Hagrid

Over the past month, Anduin had practiced casting spells like this nearly a thousand times, training every day until his magical reserves and physical strength were exhausted.

On the defensive front, Anduin could now accurately place his solidified invisible walls wherever he wanted. He could also cast low-density Obstacle Charms that slowed targets with ease. He had even developed a new move, the Impediment Jinx Shield: a transparent shield about a meter in diameter that formed around his wand. It gave him some protection even while moving, and he could raise and lower it at will instead of waiting for the spell to time out.

"Whew, that's enough for today. If I keep practicing Obstacle Charms for a while longer, I might be able to master them completely. I have a feeling it won't be long before I can cast them without a wand." Anduin wiped the sweat from his forehead, reasonably pleased with his progress.

Once he had made up his mind, Anduin began tidying the practice area. He was halfway through when the courtyard wall suddenly split open. Someone had opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron from Diagon Alley. A burly, bearded man over three meters tall stepped through. He wore a dusty fur coat, and his long, dark hair hung past his shoulders. He seemed like a giant as he strode forward, radiating an imposing presence.

"Mr. Hagrid, long time no see. How come you're coming out of Diagon Alley?"

The Leaky Cauldron wasn't doing great business, but it still had a few customers every day. Some Aurors even chose to stop in for a drink after their patrol shifts. Anduin had been practicing magic in the courtyard often lately, so he'd run into a few of them.

Hagrid was one of them. Tom had told him that Hagrid was Hogwarts' Keeper of keys and the groundskeeper for the Forbidden Forest. He occasionally came to the pub for a drink or went to Diagon Alley to shop for Hogwarts. At least, that was what Hagrid said.

"Oh, Mr. Wilson. Why do you spend so much time hanging around in the courtyard? I was supposed to bring a Muggle-born wizard who hasn't started school yet to buy his school supplies, but it turned out his family wasn't entirely Muggle. The young wizard's father is actually a Squib, and he knows the Magical World pretty well. He's been to Diagon Alley before, so they didn't need me."

Anduin stared at Hagrid, speechless. He'd asked why Hagrid had come out from inside, not what he was doing there. Anduin had been practicing in the courtyard all afternoon without seeing a single passerby. Besides, if they didn't need Hagrid, why had he stayed inside for so long?

Anduin didn't press him for details. "Is that so? Are you heading back to Hogwarts now?"

"Haha, I came to Diagon Alley with the student's parents first thing this morning. When I realized they didn't need my help, I went for a stroll around Knockturn Alley. Who knew I'd end up wandering around until dusk? I haven't even had lunch yet. I might as well get something to eat here and have a drink while I'm at it."

Anduin thought Hagrid was almost too honest. He'd only chatted with him for a couple of minutes, and Hagrid had nearly told him what he'd eaten for breakfast over the past few days.

Anduin had finished his practice for the day, too. The two of them chatted as they made their way through the back door into the Leaky Cauldron. "Hagrid, what good stuff did you buy while you were out all day? That's a huge bundle."

Anduin noticed the large package Hagrid was carrying and asked curiously.

"This is Dragon Liver I bought. I got a real bargain today. Guess how much I paid for this whole pound of it. You'd never guess! You won't find a deal this good anywhere else. Haha!"

Hagrid proudly showed off the incredible bargain he'd found, and Anduin grew even more curious when he heard it was Dragon Liver.

"Dragon Liver? As in a dragon's liver? I've never seen one before. Could I take a look?"

"Of course, my friend." Hagrid readily agreed, opening the package to show Anduin.

"Wow, it looks as fresh as can be. What are you planning to do with it? Use it in a potion?" Anduin looked at the opened package. It was only a portion of the whole liver, but even after being cut, the Dragon Liver still had a vivid color.

"Haha, I'm going to turn it into a meat paste and give it a try," Hagrid said with a laugh.

"You can eat this stuff?" Anduin poked the piece of Dragon Liver with his finger. It looked as fresh as if it had just been taken from an animal.

"Of course. I've eaten Dragon Meat before, too. But things are a bit chaotic these days, so there aren't many people selling this stuff. And even when you can find it, there aren't always buyers."

Anduin considered it. He figured it couldn't be all that different from lamb or pork liver.

"Making it into a meat paste would be such a waste. Why not try something else? I'll show you what I can do and whip up some Scallion Exploded Dragon Liver for you. I reckon it'll taste about the same as Scallion Exploded Pork Liver, and I'd like to see what Dragon Liver tastes like."

"You're only eleven, aren't you? You can cook?"

"Anduin's cooking really is good," said Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, joining the conversation. "I've been eating his cooking every day for the past half a month. I've been meaning to ask him to teach me a few tricks. If he ever writes a Magic Cookbook, it'll be a bestseller."

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

Anduin had asked Tom about Magic Cookbooks before. As far as he could tell, they were basically like programming with spells. Readers cast each spell in the recipe in sequence, and the result was a dish that was more or less identical to the one in the book. It was very convenient.

Tom had a few cookbooks, and Anduin had looked through them. They were certainly useful, but first you had to learn all sorts of household spells, such as the Stirring Charm, the Kitchen Cutting Charm, and the Timing Charm. And many of the dishes in the cookbooks Anduin had seen tasted, frankly, awful.

"Is that so? Then go ahead and give it a try, Anduin." Hagrid didn't seem to mind. After all, he'd bought it cheap.

Anduin carried the Dragon Liver into the kitchen. Only when he held it in his hands did he notice how unusual it was. According to Hagrid, a Knockturn Alley vendor had been unable to sell it and had finally marked it down after keeping it in stock for ages. Yet it was still warm to the touch and had a distinctive, fishy smell.

Anduin went back to his room and cut up a good amount of the scallions he'd grown himself. He added onion, ginger, soy sauce, and cooking wine, then marinated the sliced Dragon Liver before stir-frying it. Considering Hagrid's size, he also made a few other small dishes and arranged them all on the table.

Hagrid and Tom, who had been following the delicious smell, stared fixedly at the plates in Anduin's hands as if they were precious treasures.

After they dug in, Hagrid needed only one bite before his eyes lit up. He exclaimed that it was delicious. Anduin tried some too. It tasted different from pork or lamb liver: soft and rich at first, then surprisingly crisp as he chewed.

Hagrid and Tom were in high spirits. Tom even brought out a large, prized bottle of Redcurrant Rum to share with Hagrid. Before long, they were both tipsy, and Hagrid kept praising Anduin's cooking.