Three days had passed since returning from Diagon Alley, and the pile of things Kai Adler had purchased was still casually tossed in a corner, untouched.
Among them was a stack of textbooks, all bearing the insufferably perfect smile of one Gilderoy Lockhart on their glossy covers.
Preview schoolwork? Compared to cultivating a certain bright young lady's affections, previewing homework was a distant second—at least, that had been Kai's initial plan.
Unfortunately, reality had its own ideas.
Now, he found himself sitting beside Hermione Granger with a bitter expression, clutching Lockhart's Vacations with Vampires, while listening to the girl beside him chatter animatedly about Lockhart's astonishing exploits.
Staring down at the man winking smugly from the cover, Kai felt an almost overwhelming urge to summon an Inferius just to shut him up permanently.
When Hermione recited, "Lockhart remained composed, emitting a dazzling light with one hand and sending the ghoul flying ten meters away," Kai finally couldn't resist speaking up.
"Honestly, hearing all this… Lockhart sounds more powerful than Dumbledore."
Hermione paused, her brow furrowing. She hadn't thought about that before. No one had questioned it—until Kai mentioned it in Diagon Alley. Now, even she was starting to sense something wasn't quite right.
Lockhart really did seem too perfect in his stories.
"Well… maybe there's a bit of artistic license involved."
Kai flipped the book in his hand, causing the image of Lockhart to turn upside down. The man's wink froze mid-motion.
"I'd say the whole thing is artistic license. All of it. As a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, using his own biography as a textbook? Is he teaching, or running a personal book tour?"
Hermione opened her mouth to argue—but nothing came out.
Kai smirked and dug through the pile, eventually pulling out a different book.
"If we're actually going to preview, let's start with the basics."
Having once endured the brutal logic of the university entrance exam system, Kai had long since learned the importance of fundamentals. He handed her The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2.
"Much better than wasting time on fluff and fiction."
Hermione—ever the model student—nodded in agreement. A little hero worship was normal for her age, but as far as Kai was concerned, his future partner shouldn't grow up to be a fangirl chasing empty idols.
Just as they were settling into a proper study rhythm, Kai's gaze suddenly lifted toward the sky. In the distance, he sensed a faint magical presence—one familiar, but oddly altered.
Hermione noticed his change in expression and followed his line of sight. A small black dot was drifting toward them from the sky.
As it grew nearer, its form became clearer.
It was a strange creature: a long, scaled body like a serpent's, feathered wings outstretched in flight, and a sharp-beaked birdlike head.
Kai's sharp eyes caught the glint of something wrapped around its tail.
"That's an Occamy."
Hermione blinked. "You know it?"
"Sure."
Hermione raised her chin proudly. "I read about it in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They're rare magical creatures classified XXXX by the Ministry of Magic—dangerous and requiring specialist knowledge to handle. They can expand or shrink their size to fit available space and can grow up to fifteen feet."
As she lectured, the Occamy landed gracefully in front of them, fluttering its iridescent wings.
Hermione instinctively stepped back and pulled Kai with her.
A XXXX-rated magical creature wasn't a joke. They were still underage wizards—even if Kai didn't seem underage at all in terms of magical power…
Kai, however, looked at the creature with a calm, almost amused curiosity.
Its greenish-blue scales shimmered in the sunlight, and violet wings framed its elegant form. Fine down along the back of its neck glistened like silk, and Kai found himself glancing from the creature to the top of Hermione's head, idly wondering which one would be softer to touch.
"This little guy looks exhausted."
The Occamy—no longer than half a meter—hovered unsteadily. Its beak was slightly open, tongue lolling out in fatigue. Its tail was coiled tightly around what appeared to be a wand and a letter.
Kai raised an eyebrow. "That's… for me?"
Bold and practiced, he reached out.
"Be careful!" Hermione tugged at his sleeve, looking up at him in alarm.
"It's fine," he said, soothingly.
The Occamy chirped and gently released the letter and wand to the ground before diving forward.
With a soft flutter, it slipped right into Kai's sleeve.
A cool, silky sensation wrapped around his wrist. When he lifted his sleeve, the creature had already coiled itself into a neat bracelet-like ring, its wings tucked in, head resting comfortably.
Even Hermione had to admit—it looked rather stunning.
The girl's eyes sparkled as she leaned in to admire it. Even the most dedicated bookworm couldn't resist something beautiful.
Hermione stared, puzzled. "You're sure you've never seen it before?"
Kai shook his head. "First time."
"But… the book said Occamies are aggressive toward humans. This one is practically cuddling you."
Kai shrugged. "Maybe the letter will explain."
He recognized the handwriting on the envelope immediately.
As he picked it up, he glanced at the Occamy coiled around his wrist. "Don't tell me you flew here all the way from Nurmengard?"
The creature chirped twice in reply—indignant, but melodic, like a bird trilling in the sun.
"Well then, thank you for your service."
Opening the envelope, he saw the elegantly penned words:
To: Kai Adler
Even now, seeing the old man's writing in such a formal tone gave Kai a strange feeling. It wasn't the first time he'd received a letter like this—but now, under this name, it felt oddly familial.
Out of courtesy, Hermione turned her head to avoid reading over his shoulder.
Her attention, however, was drawn to the wand lying on the ground.
It was unusual—entirely bone-white, straight, and about fifteen inches long. The shaft appeared to be two separate branches twined together, converging into a single tip. From the gaps between them, an eerie wisp of black mist curled out slowly, like smoke from a dying fire.
Hermione stepped forward, curiosity taking over, and reached out to pick it up.
Kai, having just finished reading the letter, looked up—and his expression changed instantly.
"Don't get too close to it!"
Hermione froze, startled, and turned just as—
Whoosh!
A thin ribbon of black mist shot from the wand, snakelike and silent, flying straight toward her chest.