[A/N: Wow…where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday that I first set down electronic ink to digital paper and now look at us. Thank you to all you wonderful people who have stuck with me through this culinary journey. Only one more chapter to go after this one; the all important epilogue!


Chapter 19: The End of the Cookbook

Sunday, Hogwarts Kitchens

Harry entered the kitchens carrying one of his ever-present cookbooks, absent-mindedly flipping through the pages. He slowed to a stop in front of his workstation and leant up against the counter. Tiny wandered over to see what her favorite human compatriot was getting himself involved with.

"Master Harry?" she squeaked. Harry looked up and blinked owlishly before noticing her.

"Hey, Tiny."

"What is you be looking into today?"

"Well, we don't have much time before our finals begin so I wanted to make something that could be eaten easily with one hand yet still provide plenty of 'brain food' and energy for those long study nights and stressful test days."

Tiny pursed her lips and rubbed her chin, "You has already done the potato boats enough times. What you should be doings is making simple snacks."

Harry cocked his head and quirked an eyebrow up, "You mean as opposed to meals?"

Tiny nodded, "I has learned from your books as well as other elves who serve modern wizards that healthy foods are what is being needed, not heavy Hogwarts foods."

Tiny took his book and flipped to the snacks section and pointed to a listing of some quick study session snacks, "This is what you should be making."

Harry stared at the listing and slowly started nodding, "I think…that this is a wonderful idea, Tiny. I also think that we should see if Professor McGonagall would allow the elves to create a study snack station in each of the common rooms so no one has a need to stop studying to get something to eat late at night."


Professor McGonagall's Office

"Professor? I was wondering if you have a moment?" Harry inquired after being admitted into her office.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Minerva's eyes had a bit of a gleam to them. If Harry Potter needed something, chances are it had something to do with food.

Harry explained the conversation he'd had with Tiny and the idea of a study night snack station to be installed in each of the common rooms. Inwardly, Minerva started to drool though she'd never admit it.

"Now that I think of it, I foresee a problem with regulating how much someone should get when loading up their plate," he murmured out loud.

"Thinking of stopping another Ronald Weasley episode before it gets out of hand?" she replied.

"Yeah."

She hummed in response and tapped her fingers together in thought, "Well, I can speak with Professor Flitwick and see if he knows of some method to track who takes what and how often. In the meantime, I would like to know what sort of snacks you were thinking of making."

He slid over the list of ideas he and Tiny had come up with.

"Hmmm…let's see, frozen blueberry and yoghurt kebabs, hummus and veggies, turkey, cheese and veggie wraps… have you ever made these before? I don't remember eating any of this."

"I don't think so. I've made some of the things on the list at home but I'd be happy to make a sample plate and have it sent to the Teacher's Lounge."

Minerva nodded once and handed back the list, "As of right now you have my tentative permission dependent upon how well these snacks look and taste," she held up a hand at the look on his face and he quickly closed his mouth, "I know, nothing you make is ever bad but there have been a few times where an alternate ingredient would've been better. That BBQ Cajun chicken sandwich springs to mind."

Harry grimaced while she snickered at his momentary embarrassment then dismissed him to get started on the snack making.


Teacher's Lounge, later that afternoon

Severus had just entered the room when his nose was assaulted by multiple food aromas that caused his stomach to immediately start rumbling. He paused at the doorway and dropped his head then groaned. 'That boy is going to kill me with all that food! What a way to go.' He looked around and spotted the multi-layered serving tray filled with small paper sample cups, each holding a different item but arranged so that it was still pleasing to the eye.

The door had barely closed behind him when it was suddenly flung open as Minerva came storming in, "Where is it? I'm dying here!"

Severus couldn't help it; he burst out laughing at the wild-eyed expression on his colleague's face as she searched for the sample she wanted. "Smooth, Minerva. It's a good thing the students don't get to see this side of you; you'd totally destroy that image of the stern disciplinarian you've been projecting since I've first met you."

"Quiet you," she admonished him behind the light moan of pleasure from sampling the granola parfait topped with chopped fresh fruit. The honey-sweet granola made a pleasant crunching noise as she sank into the closest chair and settled in to savor her treat.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear your animagus side is purring right now." Minerva just glared at him though it didn't have any heat behind it. He turned back to the snack laden table and selected a frozen blueberry and yoghurt kebob and a napkin then settled into his favorite chair. He was pleasantly surprised by the treat, it was simple but satisfying.

