Chapter 159. Christmas Feast
Long tables were set up around the bonfire, piled high with all kinds of food for everyone to sample.
Duncan sat before one of the tables, cutting a piece from a roasted, gleaming leg of lamb with knife and fork and popping it into his mouth.
Leiden stood at Duncan's side, watching him with expectant eyes, waiting for his verdict.
Duncan swallowed the savoury lamb, a look of enjoyment on his face.
"Absolutely perfect, much better than the last time!"
"The seasoning and the heat are just right, juices running, rich but not greasy."
"Honestly, Leiden, with cooking like yours you could open a restaurant!"
"You'd absolutely deal a crushing blow to those wizarding restaurants on the wizarding street that can't even tell their seasonings apart."
"Mm… that is a good idea!" Leiden said thoughtfully, then waved his big hand with a smile.
"If I really open a shop in the future, you can eat for free whenever you come!"
"That would be brilliant!" Duncan said as he ate.
"If you could also develop a takeaway service, that would be perfect?"
Leiden blinked blankly, thought for a moment, and asked, "What is takeaway?"
"It's where the customer orders from home, and then you make it and send it over to them—"
"—so they can enjoy your cooking without setting foot out of the house!" Duncan explained.
In fact, delivering takeaway in the wizarding world would be quite convenient, what with Apparition letting a witch or wizard transport to wherever they want.
Oh, and there are House-Elves as well.
They are dab hands at instantaneous movement, very suitable for the job.
As the thought occurred to him, Duncan rubbed his chin.
Perhaps when he got back he could find a bit of extra work for those House-Elves who spent all day in the kitchen.
Let them get out and about more, and at the same time raise everyone's quality of life.
As he was mulling it over, a warm, exuberant voice rang out not far away, loudly calling his name.
Duncan looked towards the sound in puzzlement.
A short, stout old man with greying hair was pushing past people towards him, an excited smile on his face.
He stuck out his round belly, which wobbled with his steps; the buttons of his light-blue suit looked on the verge of popping.
"Great-Uncle?" Duncan's eyes widened in surprise, and he hurried forward to meet him.
"What brings you here? Where's Great-Aunt?"
The man before him was Newt's dearest friend, Tina's sister's husband, the chosen Muggle Jacob Kowalski!
A legendary Muggle who once dared to point a wand at the first Dark Lord!
"She's gone to find Tina. I'm exhausted, my friend—sorry—could you let me sit here and rest a bit?"
Jacob used his belly to nudge Leiden aside and sat down on the chair by the table, took two deep breaths, and went on.
"We got a message from Tina that you were holding a village party, and Queenie and I came straight away!"
"You know I've never stopped loving the wizarding life. How could I bear to miss something this fun?"
Jacob mischievously blinked his eyes, which were narrowed to slits and almost invisible.
"Nonsense!" Duncan sneered inwardly and, without mercy, slapped away Jacob's hand as it stealthily reached for the lamb.
Then he shouted past Jacob, "Great-Aunt, look—Great-Uncle is sneaking food again!"
Startled, Jacob yanked his hand back, folded both hands over his belly, and said primly,
"Queenie, you've got it wrong. I only wanted to share a bit with Duncan. It absolutely wasn't that I wanted to eat!"
He waited a moment, heard no reply from Queenie, and instead saw a wicked smile bloom on Duncan's face.
Jacob froze, then realised, twisted round to check, and sure enough saw no sign of Queenie.
"Oh, Duncan, you've gone bad—you actually tricked me!" Jacob said hotly.
"Great-Aunt told me ages ago to keep an eye on you, not to let you eat indiscriminately. You're not in the best health."
Duncan shrugged, wearing a look that said it wasn't his problem and that if there was trouble, Jacob should take it up with Queenie.
"Oh, come off it!" Jacob said helplessly.
"That was because she believed the babbling of that blasted quack! There's nothing wrong with me!"
"And you lot are wizards, aren't you? Even if I were ill, surely you'd have a way to fix it?"
"In general, yes," Duncan said with a warm, kindly smile.
"Well then, that settles it!" Jacob happily reached for the lamb again.
But Duncan blocked him once more, smiling.
"Sadly, still no. Great-Aunt said…"
That made Jacob anxious.
He puffed out his cheeks and glared, saying with great bravado, "Don't you start! Even if Queenie were here today, even she couldn't stop me!"
"Is that so, darling?" came a sweet voice from not far away, edged with a chill that made one's skin prickle.
Jacob felt the night grow colder.
Like a rusty robot he slowly, stiffly turned his neck and pulled his mouth into a smile uglier than a grimace.
"Darling, you've misunderstood. I was only joking with Duncan!"
"Oh, I see."
Queenie and Tina came over, gave Duncan a fond hug, and Queenie said with a smile, "Come along, darling. The view over there looks lovely. Let's go and have a look, just the two of us!"
"Let's bring Duncan and Tina!" Jacob shot back at once, blinking frantically at Duncan for help.
Duncan pretended not to see and looked off in another direction.
"No need, darling. We'll be right back!"
Queenie took the arm of Jacob—whose face had gone ashen—and led him away.
"How pitiful!" Pro climbed out of Duncan's pocket, shaking his head gravely.
Duncan's eyes rolled.
He bent down and said, "Pro, you're not all that young any more. How about I find you a partner?"
Pro's expression froze like he'd been Petrified.
After a moment he shouted, "Duncan, I'm not of age yet! Stop thinking every day about ruining Nifflers!"
"That's all right too!" Duncan said.
"You could cultivate your feelings slowly. There are a few in my grandad's case—"
Hearing Duncan's devilish whisper, Pro trembled all over, decisively tumbled out of the pocket, and bolted into the distance.
"Hey, hey, don't run about! I'm only joking with you!" Duncan hurried after him.
By the time Duncan finally, after endless trouble, caught Pro, the feast was already halfway through and everyone had eaten their fill.
With several whooshes, dazzling fireworks shot into the sky and burst.
Starlike points of light hung motionless above for a long time without fading.
Brilliant light fell from high overhead, draping the bonfire's circle in multicoloured radiance like a real ballroom.
At the same time, a high stage drifted up into the air.
On it sat a drum kit, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and several organs.
The audience broke into thunderous applause as The Weird Sisters waved to everyone and surged onto the stage.
They were all extremely hairy and wore black robes artfully torn to tatters.
They picked up their instruments and launched into a lively, fast-paced tune, setting everyone's spirits ablaze.
People gathered round surged to the bonfire and danced to the music with abandon.
Duncan even saw Albus Dumbledore and the usually stern Professor McGonagall doing a tap dance in the crowd.
Even Severus Snape stood at the edge, face set, secretly tapping his foot to the beat.
Oh, and Newt—Tina had dragged him into the middle, and amid cheers he swayed bashfully.
"Duncan, come on! Don't just stand there by yourself!" Olivia waved and shouted to him.
"All right, I'm coming!" Duncan replied, taking a roundabout route to slip in behind Snape.
As he passed Snape, he "accidentally" bumped him with his shoulder.
Unprepared, Snape pitched forward, his footing slipped, and he staggered into the dancing throng.
He jolted all over and tried to escape, but it was too late: someone at his side seized his hand in a firm grip.
"Damn it, who just shoved me?" Snape fumed inwardly, forced to dance along with the others.
But as he danced, his body grew looser and looser, and his steps grew positively dashing, earning wave after wave of applause from the other witches and wizards.
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