In contrast to the bustling excitement of the fencing club, Kasenhis in the alchemy office was leisurely taking out a fine bottle of wine from Dumbledore's cabinet.
After letting it breathe, he poured a glass for Ollivander sitting in front of him.
As for why he was here…
Blame that damned Voldemort.
Normally, the O.W.L. exams were, strictly speaking, overseen by the Ministry of Magic, and the examiners were all seconded from the Wizengamot. Since the Wizengamot and the Ministry had close ties, borrowing them didn't cost extra Galleons. At most, everyone would gather for a meal and some drinks afterward.
Each person would receive a small gift worth a few thousand Galleons, and in the end, the Ministry official in charge could still pocket a tidy sum.
But this year, Voldemort had made a comeback, and Fudge had been forcibly removed, replaced by the more aggressive, more hardline, and more capable Barty Crouch.
Now, every member of the Wizengamot had been turned by Barty Crouch into bricks to be moved wherever needed, under the guise of moral obligation.
So those old, established wizards could no longer serve as O.W.L. examiners. They were now running around the world on various assignments.
This thankless task was then distributed by Dumbledore among the professors.
Each professor had to find a top figure in their subject to serve as examiner, and the professors themselves couldn't do it to avoid conflicts of interest.
Kasenhis couldn't help but laugh when he heard that reason.
The entire magical world was this small… avoiding conflicts of interest?
Heh…
And at this moment, the Ollivander sitting in front of Kasenhis was the alchemy examiner he had found for Hogwarts.
After all, in the Alchemy Association, he was the only one who spent his days completely idle. Aside from selling a few dozen wands in his shop at the start of each school year, he was free the rest of the time.
Like now. With nothing better to do, he had come to Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Kasenhis was trying to figure out how to offer him a little "incentive" in a way that was both elegant and discreet.
So that during the exams, he might give his students a bit of leniency.
Although Kasenhis had absolute confidence in his students. They might not have achieved anything earth-shattering, but all of them had solid, respectable results.
Still, if things could be just a little better… who would refuse?
"Stop trying to fool me with this stuff. The one thing I don't lack right now is money." Ollivander looked at the various valuable-looking items Kasenhis had awkwardly laid out in front of him and shook his head helplessly.
Who even gives bribes like this? This Professor Kasenhis was, in this regard, unbelievably clueless.
"Alright, if you need something else, that works too. Just tell me. If I can make it, I will. If I can't, I'll think of a way to get it for you." Kasenhis sighed as he stuffed all those valuable items back into the box.
"Can't you have a little more confidence in your students? Maybe they can pass the exam without any help from me," Ollivander said, somewhat puzzled. Could it be that Professor Kasenhis was another Snape, unmatched in academia but a disaster in teaching?
After all, Snape himself… not just in England, but across all of Europe, when it came to potion-making, there was no one better. Even his mentor, the former Slytherin Head of House, Slughorn, wasn't his equal.
But in terms of teaching, it was hard to say. As a professor, his reputation was… questionable. Not just among the other three Houses, even within Slytherin, his own base, there weren't many who had good things to say about him as Head of House.
Let alone the other Houses.
Over the years, he had taught many students, yet none truly stood out.
It wasn't that their level was bad, but compared to their teacher Snape, the gap was hard to describe. Frankly, looking at a pile of dog dung was more pleasing than looking at them.
Ollivander looked at Kasenhis with a strange expression. "What, have you started learning from Snape now?"
Kasenhis shook his head. "What are you talking about? Don't overthink it. I just want their futures to be a bit brighter. I do have some confidence in their results. At the very least, everyone should get an A, a solid pass. But if they can do even better, I'd be more than happy."
"Then you're not much different from Snape." Ollivander looked at him with disdain.
Kasenhis rolled his eyes helplessly. "What kind of nonsense is that? My students all have very good grades. Even without your help, they'll all get A's, alright? Don't go slandering me."
Ollivander smiled. "Snape's students' potion results aren't bad either, at least in exams like the O.W.L.s. But that's because his own level is too high. The same applies to you. Your level in alchemy is too high, so the standard for your students should naturally be higher as well."
"At least in my view, with your level, the students you teach… even if they don't all become Nicolas Flamel, they should at least be able to come straight to Diagon Alley and compete with me," Ollivander explained.
"You're quite something. You'd actually be happy to have people competing with you," Kasenhis said with a laugh.
"As for alchemy as a field, the more it flourishes, the happier I am," Ollivander replied succinctly. "And if someone truly emerges who can compete with us old alchemical families, or if a new alchemical system appears, then we'd be even more excited."
"That day isn't far off. Of course, I mean the second situation you mentioned," Kasenhis added, worried that Ollivander might misunderstand.
"You mean a new alchemical system is about to emerge? Your students? I mean the ones closest to you… like the ones with alchemical mechanical arms?" Ollivander asked curiously.
"Alchemical mechanical arms are just a byproduct of alchemical machinery. I believe the true path is for alchemical machines to replace manual labor and create assembly lines for the magical world. But for now, that's still a bit far off."
"As for the new system I'm talking about… I'm not sure if you've read my papers recently, but you've definitely heard the name. Infusion… you know it, right?" Kasenhis raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm! ..Hmm?"
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