Originally, Ethan had planned to wait until the weather turned colder before venturing into the Forbidden Forest to forage for wild mushrooms and game to cook a hearty hot pot. But now that the opportunity presented itself, he wasn't about to miss it.
"The house-elves in the Hogwarts kitchen make great food. There's no need for us to cook ourselves," George objected quickly, clearly unconvinced by Ethan's culinary intentions.
"Hot pot is a Muggle delicacy from London," Ethan explained. "I'll jot down a list of ingredients for Cedric and have him fetch them from the kitchen. Once you try it, you'll understand."
He knew it was hard to explain. Even among Muggles, London's street food scene wasn't fully appreciated in wizarding Britain, much less in the closed-off magical world, which probably didn't even know what hot pot was.
Of the eleven wizarding schools across the world, two were in Asia—one in Japan and another in the Middle East. London wasn't known for wizarding cuisine, but Ethan figured it was time to change that.
"All right, write it down and I'll go check the kitchens," Cedric said, still unsure of what "hot pot" meant but unwilling to dampen his new friend's excitement.
George and Fred, curious as always, didn't refuse either.
Ethan kept the list short: thinly sliced beef and mutton, shrimp, assorted vegetables—wild mushrooms, lettuce, radishes, potatoes—and then chili oil and sesame seeds.
After handing the note to Cedric, Ethan hurried back to the dormitory to fetch the hot pot base he'd brought from home and a few bottles of butterbeer.
…
Under Cedric's lead, the group entered the Hufflepuff common room by rhythmically tapping a barrel. It was lunchtime, and the room was empty except for them.
"The house-elves will bring the ingredients soon. What should we do next?" Cedric asked.
"I've got it," Ethan replied, already setting up. He cleaned out a cauldron, placed an alcohol lamp underneath, and turned the flame to its highest setting. First, he stir-fried the hot pot base, then poured in a good amount of spring water.
"That's it. Once the food gets here, we can just toss it in and eat."
"Wait—this isn't a potion?" Fred asked, eyeing the bubbling, red mixture suspiciously.
"Nope. It's a Muggle way of eating. Nothing to do with potions," Ethan clarified as he used a Freezing Charm to chill the butterbeer.
Soon, the food arrived. The broth was already boiling, and Ethan quickly mixed a simple dipping sauce of chili oil and sesame seeds. He also used a Transfiguration Charm to create a few sets of food tongs—no one here knew how to use chopsticks, after all.
Due to ingredient limitations, other sauce options were out of the question, so everyone had to prepare for a fiery aftermath.
As Ethan dipped slices of beef and mutton into the broth, then the spicy sauce, and ate them with gusto, Cedric, George, and Fred couldn't hold back their curiosity. They followed his example, each picking a slice, dipping it in their sauce, and cautiously tasting it.
From that first bite, their eyes lit up.
They immediately dove in with enthusiasm, hissing at the heat but unable to stop. Tongs clacked as they fished out meat, ignoring the vegetables entirely.
"Hey, slow down! You need to eat vegetables too, you know. Too much meat's bad for your stomach," Ethan said, watching in disbelief.
Burping loudly after a swig of butterbeer, George replied without missing a beat: "My stomach's fine. If yours isn't, you eat more vegetables."
Seeing the plate of meat rapidly empty, Cedric quickly asked a nearby house-elf, "Nelly, can we get more beef and mutton?"
…
Chapter 46: Eating Hot Pot and Gaining Recognition
Just then, the door to the Hufflepuff common room opened. Several young wizards strolled in, chatting and laughing, but froze at the scene before them.
They saw Cedric, George, Fred, and Ethan gathered around a steaming cauldron, sweat on their brows, faces flushed, greedily plucking food from the bubbling pot.
"Cedric… are you guys making potions?" one of the boys asked in disbelief.
"York, we're not sick. We're eating! It's hot and spicy, but really tasty!" Cedric replied, still panting slightly, but not slowing his hands for a second.
"Yeah, York, you've gotta try this! It's a Muggle dish Ethan brought from London," Fred added, grinning.
York Gladstone, a fifth-year prefect and fellow Hufflepuff from St. Catchpole village, had known Cedric for a while. Curiosity quickly replaced concern.
"I've heard about you, Ethan Adrean. Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room," York said, smiling as he joined them.
Ethan handed him a bit of dipping sauce and explained the process. York followed along and soon took his first bite.
"Hiss! Spicy! But… delicious!" York exclaimed. "Ethan, you really should've been sorted into Hufflepuff."
"No way, York! You're just going to sit there and eat it all yourself? What about us?" another Hufflepuff grumbled.
"Could we get more?" York asked, turning to the house-elf nearby.
"We have the ingredients, sir," the elf replied, "but not the soup base."
"I've got more," Ethan said, pulling out a chunk of the red hot pot base. "Use this to make another pot."
"Sir, may I have a small piece?" Neville, the house-elf, asked eagerly. "I want to try making it myself!"
Ethan nodded without hesitation. If hot pot could become a Hogwarts staple, he was all for it.
He imagined the Great Hall filled with bubbling cauldrons and students slurping spicy broth. Snape's horrified expression would be priceless.
"You should have been in Hufflepuff!" York said again, shaking his head as he fought to claim another piece of beef from Fred's sneaky hands.
"You don't even know—Ethan has Newt Scamander's ability to tame magical creatures," Fred announced proudly.
"Really?" York asked, stunned. Hufflepuff revered Newt Scamander much like Gryffindors worshipped Dumbledore.
"I do, actually," Ethan admitted with a shrug.
York groaned dramatically. "Sorting Hat, you traitor! You sent my Hufflepuff into Ravenclaw!"
But he quickly got over his grief by devouring even more meat.
Soon, more and more students wandered in, drawn by the smell. The room grew louder, laughter mixing with the sound of bubbling broth and clinking tongs.
Ethan hadn't expected this, but he was delighted. A new dish had taken root in Hogwarts.
He also unexpectedly completed an achievement:
[Potions? No! It's Cuisine!]
Making potions is just like cooking—master the order of adding ingredients, control the flame, and stir with precision. A fragrant dish (or potion) emerges.
Goal: Make a dish using a cauldron (1/1)
Reward: Potion Talent Increased