Harry took his seat at the Gryffindor table. The warm welcome from the young lions helped dispel his disappointment at not being in the same house as Audrey. He smiled shyly, returning their greetings.
A minute earlier, Audrey had casually found a seat, and the young Slytherins immediately gathered around her.
"Hello, Miss Astley, I'm Bonnie Halloway, fourth year!"
"I'm Ethelind Windsor, fifth year. Pleased to meet you!"
"…"
Audrey responded politely to their greetings. Once the small talk subsided, her attention was drawn to the long table in front of her.
The traces of ancient magic were so prominent! Lines of power, nodes of energy—she could see right into them. Audrey silently thanked Nick Lemmy, whose lessons in magical scripts had sneakily included a lot of alchemy theory, giving her insight without realizing it.
Her eyes traced the magical echoes along the table, almost forgetting about the Sorting Ceremony—until Dumbledore spoke.
"Fools! Crybabies! Rubbish! Twist!"
All kinds of food appeared along the long table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb, sausages… fries, puddings, pea shoots…
But in front of Audrey appeared a plate of spicy crayfish, a plate of twice-cooked pork, and a plate of mapo tofu, accompanied by white rice and a pair of chopsticks.
Audrey: …
Ancient magic couldn't be this intelligent. These dishes had been prepared in the Hogwarts kitchens by house-elves. Only Momo knew her tastes well enough to make these.
Two months ago, Audrey had foreseen via a glimpse into the future that Momo was at Hogwarts. Now, it seemed Momo would be delivering her to the headmaster's office later. Audrey smiled and traced a line of text in the air: "Thank you, Momo." She sent it via the information transfer node at the table.
Her actions went unnoticed. Not only were they subtle, but all eyes were fixed on her food.
"What's that? Looks like… shrimp?"
"Why is Miss Astley's food different from ours?"
Ethelind Windsor's mouth opened slightly but she quickly covered it, mindful of etiquette.
"Is this… Huaxia-style crayfish?" she asked uncertainly. "When I was little, I went on a trip to Huaxia with my father. I saw this but didn't dare try it then."
Audrey smiled and asked randomly, "Are you afraid of spicy food?"
Ethelind shook her head. "Our cook is from India. She makes curry best, so I can handle spiciness."
Audrey nodded. "Good. Then try this spicy crayfish." She deftly peeled one, sucked out the roe, and popped the meat into her mouth.
Seeing Audrey savor it, Ethelind hesitated, restrained by her refined upbringing. She was about to decline when Audrey snapped her fingers. One crayfish leapt into the air, shed its shell, and the meat, coated in roe, floated into Ethelind's plate.
"Try it!"
Ethelind thanked her and took a bite.
"Mmm…" Fresh, sweet, savory, spicy, springy, and satisfying. Audrey smirked. In Britain's culinary wasteland, even a single Huaxia dish could dominate—let alone this popular night-snack king, crayfish. If you could handle spicy, nothing could beat it.
Ethelind was briefly stunned but quickly regained her composure.
"This is a rare delicacy," she praised. "But even more surprising is Miss Astley's spellwork. You shouldn't have studied magic yet—how can you…?"
Audrey smiled. "In July, Headmaster Dumbledore arranged a teacher for me. I've been cramming lessons for two months." She fed Ethelind another peeled crayfish.
"May I call you Audrey?" Ethelind asked. Audrey chuckled—this small Slytherin had been won over by just two crayfish.
"Of course, Ethelind."
Sitting to Audrey's right, Bonnie Halloway looked jealous and muttered, "I want some too…"
No one paid him attention. Audrey had perfect hearing but chose to ignore him—not a matter of gender, just looks. Ethelind resembled a doll, like a plush cat; Bonnie, with his stubbly face, was more like a wrinkled dog.
Suddenly, a hand reached across the table and stabbed at the crayfish. Sauce splashed. Audrey waved, and the liquid reversed midair, returning safely to the plate. The intruder forked two crayfish back.
Audrey and Ethelind frowned—rude!
The girl was well-formed, but her upturned eyebrows gave her a haughty, fierce look. Her glare left Audrey puzzled.
"This is Aronia Roll," Ethelind whispered. "She's a sixth-year… and has liked Dorcas Arksley for years."
Audrey nodded, uninterested in meddling. She returned Aronia's glare with a friendly smile hiding her sharpness. Your crush likes my fan? Why all this hostility toward me? Go complain to them!
Aronia continued glaring, violently tearing apart the crayfish, eyes narrowed in threat.
Little brat… Audrey thought. This is easily fixed.
Aronia, thinking she'd intimidated Audrey, took a bite of the crayfish.
CRACK!
The tough meat knocked out half of her tooth, blood spilling immediately. Audrey calmly withdrew her hand and continued enjoying her meal.
I can handle dueling with the Gryffindor prefect for several rounds; dealing with you is nothing.
Aronia fumed and left the table, never suspecting Audrey.
Gemma Farley's voice carried over six or seven people.
"Audrey, what food is that? How did it break someone's tooth?"
Audrey laughed. "She just can't eat it. If you don't believe me, everyone can try!"
To prove Aronia wrong, Audrey summoned more. She wrote in the air: "Momo, make five more kilograms of crayfish!"
Input. Wait.
Ten seconds later, two huge bowls appeared before her.
Slytherins: …
Wait, she can order food? Hogwarts hers? Isn't today her first day?
Audrey clapped her hands. The crayfish sprang to life, shed their shells, and jumped into the Slytherins' plates. Curiosity and confusion dissolved with the taste. Those who couldn't handle spice hissed and drank milk—Draco Malfoy the loudest.
As a cousin, Audrey took special care of Draco, giving him crayfish simmered in the broth multiple times. Delicious… and spicy. Seeing him tear up from the heat, she was satisfied.
One plate after another, until everyone could serve themselves, discovering their own crayfish were the tastiest. Even Draco, overwhelmed by spice, kept piling crayfish onto his plate.
When the dishes were cleared, the Slytherins sat dazed—either too satisfied or too overwhelmed by spice to think. Even Dumbledore's usual post-meal reminders went mostly ignored.
"Now, before bedtime, let's sing the school song together!"
Audrey sighed. Here it came—chaos hour. Hogwarts had no fixed melody for the school song; everyone sang differently. For a musician like Audrey, this was torture.
"I have a suggestion," Dumbledore said. "Since we have a famous singer here, why not let her lead the song?"
Audrey: …
I told you not to come to Hogwarts! Look at today—more embarrassing moments than in sixteen years!
Audrey Astley, Embarrassed.