"Huh?!"
Boiled Beef Noodles?
Upon hearing Snape's words, Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, a hint of hesitation flickering across her face, as if she were about to say something. However, before she could open her mouth, Dumbledore turned to Snape, a curious glint in his eyes.
"A cooking method and ingredients from the mysterious East? Noodles?"
"Indeed. The raw material is made from flour, resembling slender wands or ropes. But Professor Dumbledore, I must warn you, the taste of this Boiled Beef Noodles might be rather unique, and it requires a few minutes of cooking time, unlike other dishes that can be teleported instantly…"
"No need to worry. I can vaguely guess from the name—boiled, of course. I'll have that today."
Dumbledore chuckled, cleared his throat, and confidently announced.
"Boiled Beef Noodles!"
…
Meanwhile, in the Hogwarts kitchen, directly beneath the Great Hall.
Various seasonings were lined up on the counter, the air thick with a spicy aroma. A mere whiff seemed to open up every pore, releasing a tempting, almost fatal fragrance.
"Another order of Boiled Beef Noodles! Urgent! For Professor Dumbledore!"
A house-elf squeaked, its voice sharp.
In mid-air, a ball of dough floated, continuously stretched, folded, and stretched again by magical forces. In mere seconds, it transformed into resilient noodles, distinct and evenly sized, slender yet full of texture.
Nearby, a pot of beef bone broth, simmered overnight, was ready. The delicate noodles fell directly into the pot, tumbling in the bubbling broth. With a wave of the house-elf's finger in small circles, they were scooped out again, placed in a large bowl prepared beforehand.
Next, a large spoonful of clear broth simmered with beef, bones, and white radish, a dozen paper-thin slices of cooked beef, a pinch of scallions and cilantro from the Slytherin garden, and finally, a sizzling spoonful of chili oil, fried to release its fragrance, were poured over. A bowl of authentic Boiled Beef Noodles was complete.
Snap!
The house-elf responsible for the cooking quickly checked the dish before him, nodded in satisfaction, and lightly snapped his fingers. The steaming bowl of red oil noodles vanished from the kitchen.
…………
"This, this is 'boiled'?"
Dumbledore stared blankly at the bowl of crimson "Boiled Beef Noodles" before him, his long silver beard trembling slightly. He raised his fork several times, but couldn't bring himself to plunge it into the bowl.
While the fragrance of the chili oil was comforting, it also emitted a heat that made him uneasy.
After only a few sniffs, Dumbledore felt sweat beginning to form on his temples. His mind was filled with resistance, but his mouth watered uncontrollably, like a child seeing candy.
*Slurp~ Slurp~*
A strange sound came from beside the old wizard.
Dumbledore turned to see Severus Snape with a bowl of noodles in front of him. The Potions Master, usually stern and unsmiling, slurped the noodles, wiping the sweat from his nose. His pale, sallow face had a faint blush from the heat and red oil.
*Gulp~*
It certainly seemed delicious…
Dumbledore hesitated, then imitated Snape, stirring the red oil beef noodles in front of him. As the fork swirled in the bowl, he knew the noodles would have a wonderful texture, smooth and free-flowing, without any resistance.
After a few seconds, Dumbledore cautiously forked up a clump of noodles and placed them in his mouth. As he chewed, the old man's bright blue eyes widened, and he instinctively sighed.
"This, this taste…"
The chewy noodles were coated in the soup, mingled with the aroma of chili and scallions. The savory taste of the noodles was subtle, but not overwhelming. The chili oil stimulated every taste bud, and the broth, simmered from bones, was full of umami…
In addition, the radish, simmered until soft in the bone broth, perfectly balanced the spiciness. The melt-in-your-mouth radish didn't even need to be chewed, a light touch of the tongue was all it took to break it apart in his mouth, neutralizing the irritation of the chili oil.
In this seemingly ordinary bowl of Boiled Beef Noodles, all the elements were perfectly combined, maximizing the stimulation of the taste and the energy and fullness the body craved in the morning.
A wizard's constitution could withstand more stimulation than a Muggle's. Dumbledore started by tasting it in small, restrained bites, but soon, like Snape, he was slurping up the noodles with gusto.
It had to be said that this sweaty breakfast experience gave one a feeling of indulgence and satisfaction.
…………
"This is a crazy… and fascinating feast of flavors."
A moment later, Dumbledore wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and nose. He glanced at the empty bowl, then turned to Snape, whose face was still flushed, and said with a sense of wonder.
