Cedric allowed Alistair to pull him all the way back toward the Hufflepuff common room, though his curiosity only grew with every step.
By the time they entered, the normally lively room was almost completely deserted, which wasn’t surprising considering it was lunchtime.
After less than a full day in Hufflepuff, Alistair had already discovered that very few members of the House willingly missed a meal, so nearly every student had gone to the Great Hall.
Cedric looked around the empty room and finally stopped following without question.
“All right, Alistair, what exactly are you planning?
Why did you drag me away from lunch and bring me back here?” Alistair only smiled mysteriously and pointed toward one of the tables.
“Wait here for a few minutes.
I’ll be right back.” Before Cedric could question him again, Alistair disappeared through the common-room entrance.
Cedric sat down and waited patiently at first, but several minutes passed without any sign of his younger friend.
He eventually began wondering whether Alistair, who had only arrived at Hogwarts the previous night, had somehow gotten lost while trying to find whatever he’d prepared.
Cedric was just about to go looking for him when the entrance opened again.
Alistair returned carrying several bowls, while a small procession of house-elves followed behind him with plates of vegetables, thinly sliced meat, mushrooms, seasonings, sauces, a large metal basin, and a supply of charcoal.
Cedric stared at the approaching collection in disbelief.
“Please put the basin here, and the charcoal can go underneath it,” Alistair instructed while clearing space around the table.
“The meat and vegetables can go on this side, and the seasonings over there.
Thank you.” The house-elves happily followed his directions, arranging everything with remarkable speed while Cedric’s confusion increased.
Only after seeing plate after plate of ingredients did he finally realize that Alistair wasn’t planning some magical surprise at all.
He was preparing an entire meal.
“Alistair, what are you making?” Cedric asked again, now genuinely fascinated.
“Something you’ve probably never eaten before,” Alistair replied.
“Think of it as repayment for the steak you gave me last night.” He disappeared into the boys’ dormitory and returned a moment later carrying the brand-new cauldron from his school supplies.
Cedric’s expression immediately became suspicious when Alistair placed it over the charcoal, filled it with water, and started arranging ingredients around it.
Alistair noticed the look and laughed.
“Relax.
I’ve never brewed a potion in this thing.
It’s completely new.” He then turned toward the house-elves watching nearby.
“Could one of you light the charcoal for me?” One of the elves eagerly snapped its fingers, and the charcoal burst into flame.
Alistair immediately began adding mushrooms, herbs, vegetables, and several seasonings to the water, stirring occasionally while the temperature slowly rose.
Cedric leaned forward, sniffed the mixture, and still looked unconvinced.
“You say it’s food, but you’re standing over a cauldron throwing things into boiling water.
That looks suspiciously like a potion.” Alistair shook his head.
“No potion.
It’s a Muggle-style tabletop boil.
The cauldron just happens to be the closest thing I have to the right cooking pot.” Cedric repeated the unfamiliar name slowly.
“Tabletop boil?” Alistair nodded as he continued preparing the broth.
“Everyone sits around the same pot.
You cook meat, vegetables, mushrooms, or whatever else you want directly in the broth, then eat it with dipping sauce.” He gestured toward the ingredients spread across the table.
“The best part is that you don’t have to wait for someone to serve separate plates.
You cook whatever you want, whenever you want it.” Cedric glanced at the bubbling cauldron again, clearly beginning to understand the appeal.
Once the broth developed a rich aroma, Alistair arranged four small bowls in front of Cedric.
“I prepared different sauces too.
This one’s creamy garlic, this one’s spicy chili, that one’s herb butter, and the last one is a tangy seafood sauce.” Cedric carefully inspected each before pointing toward the bright red bowl.
“I’ll try the chili sauce.
I like spicy food.” Alistair handed it over but claimed the creamy garlic sauce for himself.
“Fine, but I still say you’re making the wrong choice.
This one goes with practically everything.” Alistair then produced a large plate of thinly sliced beef and dropped several pieces into the bubbling broth.
