Extra 18

Professor Hoot led the three to the back door of the cabin. Inside, there was a spacious courtyard protected by a transparent magical barrier, and the interior was warm and cozy.

The courtyard is designed in the style of a Chinese garden, with artificial hills, bridges and streams, and is home to various Magical Creatures that these Europe wizards had never seen before.

"That's Vermilion Bird," Professor Hoot said, pointing to an elegant, large red bird with slender, long fingers. "In Huaxia, it's considered a symbol of good fortune, and the powder from its feathers is an important ingredient in several high-grade Potions."

Pabbie had already taken out a small notebook and started taking notes, clearly very interested in the Magical Creatures.

"May I come closer and take a look?"

"Yes, but you have to be slow. Red-crowned Crane are elegant, but also very sensitive."

As they approached, the Red-crowned Crane turned its head and sized them up with its intelligent black eyes.

When it spreads its wings, its red feathers Winky in the sunlight, their edges gleaming with gold.

"So beautiful, Red-crowned Crane— " Pabbie whispered.

Beside the artificial hill in the corner of the courtyard, a creature that looks like a small dinosaur is gnawing on a glowing piece of mineral.

It has rainbow-colored scales and large, intelligent eyes.

"That's Rainbow Lizard, it likes to eat magical minerals. Its scales are used to make color-changing cloaks." Professor Hoot approached, and the creature looked up at her, letting out a soft chirp, clearly familiar with her.

Gareth curiously reached out his hand, but the Rainbow Lizard immediately took a step back, its scales darkening in color.

"It's a little shy," Professor Hoot said softly, "But look at Miss Sweeting."

Over there, Pabbie cautiously reached out her hand. The Rainbow Lizard sniffed her fingers, then gently rubbed them against her, its scales shimmering and changing in the sunlight.

"It likes you," Gareth said enviously.

"Rainbow Lizard can sense human emotions," Professor Hoot explained, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze. "If you are nervous or afraid, it will avoid you. But Miss Sweeting was calm, her heart as clear as water."

Pabbie was delighted, letting the Rainbow Lizard Niffler and rub against her hand.

At the deepest part of the courtyard, there is a small pond with several luminous lotus flowers Leviosa on its surface.

Several small creatures, which looked like a hybrid of frogs and birds, were sitting on the lotus leaves.

"Those are Lotus Frog," Professor Hoot said. "They only live in ponds where magical lotuses bloom. Their calls are said to bring good luck, but it's very difficult for them to breed in Britain —the climate is too cold. I used magic to simulate their native environment, but that's all I can do for them to survive here."

After touring the courtyard, they returned to the cabin.

Professor Hoot got up to prepare some refreshments, the hem of her horse-face skirt swaying gently with her steps.

"Since you're here, why don't you try some simple Eastern desserts? I just made some Osmanthus Cake this morning."

She brought out a plate of crystal-clear pastries from the Kitchen, which emitted a faint fragrance of osmanthus.

You could clearly feel Gareth swallowing hard next to him.

"This is Osmanthus Cake, made with glutinous rice and osmanthus honey." Professor Hoot handed a piece to each person, "Try it."

Harry took a bite; the pastry was soft, sweet, and fragrant with osmanthus, not greasy or dry at all.

"Delicious!" Gareth, having already finished one in each hand. "It's completely different from the desserts at Hogwarts!"

It's obvious he really loves to eat; after all, there's nothing else besides chicken legs that he can eat with both hands.

Pabbie took a bite, savoring it slowly, and remarked, "A very elegant sweetness—like eating an autumn garden."

Professor Hoot covered her mouth and chuckled softly, a gesture that made her appear exceptionally gentle and graceful.

"A very apt analogy. Eastern desserts often emphasize elegance and artistic conception rather than strong flavors. Like Eastern magic, they are subtle and pervasive, achieving their effects imperceptibly."

She brewed another pot of tea, this time jasmine tea. "Since you're all so interested in Magical Creatures, let me tell you a story. It's about how I came to Hogwarts."

The three of them immediately sat up straight.

"I come from China, or more precisely, from the Great Ming." Professor Hoot's tone became distant, a hint of homesickness flashing in her eyes. "My family has been shamans and scholars for generations. My father was once Hanlin Academy Compiler, and my mother was a famous herbalist in Jiangnan. I grew up surrounded by books and herbs, studying both the Four Books and Five Classics and the Five Elements Magic."

