Ron and Cedric had already made a deal.
As long as Cedric shared some of whatever he cooked, he wouldn't have to pay for meals at the pub anymore.
To Ron, it was a bargain. A few cheap ingredients and meals that cost next to nothing to make, in exchange for food Cedric cooked himself? It was practically getting something for free.
He even thumped his chest and promised:
"Eat as much as you want. I'll make sure you're full!"
The moment Cedric walked into the pub, every customer perked up.
Applause broke out, and some people shouted his name at the top of their lungs, as if they wanted everyone to know who they were calling. Their aim was simple: they wanted a few more bites of Cedric's cooking.
There weren't actually that many people, but they made plenty of noise.
Cedric had only wanted to eat dinner in peace. Seeing where this was headed, he spoke up first.
"From now on, when it's time to eat, I'll have Ron sell a few dishes I've made. But there'll be limited portions, and they won't be cheap. Let me be clear: I don't want this disrupting my life."
It wasn't the politest way to put it.
But no one there complained.
They had tasted Cedric's cooking. They all knew it was worth paying for.
All they had to do was buy a dish, right?
It wasn't as though they couldn't afford it.
The customers grew louder and louder, until Ron finally stepped in and got them to settle down for the moment. As he called for quiet, he enthusiastically sang Cedric's praises.
"You have no idea how talented Mr. Grey is. A few words can't do his cooking justice. He can even turn something like Biting Cabbage into a dish worth serving!"
Ron's face lit up as he spoke, his hands waving so vigorously that he nearly made the plate of roasted vegetables sound like a delicacy beyond compare.
The wizards around him drew out a collective:
"Oh—"
They looked at one another, thoughtful expressions on their faces.
Biting Cabbage?
You could eat that?
No one seemed to have cooked with it before. Had everyone misunderstood the plant all this time? Was it actually a fine ingredient?
No one at the pub had recognized what kind of meat was in last night's dish of Niffler. But today, at least they knew the dish contained Biting Cabbage.
Add Ron's wildly exaggerated description, and everyone's appetite was whetted at once.
The commotion went on for more than ten minutes.
In the end, Cedric ran out of patience and told Ron to bring his dinner first. Only then did the noise around him gradually die down.
His dinner was chickpea soup, bread with butter, and a little tomato.
After his body had been strengthened, Cedric could eat three times as much as an adult man. Faced with this meal, though, he stopped after two servings.
The food from the Leaky Cauldron's kitchen served only one purpose for him: filling his stomach.
As for the taste...
The fact that he hadn't tipped the entire plate into the trash was already more than enough consideration for Ron.
He found this sort of British food hard to stomach. The bean soup always tasted the same, the bread was dry enough to scrape his throat raw, and all it got was a smear of butter and a few leafy greens on the side.
At times like this, even fish and chips sounded comforting to Cedric.
He forced down what little he could eat, then went back to his room and lay down.
Most shops in Diagon Alley had already closed. If he wanted ingredients, he would have to wait until the next day.
Early the next morning, Cedric washed his face and was just about to leave when Xuanling noticed him moving.
The crow immediately grew frantic. He cried out again and again inside his cage, clawing desperately at the door as though he wanted to wrench the bars apart.
From the way he acted, Cedric might have been about to abandon him rather than step outside.
Cedric had no choice but to open the cage and let Xuanling hop onto his shoulder.
"Let's get one thing straight. If you poop on me, I'll pluck every feather off you when we get back."
At that, Xuanling puffed out his chest and raised his head high, looking thoroughly proud.
His meaning was obvious.
I'm a noble Magical Crow. How could I do something so disgraceful?
"Caw, caw!"
Cedric gathered his things, tucked his money pouch away, then went downstairs and forced down a British breakfast he could barely stomach before leaving the Leaky Cauldron.
Diagon Alley was as crowded and lively as ever.
On both sides of the street, enchanted objects kept calling out to passersby and pitching themselves with tireless enthusiasm.
After walking for a while, Cedric began to notice something unusual.
Far fewer people were paying attention to him.
Before, his striking face had always drawn plenty of looks in a crowd. Today, unless someone happened to come face-to-face with him, hardly anyone looked his way.
Xuanling, on his shoulder, attracted more attention instead.
Many people noticed the crow first and only then happened to see Cedric beside him.
That was the effect of [Passive Ability: Aura Concealment].
For now, it was only E-Rank, a very low level. Once Cedric raised it all the way to the highest level, if he didn't want to be noticed, someone might fail to spot him even if he danced right in front of them.
If he used it actively, the effect would be even stronger.
But he had no interest in testing that now.
Cedric felt the money in his pocket, and his brow furrowed despite himself.
After buying his school supplies and those cabbages, he had fewer than two hundred Galleons left in his pouch.
That was his living money for the entire coming year.
Until he found another source of income, he would have to count every coin and spend nothing carelessly.
But he still had things he needed to buy.
Thinking about how to stretch the money he had left while keeping various ingredients in mind, Cedric walked along, lost in thought. Before he knew it, he had entered the old shop that sold Potions ingredients and equipment.
When he first came in, Mrs. Morgan didn't notice she had a customer.
Only when Xuanling gave two impatient cries nearby did she slowly look up and notice Cedric standing in her shop.
Surprise showed plainly on Mrs. Morgan's face when she saw him.
"Dear, is something wrong?"
She sounded puzzled.
As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly and glanced at Cedric's hands. Only after confirming that all his fingers were still there, neatly attached to his palms, did she quietly relax.
The old lady had clearly been worried all along.
She had been afraid the things Cedric bought last time might have ended up eating his hands.
Before you continue