"Oh, this is truly remarkable. And while that tongue hitting me wasn't particularly painful compared to other spells, having it lick things off your body, now that's impressive," Professor Flitwick said, casting the Shield Charm again as he looked at the toad on the desk.
"Exactly," Kane said, withdrawing the shadows he'd infused into Huginn's body and returning the toad to normal.
"I can turn an ordinary toad into this. Sure, a single toad isn't much, but if there were a lot of them, they could cause quite a bit of trouble."
Professor Flitwick picked up on Kane's train of thought. "But you can't exactly carry around a hundred toads with you, can you?"
Kane nodded.
"Hmm, using your own magic to mutate ordinary animals into magical creatures."
Professor Flitwick looked thoughtfully toward the Forbidden Forest. "Well, not just animals, I suppose. Anyway, I have a spell that would be perfect for you, the Summoning Charm."
Professor Flitwick tapped his wand as he spoke. With each wave, small creatures appeared in the classroom: roosters, lizards, snakes, little birds.
"Though it's called a Summoning Charm. It doesn't summon a brand new life, nor does it teleport creatures from somewhere else on Earth. Instead, these animals are created from your magic."
(n/s: Ik this is not canon)
After finishing his explanation, Professor Flitwick waved his wand and all the animals summoned by the charm vanished. Then he summoned another toad.
"Try to see if your shadows can change this toad."
Kane tried it. The results were promising. The shadows were imposing, and even the magical constructs summoned by the Summoning Charm naturally shaped themselves into creatures from the Constant.
"This spell could be very useful for you. As far as I know, your abilities aren't limited to just little frogs. You can also create tree guardians, and perhaps more things I don't know about." Professor Flitwick wrote out a note as he spoke.
"Restricted Section of the library, Transfiguration branch, Complete Guide to Summoning Charms. If you have any questions, come ask me anytime.
Though Dumbledore and Minerva are also experts in Transfiguration, one's the Headmaster and the other's Deputy Headmistress, they're very busy. I'm different. When I'm not teaching, I'm in my office. Feel free to knock anytime."
Kane happily accepted the note. As for what Professor Flitwick said at the end, he could interpret it as... another professor's office had just been unlocked on his Hogwarts map.
The two chatted warmly for a while longer before leaving the classroom.
The moment they turned the corner, Kane saw Harry and Ron crouched there.
"Why did you talk to Professor Flitwick for so long? If we go to the Great Hall now, will there even be any food left?" Ron said weakly.
"Let's go check. You never know," Kane said. He was feeling a bit hungry too. He pulled Harry and Ron along as they rushed to the Great Hall.
Sure enough, by the time the three of them arrived, everything had been cleared away. The tables in the Hall were cleaner than their faces.
"I think I'm dying," Ron said, breathing more out than in.
"Do you still have any of that spaghetti?" Harry asked, remembering how Ron had pulled spaghetti from his pocket yesterday.
"I finished it all last night," Ron said helplessly.
"Fine, I guess it's up to me to save us from this fiery hunger," Kane said righteously, leading Harry and Ron out of the castle. As for where this hunger came from?
Well...
Hagrid's hut by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. At this time, Hagrid should be patrolling the Forest with Fang.
"What are we going to do? Look for food in Hagrid's place? I think it'd be more reliable to find some Hufflepuffs and get them to sneak us into the kitchens," Harry said, his stomach growling.
"Don't worry, I worry won't let you go hungry today," Kane said.
He first pulled out the stones, gold, and wood from his pockets, then waved his wand. A Science Machine quickly appeared before him.
Then he continued crafting stone bricks by the Science Machine. After placing them on the ground, he realized he didn't have any branches or sticks. Kane looked toward the nearby Forbidden Forest and decided to take a risk.
Soon he returned carrying an armful of branches and a pile of charcoal from his pocket.
Harry and Ron stared at the scene in complete confusion. They'd just had Charms class, and no one had taught Transfiguration. Was Kane's even doing it... right?
But the person in question didn't have time to respond to them. He quietly crafted a stew pot, and with another bang, a cooking pot—a large pot supported by three wooden sticks—appeared before the three of them.
Then Kane wandered around Hagrid's house, front and back. Giant white radishes? Yes! Small pumpkins? Yes! Strips of bacon? Yes! And there was half a bag of flour from who knows where—that too!
He stuffed all these ingredients into the cooking pot without any processing whatsoever, then simply waited quietly for the food to cook.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron watched Kane's performance, which could definitely be described as "kitchen nightmare," and silently vowed to themselves that there was no way they'd eat anything Kane heated up or cooked!
Especially not with this thing that probably couldn't even cook food properly!
Just as the two made their resolution, the cooking pot made a very human-like "ding" sound. The lid had somehow been pushed off by the food inside, and the food itself...
"Kane, did you secretly use Transfiguration?"
"I remember the ingredients you threw in were all weirdly mismatched, but now there are these perfectly appetizing meatballs in the pot.
Where did those come from?" Harry and Ron spoke in turns, staring at this scene that defied both common sense and magic.
Though Kane wanted to say, "The Constant's business is none of yours," to avoid unnecessary questions, he didn't say it out loud.
Instead, he reached out and grabbed one of the meatballs—bigger than his fist—and bit right into it.
"Why aren't you eating?" Kane asked. After the first bite, he felt that familiar taste and let out a satisfied breath.
Only then did Harry and Ron snap out of it. With no utensils around, they grabbed the meatballs with their hands and dug in. The solemn vow they had made a moment earlier was already completely forgotten.
They were happily eating when a panicked shout rang out in the distance.
"Fang! Calm down! No one is chasing us anymore!"
Kane looked over just in time to see Hagrid's nervous dog tear across the yard, crash straight into the cooking pot, and smash it before scrambling into his doghouse.
Hagrid came running after him, out of breath. When he saw Kane and the others, and then the wreckage on the ground, he understood immediately.
"Ah. Missed lunch, did you? And then Fang went and broke your pot. Do not worry about it. I have a spare inside. I will get it for you."
He went into the hut and returned carrying a cauldron, the kind usually used for potion brewing.
"Hope this makes up for the trouble," Hagrid said as he set it down. He paused, taking in the delicious smell lingering in the air. "And if you have an extra serving, I would really appreciate it. Fang and I walked a long loop around the Forest. I am starving."
"So are we," Harry and Ron said quickly.
Kane looked at the cauldron. Anything he crafted could only be broken by him if he wanted the materials back.
If someone else, or some dog, destroyed it, it simply became junk. Which meant he could not make another cooking pot now.
But if he used the cauldron instead, could he still cook with it?