Dinner was interesting to say the least. Harry had never thought to be in such opulent surroundings, he didn't know how he was supposed to act. And none of them had clothes anywhere near fancy enough for this... house? He wasn't sure if that was the right word, but palace wasn't quite right either.
A yellow-haired Incubus had led them from their rooms to the dining room. Harry had no idea how old he was, but he looked quite young. He was shorter than Harry, and had a high childish voice. After showing them to their seats, he was quickly gone again. The dining room was just as lavish as the rest of the house had been. Polished wood floors covered in thick throw rugs, tapestries hung from the walls, three crystal chandeliers dangled from the ceiling over the long table. The table itself was covered in a white silky fabric with lace trim. The plates were edged in gold, as were the crystal goblets. Even the silverware was overwhelming, why on earth did anyone need to have 4 forks and 3 spoons? There were 2 different knives, and at least 3, no 4 glasses at each plate.
Harry tore his eyes away from the table, just looking at all the items laid on it was making him nervous. Fred and George didn't look like they understood it all any better than he did. He saw them pointing and whispering to each other before shrugging. Before Harry could work himself up any further, the doors at the end of the room opened and a crowd of people entered. Each one splitting off to the right or left side of the table with no seeming discussion. And then each one waited quietly, standing behind their chair, until Pepper had seated herself at the head of the table. Harry was seated about half-way down the table on Pepper's right, with Fionn to his right and Fred and George across from them. He hurried to put his napkin in his lap as he saw the others doing, just as Pepper picked up the small fork farthest from her plate and lightly tapped one of the goblets in front of her. It made a soft, but carrying, ringing sound.
"Thank you. I know the Festival started today, and there is still much to be done. But please, keep the work talk to a minimum during dinner. If there is something very important that cannot wait until tomorrow, you may see me after dessert."
It appeared that everyone else at the table were Incubi or Succubi, or at least if any were Fae, they were seated too far away from Harry for him to be able to tell. A waiter appeared behind him and leaned over his right shoulder to set a bowl on top of the empty plate in front of Harry. A strange turquoise-colored broth was then ladled into the bowl. It seemed to shimmer slightly in the light, and the scent was almost peppery. The waiter filled one of the glasses in front of Harry with water and moved on. Harry glanced quickly at the Succubus sitting to his left, and then picked up the same spoon she was using, the one farthest away from his bowl. Taking a careful taste, he found that the soup was both spicy and cooler than he had expected. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't as hot as he was used to soup being. It was an altogether strange experience.
When all had finished the soup, the bowls and used spoons were whisked away again. A slightly smaller plate was placed in front of Harry, followed by some sort of fish. A spoonful of orange sauce was poured over the top, followed by a dash of something out of a shaker. Another of the glasses in front of Harry was filled, this time with a light golden colored wine, and the waiter had moved on. Copying the Succubus beside him once again, Harry picked up the fork farthest away from his plate and ate a bite. It tasted strongly of citrus, almost lemony but not quite. And light and flaky enough that even after eating it all, he didn't feel stuffed. He took a cautious sip of the wine, it went well with the fish but it wouldn't do to drink too much.
The next thing to be put in front of him was some kind of meat. He wasn't sure if it was beef, or some other creature. Whatever it was, it was sweet, the meat juicy and cooked to the perfect doneness. Yellow veggies of some kind were laid on the plate near the meat, and then something greenish and lumpy. A roll was put on a small plate above the main one, and herbed olive oil added to the side of that dish. And yet another of the glasses was filled, this time with a rich red wine. It was sweet, but in a different way from the meat. This one too Harry decided to leave mostly untouched.
A small plate was laid in front of him next, and 3 cheeses were placed upon it, followed by a few different kinds of crackers. Harry was beginning to wonder just how many courses there were going to be. He didn't wish to be rude, but he had never eaten a meal like this. At least all the portions were small? He did quite like the nutty-flavored cheese, he would have to ask Pepper later what kind it was.
A salad appeared next, with a small amount of dressing. Finally, or at least Harry hoped it was finally, the dessert appeared. It was a small slice of some kind of chocolate mousse. The last and smallest glass was filled with a cherry-colored liquid. Harry didn't know what it was, and never having really drunk alcohol before, he decided not to even try this one. The last thing he wanted to do in front of all these fancy and possibly important people, was to get drunk and embarrass himself as well as Pepper. He was feeling quite full by this point, but the chocolate was absolutely wonderful and he found himself polishing off the last smear.
Soon all the plates were taken away, including the large one that seemed to have been used like a place mat more than a plate. Just when he thought the dinner would finally be over with, a waiter appeared again and placed a mug of coffee in front of him. Cream and sugar was offered, and stirred in by the waiter before finally moving on.
At long last, the dinner was over. People were leaving their seats and chatting to one another. Some left the room entirely, and others converged on Pepper talking in hushed but urgent sounding voices. As Harry looked around, wondering what they were supposed to do, the same yellow-haired Incubus that showed them to the dining room appeared again.
"Pepper asked that you be shown back to your rooms. She said she would be by as soon as she finished up here."
It was a few hours before a sharp rap came on the door to the reception room in their temporary quarters. Fred was the first one to the door, flinging it open grandly with a silly bow. Pepper ignored the theatrics and walked straight in.
"It's been a long day, and sure to be another long day tomorrow. At the moment I have no news on Ash, wherever she's gone, and for whatever the reason, we will just have to hope she can find a way out of things on her own. That isn't to say I have stopped looking." She held up a hand when it looked like Harry was going to speak. "I am still looking into things. However, too much interest can be just as bad as none at all. You all did well tonight, but I can see you are not comfortable at all here. These formal dinners are the norm and not the exception I am afraid. I have spoken to Gideon, and he is almost as busy as I am. However, I have been informed that Laric Winters will be here in the morning to fetch you all. You will be staying with him until Ash can be found. You are welcome here of course, but I believe you will be more comfortable with him." Pepper looked at them a moment as if expecting a response.
"Thank you. You've gone to a lot of trouble for people you barely know-" Harry was cut off by a shake of Pepper's head.
"Not all that much trouble child. Rooms are kept ready all year long, we never know when they may be needed for visiting Council or other important people. And I would have looked into Ash going missing the moment I learned of it. But it is getting late, and I at least have a very early morning ahead of me. Good night children." She stood up and walked briskly from the room.
AN: I have no excuse for the lateness of this chapter, other than to say that RL is obnoxious... *laughs* Chapter 30 has already been beta'd, and will be out within the week.
Thanks as always to my beta, Nicky Noodle.
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