HP: Alchemy? Nah, It's Crafting

"Kasenhis, you are suspected of violating the Statute of Secrecy. Please come with us."

Kasen had just finished laying the dark oak wood planks on the floor when he heard this cold and emotionless voice.

"Uh…"

Kasen raised his head and looked at the security door in front of him, then turned to look at the strangely dressed person holding a small wooden stick.

"Did you climb through the window? Honestly, that's not very safe. You could have just knocked on the door, and I would have let you in. Of course, if you're here to rob me, I wouldn't mind… do you need this watch?"

"It might fetch a thousand or two pounds, but you can't take my phone or wallet because I live quite far from here, you know? The commute for my custom home renovation job is just as annoying as the commute for your robbery."

As he spoke, he removed the relatively decent mechanical wristwatch on his hand. It probably wasn't worth a thousand or two pounds, but he figured that someone desperate enough to rob people in pajamas probably didn't have much appreciation for such things.

"Enough! Kasenhis, I repeat, you are currently suspected of violating the Statute of Secrecy. I am an employee of the Ministry of Magic's Improper Use of Magic Office. You may call me Lester. Now, please come with me."

Lester pulled out his wand and pointed it at Kasen.

"Oh… do you need me to call someone? Your family? Or a mental hospital?"

"Sir, there's no need to play dumb. We both know the current situation. Trust me, you don't want Hit Wizards or Aurors coming for you."

Lester took a step forward slowly.

"…I'm sorry, I still don't understand. What's an Auror? What's a Hit Wizard? And what… is the Ministry of Magic?"

"Oh heavens, do I look that gullible to you… Stupefy!"

Kasen raised his hand, and in an instant, a two-meter-tall stone pillar appeared in front of him, blocking the incoming red light.

At the same time, Lester finally revealed a smile. "And you said you don't know magic? Finally showing your true colors, huh!"

Bang!

A shrunken anvil suddenly appeared above his head, knocking him unconscious.

"Oops.. Apologies, sir. I hope you forget everything that just happened," Kasen said as the floating obsidian block in his hand suddenly transformed into a wooden stick about thirty centimeters long.

"No, no, this doesn't feel strong enough. Raw wood should do the trick."

In the next moment, a solid raw wood block was released, floating and dancing with his hand.

With a thud, the block landed.

A deep blue liquid appeared in his hand, and he splashed it directly onto Lester's face.

"Kasenhi—"

Thud!

"This still didn't erase his memory? Not strong enough?"

He switched the raw wood block to cobblestone, followed by another bang.

"How dare you attack a Ministry of Magic employee, you—"

The block in his hand changed shape one after another, from raw wood to cobblestone. Kasen thought the impact should have been more than enough, but the unlucky Ministry employee just stubbornly clung to his memories.

Finally, he pulled out the anvil and decided to finish things off with something heavy.

"..Ahem, I don't think this is necessary anymore, do you, Mr. Kasenhis?"

…

Today was the most surreal day of Kasenhis' life… or perhaps the second most surreal.

The last time his life felt this magical was when he had just transmigrated. At that time, he was playing Minecraft with a YouTube commentary video of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone running in the background. Then, the computer short-circuited, and just like that, he arrived in this alternate world's England.

But he hadn't come empty-handed. He brought along an MC System, which could upgrade itself by absorbing people's positive feelings toward him, including but not limited to gratitude, trust, satisfaction, and affection.

This power manifested in reality as small blocks. Whether it was tiny wooden sticks or planks, or larger flame and water source blocks, everything could materialize directly from his hand and affect the real world.

Although it couldn't compare to the Minecraft creative mode in the original game, it was more than enough for England's concrete jungle. For example… opening a custom home renovation studio or something like that.

What happened today wasn't entirely his fault.

Before transmigrating, the commentary video he was watching hadn't even finished explaining the first movie. If that Ministry of Magic employee had mentioned something like "Where's your wand?" or keywords like "Hogwarts," he might have reacted faster.

Instead, things turned out like this. He casually placed a raw wood block and two stair blocks in the center of the room, using them as a table and chairs.

Opposite him sat the white-bearded old man… yeah, he recognized him. After all, the very first scene in the Harry Potter movie commentary was this man holding a lighter that could absorb light, appearing on a dark street.

At this moment, Dumbledore was curiously examining the stair block Kasen was sitting on and the raw wood block in front of him.

"Is this alchemy? Well, it's certainly not Transfiguration, but I must sincerely commend your innovative method of spellcasting."

Kasen felt awkward.

The old man in front of him didn't show a hint of hostility—he was even overly friendly. That made Kasen hesitant to attack him, although he wasn't sure he could win anyway.

Still, it was worth a try.

What was so scary about an old man who liked to collect light with a lighter?

Just as he was about to repeat his earlier tactic and quietly place an anvil above Dumbledore's head, the "victim" spoke up.

"I don't have Lester's sturdy physique. Honestly, if an anvil were to fall on my head, it might actually cost me my life."

Kasen nodded in agreement and swapped the anvil for a wooden plank.

"..."

"…Oh, sorry, I thought you weren't referring to me," he said, sheepishly retrieving the wooden plank block like nothing had happened.

"A casting method I've never seen before. These little blocks and the magical energy coursing through you… it seems you are a natural-born alchemist, capable of freely transforming and creating. If Nicolas Flamel knew about your existence, he might excitedly report to Death a little ahead of schedule."

Dumbledore looked at Kasen with great interest, as if he had found someone who had strayed back onto the right path.

"Thank you…"

"Well, Mr. Kasenhis? Would you mind telling me about yourself?"

"I am…"

He braced himself and said, "A wizard, I suppose. I was… in Sweden before. I only recently came to England, so I'm unfamiliar with the rules here…"

"Is that so?"

"Ug! Alright, I've never been good at lying. I just don't have the talent for it. This power… I woke up one day and found I had it. So, I used this ability to open a custom home renovation studio. Basically, I renovate houses, like this."

With a casual wave of his hand, the wall in front of him was instantly covered with a layer of thick, sturdy wooden planks.

Despite Kasen's half-truths and his very real demonstration, Dumbledore maintained his kind and smiling expression.

[Satisfaction +10 from Dumbledore]

Kasen suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. Usually, when his clients expressed satisfaction, it wasn't a problem.

Most of the time, they were satisfied with the houses he renovated.

But the old man in front of him—why had he given him satisfaction points? What was he satisfied with?

Dumbledore noticed Kasen's strange gaze, his eyes darting around as if he'd realized what Kasen was thinking. He quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand. I was merely praising your honesty."

"Hey! Dumbledore… you can't… you can't have such a pleasant conversation with a wizard who attacked a Ministry employee… I will appeal, appeal to the Wizengamot!—Ugh!"

Lying on the ground, Lester struggled to lift his eyelids and speak. However, before he could finish, he was once again buried completely under a fresh pile of sand that had fallen from above.