"What does this thing do?" Ron stared at the Prestihatitator, then took the Top Hat off his head. "Don't tell me my hat can be turned into a machine like this too?"
"It actually can. There just isn't much point in me making another one right now."
Kane scratched his head awkwardly.
The Prestihatitator could be used to craft plenty of important items, such as the Meat Effigy, which could bring someone back to life. But Kane hadn't died yet, so all he could really do was make one and stick it in a cabinet. If it ever came in handy, then he'd come out ahead.
There was also the Pan Flute, which could put other creatures to sleep, but he didn't have any Mandrakes at the moment. He'd have to ask Dumbledore for a couple sometime.
Then there was the One-man Band, which could make most creatures friendly toward him. Unfortunately, he had neither Gold Nuggets nor Pig Skin.
In short, aside from the Meat Effigy, practically everything he could make right now was ridiculously difficult to craft.
Even the incredibly cost-effective Night Armor and Dark Sword...
Wait.
Those two he could make!
Night Armor and the Dark Sword only required Nightmare Fuel and Living Logs, and those were actually two of the easiest materials for Kane to obtain right now.
As soon as that thought occurred to him, Kane whipped the Top Hat off his head and dragged his bed back out of the Tent.
"What's he doing now?" Ron asked, staring at him in confusion.
"You know, ever since the first day I met Kane, I've always thought there was something a little..." Harry pointed at his temple and twirled his finger around twice.
Then he shrugged, looking for all the world like someone patiently caring for a mentally unstable friend.
Next Monday...
Kane sat up in bed in a daze.
Shadows whipped around him, tearing apart several Shadow Creatures that had been pursuing him almost instantly.
Maybe it was because he'd spent so much time wearing a Garland and Top Hat while stuffing himself with all kinds of delicious food, but his Sanity had been raised to an absurdly high level.
It had taken him an entire week of studying magic without restoring any Sanity before he finally lowered it enough for physical Shadow Creatures to appear.
As for Living Logs, he had prepared those long ago.
Other than that, Kane had spent the entire week studying magic, gathering all sorts of materials, and asking every professor what Hagrid liked.
By the next time Hagrid went to visit Aragog, the old spider would most likely have already lost his memory.
Still, Kane couldn't completely shake the tiny bit of guilt he felt over what he'd done.
He had to find some way to secretly give Hagrid a gift as compensation.
And now...
Kane picked up all the Nightmare Fuel scattered across the floor, woke the still-sleeping Harry and Ron, and dragged them off to breakfast.
The gift he'd bought for Hagrid should be arriving today as well. If he went too late, there was a good chance a crowd of students would gather around to watch.
"Is getting up this early really worth it just for breakfast?" Ron mumbled sleepily from his seat. "Don't we have no classes today?"
Harry looked equally exhausted beside him, mechanically shoveling food into his mouth.
Kane, meanwhile, watched the owls drawing closer through the high windows of the Great Hall and relaxed slightly.
The delivery wasn't late.
Good. No need to file a complaint.
Aside from Kane, neither Harry nor Ron thought the huge wave of incoming packages had anything to do with them. They merely made a token effort to protect the food in front of them.
For Harry, however, that precaution proved completely useless.
One long package was flying straight toward his head.
Harry instinctively glared resentfully at the owl, but the moment he saw the note attached to the package, he snapped fully awake.
He grabbed Kane and Ron and immediately tried to drag them out of the Great Hall.
"I've still got a package coming. What's gotten into you?" Kane asked in surprise.
What kind of package could make Harry this excited?
"A broomstick! A brand-new broomstick! Professor McGonagall sent it to me!" Harry whispered.
Ron instantly perked up.
"Seriously? Come on, come on!"
Harry and Ron hurried back to the dormitory carrying the package, while Kane remained behind to wait for his own.
Only after most of the packages in the Great Hall had already been collected did a small squadron of owls finally come wobbling in, struggling beneath the weight of an enormous parcel.
"Finally."
Kane drew his wand and used a Levitation Charm to take the massive package from them.
He carried it out of the Great Hall and headed toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hardly anyone came around here, which made it much more convenient for what he needed to do.
