Pomona placed a bowl of red soup before Minerva.
"What is this?" Minerva asked, cautiously refraining from touching it.
"Healthy food," Pomona said smugly. "Didn't you say last time that my cooking was too greasy?"
"Is this blood?" Minerva asked suspiciously.
"Of course not!" Pomona shouted.
"Then what is it?"
"You'll know if you taste it." Pomona handed Minerva a spoon.
Minerva took the spoon and carefully scooped up a small spoonful.
"Well?" Pomona asked eagerly.
"Sour." Minerva considered the taste in her mouth. "A little like vinegar."
"How rude! Why would I serve vinegar to a guest?"
"Then what is it?"
"Red wine. I added vegetables too. It's definitely healthy enough."
"Where did you find this recipe?" Minerva put down the spoon.
"It doesn't taste good?" Pomona asked.
"We can't give alcohol to children," Minerva said in a lowered voice. "Especially first- and second-years. Their parents won't allow it."
"Oh, come on." Pomona sounded unconcerned. "If they really had to wait until they reached the Muggle legal drinking age, Three Broomsticks would go out of business."
"That's outside. I'm talking about inside the school," Minerva said sternly.
"You can't make rules like that!" Pomona said just as sternly.
"What rules?"
"What do you mean, outside and inside? Why should there be different standards?"
Perhaps because he had grown hungry, Flitwick came into the kitchen, but the moment he saw the scene inside, he immediately turned around and left.
"I have no authority to forbid Three Broomsticks from selling Butterbeer to minors," Minerva said.
"Oh, so you have the authority to forbid me?" Pomona asked.
"This is the Hogwarts kitchen," Minerva said.
"And isn't this your territory?" Pomona said.
Minerva glared at her for a while.
"Besides, other countries don't have this ban. An eight-year-old French child knows more about