Hello! Come in out of the cold November air. Welcome to Honeydukes Hot Chocolate bar: one of the friendliest new places for a warm drink in lovely Hogsmeade. Jeremy and I just struck a bargain with Ambrosius Flume for a small side partnership. You’ve come on a very good day. My sweetheart, Jeremy and I are having a special; hot chocolates inspired by each of the 4 Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. We call them our house cups! Get it? Would you like to have a go and learn to make some of our creations? By all means, do! There are aprons on the wall next to the box of jelly slugs. (Those make excellent garnishes, jelly slugs. They like to wiggle in the warmth of the mug.) I can show you the first 2 before I have to go on lunch. Jeremy and I will fire up the cauldron for you and we’ll get going!
Let’s start with Gryffindor. It’s sort of like Muggle Mexican hot chocolate, but with more garnish. It’s rather spicy and gives you a little jolt to wake you up without any caffeine. You’ll need to melt some milk chocolate first. Taste a piece, please. The smooth chocolate hits first so you know it was made slowly with care and not just a bag of sugar. Just follow the directions on the back of the bag, Love, so as not to burn it to the bottom of the cauldron. It took a few scrubbings to clean it all out last time. Gryffindors are usually very sociable because they’re full of energy and want to fill their days with exciting adventures. Cinnamon is like that too. It only takes a single stick or 2 shakes to fill a mug with that smell of an autumn morning run with shortcuts through the woods. Remember: You can’t take it out, but you can always add more later on. Too much will make it harder to dissolve. A chap from “Slug and Jigger’s Apothecary” just brought in an overstock of nutmeg for an extra boost. Just a small sprinkle.
Some Gryffindors like Fred & George Weasley like to play tricks and have fun, so don’t forget to include a small tower of whipped cream on top. Oh, Bugger! We’ve run out of fizzy-whizbees for the top! (Akin to Muggle “Pop Rocks”) They won’t be here until tomorrow morning! No matter, we’ll just use the “Perriculum” charm to shoot red sparks on top. Muggles usually use sprinkles or bits of rock candy for this. Talk about a “whizz, bang, BOOM!” Jeremy sometimes likes to throw in a candy cinnamon imp as a surprise at the bottom. It slowly infuses the cup with extra flavor, which I understand may be too much for some. It’s best to drink this one with friends around the common room or at a party, laughing with each other over games and mug mustaches. But, be ready to play. Gryffindors will gladly accept the first chance they get to start a messy food fight with any cream and syrup laying around.
Well done! Hufflepuff is next. I’m half Hufflepuff myself. These gentle folks love to cozy up in their kitchen-side common room after a day of toil with a large mug and a handful of fresh-baked cookies. This one uses 70% chocolate powder and melted milk chocolate chips. Just a teaspoon of each will do. We made sure stock up on quality chocolate powder without that cheap burned metallic taste.
Let’s swirl in some maple syrup from the forbidden forest to make it genuine and sweet like the founder Helga Hufflepuff’s heart. She was quite the culinary genius herself with her famous golden cup. Don’t be alarmed by that sugary film. It’s just the maple solidifying after sitting for so long in the cupboard. 
Hufflepuff is based on the element Earth, which explains why the beloved Cedric Diggory, auror Nymphadora Tonks and magi-zoologist/author Newt Scamander are so grounded and humble though they achieved greatness in their own time and fields. If it isn’t sweet enough for you, throw in a half a dash of maple sugar. Now for the fun part, whisk your wand inside the mug instead of stirring, to prevent clumping. If you whisk it hard and long enough, the milk will froth nearly solid, if you’d like! Muggles will sometimes use frothers that look like blending wands for this part.
