Recaps

Kyle received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, and Mo Fei prepared the orphanage for a professor’s visit. That night, Kyle confessed that he had hidden his magical abilities, and Mo Fei reassured him that he was family.

• Mo Fei read Kyle’s Hogwarts acceptance letter aloud, and the children celebrated his chance to study magic.
• Mo Fei welcomed the visiting professor in a reply to Headmaster Armando Dippet, then sent it with the owl.
• Mo Fei assigned the children their usual chores and wondered whether Dumbledore might visit and encounter Tom.
• Kyle went to Mo Fei at night and apologized for hiding that he was a wizard.
• Mo Fei comforted Kyle and told him the orphanage was his family, easing his fear as his trust in the host changed significantly.

Kyle told Mo Fei about his wizard father, his ill Muggle mother, and the magical fantasies that had comforted him at the orphanage. The next morning, a Hogwarts professor arrived to meet Kyle and demonstrated magic to the children.

• Kyle explained to Mo Fei that his mother had told him stories about magic and urged him to await a Hogwarts letter, while his first magical outburst had made him see sprites and fairies.
• Mo Fei reassured Kyle that he would meet a magic-school teacher the next day, and Kyle went to bed feeling hopeful.
• The orphanage children dressed in their best clothes and waited eagerly for the professor, while Mo Fei and Lina baked bread for the guest.
• A professor who was not Dumbledore arrived and asked for Kyle King, and Mo Fei cautiously welcomed him inside.
• The professor introduced himself as a Hogwarts teacher and cast Tarantallegra, making a chair dance and astonishing the children.

Horace Slughorn introduced Kyle to Hogwarts and explained its subjects, then demonstrated a Rapid Growth Potion at the orphanage. He assured Mo Fei that Hogwarts would support Kyle’s schooling, and the two left with Slughorn for the Wizarding World.

• Horace Slughorn introduced himself as Hogwarts’ Potions professor and Slytherin Head, then told Kyle they would buy his first-year supplies and wand.
• Mo Fei asked Slughorn about Hogwarts’ subjects, and Slughorn described the school’s curriculum and the art of Potions.
• Slughorn used a drop of Rapid Growth Potion to grow wheat from seed in moments, astonishing the children and Mo Fei.
• Mo Fei raised concerns about paying for Kyle’s school supplies, and Slughorn explained that Hogwarts gave impoverished Muggle students twenty Galleons a year for seven years.
• Mo Fei told Aiwen, Boer, and Lina what to do while he was away, then left with Kyle and Slughorn for the Wizarding World.

Slughorn took Mo Fei and Kyle to the Leaky Cauldron by Side-Along Apparition, where Mo Fei helped Kyle recover from the journey and gained Slughorn’s trust. Slughorn then showed them how to open the passage into the magical world, leaving the way clear for their school-supply shopping.

• Mo Fei asked Slughorn how they would travel, and Slughorn told him and Kyle to hold hands before using Side-Along Apparition.
• Mo Fei and Kyle arrived at the Leaky Cauldron feeling ill, and Mo Fei used pressure-point massage to help them recover.
• Slughorn was impressed by Mo Fei’s care for Kyle and trusted him more, while Tom offered Mo Fei a free beer and asked to learn his technique.
• Slughorn explained that Muggles overlooked the Leaky Cauldron and showed them how to tap a particular brick to open the gateway to the magical world.

Kyle and Mo Fei visited Diagon Alley with Professor Slughorn to collect Kyle’s Hogwarts grant and buy his supplies, beginning with a wand. At Ollivander’s shop, Kyle’s first wand rejected him painfully, and Ollivander prepared another to try.

• Kyle explored Diagon Alley while Mo Fei stayed cautious and kept him close.
• Slughorn took Kyle and Mo Fei to Gringotts, where they collected Kyle’s grant of twenty Galleons.
• Slughorn led them to the Ollivander Wand Shop, where Ollivander measured Kyle and explained that a wand chose its wizard.
• Ollivander handed Kyle a wand that shocked him painfully and sprang from his hand.
• Ollivander declared the wand incompatible and offered Kyle another one to try.

