The Pacifist Necromancer of Hogwarts

As soon as they got out of the car, everyone knew they had arrived. There is an undeniable aroma of chocolate floating in the air, which makes you wonder if they deliberately emit this smell to attract tourists. A building different from the castle, but no less massive, stood beside the river. There is something sweet and warm in the biting cold wind. Behind the warm and rich smell, there is the cold taste of steel and fire, as well as the taste of industry - the smell of smoke and sourness hidden under the aroma of chocolate.

The students stood outside the gate, almost completely stunned. They looked up at the name of the factory written in cursive letters on the top, and then looked at the house in awe. It's like square-cut chocolate wrapped in frosted tinfoil.

Let's go in, Anthony said, giving Thomas a gentle push on the shoulder. Welcome to the world of chocolate.

The white marble floor tiles and the seemingly echoing reception hall make people lower their voices involuntarily. Anthony went to the front desk to explain the reservation status to the receptionist and show the ticket purchase records, while the students crowded together, slightly cramped but curiously looking around at the visiting families passing by.

After a while, a smiling staff member walked out of the small door next to him, holding a large basket of chocolates in his hand.

I am Sophia Green, the tour guide for school group tours. Ms. Green said cheerfully, On behalf of our factory, I would like to welcome the chocolate lovers from the Scottish Academy of Magical Arts... Before the students could react to the name of the school, she The next words came to their ears, As a gift, each of you can get some of your favorite candies in the basket.

She handed the basket to the students, watching with tolerance and fondness as the first few took the top piece restrainedly, and said encouragingly: Take more. She winked at them and whispered as if she were sharing a secret. , I bet you can't bankrupt the factory.

The student smiled at her and looked at Anthony. After receiving affirmative nods, they excitedly put their heads together, rummaged through the food, and each of them picked up no less than three flavors.

When the big bamboo basket returned to Ms. Green's hand, half of the chocolate that once seemed like a mountain had miraculously disappeared, revealing the red velvet underneath. The pockets of the students' Muggle clothes became bulging and filled with all kinds of colorful chocolates. The impatient people have already unpacked it.

Anthony stopped the student from stuffing the wrapper stained with squeezed out jam back into his pocket, and took out a large paper bag from the bag to use as a garbage bag. Before setting off, he had deliberately covered up the words Honey Dukes on the paper bag, but some sharp-eyed people still recognized it and happily put the small sticker torn off from the candy seal where the Honey Duke label was. place.

Ms. Green waited patiently for Anthony to fold the mouth of the paper bag, and when she received his look asking if he should start visiting, she handed the basket to him with a smile: And you, sir. You haven't taken it yet.

…

The tour begins with a white door edged with gold and a metal nameplate Exhibition Gallery on the door. Ms. Green opened the door and motioned for them to go inside.

As soon as they stepped on the soft red-brown carpet, everyone couldn't help but wow.

From the ceiling to the floor, both sides of the long corridor are filled with glass jars and glass cabinets. Various types of chocolates are bustling inside. Plastic paper and tin foil make a dazzling sound under the illumination of overhead spotlights. light. Classic milk chocolate, almond chocolate, hazelnut chocolate, chocolate truffles... baubles in the shape of shells and conches lie in the recesses of dark brown boxes, as if embedded in fossils... Chocolate bars, black and white Parts rotate and blend together...and there are chocolate balls, wrapped in sugar wrapper to form a plump and round bow in the middle, forming some kind of calorie bomb that mixes bitterness and sweetness.

Passing through these hot-selling items is a small circular hall. Seven or eight machines are arranged in a circle, with flavors labeled next to each machine, and small disposable cups are stacked at the same time. Just pull the metal bolt under the machine to pump out a small stream of hot, thick chocolate. Serum. In addition to them, there were other visitors gathered here, chatting in low voices with small cups, and comparing the flavors of various categories.

They stayed here for a long time because the students not only wanted to try each chocolate flavor, but also wanted to mix them together and explore various combinations. On the small cabinet next to it, there are also various condiments that can be mixed with chocolate: raisins, marshmallows, caramel sauce, crispy oatmeal crumbs and biscuit crumbs.

