Inside the Headmaster's Office, on a long, thin-legged table, sticky brains like heads of cauliflower floated in dark green liquid. The portraits of elderly male and female headmasters dozed in their frames; some rested their heads lazily against armchairs, while others leaned against the edges of their portraits. Still, the eyes that occasionally cracked open by the slightest slit proved they were, as always, only pretending to sleep.
Across the headmaster's desk, whose legs were shaped like ravens, Grindelwald and Allen, who had arrived not long ago, were chatting face-to-face. A large plate of Scotch Eggs had been placed in front of Grindelwald.
Allen opened the beverage cabinet beneath the desk and only then noticed that its stock was running low. He shook his head, took a wooden box from the drawer with a button on it, and pressed it under Grindelwald's puzzled gaze.
Several large bottles of cola, carried by an exquisite silver tray, appeared on the headmaster's desk.
"This is my Cola Button. As long as I press it, my House-elf Maggie replenishes my stock a little..." Allen explained at Grindelwald's look. He put the extras into the beverage cabinet, restocking it and chilling them, then kept one bottle out and poured its dark brown liquid into a transparent crystal glass, where it gave off a fizzing, popping sound as bubbles burst.
Then the ice cubes from the Ice-making Zone inside the beverage cabinet flew into the air. Allen turned his head and looked at Grindelwald inquiringly. After the other man gave a slight nod, the neatly cut ice cubes immediately fell into the crystal glass, striking the wall of the glass with a crisp ring.
The two raised their glasses to each other, then took a large sip and leaned back comfortably in the Headmaster's Chairs.
"Ever