He opened the package.
Inside was a young yak, sleeping peacefully.
Kane allowed his shadows to seep into the calf's body, transforming it into a young Beefalo.
Whenever he imagined Hagrid's enormous frame paired with a fully grown Beefalo, the image just seemed perfect.
Hagrid would probably love this gift.
Before the present arrived, Kane had almost been too embarrassed to visit him.
Every time he thought about what he'd done, he felt like he'd betrayed Hagrid in the worst possible way.
It was like taking money from an honest man to support your mistress, only to suddenly discover that your mistress was the honest man's long-lost little sister.
The kind of revelation that made you want to skip both the stairs and the elevator and just take the express route straight down.
"Huh? Kane?"
Hagrid had just finished breakfast in the Great Hall and returned to his hut when he spotted Kane skulking around nearby.
"Haven't seen you in a while. Say, how did things go with Aragog?"
"Ah, I think it was a very promising start."
Kane laughed awkwardly and immediately changed the subject.
"Oh, right! I got you a present. Come take a look and see if you like it."
He motioned for Hagrid to look inside the package, where the young Beefalo was still sleeping soundly.
Curious, Hagrid walked over and lowered his head.
At first glance, the little creature looked almost like a squat brown nut. Its entire body was covered in long, earthy-brown fur, its four legs were adorably round and stubby, and its little face looked remarkably gentle and honest.
"Ohhh... what an adorable little thing."
The instant Hagrid saw it, even his voice softened.
His entire body seemed to radiate maternal warmth.
"Is it some special kind of magical creature?"
"Sort of. I made it myself. It's similar to a Treeguard." Kane nodded toward the calf. "Do you like it? It'll keep growing too. Eventually, it might get about as big as your house. If you want it, it's yours."
Kane now understood Hagrid's standards of beauty.
Big was beautiful.
Strong was adorable.
So he exaggerated the Beefalo's eventual size just a little.
"Oh, I don't know. This might be too valuable."
Hagrid hesitated.
"Then I guess I'll take it back and barbecue it."
Kane pretended to reach for the young Beefalo.
Hagrid immediately changed his tune.
"I love valuable gifts! Thank you, Kane. I really like it."
Hagrid carefully scooped the calf into his arms.
"I think I'll call him... Walnut."
"Mm-hmm. Because of the color, maybe?"
Kane nodded.
"Anyway, as long as you like him. I need to get back and work on my Dark Sword and Night Armor. I've finally gathered all the materials, so I can actually start making them."
With that, Kane turned toward Hogwarts Castle.
"Huh? You don't want to come inside for a bit?" Hagrid scratched his head. "I've barely seen you all week."
"Nope."
Kane still felt a little guilty every time he looked at Hagrid.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right, Hagrid. Don't keep Walnut indoors. He grows really fast. Sometimes you might go to sleep, wake up, and he'll suddenly be..."
Kane held his hands in front of his chest, then abruptly spread them wide apart as though describing an enormous balloon.
"I understand. Thank you, Kane."
Hagrid held Walnut in one arm and waved goodbye with the other.
Seeing him like that only made Kane walk faster.
Ahhh! Move, you stupid legs!
Looking at Hagrid acting like this is making me feel like even more of a bastard!
Before long, Kane managed to command his useless legs to carry him back to the dormitory.
There, he found Harry flying slowly around the room on a magnificent broomstick with Ron riding behind him.
The broom remained perfectly steady.
When Harry saw Kane return, he immediately called out to him.
"Kane, get on! It's a Nimbus Two Thousand, the newest and best broom there is! The stability is unbelievable!"
Kane declined.
"No thanks, Harry. I've got my own stuff to work on right now. It's like waiting a month for a package and finally having it arrive today. Nothing is stopping me from ripping that thing open as fast as possible."
Harry and Ron shrugged helplessly and continued flying around at low altitude.
They hadn't been flying for more than a few seconds when the Prestihatitator on the other side of the room suddenly began producing a series of pleasant sounds.
Then came Kane's utterly baffled voice.
"What the hell is this thing?"