: Daphne's Help

Chapter 24: Daphne's Help

Seeing him stand up, many freshmen from Muggle families couldn't help but shudder. Fortunately, the headmaster of the magic school hadn't picked up any Muggle bad habits. Headmaster Dumbledore's new term speech was so brief that it could hardly be called a speech.

"Welcome to Hogwarts! Before the feast begins, I'd like to say a few words: Idiot! Crybaby! Trash! Squeeze! Thank you everyone! Now, let's begin our meal."

"Professor Dumbledore seems like a strange person!" Daphne didn't grasp the deeper meaning behind Dumbledore's words. She couldn't help but want to complain to Rice about this eccentric old man.

"Mmm." Rice nodded. He was about to say something when he was dazzled by the sumptuous dishes that suddenly appeared in front of him.

In the blink of an eye, his plate was filled with food: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steak, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes, potato chips, Yorkshire pudding, pea shoots, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and even mint hard candies that seemed out of place with the other food.

Even Slytherin, known for its extravagance and pomp, rarely hosted such a grand banquet. The various spices introduced to Europe over the millennium further enhanced the deliciousness of these dishes, far surpassing the banquets of Slytherin's time.

Rice was even a little dizzy for a moment.

"Is this the wealth of Hogwarts?" He couldn't help but be impressed by Hogwarts' riches once again, and he was also happy, feeling as if the fruit trees he had planted years ago were now laden with fruit.

"Of course, and this will be the norm." A senior sitting diagonally across from Rice heard Rice's exclamation and couldn't help but boast to him, "You'll be able to eat this kind of food every day from now on—you'll get tired of it sooner or later, because the school only serves British food most of the time."

As he spoke, he made a funny face, which caused a burst of laughter.

Everyone knows the high quality of British cuisine; only an old-fashioned person like Rice, who only enjoyed such a life a thousand years ago, would find it rare.

"What a pity, the kitchen clearly knows how to cook French food." The senior clicked his tongue, looking extremely regretful.

"I'll write to my father about it. He's a 'school board member,' so his word carries some weight. He'll definitely be able to get the cafeteria to serve more dishes from other countries." Malford emphasized the word "school board member" and secretly observed Rice's reaction—he wanted to see frustration and fear on the guy's face.

Draco thought to himself that if Rice sincerely apologized, as the heir of the Malfoy family, he would certainly forgive him and give him a chance to follow him. Talented people were rare, and a wizard like Rice was qualified to stand behind him, provided that he was at least a half-blood.

However, Rice seemed not to have heard him at all. He was focused on devouring the roasted brisket in front of him, while Draco Malfoy felt as if he had punched thin air.

Rice had good hearing, so he naturally heard what Malfoy said, but he didn't pay any attention to it.

School board member? What's wrong with being a school board member? This position was created to raise operating funds for the school. It's a position that's basically a sucker. What's so great about it? Little guy, you don't really think that a talking wallet can interfere with the operation of Hogwarts, do you?

What Rice didn't know was that as the school developed, the interference of the board of directors in the school's operation was indeed increasing day by day. The current board of directors was no longer the human money bag of a thousand years ago. In theory, the current board of directors really had the power to suspend the principal's duties, but no one had tried to do so yet.

After everyone had stuffed themselves with potatoes, roast meat, and sausages, the remaining food on the plates vanished, leaving the plates and cutlery sparkling clean again. A little while later, the table was laden with various flavors of ice cream, pudding, pies, chocolate muffins, and jam donuts. Rice took a little of everything, and the conversation naturally turned to their families.

"My name is Daphne, Daphne Greengrass, and my father is Henry Greengrass," Daphne introduced herself to those around her as she gracefully cut the pudding in front of her. At that moment, she was as elegant as a swan and as proud as a peacock.

Greengrass!

The moment this surname was mentioned, the gazes directed at this place instantly held a hint of awe.

This is one of the oldest families in the wizarding world, flourishing for over a thousand years, even longer than Hogwarts. Even in Slytherin, a school teeming with pure-bloods, the Greengrass family's bloodline is superior, the purest of pure-bloods.

After all, the origin stories of many "pure-blood" families don't stand up to scrutiny...

"Junior, you...?" The senior who had complained about the kitchen earlier looked at Rice, who was sitting next to Daphne and was focused on finishing the dessert.

After learning that she was the daughter of the Greengrass family, Rice, who was sitting next to Daphne, became a bit of an eyesore.

"Me?" Rice looked up, slightly confused. The reason for his confusion was simple: he was indeed a pureblood, but his real surname was "Slytherin," which made him practically an unregistered person.

"Rice is also a pure-blood wizard. He sold two very rare magical items to my father before. My father said that they can only be found in wizarding families with a long history." Daphne knew about the "tradition" of Slytherin House, so she took the initiative to speak up for Rice.

Is that right?

The Slytherins around them were quite surprised. They racked their brains for a long time but couldn't find any trace of a family named Lint. But with Daphne's endorsement, they could only believe that the Lint family was a low-profile, reclusive family.

"What kind of prop? I'll go back and ask my dad. Maybe we have some at home." Malfoy, who was sitting not far away, poked his head out. He was determined to cause some trouble.

He didn't believe Rice could produce any precious magical artifacts. Since Daphne had mentioned it, he would press the matter to find out what treasure it was that the head of the Greengrass family praised so highly.

However, the statement that "only wizarding families with a long history have it" did indeed arouse his vanity. If his own family's treasure vault happened to have it, wouldn't that be a great honor?

"The 'Dispelling Misfortune Fruit' and the 'Calming Candle'." Seeing that everyone seemed quite interested in this topic, Daphne gave them a brief description of the names and effects of the two items.

Upon hearing Daphne's words, Malfoy's brows furrowed immediately: he had never even heard of these two things.

"So, Master Malfoy, do you have these two items in your storeroom? My younger sister has been ill since childhood and needs these two magical items to alleviate her pain. If you have them in your storeroom, I would be grateful if you could part with them."

Malfoy's face gradually turned as red as a crab in a steamer. He took a deep breath and finally managed to squeeze out only one sentence: "I'll write to my father and ask him."

After that, he focused on his desserts.

He didn't finish the piece of cake on his plate until the dessert was taken away.

Thank you to Xiaowen (放空的小温), Ha Dadi (哈大帝), Book Friend 20170927181246104, and Asaka Chenyun for the generous donations! Love you all!

(End of this chapter)