Hawke's proposal was right up Cedric's alley.
The man wasn't greedy. He hadn't even asked about the enhanced effects that sounded like bragging; he simply wanted that flavor.
Of course, even if Hawke had asked for the enhanced version, Cedric couldn't have made it for him. That was a talent handed to him by the system, not something that grew in a field. There might be some way to reproduce it, but he couldn't figure that out yet.
Even so, Cedric didn't much want to give Hawke the recipe for Rock Sugar Biting Cabbage. He had one reason: he was afraid the price of Biting Cabbage seedlings would shoot through the roof!
A businessman with his hand on ninety percent of the magical candy market could swallow Merlin knew how much Biting Cabbage. For now, the wizarding world's growers were small-time operators working their own plots. Farming was especially backward; even with magic to help, it couldn't withstand demand on Hawke's scale.
If the price of Biting Cabbage didn't rise then, it would be a miracle!
"Mr. Hawke, why are you so fixated on Rock Sugar Biting Cabbage?" Cedric spread his hands. "Aren't my other dishes good enough?"
"Of course they are. Every dish is a flawless work of art," Hawke said with genuine admiration. "But I make candy. No matter how wonderful your other dishes are, they're outside my line of work..."
"No, Mr. Hawke, you've misunderstood." Cedric raised a hand to stop him. "What I mean is, the dishes taste good not because the ingredients are expensive, but because of me."
Cedric tapped his chest. "Get it? There's no need to wrestle with costly Biting Cabbage. Candy made on its own would turn out even better."
Cedric had originally made Rock Sugar Biting Cabbage to work with the plant's nature, not to create the world's greatest candy.
With God's Hand, he could make the most perfect ordinary candy from perfectly ordinary ingredients, simply by getting their proportions right down to the tiniest detail.
Candy sold because it was novel, fun, and delicious. Rock Sugar Biting Cabbage was none of those things.
"That... I'd never thought of it that way." Hawke looked thoughtful. "What kind of candy are you planning to make?"
That question stumped Cedric. He'd only said it because the conversation had led him there; he didn't have anything close to a plan. Now Hawke had forced him to think.
Nut candies were out first. A single five-nut mooncake could flatten over ninety percent of Europeans, and wizards wouldn't fare any better. Peanut brittle, sunflower seed candy, and the like went straight off the list.
Toffee? Fruit drops? Or gummies?
Cedric couldn't decide which kind of candy would work best.
As he pondered, Cedric spotted a familiar face coming through the front door of the Leaky Cauldron: Professor McGonagall. At the sight of her, the taste of a potion he'd once tried sprang to mind.
The first time Apparition had left him feeling utterly wretched, Professor McGonagall had given him a sip of Cheering Potion!
"Why not try making candy with Potions? That would be fun." Cedric watched Professor McGonagall and noticed a father and daughter behind her. The little girl's face was full of unconcealed astonishment. She was clearly from a Muggle family.
"We'll talk about our business later." Cedric felt he ought to go and say hello to the professor who had taken such good care of him. He turned to Hawke. "Go get a bottle of Cheering Potion. I'll use it to make a candy no one can find fault with. See you later."
Hawke's mind was already racing. He was weighing whether this could actually work. Mixing Potions into candy... It sounded a little mad.
But it also sounded exciting.
Cedric paid no attention to what Hawke thought. He walked over to Professor McGonagall and greeted her politely. "Hello, Professor McGonagall."
Professor McGonagall had noticed him too. She smiled. "It's a pleasure to see you, Mr. Cecil. I'm also pleased to see that crow still keeping you company, safe and sound."
Cedric looked a little embarrassed. He gave a dry cough. "I haven't reached the point of putting everything I see into my mouth."
"Indeed. I've heard a little about what you've been up to." Professor McGonagall didn't forget the Muggle parent and young witch behind her. Turning slightly, she introduced him. "This is Allen Cecil. He's also starting at Hogwarts this year."
"Hello, Mr. Cecil." The little girl, likewise a new student, took the lead in greeting him. "I'm Hermione Vance. It's nice to meet you."
Hermione studied Cedric's face intently, pretending to be calm, but her bright-red cheeks gave her away.
How could a boy be this good-looking? Hermione's little heart hammered in her chest.
Cedric, by contrast, was much calmer. Even after recognizing who stood before him, he felt no great excitement.
Oh, so this is Hermione Vance.
Cedric looked Hermione's face over. She didn't look like her film counterpart, nor did she have the buck teeth described in the books. She was simply a neat-looking little girl with brown curls and a pleasant enough face.
Hmm. On looks alone, I still have the edge, Cedric thought.
"I'm pleased to meet a young lady like you too." Cedric flashed her a sunny smile. "Would you like a snack? I made it myself."
Hermione's face grew hotter still.
As he spoke, Cedric took out some snacks he carried with him. They weren't Rock Sugar Biting Cabbage, though, but Biting Cabbage prepared another way.
He had slowly roasted Biting Cabbage seedlings soaked in sugar syrup at a low temperature until they were completely dry, fried them in oil, then seasoned them with Sea Salt, a tiny bit of sugar, and Black Pepper to make a savory snack.
Eating them yielded few Enhancement Points. All that processing had used up most of their nutrients, but they tasted every bit as good as Rock Sugar Biting Cabbage. Maybe that was the true nature of junk food.
Rock Sugar Biting Cabbage might have been a dish perfected to its limits, but Cedric didn't live on perfect dishes alone. Even the tastiest food got tiresome if he ate too much of it.
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