A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 672 What Magic Should Do
Charles was speechless at Harry's audacity; he actually went to Hermione to ask where he could learn the Imperius Curse.

The result was self-evident: he received a good lecture.

Harry naturally let the lecture go in one ear and out the other, his attention quickly drawn to his makeup exam results.

Fortunately, he passed his makeup exam and won't miss the second Hogsmeade Week in October.

On the third weekend of October, the sky was overcast as usual, and the north wind began to howl, but the students' enthusiasm was very high.

Harry chewed on his fried bacon absentmindedly, his eyes occasionally glancing at the Daily Prophet in Hermione's hand beside him.

Suddenly, as if he had discovered some treasure, he poked at an inconspicuous news item in the corner of the newspaper with his finger.

“Hey, Hermione, look here!” Harry mumbled, still with food in his mouth. “The Hog’s Head…this ad says they have ‘the latest magical invention from Hogwarts geniuses, experience the perfect fusion of magic and life’ today?”

"It sounds mysterious, should we go check it out later?"

His eyes sparkled with the usual curiosity about the unknown.

Hermione, engrossed in a lengthy report about the Ministry of Magic's budget debate, looked up at Harry with a surprised expression.

“Harry,” she said with a hint of exasperation, “that ‘latest magical invention’ you mentioned is actually a large-scale recipe model.”

The words "large recipe model" seemed to trigger an invisible switch, causing several students eating breakfast nearby to choke and burst into suppressed coughs, their faces showing complex expressions of lingering fear.

Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and cleared her throat to explain, "Charles put it in the Hog's Head as a public test."

"Now, as long as you make a purchase there, you can get one chance to use it."

“Aberforth was quite welcoming, thinking that this novel invention could boost business, and even provided a kitchen for the wizards to use.”

"Oh?" Harry's interest was truly piqued. "That's interesting."

He turned to the other side and said, "Ron, shall we go take a look together later?"

Ron was struggling to finish a fruitcake, his cheeks bulging, when he heard this he looked up with a troubled expression.

He thought for a moment, then said apologetically, "Uh... I'm afraid it will be later. I have an appointment with Percy at the Three Brooms Bar."

“Percy?” Hermione raised her eyebrows, her expression turning serious. “Looks like he’s going to share his ‘prefectural code of conduct’ or ‘how to write effective inspection reports’ with you. It might be good to have a chat.”

She hoped Ron could learn from Percy so he could shut down that horrible octagon.

Ron shook his head, barely containing his excitement, and said, "No! It's because the Department of Magical Sports is preparing for the first Wizards' Chess World Cup!"

"Percy seems to have been seconded to the organizing committee to help out. I want to participate, so I'd like to ask him how to register and if he has any inside information."

His eyes lit up; clearly, his enthusiasm for Wizard Chess overshadowed everything else.

Hermione couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Percy really is... wherever the department seems 'important,' he's there."

She had never been fond of Percy's style of clinging to the center of power; he had previously worked under Charles, but now he had moved to another department.

Ron shrugged, but this time he unusually defended his brother: "This time the situation is a little different."

"I heard that this World Cup plans to make extensive use of the communication laptops produced by Charles and his team, as well as their specially made magic chessboards, for remote play and event management."

Hermione and Harry nodded. Recently, Ron has been playing two or three games of chess with Black every night, and then he makes sarcastic remarks in the group chat, urging others to play chess with him. So they are very familiar with chess sets.

Ron continued, "Penelope works at Charles's Farbatton Castle, so the department felt that Percy was the most suitable person to communicate with them, so they temporarily transferred him there."

Hermione said thoughtfully, "Perhaps the work of testing the werewolves is coming to an end, and Percy needs to figure out his next position."

If Charles were here, he could ask him now, but he didn't come back last night and I don't know where he went.

After the three finished breakfast, they decided to go to the Three Broomsticks to meet Percy first, since Ron's business was important and they could also get the news about the Wizarding Chess World Cup as soon as possible.

Satisfying curiosity, such as going to the Pig Head Bar to see what's going on, can be done later.

The Three Brooms pub was as warm and noisy as ever, with a roaring fire and the sweet aroma of butterbeer filling the air. Mrs. Rosmerta bustled about among the crowded tables and chairs.

They found Percy in the far corner. He was dressed in a crisp, dark green wizard's robe, sitting upright with an untouched cup of butterbeer in front of him, surrounded by magic that prevented sound from escaping.

“Ron,” Percy said, adjusting his round-framed glasses and flashing his standard, formulaic smile as he watched them sit down at the table, “first of all, congratulations again on becoming a prefect. This position represents immense responsibility and the power to be a role model for others…”

He began his familiar, didactic small talk.

Ron nodded outwardly, but his eyes were already glancing elsewhere, clearly not having absorbed much of the official platitudes.

Just as Ron was about to interrupt, Percy suddenly changed the subject, deliberately lowering his voice: "By the way, Ron, I heard that you recently participated in that 'Wizard Octagon Duel' event organized under the guise of the 'Academic Progress and Enhancement Seminar'?"

His gaze was fixed on Ron through his glasses.

Ron's face immediately tightened, and his fingers unconsciously gripped the glass full of butterbeer.

Percy keenly sensed his brother's displeasure and quickly interjected before he could explode, "Listen, Ron, I don't mean to object to you participating in extracurricular activities!"