The other teachers and staff filtered in and were surprised to be greeted with the sample tray. Filius entered, saw what was being displayed and made a squeaky noise before hurrying over like an excited firstie. A couple of them were curious as to why, so Minerva filled them in on Harry's plan for late night study snacks. There was a susurration of agreements and wonders why they'd never thought of that when they were in school. Minerva called for an elf to summon Harry to the Lounge. When he arrived, she got right to it.

"Mr. Potter, I think it's safe to say that your snack platter is a wonderful idea as is your idea to have a station installed in each of the common rooms. As for the problem of identifying and tracking snackers, both Professors Flitwick and Babbling will be setting up a ward around the station." Harry nodded silently at the three professors.

"Was there anything you all could think on how to improve the snacks or should I, or actually the elves, leave them as is?" Harry inquired.

"Leave them as is but for something like the parfaits, leave a small jar of honey or crunchy bits on the side so students can add to it if they so desire." Harry pulled out a notebook and pen and jotted down the suggestion.


Monday, Slytherin Common Room, evening

The students were informed of the snack station when they all arrived for dinner that evening and were frankly eager to get back to their common rooms to scope out the offerings. A medium sized table was set up with Ever Fresh and Ever Refilling Charms. Each choice had a small tag describing what it was and how much was considered a serving. A shimmering, ghostly white ring floated around the table causing confusion amongst the younger years. A large sign explained that the shimmering ring was an identification ward that would track the coming and going of everyone who passed through and also what and how much they took from the table so as to prevent hoarding and disagreements between others. Everyone immediately turned to stare (and glare) at Ron when he finally entered the room.

"What?" His bewildered expression suggested that he had no clue as to what he might have done to set everyone against him this time.

"Weasley, come take a look at this sign. Make sure you read it carefully and understand it," commanded the seventh year prefect.

Ron read the sign and made a face at the implication that everyone thought he'd back slide since food was going to be easily available at all hours of the night. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at everyone (though it didn't have nearly enough force behind it to intimidate anyone over the age of three) and promised, "I'll be good. I have to be; otherwise my dad said I wouldn't be allowed to come back next year."

The others glanced at each other in silent communication. "See that you follow the rules explicitly; though just to make sure that you never forget, I'm going to make a copy of this and permanently attach it to the inside of your bedroom door," the prefect growled in response to Ron's reddening face.


Monday, the start of the 'Week of Revision Hell'

The whole school was in study and review mode. The teachers stopped giving out new materials and focused on reviewing what they'd already taught. Every class from Astronomy to the Wizarding Customs and Etiquette were pushing the kids to excel in their tests. Those in need of special help, such as Crabbe and Goyle were given extra time to take their practice tests in class as well as a novel solution (at least to the magically raised) to their reading and comprehension problems. The general education teachers put their collective heads together and in conjunction with Professors Babbling and Flitwick figured out how to charm and nullify the harmful anti-technology castle wards so that a pair of cassette recorders could be brought in. (Daggerclaw had taken a look to see if the specific ward that affected muggle technology could be dropped entirely but discovered to his annoyance, that in order to do so; he'd have to disable nearly fifteen other wards, some of which were critical systems. He made a note to contact the DoM Ward Masters to come in and run a full system check to weed out the unnecessary or redundant wards.) Each boy also received a pair of headphones so that their audio recordings didn't interfere with everyone else's quiet time. Additionally, the professors figured out a way to alter the charms on Dicta-Quills so that instead of writing the audio down on paper, they transmitted it to the recorder.

When Daggerclaw found out about this, he suggested that the teachers get together after the school let out and publish their experiments and results for future generations.

Knowing how Hermione got during pre-test study times, Harry made sure that his best friend took some much needed breaks every now and then even if it was as simple as taking a slow walk up and down the hallway. He found out later that the study desks within Hufflepuff were charmed to get up and walk away from the user after a preset amount of time so as to enforce the requirement that mental and physical break times were just as important as the actual reviewing.

It was kind of funny the first time that Harry witnessed Hermione's desk suddenly walk away from her, the girl trailing behind, fruitlessly trying to get her desk back where it belonged and grumbling out loud that she was going to murder whoever it was that pranked her. There were other times during the week when all that was needed to distract her was a Harry Potter Classic. One lop-sided grin and a blast from his 'gorgeous green eyes' and Hermione went from a studious, determined to succeed first year to a dreamy-eyed, slightly babbling, tripping over her feet yet utterly at peace with the world little girl.


Harry's Study Snack Station was as big a hit as anyone could've predicted. Not only was there healthy snacks to munch on while trying to figure out their review worksheets for Math or any other subject that was causing them stress but they also drastically cut down on the number of students caught out of bounds after curfew. Argus in particular was pleased about that since the job of overseeing the detentions usually fell on him.

