The first lesson ended hastily in a furious quarrel between the two, accomplishing absolutely nothing.
Then Dumbledore thought of Kael.
"You're also skilled in Occlumency—if you help smooth things over, the teaching might go better." Dumbledore said. "At least try not to let them storm out halfway through the class like last time."
"But my Occlumency is just at beginner level—I don't think I'll be much help." Kael wanted to refuse.
He had other things to do this holiday and didn't want to waste time on anything else.
Occlumency wasn't something you mastered overnight; if he took this on, his vacation was done for.
Besides, Professor Snape was pretty good already. His teaching style was a bit rough, but he'd never harm Harry.
And anyway, it was a special time—giving Harry some pressure might actually help him master the skill faster.
But Dumbledore seemed completely oblivious to Kael's attempt at refusal.
"You're too modest, Kael." He shook his head, "When it comes to Occlumency, few people I know are better than you—including some who've been famous for years."
"You're kidding, Professor." Kael continued to refuse. "Professor Snape's much better than me. If even he can't manage it, what use am I?"
Dumbledore's gaze flickered; if it were two years ago, Kael would have been right, but now things were debatable.
"Even if it's just to help Harry—is that okay?" Dumbledore spoke calmly: "The last dream left him really depressed. You want him to bounce back quickly, don't you?"
Kael frowned, hesitating.
If it was really like Dumbledore said, he didn't mind helping—but something felt off to Kael.
Dumbledore's words weren't wrong, but comforting Harry… Surely Hermione or Ron were more suited for that.
And teaching Harry Occlumency was Snape's job—Kael wouldn't be much help even if he went… He didn't think he could change Snape's mind or decisions, unless Conna was involved too.
Neither task was his best fit, but Dumbledore was still picking him.
Kael thought for a long time, but couldn't figure out what other motive Dumbledore might have.
"But I still have to guard the Basilisk… I can't afford distractions." Kael looked up, speaking quietly.
Visibly, Dumbledore's mouth twitched, but it quickly returned to normal.
"No problem, Fawkes can help." He said with a smile.
"All right, it's settled then." Kael barely hesitated, as if afraid Dumbledore might change his mind, and agreed immediately. "No time to waste. I'll go see Professor Snape now."
With that, he opened the Headmaster's Office door and walked out, scooping up the sleeping Fawkes from his perch as he left.
Startled awake, Fawkes blinked at Kael, then at Dumbledore, and promptly buried his head under his wing again.
"Bang!"
The Headmaster's Office door slammed shut.
"What a sly kid."
The portrait of Phineas Black opened his eyes and said to Dumbledore, "That kid was negotiating, plain as day. You didn't catch that?"
"I'm no old fool, Phineas." Dumbledore walked behind the desk, picking up a letter and reading it.
He knew exactly what Kael meant—if the Basilisk really was that unstable and needed constant watch, he would never have allowed Kael to bring it into the school.
But right now, he had to make sure Kael took this job.
Sure, helping Harry was part of it—but the real reason was something else.
This holiday, he wanted to keep Kael busy, so busy he wouldn't have time to think about anything else.
He had a hunch… well, an old wizard's intuition—if he didn't keep an eye on Kael, in these two weeks Kael would definitely pull something unexpected, most likely involving himself.
And the closer the holiday got, the stronger that feeling was.
Dumbledore decided to trust his intuition.
...