“But as an older brother, and considering your position at school, I must remind you to be mindful of the rules and regulations, and to stop short of making a point.” He paused, knowing that even lecturing should be kept to a minimum, and quickly and somewhat abruptly changed the subject, saying, “Let’s get back to the serious matter of the Wizard Chess World Cup.”

This topic, as if by magic, instantly captured Ron's entire attention.

Percy straightened his back and spoke in the tone of someone introducing a national project: "This brand-new World Cup event is scheduled to take place during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, aiming to promote Wizard Chess globally and showcase the innovative application of magical communication technology in modern sports event management."

“If you’re really determined to participate,” Percy concluded, “then you’ll have to work twice as hard during this time, doing high-intensity, systematic practice.”

Ron nodded and then asked about the rules.

The world is so big, and the rules of Wizard Chess are slightly different, so we must find out first.

Percy didn't know the details either, and said he would be notified as soon as there was news from the department.

After exchanging a few more words of trivial departmental chatter, Harry, Penelope, and their friends saw Penelope appear and got up to say goodbye, heading to their second destination on their Hogsmeade trip—the Hog's Head.

Compared to the warm and bright Three Brooms, Pighead Bar stubbornly retains its signature dilapidated, dim, and mysterious atmosphere.

Fortunately, although the place still looks dilapidated, it has been cleaned well, and the dust and odors are gone.

This place used to be a gathering place for strange and eccentric wizards, but today it was unusually lively, with almost every seat filled and wizards in various costumes crammed around greasy, shiny wooden tables.

Harry, Harry, and his friends waited quite a while before finally managing to snag a seat in the darkest corner.

"Three butterbeers, please."

Harry raised his voice and called out to Aberforth, the pub owner who looked grumpy and whose hair and beard resembled tangled vines.

When the butterbeer appeared on the table, their eyes were quickly drawn to the scene in front of the bar counter.

The oil painting hung on the wall, depicting a spotless, modern kitchen, with Hatsune Miku, dressed in a white chef's robe and sporting her signature light green twin tails, standing quietly in the center of the kitchen.

Driven by curiosity, wizards kept stepping forward, telling the portrait their ingredient and flavor requirements. Hatsune Miku's eyes would then flash with blue data light, generating a detailed recipe and smoothly demonstrating the cooking steps.

Exclamations and lively discussions erupted from the surrounding area from time to time, and some people even asked to use the kitchen.

"Hiss..." Ron gasped, "Mom...Mom?!"

Harry and Hermione followed his gaze and, sure enough, stood Mrs. Molly Weasley in the small queue in front of the large recipe model!
With the typical curiosity of a housewife on her face, even though it wasn't her turn yet, she was still completely absorbed in watching Hatsune Miku demonstrate how to process a root vegetable in the picture. She was tightly clutching a small notebook and a worn-out quill pen, carefully recording the key steps.

Ron didn't dare go over, afraid that Percy would tell his mother about the wizard's octagon duel.

He had no doubt that if his mother knew what he had done, she would ask him without hesitation how to cook it.

Soon it was Molly's turn. She asked, "Besides the usual chicken soup and roast chicken, what other fresh and delicious ways are there to cook the chickens in the backyard?"

Hatsune quickly replied: "Okay, the user asked what other fresh ways there are to cook chickens raised at home besides stewing and roasting."

"First, we need to consider that users may be tired of traditional cooking methods and want to try something different. Here's a chicken recipe from an exotic country that we recommend."

The ingredients are 2 chicken thighs, 2 chicken breasts, and 6 scallions cut into 2.5 cm long pieces.

“酱汁材料为500毫升鸡汤、2根葱、1块姜切片、50毫升酒、100毫升味醂、1汤匙糖、50毫升酱油、50毫升水。”

"Step 1: Put all the sauce ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until the sauce is reduced by half and becomes thick and glossy."

"Step 2: Cut the chicken into rectangular strips. Fold each strip over, skewer it with a bamboo skewer to form a dome shape, alternately skewer the chicken and scallion segments, and lightly brush with oil."

"Step 3: Grill the chicken skewers over charcoal, turning them frequently. When the chicken skewers are about 80% cooked, start brushing them with sauce and continue grilling to caramelize them."

Many people in the bar started taking notes, making it feel like a Hogwarts classroom.

Hermione nodded and said, "It looks delicious, shall we try it?"

She was very upset about the braised beef with vinegar last time, and she was determined to turn things around.

However, Harry and Ron turned pale instantly.

Before they could come up with an excuse to decline, a cheerful voice rang out: "Oh, I'm looking forward to it."

Dumbledore, with a broad smile, sat down at their table.

Hermione was annoyed when she saw Harry and Ron's changed expressions, but now that the headmaster is here, if he can affirm her skills, the previous matter can be put behind her.

“No problem,” Hermione said. “I’ll try it tonight.”

Dumbledore chatted with them for a few moments and remarked, "At this moment, I seem to truly feel that magic is not always about fierce battles, complex intrigues, and ancient and difficult spells."

"It can also be like this, subtly blending into the most ordinary and trivial aspects of daily life, bringing unexpected freshness to a simple family dinner."

He suddenly looked at Hermione and asked seriously, "I'm beginning to fully understand what Charles is trying to do. Do you understand, Miss Granger?"

(End of this chapter)