Adelaide told Cho Chang everything except for the cockroach horcrux and the teleportation ring.
"You've been hunted by Death Eaters since school started, that Miss MacFusty from Slytherin is a Blood-Cursed Beastman, and on Halloween night, Professor MacFusty was seriously injured by Death Eaters?!"
With Adelaide's confession, every piece of news the other had hidden since the start of term struck Cho Chang's heart like a heavy hammer.
She never imagined that behind the seemingly peaceful and harmonious Hogwarts lay such turbulent undercurrents.
The difference in their campus lives was staggering; while she was living "The Daily Life of a Ravenclaw Overachiever," Adelaide was experiencing "A Bloody Career Starting from First Year," "Find That Death Eater," and "An Unexpected Start with a Blood-Cursed Beastman"!
Cho Chang's heart raced, and her hands couldn't help but tremble slightly—Merlin's beard! This was much more exciting than Quidditch!
To calm herself down, she quickly picked up two rolls of fatty beef and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing vigorously in an attempt to use food to soothe her shock.
However, when she heard Adelaide say, "I didn't want to tell you before because I was afraid of dragging you in. Actually, I've been thinking lately, for your safety, maybe I should stay away from you..." Cho Chang could no longer maintain her composure.
She swallowed the beef in her mouth with a gulp, slammed the table, stood up, and looked Adelaide straight in the eye, saying sternly, "Do you really think I'm the kind of person who would run away when a good friend is in danger?"
Adelaide shrank back in her chair and said weakly, "I didn't think you were that kind of person who ignores friends..."
From the moment they first met, Cho Chang had always been a gentle girl; even when she was angry, it was just the cold shoulder. This was the first time Adelaide had seen Cho Chang so forceful.
"Then what are you still worried about? We're best friends! No matter what happens, I'll be by your side, facing it with you!"
"Cho..."
Adelaide looked at Cho Chang, a surge of indescribable emotion swelling in her heart. Cho really was the best bestie in the world!
However, just as she was about to say some tender, heart-melting words of praise to enhance the warm atmosphere, Cho Chang sat back down as quickly as a gust of wind.
She skillfully picked up a spoon and dropped tender, juicy shrimp balls one by one into the steaming hotpot, then focused entirely on adding various side dishes, not forgetting to remind her, "Adelaide, hurry up and fish out the cooked ingredients. If they boil for too long, they'll get tough, and the texture will be ruined."
Adelaide: "..."
Fine, her personal charm was no match for the allure of hotpot to Chinese blood; she accepted it.
Cho Chang had also been holding back for a long time. At home, she could at least taste authentic Chinese food cooked by her mother, but since coming to Hogwarts, she had spent nearly three months eating medium-rare steaks and greasy fried fish, chicken legs, and chips.
This fragrant pot of hotpot before her was nothing short of a luxurious feast, making it impossible to suppress her racing heart and trembling hands.
Since the knot in their hearts had been untied, other matters seemed less important. There was plenty of time to deal with subsequent problems, so why the rush?
The most critical thing right now, of course, was to enjoy this delicious hotpot—Cho Chang cast aside all distractions and threw herself wholeheartedly into this carnival for the taste buds.
Seeing Cho Chang's impatient state, Adelaide couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Thinking about it, Cho Chang was still only an eleven-year-old girl in her growing phase; the temptation of delicious food was naturally huge for her.
The bellyful of affectionate words Adelaide had prepared were all forced back. She silently picked up her chopsticks and fished out a few slices of tripe and some duck intestines—if she didn't get moving, she wouldn't get a single bite.
And so, the two of them kept adding ingredients while racing to stuff various cooked foods into their mouths, unknowingly eating until three in the morning.
Once they were full and satisfied, they patted their round bellies contentedly, only then realizing they needed to clean up the mess of leftovers on the table.
After another bout of chaotic cleaning, they finally finished. Adelaide led Cho Chang as they tiptoed back to the entrance of the Ravenclaw Common Room like thieves.
Along the way, they kept looking back, afraid of running into other night-prowlers who might smell the hotpot aroma on them and ask for the soup base.
"What is your favorite hotpot ingredient?"
The Bronze Knocker asked Adelaide simple personal questions as usual. Both she and Cho Chang were used to this; Cho Chang would even cover for Adelaide when there were many people at the door so she wouldn't have to knock.
Adelaide replied without thinking, "Lamb rolls, of course! Without lamb rolls, it feels like the hotpot isn't satisfying enough, like something important is missing."
After speaking, she couldn't help but let out a loud burp.
Hearing Adelaide's answer, the Bronze Knocker replied, "Hmm, well answered."
As soon as it finished speaking, the heavy wooden door slowly began to rotate.
Adelaide wasn't at all surprised by the Bronze Knocker's response. It had been nearly three months since school started, and no matter what she answered, the knocker would always say, "Well answered." She had never experienced being locked out of the common room waiting for someone to rescue her.
As she climbed the dormitory stairs, Adelaide fell into deep thought: It seemed her campus life was somewhat incomplete... After returning to the dorm, they first changed out of their clothes that reeked of hotpot, then climbed into their respective beds, falling into a sweet dreamland as soon as they lay down.
Because they had stayed up so late, when the warm morning sunlight gently spilled over their faces the next day, Adelaide felt as if her eyelids were weighed down by lead.
She struggled to open her eyes, but in the end, she could only force them open a tiny crack.
Amid Cho Chang's yawning calls, Adelaide struggled with her quilt for a long time before rolling off the bed, where Cho Chang pulled her up to get dressed.
At this moment, Adelaide looked like a lifeless zombie, her movements slow and stiff.
Cho Chang beside her wasn't much better, looking just as bleary-eyed and dazed.
Even so, they supported each other, wobbling their way into the Great Hall.
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