"The young master of the Malfoy family was just giving Carol a crash course in Slytherin etiquette. That was practically an educational experience."
"That aura was even darker than Professor Snape's expression. I'm fairly certain even bats would avoid getting too close."
"I'm telling you, we should set up a popcorn stand right here. Watching this unfold while eating popcorn would be one of life's greatest pleasures."
"Shame we don't have any cocoa or butterbeer to go with it."
The moment Leo sat down, he heard the familiar voices of the Weasley twins. As if they had Apparated directly from chaos itself, Fred and George appeared beside the long table almost instantly, bringing their usual mixture of mischief and amusement with them.
"Shut up, Weasleys," Draco snapped, still visibly annoyed. "This is a Slytherin matter."
Leo paid no attention to the argument at first. Instead, his gaze settled on the bowl sitting in front of him. The so-called wontons prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves looked suspiciously like oversized dumplings or round rice balls, and the moment he caught their scent, alarm bells immediately started ringing in his head.
"These smell like cheese," Leo muttered under his breath. "That cannot possibly be right."
After his previous visit to the Hogwarts kitchens, he had asked the house-elves to experiment with making beef stew and potatoes. Later, he had provided them with instructions for wontons as their next culinary challenge. Looking at the strange result before him now, he realized that written recipes alone clearly weren't enough.
If Hogwarts didn't interfere so heavily with modern technology, he would have happily handed the elves an entire cooking course.
The twins immediately noticed his reaction.
"Little Leo," George said eagerly, leaning forward, "forget the suspicious food for a moment. What was that yellow paper you used on Peeves earlier?"
"Was it some new alchemical invention from Diagon Alley?" Fred asked, his eyes shining with excitement. "How did it freeze him like that?"
Leo wasn't surprised by their curiosity. To Fred and George, any object capable of causing mischief—or restraining Peeves—was automatically more valuable than treasure.
"It wasn't an alchemical item," Leo explained. "It was a talisman from the East. I suppose it's somewhat similar to runes."
He shrugged casually before adding, "And before you ask, I don't have any more. That was the only one."
The twins exchanged a glance that clearly communicated complete disbelief.
"Oh, come on, little Leo," George said. "You can't keep secrets from your beloved seniors."
"Exactly," Fred agreed with exaggerated seriousness. "Otherwise we may be forced to exclude you from our future experiments."
Draco frowned at them immediately.
"Stop bothering him, you two troublemakers."
George pulled a face at him.
"Oh dear. Malfoy's in a mood again."
"And we're not going anywhere," Fred added cheerfully. "Leo hasn't told us to leave."
By this point, even Draco's curiosity had begun to overcome his irritation.
"Can a piece of paper really trap Peeves?" he asked skeptically. "Even professors struggle to deal with him."
Hermione and Rose turned their attention toward Leo as well. Hermione's eyes were still slightly red from earlier, but curiosity had already begun replacing the sadness lingering there.
"I want to know too," Hermione admitted.
Rose nodded enthusiastically.
"Tell us, little Leo, and I'll reward you."
Looking at the collection of eager faces surrounding him, Leo felt a chill run down his spine.
"They're talismans," he repeated helplessly. "A form of written magic. That's probably the simplest way to describe them."
Trying to explain genuine Taoist talisman techniques to a group of British children who barely understood ancient runes would be completely pointless. It would be like attempting to teach advanced mathematics to a Blast-Ended Skrewt.
His attention drifted back to the wonton sitting in his spoon.
It looked edible.
Perhaps the smell was misleading.
Perhaps things weren't as bad as they seemed.
Summoning his courage, Leo took a cautious bite.
The wrapper was surprisingly thin and delicate, smooth enough that it actually resembled a proper wonton. Unfortunately, everything else went catastrophically wrong. Inside, salty cheese surrounded chunks of chewy beef, all floating in a broth heavily flavored with cilantro.
Leo closed his eyes.
Not because it tasted wonderful.
Because he was suffering.
Sadly, Fred completely misunderstood the gesture.
Seeing Leo close his eyes after taking a bite, Fred immediately assumed he was experiencing culinary bliss. Without hesitation, he grabbed one for himself. George, sharing both Fred's blood and his terrible judgment, followed a second later.
Rose watched them curiously and decided to try one as well.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Draco and Hermione also joined in.
George's eyes widened.
"This is incredible."
"Mmm," Fred agreed through a mouthful of food. "Unexpectedly good."
Rose swallowed and looked thoroughly confused.
"Leo, what kind of magical cuisine is this?"
Draco remained silent, though his expression suggested he was neither impressed nor horrified.
Hermione chewed thoughtfully before finally speaking.
"It looks strange, but the flavor is... interesting."
Leo slowly opened his eyes.
Then, as discreetly as possible, he spat his bite into a napkin.
Looking around at his companions, he felt nothing but pity.
These poor children had clearly never eaten proper food.
If they weren't his friends, he never would have subjected them to such suffering. Friendship, however, meant sharing both fortune and disaster. Since they had willingly joined him in this culinary catastrophe, he supposed they deserved some credit.
This thing should never have been classified as food.
Even pigs deserved better.
"What delicious thing are you lot eating?"
Ron's voice suddenly came from behind Leo and Draco.
Turning around, Leo saw Ron approaching alongside Harry and Neville. Both boys were walking normally now, showing absolutely no signs that they had spent part of the afternoon nursing broken legs.
Magic really was convenient.
The sight sparked a new thought in Leo's mind. Perhaps he should devote some serious effort to studying healing magic. Maybe he could even ask Madam Pomfrey for guidance.
Hogwarts was generally safe, but having additional insurance never hurt.
Fred and George exchanged identical wicked grins.
"Ron," George announced solemnly, "this is the most delicious food in the world."
"Unfortunately," Fred added, "there's only a little left."
"You might not get any," George finished.
Ron immediately squeezed forward.
"No! Save some for me."
"Then beg," George said.
Ron pouted dramatically.
"Please, dear brothers."
Harry and Neville followed behind him, both staring curiously at the suspicious dish.
"We were terrified when you fell this afternoon," Hermione said softly after seeing them standing perfectly fine. "I never expected you to recover so quickly."
Neville scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Madam Pomfrey's healing magic is amazing."
Then his expression turned serious.
Looking directly at Leo, he stepped forward and spoke with complete sincerity.
"Leo, thank you for helping me today. If you hadn't been there, I don't know what would've happened after I fell from that height."
Before Leo could respond, Neville suddenly wrapped him in a hug.
Even now, remembering how high he had been flying made his stomach twist. The combination of gratitude and lingering fear still hadn't completely faded. If Leo and Harry hadn't stepped in when they did, he might not have reached the hospital wing in one piece.
Harry smiled.
"Yeah, magic is incredible. And honestly, thank goodness you were there at the end, Leo. Things could've gone really badly otherwise. Thanks."
Leo gently patted Neville on the back.
"I'm glad I could help. We're classmates, aren't we? Looking out for each other is only natural."
He smiled warmly before continuing.
"Besides, if I were the one in danger, you'd help me too."
As he spoke, a single thought quietly settled in his mind.
It seemed he really did need to study healing magic.
....
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