Hagrid

Over the past month, Anduin had performed nearly a thousand similar spell practice sessions, training every day until his magic and stamina were completely drained.

On the defensive side, Anduin could now accurately position a solidified invisible wall at any precise location, and he could also skillfully cast a low-density slowing-type Impediment Jinx. He had even developed a move called 'Impediment Jinx Shield,' which spread a transparent shield about a meter in diameter around his wand. This allowed him to maintain a certain level of defense even while moving, and he could summon or dismiss it at will without waiting for the spell to expire.

"Phew, let's call it a day for now. Maybe after a bit more practice with the Obstacle Charm, I'll achieve Integrated Mastery. I have a feeling it won't be long before I can cast it with Wandless Spellcasting." Anduin wiped the sweat from his forehead, fairly satisfied with his current progress.

Having made up his mind, Anduin began to clean up the area. Halfway through, the wall in the courtyard suddenly split open—someone had opened the door from Diagon Alley leading to the Leaky Cauldron. A burly man over three meters tall stepped out, wearing a dusty fur coat and with long, dark hair cascading over his shoulders. As he walked out step by step, he resembled a giant, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"Mr. Hagrid, long time no see. Why are you coming out from Diagon Alley?"

Although the Leaky Cauldron's business wasn't great, it still had a few customers every day. Some off-duty Aurors on patrol would also stop by for a drink. Anduin had been practicing magic in the courtyard often lately, so he had crossed paths with a few people.

Hagrid was one of them. According to Tom, Hagrid was the Keeper of Keys and the Forbidden Forest keeper at Hogwarts. He occasionally came to the pub for a drink or went to Diagon Alley to buy supplies for Hogwarts—at least, that's what Hagrid said.

"Ah, Mr. Wilson! Why do you always hang around the courtyard? I was supposed to bring a Muggle-born wizard who hasn't enrolled yet to buy school supplies, but it turned out his family isn't entirely Muggles. The young wizard's father is actually a Squib. He's pretty familiar with the Magical World and has been to Diagon Alley before, so there wasn't much for me to do."

Anduin looked at Hagrid speechlessly. He had asked why Hagrid was coming out from inside, not what he was doing there. Anduin had been practicing in the courtyard all afternoon without seeing a single passerby, and if there was nothing for Hagrid to do, how had he stayed inside so long?

Anduin didn't press further and continued, "Is that so? So, are you planning to head back to Hogwarts now?"

"Haha, I came to Diagon Alley early this morning with the student's parents. When I found out they didn't need my help, I took a stroll through Knockturn Alley. Before I knew it, it was evening, and I haven't even had lunch yet. I figured I'd eat here and have a drink."

In Anduin's eyes, this Hagrid was almost too simple. He had only exchanged a few casual words with him, and Hagrid was already telling him what he'd had for breakfast over the past few days.

Anduin, having finished his day's practice, chatted idly with Hagrid as they entered the Leaky Cauldron through the back door. "Hagrid, what good stuff did you buy after a whole day of shopping? That's a big package you've got there."

Noticing Hagrid carrying a large bundle, Anduin asked curiously.

"This is dragon liver I bought. I got a real bargain today! Guess how much this whole pound of dragon liver cost me. You'll never guess—there's no deal like this anywhere else, haha!"

Hagrid gleefully boasted about his great find, and Anduin, hearing it was dragon liver, grew even more curious.

"Dragon liver? Is that a dragon's liver? I've never seen one. Can I take a look?"

"Of course, my friend!" Hagrid generously agreed to Anduin's request and opened the package to show him.

"Wow, it looks as fresh as if it were just taken out. What are you planning to do with it? Use it for potions?" Anduin examined the opened package. It was only part of the whole dragon liver, but even after being cut, the liver's color remained vivid.

"Haha, I'm planning to make it into a paste and give it a taste," Hagrid said with a laugh.

"You can eat this stuff?" Anduin poked the piece of dragon liver and found it as fresh as if it had just been removed from an animal.

Hagrid chuckled, "Of course! I've eaten dragon meat before. But things are chaotic now, and not many people sell these items anymore. Even when they're available, not everyone buys them."

Anduin thought it over and felt it probably wasn't much different from lamb or pork liver.

"What a waste to turn it into paste. How about trying another flavor? Let me show you my skills and stir-fry some Scallion Exploded Dragon Liver for you to try." Anduin figured it would taste similar to Scallion Exploded Pork Liver, and he was curious to see what dragon liver was like.

"You're only eleven, and you can cook?"

"Anduin's cooking is really good," Tom, the Leaky Cauldron's owner, chimed in. "I've been eating his food for the past half month, and I even want to learn a few tricks from him. If he ever writes a Magic Cookbook, it'll definitely be a bestseller."

Since Anduin had moved in, Tom hadn't charged him for meals, on the condition that Anduin cooked for him.

When it came to the Magic Cookbook, Anduin had asked Tom about it. In his view, it was like programming with spells—readers just cast the spells in order, and they'd get a dish almost identical to the one in the recipe. Very convenient.

Tom had a few cookbooks, and Anduin had looked through them. They were handy enough, but first, you had to learn a lot of household spells, like the 'Stirring Charm,' 'Kitchen Cutting Charm,' and 'Timing Charm.' However, from the recipes Anduin had seen, the taste of many finished dishes was... hard to describe.

"Is that so? Then give it a try, Anduin." Hagrid seemed completely indifferent; to him, it was just something he'd bought cheap.

Anduin took the dragon liver into the kitchen. Only when he held it did he notice its uniqueness. According to Hagrid, it was leftover stock from a Knockturn Alley merchant that had been sitting around for a long time, hence the low price. Yet it still felt warm to the touch and had a distinct, pungent smell.

Anduin went back to his room and cut up a lot of scallions he had grown himself. He added onions, ginger, soy sauce, cooking wine, and marinated the sliced dragon liver before stir-frying it. Considering Hagrid's size, he also made a few other side dishes and arranged them all on the table.

Hagrid and Tom, who had been smelling the aroma the whole time, stared intently at the dishes in Anduin's hands as if they were treasures.

As soon as they started eating, Hagrid's eyes lit up after just one bite, and he exclaimed how delicious it was. Anduin also tried some—the taste was different from pork or lamb liver. It was soft and smooth in the mouth, yet had a crisp texture when chewed.

Hagrid and Tom were in high spirits. Tom even brought out a large bottle of his treasured Redcurrant Rum to share with Hagrid. Before long, both of them were thoroughly drunk, with Hagrid constantly praising Anduin's cooking skills.