Breakfast in the Scottish region typically consists of bread, boiled potatoes, and stewed beans. If the family is well-off, they might add a few slices of bacon or a bowl of vegetable salad.
However, owing to the lamentable culinary skills inherited from the British Isles, the taste usually doesn't fare too well. For Elena, whose taste buds had been spoiled by the flavors of her previous life, most dishes were judged on one level: edible and filling.
Ever since Elena took charge of managing and arranging meals at the orphanage, breakfast for the children had become quite lavish and refined.
Of course, the term "lavish and refined" was relative.
—Honeyed toast, mashed potatoes, fried eggs, occasionally accompanied by a bowl of simmered Lomond Loch fish soup (last week temporarily replaced by a large bowl of steaming Scottish round-faced chubby chicken soup)—
To Benedictus, this was pretty much the most luxurious indulgence in this world.
Thus, upon hearing Dumbledore's voice outside the door, Benedictus immediately shook his head, politely declining.
"No, thank you. Our breakfast is actually better than you might imagine... Hiss~"
Before he could finish, Benedictus suddenly gasped and made a strange sound.
"But of course, Professor Dumbledore, we don't mind at all."
Elena slowly withdrew her fingers, which had been pinching the soft flesh around Benedictus's waist, while sweetly responding.
Hogwarts, with its hundreds of house elves, undoubtedly surpassed almost every other school in basic dining facilities.
Setting aside cuisines and preparation techniques, in terms of sophistication, compared to Elena's purely self-sufficient family breakfast routine, it was naturally much more sumptuous and extravagant.
Since the orphan scholarship from the school had been declined by a certain stubborn uncle, Elena wouldn't miss out on this free breakfast.
"But, Professor Dumbledore, it seems you haven't brought any food with you?"
The silver-haired young girl bounced out of the kitchen, looking at the old wizard with empty hands, her face instantly falling, brows furrowed in confusion.
Though Elena wasn't certain how far Hogwarts was from the town of Lhasa, she was certain that Dumbledore's previous method of apparition wouldn't be practical.
"I can't conjure food out of thin air; there's someone else in charge of breakfast preparation."
Dumbledore smiled faintly, waving his wand lightly in the air, a faint, translucent ripple visible to Elena.
In the next moment, a big-eyed, big-eared house elf appeared in the empty space in front of the kitchen.
"Hello, Miss Elena. It's a pleasure to see you again. House elf Berli is delighted to serve you."
It happened to be the same elf, Berli, who had shown Elena around Hogwarts just yesterday afternoon.
"Oh, my goodness, is this the legendary fairy? I never thought they were real!"
At that moment, Benedictus also stepped out of the kitchen, looking at Berli standing among the three of them, his face full of surprise.
Hearing the commotion behind her, Elena suddenly realized that this wasn't Hogwarts; it was an ordinary Muggle orphanage located in the town of Lhasa.
"Goodness, Professor Dumbledore, aren't you concerned about the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy? This place is filled with ordinary people..."
Elena's eyes contracted, turning around, trying hard to push the big man behind her back into the room.
"Of course, there's no need to worry. We always have a set of procedures for situations like this."
Dumbledore smiled, waving his wand playfully, completely unconcerned, and relaxedly said.
"Procedures? You mean..."
The silver-haired girl paused thoughtfully, standing in front of Benedictus, her left hand suddenly glowing with a mark, staring firmly at Dumbledore's wand.
"Just to make it clear, I won't allow you to use the Memory Charm on him."
Dumbledore looked at the little girl in front of him with interest, suddenly discovering something that pleased him.
Compared to Riddle and Grindelwald, Elena Kaslana, an orphan like them, seemed to have quite a few weaknesses, such as her attachment to food and family.
While these might seem like weaknesses to Riddle and Grindelwald, Dumbledore saw them as the strongest support when facing the dark side of magic.
"Well done. It seems you have quite an understanding of the wizarding world, knowing the common methods wizards use to handle situations."
Dumbledore nodded approvingly, slightly lifting the corner of his mouth, mischief shining in his eyes, and casually pointed his wand forward, saying leisurely.
"If I were to cast the Memory Charm right now, do you think you could resist it? Come, try to stop me."
Though his expression seemed casual, Dumbledore had already activated his magical power, ready to counter any reaction from Elena.
He locked his gaze onto the face of the half-blood girl, curious to see how Elena would react when faced with such strong pressure.
"..."
Elena lifted her head, meeting Dumbledore's wand tip with difficulty swallowing saliva.
She weakly opened her mouth, suddenly realizing with sadness that no matter how clever she was or how well she spoke, it all relied on the premise that the other party wouldn't resort to violence.
In a way, some of her previous actions seemed reckless. Against extremely powerful wizards, the usual Muggle means like money, firearms, or logic were useless—only magic could defeat magic.
"Please, Professor Dumbledore."
Elena looked at Dumbledore silently, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, hiding her left hand behind her back, her tone eerily calm.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, pointing his wand at Elena, gently tapping it as the little girl trembled slightly under his gaze.
Pop!
A bunch of vibrant, beautiful flowers bloomed from the tip of the wand.
"Don't worry, the era of forcibly casting the Memory Charm on all Muggles has long passed. You don't think I'd actually dare to defy the Ministry of Magic's regulations, do you?"
Dumbledore shrugged comically, shaking his head as he walked closer, explaining with a smile.
"Since 1945, the Ministry of Magic has revised the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. If one of the parents, spouse, or children is a wizard, their family members aren't included in the group that requires secrecy. As your guardian, Mr. Benedictus naturally falls outside the secrecy range."
As Dumbledore spoke, he slowly reached out his hand, wanting to pat the girl's stubborn head out of habit, but a thick, large hand appeared in front of Dumbledore.
"Touching a child's head too much can stunt their growth, and she just washed her hair last night."
Benedictus extended his hand, pulling Elena to his side, nodding politely, and looking at the house elf.
"So, Berli, how long will it take for the Hogwarts breakfast you mentioned to be ready and delivered? The children will be waking up in half an hour."
"Just call me Berli. Breakfast is already prepared."
Berli elegantly bowed, raising slender fingers to snap them crisply.
In an instant, the wooden table in the dining room beside the kitchen was covered with a pristine white tablecloth, and ceramic plates filled with food orderly appeared on the table.
Milk, tea, coffee, pumpkin juice, orange juice, porridge, cereal
, sugar, salt, butter, cornflakes, toast, bread, various jams, ketchup, mayonnaise, fried eggs, pickled herring, ham, bacon, grilled sausages, smoked fish, pickled salmon, and fried tomatoes...
The shabby dining room of the orphanage suddenly transformed into a miniature version of the Hogwarts dining hall.
"Thank you, Berli."
Dumbledore smiled, nodding.
"It's my honor to serve Mr. Dumbledore. I hope everyone enjoys their meal."
Berli said sharply before bowing deeply and snapping, disappearing into thin air once again.