Chapter 655: Dinner
Chapter 655: Dinner
"Grilled loin, roasted chicken with onions, large slices of roast beef, and pork pie. Ah—there’s even a huge pot of seafood cream soup. This is simply too lavish. I believe even our mothers couldn’t prepare such a feast in such a short time." Fred, who was commanding several oil lamps to float in the air, exclaimed in surprise as Liam and Hermione directed the large silver platters to fly down the stairs and through the hall to the back garden.
"These aren’t all freshly made", Liam said. "But the dimensional devices I created have a preservation function that keeps them tasting as fresh as when they were first cooked."
After placing all the dinnerware in their proper places, the front doorbell rang. Penelope, hearing the bell, walked into the room. Soon, Lupin and eleven Werewolf Wizards entered.
"Good evening, Professor Lupin", Ryan and the others greeted in unison. After returning the greeting, Lupin and his companions hung their coats on the backs of the chairs and sat down.
"Liam, what did you do today?" Lupin asked, puzzled, after settling in. "This afternoon, many wizards Apparated here with their families. They kept saying you saved them."
"We just did what we should have done", Liam said humbly. Then, he and Hermione took turns recounting their day’s adventure.
"You were still too reckless today", Lupin advised after listening to Ryan and the others. "There are quite a few Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic. Wizards like Renton Albert, who rose to power through flattery and betrayal, don’t represent the general level of the Death Eaters. If you encounter a few highly skilled wizards, it could be troublesome."
"The professional Hit Wizards we faced weren’t that tough", Hermione said. "As long as we took out one of them, the others would hesitate."
"They probably weren’t used to your tactics", a bearded Werewolf commented. "I’ve been saying that if we keep using non-lethal spells, we’ll be at a disadvantage in the war."
"It’s not just that", the former Auror named William said, turning to look at Ryan and the others with admiration. "While the training for Hit Wizards is much simpler than that for Aurors, and the current batch of Hit Wizards recruited from scum are even less skilled, it still takes a remarkable level of ability to take out the one leading the charge in a single blow. Even among Aurors, only the most elite can do that."
"William, that’s enough", Lupin interrupted sternly. "Ryan and the others are too young. These responsibilities shouldn’t be on their shoulders. You shouldn’t be encouraging them to take such risks again."
As the leader of the Werewolves, Lupin no longer seemed as introverted as before. He exuded an air of authority. William immediately fell silent upon hearing his words.
"Thank you for your concern, Professor Lupin", Hermione said. "We will be more careful in the future. Speaking of highly skilled wizards, the Dark Wizard who chased us out of the Ministry of Magic’s main hall was indeed as you described. He was very powerful and even used a suicidal fighting technique. But we managed to take him down together."
"A powerful Dark Wizard, you don’t know who he was?" Lupin asked. "From what I know, many powerful Death Eaters stay by Voldemort’s side, ready to carry out his evil commands. This means that most Death Eaters nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Magic are often not there. Instead, many are former Ministry of Magic staff who escaped trial after the last war."
"But I really don't know that person. After all, Hermione and I aren't Wizards by birth, so we don't really know the Ministry of Magic's staff", Liam said. "By the way, he looks like this."
With that, Liam drew his wand and summoned a stone from the yard into his hand, then tapped it. Soon, the stone transformed into the portrait of the male wizard who had tried to attack Ryan and the others, looking quite sinister.
"Yaxley!" Upon seeing the portrait, Lupin, the Weasley Twins, and several Werewolves seated at the table exclaimed in unison. "You two actually took down the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the London Ministry of Magic!"
"I don't think I've heard of him", Hermione said with a questioning tone. "You know, we were either guarding Azkaban or taking our N.E.W.T. exams recently. Even after the exams, we didn't rest but prepared magic items and researched new products. So, we're not really up to date with the British Ministry of Magic's personnel."
"That's right, I almost forgot", Fred said, slapping his forehead. "The Daily Prophet has already covered this in detail. It listed the latest officials of the British Ministry of Magic. The Death Eaters and those Purebloods who have sided with the Dark Lord have taken all the positions. Those who refused to cooperate were either on our side, fled the country, or were thrown into prison."
"I have to admire Fudge on this", George said. "We always thought he would bow to the Dark Lord for power, but he chose to flee with his family to France. Unlike some who vowed to fight the Dark Lord to the bitter end but were the first to kiss his boots when he arrived."
"War often reveals the true nature of people", Liam said. "Let's eat now. Otherwise, this roasted meat will be as cold as a stone."
At that moment, everyone realized they had been so engrossed in the discussion that they hadn't noticed the sky had turned completely dark. Only the lamps floating above the table, courtesy of the Weasley Twins, provided light. They stopped talking and began to eat. Soon, the Hobbits' culinary skills had won over everyone's taste buds.
"I never thought there could be anything more delicious than House-Elf cooking", an elderly Werewolf with gray hair marveled. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted."
The others, meanwhile, didn't even lift their heads, focusing on clearing the table of food. Half an hour later, the table was spotless, all the delicious dishes devoured. Liam had been wise to choose large portions, knowing that Werewolves have much larger appetites than normal people. This ensured that everyone at the table was well-fed.
After dinner, Hermione used a spell to clean the table. She then took out a few bottles of sweet wine and juice and used her wand to fill everyone's cups.
Soon, everyone gathered in small groups to chat. Hermione, for instance, huddled in a corner with Penelope and a female Werewolf. Liam, on the other hand, walked to another corner with Lupin.
"Be very careful in the coming days, and it's best to stay in Hogwarts Castle", Lupin whispered. "This isn't to undermine your courage or abilities, but even the strongest heroes can't always be on guard. Often, a poisoned drink in daily life is more dangerous than swords on the battlefield."
"Thank you for the warning", Liam said. "We'll stay in Hogwarts Castle for the time being and not go anywhere. Making various magic artifacts doesn't require us to leave, and we can have any raw materials delivered to the castle."
"That's good to hear", Lupin's face finally broke into a smile. "You are very important to everyone now, so I hope everything goes smoothly and nothing goes wrong."
(End of Chapter)
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