Ron held to his word regarding the number of trips he made as well as how much he took from the Snack Station. Either just to prove a point or just because he wanted to stick it to the prefect who growled at him the first night; Ron made sure to bring his plate over to the older boy and point out each and every snack he took before heading back to his room. (It annoyed the prefect to no end.)

Up in Gryffindor Tower, the Twins were causing a bit of a ruckus and for once they weren't the ones in the thick of it. Both boys were seen diligently working on their homework and study worksheets quietly and only the occasional murmured comment between themselves. It was so unnerving that someone went to go and alert Professor McGonagall. After witnessing for herself the oddity before her, she demanded to know what the prank was.

"Honestly, professor! We're not trying to prank anyone…"

"…at least until this weekend…"

"…and that's only going to be a bit of a stress-reliever," they finished in stereo.

"Why would you two of all people be trying to study so hard? Last I heard you were trying your damndest to avoid getting good grades so the Ministry would reject your applications," she replied, still puzzled, "and quit with the stereo speaking!"

George (at least she thought it was him) shook his head, "The Ministry is where our mother wants us to work at. She wants us to get nice, safe, boring jobs like our father."

The other piped up, "But we want to open our own joke shop. Last Yule when we went to go visit Harry, we got to meet and share our dreams with the Pranking Gods themselves! They said that they would help us realize our dream but only if we maintained an EE average on both our OWLs and NEWTs."

Minerva could only blink like her namesake, 'Was that all it took to get these two to wise up and take their education seriously?'

Both twins recognized the look on her face and smirked back, "We always take our education seriously, professor. It's just the marks that we don't care about because if we got the grades, our mother would be sending in our applications to those boring departments whether or not we agreed. At least that's how it's been in the past. Our father took steps this year to curb her 'enthusiasm.'"

The light of understanding dawned in Minerva's face, "Oh, yes. I remember now, she'd been having problems with sending out Howlers. I'd been wondering why we'd not seen any all year. Very well, I'll let you get back to your studying."


Tuesday

Harry groaned and leant back in his spot on the sofa in the Puff Common Room. He stretched his arms and rolled his head to loosen up his neck in an effort to relieve the tension. He spotted Hermione sitting with a group of other Puffs, supposedly in their own study session though by the sound of the giggles they were probably not reviewing anything school related. He shrugged his shoulders; it wasn't his place to reprimand them nor did he worry that Hermione was giving her full effort to getting good grades. If anything, she could probably teach some of the classes like Transfiguration and Flight School, especially the second one. Madam Hooch had been heard expressing her desire to taking Hermione on as an apprentice when the girl got older so the school could have more than one instructor on how to fly.


Over in Ravenclaw Tower, Filius was going through some of the worksheets from his Seventh year Charms class and wishing he could take a break from the nonsense that some of the students thought were appropriate answers.

"I think Mr. Reed has been thinking with his 'other head'," he drily commented as he read the boy's reasoning behind the creation of the 'Ardeat Ignis' charm and wrote an admonishment that the charm was not designed to induce a girl to remove her clothing for 'fun time.'

After another hour of the endless hassle that was the seventh years, he turned to the first years and let out a sigh of relief. 'Now these are the answers I'd have hoped the seventh years would've given. I can only imagine the quality work they'll be capable of when they get there.' Of the various charms listed, nearly everyone had given the history and practical usage for the charms in nice, neat paragraphs. Even Miss Granger was concise in her answers as opposed to the earlier novel length answers she'd given back in the beginning of the school year. He wondered who it was that got the girl to understand that brevity was appreciated.

Deciding to take a break, Filius rose from his chair and headed over to the Snack Station to see what was available. His sensitive nose picked out one of the cups that held a portion of those roasted BBQ flavored chickpeas but then his eyes landed on the tray holding the frozen banana bites with almond butter dipped in chocolate. 'Decisions, decisions…' he thought before settling on taking both, with a self-satisfied grin on his face he ambled back to his office.


Pomona was busy in her personal greenhouse potter's shed when she thought she could hear someone talking outside. Puzzled by this since she had the only key, she stepped out and spotted Neville Longbottom apparently talking to a pretty multi-colored magical rosebush as he examined the leaves and flowers.

"Now don't you worry, I'm not going to be separating you from your family. I just want to make sure that you all are safe and growing properly." The rosebush quivered under his gentle touch and changed color.