Kyle chose a silver lime wand with unicorn tail hair after testing several wands, and Mo Fei and Slughorn helped him buy his school supplies in Diagon Alley. Slughorn gave Kyle his Hogwarts train ticket and departed, leaving Mo Fei and Kyle at the Leaky Cauldron to prepare for the journey.

• Kyle tried several wands at Ollivanders before choosing a silver lime wand with unicorn tail hair, eleven and a quarter inches long.
• Mo Fei wondered whether Garrick Ollivander could read a wizard’s life and secrets through their wand.
• Mo Fei and Kyle bought an intact cauldron, dragonhide gloves, cheap used books, discounted textbooks, and school clothes, while Slughorn warned Mo Fei to protect the orphanage’s secrecy.
• Kyle impressed Madam Malkin with his sewing knowledge, and she offered him a summer invitation and gave them a discount.
• Slughorn gave Kyle a ticket for the Hogwarts Express on September first, then Apparated away, leaving Mo Fei and Kyle bewildered at the Leaky Cauldron.

Mo Fei and Kyle waited at the Leaky Cauldron for Tom to explain how they could return home, while Mo Fei observed the wizarding world and taught Tom massage techniques. Tom befriended Mo Fei, who ended the chapter by hinting that he could teach him cooking too.

• Mo Fei asked Tom to help him and Kyle find their way back to the orphanage, then told Kyle to study and avoid attracting attention.
• Mo Fei watched Tom turn away a wizard who could not pay and argue with Selina, and concluded that wizards generally did not use magic casually.
• Mo Fei and Kyle read quietly until Tom finished serving customers and teased them about being Ravenclaws.
• Mo Fei explained that he was a Muggle and described what he had learned about Hogwarts, prompting Tom to call him interesting and make him a friend.
• Mo Fei taught Tom massage techniques for stomach discomfort, tension, and hangovers, then said that his cooking was even better.

Mo Fei cooked a meal at the Leaky Cauldron after Tom asked to see his skills, impressing Tom and Kyle with steaks, vegetables, and cream soup. The steaks seemed to come from an unusual creature, and Mo Fei briefly saw a fire-breathing lizard in the oven before the meal was served.

• Tom explained that the Leaky Cauldron's food was poor, but a young wizard passing by contradicted him and praised Hogwarts meals.
• Tom invited Mo Fei to demonstrate his cooking, then showed him the kitchen's magically animated utensils and explained their cooking spell.
• Mo Fei inspected the ingredients and prepared roasted steaks, stir-fried vegetables, and cream soup while Kyle watched from the doorway.
• Mo Fei saw a fleeting image of a fire-breathing lizard when he opened the oven, then served the food to Tom, Kyle, and himself.
• Tom eagerly stayed in the kitchen to eat, convinced that any leftovers would be his dinner.

Mo Fei’s steak made from Tom’s Fire Salamander meat delighted Tom and Kyle, and Mo Fei salvaged the lesser dragon blood for Tom’s drink. Tom and Mo Fei signed a magical agreement to work together on dishes, and Tom explained how Mo Fei and Kyle could return to the orphanage.

• Tom and Kyle ate Mo Fei’s steak and felt its warmth and invigorating effects.
• Tom realized Mo Fei had cooked the Fire Salamander meat he used to make Fire Dragon’s Roar.
• Mo Fei showed Tom the separated blood and minced meat, and Tom confirmed the blood could still be used.
• Tom asked Mo Fei to return to help prepare dishes for his pub, offering him a share of sales and payment for future meals.
• Mo Fei agreed to the partnership, and he and Tom signed a magical agreement with the earnings to be deposited in Kyle’s account.
• Tom told Mo Fei that the pub was on Charing Cross Road and that they could get home by finding a carriage outside.

Mo Fei brought Kyle back from Diagon Alley and prepared the orphanage children for Kyle’s seven years at Hogwarts. As September first arrived, Kyle promised to write home, while Boer tried to accept their coming separation.

