On the afternoon of the first day of the holidays, the sun was shining brightly. Hermione, clutching a thick copy of A Comprehensive Collection of Common Magic Spells, found Lynn's detached house near Hampstead Manor.
She took a deep breath and then raised her hand to knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as the knocking stopped, a voice came from an inconspicuous little device above the door frame:
"Beep! Authentication failed. No record in the facial recognition database. The owner has been notified; please wait patiently."
Hermione was startled by the sudden voice and instinctively took half a step back, looking at the seemingly ordinary door in surprise.
What was that sound?
A few seconds later, the voice rang out again, its tone seemingly becoming a bit more pleasant:
"Beep! The owner has authorized access. Welcome, honored guest. Please come in."
With a slight "click," the door lock opened automatically.
Hermione pushed the door open and walked in.
The entrance was clean and tidy. At a glance, she saw Lynn in the living room, sitting cross-legged on the rug, focused on tinkering with a screen flashing with various runes and circuits, with some small alchemy tools scattered beside him.
"That voice at the door... is it an alchemy item you made?"
Hermione couldn't help but ask, her gaze glancing back at the small device that had made the sound.
Lynn didn't even look up, answering casually, "Oh, that? Yeah, it's a smart doorbell I made when I was bored. It combines electronic technology and magic sensing. How is it? Not bad, right?"
"More than just 'not bad'!" Hermione exclaimed, walking over to squat beside him and observe. "This is amazing! It can even recognize strangers? I want to install one at my door too!"
For a family that valued safety and privacy, this was simply too practical.
"That's easy," Lynn finally looked away from the screen and clapped his hands. "I have a semi-finished one right here; it can be used with a little adjustment."
"I'll teach you how to set permissions and record facial information. It's very convenient."
Hearing that Lynn was going to give her one directly, Hermione quickly waved her hands in refusal. "No, no! I just came to hang out... to discuss studying. How can I take your things?"
"It's nothing," Lynn stood up nonchalantly, walked to a storage shelf, and took out a metal disk similar to the one at the door but more compact.
"It's just a little gadget. The cost isn't even a Sickle; it's all made from scrap materials. Just consider it a gift to celebrate the holidays."
"Then... thank you." Seeing Lynn's firm attitude and that the cost indeed didn't seem high, Hermione awkwardly accepted the doorbell, already thinking about how to explain this "high-tech" product to her parents.
"Don't be a stranger." Lynn flicked his wand. "What would you like to drink? Coke? Orange juice? Or something else?"
"Just water, thanks."
Hermione followed him over, and seeing the bottle of bubbly drink in Lynn's hand, she couldn't help but remind him, "You should also drink less sugary stuff; it's bad for your teeth."
Lynn's hand holding the Coke paused, and he silently stuffed the bottle back into the fridge.
He just had to ask!
"How can you be using magic? Won't the Ministry of Magic send you a letter?" Hermione only then realized what Lynn had just done.
"I bought another wand."
Lynn said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Besides, I've installed anti-monitoring items at home to ensure there won't be any problems."
This was something he only found out after scouring the Restricted Section before the holidays—that there were loopholes in the Ministry's Trace.
Hermione: Why didn't I think of that?
...
For the next while, the two chatted in the living room about Hogwarts schoolwork, with Hermione doing most of the talking and Lynn occasionally adding some "niche" knowledge.
They played for a while on a game console Lynn had handmade. Hermione picked it up extremely quickly, almost breaking Lynn's record.
Unknowingly, the sky outside the window was gradually dyed orange-red; it was nearly evening.
"Hermione, why don't... you stay for dinner before leaving?" Lynn suggested, checking the time. "Anyway, I'm too lazy to cook for just myself, so we might as well eat together."
"You can cook?" Hermione's tone carried unmasked surprise. She thought a boy like Lynn, who lived alone and wasn't short on money, would most likely go to restaurants every day.
Hearing Hermione's skeptical tone, Lynn immediately felt dissatisfied, making him even more determined to have her stay for dinner.
"You know nothing of the dedication and talent we Hufflepuffs have for food! Just watch! I'll show you tonight!"
Lynn thought to himself: You know nothing of the cheat I have—having engraved 30,000 recipes and108 Styles of Home Cooking, and possessing perfect knife skills and heat control!
