Before long, the baking tray was empty.
Most of what had been on it had gone into Ron's stomach.
Only after swallowing the last piece did he realize something was wrong: Cedric had borrowed the Kitchen specifically to make this dish, and Ron had eaten the whole thing. Embarrassed, he rubbed his hands together and hurried to explain:
"I'm so sorry, kid. What you made smelled so good that I got carried away."
He patted his round belly, his face full of satisfaction.
Now that he was full, Ron felt warmth spread through his body, as though his limbs had suddenly gained boundless strength. But he didn't know that Magic was what mattered most inside a wizard's body. It was hard for most people to tell Magic Activation apart from a simple burst of energy.
What he was feeling was Magic surging through his body.
"Caw, caw!"
Xuanling, however, was furious.
It was all that fat, balding old man's fault. Xuanling had barely gotten a few bites.
"It's fine. Food's made to be eaten."
Cedric spoke casually and stroked Xuanling's head, telling the raven to stop squawking.
"You're not satisfied with it yourself?"
Ron's mouth twitched when he heard that.
Was this kid just showing off?
If food this delicious wasn't good enough, then the meals I made for my customers and myself at the tavern must be unfit even for pigs.
But Cedric's expression had been utterly serious. He clearly wasn't boasting. After watching him for a while, Ron slowly realized that the boy genuinely thought the dish hadn't turned out well enough.
Good heavens.
What kind of chef could judge his own cooking like that?
Ron's love of food ran deep. After wrestling with himself for quite a while, he finally asked carefully:
"Kid, have you ever thought about becoming a chef?"
Cedric looked up at him, baffled.
"A chef? I'm not even an adult yet. I'm going to Hogwarts this year. How could I become a chef now?"
"That's not what I mean. I'm not asking you to become a full-time chef right now."
Ron waved his hands hastily.
"What I mean is, there are still over two months before school starts. How about earning some pocket money in the meantime?"
He gave himself a hearty pat on the back.
What a brilliant idea.
Ron had overheard bits of Cedric's conversation with Professor McGonagall. He knew the boy was an orphan who needed a loan just to attend school. Money had to be tight, so the promise of earnings had an excellent chance of winning him over.
Ron had guessed right.
Cedric was tempted.
But money was only part of it. What really interested him was regular access to the Kitchen and the chance to work with special ingredients, experimenting with new ways to prepare them.
But when Cedric laid out his requirements, Ron immediately looked troubled.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to spend money.
The problem was that materials from Fantastic Beasts cost far more than ordinary ingredients. Prices ten or more times higher were nothing unusual.
Ordinary food could be bought in bulk from regular suppliers for very little. Even after a full day's business at a place like the Leaky Cauldron, the total cost of ingredients usually came to less than ten Galleons.
Only then did Cedric realize he'd made it sound too easy.
Those materials from Fantastic Beasts, along with most magical plants, were normally used in alchemy, Potions, and magical rituals. Their prices might not seem outrageous on their own, but compared with ordinary food, they were frighteningly expensive.
It was clearly unrealistic to expect Ron to keep supplying them for his cooking.
Besides, the Leaky Cauldron made most of its money from drinks and lodging. Its customers weren't particularly demanding about food. This wasn't an upscale restaurant catering to the wealthy. Even if expensive materials went into the dishes, customers might not be willing to pay more.
But if Cedric could only use ordinary ingredients, spend every day working on dishes that offered him little room to improve, and receive a little pocket change for it, he didn't see much point.
Ron kept saying it was a shame, but he knew the hiring arrangement was unlikely to work out.
Still, even if he couldn't employ Cedric as a chef, Cedric was free to use the Kitchen whenever he liked.
Ordinary ingredients would be provided for free.
Cedric would no longer have to pay for his three meals at the tavern, either.
Ron had only one condition: whenever Cedric made a new dish, he had to give Ron a few bites to taste.
Since he would be using someone else's Kitchen regularly, that was hardly unreasonable. Cedric agreed on the spot and patted his chest, promising it would be no problem.
Satisfied, Ron left the Kitchen and returned to serving customers outside.
Cedric stayed behind alone and continued working on his recipes.
Before long, the enchanted cooking utensils in the back Kitchen began moving on their own. The evening crowd would arrive soon, and pots, bowls, knives, and other tools bustled about, preparing everything needed for dinner.
Cedric didn't disturb them.
He walked over to the wall and watched the utensils move back and forth, hoping their motions might give him some inspiration.
Xuanling perched on his shoulder for a while.
As the food in Xuanling's belly settled, a new need soon arose.
Need to poop.
The Crow had always been straightforward and saw no reason to hold it in. Xuanling hopped off Cedric's shoulder and bounced toward the trash can.
Xuanling had only just reached the trash can and lifted its tail when every feather on its body suddenly stood on end.
Danger!
A white shadow lunged at Xuanling.
Startled, Xuanling beat its wings and flew away, crying out in panic. The raven was plainly calling for Cedric.
Cedric rushed over the moment he heard the commotion.
But all he saw was the white shadow flash past before vanishing. Xuanling circled overhead, wings beating furiously, clearly still shaken by the attack.
"What happened?"
Cedric frowned.
"Caw, caw!"
Xuanling immediately launched into an account of what had happened.
The raven couldn't speak human language, so it did its best to explain with cries and frantic gestures.
"Something attacked you out of nowhere?"
Cedric looked at Xuanling.
"That white shadow? And it was fairly big?"
He scanned the area, then asked:
"Can you still sense where it is?"
"Caw!"
Xuanling nodded rapidly.
This couldn't be let go.
Crows held grudges by nature, and magical ravens even more so. Once Xuanling marked someone as an enemy, the grudge might stay with the raven forever.
And the special ability Xuanling had just gained was perfect for a situation like this.
[Special ability: Grudge.] [Target locked. Xuanling will not forget this attack.]
Before you continue