Marvel: Trading with Worlds

By now, Kain had thoroughly studied black magic, having read every book on the subject available at Hogwarts. 

Voldemort had been researching Horcruxes at the age of sixteen, but Kain's extensive knowledge—some of which he had coerced from Tom Riddle himself—was enough to teach fourth, fifth, and sixth-year students how to defend against such dark magic.

The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students occasionally joined the Hogwarts classes. Most of them were in their seventh year, so only a few needed to attend lessons alongside the younger Hogwarts students.

In recent nights, however, Kain noticed a peculiar visitor. The same black cat from before had taken to sitting outside his office door, as if treating it like a hotel.

Meanwhile, Kain continued his research on the Sorting Hat.

"Amazing," he muttered, inspecting the runes he had recorded. "What magical craftsmanship. The construction method seems tied to advanced sealing techniques. If I can stabilize these runes, I might be able to create something similar—a hat capable of 'emotions,' 'thoughts,' and 'judgments.'"

Kain examined his notes again. The Sorting Hat's composition included over 1,700 unique symbols. 

About a quarter of these were standard runes, but the rest were unfamiliar to him. From his analysis, two symbols seemed derived from magical creatures, while another defied classification entirely.

"Maybe Nicolas Flamel's notes have something useful," Kain mused. He suddenly remembered the wealth of knowledge left by the legendary alchemist. 

Resolving to delve into those materials, Kain decided to allocate two Shadow Clones daily to study Flamel's alchemical works in detail.

"Before that, I can refine some other—eh? Fleur Delacour?"

Kain paused as he received the memory feedback from his Shadow Clone. Everything in class had been routine, except for one unexpected event: Fleur Delacour had approached him after class. 

She had asked to meet with him after tonight's Champion Selection Ceremony to discuss something.

It wasn't difficult to guess that Fleur's motives were tied to the Delacour family. However, Kain had no intention of assisting the proud "flower of the court." 

The Delacour family was notoriously greedy, and if he let them off easily, where would his reputation stand? Worse, the Delacours might take further liberties, pushing their advantage.

Still, Fleur's approach served as a reminder—tonight was the Triwizard Tournament's Champion Selection Ceremony. Kain had almost forgotten about it. 

If Fleur hadn't sought him out, he would have spent the evening refining magical items in his office.

The Goblet of Fire, though a fascinating magical artifact, was something Kain hadn't studied in-depth. 

Its power lay in its unbreakable magical contract; once a name was selected, not even Dumbledore could undo or alter the agreement.

By the time Kain arrived at the Great Hall, he was late. Dumbledore had just announced the Beauxbatons champion: Fleur Delacour.

"Professor, over here!"

Hermione waved to Kain from behind the crowd. As the Goblet of Fire prepared to reveal the second champion's name, Kain avoided drawing attention and quietly joined her near the professor's section.

"Professor," Hermione whispered, leaning close to Kain's ear, "Harry's been having some trouble lately. After the champion selection is over, can I bring him to see you?"

Harry, standing nearby, caught Kain's gaze and gave him a quick nod. Clearly, the two had already discussed the matter.

Kain nodded. "Of course. Come to my office afterward."

As they spoke, the Goblet of Fire announced the remaining champions: Viktor Krum for Durmstrang and Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts. The Great Hall erupted into applause.

However, before Dumbledore could continue, the Goblet of Fire flared to life once more. 

A fourth piece of parchment flew out, and as Dumbledore caught it, the lines on his face deepened. He frowned, then loudly proclaimed:

"Harry Potter!"

The hall fell into stunned silence. Hermione gasped. "A fourth champion? And it's Harry? Why are there four champions in the Triwizard Tournament? Professor Penter, why does this somehow feel reasonable all of a sudden?"

Kain gave her a knowing look. "You're under the enchantment of logic, Hermione."

He glanced toward Mad-Eye Moody. The man appeared genuinely shocked. If this were indeed an imposter, his acting was impeccable. 

Kain had read the original events; Barty Crouch Jr. had deceived nearly everyone with his convincing performance.

Harry's selection as a champion stirred resentment among the students. At only fourteen years old, he was already burdened with the title of the "Boy Who Lived." His peers, however, weren't impressed by his abilities. Why had he been chosen as a champion?

"Cheater!" That was the prevailing thought born from jealousy and frustration. Even Ron, Harry's best friend, doubted him. 

Only Hermione believed it to be an accident, knowing Harry lacked the magical prowess to bypass Dumbledore's enchantments. If he were truly that skilled, she thought, 'I wouldn't have to help him with his homework so often.'

After Dumbledore confirmed Harry's participation as the fourth champion, he dismissed the students, signaling that he and Barty Crouch would discuss the matter further.

