Hidden Talents in Hufflepuff

As the Sorting Hat's booming voice faded, Professor McGonagall stepped up to the Sorting Hat's stool, holding a roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, please come forward, place the hat on your head, and sit on the stool. The Sorting Hat will then assign you to your house."

"Hannah Abbott!"

Starting with the future owner of the Leaky Cauldron, one by one, the future pillars of the British Wizarding World stepped forward to be sorted into their respective houses, setting the gears of fate in motion.

Future Ministers of Magic, future Aurors, future nobles, future Herbology professors...

"Adam Reed!"

Called to his name, Adam snapped out of his thoughts, walked forward, picked up the Sorting Hat, placed it on his head, and sat on the stool.

"Hmm... a natural Occlumens? That's a first..."

The Sorting Hat muttered.

Due to the protective magic, it couldn't even converse with Adam in his mind, and could only speak softly.

"Occlumens? What's that?"

Adam asked in an equally soft voice.

"Ah, well, explaining that would take a while. While I don't mind answering questions for new students, I doubt the professors would grant me the time... ahem, I can only say that I may not be able to give you good advice."

Under Professor McGonagall's gaze, the Sorting Hat cleared its throat.

"So, which house would you like to be in? Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, pick one you fancy~"

"Hufflepuff."

Adam answered without hesitation.

I love food, I love plants, I love magical creatures, I love Hufflepuff!

"Very well~ since you've made your choice..."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Hufflepuff was the most populous house, and each new Hufflepuff student was greeted with the warmest applause.

Amidst the applause, Adam made his way to the Hufflepuff table, sitting next to the previous new student.

"Welcome to Hufflepuff!"

The students around him greeted him enthusiastically, and he responded in kind.

Hufflepuff lacked Slytherin's ambition, Gryffindor's recklessness, and Ravenclaw's shrewdness, but it was the most welcoming and friendly house.

They did what was right, were true to nature, and were honest and enthusiastic.

When you make friends with a Hufflepuff, you generally don't have to worry about being stabbed in the back. Hufflepuff, the house with the most students and the fewest Dark wizards among the four, is worthy of your trust.

After Dumbledore's speech, the feast began. Adam picked up a cup of pumpkin juice and took a sip, then speared a grilled sausage with his fork.

Mm~ The outer casing was crispy, the meat inside was tender and juicy, and the seasoning was excellent. Black pepper, rosemary, and lemon juice perfectly balanced the greasiness of the pure meat.

Apart from the meat itself still having a slight gamey taste that hadn't been completely removed despite the marinade, Adam's assessment was that it could be a signature dish in a restaurant.

Adam listened to the conversations around him as he savored the food.

"My parents are Muggles. They were furious when they first received the letter, thinking it was a prank..."

"My parents are both Hufflepuffs. I'll write to them tonight to tell them the good news!"

"Wow, this Yorkshire Pudding smells amazing!"

Catching the keyword, Adam looked at the Yorkshire Pudding on the table and took a small bite.

Ugh--

Adam put down the Yorkshire Pudding, his eyes wide with disbelief, and drank some pumpkin juice to wash it down.

The Yorkshire Pudding, soaked in the juices of the roast beef, had a strong, gamey taste in addition to the buttery flavor of the bread itself. He felt like he had just seen a cow that couldn't close its eyes in death doing a pole dance on the Bridge of Helplessness...

Why! The grilled sausage tasted perfectly normal just now!

Putting the remaining half of the Yorkshire Pudding on his plate, Adam looked at the student who had said the Yorkshire Pudding smelled good with a complicated expression.

Poor kid, their taste buds must be completely ruined.

"Ugh—"

Just then, the student across from Adam covered his mouth and let out a muffled groan, silently putting down what he was holding. A closer look revealed it was the half-eaten Yorkshire Pudding.

Adam exchanged a glance with him.

"Hello, could you recommend some dishes that you think taste normal?"

The other student's tone was pitiful, his English tinged with an accent that Adam couldn't quite place.

Adam looked down at his plate: Yorkshire Pudding, beef stew, roast beef, roast lamb chops...

Wow, this unlucky kid had managed to step on just about every landmine there was.

"If you like meat, this grilled sausage tastes pretty good, and the chicken leg should be decent... hmm, it is decent, just a little dry."

Adam took a bite of his chicken leg and commented, "In short, stay away from any meat products that haven't been marinated..."

"Thank you!"

The other boy stabbed a sausage with his fork and bit into it without even cutting it, almost bringing tears to his eyes.

He looked both funny and pitiful.

"The fries are pretty good too, you can try them. If it's too greasy, you can drink some pumpkin juice."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm!"

After staring at the sausage and eating it with his head down for a while, he gulped down a whole cup of pumpkin juice before looking up at Adam:

"Thank you. What's your name?"

Although every new student's name had been called out during the Sorting Ceremony, no one would have been paying attention enough to remember other classmates' names in such an exciting moment.

"Adam Reed. Just call me Adam."

"Adam... I'll remember that!"

The other boy nodded.

"What about you? What's your name?"

"Uther Ramesses."

"...Ramesses?"

This unusual surname made Adam turn his head involuntarily.

"What? Like Pharaoh Ramesses II?"

The students nearby asked the question that was on Adam's mind.

"Yes, that's right, but that was many, many years ago. There are no pharaohs anymore."

Uther shrugged.

Having eaten almost enough, Adam decided to join the discussion:

"Then you should be going to a wizarding school in Egypt. Why are you coming to Hogwarts?"

"Well, I actually only found out that I was going to Britain for school after receiving the letter from Hogwarts. My mother said that maybe it's because I was born in Britain—she's a magizoologist who met my father while studying Sphinxes in Egypt."

"Sphinxes?! That sounds amazing!"

The new student who had said that both of his parents were Muggles said with emotion:

"My parents are more ordinary. They met in court—they were the lawyers for the plaintiff and the defendant."

Lawyers, huh? Building a good relationship with him might make running the restaurant a lot easier in the future.

"My parents met at a dragon reserve. They're colleagues."

"My parents also met at work. My dad transferred from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes to become an Auror just to pursue my mom."

"My parents met at Hogwarts. They hope I can find my other half while I'm here too."

Wow... I didn't expect Hufflepuff to be so full of hidden talents!

Hufflepuff friendships are worth trusting. Building a good relationship now might come in handy later.

With that in mind, Adam joined the discussion:

"My parents are Muggles too. They own a restaurant."

"Oh! Really? I thought my parents were the only Muggles."

The new student's eyes lit up, and he reached out his hand proactively:

"I'm Bernard Lancelot. I heard you say your name was Adam just now?"

"That's right. You and your family are welcome to visit our restaurant. It's on me."

Adam mentioned the names of Mr. Reed's and Madam Li's restaurant and tavern.

"So that's your family's? There's one not far from my house! I love your beef stew with red wine. There's not a hint of gamey taste!"

Bernard's eyes widened. He had thought that Adam's family only owned a mom-and-pop restaurant, but he didn't expect it to be that two-story French restaurant near his house!

"Adam, can we go to your family's restaurant too?"

The other young wizards couldn't help but be tempted. They didn't really have a concept of what Adam's family's restaurant was like, but they were mainly drawn in by the mention of the stewed beef without any gamey taste.

Just because they were used to eating it didn't mean they liked the gamey taste in beef!

"Of course, everyone is welcome to come, but if you've been living in the Wizarding World all your life, it's best to dine in a private room. Otherwise, some special habits and language might attract the attention of Muggles."

"No problem!" xN

When it comes to enthusiasm for food, Hufflepuffs are definitely serious.