Harry Potter and the Candy Factory

"Mr. Black?" Hearing Nakell's words, Dulus finally looked up, his gaze falling upon the young man before him for the first time. As a manager of a high-end restaurant, Dulus was undoubtedly more worldly than the low-level employees of the Ministry of Magic. His eyes widened slightly as he watched the back of the figure striding into the restaurant, while young Sanchez, as the host's son, could only obediently follow behind. In an instant, a thought flashed through his mind, and without regard for his current duties, he led the three to their reserved seats and then hurried towards the back of the restaurant…

…

"Ah… it's really been a long time since I've eaten here." Sitting in the luxurious, throne-like seat, Nakell patted the armrest inlaid with large gems, a hint of emotion in his voice as he casually spoke.

"Oh?" Charlie asked with a smile.

"Ha, too busy with work!" Nakell replied with a smile, without a second thought, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But in young Sanchez's eyes, he seemed like a highly skilled actor, causing him to lower his head and hum softly to himself. (Actor)

He then fell silent. Since the dishes they would eat had been specially arranged and ordered before their arrival, even the menu was not presented. Less than a minute after they were seated, the well-prepared waiters brought three small, exquisite appetizer salads to the table. As Nakell skillfully folded the napkin on the table and placed it on his lap, it signaled the official start of the dinner…

"Belgian Salad," Nakell introduced. "The taste may be a bit bitter, but the blue cheese inside is different from the ingredients used by Muggles. It's unique to this restaurant. Mr. Black, you should enjoy it."

Listening to Nakell's words, Charlie nodded and picked up his fork, focusing his gaze on the brightly colored appetizer in front of him, wondering what kind of sauce it was drizzled with.

"Lettuce, walnuts, black truffle, and nuts… Hmm, it's mustard dressing." With just a slight taste, Charlie identified all the ingredients.

Still holding the cutlery, he didn't continue to savor the salad. Instead, he looked up and surveyed the other guests around him.

He noticed that all the guests seated at the surrounding tables were dressed formally and elegantly. In comparison, he was the only one wearing the down jacket he had arrived in, making him stand out as the odd one.

But there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't blame Charlie; it was simply that things hadn't gone as planned.

Before coming to the French wizarding world, he hadn't anticipated this trip at all and hadn't prepared for it. He had only thought that after delivering the Philosopher's Stone to Nicolas Flamel, he could return to England. Even in his best-case scenario, he had imagined that Master Nicolas Flamel would invite him to chat at his home and, before he left, teach him the blueprints and forging secrets of the "wizard version of the grenade upgrade"\n… But who would have thought that the story would end up like this?

The thought of what he would face tomorrow filled Charlie with unease.

"To stir up waves powerful enough to drive a revolution in the wizarding world, to break this stagnant water?"

Charlie stared at the salad in front of him, his thoughts drifting back to the two-story building and the massive alchemical artifact… He was lost in thought for a moment, muttering to himself. Unconsciously, his grip on the silver cutlery tightened, subtly deforming it.

In fact, it wasn't just Charlie; Nakell, too, hadn't eaten much. The salad, which he usually found particularly to his liking, now didn't appeal to him. His mind was preoccupied with how to bring up the matter of promoting young Sanchez to take his place as the general agent with Mr. Black.

And so, the two men, each with their own thoughts, didn't finish the meager salads before the main course arrived. The waiter who brought the food was momentarily hesitant, knowing that none of the people who came to eat here were people he could afford to offend. He stood frozen in place, pushing the trolley, unsure whether to proceed. It wasn't until young Sanchez silently gestured with his chin that the waiter breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly delivered the dishes, then fled as if his life depended on it, fearing that the chef's poor work would implicate him.

"For the main course this time, I've arranged for Coq au Vin… Well, I originally planned to let you try the French Baked Billywig Bug, but I was worried that you wouldn't be used to it, so I didn't order it. Of course, if you'd like to try it… What, you don't want to? … That's a pity, but it doesn't matter. This Coq au Vin is also one of their specialties. Just the preparation method alone is something those Muggles can't compare to. You must try it carefully."

It must be said that when the Coq au Vin was brought up, both the rich aroma and the beautiful presentation made Charlie's eyes light up. He temporarily suppressed his optimistic expectations for tomorrow and focused all his attention on savoring this rare delicacy…

As someone who often ate chicken and considered Hogwarts' roast chicken to be the pinnacle of chicken dishes, Charlie was undoubtedly amazed by the wonderful taste of the Coq au Vin!

Whether it was the intense, almost overwhelming aroma of wine upon entering his mouth or the fresh, sweet taste with unknown seasonings, the soft texture and distinct layers gave Charlie an indescribable and subtle experience. An unconscious, pleasant smile appeared on his face. Unfortunately, the only thing that bothered him was that the portion of this dish was really too small… Perhaps it should be said that the portion sizes of these high-end restaurants were simply too small for a young man who was used to eating whole roast chickens. But Charlie undoubtedly understood the rules. As a nobleman, although he didn't like to be fussy when eating, the dining etiquette he had learned as a child allowed him to maintain an incredibly elegant demeanor in any situation, with no hint of his inner thoughts showing.

Seeing the satisfied smile on Charlie's face after he had calmly finished the entire dish, Nakell finally breathed a sigh of relief, temporarily withdrawing his gaze and no longer focusing on the other party, instead tasting his own portion.