The Magical Food God of Hogwarts

Chapter 46 An Unconventional Magic Lesson

"Uncle Tom!" Hannah clung to old Tom. "Please say yes, you have to say yes! I'll write a letter to my parents right now; I'm going to live at the Leaky Cauldron from now on!"

Tom reluctantly put down his fork, his voice filled with disbelief and admiration: "Lucas, your cooking is absolutely amazing! This is so delicious, it's astonishing! Your future is limitless; you'll become the brightest chef in all of Diagon Alley!"

"So why not? Oh, I'm already imagining how painful it would be if I couldn't eat your delicious food."

Hannah's two golden braids swung around, and her eyes were filled with adoration as she looked at Lucas.

"Lucas, you're amazing! I've never eaten such delicious food before."

Lucas was a little puzzled. The Abbott family was of extraordinary status, and Senior Sister Tonks had also been at Hogwarts for seven years. They should be able to enjoy all sorts of amazing magical delicacies every day. My sweet and sour pork with pineapple is good, but it is, after all, a Muggle-style dish. Are their reactions a bit exaggerated?

Well, besides the fact that it tastes really good, it's also possible that this kind of Eastern cuisine hasn't been introduced to the British magical world yet, so they find it very novel.

......

In short, Lucas was finally able to stay in Diagon Alley. Partly because he had promised the Aurors he would wait there for him to ask questions, and partly because he wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about the wizarding world and preview his first-year lessons. Back on his own farm, there was no one to ask him any questions.

And here, I can ask Tom and Tonks for advice!

Tonks, in particular, was originally required to stay in Diagon Alley for a while, just like Lucas. Now she's living directly in the Leaky Cauldron, giving Lucas special training—according to her, she's an exceptionally talented Hufflepuff who's destined to become a great Auror.

"So this is your dream, Tonks?" Lucas asked with interest, recalling how Tonks had bravely stepped forward at Gringotts's entrance, shouting, "I am an Auror!"

"Hmm... it's just the kind of job I want to pursue." Tonks seemed conflicted, and his hair suddenly turned a bit grayer. "Sigh, actually I'm not even sure if I can become an Auror. There's so much to learn. Maybe I should find a mentor to train me."

But Lucas thought she was already a very good wizard. So many wizards in Gringotts had been slaughtered by Big Beard alone, yet Tonks had managed to hold her own against him for several rounds, which was enough to prove her ability.

At least, teaching myself is enough.

That evening, Lucas wrote a letter to his grandfather, intending to mail it from the Owl Post Office the next day. In the letter, he boasted about how much money he had made there, how friendly the wizards had been to him, and that he was staying there temporarily until the end of August before returning home.

Just as Lucas finished writing the letter, he heard a clanging noise from next door. Tonks carried a small suitcase into room "Number 8" next door. A little while later, Lucas had just opened his book "Theory of Magic" and was preparing to study the second chapter, "The Origin and Evolution of Magic," when Tonks banged on the door so loudly that she almost shook the "Number 7" doorplate off.

"Tonks?"

With his bubblegum pink hair, Tonks excitedly shouted, "Come on, Lucas, let's have our first lesson!"

Lucas was stunned: "Now?"

He glanced at the wall clock, which, sensing his gaze, quickly announced, "It's 11:10 PM!" The mirror above the sink yawned and said with displeasure, "Let me see who's still in bed so late."

"Come on, Lucas!" Tonks insisted. "I need to digest that sweet and sour pork with pineapple. You can't let a beautiful lady get fat!"

Lucas hurriedly dressed and followed Tonks out the door.

He had thought Tonks was going to lead him into the alley, but after taking a few steps, he stopped outside room "6".

Is this Hannah's room?

"Good evening, Lucas!" The dimly lit corridor did nothing to dampen Tonks's high spirits; her short pink hair shimmered with light. "Welcome to your first magic lesson! Ready to get down to business?"

"Go all out here? How?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"This is a great teaching space!" Tonks exclaimed excitedly. "I'll teach you a very useful spell right now—the Lockpicking Charm!"

Lucas gripped the maple wand, which shimmered with a golden light.

Huh? The first lesson is about picking locks and sneaking in?

Hiss... But why do I feel a subtle thrill when I see Tonks' excited expression in front of this closed door?

Lucas hesitated slightly: "But Tonks, I've only read the first chapter of 'Magic Theory' in my entrance books, and I haven't read any of the others yet. Should I—"

"Oh, forget about those books for now!" Tonks waved his hand. "You can read what's in the books yourself later. Magic can't be learned by rote memorization. I'll teach you the most important thing—desire!"

"Yearning?" Lucas didn't understand.

"Yes, longing!" Tonks lowered his voice and demonstrated, "The incantation for the unlocking charm is simple, it's Alohomora (Open the Alohomora). Just say it without any pause, and the gesture is just a light poke... See, simple, right? Now you practice it once."

Lucas gripped his wand tightly, suddenly feeling a little nervous. He wondered if it was a bit too serious to learn a spell for picking locks...

Then he took a deep breath, suppressing all his distracting thoughts. He raised his wand and, mimicking Tonks' gesture, gently poked it: "Ah... Alaho Cave open."

Tonks encouraged him, "That's right, your movements are spot on, but you need to say the incantation all at once, don't stutter."

Lucas nodded. Carving tofu was a piece of cake for him, so imitating spell gestures was a piece of cake, let alone such a simple action.

He recited the incantation several more times to make sure there was no problem.

"Come on, give it a try!" Tonks pushed him to the door of number 6 and made him cast a spell on the keyhole.

"Open the Alaho Cave!" Lucas thrust out his wand.

But the tip of the wand only flickered slightly, and the keyhole made a barely perceptible clicking sound, but it still didn't open.

Why?

Tonks leaned closer: "That's your problem, and it's also the most important thing I want to teach you: desire."

"You must yearn to unlock the door, yearn to pass through this door, yearn to enter the room," Tonks suddenly said in a very ambiguous tone. "Hannah is sleeping inside. Imagine, if you open the door, you'll see her in her pajamas, and maybe there will be other surprises..."

Lucas was speechless. Who would be interested in an eleven-year-old girl with a round face?

No, that's not the point. Tonks, with your irreverent attitude, do you really think you can become an Auror in the future?

No, that's not the point...

The key point is the desire!