A Wizarding Cooking Class, Muggle Style... sort of
In the Muggle Studies class the assignment is to have a pureblood pair up with a muggle and make pancakes without magic. The muggleborns were to supervise the purebloods in the undertaking.
Written for the fanfiction 1 contest at The Third Floor Corridor
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"All right class, I am not going to be the teacher today, we are going to do something a little different. I have everything set out ready for you to learn how to cook pancakes , muggle-style. I have taken the liberty to ask some of our muggleborns to help instruct those of you who have never experienced the joy of cooking with one's own hands. " said the Professor for Muggle Studies as he smiled at the students in the class.
"He must be kidding, my Mother would not be pleased at all about this Idea." said Draco sourly under his breath. "It sounds more like Servants work."
"Honestly Draco, are you afraid to attempt to learn how to make a simple meal without magic?" asked Hermione. "After all, it is a simple challenge that will help you pure bloods to understand muggle activities."
"Just how does making pancakes for breakfast help?" Draco growled as he surveyed the ingredients and utensils before him.
"You are stubborn, it is to show you how much more involved muggles are in creating their meals than just sitting down and eating a meal created by House Elves with magic."
"But House Elves love to make our meals." Draco grumbled as he looked at the recipe. "And where is my wand?"
"You will get it back after you finish making the pancakes." said Hermione. "Besides there is also an anti-magic charm in place to prevent any cheating."
"Oh great, lets get started then." he said as he looked at Hermione who had turned her chair to face him.
"No you get started, I already know how to make pancakes." Hermione said as she sat back in her chair. "I am only here to observe."
"Why did you take muggle studies if you are not going to do any of the work?"
"I could ask the same of you, now start mixing before the time is up." said Hermione calmly. "I am doing something, I am helping you to experience the joy of cooking with your own hands, not some poor House Elf."
Draco rolled his eyes and snapped "Fine so lets get started.." he glared at the recipe in front of him "Let's see, it says to stir dry ingredients together. First I need one and 1/3 cups of all- purpose flour, okay where is the cups of flour? Am I supposed to cut one of the cups up into three pieces?"
Hermione's eyebrow went up. "Its like potions, look at the different sizes and pick the right measuring cups, honestly I think you are being dense on purpose!"
"Oh, okay just like potions." Draco looked at the cups, then picked and set the one cup and 1/3 cup down in front of him. Then he picked up the bag of flour. The flour formed white clouds in the air as he tried to pour it into the measuring cups.
"You can scoop the flour with the cups out of the bag with the cups, you don't just dump the bag into the cups." Hermione coughed as the flour settled on and around them."Put the flour into the large bowl."
"Oh then why didn't it say to scoop?" asked Draco as he shook the flour out of his hair and emptied the measured flour into the large bowl. He muttered as he read the parchment.. "Three teaspoons of baking powder, half tsp salt , three tablespoons of sugar. Right, I got them." He measured and dumped them into the bowl with the flour.
"See? Here are three teaspoons with baking powder, one halfway filled with salt and three tablespoons of sugar . Now what do I do?" Feeling pleased with himself, he looked over at her shocked face. "What?" he asked.
"Take the teaspoons and tablespoons out of the bowl Draco." she hissed. "Only the ingredients not the utensils go into the bowl, then stir the ingredients together."
"Oh, okay." he said and picked the spoons out and then mixed the dry ingredients together. His brow furrowed as he read the next line "Now I am supposed to beat an egg throughly." He looked down at the large egg and hit it with his fist which caused the egg to break and the innards squirt all over the table and spatter Hermione's face and cloak.
"Er, is that supposed to happen?" he asked innocently while watching the remains dripping down Hermione's face.
"DRACO, are you deliberately trying to be stupid?" snapped Hermione as she cleaned her face and cloak. "You are to break the egg into that little bowl and then beat it with a spoon."
Ignoring her question, Draco smirked as he picked up another egg, and held it over the little bowl. He applied pressure and the egg along with its shell fell into the bowl. Hermione groaned and covered her face as she tried her best to stay calm.
Through clenched teeth she said "You don't break it like that Draco, hold the egg in one hand and gently hit the middle of the egg's shell against the edge of the bowl and when it cracks, you use both hands to pull it apart and let the egg drop into the bowl...Not the shells."
