Although Avada's schedule had already given him a massive headache, he still had no intention of missing this memorable tea party. After all, he didn't exist just to take down Voldemort. All he had ever wanted was a safe, happy life.
It was just that Voldemort's existence stood in the way of the dreams of him and most other people. And since he really did have the ability to eliminate Voldemort ahead of time, he had pushed himself so hard. But if he had some free time, or if the occasion called for it, he didn't mind relaxing a little, making friends, and occasionally enjoying a normal school life.
So the next day, after returning from the Astronomy Tower to the Hufflepuff Common Room, he was met with a sight unlike any he had seen before:
For some reason, the common room had expanded several times over. Several long tables, seemingly borrowed from the kitchens, had been set up around the room, laden with all kinds of pastries and drinks: cakes, biscuits, scones, puddings, mousse, milk tea...
The open space in the middle had been dotted with small round tables. Each one had a teapot on it, with a few chairs arranged around it. Plenty of witches and wizards milled around the long tables, helping themselves to food, or sat around the little tables, sipping tea and chatting. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful, and the whole scene looked like a grand banquet.
But guests at a banquet usually dressed to the nines and displayed their most elegant manners. The wizards here, though, were still wearing the casual clothes or pajamas they usually wore in the common room. A few had even shown up in slippers.
"Cho?"
Avada immediately recognized Cho, who didn't belong in Hufflepuff, chatting happily with another boy.
He stepped closer and got a good look at the boy's face. It was Cedric.
"Hey, K!" The two of them smiled and waved at Avada. He walked over and joined their conversation. "Hi, Cedric. And Cho, were you invited to the tea party too?"
"She's one of the volunteer cooks for the party!"
Cedric laughed and patted Cho on the shoulder. She gave a slightly bashful smile and nodded.
"I have you to thank for what you said to me at the start-of-term feast. It helped me discover her talent and invite her to the tea party. Look over there—those puff pastries and red date cakes are her work."
Avada followed his gaze. Sure enough, several plates of rather delicate mooncakes and date cakes sat on a long table, and plenty of people were helping themselves. At this rate, they'd be gone before long.
"Wait, what's with those lopsided ones on the plate?"
"Oh, I made those. Pretty, aren't they?"
"..."
Cho couldn't help rolling her eyes. "They actually taste all right. Cedric just insisted on shaping the pastries like Nifflers, and I couldn't talk him out of it. So that's what we ended up with."
Avada took another careful look. To him, the shapes looked more like Quintapeds than Nifflers.
Oh, and then there was the pastry with the cracked crust, which had presumably been meant to be a mooncake. He had nearly mistaken it for a Dementor figurine.
"...Good luck."
Avada gave them his heartfelt well-wishes, then excused himself so he wouldn't be a third wheel.
I never expected that I'd really be the reason Cedric and Cho got together...
Was it a coincidence, or fate?
If it was fate, then what did my existence mean? What was my own fate?
He didn't know what had brought Cedric and Cho together in the original story, or whether the Department of Mysteries had conducted experiments there and created someone named Avada Kedavra. But he was certain he wasn't a character from the original story. If the plot stayed the same with him around as it did without him, what was the point of being a transmigrator?
There was no way he wouldn't even make it through his first term, was there?
He mulled over these thoughts as he looked around for someone. After searching the room, he shook his head helplessly. "That Baron really isn't coming?"
As a friend he knew fairly well, Avada had certainly invited Baron to the tea party. But Baron had refused, muttering things like, "A proper Slytherin should focus on improving himself, not meaningless indulgence," and had even tried to drag Avada off to the library with him.
Avada couldn't help thinking, I'm studying so hard because I need to deal with Voldemort. What are you so worried about?
Although they had only met a few days ago, Avada could tell that Baron was a traditional noble at heart: proud, martial, possessed of a strong moral compass, attentive to honor and keeping his word, and someone who considered taking responsibility his duty. So he understood Baron's eagerness to improve himself and lead the house back to glory.
But Baron was still young and inexperienced, so he was too naive and impatient about it. How could one person possibly reverse the reputation a house had built up over countless years?
Still, Avada hadn't said that to Baron outright. They had only known each other for a few days, and it wasn't appropriate to speak too frankly when they weren't close.
So he found his three roommates—Shabi, Summers, and Stebbins—and joined them in chatting about their recent studies and daily lives, tasting and reviewing the food on the tables, and swapping tips about school life with a few older students he knew fairly well.
"Are those people over there selling things?"
As they wandered around, Avada noticed a group of people in a secluded corner, gesturing as they talked. Every so often, they would hand someone a potion, magical ingredient, or enchanted item to inspect carefully with a wand. After exchanging some Galleons or Sickles, they would go their separate ways.
"Didn't we tell you yesterday?"
Shabi explained, "Our house doesn't hold tea parties often, so of course we use the chance to get together, talk about what we need, and trade things. And we don't have to worry much about trust in our house, so it's pretty easy and convenient to do business."
"I see..."
Avada was about to nod, but then a thought struck him and his eyes lit up. "Do you think they might have a Wit-Sharpening Potion?"
"A Wit-Sharpening Potion? There's something that good?"
The three of them reacted even more excitedly than Avada. "Let's go see! If something that incredible is really available, we have to get our hands on it!"
In the end, Avada was the one who got dragged over by his three roommates to ask the older students selling Potions about it. The first person they asked immediately assured them that it wouldn't be a problem.
"A Wit-Sharpening Potion? That's easy enough. I don't have one ready, but I can brew it on the spot. I should be able to deliver it tomorrow afternoon. Don't worry, I'm good at Potions. I've never gotten below an E since first year!"
"Really? That's great! We want one each, so how much for four?"
At that, the older student's smile grew even wider. "Four Galleons apiece. That'll be sixteen Galleons altogether. Thanks for your business!"
"How much?!"
All four of them, Avada included, were shocked by the price. He had spent a little over a month learning about the wizarding world, so he had some idea of what a Galleon could buy. And yesterday, he had only looked at how to make a Wit-Sharpening Potion—without understanding much of it—and hadn't asked how much the ingredients or equipment cost.
"Is that expensive?"
The older student blinked in confusion. "The ingredients alone for one bottle of Wit-Sharpening Potion cost over three Galleons. It's fair enough for me to make about a twenty percent profit, isn't it? This is already the house discount."
"Or..." He gave the four younger students a suspicious look. "Do you actually know nothing about Wit-Sharpening Potions?"
"By the way," Avada asked his three roommates, just as puzzled, "I need a Wit-Sharpening Potion because there's something I need to master urgently. What do you want it for?"
"Huh? Isn't a Wit-Sharpening Potion a potion that makes you smarter?" The three of them looked utterly confused.
"..."
After Avada explained, he was the only one who paid for a Wit-Sharpening Potion. Shabi and the others turned their sorrow into an appetite and went back to clearing out the pastries at the tea party.
Thanks to reader "Book Friend 20230718135251923" for the tip, and to "Qiu Yu Zhi Huang Niao" for the first monthly vote!
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