I doubt they'll drink all the machines clean. Anthony said to Ms. Green, watching with some concern as Zelma stirred a cup full of dark chocolate, with the brown cookie crumbs tumbling inside and coated in muddy brown. The black liquid finally sank as if swallowed by a swamp. There was a hint of milk chocolate brown on her nose.

Ms. Green said with a smile: That would be an honor for us. No customer has ever liked our chocolate so much. This is at least three hundred gallons of chocolate.

She gestured to Anthony to look at the pipes under the table, which extended beneath the floor and supplied a steady stream of warm chocolate to everyone. Anthony looked at the tubes, deliberately painted the color of the floor, and imagined that behind this sweet little room, there was a behemoth breathing smoke, nonchalantly leaking a small amount of product from the ton-counting production line.

By the time they left, each student was rosy-cheeked, gleaming-eyed and giddy from an overdose of sugar, smiling happily at everyone they passed. Claire even gave her hair tie to a Muggle child, just because she reached out curiously to touch the white down in her parents' arms.

“I fell in love with the chocolate factory,” she lamented as she left. “I want to live here forever.”

You can go to Honeydukes. Her classmate suggested softly. That's what you told Professor Sprout during the employment consultation.

It's totally different, said Claire. I did an internship there last holiday. They just waved - er - 'shoelaces' and heated cauldrons, no buzzing machines, no shiny machinery, and We are not allowed to eat secretly. She looked around the room, Look at the staff, they must have eaten a lot of chocolate secretly.

Ms. Green just happened to hear the last sentence and corrected merrily: No, we don't eat it secretly. We get unlimited chocolate from the factory.

…

Probably guessing the visitor's state at this time, they came to the coffee shop immediately. The mellow, bitter aroma of coffee is mixed with the previous chocolate aroma. People are sitting on soft chairs in the shape of cocoa pods. Several people wearing white work clothes and exaggerated chef hats are standing behind the counter, serving all the guests. Make coffee and chocolate cake.

The students were given decaffeinated coffee and stood nearby sipping it, grimacing in pain. But the bitterness of the coffee dilutes the sticky chocolate taste, making it refreshing. Anthony tried their mocha on Ms. Green's recommendation, which was light and airy with cocoa-dusted whipped cream on top of the classic coffee and velvety chocolate flavours.

Ms. Green looked at Anthony's surprised expression and laughed: Since working here, I have been gaining weight. Compared to three years ago, I am already a stone heavier.

The staff behind the counter responded: The best chocolate factories have the heaviest average weight. We suppress the chocolate crater to ensure that the chocolate magma rushing below the factory will not suddenly erupt.

Really? Thomas asked enthusiastically, You built the factory on top of a chocolate volcano?

Shh, don't yell. The staff member said, leaning on the counter while holding on to his chef's hat, twitching his fingers at him, and saying in a secret-telling tone, Come here, young man, this is a business secret. You go Have you visited our chocolate fountain? Not yet? Let me tell you, it is not actually a fountain, but a small hole drilled into the volcano. The founder came to climb the mountain, accidentally poked it in with a walking stick, and the chocolate lava spurted out. , no one can make it stop, so we built the factory here.”

Wow, Thomas said in admiration, then thought hard, Really?

Really, there was an accident when we were building the factory. Another person said, The fountain sprayed so unevenly that the construction workers had to put the piping bag upside down to control the pressure and flow rate. We old employees all Know.

Thomas looked at the chef hats behind the cake counter for confirmation. They all nodded at him with serious faces.

Oh my God! It's amazing! Thomas said adoringly, turning around to find someone to share this secret with.

Anthony shielded himself behind the factory's brochure.

He finally understood why basic geography knowledge was included in the textbook, and decided to make up for this lesson as soon as he returned. He shouldn't assume that just because wizards know the earth is round, everything will be fine.

…

As Thomas shared the story of the chocolate volcano with his classmates, Ms. Green led them to another exhibition room—the history and production process of chocolate.

Under the dim light that imitated a tropical forest, Anthony watched Thomas's expression gradually change from doubt to doubly doubt.