After emptying the bowl of the egg and shell pieces, Draco picked up the last egg and he set it against the bowls edge. He looked over at her then started to tap the egg on the side till it started to crack. He looked at it and then pulled it apart and watched the insides fall into the bowl with a couple of pieces of shell.
"I guess this is no good there is a couple of pieces of shell in the bowl with the egg." He went to throw it out when Hermione said "Just take them out with a spoon."
"But you said last time..." Draco said as he looked innocently at the two pieces of shell floating in the egg.
"JUST DO IT" she yelled, causing the teacher and other students in the class to look over at them.
"Is there a Problem?" asked the teacher who was wandering around the room and watching how well the paired students were working together.
"No sir, just a little misunderstanding," Hermione said as she glared at Draco who was scooping out the shells.
"Continue then." said the teacher as he went to his desk and sat down.
Hermione glowered at Draco and hissed, "Let's see if you can mix in one and ¼ cups of milk in with the egg without goofing it up."
Draco just smirked and measured out the milk then poured it carefully into the egg mixture. He gave it a couple of turns and then read the instructions. "Make well in centre of dry ingredients."
"Now why would I want to make a well in the dry ingredients? Wouldn't that make a mess with all that water?"
"Not a water well, honestly you have been around Crabbe and Goyle too long, your brain has fried," said Hermione you just make a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients into which you add the egg-milk mixture slowly."
Draco looked at her reddening face and then made a hole in the centre of the dry ingredients. He then picked up the bowl of egg- milk and, tipping the bowl, he added the mixture v-e-r-y slowly, drop by drop which irritated Hermione.
"You don't have to be that slow Draco, a little faster won't hurt."
"Muggles, they tell you to go slowly then turn around and tell you to speed up. Make up your mind."
"Don't be so obtuse Draco, just do it."
He tipped the bowl so it flowed into the large bowl a little faster then after setting the emptied bowl down, read the next line "I have to melt three tablespoons of margarine." He squinched his nose a little. "What is Margarine?"
"It is a butter substitute." Hermione explained.
"So why not use butter?" asked Draco. "Why substitute?"
"Never mind, I'll explain it later." sighed Hermione who felt a headache starting.
"You do that, I am very curious." said Draco as he picked up the frying pan and looked at it.
Hermione pointed to the little stove beside them and said , "Turn that knob on the stove to low and place the frying pan on the burner. Place the margarine into the pan, then watch and wait till it melts then take it off the stove ...Oh yeah make sure you turn off the heat to the burners so you don't burn the castle down."
Draco gave her a look of bewilderment. "Why would I want to burn the castle down? I think it would take more than a little heat to do that."
Hermione rubbed her face with her hands. "Never mind, just melt the margarine."
Draco set the frying pan on to the little stove and carefully melted the margarine while Hermione held her breath. He then removed it and held it in front of him. "So what do I do with the pan?"
"Measure out three tablespoons of the melted margarine and add it to the batter in the bowl."
Draco shrugged then counted out three tablespoons of margarine and added them to the batter. He then set the pan down on the counter.
All right there is one more thing to add , ¼ tsp of vanilla." said Draco as he picked up the tiny spoon with ¼ printed on the handle. He measured it and spilled it into the batter. "Now what, it looks pretty dreadful if you ask me."
"Honestly, you are getting on my nerves, just stir it until it is just mixed and then it needs to be cooked and eaten."
"Really, that's all?" asked Draco as he looked at the slightly lumpy batter.
"Yes, and now put the frying pan back onto the stove and let it warm up, then pour some of the batter into the pan, in fact why not use a ladle and scoop some of the batter out. I don't want to see all the batter slide out and onto the stove." Hermione told him.
Draco gave her a look that plainly said he wasn't that stupid then proceeded to do what Hermione instructed him to do and then watched the batter cooking. Hermione handed him the pancake turner and said "Take the pancake up with this, before it burns, and flip it over so the other side will cook, then put it on the plate when it is done."
After Draco flipped the pancake several times, he ladled it onto a plate which he placed in front of Hermione who stared at the dark brown pancake with trepidation.
"I still prefer," Draco couldn't resist, "And it makes sense-- to let the House Elves make our pancakes for us. And you can't beat good old-fashioned magic."