Pomona quietly walked over and continued to watch and listen as the boy held a one-sided conversation with each plant he came into contact with. She then spoke up, "Mr. Longbottom?" Neville whirled around, nearly knocking a tulip pot over in his surprise.

"Professor! I, I'm sorry…um…"

"How did you get in here? I have the only key." She questioned him gently.

Neville turned and pointed to the gently waving Morning Glory vines near the door, "Candace let me in."

"Candace?"

"Uh-huh, that's what I call her. You may have a key to the lock on the outside but the inside is a simple mechanical lever and catch. All she did was release the catch which allowed me to come in."

Pomona just stared at the boy in amazement. When she was finally able to form a coherent question, she asked, "How do you do that? Plants like that morning glory don't have any form of brains or consciousness nor are they capable of moving objects."

Neville shrugged, "I know that but I think it's because of the magic here in the school and my own that allow me to communicate with them. It's not like actual speech or thoughts though; it's more like sensations and the like. If one of the plants isn't getting enough water, I suddenly get thirsty. Not enough fertilizer, I get hungry. As for moving things, I think Candace was the result of crossbreeding with something else. I haven't figured that one out yet."

Pomona was flabbergasted at his explanation. This cinched it for her; she was going to make him her apprentice regardless of what his grandmother wanted!

"Are you taking a break from your studies?"

"Yes, professor. My butt was getting numb from sitting in those chairs."

She chuckled at his answer, "Okay, I'll give you another fifteen minutes then you need to head off to your next class." Neville beamed at her then turned back to the rosebush.


Interestingly enough, it wasn't the usual magical classes that were handing out the most number of reviews and homework; it was the mundane general studies classes. Many of the students correctly theorized that it was because this was their first year in operation and the teachers wanted to make sure that weren't putting in a bad showing and risk getting canceled; though if anyone asked the muggleborn, they'd say that the teachers had nothing to worry about.

Sitting in his mundane History class, Harry and the other Puffs were busily scratching out some new revision notes and checking their research in their books. Justin grumbled that he wished there was another way to check their data that didn't rely on a book that was already out-of-date by the time it was published but no one responded to him.


Their free time that was usually spent doing whatever they wanted was now taken up by continued studying. Now that's not to say that all the students were as conscientious as let's say the OWL and NEWT level students but for the most part, everyone kept at their books trying to cram in that last bit of knowledge before the tests were given. Harry decided that he needed to get out of the common room for a while and back into the kitchen where he could have a few moments in relative solitude. He picked up a random cookbook and headed off to the portrait of the bowl of fruit which guarded the entrance to the kitchens. After tickling the pear and causing it to change into a door handle, he ambled inside and got set up at his station. The background noise of the elves cooking or calling out orders was soothing to him. He began pulling out his spices and a thick slice of raw beef steak then set up the fire and a skillet. He dropped in a tab of butter before slicing up the beef using a carefully controlled Diffindo charm and sliced the beef into even 1/8" thick pieces. (He loved finding real world applications to the modified spells and potions. His teachers remarked on this as well, sometimes to their own chagrin.) Once the beef was sliced and set aside for the still warming skillet, he pulled out a bowl and reached into the under-the-counter cooling cabinet where the mayo and other perishables were stored.

Another check of the skillet to see if it was finally hot (it was close enough) so he dropped in the beef and let it start cooking then turned back to the mayo spread he intended to make. He dumped a third of a cup of mayo into the bowl followed by a previously prepared BBQ sauce he'd made a week ago. The BBQ sauce was something that his friend Aaron from muggle primary had clued him onto. It was a flamboyant sauce that teased and danced its way across your tongue before ending with a sweet, spicy and cherry flavor finish. Once the spread was completed, he quickly checked on the sizzling beef then went in search of a tomato, some arugula leaves and some crusty French bread.

The beef was pulled out of the skillet and allowed to rest for a few moments while Harry prepared the rest of the sandwich. He sliced the tomato, spread the BBQ mayo on both slices of the bread and tore up the arugula leaves. Next, he removed the beef and laid it down on the leaves and closed up the sandwich then cut it in half. Harry was able to make another sandwich with the ingredients on hand so he wrapped the second one up in paper then cleaned up his mess. He took a bite of his sandwich then licked the dripping juices off his fingers as he pushed his way through the doorway to the kitchens. He quickly crossed the hallway and kicked a specially prepared barrel with his foot in a 'tap… tap, tap… tap' pattern which caused the door to open. (Ordinarily, he'd have to use his wand but after proving himself in the kitchens earlier in the school year, Professor Sprout created this alternate method for him to enter since he usually was carrying a tray of something.)

