The Magical Food God of Hogwarts

Chapter 54 Letters and Gifts

"I will write this report carefully, I promise."

Rita Skeeter kept her promise, but only for the front-page headline!

For this second edition of the report, she unleashed her boundless creative desires.

The Troubles of a Young Hero: Is it the unwavering support of a childhood sweetheart, or the affections of a beautiful senior?

—Exclusive report by special correspondent Rita Skeeter.

"...Youth always has its troubles, and even young heroes have their share of dilemmas..."

"...The innocent and lovely Hannah Abbott was Lucas's childhood sweetheart, always silently accompanying him. This young lady from the Abbott family was so devoted to him, helping him overcome many difficulties and unhesitatingly giving him all her resources during the crucial period of his entrepreneurship. She was also Lucas's most loyal food connoisseur. Miss Abbott's gentle eyes, which always followed him, were undoubtedly the source of his strength."

"...But our young hero has recently fallen into distress, finding himself seemingly connected to his beautiful senior, Nymphadora Tonks, who is seven years his senior. After being rescued by Lucas, Miss Tonks developed a special affection for our hero, a mixture of gratitude, admiration, and love. In the quiet of the night, she patiently teaches Lucas magic, and even changes her appearance to cheer him up when he's troubled..."

"Childhood sweetheart or mature senior? Who is Lucas's true love? This reporter will continue to report on this."

Lucas was speechless.

"Rita Skeeter! That shameless old hag!" Tonks jumped up and down, her face flushed. "What's 'special emotion'? What's 'changing appearance'?"

"I was born an Animagus, is that wrong?"

"The owl delivered the newspaper to my house before dawn, and my parents gave me a really weird look all morning after reading it! They must think I'm a perverted pedophile! Oh my god, how am I supposed to explain this to them?!"

"I'm going to report her for defamation to the Ministry of Magic! I'll use a curse to make her only able to spit out slugs!"

She gripped Lucas's robe tightly again, shaking him violently: "You little lecher, still pretending to be deaf and dumb!"

Lucas looked to Tom for help, but Tom had already run to the bar and gave him a wistful look in return.

"Youth is so wonderful..."

You're insane!

Lucas cried out, "No, I didn't! I don't know anything!"

Tonks pulled him in front of her, looking at him suspiciously: "You really didn't order it?"

"I'm only eleven years old! I wouldn't have such thoughts!"

Tonks glared at him, then suddenly realized they were standing way too close, and hurriedly pushed him away.

"Hmph, I bet you wouldn't dare," she said indignantly. "But you're so precocious, who's going to treat you like an eleven-year-old...?"

Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the window, growing louder as it approached.

"Oh, Merlin!" Tom exclaimed in surprise.

The two looked up and saw owls flying one after another toward the Leaky Cauldron in the sky outside the window, and more and more of them were flying in.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

One, two, ten... The owls rushed in through the door and windowsill, some with letters in their beaks, others with packages tied to their feet. In an instant, feathers and letters flew everywhere in the bar, making it even darker.

A grey scops owl tossed a letter precisely onto Lucas's head, while another barn owl tossed a heavy package into his cereal.

Tonks waved his wand, trying to maintain order, but was overwhelmed by even more owls.

Lucas grabbed the nearest letter, opened it, and read: "Dear Mr. McGregor, I'm working as a waiter at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. I read the article about you and was deeply impressed by your courage. And your cooking skills in the article—that photo was absolutely amazing! I've never seen such knife work before! Please come visit our bar sometime; let me buy you a butterbeer!"

Huh? A reader's letter?

correct!

Skeeter revealed in the report that he lives at the Leaky Cauldron!

That's way too fast!

The other package contained a large bag of beautifully packaged candies of various colors.

"Hello Lucas, I read the report and am deeply impressed by your feat. Although you haven't enrolled yet, your performance surpasses that of many Hogwarts graduates! Seeing that you come from a Muggle family, you must have never tasted magical sweets before. Here are some for you to try; I hope you like them. Welcome to visit Honeydukes Sweet Shop sometime—Ambrosio Froome."

Wow, magic candy!

Lucas's eyes lit up. "This can be considered a kind of magical cuisine, right? Come to think of it, this is the first time I've actually encountered magical cuisine!"

He quickly put the bag of candy away and fed the bacon to the owl that delivered the package.

Another owl squeezed over and pecked him, urging him to take the letter and package.

"Mr. McGregor, hello. I was greatly encouraged after reading today's news. My experience is similar to yours, but our origins do not determine our future. Your perseverance and courage prove that you are a true wizard. Enclosed is this book with some notes I've made, which I hope will help you embark on your magical journey. Let's keep going—Dirk Creswell."

It was a thick, well-worn book, covered in dense annotations, titled "A Comprehensive Explanation of Seventy-Seven Magic Potions".

Before Lucas could even put the book away, another large package hit him on the head.

"My dear child, you are truly brave and remarkable! But please forgive me, as a complete stranger and a mother of many children, for wanting to pour cold water on your enthusiasm. I do not approve of children taking such risks; that dark wizard really could kill you! I was so worried for you; what if the Aurors hadn't arrived in time? Remember to protect yourself in the future, okay?"

"Also, Skeeter's comments on your cooking are truly amazing. Even with the help of magic, I can't reach your level. Perhaps you could teach me a few tricks sometime. Anyway, you're a good kid. Don't worry about that Muggle nonsense. My youngest son, Ron, is going to Hogwarts soon, and I hope you two can become friends—Molly Weasley."

Weasley?

Lucas was taken aback. Was this the family he was often mistaken for? He later learned that they also had red hair and were a pure-blood family. But judging from this letter, his family didn't believe in bloodlines, and this Mrs. Weasley seemed to be a very warm person.

Besides the letter, the package also contained a large box of homemade fudge.

Then, a letter, scented with perfume, fell into his arms.

"To the handsome little hero Lucas, your resolute eyes have deeply moved me, and your incredible cooking skills—is this really some kind of magic? Skeeter said in the report that your food can soothe the soul, and I'm sure my soul needs soothing... If you'd like, come to my house this weekend to soothe me—page two says you like pretty older women, right?"

A picture of a seductive witch fell out of the letter, constantly winking at him.

That's insane! Absolutely insane!

Startled, Lucas quickly stuffed the letter into his left pocket.

Next letter.

"...Lucas, you're a third as handsome as I was in my youth, and I admire you. As a seasoned player in the dating game, I'll give you some guidance on how to navigate effortlessly between your childhood sweetheart and your beautiful senior..."

Pshaw! Who wants to learn that?!

Lucas discreetly slipped the letter into his right pocket.

Next letter.

Huh? Just one sentence? And the handwriting clearly belongs to a child...

"Mr. McGregor, how can one make food that warms and brings happiness? Looking forward to your reply—Luna Lovegood."