HP: Alchemy? Nah, It's Crafting

Just how much money Professor Kasenhis had, Ron was about to find out.

As he followed the line of first-years into the Great Hall, he saw the tall and handsome professor Harry had mentioned.

Following Harry's pointing finger, Ron's eyes landed on the dazzling, oversized diamond brooch on Kasenhis's chest.

"That's... one massive diamond!" Ron exclaimed in shock.

"Told you he's amazing!" Harry said smugly, clearly enjoying Ron's astonished reaction to seeing Professor Kasenhis.

Sitting at the staff table, Kasenhis noticed the little wizard who had been staring at him. He raised a hand and gave a casual wave.

Harry, caught off guard, quickly waved back, completely oblivious to the fact that Professor Snape, on the other side, was glaring at him with a look that could melt steel.

Soon enough, Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a battered old hat—the Sorting Hat—and began reciting the same opening speech she had undoubtedly given countless times before.

Finally, she reached the end.

"The Sorting Ceremony will now begin."

McGonagall glanced at the parchment in her hand and cleared her throat.

"Hannah Abbott!"

"Hufflepuff!"

The Great Hall erupted in thunderous applause that nearly shook the room. From his seat at the staff table, Kasenhis clapped along with impressive enthusiasm.

He had been at Hogwarts for quite some time now—nearly two months, actually—and had developed a general understanding of the four houses.

For example, Gryffindor valued bravery, Ravenclaw prized wisdom, and Slytherin admired cunning.

But the house Kasenhis truly liked was Hufflepuff, known for its kindness and compassion. Since the founding of Hogwarts, Hufflepuff has always been a place of warmth and inclusivity.

At least in Kasenhis's mind, the wisdom of Helga Hufflepuff was no less than that of Rowena Ravenclaw.

As the girl named Hannah Abbott joined the Hufflepuff table, Professor McGonagall called out the next name.

Kasenhis watched as each young witch and wizard stepped forward, offering silent blessings to them as they were sorted.

Soon, two particularly familiar names appeared. The first was Harry Potter—Gryffindor.

Predictable.

The second was Draco Malfoy—Slytherin.

Equally predictable.

Before long, the Sorting Ceremony concluded, and Dumbledore rose from his seat at the center of the staff table.

"Well, I know that after a long day of travel, none of you are particularly interested in hearing this old man ramble on, but there are two important announcements I must make."

"First, this year, a new area has been designated as off-limits—the third-floor corridor on the right side of Hogwarts castle to anyone who doesn't want to die a painful death"

"Second, we are welcoming two new professors this year: Professor Quirinus Quirrell, who will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts…"

"And Professor Kasenhis, who will teach Alchemy. You may already have noticed the transformation of Hogwarts' stone guardians into iron guardians—that, my friends, is his handiwork."

"That's all, everyone—Nitwit blubber oddment tweak—enjoy the feast!"

Kasenhis liked this kind of headmaster—who wouldn't like a principal who kept things brief?

Just as he picked up his knife and fork, ready to eat something, Professor Quirrell leaned over, extending his hand.

"P-p-pleasure to m-meet you," Quirrell stuttered. "Y-you can c-call me Q-Quirrell. I just g-got back today."

Kasenhis quickly put down his utensils and shook Quirrell's hand.

"Nice to meet you. You can call me Kasen or His, whichever you prefer," he replied.

After the handshake, Quirrell nodded slightly, his words still fragmented. "Y-you're an a-alchemist?"

Kasenhis was surprised by Quirrell's overly cautious approach but still nodded. "I dabble a bit in alchemy."

Quirrell nodded again, returned to his seat, and said nothing more. Kasenhis didn't push the conversation further. To him, Quirrell just seemed like a peculiar wizard, perhaps a bit timid, but nothing more than that.

And that was that.

...

Until the next morning.

Kasenhis woke up groggily from what felt like a hangover. Forgive him—his tolerance for alcohol was, at best, mediocre. He was nowhere near Hagrid's level... or even Dumbledore's, for that matter.

"Ugh... my head. If I drink this much again, I might as well be a dog," he muttered, knocking lightly on his own head, still feeling the lingering effects of last night's indulgence.

Knock, knock, knock...

"Coming."

Kasenhis, still half-asleep, opened the door to find a letter abruptly thrust into his face.

[This is your class schedule], it read on the envelope.

He breathed a sigh of relief—just a class schedule. Wait, a class schedule?

Quickly tearing open the envelope, Kasenhis scanned the contents.

Luckily, today wasn't too busy. He only had one class in the afternoon—a third-year session. Perfect for easing into his new role, like a beginner tutorial.

"Shouldn't be too bad," he reassured himself. "Third-years are basically just little rookies."

Closing the door, he picked up the alchemy textbook for a final cram session.

...

Afternoon, Alchemy Classroom.

Standing at the lectern, Kasenhis was surprised to see a decent turnout.

Over twenty students from all four houses had opted for Alchemy—an unexpectedly large number for Hogwarts, where elective courses sometimes required combining two year levels just to fill seats.

"It's an honor that you've chosen to take Alchemy, and it's equally an honor that you're willing to listen to a newbie professor like me teach it."

He opened with a short bit of self-deprecating fluff.

Yes, it was indeed fluff. After wrapping up his fluff, Kasenhis finally got to the point, starting with a self-introduction.

"I'm Kasenhis! That's my name. You can call me Professor Kasen, and I'm perfectly fine with you addressing me as Professor Kasen or just Kasen outside of class."

"Don't worry, I won't dock points unless you commit some serious mistake. Just stay out of trouble, and we'll be fine."

Kasen picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the blackboard, then turned to face the quiet young wizards below.

Perhaps they were genuinely quiet, though it was more likely they were bursting with unspoken thoughts.

After his introduction, he grabbed the book from the lectern, casually flipped to a page, and showed it to the students.

The students scrambled to turn to the same page in their own books. Then, without hesitation, Kasen snapped his book shut.

"Alright, kids. This boring old book—you'll have plenty of time to study it later. But for now, let's put the books away and experience the wonders of alchemy firsthand."

"Of course, I must remind you, I'm just a newbie professor. I've never taught a class before. So, if by the end of this lesson, none of you ever want to return to this classroom again, well...I'll be heartbroken."

Kasen's exaggerated expressions and dramatic tone drew laughter from the young wizards.

To their surprise, they found their new Alchemy professor to be quite likable.

At the very least, he was a refreshing change from Divination, where doom was prophesied every other second, or Snape, who perpetually wore a face like he'd attended his own funeral.

Ah, the beauty of comparison.

Kasen sighed and said: "Next, I will let you see the magic of alchemy, the basis of which is the transformation of matter."

As he spoke, he pointed down at the podium in front of him, reached out and knocked, and the solid wood single podium instantly began to change from the position where he knocked. Finally, the dazzling golden color illuminated the faces of all the wizards in the classroom.