• Mo Fei and Kyle returned to the orphanage, where Kyle told the children about Diagon Alley.
• Mo Fei reassured Aiwen about Kyle’s safety and helped Boer face the prospect of being apart from his best friend.
• Kyle kept recounting his trip, and Mo Fei warned the children not to tell outsiders about the Wizarding World.
• Kyle told the children he would send letters by owl and hoped some of them might be wizards too.
• September first arrived amid the children’s excitement and reluctance to part with Kyle.

As Kyle prepared to leave for Hogwarts, Mo Fei helped the orphanage’s children grow through work, study, and etiquette lessons. At King’s Cross, Kyle found the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and prepared to board, while the others said goodbye.

• Kyle followed Mo Fei’s warning and studied his textbooks instead of practicing magic without a professor’s guidance.
• Miss Colleen arranged for Molly to teach Mia noble etiquette, and Mo Fei began teaching the children manners and practical skills as the orphanage improved.
• On September first, Mo Fei took the orphanage children to King’s Cross to see Kyle off, leaving the bread business with Manager Kalai and Stefan.
• Mo Fei led the group to platforms nine and ten and explained that Kyle should watch others to learn how to board.
• Kyle saw a family disappear through a pillar, identified the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and heard Mo Fei’s final advice before setting off for Hogwarts.

After Kyle left to study magic, Mo Fei reassured the children that they could build better futures for themselves and led them to discuss their goals. Boer chose to learn therapeutic massage, and Mo Fei told him he would need to train hard; Boer showed no sign of changing his mind.

• Kyle said goodbye to Mo Fei and the children, then entered the pillar to leave for his wizard training.
• Mo Fei walked the children through the West End and encouraged them to believe they could work hard and live there someday.
• The children gained confidence and discussed their future ambitions as they walked home.
• At dinner, Mo Fei asked the older children to explain how they planned to make a living.
• Boer said he wanted to learn therapeutic massage, and Mo Fei told him to practice martial arts and prepare for the hard work.

Lina and Mia told Mo Fei what careers they wanted, and he set out plans to train them. Lina would learn the fundamentals of breadmaking, while Mia would prepare for acting through study and observation, leaving with a warning to keep a low profile at the theater.

• Lina told Mo Fei she wanted to become London's best baker, and he tested her knowledge of breadmaking before agreeing to teach her the core skills.
• Mo Fei told Lina to exercise with him and accompany him when he bought flour so she could learn the full breadmaking process.
• Mia told Mo Fei she wanted to pursue acting and become famous, despite the hardships and dangers he had warned her about.
• Mo Fei instructed Mia to observe people while selling bread and visiting with Miss Colleen, then report and imitate what she had seen.
• Mo Fei spent his last Belief Point to raise his Acting skill to beginner and warned Mia not to use Miss Colleen's name to cause trouble at the theater.

Mo Fei helped Zane and Aiwen consider their futures, offering Zane the chance to study finance and economics at grammar school. Zane accepted, while Aiwen chose to stay at Mo Orphanage and help Mo Fei care for it.

• Mo Fei asked Zane about his plans, and Zane said he wanted to study arithmetic and economics and eventually work at the chamber of commerce.
• Mo Fei offered to pay for Zane to attend grammar school, and Zane agreed to pursue the opportunity.
• Mo Fei asked Aiwen about his dreams, and Aiwen said he would inherit the orphanage and help Mo Fei.
• Mo Fei accepted Aiwen's offer, and the children celebrated as they considered their futures.

Mo Fei enrolled Zane in grammar school and bought books for the orphanage children, noticing signs that unrest was affecting book prices. As the orphanage’s finances dwindled, Miles’s resentment toward Aiwen and the others continued to grow.

• Mo Fei took Zane to the grammar school, where Zane passed the entrance tests and was admitted after Mo Fei invoked Miss Colleen Winter’s name.
• Mo Fei arranged for Zane to bring meals from the orphanage because the school’s dining hall was too expensive.
• Mo Fei bought books suited to each child’s interests and plans, spending much of the orphanage’s remaining money.
• Mo Fei noticed that book prices had risen and suspected that persecution of wizarding families and the approach of war were causing instability.
• Miles, forced to do dangerous work for the Black Snake Gang, watched Aiwen and the others sell bread and grew more resentful.

