The Ministry of Magic's Warning

Brook went out to buy meat for dinner.

When he returned, he saw a strange man in wizarding robes sitting on the sofa.

An An stood nearby, staring at the man warily.

When the man saw Brook return, he immediately rose to his feet and introduced himself.

"I'm Leo Bronte, an officer from the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement had detected magical fluctuations in Kensington.

After tracing them, they discovered that the source was Brook's home.

Under normal circumstances, if the detected magic consisted only of harmless spells,

the Department of Magical Law Enforcement only needed to send a warning letter.

But considering that Brook was a first-year wizard and had yet to receive notice that magic was forbidden during the holidays,

they had specifically sent him to explain the situation.

However, what he had not expected was

that the one who opened the door was a House Elf, while Brook himself was not home.

Who had cast the magic was therefore obvious.

That made things rather difficult for him.

"Hello, Leo Bronte. May I ask what you need from me?" Brook asked.

Bronte then explained that young wizards were not allowed to use magic outside school.

As he spoke, his gaze occasionally drifted toward An An.

A glint flashed through Brook's eyes. "So, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement assumed that I was the one using magic and sent out a warning?"

Bronte scratched his head awkwardly. "That's right."

Brook spread his hands. "As you can see, I live alone. The House Elf needs to take care of me, so it naturally has to use magic. This..."

Bronte began to hesitate inwardly as well.

After all, it was not illegal for a House Elf to use magic.

But he could not simply ignore the situation before him.

So he decided to report everything truthfully and leave the headache to his superiors.

He was just an employee. What did it have to do with him?

"I'll report this matter truthfully. You'll be informed of the result by letter. But you... your House Elf must not use magic until there is a result."

"That won't be a problem," Brook agreed readily.

Bronte took out his wand and prepared to leave.

"Oh, right. An An is a Hogwarts elf. Dumbledore lent it to me."

Brook added the remark as though it were completely casual.

Bronte, who had been about to Apparate, froze instantly.

"I understand. Please wait patiently. You'll receive a reply today."

Then he waved his wand and vanished from the spot.

Bronte's arrival was merely a small interlude for Brook and did nothing to affect his mood.

On the contrary, he felt even better than before.

By then, An An had cleaned the house until it was spotless. The floor was polished enough to reflect people's figures.

It was simply wonderful.

"Brook, I caused you trouble."

An An lowered its head, clutching its large ears tightly in both hands.

Tears welled in its eyes as it looked pitifully at Brook, like a child who had done something wrong.

Brook hurried over to An An, crouched down, and patted its shoulder.

"How could An An possibly cause me trouble? This is clearly a good thing."

"A good thing?" An An's eyes were full of confusion, and its head unconsciously tilted to one side.

It was ugly-cute. Really ugly-cute.

"It's definitely a good thing. Because of this, I might be able to use magic freely at home in the future," Brook explained with a smile.

"Really? That's wonderful."

Although An An did not quite understand what was so good about using magic freely,

hearing that it had not caused Brook trouble and had even helped him made it overjoyed.

"All right, go back and take care of the farm." Brook patted An An's head.

"Yes, sir."

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement acted very quickly.

Less than four hours later, an owl shot in through the window like lightning.

It dropped a letter at Brook's feet, then gracefully traced a beautiful arc through the air before flapping away.

Without the slightest hint of reluctance.

Brook took out the letter and began reading.

Mr. Lott:

Due to your special circumstances,

the Ministry of Magic will send someone tomorrow morning at nine o'clock to set up magic that prevents magical traces from leaking out.

During this time, please do not allow the House Elf to use magic.

Also, please remember that under Article Thirteen of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy,

any magical act that may attract the attention of Muggles

is a serious violation of the law.

If discovered, you will bear the corresponding responsibility.

Have a pleasant holiday!

Mafalda Hopkirk

Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic

The corners of Brook's mouth curved upward.

The result was even better than he had expected.

It had been worth deliberately mentioning Dumbledore at the end.

Otherwise, the Ministry of Magic probably would not have been so accommodating.

As dinnertime approached,

Hermione and her parents arrived at Brook's house as well.

The moment Brook opened the door, Hermione ducked down and darted inside, heading straight for the dining room.

She swiftly picked up a piece of braised pork with her small fingers and eagerly stuffed it into her mouth.

She narrowed her eyes, her face full of satisfaction.

"This child." Mrs. Granger smiled as she handed Brook the Chocolate Cake and some slightly irregular cookies.

She leaned closer and whispered to Brook, "Hermione made the cookies. They don't look very good, but they taste quite nice."

Brook accepted them politely. "Thank you, Mrs. Granger. Please come in."

As Mr. Granger passed Brook, he patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you."

After Hermione returned home, she had told them many things about Hogwarts, speaking with great joy.

Most of those things had involved Brook.

So he sincerely thanked Brook from the bottom of his heart.

"You're too polite. Hermione has helped me a great deal too," Brook answered sincerely.

After all, Hermione had taken care of all his homework.

"Hermione." When Mrs. Granger saw her daughter reaching for the sweet and sour spare ribs again, she quickly swatted her hand away lightly, a trace of reproach on her face.

Hermione stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

Brook's cooking smelled so good that she truly could not resist.

Brook had put a great deal of effort into preparing this table of food.

Fortunately, An An had helped him process the ingredients.

Otherwise, it would really have been rather difficult for him alone.

The enticingly colored, rich yet not greasy braised pork;

the sweet and sour spare ribs, crispy on the outside and tender within.

They were both Hermione's favorites.

There were also Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes, Mapo Tofu, Oyster Sauce Lettuce, Dry-Fried Green Beans, and Cola Chicken Wings.

As well as fried fish, french fries, Baked Potatoes, and mashed potatoes to cater to British tastes.

Everyone sat around the dining table as warm light fell over them.

Brook picked up a Cola Chicken Wing and placed it directly into Hermione's bowl.

"Try this. You should like it."

"Thank you." Hermione eagerly took a bite, and her eyes instantly curved into crescents.

The chicken wing was tender, sweet, and juicy.

It gave her taste buds immense satisfaction.

"Brook, your cooking is truly excellent."

Mr. Granger praised him with a thumbs-up.

Mrs. Granger's tone carried a hint of teasing.

"I wonder which girl will be lucky enough in the future to eat your cooking every day."

Hermione's little face turned slightly red, probably because the Mapo Tofu was too spicy.