When he got back to the Puff Common Room, he spotted Hermione lying across the couch holding a book up in the air to read. He nudged her with his knee for her to move so he could sit down. She grumbled at the interruption but quickly sat up when the aroma of the sandwich hit her nose. Harry grinned at her immediate reaction, "Thought you'd might like something to eat while you read. I know how much you hate doing that." She scrunched her nose cutely and reached for the wrapped sandwich.


Wednesday

Draco finished up writing out his revision for Astronomy and flopped back in his chair, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. A momentary thought of how it used to annoy him whenever his hair got mussed flitted through his mind, causing him to smirk then purposely mussed it up even more. That's what he loved about this House; public appearance was significantly different than private appearance. What one looked like in the comfort of their common room was immaterial and smacked of an ego that needed trimming. Sure, you had to follow basic hygiene and all but sometimes a tousled look was more effective of getting people to relax and lower their guard whenever you entered the room or wherever. As he sighed in contemplation, he wondered what Pansy was up to right then and hoped she'd be in the right mindset to go rafting on the river later. 'Talk about a great way to relax…and see Pansy in a bathing suit. I think that pink and yellow number is the best one she's got. I'm surprised that her parents let her get one that has that much exposed skin.'

Down in the Potion's classroom, Severus was busy taking stock of what ingredients he had on-hand for his upcoming Hufflepuff practice exam where he'd have them write out and explain the different ingredients, their usage as well as problems that might crop up during the brewing stage. 'I have enough Valerian sprigs to last another couple of sessions provided the Gryffindors don't screw up again. Where is…oh, here it is. Standard Ingredient satchels…I should order some more, these don't smell fresh anymore though they should be usable for Friday's test.'

Exiting his storeroom, Severus's stomach rumbled loudly. He glanced over at the pile of forms he needed to deal with and sighed in annoyance before remembering the Snack Station in his House's common room. When he entered, what little noise there was, halted immediately though he paid no notice of it as he crossed the room and scanned the table to see if his new favorite treat was available. 'Where is… ah, here we go! Chicken and cheese taquitos, just what the Potion Master requires.' He took a bite of one before snatching a small cup of seven layer dip off the plate and disappearing back out the door.


Thursday

In the first year Slytherin's Transfiguration class, Minerva had them writing down all the steps necessary to successfully transfiguring matchsticks into needles and vice versa. As they were doing that, she noticed that both Vincent and Greg had their headphones on and were bobbing their heads. It was an odd occurrence so she moved over to see what could be causing it. As she approached, her sensitive ears picked up a rhythmic beat coming from their ear pieces. She tapped Vincent on the shoulder causing the boy to jump in surprise. He pulled the headphones off his ears which caused the sound to get louder. "Y, yes, professor?" he stammered.

"What are you listening to?"

Both boys blushed, "It's a muggle musician named Will Smith. He sings and plays music call 'rap.'"

Minerva's eyes narrowed slightly, "I see." She held out her hand and Vince passed her the headphones. She listened to the music for a moment before handing it back, "I have no problem with this. Just keep the volume low and leave it in your dorm room when the exams start. Am I understood?" Both boys nodded their agreement. "Incidentally, where did you learn about this?"

"Draco told us about it after a couple of muggleborns were playing other songs by this artist in their common room last weekend." Minerva pursed her lips, nodded once then headed back up to her table.


Lunchtime rolled around and Minerva practically ran into the Great Hall, causing shocked chatter amongst the assembled students. Standing there panting heavily and with her wand drawn, she scanned the room only to discover that there was no emergency. Poppy appeared at her side and tapped her gently on the shoulder, "Min? What's wrong?"

A pained expression grew on Minerva's face, "I just had the weirdest feeling a few moments ago. I could've sworn that I heard Albus' voice heading towards this room."

Poppy blinked. 'That was odd, I felt the same thing.' "Min, Albus' is gone. He's never coming back if I have anything to say about it and I think everyone else would agree with me. Have you been feeling alright? Eating and resting enough? Maybe you and I should go back to the Infirmary?"

Minerva waved her hand, "No, thank you Poppy. I'm fine; just a momentary thing and yes, I have been eating and resting enough." She patted her friend and colleague on the arm and headed off to her chair.


Meanwhile in Florida…

Albus was at that moment watching a documentary on the History of Magic on the Discovery Channel. It was one of his days off from work and he endeavored to spend it fully. He'd done a bit of grocery shopping, found a new dry cleaner service, picked up lunch at a Popeye's Chicken stand then ate it at the local park. After that, he picked up the local bus to head home tired from his adventure. He had settled into his recliner and turned on the television. He flipped through the channels aimlessly before hitting upon the Discovery channel. When the narrator began his script, Albus jolted back like he'd been hit with a lightning bolt! 'I've had this feeling before! Magic…I was someone important, a headmaster of a school. I mean, how common could my name be? Albus Dumbledore, it can't be a coincidence that a name as different as mine and this program triggered some kind of repressed memory.' After the last time he'd had a similar feeling of déjà vu, he'd sought out a counselor to help with the thoughts running through his mind and causing him stress. They'd discussed it and she had suggested that every time this feeling came up, he should write down what was going on at that moment. He dug around in the drawer of the side table next to his chair and pulled out his notebook and pen to jot down the occurrence.

Albus wasn't the only one to notice; the American Department of Mysteries: South Florida office recorded a pulse of magic being released in the area where the old man lived. The agent on duty made a notation and an order for one of the field agents to take a look in the morning.


Friday

It was time for Harry's Potion's practice exam. He, along with the other Puffs, were feverishly trying to remember the steps involved with making the ironically named 'Forgetfulness Potion.' One of the ingredients, the Valerian sprig, caused him to pause. There was nothing in the instructions or his notes about what sort of preparation was needed before adding it to the brew. He raised his hand and waited for Professor Snape to notice. Severus groaned internally, 'Now what?'

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Sir, I have a question on the Valerian sprigs. There's nothing in the instructions as to what sort of preparation is needed before adding it to the cauldron. Should they be chopped? Sliced? Stewed then chopped?"

Severus stared blankly at him for a moment before shaking himself out of his reverie, "Good question, Mr. Potter. In this case, you add it unaltered. By doing so, you reinforce the intent that you 'forgot' to prepare it. Two points to Hufflepuff." The others were stunned, it was rare for Severus Snape to award points to anyone outside his own House.


The weekend finally upon them, nearly everyone aside from those taking their OWLs or NEWTs decided to take a break and avail themselves to the Grand Baths and the various salons. Daggerclaw had made an announcement at breakfast that the school's dress code would be put on hold for the remainder of their time here. There were some basic (and pretty obvious) rules. The non-school clothing may not have offensive writing on it, may not bare excessive amounts of skin (ie. Muggle bathing suits weren't allowed to be worn in the halls or anywhere other than the Baths.), their outfits must not make loud noises or cause headaches from visual effects (an admonishing glare was aimed at Fred and George) and when it came time for the actual tests, the non-school clothes could still be allowed but their robes must worn on top.

There was practically a stampede by the muggleborns back to their dorms to change out of their stuffy school outfits. This caused the magically raised to become curious and chatter amongst themselves until the others returned; then they had to scrape their jaws off the ground when the fashion parade started. Dean Thomas was the center of attention amongst the Lions, especially by the Twins as well as the girls when he walked in wearing a West Ham football shirt, denim overall shorts with one suspender over his shoulder (the other he was still fighting with) and a leather jacket. His feet were encased in some kind of shoe with the word 'Nike' on the side.

Hermione came back wearing a pair of pink denim dungaree shorts with the cuffs rolled up, a wide leather belt and shiny buckle finished off with a partially tucked in grey-ish blue cotton t-shirt with a Wonder Woman logo printed on the front. Harry was wearing a pair of canvas combat trousers and his favorite t-shirt with Marvel superhero, Iron Man on the front.

The other muggleborn had other styles of clothing as well; each were practically mobbed by the fashion starved magically raised. Some, like Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Daphne Greengrass and Mandy Brocklehurst were nearly drooling from sensory overload.

Later after breakfast; Millie practically monopolized the weight room, Draco spent time with Pansy rafting down the river like he'd suggested to her earlier in the week. Harry was busy in the kitchen doing who-knew-what while Hermione was up in the Room of Requirement flying at breakneck speed through her latest obstacle course creation. Madam Hooch was there overseeing things and eventually joined in. It was rare for her to let her hair down so to speak but enjoyed the time with her favorite student greatly. The two witches flew in a complicated coordination through a chasm to the hard beat of a song Hermione had introduced to her Flight Instructor. 'This AC/DC band puts out great flying music!'


The long-awaited and feverishly prepped for Test Week arrived and as everyone entered the Great Hall for breakfast and their schedules for the week, the students of Hogwarts were greeted with the arrival of the Wizarding Examination Authority officials. Hermione nearly had a panic attack until Harry pulled her aside and wrapped his arms around her shoulders comfortingly; speaking softly and reminding her that she shouldn't be worried about the examiners as they would be there for those taking their OWLs and NEWTs. Hermione blinked then dropped her head onto his shoulder and let out a loud sigh of relief and a nervous laugh.