Miles became increasingly resentful of Mo Fei and plotted to use venomous snakes to kill everyone at the orphanage. Meanwhile, Kyle’s letter from Hogwarts brought the children together to write him a reply, which Boer sent by owl.

• Miles blamed Mo Fei for his misfortunes and, after hearing neighbors praise the orphanage’s progress, decided to make venomous snakes attack it during winter.
• Miles returned to Hei Shi and ingratiated himself with him so he could learn the Black Snake Gang’s Snake Control Technique.
• Kyle’s owl delivered his letter to the orphanage, and Mo Fei let the children read it and share their questions.
• Mo Fei asked Boer to write a reply, and the children asked Kyle about Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, his classes, and the food.
• Boer added that he planned to study medicine with Mo Fei, and the owl flew away with the reply addressed to Kyle King.

At the orphanage, Boer read aloud Kyle’s first letter describing his journey to Hogwarts, his new friend Martin Sawyer, and his Sorting into Hufflepuff. The letter ended with Kyle promising to write about his classes, while Boer took responsibility for keeping all of Kyle’s letters safe.

• Boer joked with Mo Fei and Aiwen about an owl seeming to look down on him, and the children laughed.
• Mo Fei asked Boer to read Kyle’s letter aloud so everyone could hear about the magical world.
• Kyle’s letter described being avoided by some students on the train because of his patched clothes, then befriending Martin Sawyer.
• Kyle recounted the journey to Hogwarts, the boat ride across the lake, and the Sorting Hat placing him in Hufflepuff.
• Kyle described his first week at school and promised to write about his classes in his next letter.
• Boer asked to keep Kyle’s letter, and Mo Fei agreed, asking him to preserve all of Kyle’s future letters too.

After the children ate bread made from wheat grown at the orphanage, Mo Fei collected the Light of Spirituality and unlocked the restrictions on his skills. The children showed clearer thinking and new inspiration, leaving Mo Fei to watch them closely and wonder whether the effect was harmless.

• Mo Fei struggled to advance his Cooking skill because the system required the mysterious Light of Spirituality, which he suspected might come from children.
• The children ate bread made from the orphanage's wheat and briefly experienced a shared vision of a field made entirely of bread.
• The system notified Mo Fei that he had collected the Light of Spirituality and lifted his skill restrictions.
• Zane found new inspiration and solved a problem, while Lina felt she understood kneading dough better and Aiwen said he was clearheaded.
• Mo Fei checked the children for signs of harm and decided to observe them, hoping the Light of Spirituality had no dangerous effects.

Mo Fei upgraded Cooking to master level and chose Cheap Ingredients, gaining the ability to use ordinary ingredients to make dishes with better effects. After absorbing cooking knowledge through a vivid dream, he woke and reflected that he would have to find his own path.

• Mo Fei upgraded Cooking from advanced to master, spending Belief Points and his last Light of Spirituality.
• The system offered Mo Fei the traits Best of the Best and Cheap Ingredients, and he chose Cheap Ingredients to better nourish the children without risking his freedom in the Wizarding World.
• Mo Fei experienced the lives and techniques of master chefs in a dream as their knowledge entered his mind.
• Mo Fei woke when he heard the children getting up and decided that he needed to develop his own cooking path.
• Mo Fei saw Aiwen come out to wash up and laughed, so Aiwen laughed along.

After reaching master level in cooking, Mo Fei prepared a feast for the children and used the meal to teach Lina advanced ways to understand ingredients and develop recipes. The children eagerly finished the delicious food, while Lina remained absorbed in what she had learned.

• Mo Fei cooked a feast with ordinary ingredients and had Lina assist him as usual.
• Mo Fei showed Lina how he adjusted the beef's fibers by touch and explained why his knife cuts were shallow.
• Mo Fei connected the preparation of meat and vegetables to breadmaking, prompting Lina to think about texture, temperature, and flavor.
• Lina realized breadmaking depended on imagination and experience as well as flour and heat, and she absorbed Mo Fei's lessons throughout dinner.
• The children devoured the unusually delicious meal, and Mo Fei was surprised by how tender the beef and sweet the carrots tasted.

