Hufflepuff was considered by Professor Binns to be a person of complete selflessness.
Her Chamber was enough to arouse anyone's curiosity.
A Chamber did not necessarily have to contain powerful alchemical creations or magnificent magic.
In her Chamber, Ravenclaw had left behind her love for her daughter. Though she had waited in vain for her daughter, the two had ultimately reunited in their own way.
Compared to wizards, witches possessed more delicate and sensitive hearts.
John trusted Professor Binns's judgement. The inheritance within this Chamber might not be knowledge. It could be a beautiful memory or a lingering regret left behind by Hufflepuff.
After finishing the Typhoon Shelter spaghetti, John stared at the crab he had reassembled and wondered how he had somehow managed to eat the gills.
Wiping his mouth and taking a sip of tea to clear away the lingering taste, John said calmly,
"Another one. Something different."
He saw the second lock behind Big Cupboard open.
As expected, they had to be opened through eating.
John became even more convinced that this was Hufflepuff's Chamber.
"You're still eating?" Hannah asked in surprise.
"Of course," John said. "Perhaps I just have a big appetite."
No, this wasn't a matter of appetite.
Hannah looked at John with a complicated expression. Those things he had eaten earlier were not something an ordinary person could stomach.
As expected of the King of Hogwarts, he truly was different from everyone else.
After thinking for a moment, she wondered if the Constellation Society actually liked such flavours.
Then Neville...
Hannah suddenly felt that studying that cookbook might have been the right decision.
Daphne was delighted and hurried off to find ingredients for another dish.
Before long, a freshly prepared West Coast Blue Lobster was placed in front of John.
Under Hannah's conflicted gaze, John broke off the lobster's head and saw the flesh inside.
It had been dyed blue.
Taking a deep breath, John reminded himself that even if he lacked a sense of taste, he still had his eyesight.
What kind of food was blue apart from blueberries?
The visual impact alone was disturbing.
Closing his eyes, John stuffed it into his mouth.
The third dish was dealt with.
Then the fourth dish arrived.
John simply followed his earlier approach and closed his eyes, quickly finishing the food.
As the final bite of something that might have been raw meat or fish entered his mouth...
Click.
All four locks opened.
John wiped his mouth and looked up.
Big Cupboard seemed to realise that its locks had opened as well and angrily threw out a pile of tableware from its belly.
"My back has opened!"
Raising his hand, John levitated Big Cupboard and moved behind it.
"What is this?"
Daphne and Hannah also came over. John tapped the back of Big Cupboard, but nothing happened.
Reaching out, he pulled it open, revealing a small compartment.
A large number of parchment sheets fell out.
Daphne picked one up and read it in confusion.
"One Hundred Ways to Cook Potatoes?"
Hannah also picked up a sheet.
"The Complete Guide to Cooking Scottish Round-Faced Fat Chickens?"
John picked up another sheet. Written on it were the words:
"How to Cook Flying Lion Tenderloin."
"These are... recipes?" Hannah asked uncertainly.
Picking up another sheet titled "Methods for Removing the Fishy Smell from Dragon Liver", John said,
"No, these are methods for cooking magical creatures."
He flipped through the parchments speechlessly.
At least ninety percent of the ingredients listed in these recipes would now belong to protected magical creatures.
At last, he understood why Hufflepuff had hidden them away.
It turned out that all of these things had become illegal in later times.
"I should have realised," John said with a bitter smile.
There was no love or regret involved.
This was simply the final stubbornness of a true foodie.
"Just as Professor Binns said, Hufflepuff wasn't the kind of person who kept things to herself."
John let out a sigh.
If these things had been passed down at Hogwarts, there would probably have been no shortage of graduates willing to take risks and break the law.
Potty hopped over and said, "I remember this. Hufflepuff had a huge argument with the other three founders because she wanted to keep these recipes."
One could only imagine how complicated the other founders' feelings must have been when they saw "One Hundred Ways to Cook Magical Creatures".
"Well, I suppose I can take care of this on Hufflepuff's behalf."
John shook his head and gathered up the recipes.
His eyes fell on "One Hundred Ways to Cook Potatoes".
"This one can stay."
He held a deep grudge against the house-elves' unchanging jacket potatoes.
