"Come in."
Shawn looked at the open door, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.
In the Headmaster's Office, Dumbledore was gorging himself on sweets again-Cockroach Clusters, no less.
Wasn't he worried that real cockroaches might get mixed in?
Shawn's unexpected visit surprised Dumbledore a little, but the timing was convenient. He had been meaning to invite Shawn over for a "chat" these past few days, so he said with a genial smile,
"Shawn, come and sit down."
Shawn sat down at the desk. A cup of milk tea floated over to him, and he said politely,
"Thank you."
Seeing that Shawn was holding the cup without any intention of drinking, Dumbledore continued enthusiastically,
"I've refined the recipe again. I replaced the pudding pieces with little glutinous rice pearls that won't go soft or mushy. Once they've soaked in the milk tea, they're smooth, tender, and chewy. Go on, try it."
Shawn glanced down at the steaming milk tea, with no room in his mind to ponder what this new version might signify.
Instead, he felt like an ant on a hot pan.
Snape had warned him only yesterday.
How could he dare drink anything Dumbledore offered him? What if it contained Veritaserum?
Dumbledore would never have done such a thing before, of course, but now Shawn had to judge each situation on its own merits.
Yet refusing to drink would be rude, and might also ruin the purpose of his visit before he even began.
Shawn looked up at Dumbledore's eager face and could only grit his teeth. He took a tiny sip but held it in his mouth, not daring to swallow, and secretly wrapped it in magical energy.
Just to be safe, he even pushed his Occlumency to its limit.
For some reason, however, his heart suddenly