Seeing Lynn's confident look, Hermione hesitated for a moment. Thinking that she would have to eat at home anyway and being genuinely curious about Lynn's cooking, she nodded.
"Alright then, I'll call home and let them know." She walked aside and used Lynn's landline to call her parents, briefly explaining the situation.
When she returned from the call, she saw Lynn standing in front of the fridge, stroking his chin as he inspected the inventory inside.
"So... what do you plan to make?" Hermione leaned in and asked curiously.
"Let me see what's in the fridge first..." Lynn said while rummaging through the ingredients. "Do you have any dietary restrictions? Like not eating spicy food or allergies?"
"Just don't put too much sugar; anything else is fine," Hermione replied.
So Lynn began to pull things out of the fridge like a magic trick: prawns, steak, chicken breast; chili peppers, tomatoes, breadcrumbs, and various jars of seasoning...
As Hermione watched Lynn transport ingredients to the kitchen trip after trip, her eyes widened.
"Are you making that much? There are only two of us!"
Lynn looked at the ingredients on the counter and estimated, "Well, three dishes and a soup, plus the staple food. This should be enough, right?"
He felt he hadn't even fully shown his skills yet.
"It's enough, it's enough! Definitely enough!" Hermione quickly said. "This is already more sumptuous than our usual dinners at home!"
...
Entering the kitchen combat phase.
Lynn first skillfully handled the ingredients. He picked up a kitchen knife, and thud-thud-thud-thud... the rhythmic sound of chopping rang out like rapid rain.
In a moment, a potato was turned into uniform shreds under his hand, leaving Hermione dumbfounded.
"You really do know how to cook!" Hermione exclaimed, this time with sincere amazement.
"So you didn't believe me at all before!" Lynn said, half-laughing and half-exasperated as he soaked the potato shreds in water.
"Ahem~" Hermione coughed a bit awkwardly and rolled up her sleeves. "Is there anything I can help with? I help my mom out at home too."
Lynn thought for a moment and pointed to the prawns.
"Do you know how to devein prawns? It's that black line on the back."
"I do! I do that often."
Hermione confidently picked up a prawn and began the process.
"Should I wash these vegetables as well?"
"Sure, I'll leave that to you then." Lynn nodded and began preparing the other ingredients.
Before long, all the ingredients were processed and sorted into categories.
Lynn lit the stove, heated the pan, and began his performance.
He first put the marinated beef brisket and fragrant sautéed tomatoes into a clay pot, added water and spices, and let it simmer over low heat. A rich aroma began to slowly waft out.
Hermione took the initiative to watch the fire and handle the timing.
Next, Lynn began making the other dishes.
He sautéed minced garlic and fermented black beans in hot oil, added the prepared prawns for a quick stir-fry, and then added golden breadcrumbs. Instantly, a domineering aroma mixing garlic, toasted notes, and the freshness of seafood filled the entire kitchen.
"What's this dish called?" Hermione sniffed and couldn't help but ask.
"Typhoon Shelter Fried Shrimp. It's a classic Cantonese dish."
As Lynn spoke, he plated the fried prawns and put them into the Alchemy Warming Box he had made.
"I'll put them here to keep warm first."
Next were the Sour and Spicy Potato Shreds, stir-fried over high heat. The scent of vinegar was pungent and appetizing.
"I know this one! It's Herb-Seared Chicken Breast!"
Seeing Lynn put the chicken breast marinated with herbs and seasonings into a flat pan and sear it until golden brown on both sides, Hermione blurted out the answer.
"Exactly!"
Lynn plated the seared, juicy chicken breast, and Hermione took it, carefully placing it into the warming box.
After some time, the Tomato Beef Brisket in the clay pot was also stewed to perfection. The broth was rich, the beef tender, and the tomatoes had almost melted into the soup.
Lynn turned off the heat, clapped his hands, and announced high-spiritedly:
"All done! Time to eat! Time to eat!"
He brought the dishes out of the warming box one by one and arranged them on the dining table.
The enticingly colored Typhoon Shelter Shrimp, the refreshing Sour and Spicy Potato Shreds, the fragrant Herb-Seared Chicken Breast, and that large bowl of mouth-watering Tomato Beef Brisket Soup, plus the white rice Lynn had steamed on the side.
A dinner far more sumptuous than Hermione had imagined thus entered their stomachs.
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