Zhang Xiao's tableware

Until noon the next day, Zhang Xiao wore a smile full of happiness and anticipation.

It made Malfoy suspect he had found an entire bag of Galleons. Even Professor Flitwick couldn't resist awarding him a point during class.

His reason was, "On such a cold, gloomy day, Zhang's cheerful smile warmed my heart."

Finally, at lunchtime, Malfoy couldn't hold back any longer and asked:

"Zhang, did you... drink Pumpkin Juice spiked with a badly brewed Invigoration Draught this morning?"

Malfoy asked because of Professor Snape, who frequently threatened students of every year in class-mostly Gryffindors.

He said he would mix the "rubbish" they brewed into their Pumpkin Juice and make them drink it themselves.

As it happened, the third-years had practiced brewing Invigoration Draughts just yesterday.

Zhang Xiao didn't answer. Instead, he pulled Malfoy over to his usual seat, the spot he had agreed on with the House-elves.

Generally, students had regular seats at mealtimes, and once they got used to them, they didn't change.

Looking thoroughly confused, Malfoy followed Zhang Xiao and sat down. He said anxiously:

"Zhang, our detention is about to start, and it's in the Forbidden Forest! The Forbidden Forest!

"My father wrote to Dumbledore too, but he completely ignored my father's objections and insisted that students obey school rules.

"He's such a stubborn old man! Don't you think..."

Malfoy suddenly went wide-eyed. Pointing at the things that had appeared in front of Zhang Xiao, he stammered:

"Wh... what's going on? Why is the stuff in front of you different from ours? How did you do that?"

A set of tableware completely unlike the other students' had suddenly appeared in front of Zhang Xiao.

His parents had prepared everything for him, so naturally, none of it was ordinary tableware.

Intricate, exquisite patterns had been carved into the smooth, creamy-white ivory chopsticks and inlaid with fine gold wire. Yet these chopsticks, over a hundred years old, were the least remarkable pieces in the entire set.

The plate holding the stir-fried tomatoes and eggs was Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain. What could he say? The emperors of the Yuan Dynasty had bestowed heaps of it on them. Just because it was rare in the secular world didn't mean the Daoist Order lacked it.

The little bowl holding his rice was a Ru Kiln porcelain bowl. What could he say? The emperors of the Song Dynasty had bestowed heaps of those too.

The soup bowl was Chenghua Doucai, all about bright, varied colors. What could he say? The emperors of the Ming Dynasty had bestowed heaps of those as well.

Zhang Xiao had originally provided matching sets of tableware, but the House-elves' tastes had always been rather strange. They had probably mixed and matched according to their own preferences.

It wasn't much of an issue. Being able to eat home cooking was comfort enough.

Malfoy's eyes were practically popping out of his head. Britain's fascination with Chinese porcelain had lasted well into modern times.

Britain had also looted more cultural artifacts than any other country. Even Japan couldn't outdo its second daddy. Although the wizarding world hadn't taken part, before the International Statute of Secrecy, when wizards and Muggles weren't so sharply separated, things had been different.

The Muggle aristocracy's enthusiasm for porcelain and silk had influenced those wizards too. With Malfoy's discerning eye, he could certainly recognize how exquisite these pieces were.

Likewise, Slytherin had plenty of other children from wealthy families. They stared at Zhang Xiao's tableware and his entirely different food, discussing it in hushed voices.

Some of the pure-bloods who had chosen to cooperate with Dragon-Tiger Mountain showed pleasure and admiration, while those on the opposing side showed jealousy and displeasure.

Things here were different from the East. Reserve and modesty had no market; a high profile and an appropriate show of strength were what reassured them.

The more outstanding Zhang Xiao proved himself, the more confidence the pure-bloods aligned with him would have.

Voldemort had understood this mentality very well.

If he had always been humble and unassuming, greeting everyone with a reserved smile and saying, "Just call me little Voldy or little Tom,"

Only an idiot of a pure-blood would have followed him.

"Want some?" Zhang Xiao asked, picking up his plate.

Malfoy pressed his lips together and nodded, looking rather embarrassed, then asked enviously:

"Where did you buy all this porcelain? We have some very beautiful porcelain at home too-precious bone china-but I think yours is even prettier!

"It has a sort of Eastern beauty!"

Zhang Xiao put a little under half onto Malfoy's plate, thought for a moment, then asked:

"Draco, does your family still have contact with powerful Muggles?"

Malfoy immediately grew nervous. He glanced around, leaned closer, and asked quietly:

"Shh! That's something we're not allowed to talk about. But you're right. We still have contact with powerful Muggles. My mother told me. A lot of the things at home come from Muggle society.

"You know, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy!"

Zhang Xiao nodded. The news didn't surprise him. Britain's wizarding community was too small-so small that it could barely function as an independent, closed society.

By his estimate, Britain's entire wizarding population numbered no more than thirty thousand. (Note 1)

Contact with Muggle society was therefore all but inevitable.

He tapped his tableware gently with his chopsticks and said seriously:

"Draco, tell your family this: if you can persuade powerful Muggles to return a hundred cultural artifacts looted from China's Muggles, and make a big public spectacle of it, I'll give you a set of this Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain."

Malfoy was startled. He stammered:

"You're so powerful, and someone still managed to steal from you?"

A shadow passed over Zhang Xiao's face. He shook his head and answered vaguely:

"We can't really interfere in Muggle society's affairs. Let me put it this way: you'd be getting an incredible bargain. Do you know how much this set of Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain is worth?

"It's hard to put a value on it in Galleons, but in pounds sterling, it could easily fetch over ten million."

That was true enough, provided the Daoist Order didn't bring out its own stock and send the market crashing.

Over ten million! Malfoy's face flushed bright red. He didn't really understand the relationship between Galleons and pounds sterling, but he had gleaned one thing from the occasional snippets he overheard from his parents.

The pound had considerable purchasing power too! In fact, these pure-bloods had secretly developed a new way of trading.

A dual-track system: Galleons for magical items, pounds for everything else!

Zhang Xiao's thinking was much simpler. Yuan Blue-and-White Porcelain wasn't worth much to them, but his homeland was still at a low point.

If Britain's powerful elite made a grand public show of returning cultural artifacts, it would surely lift people's spirits back home and bolster their confidence.

As for secretly using magic to steal everything in the British Museum, he had never considered it. Either they returned everything properly, or those objects could stay there as a monument to their shame!

After thinking it over, Malfoy decided to write to his parents later and ask. He stared dazedly at the tableware Zhang Xiao was eating from.

The world seemed full of absurdities.

Someone was actually eating off things worth over ten million pounds???

Before long, word of Zhang's tableware and food spread among the young wizards.

1. Recommendation votes 2. Monthly votes

Note 1: Rowling herself put Britain's wizarding population at around three thousand. Oh, that dreadful math!

I've always felt that the lives of pure-bloods ought to be very interesting. Unfortunately, the original books' perspective never paid much attention to that side of things.

Based on deductions from the original books, I don't think pure-bloods would ever completely cut ties with Muggles. Secret contact would be inevitable.