Magical Food

Moriarty sampled a bit of every dish, the only one he couldn't stomach being Lilith's gravy ice cream.

"I'm suddenly curious, do you have any siblings?" Moriarty asked Lilith, who was seated to his right.

Lilith, who was picking at a pork chop with her fork, glanced at Moriarty and the cup of gravy ice cream with a spirited glint in her eyes.

"I know what you're implying, but I don't have any mischievous siblings. My childhood was rather dull, filled only with thick legal statutes, which is why I enjoy cooking."

"Is that why you make… culinary abominations? Are you planning to incapacitate me with gravy ice cream so you can inherit my Slytherin staff?"

Moriarty's comment amused the little snakes surrounding him, and Lilith snorted, playing along.

"Then you'll be disappointed. You'll have to try my lamb syllabub, fried chips with baked jam, and sausage-and-carrot pie next... I'll be introducing a new dish every week, so don't forget."

Gemma Farley put down her roast chicken, a smile in her eyes. "Seriously, Lilith, why don't you open a food shop in Hogsmeade?"

"I bet Professor Dumbledore would be a regular," Bill Weasley chimed in. "He has a tremendous sweet tooth."

"Speaking of sweets, I recall you mentioning on the train that you don't like them," Moriarty said, helping himself to a chocolate muffin. "So why are there always sweets in your magical creations?"

"That's because I love meat, especially hearty, rich meat."

Lilith popped the pork chop into her mouth with a flourish. The way she ate was like a living painting.

A second-year senior inhaled sharply. "Oh, Merlin's beard, aren't you going to get fat?"

"Lilith only gets more voluptuous," Gemma said, her gaze roaming shamelessly over Lilith with a mischievous smile.

"Senior...!" Lilith finally blushed, her cheeks tinged red. She glared at Gemma. "I bet you've peeked at the girls while they were bathing!"

"Ooh~" The girls all burst into laughter, while the boys snickered, their ears perked.

Gemma's pretty face flushed bright red. While she knew Lilith was joking, she'd never discussed such topics before.

"Is this the 'paid content'?" Moriarty extended his staff towards Lilith's mouth. "Tell us your story with Senior Gemma, and I'll cast a Sonorus for you and even sponsor a Knut."

The girls were laughing too hard to eat. Lilith and Gemma looked at Moriarty as if they were meeting him for the first time, their expressions shifting.

At that moment, a tall boy at the head of the table stood up and called out towards Moriarty's group, "Mind your manners! This is Slytherin, not the chaotic Gryffindor!"

"Alright, Leon," Bill clapped him on the shoulder. "Today is the Sorting Ceremony, it's different from usual. It's fine for everyone to have a bit of fun."

"Don't touch me!" Leon shoved Bill's hand away, saying irritably, "Don't think you can boss me around just because you won three House Cups. That's what you're supposed to do as Quidditch Captain!"

Bill's expression darkened. He wanted to cast a Daze at Leon, but as the oldest prefect, doing so would have severe repercussions.

"Leon Minchum, sixth-year prefect. Harold Minchum, the current Minister for Magic, is your uncle, isn't that right?"

Lilith stood up, her earlier playful demeanor gone. She widened her eyes, meeting Leon's gaze.

"I admit our conversation was a bit heated, but what right do you have to lecture us? Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Snape, not even other professors have intervened. So why are you? Or are you just trying to establish your authority? To unite the House so you can become Student Council President next year, right, Senior?"

Lilith's barrage of questions gave her an unstoppable aura. Her clear, lark-like voice was like a sharp sword, striking Leon's heart with each word.

Leon nodded fiercely. "Very well. I've heard the only daughter of the Peverell family is notoriously rebellious. You should have been sorted into Gryffindor!"

"No, no, Mr. Leon, you mustn't say that," Moriarty tapped the floor with his staff, drawing the attention of the little snakes. He said with a half-smile, "If Lilith were to go to Gryffindor, that sword would eventually shave your hair off."

An invisible chill spread through the air, making all the little snakes feel a coolness on their heads.

Leon felt it too. He was certain he hadn't been cursed, so his gaze towards Moriarty became more probing.

However, considering the usual animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor, Leon snorted.

The appearance of the Gryffindor sword invigorated the lions. Although they had also welcomed back the Slytherin staff, Moriarty was clearly not on the same page as him.

With that thought, Leon's eyes gradually turned cold, though his words were filled with smooth diplomacy. "Young Mr. Moriarty, tell me an impossible story, but I think if it happened, the Slytherin staff wouldn't ignore me, would it?