One of the house-elves watching the entire process stepped forward and politely asked, “Would the young gentlemen like something to drink?” Alistair considered the question for a moment.
“Do you have butterbeer?” The elf looked apologetic and explained that butterbeer wasn’t normally being served in the Hufflepuff common room at lunch, but pumpkin juice could be brought immediately.
“Pumpkin juice is fine,” Alistair replied, deciding there was no reason to make the situation complicated.
The house-elf disappeared and returned moments later with two cold glasses while the meat continued cooking.
As soon as the broth returned to a steady boil, Alistair lifted several pieces onto their plates and pushed one toward Cedric.
“All right.
Time for your first bite.” Cedric stared at the meat for several seconds with the expression of someone wondering whether friendship required this much trust.
Alistair rolled his eyes.
“Cedric, the cauldron has never contained anything except water and food.
You’re not going to suddenly grow tentacles.” Cedric laughed reluctantly, dipped a piece into his chili sauce, and finally tasted it.
His eyes widened almost immediately.
Cedric chewed slowly once, then much faster.
Without saying anything, he reached for a second slice, followed by a third.
Alistair had been watching his reaction with satisfaction, but his smile disappeared when Cedric suddenly scooped nearly every remaining piece of beef from the cauldron onto his own plate.
“Hey!
Leave some for me!” Alistair protested, reaching across the table.
Cedric swallowed hurriedly and pointed toward the uncooked meat with his fork.
“You have an entire plate left.
Put more in.” Alistair stared at him.
“You were acting terrified thirty seconds ago.” Cedric gave him an innocent smile.
“I changed my mind.” Unable to argue with that, Alistair laughed and dropped another batch of beef into the broth, this time adding mushrooms and vegetables as well.
From that moment onward, the meal became considerably more competitive, with both boys watching the cauldron carefully and trying to claim the best pieces the instant they finished cooking.
Alistair soon picked up a thin strip of tripe and dipped it into the boiling broth, lifting it out and lowering it again several times rather than leaving it submerged.
Cedric immediately noticed.
“What are you doing now?” Alistair glanced at him with exaggerated seriousness.
“Advanced Muggle cooking.” Cedric actually stopped eating to watch more carefully, causing Alistair to nearly laugh.
“I’m joking.
Thin ingredients like this can get tough if you cook them too long, so you dip them in briefly a few times instead.” Cedric copied the movement with another piece, carefully lifting it in and out of the broth.
“Like this?” Alistair nodded.
“Exactly.
Just enough heat to cook it without ruining the texture.” Cedric dipped the finished piece into chili sauce and put it in his mouth.
Once again, his expression immediately brightened.
“Why doesn’t Hogwarts serve food like this?” he demanded before reaching for another piece.
“Because most wizards probably never thought of eating this way,” Alistair replied.
He pushed a plate of vegetables toward Cedric.
“Speaking of which, eat some of these too.
You’ve been taking almost nothing but meat since we started.” Cedric barely looked at the vegetables.
“If you think there’s too much meat, you should eat the vegetables.
I’ll take care of the problem for you.” He then immediately grabbed another slice before Alistair could reach it.
Alistair slowly turned his head and stared at him in disbelief.
That was the moment any lingering mystery about Cedric’s House placement disappeared.
In Alistair’s previous life, he’d always wondered why Cedric Diggory had been placed in Hufflepuff instead of Ravenclaw.
Cedric was talented, intelligent, hardworking, athletic, and would eventually be selected by the Goblet of Fire as Hogwarts’s official champion.
On paper, he seemed more than qualified to belong among Ravenclaw’s academic stars.
Yet watching him shamelessly guard the meat while generously offering every vegetable to Alistair made the answer suddenly feel obvious.
Alistair shook his head and grabbed his own fork.
“The Sorting Hat really doesn’t make mistakes.” Cedric had no idea what he meant.
He was too busy stealing another piece of beef.
End of Chapter 20 [Support Goal: [Support Goal: 10 Reviews → +1 Chapter] Your review helps the story grow.