Elisa's face flushed crimson. She hurriedly re‑buttoned her gown though in her heart she'd already cursed her brother a thousand times. She'd never felt so shameless—yet somehow, she felt she could trust Mr. Dak Dantes.
"Ewoyn, what nonsense are you spouting? Mr. Dantes is here to ask about Huo Jin's past! I—ich bin nur ein bisschen aufgewärmt, nichts weiter!" she stammered, switching to German.
Ewoyn looked from his sister to the gleaming Galleons on the table. He thought: even if Elisa had sold herself, she probably wouldn't be worth this much. With so many Galleons, he could hire six or seven pretty girls for a night at the Hot Witch Nightclub!
He decided maybe it was worth playing matchmaker—his sister clearly wasn't uninterested in the man. So he strode off to the kitchen.
"Sir, du sprichst Chinesisch, und ich mag dich. Bleib doch und iss mit uns. Englisches Essen ist schrecklich; willst du etwas zu essen, musst du chinesisch essen!" he offered in broken German.
Elisa shot him a wide-eyed look as she turned to Mr. Dantes. "Sir, möchten Sie nicht ein bisschen essen bei uns?"
Dana thought for a moment, then nodded. He hadn't spoken Chinese—or any human language—for quite some time, and upon hearing a foreign tongue again, he found himself eager to engage.
They ushered him into the dining room. In this open‑kitchen establishment, Dana noticed something peculiar: there were no cooking utensils.
He watched as the siblings pulled out their wands and pointed at a wall, which became transparent—revealing a bustling back kitchen. Knives and spatulas flew through the air like clockwork, churning out dish after dish.
Elisa tapped her wand, and pieces of braised beef floated over from a simmering cauldron. Ewoyn flicked his wand here and there, scooping tastes from every pan. Soon, a plate of sliced braised beef and a colorful medley of dishes were in front of Dana.
Ewoyn swept his wand and uttered, "Diffindo!" The beef was instantly cut into neat, bite-sized pieces.
"Elisa, mein Bruder, I'm sorry—we only have this to host you," she apologized.
Dana asked, "You just… 'take' food from Muggle restaurants like this?" He tried to avoid the word "steal," but even so, his question struck a nerve.
"Haltest du uns für minderwertig? Was daran ist verwerflich, etwas von Muggles zu nehmen?" Ewoyn shot back. "When our Fire Serpent Party ran wild in the British Wizarding World, they had to beg us for tribute!"
Fire Serpent Party. Dana's mind clicked. Wasn't that a criminal group in Hogwarts Legacy? Led by Selwyn, cleaned up by the hero with an Avada? Recalling the strange mark he'd seen earlier, Dana realized Ewoyn was likely part of that Fire Serpent crest.
Elisa glared at her brother and interjected swiftly—in German: "Wir essen ihr Essen nicht umsonst. Wir benutzen Confundo auf der Straße, um andere Gäste zu ihrem Restaurant zu locken. Das ist unser Ausgleich."
Dana probed further: "If you can cast Confundo, your magical ability is decent—so why not work properly in the Wizarding World?"
Ewoyn slammed the table and spat, "Find a job? Verpiss dich damit!" He mimicked politely, "Mr. Wang, your grandfather was a criminal, so we dare not employ you. We have only so many spots, and I can't give it to you instead of my own countrymen."
Dana nodded—this was blatant prejudice and discrimination.
Elisa resumed, "Mr. Dantes, we want to work and earn honest money, but the system bars us."
Dana asked, "Have you considered going back to China?"
Ewoyn scoffed, "We can't. The Ministry of Magic in China prohibits foreign residents."
"Then the U.S.? Or Europe?" Dana suggested.
"Was macht das schon für einen Unterschied?" Ewoyn snapped—but Dana saw his point.
Dana thought deeply. First, Elisa seemed genuine—loyal to Huo Jin Riches and honest enough to compensate the restaurant with magic. He could feel it. Second, the finger pointed straight at Barty Crouch—like the Avery case, Crouch was one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. He needed allies; even Voldemort had Death Eaters.
Dana leaned forward: "Mr. Ewoyn, how many people are in your Fire Serpent Party? And who leads it?"
Ewoyn glanced at him: "Why do you ask?"
Dana responded, "I need people to help me."
Ewoyn's eyes lit up. "We're seven now, and I'm the boss!"
—A boss so broke he had to steal Muggle food.
Dana didn't care about their power—he needed manpower. "I'll give each of you fifty Galleons a month living allowance, and your Fire Serpent Party will work for me. How's that?"
Ewoyn's grin split his face. He hadn't expected a job from staying for dinner. "Of course, Mr. Dantes—what do you want us to do?"
Dana shook his head: "For now, nothing. Just keep out of trouble. When I have a mission, I'll contact you."
"Verstanden, BOSS! I promise—no trouble! And now we have a legitimate income, why would we cause problems?"
Dana nodded and stood. He'd lingered enough. As for lunch—he'd rather eat next door; the Chinese food there was much better.
Before he left, Elisa blurted, "Brother! I've decided—I want to join the Fire Serpent Party too!"
Ewoyn looked at Dana: "Boss, ist das okay?" If Elisa joined, Dana would owe 50 more Galleons. This was a big decision.
Dana shrugged: "Sure. I just need your Party stronger and bigger. Money's not the problem."
"Ja! I'll make it bigger and stronger, BOSS!"
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