"So, the good stuff you mentioned earlier is all gone now?" Conna asked curiously at dinner.
"Not only that, I actually lost some extra stuff in the process too." Kael said gloomily.
Although he'd already made up his mind and handed that little vial of ashes to Dumbledore, Kael still felt a twinge of pain in his heart every time he thought about it.
In this situation, even the fragrant fried pork chops couldn't lift Kael's mood even a little?
Conna seemed to pick up on this, so she switched the topic: "Is Mr. Nicolas Flamel still at the school right now?"
"No." Kael shook his head. "Nicolas doesn't want to show up anywhere crowded. He's already gone back."
"Did he take the airship?" Conna probed, while picking up a piece of toast for both herself and Kael.
"How did you know?" Kael looked at her in surprise. "Did you see it?"
"A lot of people saw it," Conna said. "There was a huge airship at the Astronomy Tower. It caused quite a commotion—everyone's guessing what it actually is.
Some say it's the school's secret weapon, and others think it's just a means of transportation... Like Beauxbatons' carriage or Durmstrang's big ship."
"It's a means of transportation, all right, but it's not Hogwarts'." Kael shrugged.
Just seeing an airship wouldn't mean much. Except for people like Conna who knew the inside scoop, no one would connect it to the legendary Nicolas Flamel.
...
After that, Dumbledore got really busy. For two whole weeks, Kael didn't see him around the castle even once.
But if he thought about it, that was normal. Even though he didn't know how long it actually took to make the Philosopher's Stone, there was no way it was an easy job.
Just like that it went all the way into February, and Dumbledore still hadn't come back. The students, though, didn't find anything strange about it, since, to be honest, most of them barely paid attention to the headmaster anyway.
Of course, if it was Professor McGonagall, that'd be a different matter. Even if she disappeared for a day, she'd immediately become the talk of the school.
But with Dumbledore away, someone else started acting cocky.
Karkaroff. He was strutting around the castle these days like he owned the place, swaggering down the halls every day, using that haughty tone of his to sneer at everything he saw.
For example, he said the students were too lazy, laughing and playing in the corridors after class—if they were at Durmstrang, they'd never make such a racket."
The professors weren't spared either. Kael personally overheard him multiple times talking to the Durmstrang students, running down Divination Class's Professor Sybill Trelawney as a totally clueless old fraud.
And even Hagrid, in his mouth, became a big dumb oaf.
And, of course, Sirius. Karkaroff said Sirius was too biased, spoiled one particular house far too much, and wasn't fit to be a professor at all.
And pretty soon, some of the Hogwarts students started agreeing with him.
Like Slytherin's Malfoy.
"Professor Karkaroff and I always seem to see eye to eye,"
he announced loudly in the corridor. "My father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang, but my mother didn't want me so far away.
Still, I reckon he really should have insisted. Durmstrang's Professor Karkaroff is exactly what a headmaster should be. Plus, they don't even allow certain riffraff to enroll there…"
Whenever he said this, he'd always pointedly glance at Hermione nearby.
Which made Hermione absolutely furious. Frankly, she rather wished Malfoy would get his wish and go to Durmstrang—her school life would at least be half as annoying.
But it didn't end there.
At lunch on Wednesday, when Kael was passing through the entrance hall after class, he suddenly found a huge crowd gathered there, packed three-deep, totally blocking the way to the auditorium.
Curious, he squeezed in to see what was going on.
Sure enough, it was Karkaroff again, but this time he wasn't picking on teachers or students—he'd set his sights on Filch.
"I recall telling you more than once to keep your cat under control. Don't let it run wild inside the castle," Karkaroff said haughtily.
"Mrs Norris never runs wild..." Filch replied, his face looking ugly. "She helps keep order in the castle, catching students who break the rules..."
"Sorry, did I hear that right..." Karkaroff drawled, "Keep order—a cat?
Is Hogwarts really that strapped for resources, that they need to hire a cat to keep watch over the students?"
Right on cue, several Durmstrang students next to him burst out laughing, backing up their headmaster.
"Quiet now, don't be so rude, or people will think all Durmstrang students lack manners."
Karkaroff drawled, "I must admit, I've really never seen anything like this before. If you don't mind, I could make a donation so you could hire a... hmm, wizard to be responsible for the school's daily order."
In an instant, Filch's face turned beet red, like a boiled prawn.
Karkaroff wasn't just insulting Mrs Norris, he was also taking a jab at him for being a Squib. Filch was literally shaking with rage, shaking so hard he couldn't get a word out.
The people around all looked righteously indignant.
If Karkaroff had only mocked Filch and Mrs Norris, some of the crowd might actually have applauded—they didn't like that pair much themselves, and someone giving them a taste of their own medicine wouldn't be the worst thing.
But the moment he insulted Hogwarts as well, everyone found it impossible to accept.
Karkaroff, however, didn't give a toss, and as the crowd murmured angrily around him, he even rather smugly stroked his goatee.
"What are you all doing, gathered here?"
At that moment, Professor McGonagall came striding up, and everyone quickly made way for her.
"It's lunchtime. Off to the auditorium, now." Professor McGonagall said to the group, before turning, "Hogwarts' management doesn't require your concern, Professor Karkaroff."
"Of course, you're absolutely right." Karkaroff said. "I was only offering a little suggestion, I certainly don't mean to interfere in Hogwarts' affairs, that's clear enough.
But I do ask you to understand, Minerva, that I must see to the interests of my school. Krum has already been startled by that cat more than once. It's hard for me not to suspect you're doing this on purpose—to throw Krum off his game so your champion will stand out in the tournament."
"We would never do something like that," Professor McGonagall said, her face taut.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not accusing you, only expressing some mild suspicion." Karkaroff put on a fake smile.
"Ha! Only you lot would stoop to such dirty tricks," came a mocking laugh from the crowd.
"Out of all five judges, you're the only old mangy dog who deliberately gave the other two champions lower scores."
Being called a mangy dog in front of everyone, Karkaroff couldn't keep pretending. He spun around and shouted at the crowd:
"Who said that? Come out! I'll be sure to teach you a lesson for Dumbledore!"