Perhaps, the Slytherin staff would give that sword-wielding Gryffindor a good smack on the backside! Haha."

Leon's supporters quickly chimed in with laughter. Leon, as if forgetting Lilith, started chatting with the person next to him and sat down.

The matter was dropped. Lilith sat back down, indignant. "If we weren't at the dining table, I'd teach him a lesson!"

Moriarty shook his head. "That's not a good idea. This Leon is quite cunning. He won't confront you directly, but he'll resort to petty tricks."

"Mr. Moriarty is right," Gemma agreed, nodding. "Leon is a stuffy old traditionalist, but he's outstanding in Charms class. Only Senior Bill in the House can defeat him. He's set his sights on the Student Council President position this year; everyone knows that."

"Thank you, Senior," Lilith said sincerely. "Thank you for supporting me along with the other seniors."

Gemma waved her hand. "You don't need to thank me. You should thank Mr. Moriarty. Leon isn't a generous person; he might retaliate against Mr. Moriarty."

"Yes, you must be careful, okay? Moriarty," Lilith said worriedly, recalling some things she'd overheard on the train.

"Rather than that, I'd like to know how you plan to thank me," Moriarty raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"Hmm... I'll cook you a meal! I guarantee you'll be satisfied," Lilith said, struck by inspiration.

Indeed, Moriarty was digging into the newly appeared strawberry ice cream, his expression unapproachable.

Seeing Moriarty like this, Lilith and Gemma giggled uncontrollably, immensely amused.

Moriarty shook his head lightly. Ah, girls.

"Lilith mentioned the Student Council President just now. In fact, I don't think Senior Leon will become Student Council President next year," Moriarty's voice wasn't loud, but it was steady and powerful. Even the little snakes who were chatting heard him.

Lilith looked at Moriarty with concern, not understanding why he brought up Leon again.

Leon also heard him. He didn't react, but his supporters let out dismissive laughs.

A boy with short blond hair sat down next to Lilith, holding a large piece of roast beef. "Why do you think that, Mr. Moriarty?"

Moriarty glanced at him. "I remember you. Jericho Blench, the first student to be sorted."

"Obviously," Jericho said cheerfully. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Moriarty. I won't shake your hand." He grabbed the beef and ate with gusto.

"You ask what I think?" Moriarty looked towards the Gryffindor table. "Can you find the current student council president, Bill Weasley?"

The little Slytherins searched the Great Hall but couldn't find the familiar red hair.

Lilith exclaimed as if she had discovered a shocking secret. "I remember now! Percy Weasley mentioned Charlie Weasley many times, but never Bill Weasley! They're both his older brothers, and it's not logical for him to do that."

The little Slytherins turned their gaze to the Gryffindor table. Indeed, there were only two redheads – Charlie and Percy, sitting together.

"But what does that prove?" Lilith frowned in thought.

"It proves that Bill Weasley has more important things to do than attend the Sorting," Moriarty revealed the answer. "Lilith, you said Mr. Bill is a different kind of Weasley. He's a pure-blood who's close to Muggles, and other pure-bloods think highly of him. Plus, he's from Gryffindor."

"I think by now, Mr. Leon should have guessed something," Moriarty happily observed Leon's grim expression, as if he were gritting his teeth.

"Bill is Professor Dumbledore's man!" He pursed his lips tightly.

"Exactly!" Moriarty spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "So, do you think the next student council president will also be Professor Dumbledore's man?"

Leon's face turned ugly. The reason he wanted to become student council president was because he wanted to join the Ministry of Magic after graduation and restore the Minchum family's honor. Now it seemed...

Moriarty didn't care about Leon's plans. He started teasing Lilith again, and Jericho joined the conversation, drinking a whole cup of gravy ice cream!

"I like meat, and I like dessert too!" Jericho licked his lips. "So, if there's any more of this magical food in the future, please be sure to save some for me."

"Good heavens, you have quite the appetite," Lilith's gaze instantly shifted as she looked at Jericho. She moved closer to Moriarty, trying to get away from Jericho.

Gemma and her sisters laughed again, but this time, no one interfered. The number of little wizards around Moriarty clearly increased, chatting and eating.

In contrast, a group of little Slytherins at the head of the table followed the rules of pure-blood families even on the day of the Sorting, dining in silence, but the atmosphere was very oppressive.

Leon listlessly picked up his ice cream and put it down, while William looked on with amusement.

Dumbledore noticed the clear division at the Slytherin table. Casually, he caught Moriarty's knowing smile.

Bill Weasley was the male student council president in 1988-1989.