Ye Ol' Author's Note: This story was written for the Houses Competition 2019
House: Gryffindor
Year: 3
Category: Drabble
Prompt: [action] Cooking with muggles as a wizard/witch
Word Count: 637
Dear Prongs,
The muggles have yet to suspect that I am not one of their own. They continually include me in their daily lives in both extraordinary events and mundane tasks. Today, I helped make what they called, "Pancakes" after their Church service.
One of the ushers at St. Mark's asked me if I would be willing to lend a hand in the kitchen, to which I willingly obliged.
"Why don't you help Winston at the griddle making pancakes, Wilfred?" Mr. Jerison asked me, using the alias I had taken.
"Of course, sir." I walked next to the portly gentleman, Winston. They gave me an apron to wear over my muggle attire. I wore a fashionable orange shirt and a rather uncomfortable pair of plaid trousers. How the muggles can wear such garments is beyond me.
"What did you think of Father's sermon?" Winston asked me as he poured the batter onto the griddle.
"Oh, it was quite fine," I lied, if I listen to anything duller than Father John Earnest's sermons I shall surely die of boredom.
"Wasn't it? I am always inspired by his preaching; makes a fellow want to go evangelize don't you say?"
"Um…yes?"
Winston handled me a flat metal thingy, "here, you go ahead a flip the pancakes when they're ready."
"Erm… sure."
He looked at me quizzically, "you have made pancakes before, right?"
"Of course, I have," I replied indignantly, "what kind of mugg—hmgm—fellow would I be if I hadn't made pancakes."
Naturally he believed me, my impeccable acting skills caring me through once again. As Winston left me alone, I stared at the griddle with this pancake-flippy tool in my hand. As I watched the pancakes, I noticed that while they bubbled, they remained the same gooey batter as when they first went on. They began to smell foul, and the smoke was stinging my eyes.
An obnoxious beeping above me caught my attention, and I looked for the culprit.
"Wilfred!" Winston yelled as he came back into the kitchen.
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for the beeping. It's annoying."
"That's the smoke alarm! You're burning the pancakes!"
I turned back to the griddle, the smoke burning my eyes. Taking the flippy tool I tried to pick up a pancake.
"The blasted thing won't stick!" I complained.
Winston ran over and wrestled the flippy tool from me. He then slid the flat head under the cake and flipped it over. The side facing up was blacker than my hair and looked quite unappetizing. As he did the same to the second one, I now understood the method, so I reached over and tried to take the flippy tool back.
Winston would not let go.
"What are you doing?" he snapped.
"I'm going to flip pancakes."
"No, no I'll do it."
"Nonsense, I can do it just fine," I insisted.
I tried to take it again. As I pulled the flippy tool from him, my elbow knocked a jar of oil over. The oil poured under the griddle and suddenly flames roared to life.
"Aguamenti!" I yelled at the fire, only to remember the object in my hand was the flippy tool and not my wand.
"Come on!" Winston grabbed my shoulder as he yelled. He pulled me out of the kitchen and into the grotto outside where all the other parishioners were gathered. Smoked billowed out of the hall.
The Fire brigade arrived quickly thereafter but by then the church hall was fully ablaze. I chose the period amidst the chaos to take my leave and return to my flat.
Things I learned today.
1) The fire alarm is annoying, and one should take care to keep it from going off whilst cooking pancakes.
2) If the fire alarm goes off whilst cooking pancakes it means that they are done.
3) Do no wrestle with an old man in the kitchen.
4) Not all muggles forgive the way the bible tells them.
5) I need to find a new church.
Sincerely,
Sirius.