During dinner, Mo Fei praised the children’s effort and set a standard of personal progress in exchange for meals. He encouraged Jimmy and Lucy by showing how even small acts of care and learning could count as progress.

• Boer praised the dinner and explained how he had studied massage with Mo Fei, while Aiwen complained about being his practice subject.
• Zane refused to let Boer practice on him, and Aiwen eventually indulged Boer despite their bickering.
• Mo Fei asked the children what they thought of dinner, then said he would cook meals like it every evening if they did their tasks and tried to improve each day.
• The children agreed to Mo Fei’s request, but Jimmy and Lucy worried that they had not accomplished enough.
• Mo Fei told Jimmy he could teach Tom stories and words, and advised Lucy to show Lina more care through small helpful actions.

Mo Fei’s Master-Level Cooking improved the children’s health and growth while helping them thrive in his care. As Christmas approached, he managed Aiwen’s growing pains and new clothes, restricted Boer’s diet, and saw Zane’s condition improve.

• Aiwen, Lina, Boer, Mia, Zane, Jimmy, and Lucy became more proactive and helpful, while Jimmy continued caring for Tom Riddle.
• Mo Fei remained wary of the snake from the previous winter but set the concern aside after none appeared during the year.
• Mo Fei used Master-Level Cooking to make nutritious supplementary foods for Tom, who eagerly ate them and sometimes fussed for more.
• Mo Fei discovered that his cooking skill greatly increased the nutrition in ordinary ingredients, improving his own health and the children’s development.
• Mo Fei helped Aiwen manage growing pains and took him to Mrs. Field for new clothes, where Aisha measured him and chose fabric.
• Mo Fei restricted Boer’s food and offered him exercise and bread-delivery work as alternatives; Boer chose exercise, while Zane’s health and complexion improved.

Mo Fei’s cooking and the neighbors’ monthly dinner parties helped the East End community prosper and grow closer. Miles, alarmed by their success, planned to use a high-grade venomous snake from the Black Snake Gang to kill everyone at Mo Fei’s orphanage.

• Mo Fei’s improved bread boosted sales, while he let former Bread Workshop cooks sell their own bread after the workshop closed.
• Aisha praised Mo Fei’s cooking, and Mrs. Field, Vil-V, and others arranged monthly dinner parties where neighbors shared meals and gifts.
• The gatherings strengthened local ties, and Kalai and Stefan joined the group as it became a mutual-aid organization.
• Miles returned from leave and worried that Mo Fei’s growing success would disrupt his plans.
• Miles recalled how Hei Shi used poisoned prisoners to breed venomous snakes and decided to steal a high-grade snake to attack Mo Fei’s orphanage.

On Christmas, Miles stole blood from the prisoner and used it to draw the venomous snake out of its cage. He escaped the Black Snake Gang with the snake and headed for the Mo Orphanage, where Mo Fei and the children were celebrating.

• Miles slipped away from the gang’s Christmas feast and entered the prisoner’s room to collect blood.
• The prisoner warned Miles that anyone who touched the snakes would have to run or face being imprisoned next.
• Miles entered the snake room, recognized its poisonous atmosphere, and lured the strange venomous snake into briefly falling unconscious with the blood.
• Miles carried the caged snake out of the gang’s territory and headed toward the Mo Orphanage.
• Mo Fei and the children shared a Christmas meal, and Boer was glad to eat a proper feast.

Mo Fei told the children a cautionary tale about a wizard who murdered others to steal their talents, while Miles secretly placed a venomous snake in the dormitory. Mo Fei found Tom Riddle facing the snake and discovered that Tom could speak Parseltongue, which made the snake stop threatening him.

• Mo Fei told the children about a potion-obsessed wizard who stole other wizards’ body parts and was eventually burned to ashes.
• Miles decided to put a venomous snake in the children’s bedroom and return later to retrieve it.
• Mo Fei heard a noise from the dormitory window and went upstairs because Tom Riddle was in the bedroom.
• Tom Riddle smiled at the snake and spoke Parseltongue before it could bite him.
• The snake responded to Tom’s hissing and moved its fangs away from his arm.