"Sizzle—"
The marinated red meat, coated in starch, stood up piece by piece from the plate, lined up, and jumped into the hot oil, the splashing droplets rising and then falling back into the pot. A ladle floated above the oil, gently stirring—
"Splash—"
The floating cookbook in mid-air automatically turned its page. The man frowned at it for a while before he lightly waved his magic wand. Immediately, a bunch of bottles and jars knocked open the cupboard, gracefully flipped out, and poured their contents into the prepared basin.
The slotted spoon wobbled and scooped out the crispy, golden pieces of meat, oily and gleaming, stacking them in the basin.
Then, a shake.
"Buzz buzz buzz—"
A moment later, the metal basin, about to blur with its shaking, wobbled to a stop. The man reached in to taste a piece—
Mmm, golden and crispy, fragrant, savory… perfect.
Satisfied, Master Lupin nodded, removed his apron, and carried the basin back to the living room. Watching the characters on the small television attacking each other, he handed the crispy meat to the boy sitting on the carpet by the sofa, fiddling with the game controller.
"Not bad, you could add a bit more salt and pepper, almost to lethal levels." William tasted it and nodded with satisfaction. "Hm… Remus, you're starting to have the qualities of a perfect housewife. Interested in joining the Sing-Blue Cooking Contest?" William couldn't help but remark, noticing that Lupin seemed to have maxed out his household magic skills.
"…?"
Lupin frowned, feeling that William didn't seem to say anything good. Just as he wanted to retort, there was a noise at the door. He turned to see one large and one small figure squeezing in, carrying big and small bags.
"Smells good!"
Sirius sniffed the air, his senses never failing him in his Animagus form.
"Hoot hoot!"
Hedwig, dozing on the air conditioner, joyfully took off, only to be pounced on by Yolk Pie and Kate Cat, who had been eyeing her for a long time. The two little guys didn't do much more than help Hedwig preen her feathers—
Just getting kicks out of it.
"…"
Hedwig trembled, her yellow eyes full of an expression of "not moved."
"Hedwig!"
Harry instinctively rushed forward, rescuing Hedwig from the claws of the two little cheetahs. Yolk Pie licked its lips, seemingly unsatisfied but still leading his little brother towards the basement for a drink from their mother.
"KO~!"
A deep male voice came from the television, making Harry instinctively look over—he couldn't associate himself with this unfamiliar video game. He had seen Dudley play a lot of games on the now "obsolete" console, and although envious, he hadn't gotten the chance to try.
Of course, Harry had never seen it before; this PS was something he'd procured from America. Technically, this thing wasn't supposed to be released until the end of the year, so his version was a concept model.
Though William had played many games in his past life, far more interesting than this, he could still derive a lot of fun from this old-time console, at least finding plenty of challenges…
Yes, earlier he was actually KO'd by Niffler. Seeing the triumphantly waist-pinching Niffler, William placed the controller on the sofa expressionlessly and took a sip of the ice-cold cola beside him… Hmm, it might be time to assign this fellow some extra homework.
"Squeak?"
Kabuda suddenly shivered as if sensing a chill, instinctively extending a paw to scratch itself.
What just happened?!
"If you're bad, just practice more!"
Finally finding an opportunity to taunt William, Sirius's face lit up with a hint of excitement…
"Alright, let's head downstairs and practice."
William nodded, stood up, slung an arm around Sirius's neck, and dragged him towards the basement. Sirius's expression visibly stiffened, and he earnestly shot pleading glances at Lupin, who pretended not to notice, even turning his head away—
"Harry, want a taste?"
Saying this, he handed over the basin full of crispy meat. Holding the owl, a dazed Harry instinctively took a bite. Chewing as he absentmindedly scanned the room, its layout was similar to the Dursley's but, unlike the gloominess there, this house felt vibrant to Harry…
Wait, perhaps it's not just a feeling?
A Fire Dragon sneaking out of the kitchen, a broom and dustpan sweeping on their own, two pots of Devil's Snares fighting on the windowsill, dishes washing themselves, a Niffler on the carpet darting its gaze around, a small Thunderbird perched on the TV… Harry blinked.
Everything here seemed chaotic, yet inexplicably harmonious.
Unlike The Burrow, just…
"…I remember, wasn't there supposed to be a… middle-aged couple living here?"
Harry instinctively inquired. He remembered quite clearly that a couple of years ago, he suspected this family were wizards, yet when he discreetly tested them last summer, he found nothing unusual. Perhaps he had been mistaken before?
"They won a lottery and went on vacation to Hawaii."
William calmly replied. Originally, they had planned to stay at Blake's old house for a few days, but it was… too dirty. While they could clean it, it wasn't really necessary, not with that permanently stuck painting on the wall—unless they tore down the whole wall—