Main Prompt: Write about someone organizing a family meal. (Charms task 2)

Secondary Prompts: 2.[Action] Cooking, 10.[Action] Baking and 13.[Word] Cup

Word count: 1066

~wWw~

"Draco Malloy! Get your hand out of that bowl!" Hermione yelled at her boyfriend, now fiancé, as he attempted to steal some of the ice she was making.

Hermione was a little more than stressed. Only five hours ago Draco had said that his parents were going to be coming over so the couple could reveal their engagement. Ever since then, Hermione had been puttering around the kitchen, attempting to prepare a wonderful meal. Draco had attempted to help at first, but Hermione had gotten annoyed with his constant taste-testing.

So Draco watched from afar as his beautiful fiancé cooked and baked up a storm. Hermione had always had a knack for baking, cooking not so much, but she was trying her best. Draco wasn't much good at either of them, preferring to test the food rather than help make it.

Hermione carefully rolled a piping bag over a cup, filling it with smooth buttercream frosting. With a practiced motion, she pulled the bag out of the cup and twisted the end to prevent the sugary frosting from escaping. Applying a steady amount of pressure, she guided the frosting into beautiful swirls around the edges of her cake. Draco watched as she meticulously hand-iced the cake; even after all these years, he couldn't understand her desire to do it by hand instead of just using a spell.

As he watched the tension drain from her body, he began to understand why she enjoyed doing it by hand. He normally didn't watch as she iced her cakes or baked, too caught up in his own things. But now he watched, mesmerized. With tiny motions of her hand, she made swirls around the cake. Each one was the same as the last.

Hermione placed the still partially-filled piping bag in the same cup as before. Lifting the now finished cake, she carefully walked across the large kitchen and placed it in the fridge. With a flick of her wand, the kitchen was spotless.

Draco watched as Hermione stared in the cupboard looking for something to cook. He could see the worry in her posture as she stood. He knew she wanted his parents to like her, but he never knew it was this important to her. Draco straightened up from his location by the doorframe and walked over to his fiance. With a practiced motion, he wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose into her shoulder. He could feel her muscles relaxing at his touch.

"What should I make for dinner?" Hermione asked, looking over her shoulder at Draco.

"Whatever you want," Draco whispered, his hot breath washing over her ear.

"Draco, that isn't helpful," Hermione whispered back.

"Make what you want to, my parents will eat anything," Draco repeated. Hermione nodded, looking back into the cupboard. She pulled out a package of chicken, along with a couple of other things before walking over to the counter.

"How long until your parents arrive?" Hermione asked as she pulled out a cutting board.

"An hour?" Draco guessed. Hermione nodded before returning her attention to the cutting board in front of her. He watched as she cleanly sliced up the chicken and placed it in a pan. Draco watched as Hermione pointed her wand at a pot and whispered a few words. The water within the pot began to slowly boil. Slowly bubbling faster and faster, until it was at a rolling boil.

Smiling down at the water, Hermione carefully dropped fresh pasta into the boiling water. It bubbled for a moment before slowing. With a flick of her wand and a red spark, Hermione started a timer.

Turning away, Hermione swished the chicken around the pan, to release it from the pan. With a flick of her wrist, Hermione flipped the chicken, exposing the perfectly browned skin. Turning back to the pot, Hermione stirred the boiling pasta, catching it just before it boiled over. Draco watched enthralled as Hermione masterfully manipulated the kitchen around her. He watched as she took care to not burn anything. Her eyes darting between the pan and the pot.

Carefully holding the pot away from her body, Hermione pushed the cooked chicken onto the cutting board. She only scraped the large pieces off, leaving behind the best parts. She skillfully unwrapped a stick of butter, placing it in the pan and swirling it around; as it melted, she kept an eye on her boiling pasta. She carefully watched it, not wanting to brown the sauce. With a careful hand, she sprinkled flour across the butter, whisking it in.

"Draco, could you please set the table. Please use the cups that Luna made for us," Hermione asked, looking over at Draco.

"Of course," Draco said, rising from his resting place and walking into the dining room. Hermione turned her attention to finishing her sauce and dinner. Turning off all the burners, she drained the pasta water into the sink and poured the pasta into the prepared sauce. Using a pair of tongs, she tossed and coated the pasta in the sauce.

She carefully sliced up the cooked chicken into even strips and pushed it into the pasta. Like before, she used the tongs to mix the chicken in. With a practiced motion, she began the process of washing and ripping up lettuce for a salad. Within a couple of minutes, she had a sizable bowl of lettuce and had begun working on the dressing. She poured some balsamic vinegar and olive oil into a small bowl with some mayonnaise. and quickly mixed it up. She poured her finished dressing into the salad and tossed it with a pair of glass salad tongs.

Just as she was finishing putting everything on the table, a loud knock resonated throughout the home. Hermione made her way to the door, meeting Draco along the way. With a smile at her boyfriend, she opened the door and let his parents in. Draco greeted his mother with a hug and a kiss on the cheek while Hermione and Draco's father watched on.

Sensing the tension in the room, Draco let everyone into the dining room, allowing his arm to rest on Hermione's back, comforting her. As they entered the room, Draco's mother's eyes went directly to the glasses they had gotten from Luna.

"Well, those glasses are interesting," she commented. Hermione laughed nervously, breaking the growing tension.

"Yes, they are."