She picked up her teacup, her fingers gently tracing the rim. "Two hundred and thirty-five years ago, I traveled alone to the Western Regions, studying the magical relics along the Silk Road. Later, I continued westward to Europe. Initially, it was simply to study a subspecies of Unicorn —did you know? The Europe Unicorn and the Asia Qilin actually share a common ancestor; they are both descendants of ancient mythical beasts."

"Two hundred and thirty-five years ago?" Pabbie asked in surprise. "You mean, you're over two hundred years old now?"

"Yes," Professor Hoot sighed softly, "Eastern wizards—of course, you like to call us wizards—do have some expertise in longevity and preserving youth."

Pabbie covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes wide with surprise, while Harry and Gareth listened intently.

"While studying Snow Unicorn in the Alps, I met Mr. Amros Swart, the then Hogwarts Headmaster. We exchanged many magical ideas, and he was amazed that an Eastern woman had such profound knowledge of Europe Magical Creatures, while I admired his research on Ancient Runes."

A look of reminiscence appeared in Professor Hoot's eyes.

"Headmaster Swart invited me to give a guest lecture at Hogwarts. Initially, I only planned to stay for one semester, but—" she smiled slightly, "The students responded enthusiastically to my lectures, and the Headmaster formally invited me to stay and teach. He said Hogwarts needs different perspectives, just as a garden needs different flowers."

"Then why don't you go back?" Gareth asked innocently. "I heard my grandfather say that Easterners have an unimaginable attachment to their homeland—"

The professor paused for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tracing the embroidery on his cuff. "My hometown has changed a lot over the years; it's now occupied by barbarians, just like the Western Roman Empire was destroyed by barbarian invasions—and here, I have my responsibilities. These animals need care, students need to learn different perspectives, and Hogwarts has become my second home."

She stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and took down a thick, thread-bound book. The pages were made of Xuan paper and bound with silk thread.

"This is my book, ' A Study of Eastern and Western Magical Creatures,' which I'm currently writing in Chinese and simultaneously translating into English. I hope that one day, wizards from the East and West can better understand each other's worlds through this book."

Pabbie stared wide-eyed at the book. "Will you publish it?"

"The road to publication is not easy," Professor Hoot sighed softly. "Most Britain publishers believe that the works of an Eastern woman are not authoritative enough, but I will not give up. Knowledge should have no boundaries, and magic should not be divided into East and West."

Time flew by unnoticed, and it was already five o'clock in the afternoon when the castle bells rang.

"My God, it's so late!" Pabbie exclaimed.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Professor," Harry said politely. "We learned a lot today."

"Yes, Professor," Gareth said, scratching his armpit, "We'd love to stay here a little longer if it weren't for the fact that it's almost dinnertime."

"Go back for dinner? Dinner at the castle is indeed sumptuous, but now that we're under my roof, it's not proper Eastern hospitality to let our guests leave on empty stomachs."

Professor Hoot stood up, her horse-face skirt swirling in an elegant arc, a gentle smile on her face.

Having spent so much time with the young wizards, she knew perfectly well that these innocent little ones weren't just being polite; if they weren't asking for food, they would definitely have stayed a little longer.

"If you don't mind, let me treat you to some simple home-cooked dishes. It would also bring a bit more youthful energy to my little house."

The three exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. Gareth's stomach rumbled at that opportune moment; he scratched his head sheepishly, but immediately exclaimed, "Of course not! Professor, I've been curious about what Eastern food tastes like for ages!"

Harry thought about it and figured it certainly wouldn't be worse than Britain food.

Whether it's a hundred years ago or a hundred years from now, whether it's the Wizarding World or Muggle, Harry thinks Britain food is not fit for human consumption.

In this place where eating is like torture, the signature stew is as terrifying as Madame Curie brewing radium.

Without a doubt, it will have some wonderful functionality.

However, at that time, Madame Curie was still studying at the Sorbonne University —and she wasn't called Madame Curie then, but Miss Skłodowska.

