragons. But she still came out late at night to meet you. And when she saw the dragons, she even accommodated your feelings by pretending to be excited. What more proof do you need?" Kasen said with total certainty.
"Uh… just because she agreed to meet me at night? That simple?" Hagrid said doubtfully.
"Of course. If you don't believe me, ask Cedric. If he invited a random girl to a midnight date, do you think she'd agree?"
"I'd agree!"
Peltia, who happened to be strolling through the Alchemy Office, got pulled into the conversation by Kasen. She looked at Cedric—who had supposedly invited her—and immediately agreed.
Hagrid: "..."
Cedric: "..."
"This is a modeling issue. I need someone with less 'polished' modeling." Kasen awkwardly Ender-teleported away, then brought Ron back with him.
"Try inviting a girl out for a midnight date," he whispered into Ron's ear.
"Uh… which girl?" Ron looked at Hermione—who'd been brought along with him—and then stared blankly at Kasen.
"…bloody idiot." Kasen sent Ron away with a dark expression. Then he switched to another matching method—letting Cedric ask Hermione out. At least Hermione wasn't someone who judged by looks.
Sure enough, Hermione rejected Cedric's request.
"Phew~ See? That's how it works. If a girl doesn't like you, she won't agree to your invitation—especially late at night." Kasen turned back to Hagrid.
"But the first little witch…"
"That was an uncontrollable variable. We ignore those when running experiments," Kasen said stiffly.
"Oh… I think I get it now." Hagrid nodded. "You mean Madame Maxime likes me, or at least doesn't dislike me. So my only task now is to find another reason to invite her out and apologize."
Kasen nodded with the pain of a man who'd aged ten years in ten seconds. "You finally understand!"
_________
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel