[A/N: Given the problems that this site is having right now, I highly recommend that y'all go and download the ffn app so you can stay current with this story. The previous chapter is available to read via the app.]
Chapter 10: Something's cooking and it smells like Troll!
General Studies – Mathematics class
Harry was busily working on the worksheet his teacher had given him at a feverish pace. The students were taking a pop quiz on multiplying fractions and he wanted to see if he could beat Hermione's record of always finishing first.
"Done!" he groaned as he heard her stage-whisper her completion of the quiz. 'Just one less question and I would've had it!'
Once the quiz was done and handed in, they were put into groups to learn ratios and rates, stats, pre-algebra and a little geometry. Harry was re-reading the textbook when he overheard some chatter from Justin who swore he heard that the Defense teacher talking about some sort of 'philosopher's stone' and that he was telling someone named 'Master' that he couldn't figure out how to get past someone or something called, 'Fluffy.' Shrugging it off as the usual gossip that seemed to be the hot ticket around this school, he bent his head back to his work when all of a sudden Hermione let out an 'eep!' and jumped up out of her chair then bolted out the door.
Harry had a puzzled look on his face that was shared by every other boy in the room (and a couple of girls), "That was…strange. What just happened?"
Susan blushed while Hannah and a couple of other girls tried to look elsewhere, "Um, Harry. She…Hermione's…well…" She whispered the truth in his ear. Harry's eyes widened comically and his mouth dropped open before his face took on a distinctively green hue and he looked positively sick.
"Oh, god! I hope she's alright," he panted when he could open his mouth to speak without the fear of throwing up.
Hermione was alright though greatly embarrassed that she didn't plan for that 'thing' to happen. She tried to apologize to Harry but he shook his head, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and told her not to worry about it.
"As far as I'm concerned, you had gas and didn't want to stink up the room. That's my story and I'm sticking to it." He said with such a stubborn look on face that she couldn't help but giggle, "Do you want to take a walk or grab a broom and fly for a while?"
Her eyes lit up at the suggestion of going for a flight.
Quidditch Pitch
After inspecting the school brooms for any damage, the two kids ran out to the pitch and laid down some rules for their impromptu challenge.
"First rule, neither one is allowed to pull any dangerous stunts to unseat the other," Hermione warned.
"What sort of 'dangerous stunts' did you have in mind?"
"There's one called the 'Wronski Feint' where the lead flyer descends towards the pitch floor as fast as they can then pull up at the last second. The chasing flyer usually ends up plowing into the field because they fell for the distraction."
Deal. Race or obstacle course?" Harry replied.
"Can it be both?"
Harry peered around the pitch and slowly nodded his agreement, "Fine, how about a slalom course around the bleachers followed by a accuracy test to see who can loop through the hoops without crashing into them finalized by an outright speed check to the finish line?"
"Okay by me. Stakes?"
Harry thought for a moment, "If I win… you have to carry my books for me for the week. If you win, I make you one dinner of whatever you desire."
Hermione's eyes lit up, "Oooh, I got just the dinner in mind then. Ready, set…go!"
Their little competition didn't pass unnoticed. Nearly everyone who could be out on the pitch was there. Some were rooting for Harry, others for Hermione. If the two kids had been aware of it, they probably would've blushed from how memorable of an impact they'd made in their short time there since starting school. Bets were being placed (out of view of the teachers) and the magically raised were betting on Harry to win (even the Slytherins just on principle of the 'savior' beating out a muggleborn).
Hermione was in the lead through the slalom course; Harry just slightly above and behind. He dove in on her left side trying to take advantage of the upcoming turn and increase in speed but she managed to check his progress. She pulled a barrel roll right around his steep dive and used the sudden surprise to force him off course a bit. She was so close; he'd swear that he could smell her shampoo! It was enough that when they started their approach to the hoops, Harry was several seconds behind her.
Hermione aimed for the center hoop and the moment her broom handle passed through the opening, she was hauling back hard on the stick; standing up on the foot pegs to wrench as much torque to flip the broom around. Once cleared of the center hoop, she leaned hard over to her right and shot the lower right hand loop then pulled a tight figure eight to hit the upper left hoop and back through the center hoop. She then pushed as hard as she could to race to the finish line.
As they both landed, the two of them finally became aware of the cheering (and jeering) audience. Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise and she blushed at some of the compliments she'd overheard about her skill with a broom.
"That was amazing, Miss Granger!" the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain gushed, "How long have you been flying before coming to Hogwarts?"
Hermione shyly fidgeted while Harry burst out laughing, "I've never flown before coming to Hogwarts. Madam Hooch's flying lessons was the first time I'd ever been on a broom."
The Captain's jaw was practically hitting the ground as she explained, "No way! I gotta speak with Professor Sprout and see if there could be any sort of allowance that could be made to get you on our team. That is, if you want to play Quidditch?" he finished hopefully.
"Weeellll…. I've never seen a game so I can't really give you an acceptable answer. Realistically, I just love flying. Does the school have a flying club?"
The Captain looked heartbroken that she hadn't immediately accepted his offer to get her on the team but shrugged it off. He mentioned that there was indeed a flying club that met on Saturdays whenever the members agreed on a time.
Ronald Weasley and the other Slytherins were stunned that this muggleborn was as good as she appeared to be and that she'd never flown before coming to the school yet despite all that, Ron was dismissive of the whole thing and insistent that she must've cheated in some way because muggleborns just weren't as good as magically raised kids.
"When I get on the team, I'll show everyone just how good a proper wizard flies; she just got lucky, I'd bet that she couldn't do all that again. Harry must've let her win because she's a girl and all that. She probably even promised to do his homework for him if he threw the race." He kept boasting to whoever stood still long enough to hear him.
Draco did overhear Ron but shook his head at the redheaded fool. While Draco did believe in the notion of pureblood supremacy taught to him by his parents, especially his father; he'd seen enough in Gryffindor to temper that belief that occasionally someone who wasn't born to their world did have the skills to make something better of themselves and lift their pathetic lives out of the muggle filth.
He glanced over at Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, his roommates and shook his head derisively while hooking a thumb at the ignorant red-haired Slytherin, "You'd think that as a Slytherin, he'd know to keep his mouth shut in public and only make those sorts of comments when in private company."
Both other boys nodded their agreement.
"I've seen the two of them together enough to know that Harry doesn't need to have anyone do his homework for him. He's talented and smart in his own right," Dean commented, "You know about his talents in the kitchen?"
Draco shook his head, "No, what does he do?"
"He cooks. All sorts of dishes like curries, pies, meats, you name it he can make it."
Draco's eyebrow rose in bemused surprise, "Really now?"
Hogwarts Kitchens
It was just after the race and Harry was back in the kitchens making plans. It wasn't for the reward that Hermione won but for her birthday which was coming up in about a week and a half. His best friend was turning twelve and he wanted to do something really special. While he was perusing his cookbooks and notes, Tiny wandered over.
"Little sir be planning another show?"
Harry smiled at the Head Kitchen Elf, "No, planning a birthday surprise dinner for my best friend."
Tiny hemmed, "What sort of foods does or doesn't Little Miss like?"
Sighing, "Well, that's the thing. She always tells me that she loves all of my cooking so I'm not really sure. I've been meaning to ask you; do you have some sort of master cookbook the elves refer to?"
Tiny waggled her hand, "Sort of. We is having a set of cookbooks from Mistress Hufflepuff. New elves be referring to the books when starting out. After a while, it be no longer needed. Why?"
"It's just that the meals are usually so heavy in consistency. Have you ever tried to make lighter fare?"
"Like salads?"
"Well, even the salads are heavy because of the dressings. Here, I'll let you borrow my cookbooks to see if anything here can be adapted to large scale cooking." He motioned towards his books; Tiny's eyes grew wide.
"Little sir be offering new recipes? Headmaster be saying that new recipes not needed, that old recipes be just fine." She said in a hushed whisper as if afraid of being caught by the headmaster. Tiny hesitated over the book closest to her; Harry nodded his approval and she excitedly settled in next to him.
The two Head Chefs read in companionable silence, the sounds of the busy staff behind them washing over them like a gentle ocean's wave. Harry had asked Tiny where elves learned to read and do the math needed to calculate increases or decreases in quantities and she helpfully replied that the elves had their own school up in their dorms above the kitchens.
"Huh, maybe one of these days I ought to recommend to Daggerclaw or my Aunt Petunia about seeing if we could get a class on how other magical creatures live and work," he commented to himself but Tiny overheard him.
"Little sir will be having that option in his third year. It being an elective class," she replied without looking up from the recipe on how to make Chicken Tikka Masala.
Dinner time in the Great Hall…
Hermione waited with bated breath for the celebratory dinner that Harry was obligated to create after her resounding success at winning their impromptu race. He promised that he could do it and frankly, he'd never let her down before. She told him that she wanted 'Stuffed Yorkshire Puddings' but left the stuffing up to him.
The tables groaned with the arrivals of the evening meal and in front of her on a prettily decorated plate of her own were two stuffed Yorkshire puddings with a béchamel and prosciutto filling! One bite and she was hooked, "Oh, Harry. I wish you were up here. This is heaven…"
Harry appeared a few moments later with a large knowing grin on his face. He sat down and began assembling his own dinner. He leant over to her and whispered, "I'm glad you're enjoying it. It does look like heaven."
Hermione's face grew puzzled, "How did you know I said that? You weren't here a moment ago."
Harry pointed at her plate, "That plate and the others in the set are enchanted to transfer your voice to the kitchen staff that can alter the contents as you desire."
She squeaked as she examined her plate again, "Really?"
"Hmm-mmm. Quite handy too, I reckon. Must make things a lot easier if you're hosting a party and don't have anyone available to act as a go-between."
Headmaster's Office, the next day
With an answering grumble about how the universe must still hate him, Albus tried to pick up the broken pieces to the dish containing his favorite tart treats. For some reason or another, he kept missing or bumping into things whenever he moved around. He reached down and ended up jabbing his finger on the broken edge and drawing a drop of blood. Once more he grimaced and stuck his injured finger in his mouth to ease the pain.
"Dammit! What did I do to deserve all this? What else could go wrong today?" He growled.
His intercom buzzed, "Albus! Get in here!"
Albus looked to the ceiling for divine intervention and heaved a sigh of defeat.
Defense class
Harry was wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. Ever since the first day of school, he'd known that people would be staring at him for just about any reason. That being said, the staring that Professor Quirrell was giving him was really starting to unnerve him. It was almost looking into the face of a snake poised to strike. Every time it happened, his head would start to feel like someone had put it into a vise and was slowly clamping down on the handle. He'd mentioned this to Hermione as well as his other friends but no one had any ideas on what to do.
On top of that, the stutter that the professor supposedly suffered from was intermittent. Harry knew from past experience that there were some words that would trigger an episode but in Professor Quirrell's case, those triggers seemed almost…forced.
Today they were trying to learn about the tripping jinx, or 'Repello' and how it could be used in combat situation.
"T-th-the Tripp…tripping jinx can be the most effective spell in a wizard's arsenal. Easily cast and always effective…"
The longer Quirrell spoke, the less he stuttered which made Harry (and some of the more observant kids) rather confused.
Daggerclaw's office…
Daggerclaw looked up from his myriad of reports and documentation at the sound of the light knocking on his door. "Come in!" he barked.
When Harry poked his head in worriedly, Daggerclaw's demeanor changed, "Sorry about barking like that, Mr. Potter. Please, come in. Was there something troubling you?"
Harry sat down in the proffered chair and cocked his head at the Goblin, "There is but I need to ask; is everything alright with you? Is there anything I can do to help?"
Daggerclaw snorted lightly and shook his head, "No, Mr. Potter. It's mostly just the stress of straightening out the paperwork nightmare that Albus had created since he took office here as headmaster. I've seen trolls that were more organized than he is."
"Maybe you need to prank him more?"
Daggerclaw chuckled, "I would but I think he's finally starting to get wise to the whole thing. Took him long enough… I'll still throw in the occasional prank from now on but the phony forms have run their course. Now… what's brought you to me?"
Harry picked at his fingernails, "I've been having problems with Professor Quirrell. He's staring at me like a snake hunting a mouse, his stutter makes it almost impossible to concentrate or take notes from, and there's this overwhelming stench of garlic coming from that turban he wears. He says that the garlic is to ward off a particularly troublesome vampire he met but I don't think any vampire would need to be subjected to that much garlic."
Daggerclaw cocked his head in thought, "How do you know that?"
"I have an acquaintance in Slytherin who has relatives in Eastern Europe where vampires have a…base, I guess. He says that the vampires aren't really affected by the smell of garlic unless it's as heavy as Quirrell's been putting on. I can understand that, that much smell is enough to drive anyone away. He said that it's a chemical within the garlic that vampires find distasteful. He's said that even when the vampires know that there's garlic cooked into food, they don't have a problem with it."
"That is actually quite good knowledge to have, Mr. Potter. Perhaps that acquaintance of yours ought to consider publishing that information."
Harry shrugged indifferently then continued, "A friend of mine in Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchley has said that he overheard Quirrell talking to someone named, "Master" about some sort of stone and how he couldn't get past someone or something called, "Fluffy."
Daggerclaw's face took on a look of surprise that morphed into anger. He visibly restrained his emotions and motioned for Harry to continue.
"Hermione's mentioned a few times that whenever she's passing the landing to the 3rd floor corridor, she swears that she can hear growling and barking from a bunch of large dogs. She confided in me that she did take a peek to see if the dogs could be spotted but didn't go in further than the doorway to the corridor. She did say that she's not the only one to check out what could be down that corridor if the various shoeprints on the dusty floor are any indication.
Daggerclaw scrubbed his face with his hands, "Thank you, Mr. Potter. It seems that the 'deterrent' that the headmaster put in is not as effective as he thought it would be. Was there anything else?"
Harry thought for a moment then shook his head, "Not regarding the castle. I hope you'll be available when we celebrate Hermione's birthday though?"
Daggerclaw smiled lightly, "I look forward to it. Has she given any indication as to what gifts would be appropriate?"
Harry shrugged, "Not that I know of. I'm cooking a birthday dinner for her and her friends are going to take her out to the pitch to keep her occupied until it's ready." He rose from his seat, made his goodbyes and left.
Third Floor Corridor Landing, same time as Daggerclaw and Harry were talking
Hermione peered through the doorway and listened for any more sounds coming from the door at the end of the hallway on the left. She'd swear that she could hear something really large shuffling around behind it. She shrugged a shoulder and turned her head to look down the right side; it appeared to lead off to a balcony of sorts. She was hesitating on whether or not to go investigate when she heard the sounds of an inquisitive meowing coming from below her.
"Oh! Hello, kitty. Are you lost?" she bent down and reached her hand out to let the cat sniff her fingers then proceeded to stroke the cat's fur, "Awww, you're a sweet kitty aren't you?" The cat meowed again, seemingly like it was agreeing with her assessment.
Hermione sank down to sit on the floor, the cat climbing into her lap and sniffing at her face. Hermione's nose crinkled up at the tickling the cat's whiskers were doing. The cat headbutted her chin and meowed again, this time glancing in the direction of the doorway.
"Oh, I wasn't planning on going in. I was just curious as to what's down the right hand side," Hermione felt a bit strange explaining herself to a cat of all creatures, "The left hand side is clearly guarded by something big that growls and I don't want anything to do with something that growls like that. The other side though looks to head towards a balcony overlooking something expansive." She started scratching the cat under its chin lightly, eliciting loud purring from the feline.
"Hey, now! What are you doing to my cat?" Argus Filch came storming up the stairs.
"This sweet kitty is yours? You're so lucky."
That brought up Argus short; most of the students hated him and his cat and they knew it. This child on the other hand, didn't seem fazed one little bit. His face creased when he saw how much love his cat was getting at the fingers of the girl's ministrations.
"She likes you. It's rare to find anyone in this castle who likes Mrs. Norris. There are some who'd like nothing better than to boot her into the lake."
Hermione's eyes flashed dangerously, "How dare they! This sweet, fluffy kitty is just trying to keep the kittens safe, isn't that right?" The aforementioned Mrs. Norris flattened her ears in disgust and loudly meowed in agreement that finally someone got it!
Argus gestured to the doorway, "You weren't thinking of going in there were you? It's right dangerous to be poking around that corridor."
"The left side, yes but I was kind of curious as to what was down the other way."
Argus shrugged as he leant his ever-present mop against the wall, "Just a bunch of disused rooms. I think there might be an old ballroom in there. It hasn't been used since the headmaster was deputy."
Hermione's ears perked up at the mention of the ballroom, "Really? Can we go take a look? I'd bet that our dance instructor would love to have an actual ballroom. He's been heard lamenting that the classroom he's in really isn't cond…con… what's the word…."
"Conducive?"
"Yes! That! Conducive to properly teaching dance."
Argus thought about it while scratching his chin, "I guess we could as long as you don't stray from my side." He turned and led her into the corridor.
The Abandoned Hallway
The look of awed surprise crept over Hermione's face as she took in the decrepit grandeur of the view in front of her. Twin staircases led down to an expansive ballroom floor complete with dusty and cobwebbed laden chandeliers, mirrored walls and tarnished ornately decorated murals.
"This…is so beautiful," she whispered as if afraid she might disturb the haunting silence, "It's also sad. Why would the headmaster seal this off?"
Argus took in the scene with a more weathered eye, "I dunno, miss. It does seem a shame; I've known this was here but never really took the time to stop and really look. Come on, let's go further." He led her carefully down the stairs and together they poked their heads into the various rooms that branched off from the main. What they discovered made Hermione squeal with excitement.
"There's an indoor swimming pool! And an exercise room and a…" she kept babbling about the various rooms.
"All I see is more work for me to try to accomplish, as if I'm not already swamped with things to do," Argus growled unhappily.
Hermione was bewildered by that, "Can't you use magic to clean up?" Argus got this look on his face.
"I can't do magic," he growled lowly, "I'm a squib."
Hermione paused as she thought about it, "What about the elves? I've seen them clean."
"Aye, they do but if they're doing the cleaning, what good am I?"
Hermione gestured with her hands, "What about a supervisor role? You make your rounds, pointing out what needs to be done and let the workers deal with the actual cleaning?"
Argus shook his head, "Nah, they already have a system in place."
"Well…ooh! Who is it that maintains the portraits and all the other artwork?" Argus pointed at himself, "Well, there you go. You will always be needed here to do the restoration. Did you have to go to school to learn how to do that?"
"Aye, took several years in a muggle school to learn art history, painting, sculpting and whatnot before getting to the restoration stuff."
"Wow, I bet you could teach art too." Argus shrugged a shoulder.
"Probably could but there's never been much of an interest in art these days."
With that, he led her out and back to the Grand Staircase. Hermione watched him shuffle off and made it her mission to speak with her Head of House and tell her about what they'd discovered.
Professor Sprout's Office…
"…and so that's what we found. If you want, I could show you too? I definitely think that we should include Mr. Thomlinson so he can see that the school has an actual ballroom for him to work with." Hermione finished her presentation with a puff of excited breath. Pomona smiled at her charge's enthusiastic retelling of her discovery.
"I think that would be a wonderful idea. Allow me to make a few calls and we'll go as a group." She got up and floo called several teachers, instructing them to meet on the third floor corridor landing. She then gestured for Hermione to lead the way.
Later in the teacher's staff room…
An impromptu meeting was held to discuss the discovery of rooms and possibilities of what Hermione Granger had shared with them. The dance instructor's eyes were dancing with delight as he waxed philosophical on the amount of proper dances that could be held there; he was already planning future events and writing down the things he'd need to bring the ballroom back into operation. Filius was enthusiastic about discovering that Hogwarts had a proper dueling room instead of that abandoned classroom he currently used.
Minerva knocked on the table to get everyone's attention, "You've all seen what is there on offer after that revelation. Two things need to happen if we are to bring it back; one is funding. Do we have the money to refurbish what is missing or broken? Second, is there an interest beyond ourselves? There must've been a reason why the rooms were closed off in the first place."
The door opened then and Daggerclaw entered, followed closely by Albus who wore his now familiar scowl at being upstaged.
"I'm sorry we're late," he glanced off at Albus with a bit of a sneer, "Someone misplaced his glasses and couldn't take the time to just summon them like a normal person." (Never mind the fact that it was he who cast the enchantment to keep said glasses from being summoned.)
"It's no matter, we've only just begun. We were discussing the discovery of several rooms found along the right hand side of the third floor corridor. It seems that there's a full ballroom available along with other rooms geared towards exercise and fitness including an indoor pool and running track. The two questions that need to be asked are, do we have enough funding to cover the costs of repair and refurbishment and second, why they were taken out of service in the first place?"
All eyes swung towards the headmaster who shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Well, Albus?" Daggerclaw inquired, "The staff and I would like an answer to this. You are the only one here who would've known about these rooms and certainly the one in charge of whether or not they'd be closed off."
"Well…um, ahem… that is to say… It wasn't very popular during the Grindlewald War and frankly, it cost too much to keep it open for just a handful of students and it wasn't for the Greater Good to…well…"
Most everyone in the room sighed in frustration when they heard him trot out the tired phrase of the Greater Good.
"Albus, if I didn't know any better; I'd swear that you did your absolute best to further the hostilities between the muggleborn and the conservatives just to perpetuate your amorphous ideas of this Greater Good nonsense," Minerva growled, "Dances and social interaction would've a perfect way to introduce the incoming muggleborns on how to interact with the older families and probably would have led to a lessening of problems that cropped up. I would wager that if these rooms and programs were in place then, we wouldn't have had the problem of You-Know-Who rising up to sow destruction upon our world."
A slight blush appeared on Albus' face momentarily. Those not facing him didn't notice but Daggerclaw, Filius and Minerva did. Their eyes narrowed and the look on their faces promised that they'd be returning to this conversation really soon.
Thursday 19 September 1991 Hufflepuff First Year Dorms, Girls Side
Hermione's eyes popped open early in the morning and for a moment, she wondered what was wrong. She sat up and glanced around her bed, the curtains partly open to allow in fresh air. Her roommates, Susan and Hannah were still soundly sleeping; Hannah making little indecipherable noises in response to her dreams. Hermione slid out of her bed and peered out the window but not noticing anything that would've disturbed her own dreams. As she passed by a calendar hanging on a wall; she paused, walked backwards a few steps and examined it closer before letting out a small gasp!
"It's my birthday today!" She loudly whispered which caused Susan to grunt in her sleep and roll over. Hermione ran back to her bed and pulled the curtains closed and tapped the knot on one of the posts that would silence the area around her. She then let out a whoop of joy, she was twelve today!
She met Harry like they normally did every morning since coming to the school. He was sitting on the couch barely awake as she bounced into the room. She gave him a hard hug and giggled at his now usual half-hearted groans of her being too cheerful this early in the morning.
"But Harry! Today is different! Today is my birthday, I'm twelve years old today!" she bubbled happily.
Harry turned a bleary eye towards his bushy-haired friend, "So? It's still too early to be this happy." He softened his words with a wink. She just lightly slapped him on the arm and tugged him out towards the Great Hall for breakfast.
The Great Hall
Hermione found that her day was just going to be utterly memorable. The moment she walked into the Great Hall, she spotted two people that made her scream in surprise and joy. Dan and Emma Granger were sitting there at the Hufflepuff table with big smiles on their faces and backed with a couple of wrapped gifts.
"Happy birthday, Hermione!" They both sang out. Hermione let go of Harry and dashed over to greet her parents; her myriad of questions rapidly fired off before anyone could get a word in edgewise. Dan finally covered her mouth and with dancing eyes, laughed and told her to breathe before asking any more questions.
"As to how we're here, it's Daggerclaw's gift to you. He was the one who overrode the enchantments keeping us non-magical people from seeing the castle. Your Professor Sprout also gave her permission to excuse you from classes today so we have plenty of time to talk, honey."
Hermione practically swooned as she was guided onto the bench.
Breakfast was served and already Harry's influence (and cookbooks) were being felt in what was on offer. There was the usual arrangement of eggs (scrambled, overeasy, sunny-side up, etc.), hash-browned potatoes, porridge and the like on the table but now it included some lighter fare as well. There were bowls of salsa of varying types, trays of fixings for bruschetta, eggs Florentine, bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon lox, breakfast burritos, grilled vegetable and cheese omelettes and fondue pots with cubed cheese.
"Harry?" Emma inquired as she pointed to what appeared to be a serving bowl of corn, garbanzo beans and diced cucumbers. Harry laughed and shook his head.
"I think the elves got confused as to what constitutes a lighter breakfast assortment. They're used to the recipes handed down since Helga Hufflepuff and the other Founders. The concept of healthier food options never crossed their minds until I showed up with my cookbooks." He reached for the bowl and scooped some out onto his plate and began eating.
After breakfast, Hermione led her parents all over the school showing them all of her favorite places and sights to see. Both parents were amazed by the sheer size of the library, Hermione demonstrated some of the spells and magic that she'd learned in the nineteen days she'd been in school to the amazement of her parents, the adult Grangers were impressed by the Quidditch pitch and terrified by her skill on a broom. She offered to take them both up but her mother declined so she just took her father up after promising not to pull any of those crazy stunts.
The three Grangers wandered around the school grounds, including the greenhouses and the castle. Hermione saw Harry a couple more times, usually carrying something that looked like it had been freshly harvested from the greenhouses. She also noticed a smirk ghosting around the boy's face as he disappeared down a hallway but shrugged it off.
"I'd love to show you the newly re-discovered ballroom and exercise rooms but they're cordoned off because the teachers are still evaluating things. Something about inspecting the place to make sure nothing will hurt the students and staff."
Emma smiled warmly as she patted her daughter's hair, "That's alright, honey. We're amazed by the rest of the school," She paused as she spotted a portrait making faces at her, "It's been an interesting experience."
Hermione saw what her mother spotted and rolled her eyes, "Peeves! Now is not the time. These are my parents, not new teachers for you to hassle."
Peeves the resident poltergeist morphed out of the painting he was obstructing and cackled, "Ickle parents!" He pulled up close to Dan's face and hesitated uncharacteristically, "Have you been here before? Peeves swears he's seen someone that looks like you."
Dan backed up a bit to recover his personal space, "No, I don't believe I have. Daniel Granger, father to Hermione Granger here." He held out his hand to Peeves who looked surprised and slowly reached out to shake Dan's hand.
Peeves straightened up and 'stood' tall; his usual manner and attitude vanishing, "The pleasure is mine, sir. My apologies if I've offended you or your lady; please enjoy your visit to the castle today. If you'll excuse me?" Dan nodded once and Peeves flew away.
"That has to be the most civil reaction I've ever seen of that blasted poltergeist," a gravelly voice that could only belong to one person said, startling the Grangers. They turned and saw Argus standing there with a surprised look on his face and Mrs. Norris curling around his ankles.
That evening at dinner…
Albus Dumbledore stood and addressed the school prior to the start of the evening meal, "Welcome all to a very special night. I have been informed that Miss Hermione Granger of Hufflepuff House is celebrating her twelfth birthday today," a round of applause was given by the assembled students and staff, "I have also been informed that Mr. Harry Potter has been working in conjunction with our kitchen staff in providing a special dinner menu in honor of Miss Granger's birthday. So without further ado…" He clapped his hands and called for the food to be served.
The tables groaned with the sudden weight as the sights and smells emanating from the dishes bombarded everyone gathered around.
"Mr. Potter, if you'd be so kind as to inform us of what is being served?" Albus finished as Harry rose to his feet.
"Ahem, for the starters you have the option of a Tomato and Pesto Tart or a small garden salad with an Asian-inspired vinaigrette dressing. Next, the main course is a Standing Rib Roast with a side of either dry-roasted potatoes or lightly grilled spicy carrots. Dessert will be individual sized Royal Copenhagen birthday cakes."
As everyone dug into their meal after singing the birthday song to Hermione, there was one person who wasn't feeling the shared joy of tasting and appreciating Harry's efforts and talents in the kitchen.
'It wasn't supposed to be like this! Parents, especially muggle parents here in the castle should've never been allowed! If it weren't for that blasted Goblin destroying everything I've worked so hard for, none of this would've happened. On top of this, I now have the staff questioning me as to why I declared the third floor ballroom off-limits. Can't they understand that it's for the Greater Good? If the muggleborns learn to assimilate into our culture, there wouldn't be the impetus I needed to draft those bills to further subjugate them or for the purebloods to feel further animosity towards their vaunted 'traditions' being trampled on. I need the conflict so I can guide these sheeple towards my vision of a pure society!'
The morning of Halloween 31 October 1991
A little over a full month had passed and Harry's 'cooking show' popularity had grown beyond his wildest imagination. The elves had to build more bleachers to hold all the students and staff who were interested in watching and learning how to cook various dishes and cuisines. 'It's a good thing that I never took up a sport like Quidditch or some other sort of cliché activity.' He mused as he prepared for his Halloween special of 'Yes, Harry Potter Cooks.' Today's featured recipe was how to make an Argentinean dish that was perfect for the season, 'Beef Stew in a pumpkin shell.'
"Greetings, Hogwarts! Today is a special recipe in light of the Halloween feast! Today we'll be learning how to make 'Beef Stew in a pumpkin shell.'" A susurration was heard among the bleachers, "Now, I'm sure you're all questioning, "Harry, why serve the beef stew in a pumpkin shell? What's the point of the pumpkin?" Well to answer that, you would scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin as you eat the stew thereby adding loads of vitamins into your diet. Pumpkin juice is regularly served here but the juice doesn't contain the fiber necessary for a healthy digestive tract. So let's begin shall we?"
"So to begin, let me show you what the ingredients here are. First we have roughly 450 grams of beef; it can be either chuck or stew meat, cut into cubes. Next is one each of the following; red onion, small sweet potatoes, green bell pepper and tomato. There are also two carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces." He finished off with identifying the spices then moved onto actually making the recipe.
"Okay so, in a large enough pot, heat the oil and brown the meat. As the meat browns, add in the vegetables and stir everything together. Cook this for a couple of minutes before adding the tomato along with the beef broth and season with the salt and black pepper to taste. Cover the pot and cook on low flame for about one and a half hours, stirring occasionally."
The smell of the meat and vegetables was slowly wending its way through the crowds causing all to inhale loudly and some of the kids to giggle at the sight of some of their friends overdoing it and nearly passing out.
"While the stew is cooking, the next step is to prepare the pumpkin shell. Realistically, this is the most time consuming if you have to prepare it in a non-magical home. Seeing as how we are not in a magical home, we get to speed things up a bit. With the help of Professor Flitwick, he's shared with me a couple of culinary charms to improve your own talents in the kitchen. To remove the seeds and 'guts' of the pumpkins, the wand movement is a simple swirl like you'd do to stir your morning drink with a spoon and the incantation is 'aufero semina.' He demonstrated by cutting the top off of the medium pumpkin with a cast of the cutting charm 'diffindo' and cast the charm to remove the seeds. The seeds and goop ripped itself out and landed in a bowl he'd placed on the counter for them.
"Fun fact for the seeds; once they're cleaned up of the goop, they can either be stored to be grown again come next growing season or lightly seasoned and roasted to be eaten as a snack. Okay, so the next step for the pumpkins is to score the inside flesh with a knife in a grid pattern. This makes it easier to scoop out when serving the stew. Brush the inside with oil or melted butter and sprinkle in some salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the stove and ladle the stew into the shells; replace the cutoff top portion and bake in the oven at 162 degrees Celsius for an additional one and a half hours. Keep an eye on it and add additional baking time until it is cooked through but not overcooked."
"A chef's note here: If you find the pumpkin shell starting to sag from the heat and the weight of the stew, cast a stabilization charm. The charm motion is a jabbing action and the incantation is 'dicent stabilendum.' It won't harden anything but merely magically support the structure. I'm told that when cast; it acts like a ring around the area you've pointed your wand at so if necessary, cast it multiple times."
While the stew was cooking, Harry cleaned up his workstation and utensils then fielded questions from the audience about some of his other cooking exploits and what his home life living in a non-magical home was like.
"To be honest, growing up with my non-magical aunt and uncle was as normal as living with parents could be, so I'm told. They both loved me and raised me to be an honest, hard-working and fair minded person. I wasn't the only one in my family that knew how to cook so please don't think that they forced me to slave away in the kitchen. My aunt would also pitch in as needed but as time went on and they realized that my talents far outstripped their own, she would just let me explore the world of cooking as long as the ingredients or supplies weren't too expensive. When we took a trip to coast in Cornwall, I discovered that seafood could be harvested with minimal effort…well, 'minimal effort' if you didn't mind getting wet, bruised or cut on sharp rocks and sticking your hands into freezing cold water in between gaps and caves of rocks while trying to land the various crustaceans or fish." That got some laughter from the crowd.
Finally the stew was ready to be transferred into the pumpkin shells then it was into the oven. Before they broke up, the audience learned that tonight's demonstration would be the featured dish at the Feast so they'd all get to taste what the pumpkin stew was like. Filius hung around and congratulated Harry on another wonderful show.
"Thank you for another wonderful demonstration, Mr. Potter. You've inspired me to teach my students some household charms in the coming months. I'm surprised and saddened that I've never realized that I should've been doing this from the get-go." He patted Harry on the back and trotted off.
At the feast…
Once more, Albus stood to address the school's population, "Welcome to another fun-filled feast in honor of Halloween. I've been told that Mr. Harry Potter has demonstrated to everyone, a new dish for the holiday and will be the centerpiece of tonight's celebrations. So without further ado…"
His speech was cut off as Professor Quirrell came running into the room yelling his head off, "TROLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEON! Thought… you ought to know…" he then slumped to the ground unconscious.
The Great Hall was silent for all of about two seconds before the screaming started. It took the blasting sound of a cannon to still everyone to silence. In as much of authoritative voice as he could muster, Albus instructed the prefects to guide their charges back to their dormitories.
"Hogwarts! Seal the doors!" came the return bellow from Daggerclaw as the massive doors slammed shut, "No one is to attempt to leave the Great Hall. Now sit down and remain quiet."
Albus whirled on him angrily, "I am the headmaster and what I say goes! How dare you try to usurp my authority. This is treason!"
Daggerclaw was glaring back at the old man, "What seems to have slipped your mind is that the Troll was reported to be in the dungeons where both Hufflepuff and Slytherin reside. I wouldn't trust the Troll to remain where it was last seen so that makes it imperative for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw to remain as well."
"They would be fine as long as they listen to my instructions!"
"Then you should be leading them yourself and not relying on other children to do your work for you! They stay! In the meantime, I am instructing the school to contact the Ministry to send a team here to recover and remove the Troll," Daggerclaw then purposely turned his back on Albus and strode over to where Quirrell lay on the floor while being attended to by the school nurse, Poppy Pomfrey.
Albus' hand strayed dangerously close to where his wand was holstered only for another wand to be leveled at his busted nose. Filius Flitwick was glaring at his boss with such a steely demeanor that it made Albus pause.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Albus. Goblin or not, staff or not; pulling your wand with the intention for doing harm is a sign of going Dark and you wouldn't want to have everyone here telling their parents, friends or the newspapers that Albus Dumbledore shot someone in the back because he was feeling slighted now do you?"
Albus' exposed face paled at the thought of his public image taking a further (and final) beating and lowered his hand before sinking into his chair.
[A/N2: Just a reminder to go and download the app from your play store so you never have to worry about not finding new chapters after receiving notifications via email. So the most joyous event has occurred in the USA! Biden won the election! Maybe now we can start the healing process and recover our standing on the world stage?
Recipes:
Herby Yorkshire pudding with béchamel and prosciutto filling (Pinterest)
Tomato and Pesto Tarts (Pinterest)
Standing Rib Roast (suggested by Rhys Thornbery, Found on Yummly)
Dry roasted potatoes and lightly grilled spicy carrots (personal)
Royal Copenhagen cakes (Taste Life – Facebook)
Pumpkin Shell Beef Stew (Yummly)
Spells/Charms:
Aufero semina = Latin, remove seeds
dicent stabilendum = Latin, stabilize sag
diffindo = Latin, to sever