"Sorry, Harry. I don't know what came over me. Professor Sprout even mentioned this very thing last week."

Harry hugged her one more time, "I know, I was there. If you weren't worrying about a test, I'd think you'd been swapped by an imposter. Come on, let's have breakfast."

The two quickly found their seats and pulled over their desired morning dish. The main feature that morning was a Welsh Breakfast complete with laverbread and Welsh cockles, bacon and sausages, mushrooms and eggs. Additionally, there was oatmeal to mix the laverbread in along with the usual porridge and cereal for the less adventurous. Bowls of fresh fruit were spaced in across the tables plus the normal sugary toppings for the cereals and whatnot.


At the Teacher's Table…

Daggerclaw greeted the examiners and invited them to have breakfast with them. They accepted graciously, several made surprised comments about the morning fare.

"Welsh Full Breakfast, Headmaster? Whose idea was this?" asked Head Examiner, Madam Griselda Marchbanks.

Daggerclaw held up a finger before standing, "Mr. Potter?" Harry looked up to the Teacher's Table, "Was this your idea?" Harry shook his head no. Daggerclaw resumed seat then explained to Madam Marchbanks that if it wasn't Harry's idea then it was the elves who were still experimenting with new recipes.

"Why would you consult Mr. Potter? What does a first year have to do with anything in the kitchens?" Examiner Tofty inquired. He was surprised when he saw the knowing grins the other teachers were giving each other, "Is there something you want to share with the rest of us? Is it something we ought to be worried about?"

Professor Buckmann chuckled, "No, there's nothing you need to worry about. It's just that Mr. Potter is our very own world-class chef and is probably the one responsible for half of the improvements that have taken place over the past school year. His dishes and cooking shows are one of several new highlights that we each look forward to every Saturday, homework permitting as he says."

Tofty spluttered in surprise, "But he's only a first year! How…what can he make that has everyone so excitable?" Several of the teachers' eyes glazed over at the memories that threatened to overwhelm them. Goofy grins erupted a moment later as they reached their happy places.

Daggerclaw chuckled at his colleague's responses, "As you can see, Mr. Potter knows how to cook and bake things that you just have to experience as words are utterly incapable of describing the sensory delights he produces. Mr. Potter?" Harry once more looked up and turned in his direction, "Do you have anything planned for this weekend?" Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head, "I hadn't planned on anything elaborate because of test week. I might make myself a sandwich or a bowl of soup though. Why?"

"I was wondering if you could demonstrate to the examiners here just what you're capable of but if you don't have anything planned then I wouldn't want to throw off your study schedule. Thank you anyways." Harry nodded his head and turned back to his conversation with Neville and Susan.

"Headmaster? What about a pensieve trip?" Filius suggested after a moment.

Daggerclaw face palmed himself, "Brilliant idea, Professor Flitwick. I don't know why that didn't dawn on me a moment ago." Facing the examiners, he suggested that after breakfast that they all go up to his office where he could show them a memory of one of Harry's cooking shows.


The end of year tests commenced right after breakfast and it was just as stressful as Harry had feared. The worst one in his opinion was his Math class; he was sure that he swapped a couple of equations for the wrong ones. That feeling persisted for the rest of the day and made him a tad paranoid that he might fail his classes and be held back a year. This time it was Hermione who calmed him down from his funk by giving him a comforting hug and reminding him that he'd have to screw up something major to be held back a year. One day after another, the Puffs trooped through the castle heading towards their various classes for the written and practical tests or in the case of Astronomy, late at night.


The Day before the Leaving Feast…

It was over. All the revision and the worrying about whether or not he was going to pass… it was OVER! Harry was thrilled that his first year as a magical student was done and dusted. They had gotten their grades and he was pleased with his overall score. There was only one class where he didn't score as high as he would've liked (mundane History) but the Acceptable grade he got was a passing one so he just made a mental note to get some tutoring next year. The rest of his grades flipped between Outstanding (the highest grade) and Exceeds Expectations (the next highest). Hermione's was similar though she'd received an EE on her History test.

His dorm room door opened and Hermione came bursting through in high spirits. She leapt and flopped on his bed next to him causing him to bounce. The two giggled at the silliness before she lay down next to him and shared in his perusal of the ceiling.

"Did you hear what happened to Draco when he got the results back from his Astronomy test?" she asked him, giggles still bursting out occasionally.