Hopefully, Hufflepuff's recipe book would teach them a thing or two.
Hannah still had not recovered from the shock.
"These are all Hufflepuff's recipes?"
"She was an outstanding witch of kitchen magic," John said with a shrug. "It seems the other three founders thought these dishes shouldn't appear on Hogwarts' dining tables."
"That's too much!" Hannah said angrily. "How could they do that?"
"Er... Hannah, you should take a look at what's in here."
John tactfully reminded her, "More than ninety percent of these recipes violate laws protecting magical creatures."
Hannah took a look for herself.
The more she read, the more her worldview crumbled.
The only things that could probably still be served on a table were potatoes and Scottish Round-Faced Fat Chickens.
However, Scottish Round-Faced Fat Chicken had another name.
Owl.
Basically, no wizard would eat an owl.
Even vicious Dark Wizards wouldn't do that to their little feathered mail carriers.
For the sake of preserving Hufflepuff's dignity, the matter became a secret shared by the three of them.
The irritable head chef of the Midnight Kitchen, Big Cupboard, also revealed the reason why the Chamber had opened.
"If someone can swallow food that awful, they must desperately need help."
Those were Big Cupboard's exact words.
They angered Daphne so much that she nearly blew up the kitchen while waving her laurel wand.
Still, the trip had not been entirely without rewards.
Aside from the recipes, John had gained another kind of help.
He had gained inspiration from the emotional cooking of the Midnight Kitchen.
...
The following night.
Constellation Society.
John stirred the cauldron and muttered to himself, "Hufflepuff was able to use emotions as a guide, allowing magic to grant food different effects through special methods, just like brewing potions."
Leaving the recipe book outside, John entered a room.
He cast the Patronus Charm.
White light radiated from the albatross. Raising his wand, John closed his eyes.
"If I pour all my emotions into it, could it also gain different functions?"
Opening his eyes, John saw the albatross tilt its head.
"Then let's give it a try."
John lowered his wand and looked at it.
"How about making a trip home and saying good night to Ariana for me?"
"No problem."
The albatross spoke and flapped its wings, flying out of the Constellation Society.
The silver-white albatross crossed the skies above Britain and descended upon the Wick residence.
Ariana was listening to Mrs Wick's bedtime stories, though they mostly consisted of various tales about John.
For example, how ten-year-old John had once frightened a group of children with nothing more than a pencil, leaving them fleeing in terror.
Even after hearing the story, Ariana still wanted more.
With tenderness in her eyes, Mrs Wick said, "That's the end of the story, my dear flower."
She kissed Ariana on the cheek and tucked the blanket around her.
"Mother," Ariana asked, "will John come back?"
"That little rascal did come back last year," Mrs Wick said after some thought. "He's very busy in the magical world, isn't he?"
"Mhm." Ariana nodded obediently.
The more Mrs Wick looked at Ariana, the more she adored her.
Witchers did not value only blood ties when it came to family. She herself had been adopted by John's grandfather.
"Good night, my flower."
"Good night, Mother."
Ariana now behaved like a shy child, but compared to before, she had become much more cheerful.
Much of that was thanks to the love and care she had received from the Wick family.
Mrs Wick smiled as she leaned against the doorframe.
"And?"
After thinking for a moment, Ariana said, "Say good night to Father for me."
"I think he'll be overjoyed."
After Mrs Wick turned off the light in Ariana's room, Ariana looked at the teddy bear beside her bed and said,
"Good night, Teddy."
A while later.
A silver-white light appeared, and the teddy bear by Ariana's bed jumped down and ran to the window.
"What's wrong, Teddy?"
Sensing the movement, Ariana opened her eyes.
She saw an albatross standing outside the window.
Frightened, Ariana shrank back, and black mist began to seep from her eyes.
"Ariana."
The albatross spoke in John's voice.
"John."
The black mist vanished, and Ariana hurried over in delight to open the window.
The albatross flew inside and looked around.
"It seems you're very happy," John's voice said. "I won't be able to come back for Christmas, but I'll prepare your present. Remember to hang up your stocking."
As he spoke, the silver light of the albatross transformed into a faceless human figure before Ariana.
Gently stroking her hair, it said,
"If anything happens, you can write to me. I'll always be here."
The silver light transformed back into the albatross and flew out through the window.
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