Hot Pot

Cedric let Wentworth pull him into the Hufflepuff Common Room, which was empty at the moment.

After all, no Hufflepuff would ever miss mealtime, so most of the little badgers had already gone to the Hogwarts Great Hall to eat.

"What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious?"

Once they had reached the common room, Cedric couldn't help asking curiously.

But instead of answering Cedric directly, Wentworth said:

"Wait here for me. I'll be right back!"

Then, without waiting for Cedric to reply, Wentworth ran out of the Hufflepuff Common Room.

Cedric could only wait there by himself, feeling helpless.

Just as Cedric began to wonder if Wentworth had gotten lost somewhere in Hogwarts and was about to go look for him, Wentworth finally returned. What was more, several House-elves followed behind him, carrying all sorts of things.

"Okay, put this big pot here, and the charcoal inside it. Thank you very much. You can put the rest of these things beside it."

Cedric stared in astonishment as Wentworth directed the House-elves to set down various items beside him one by one. Only then did Cedric realize that the House-elves had been carrying ingredients.

"Wentworth, what are you doing?"

Cedric couldn't help asking, curious.

"I'm treating you to something to eat, something you've definitely never tried before. I learned about it from the Muggles!"

After saying that, Wentworth hurried off to his dormitory. A moment later, Cedric saw him come back carrying a cauldron in his arms. He set it on the charcoal and added water.

"Could you help me light the charcoal, please?"

Wentworth asked the House-elves nearby, who were also watching curiously with their eyes wide open.

One of the House-elves snapped his fingers, and the charcoal burst into flames.

Wentworth then bent over and got busy again. Every so often, he added strange things to the little bowls, and now and then he stirred them.

"Are you making me a pot of Potions?"

Watching Wentworth bustle about, Cedric couldn't help wondering.

"Potions? No, in the Muggle world, this is called hot pot!"

Wentworth replied without looking up, now and then dropping things that looked like mushrooms into the cauldron.

Before long, the water in the cauldron came to a boil. At the same time, Wentworth finally stopped working and turned around, setting four small bowls in front of Cedric one by one.

"This is called hot pot. You put all kinds of ingredients into boiling water to cook them. Of course, this isn't plain boiling water. I added lots of things to it. In the Muggle world, this is usually called the soup base."

"Then you pick whatever ingredients you like, cook them in the soup base, and dip them in a special sauce. One bite, and you'll be completely satisfied!"

Seeing that Cedric still looked only half-convinced, Wentworth didn't mind. He pointed to the four little bowls in front of Cedric and said:

"I made four different dipping sauces: Sesame Sauce, Chili Sauce, an oil-based sauce, and a seafood sauce. Which one do you like?"

Cedric thought for a moment, then pointed to a bowl of bright red sauce and said:

"Then I'll have the chili one. I like things hot."

Wentworth pursed his lips and handed Cedric the Chili Sauce, muttering:

"Sesame Sauce is the perfect match for hot pot. The rest are heresy!"

Then Wentworth took out a whole plate of sliced meat from behind him and put the slices into the cauldron, stirring them gently.

Just then, a Hogwarts House-elf stepped forward and asked:

"Would you gentlemen like something to drink? How about some Sherry Fruit Soda?"

Wentworth thought for a moment, then asked:

"Do you have any Butterbeer?"

Soon, the cauldron, which had settled down after the meat was added, began boiling again. Wentworth and Cedric quickly fished out the meat and put it on the plates in front of them.

"Cheers!"

The two cheered and took a sip of the fruit drink the House-elves had prepared. As for the Butterbeer, the House-elves had politely refused because Hogwarts forbade students from drinking alcohol.

At first, Cedric seemed a little reluctant as he looked at the meat cooked in the cauldron on his plate.

"Don't worry, this cauldron is new. I've never used it before! Go on, try it. Oh, and remember to use the Scouring Charm to clean it for me afterward, okay? I don't know the Scouring Charm yet."

Perhaps he didn't want to turn down Wentworth's invitation, or perhaps he couldn't resist the sight of Wentworth tucking in, but Cedric shut his eyes, opened his mouth, and finally put a slice of meat in.

Then Cedric's eyes flew open, shining brightly.

"Hey, hey! Save some for me!"

Seeing Cedric scoop all the meat out of the cauldron at once, Wentworth pretended to complain.

"Is there more? No, wait—put some more in!"

With his mouth full of meat, Cedric spoke indistinctly.

Seeing this, Wentworth smiled and took out some other ingredients from behind him.

Cedric watched in surprise as Wentworth picked up a gray thing that looked like a dishcloth, dipped it into the boiling cauldron, and quickly lifted it out again. After repeating this several times, he dipped it in the sauce and put it in his mouth.

"What are you eating? Do you have to perform some kind of ritual?"

Wentworth answered with a blissful expression:

"This is a mysterious ritual I learned from the mysterious East. Seven times up and eight times down—it makes the ingredients even more delicious."

Cedric nodded, only half understanding. Then he copied Wentworth, picking up a piece and dipping it up and down before putting it in his mouth.

"Ah! Muggles eat this too? It's unbelievably delicious!"

Even as Cedric exclaimed, his hands never stopped. He picked up another piece and put it in the cauldron.

"Don't just eat meat. Have some vegetables to cut through the greasiness," Wentworth advised.

"If you think it's greasy, eat more vegetables yourself. Give me the meat. I'm not bothered by greasy food," Cedric said without looking up.

Hearing Cedric's reply, Wentworth stared at him in shock. He couldn't believe such shameless words had come out of Cedric's mouth.

In his previous life, Wentworth had always wondered why Cedric had been sorted into Hufflepuff. As the Hogwarts Champion chosen for the House Cup, Cedric had been the best student at Hogwarts in that era, aside from Harry Potter, who was protected by the protagonist's halo. He had been a true top student.

Cedric seemed much more suited to Ravenclaw. Why had he been sorted into Hufflepuff?

Now, watching Cedric tuck into the food, Wentworth couldn't help but marvel: at Hogwarts, it was only the rooms that ever ended up in the wrong place. The students were always sorted correctly.