"No, what happened?"

"Professor Sinastra thought it would be funny to prank him with a failing grade but it caused him to faint and fall out of his seat and onto the floor. He banged his head on the desk on the way down."

Harry let out a sympathizing exclamation of pain, "Ouch. Not the best idea. So what happened after?"

Hermione shrugged, "She visited him in the Infirmary and apologized. His real score was an Outstanding from what I heard."

Harry rolled over onto his side to look her in the face, "You all packed and ready to head home?" She nodded, "Yeah. You?"

He nodded as well, "I'm looking forward to getting home. I got a bunch of new friends who I want to spend time with. Some of them have never been in the muggle world so it should be fun to see the look on their faces."

"Where were you planning on taking them?"

"I dunno. Probably do a run through the museums and art galleries first, go to the zoo and maybe a water park? Definitely want to go to Alton Towers and Chessington. I also want to stop at a decent sized shopping center."

"I too have some plans and friends coming over. I was thinking of a beach trip as well. My parents were hinting about the three of us taking a trip to France too."

"Neat. Lots of great cooking there, one of the best culinary schools in the world started there."

Hermione snuggled into his side, "Yeah but the world's greatest chef is right next to me."


Leaving Feast, Great Hall

This was it. One last feast for the school year and Harry along with the elves had pulled out all the stops. After consulting with Daggerclaw and Minerva; Harry and Tiny decided to do a 'Year-end Culinary Review.' As many of the dishes that Harry had demonstrated over the past year that could be fit onto the tables arrived in its usual magical fanfare; the tables groaned at the sudden application of weight and the students and staff immediately started drooling in anticipation. Harry had joked with Professor McGonagall that maybe someone should give a lengthy lecture about the importance of friends and family before letting everyone dig in. (The resultant growl and glare nearly made him wet himself.)

Ron Weasley looked over the selection of food and nearly lost control. There was everything and just about anything. He started sweating and looking panicked. He nearly jumped out of his skin when an adult hand landed on his shoulder. He whirled around and looked up to see his Head of House looking back at him with an unfathomable expression.

"If this is getting to be too much for you, I would recommend you leave the Hall. A selection plate can be sent to you instead." He intoned stonily.

Ron gulped; he was so close to finishing out the year without any more indiscretions. He rapidly shook his head and said with a determined tone that he could handle it.

Severus stared at him for a moment, "Very well, but I will be keeping watch on you."


Fred and George had received permission from both the Headmaster and Deputy to put on that night's entertainment with a stunning display of heatless fireworks, singing clocks and dishware and even produced a massive record player from somewhere to play various songs and artists. They did slip in a couple of their usual sort of pranks like when they caused all of the House colors to be swapped at random every ten minutes or caused the boys' hair to swap with the girls' and also change to random colors and effects. There was a lot of cheering and laughter that accompanied every prank they pulled; it was a testament of the restrictions that Minerva had placed on them. If they broke the restrictions of nothing harmful, couldn't be removed with a simple spell canceling charm or needed the Infirmary for causing sickness or something, they'd lose their funding from their heroes.


King's Cross Station, London

The next day after the Leaving Feast, everyone was scrambling to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything and to get their trunks to the loading zone. The train ride home was as exciting as the ride to the castle back in September in many minds. The seventh years had sequestered themselves in the last car of the train while everyone else roamed the aisle in search of friends to say goodbye to and to get home phone numbers or floo addresses. There were multiple compartments being used to discuss the various things they'd learned during the year. Each compartment had its own theme; the one Harry was occupying was of course the one dealing with cooking. Hermione had disappeared a while ago to see if there was a compartment for flying.

Several hours later, the train pulled into the station and began disgorging the kids and their trunks. Harry passed through the platform barrier and spotted his aunt and uncle sitting on one of the benches people-watching.

"Aunt Petunia! Uncle Vernon!" Harry yelled happily.

"Harry!" Petunia returned as she wrapped her arms around her nephew and gave him a welcoming squeeze, "Remus and Sirius ought to be joining us soon. Sirius said he wanted to check out the railroad museum while we were waiting." Sure enough, Harry spotted the two men as they rounded the corner.

"Hey, Pup! Glad you're home, Moony and I have an idea for your first week back. How'd you like to come to the campground and do some fishing and foraging?"

What a great way to end a fantastic year.


Recipes:

Home-made steak sandwich (personal recipe)

Simple study snacks (online via Google)

BBQ mayo spread (personal recipe)

Laverbread (Welsh seaweed puree; mention only, Wikipedia)