Marshmallows are an essential because they’re so comfy to squeeze, play stuff-your mouth games and toss around the common room. Throw some medium to large ones on top, or cover the whole thing in minis so you can glaze them in honey and let it all semi-caramelize over the flames. There may even be a marshmallow plant in the Hufflepuff common room to compare the confections we know and love to the real buds. Head of house, Professor Sprout can assist you with references if she isn’t too preoccupied with her mandrakes. My favorite way to drink this hot chocolate is with one of those muggle straws made of cookies. Jeremy prefers to dunk chocolate chip cookies and let the crumbs fall inside for later. Just don’t hold them in the drink for too long or they’ll disintegrate into mushy crumbs. It’s a great pick-me up after a bad day of tough exams, falling off your broom or someone ignorantly calling you a “duffer”.
Excellent work, you’re getting good at this! Jeremy, why don’t you take over while I have lunch?
Yes, I’d be more than happy to help. Enjoy your udon from Mahoutokoro!
Righty-o , we can make a treat for my house, Ravenclaw. This one really makes you think. Ravenclaws are typically the eccentric cerebral Olympians of Hogwarts that need a sweet drink to sip with our beloved books, or during a daydreaming session in our sky-high common room. All you need to do is melt some white chocolate, swirl in some nutmeg, and add a small cinnamon dusting on top. 
Questions arise at the first ingredient. “Is white chocolate even chocolate?” It’s just the cocoa butter (at least 20%) without the solid browns in regular chocolate. The whiter it looks, the more sugar was added instead of the natural butters, which makes it harder to melt, but it does come cheaper. “If that’s so, is it right to call it hot chocolate, hot cocoa, or hot cocoa butter?” That, dear one is up to you. Not too much spicing! A little bit goes a long way. Masking over the inner chocolate until you can’t taste it anymore is a huge no-no. Ravenclaws like the Lovegood family believe in staying true to your authentic self, the value of creativity and keeping an open-mind no matter how difficult it is to understand. Nutmeg is meant to synchronize with the butter and fill in the empty bland spots. Just one or two drops of vanilla and Bob’s your uncle. This concoction really can stump your taste buds similarly to Professor Slughorn’s lesson on amortentia. Some say it’s like any old hot chocolate. The nutmeg reminded me of my grandmother’s alfredo sauce. To Lauren, it tastes like vanilla ice cream! It really is a hum-dinger fit for any worthy mind with a curious mouth to match.
Lastly, we’ll finish with Lauren’s other half, Slytherin house. We know these folks are sassy, smart and resourceful. They will definitely want something sweet to sip while they catch up with their brotherly and sisterly friends or go over a practice exam with their fellow snakes. This one has mint leaves which you brew like any cup of tea, only you do it in the warm milk instead of hot water. Of course this needs a bit of melted dark chocolate, about 70% so that it isn’t too bitter. Don’t worry. This one only seems devilish because of the stereotypical word, “dark”. It only notes the ratio of cocoa to sugar. Do be careful of the percentages! Higher percentages of cocoa tend to be more bitter as there’s less sugar. It’s healthier for your heart, but will need complimentary sweetening, much like the house’s reputation for practical ambition instead of impulsive wanting. The trick to any Slytherin is: if you show them kindness, they won’t let you fall into the Black Lake, unless you betray them. They are rather sensitive between their scaly skin. Draco shows it in his lack of courage. It may be minty, dark and cloudy on the outside, but inside, it’s refreshing, warm and charming. 
Speaking of the Black Lake, throw in a bit of dark cocoa powder and I’ll show you how to garnish this one with a giant marshmallow squid. Just use your wand to transfigure a hole in the bottom half way through the second largest marshmallow you can find and make slits on the sides. Isn’t he handsome? Let’s let him swim around the mug for a spell until its cool enough to drink. For an added touch, we can leave some matcha dipped biscuit sticks. I believe muggles call these things “Pocky”.
-Ah, Lauren, you’re back! We’ve just finished up for the moment. Anything else you’d like to show?
-No, no. That’s more than enough for today. We need to put our heads together and imagine some more delights for the coming crowds. Magic isn’t just in London, you know.
-That’s right… America’s Ilvermorney, the French Beauxbatons, Bulgarian Durmstrang and maybe some animal treats! The fun and games have just begun, partner!
-Excuse us, please. There’s a brainstorm in the midst!