He looked at the cocoa tree model next to him, visited the display cabinets displaying cocoa beans and cocoa pods, studied the photos of fermentation, drying, and roasting cocoa beans, and looked at the early equipment for grinding beans... Until they left the exhibition hall, Thomas had no idea Find the volcano you told your classmates about.

They said it was a trade secret, Anthony heard Thomas tell a friend. Maybe that's why they can't tell the truth in the exhibit hall.

…

The end of this little chocolate knowledge journey is the chocolate making experience hall, but Anthony feels that rather than calling it chocolate making, it is better to call it a signature hall where visitors leave their names with chocolate mud.

Most visitors' tour ends here. In the middle of the hall is a huge chocolate fountain - the one the cafe employee mentioned before - which is as high as two floors.

Silky chocolate flows down from a high place, and several staff members stand on the side to help people receive a piping bag full of chocolate from the fountain, and then extrude various shapes on the marble workbench beside it, or pour it into into the pre-provided mold. Anthony saw that some children would secretly put their fingers under the cut bag, dip it in chocolate and stuff it into their mouths.

But what was even more unexpected was the way the staff dressed.

Because it is approaching Halloween, the staff in this hall are all wearing black polyester cloaks with blue lining and exaggerated pointed wizard hats, with small pumpkins or star decorations hanging on the tips of the hats.

Uh... the student uttered a confused syllable.

At the other end of the hall, there is a small room for children to change clothes. There are constantly ghosts draped in sheets, skeletons with bones painted with white paint on black clothes, and fairies carrying wings on their backs and holding sparkling staffs coming out of the door and taking pictures next to the huge chocolate fountain.

Posters of huge, grinning pumpkins line the walls, and bold capital letters below indicate that the factory is currently in full production of pumpkin- and skull-shaped chocolates that are only available during the season.

This is the magic chocolate room! Ms. Green said happily, taking a hat with stars and wire support from the basket nearby, and put on a cloak with a rustling fabric.

Zelma gasped in horror and tugged at Anthony's clothes frantically from behind: Professor, did she just say that word? Did she say the word starting with M?

Yes, yes. Anthony said dumbfounded, noticing that many people were sneaking wands into their jeans or bags. That's not what she meant - nor was it the way people dressed up. It was a way to celebrate Halloween.

Ms. Green put on the Muggle version of the wizard's costume. She understood the shock of the wizards in Muggle clothes as the shock of seeing the chocolate fountain. She smiled kindly and said: Come on, you can make something unique and hand-made. chocolate.

Why do they celebrate Halloween? another student whispered in confusion. Burn witches and then pretend to be witches?

I guess they're not the same people, Anthony replied quietly, but to this day, people celebrate Halloween for the same reason we celebrate Christmas - we like celebration and laughter.

Ms. Green led them toward the chocolate fountain, finally noticing the students' eyes glued to her own cloak (and that of every staff member wearing a wizard's cloak next to her).

Oh, I almost forgot. She said, You are the real wizards. Looking at the students' widened eyes and frozen steps, she asked in confusion, I'm sorry, did I say something wrong? Aren’t you from the Scottish Academy of Magical Arts?”

Yes, ma'am, we are, Anthony said, turning Ms. Green's attention to him while keenly hearing the loud, relieved sighs coming from the students.

Ms. Green laughed: I have always been curious about what they study in magic schools. I almost applied for the magic school because I always fantasized about being a witch when I was a child.

But you are now working in a chocolate factory. Claire continued. If you ask me, this is much better than being a witch. If you are a witch, there are not many career options for you, especially if there is no chocolate factory.

If I were a witch, I could make lots and lots of chocolate, Ms. Green said.

According to Gamp... oh! said Thomas, who received no less than three elbows to the ribs.

What? Ms. Green said.

It's nothing. Anthony said calmly, He was talking about one of our magic tricks, but the school actually doesn't allow us to tell it outside. You know, we signed a confidentiality agreement.

Ms. Green nodded in understanding: Just like we can't tell the chocolate recipe.

-

Note: The chocolate factory in this article is purely fictitious. The main reference images include Flawil’s Maestrani Chocolate Factory, Zurich’s Lindt Chocolate House, Birmingham’s Cadbury World and (of course) Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.