"That's good." Professor Hoot turned and walked to the other side connected to the Kitchen. "I don't have all the ingredients here, but it should be enough to make something you can try. You can look through the books as you like, or if you're interested, you can come and see how I prepare it. Sometimes, Eastern cooking and Potions making have some interesting similarities."

Pabbie was the first to jump up. "Please let me watch, Professor! This is so interesting!" She was full of curiosity about everything related to the "making" process.

Harry and Gareth followed.

The Kitchen was small, but exceptionally clean and bright, with a traditional wood-fired stove that was clearly kept clean and at a constant temperature by magic; there were also copper pots and a series of beautifully shaped porcelain and earthenware dishes that they didn't know the names of. The air was filled with a faint aroma of herbs and the natural scents of food.

Professor Hoot rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair wrists, her movements swift yet elegant.

She first took out several ingredients from a magically preserved cabinet: a piece of beautifully textured meat, a basket of fresh, vibrant green vegetables, several plump shiitake mushrooms, and a square, snow-white, soft object.

"Wow, what's this? It looks really nice!" Pabbie asked, pointing to the snow-white cube.

"This is tofu, made from soybeans," Professor Hoot replied gently.

"Do you need any help, Professor?" Harry asked. He was used to doing chores at the Dursley family and was quite familiar with the Kitchen.

"If you'd like, Harry, could you wash that pot of bean sprouts for me and remove the tough ends? Gareth, could you peel a few cloves of garlic for me? Pabbie, could you remove the stems from those shiitake mushrooms for me? Like this."

Professor Hoot demonstrated, her fingers nimble and her movements as gentle as if she were caring for another magical plant.

The three of them immediately got to work, and the small Kitchen was instantly filled with a busy yet warm atmosphere.

While preparing the main dishes, Professor Hoot explained softly, "We're short on time today, so we'll make three simple dishes: Moo Shu Pork, which has meat, eggs, and wood ear mushrooms—it's flavorful and goes well with rice; Braised Mushroom Braised Pea Shoots, which is refreshing and sweet; and Mapo Tofu, which is a Sichuan cuisine and will be a bit spicy, but very appetizing. We'll have rice as our staple food."

She lit the fire, not with a wand, but by flicking her finger in the air, and a soft flame rose steadily.

Heat the wok, pour in the clear oil, and with a sizzle, the marinated meat slices slide into the wok and are quickly stir-fried, instantly filling the air with aroma.

Next came the beaten egg, which quickly solidified into a fluffy golden-yellow color after being poured into the pan. She added the soaked black fungus and cucumber slices, along with an amber-colored sauce, and quickly tossed the ingredients in the pan, causing them to swirl and blend together, creating an enticing color.

In the other casserole, she sautéed scallions, ginger, and garlic, added a red oily sauce and stir-fried until fragrant, then poured in chopped tofu and a little minced meat, and simmered it in broth. Soon, a complex and tempting spicy aroma filled the air, making Gareth sneeze several times, yet he still craned his neck to inhale deeply.

Stir-frying pea shoots and shiitake mushrooms is much quicker, and the bright green and brown hues complement each other beautifully on the white porcelain plate.

When the last dish of Mapo Tofu was served on a plate, sprinkled with bright green scallions and finely ground Sichuan peppercorn, the small dining table was already fully set.

The glistening white rice is served in a blue and white porcelain bowl, steaming hot.

"Please sit down, children." Professor Hoot took off her apron and gestured for everyone to sit. "No need to be so formal, just eat as you're used to. However, you can try using chopsticks."

She smiled and handed over several pairs of smooth bamboo chopsticks. The group looked at the two magic wand-like objects and exchanged puzzled glances.

"How do I use this wand?" Gareth asked, craning his neck.

"This isn't a wand, Gareth." Pabbie patted him on the shoulder. "Professor Hoot already said that, these are clearly chopsticks, chopsticks!"

"Is this really not a magic wand?" Gareth asked, one eye open and the other closed, as he placed the chopsticks in front of him. "I mean, can this thing really be used to eat?"

"Of course," Professor Hoot said with a smile, and picked up chopsticks to demonstrate for them, "Look, pick up the chopsticks like this, and then—"

As she spoke, she used her chopsticks to place a piece of tofu on Harry's plate.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Pabbie watched Professor Hoot's movements with stars in her eyes, then reached for a pair of chopsticks in front of her, eager to try them out.