House: Gryffindor
Position: HoH
Category: Short
Prompts: Sushi, "I think you meant to say: hey, I know how I want to get us all killed today?"
Word Count (excluding header and author's note): 1144
Betas: Shay, Tigger, and Tsu
AN- Takeshita-dori is an incredibly busy pedestrian shopping street in Tokyo and is the hub of Harajuku culture. It has a ton of small alleyways that seemed like the perfect place to tuck the entrance to Genjutsu-dori (witchcraft street). "Kouchou" roughly translates to headmaster. If you ever get the chance to try fugu, DO IT! The tingling sensation is a real thing.
Ron was hangry; there were no two ways about it. He, Harry, and Hermione had taken an early morning Portkey from the British Ministry of Magic to Japan. The Golden Trio had agreed to do speaking engagements at all of the international wizarding schools to explain about their roles in the war and caution future generations about what can happen when a megalomaniac garners too much power.
He knew it was all for a good cause. But that didn't stop his stomach from loudly protesting during their prolonged question and answer session with Mahoutokoro student body. The ride back to Tokyo on the giant storm petrels had been borderline nauseating on his empty stomach. He had wanted to apparate, but Hermione insisted they get the full experience.
"Look, there's a nice cafe," Ron pleaded. "They've even got food for display in the window so we won't have to cast any translation spells on the menu to order what we want."
Hermione sighed. "For the last time, Ronald, the restaurant Kouchou Suzuki told me about is only a little further." She pushed her way through the crowded alley of Takeshita-dori. "The entrance to the wizarding street should be…" She glanced around until she spotted an ancient looking sign for 'Genjutsu-dori'. "This way!" she declared.
Ron and Harry followed behind. "Aren't you starving, mate?" Ron whined.
Harry shrugged. "They say that this place is worth it."
"But sushi? I love a good fish and chips, but I don't know about this raw thing."
"If you're so opposed to sushi, I'm certain they have other options on the menu. But I'm going to enjoy it while I'm in Japan." Hermione pulled up short in front of a small restaurant kiosk underneath a blooming cherry tree. "We're here. I'm going to try the fugu sashimi."
"Fu-gu? What the bloody hell is that?"
"It's a highly poisonous pufferfish. Honestly, didn't you pay any attention in Potions? Fugu bladders are common ingredients in many medicinal anesthetic potions. And Tokyo is one of the few places in the world where you can eat fugu," Hermione lectured. "Where's your sense of adventure, brave Gryffindor?"
"Sense of adventure? I think you meant to say: hey, I know how I want to get us all killed today?" Ron retorted.
Hermione snorted and pointed at a sign displayed on the shop wall. "This certificate is required by both the Japanese Muggle and Magic Ministries. It says that this sushi chef is trained in properly preparing the fugu. It's perfectly safe."
"I'll give it a go," Harry said.
"That's the spirit!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why don't you boys go sit down and I'll place an order and grab us some drinks." Ron opened his mouth to comment, but Hermione cut him off. "Yes, Ron. I will order you some cooked items as well."
Ron's cheeks flushed pink. Harry laughed at his best friend and earned himself a scowl.
"You know Hermione wouldn't do anything to kill us off. She's the only reason we survived as long as we did."
"That's true," Ron admitted. Hermione was a force to be reckoned with. Even though their short-lived romance had fizzled, their friendship was as close as ever. He trusted her with just about everything, but her culinary choices sometimes scared him. "But raw fish weirds me out. Isn't it slimy?"
Harry shrugged. "Well, I haven't tried this fugu stuff before, but Gin and I like going into Muggle London for Japanese food. Spicy tuna is delicious."
Ron considered that. "Well, I like tuna mayo sandwiches when Mum makes them. How spicy is spicy?"
"It's not bad. Nothing like those ghost peppers that Hermione's dad tricked us into trying last year."
Both men shuddered at the memory. Their tongues had burned, and then their stomachs had churned. After scolding her father, Hermione had taken pity on her friends and whipped them up numbing potions to make the rest of the digesting experience slightly less painful.
Hermione sat down at the empty seat and slid a couple beers in front of Ron and Harry. "Our food should be ready in a minute. I ordered seaweed salad, some tempura, fugu sashimi, and a variety of maki rolls for us to share."
Ron's stomach growled at the upcoming food fest. Harry and Hermione laughed.
Hermione picked up her chopsticks with her usual perfectionist flair. Harry fumbled to get a firm grasp on the eating implements. Ron stared glumly at his unopened chopsticks. Without saying a word, Hermione pushed a plastic fork towards him.
The shop assistant placed their food on the table.
"So which one of these things is poison?" asked Ron.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "That one," she pointed to a spiraled roll cut into eight pieces, "is spicy tuna. This," she pointed to a plate of rolls with bright green centers, "is kappa maki, or a basic cucumber roll. You'll like that one. And this is the fugu." She gestured to a tray of paper thin slices of white fish arranged in a fan pattern.
She delicately plucked a piece of fugu and brought it to her mouth. Ron held his breath as she chewed slowly, ready to intervene if she started to foam at the mouth or turn blue. Ron really wasn't sure what the poison would do, but he wasn't going to let his best friend die on his watch.
"Mmmm," she groaned. "This is delicious. You've got to try it!"
With less finesse than Hermione, Harry picked a piece out and ate it. He nodded his agreement.
Cautiously, Ron stabbed a piece of the questionable fish with his fork. His brought it to his lips and took the smallest nibble possible. When he swallowed, he felt his mouth go dry. Immediately, he grabbed his beer and drained half of the bottle. He looked up to find Harry and Hermione paying him no attention whatsoever.
"I suppose it's not so bad. It sort of leaves a tingling feeling on my lips."
Hermione nodded as she helped herself to some seaweed salad. "That's the poison. The really skilled sushi chefs know how to leave trace amounts of the toxin behind. It's just enough to have a mild numbing effect."
"What?!" Ron immediately started making himself gag.
"It's not going to kill you." Harry had abandoned his chopsticks and grabbed a tempura shrimp with his fingers.
Ron calmed down. "To be on the safe side, I'm going to stay away from that." He slid the plate of fugu to the other side of the table and dragged the kappa maki in front of him. "I'll stick with cucumber sushi from now on."
"Ronald Weasley choosing the vegetarian option? Now there's something I never thought I'd see," teased Hermione.
The Golden Trio dissolved into playful banter and enjoyed the rest of their sushi lunch in the shade of the cherry blossom tree.