The next day...
Sirius, who had been shamelessly forced by Kayson to grade homework all night, crawled out of the office listlessly. Heaven knew if he had drunk too much again last night.
What kind of proper person would think of letting a dog grade homework?
Humor.
Just as he was about to go to Gryffindor Tower to freeload and act important, and also to scout around a bit to make Peter Pettigrew lower his guard against him, at least so he wouldn't constantly think about running away.
He just needed to wander around more, and sooner or later, that smelly rat would think he was only going to the Gryffindor dormitory to get close to Harry, and it had nothing to do with him.
Just wait until the right moment, and he would directly show the cat catching the mouse, hehehe!!!
While Sirius was reveling in his fantasy of successful revenge, Harry and his companions walked over listlessly. Seeing this, Sirius immediately threw all his previous plans to the back of his mind and wagged his tail, trotting after Harry.
"Oh, Bruce, aren't you going out to play?" Harry asked, looking at Bruce at his feet with a not-so-happy smile.
"Woof!"
"Hmm?"
"Woof!"
"...."
Harry still didn't understand what Sirius had said, so he just listlessly pushed open the door to the alchemy office.
"Professor~"
Kayson, who was sitting on the sofa reading a novel, heard a resentful echo.
Not long after, Harry and the others, accompanied by a dog, arrived in front of Kayson.
"There's hot water over there, and biscuits over there. I'll have green tea this time, thank you." Kayson, who was reading a novel, successfully turned himself into a guest...
And Harry brewed a pot of green tea and poured a cup for Kayson.
"Professor, I have an impudent request..." Harry asked with a grinning smile.
"Uh-huh... speak," Kayson said, putting down his novel.
"Professor, you should know that around October, our third years will be able to go to Hogsmeade Village, but going there requires a guardian's signature. However, my aunt and uncle won't possibly sign for me, so...." Harry said with a strange smile.
Kayson stroked his chin. Before he could speak, Sirius, who was lying on the carpet, whimpered pitifully.
He and James Potter were so close they could share a pair of underwear, so he naturally knew about the family affairs of James Potter's beloved—Lily.
A sharp-tongued sister and a brother-in-law who hated magic.
It was imaginable that for a Little Wizards living in such a family, being able to ensure basic sustenance was already commendable, let alone more spiritual nourishment.
And not being able to play with friends in Hogsmeade. This, in the eyes of the adventure-loving Gryffindor Sirius, was far, far more serious than not having enough to eat.
"Oh....." Kayson took a sip of tea with a strange look in his eyes: "I didn't know you were so rule-abiding..."
"You mean the Invisibility Cloak? Hogwarts has Dementors this year," Harry said bitterly.
"Oh, right, I just remembered that. I also need to remind Professor McGonagall that besides the form, Little Wizards who haven't successfully made a Withering Charm also cannot leave Hogwarts," Kayson said, suddenly enlightened.
Hermione, Neville, and Ron, meanwhile, looked at Harry in confusion, their expressions much like, 'Why on earth would you say that?'
And on the other side, Harry could almost imagine the cold shoulder he would receive from almost all third-year and above Little Wizards who hadn't made a Withering Charm once this matter got out today.
Although he wasn't afraid, that feeling was indeed uncomfortable, especially since it would make him feel strangely apologetic to them.
"Thank you so much, Harry," Kayson said, patting Harry's shoulder at the right moment, successfully twisting the knife in Harry's wound again.
Pfft!
"Professor, could you please not say that you remembered this through me?" Harry asked, looking at Kayson pitifully.
"Of course not. I am very good at protecting Little Wizards privacy. So, how are your Withering Charms coming along?" Kayson asked.
The three simultaneously focused their gaze on Hermione, who was fidgeting and picking at her fingernails.
"I think there's a very high probability it'll be made before Hogsmeade opens," Hermione said, making a very bold statement.
"Then congratulations to student Hermione in advance. The three of you need to work harder. In fact, Harry, don't give up on yourself. If you can successfully make a Withering Charm, I can give you a little bit of a back door."
"All in all, this year is a special situation. The Withering Charm is much more important than a guardian's signature."
Harry's mood remained poor despite Kayson's guarantee. In fact, if it were just a signature, he might have been able to bribe his aunt or uncle with Galleons to sign for him; that was something that could be manipulated.
But the Withering Charm gave him a headache. That thing couldn't be bribed with Galleons, unless a student who had already successfully made one sold him one.
But the success rate of that was truly not necessarily much higher than the probability of escaping a Dementor's gaze while wearing an Invisibility Cloak.
As for making a Withering Charm, they didn't have Kayson's method where Wither was simpler than building blocks. The production cycle for a Withering Charm would take at least one or two months, unless he directly became a big spender....
"Hermione..." Harry looked at Hermione, who looked at the ceiling, pretending not to see Harry's gaze.
Harry sighed. Now, there was truly only one path to choose: successfully making a Withering Charm, and of course, there was also...
"Professor Kayson, what is the back door you promised?"
"This back door is actually a loophole specifically for you. Since among the third-year and above students, only you haven't gotten a signature, if your charm is successfully made, I will let you take your Withering Charm and come with me to clear out the Dementors."
"After the clearing is complete, you can just stay outside," Kayson explained.
"Okay, Professor, we understand." The four Little Wizards nodded and were about to leave the alchemy office, planning to see how they could improve their Alchemy aptitude, at least to be able to make a Withering Charm before Hogsmeade opened.
At least give one to Harry first, so Harry could go out, especially since with Harry's two guardians, it was only this year that Harry found a back door due to the Dementors, allowing him to openly go out and play.
After the Dementors were gone in a while, he would probably have to sneak around under the Invisibility Cloak again.
On the other side, Sirius also quickly followed Harry and the others, clearly intending to sneak into Gryffindor Tower to freeload and eat while thoroughly desensitizing Peter Pettigrew.
"Ah, not a single one of them gives a poor Alchemy Professor a break."
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