"Severus, perhaps we have been too conservative in the past, missing out on much of the world's beauty. Let's see how far that child can go. If she can successfully complete all the exams…"
"It's not necessary for her to get all Outstanding marks. As long as she gets an A or above in the assessments for each year, the Potions class can make some compromises next semester, allowing some Muggle scholars to sit in on the classes."
Snape took a deep breath, wiped his reddened lips, and said calmly to Dumbledore.
"However, Potions is Potions. You can create new subjects, that is your right as Headmaster of Hogwarts. But as long as I am the Potions Professor appointed by you, my classroom will not allow a second professor."
"Of course… What about you, Minerva?"
Dumbledore nodded with a smile and turned to Professor McGonagall, who was still slowly sipping her congee.
"Interacting with Muggle scholars during the holidays? You might need to find someone to take over the Deputy Headmistress's work."
Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes at Albus Dumbledore, and said bluntly, "If you can take on more of Hogwarts' affairs, I could take the time to show those Muggles magic—although, in my opinion, those Muggles might not understand the charm of magic, even if they are scientists from the former Soviet Union."
"No, about that, I have a better suggestion…"
Dumbledore slowly shook his head, looked at Professor McGonagall with a smile, and said, "You should have heard about the Black matter? What do you think of Black? From the perspective of talent, he should be able to share a lot of the teaching pressure."
"Sirius Black? If he can really master it skillfully, it can be considered."
Minerva McGonagall raised her eyebrows slightly, thought for a moment, put down her spoon and looked at Dumbledore.
"But I must remind you that there are still many differences between having superb Transfiguration skills and teaching students to master knowledge. I will take the time to give him basic tutoring during the holidays. Unless he can meet my requirements before school starts, even if I'm a little tired, I won't hand over those first and second year little guys to him."
"Then, Aileenna Katslana…" Dumbledore asked tentatively.
"If she can really pass the Transfiguration exams for first to fourth grade, then I really have nothing to teach her. After all, according to you, she is now on the path of classical Transfiguration, and she can only rely on herself in terms of magic. Permanent Transfiguration and Alchemy are areas that I have not yet entered."
Professor McGonagall shrugged her shoulders indifferently, and replied somewhat helplessly.
Looking at the somewhat frustrated Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore smiled and shook his head,
"You don't need to be too frustrated, Minerva. It's not because she is more outstanding than you, but because she sees the world from a different angle. Moreover, if she wants to learn about Animagus, I guess you still need to personally guide her in Hogwarts—I guess she will be interested in this knowledge."
"Animagus? Let's wait until this exam is over and see the results…"
After a slight pause, as if remembering something, Professor McGonagall suddenly changed the subject.
"By the way! Professor Dumbledore, do you remember what we said at the beginning of the school year? Regarding the Sorting of those two children, I think we still have to follow the traditional rules next school year—otherwise, the Quidditch game next year will not be able to continue, the freshman team is about to destroy the Hogwarts academy league."
"Ah, Quidditch… This um… Almost forgot there was this trouble…"
Listening to Professor McGonagall's complaints, a look of embarrassment appeared on Dumbledore's face.
"Speaking of this matter, do you all remember what we promised the group of freshmen at the beginning of the semester—if they can defeat the official academy team once in the training game, they will be allowed to participate in the league and the final competition for the Quidditch Academy Cup… And from the current league score…"
"Humph, that group of little guys leads each academy representative team by an average of three hundred points or more in the league. And as far as I know, after the Ravenclaw children finished playing this year, many of them have filed applications to withdraw from the Quidditch team."
Snape snorted coldly, his cheeks twitched uncontrollably, and said helplessly.
"Even Hogwarts' strongest Slytherin Quidditch representative team is two hundred and twenty points behind them, which means that unless the Slytherin team can catch the Golden Snitch when the score difference is seventy points or more in this weekend's final, otherwise, the Quidditch Academy Cup will not belong to any academy for the first time."
After a slight pause, Snape pointed his chin at the white-haired ball who was still playing with Hermione and others at the table.
"Now the whole school is waiting to see our academy's jokes. Respected Professor Dumbledore, regarding that 'Silver White Demon soaring in the sky", are you really not planning to make any restrictions or additional regulations?"
"Uh, regarding this, there will be some small adjustments in terms of balance—after all, you also know that although it is a Quidditch match within the school, we don't have any suitable reasons to ban a certain player from flying, or temporarily add too many strange rules."
Dumbledore sighed with exhaustion, spread his hands embarrassedly, and replied somewhat uncertainly.
"It's mainly professional advice from Madam Hooch, it should be useful to some extent, right…"
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Chapter Two!! My God!!!
This time I wrote the warning on the title, you can't blame me if you are hungry! ps: I heard that voting for monthly tickets can relieve hunger, do you want to try it!