As the Great Hall emptied, Hermione turned to Kain. "Godfather, what should we do now?"

"We wait," Kain replied calmly. "Dumbledore will decide how to handle this, but there's no changing the facts. Harry must compete. The Goblet of Fire's magic contract is unbreakable—even Dumbledore cannot stop it."

After Kain finished speaking, he turned to Hermione and said, "Once Harry comes out, if he still wants to speak with me today, bring him to my office."

Hermione nodded in agreement. Kain didn't want to waste time. While waiting, he could return to his designs for the next alchemy item he planned to refine.

At the moment, metal and magical materials remained his primary focus. Once he had a better understanding of the runes, he intended to experiment with incorporating them into clothing.

Not long after Kain returned to his office, there was a knock on the door.

With a wave of his hand, the door swung open, and Hermione entered, looking distracted and unhappy.

She glanced at the magical materials scattered across Kain's desk, then spoke. "Godfather, there was an issue when I came here, so I wasted a little time."

Kain waved it off, turned his chair to face Harry, and asked, "It's fine. So, Harry, what's troubling you?"

Harry, with a sullen expression, responded, "Professor, my biggest problem right now is becoming a warrior. Is there any way out?"

"Of course there is," Kain replied. "The key is figuring out how to deal with the Goblet of Fire. Honestly, I've been wanting to study it for a while. Since it's a magical artifact, there has to be a way to crack it. But I only started studying alchemy recently, so it'll probably take a few months, maybe even half a year, to figure it out."

Kain paused and added, "I really want to study it, but Dumbledore and Barty Crouch would never agree to that."

"But I really didn't put my name in," Harry protested.

"Of course not," Kain responded. "With your magical ability, there's no way you could've bypassed Dumbledore's enchantments. Someone else put your name in. Honestly, I could've done it, but the deadline passed. Otherwise, all three of you would have been able to participate."

Kain paused, his gaze steady. "No one makes you famous for nothing. Whoever helped you become a warrior is doing it for something—either your money or something else. In short, someone is watching you now. But don't worry. There are enough professors in this school to ensure your safety."

Harry's expression softened slightly after hearing Kain's reassurance. The professor had confirmed he hadn't signed up for the Goblet of Fire, which eased his mind. 

On the other hand, Ron, who had been listening nearby, felt a pang of shame. He had also briefly suspected Harry of cheating to become a champion.

However, Kain's next words made Harry nervous again. "Someone's watching me?" Harry thought. Why did he always seem to get caught up in dangerous situations?

Feeling helpless, he began to recall his recent nightmares. Looking at Hermione, who seemed concerned, he remembered why he had come to Kain in the first place. 

"Professor," he began, "I've been having these nightmares recently. In them, Voldemort's fighting with some Death Eaters. They say something about coming to Hogwarts."

"Come to Hogwarts?" Kain's face grew more serious. "Tell me about these dreams in detail."

And so, Harry recounted his recurring nightmares.

"You all have to lurk in," Kain thought, pondering the implications. 'More than one Death Eater came in?'

But Kain didn't notice that Moody had been drinking throughout the conversation. Still, just to be on the safe side, he decided he would try using a spell tomorrow.

"Harry, you'd better practice Occlumency. It's my suggestion to you. As for who you should learn from... you can ask Sirius, or Professor McGonagall."

Kain spoke to Harry seriously. "The Occlumency spell is the only thing that can help you with your nightmares."

After solving all of Harry's problems, Kain told them to head to the dormitory and get some sleep. The day had been delayed by many things, and it was already very late.

"Hermione, Ron, how do I learn Occlumency from Sirius? He can't even get into Hogwarts. Yes, there's a secret passage in the school, but where would he live after getting in?"

On their way back, Harry asked with some frustration. After the misunderstanding had been cleared up, his relationship with Ron had returned to normal.

"I don't know either," Ron said.

Before he could finish his thought, he saw someone coming around the corner. 

The silver waterfall-like hair and striking beauty of the figure made him unable to tear his eyes away, especially after their close-up view just moments ago.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Harry nodded in agreement. "You're right, Ron."

"It's Fleur Delacour? What's she doing here so late?" Ron asked. "That direction should be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office, where her godfather lives."

Hermione was clearly curious but, as expected, Harry and Ron couldn't give her an answer.

"Go back first, I'm going to the bathroom."

Hermione hurriedly excused herself and left.

After she was gone, Harry responded to Ron's question with a raised eyebrow. "Ron, is there a bathroom in the girls' dormitory?"

"I don't know. Maybe not, otherwise Hermione wouldn't have gone anywhere else."

Harry shook his head with a grin. "That's really pathetic."

…

patreon.com/Vks_sh