I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Note: It is my birthday today and wanted to thank you all for the gift of your time. I've been writing and posting consistently for more than a year now, about a year and a half at this point, and it's been a good journey overall. Thank you all for reading. I like to go back and look at reviews on difficult days and it makes me happy knowing I can help people feel better, entertain them, and help them smile. All the best to you all.

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Extended Family

Chapter 92 – Medicinally Magically

Takes place during Harry's seventh year, around chapter 132 of Family.

"What's wrong? Has that ginger done something to you somehow?"

Harry chuckled. "No, I just had a thought. Aside from the obvious magical ingredients like unicorn horn and tentacula leaves, we use a lot of non-magical things for potions."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "That's true. A lot of the magic that makes a potion comes from magical items and the magic we impart into the potion as we craft or brew it. But you're right, a vast majority of things are mundane or non-magical in nature. What made you think of that?"

"Well I was thinking of making something for dinner and realized I didn't have any ginger handy until I checked my potions kit. I was debating if it was safe to use potions ginger for kitchen ginger and started wondering if there's a difference between the two."

"If you have it kept separate from the other things and wash it thoroughly, I don't see why you couldn't use it. You're good about keeping things clean and organized for potions."

"I better be," Harry snorted. "Alicia would tear me a new one if I wasn't."

Hermione giggled. "Have you noticed that Anthony double checks the classroom now to check for her?"

"You mean Scruffy?"

She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "His name is Anthony!"

"But Scruffy is funnier," Harry smiled.

"She did have a rather large impact on him, didn't she?"

He nodded. "She sure did. Hmm, I better not use this one, I might need it for class and I don't think Professor Snape would accept me using my ginger for cooking to be an acceptable reason for not having any."

"I don't suppose you'll want to ask him for some from the common storeroom then." She smiled at the thought.

"I don't think he'd let me do that either," he laughed. "Oh I might ask one of the House Elves actually if the kitchen doesn't mind sparing some."

"I have been meaning to ask, how do you get your groceries for cooking by the way?"

"I place orders through Hedwig for certain things to some grocers nearby. I also buy from the kitchen or trade for them."

"They let you pay for them?"

"They have to. Normally they would give me things but I didn't want to set a precedent considering no one else really gets to draw from the kitchen like I do. I'm pretty sure I'm paying less than wholesale but it's the thought that counts."

"That's good of you." She blanched a little. "And here I am eating everything you make without questioning it. I'm terribly sorry. I can pay for things too."

"You pay me with your company and studying with me," Harry said.

"As if I'd charge for that or settle things with that. Well I can get you candy from Honeydukes in return or help chip in when I want something specific."

"That's more than fair."

-0-

"Hey Susan, I don't mean to be rude, but you look…not great," Harry said.

Susan snorted and regretted it, trying to wipe her nose. "I don't feel great," she said slightly nasally. "Thanks." She took the tissue from Harry and blew her nose. "I think I'm coming down with something."

"Let's go to the Infirmary."

Susan shook her head. "No it's okay. I'm still fit to function."

"You look miserable," Harry said kindly. "Come on, let's go." He pulled a reluctant Susan with him to the Medical Wing. However, they weren't the only visitors that day. Half the ward was filled with coughing and sniffling students.

"Not you too," Pomfrey sighed, seeing Harry.

"Not me this time," Harry snorted. "But Susan isn't feeling too good."

"Have a seat, there we go." Pomfrey led Susan to a bed and did a few diagnostic charms before handing Susan a potion vial. "Drink that. It's a Pepper Up to help you feel a bit better."

"Auntie Andi didn't teach me a lot of sickness and or illness related healing," Harry said. "Mostly first aid and emergency treatment."

"There isn't too much to do usually aside from treating the symptoms," Pomfrey said. "Common colds and other general illnesses can only be mitigated and let them run their course. Now there are specific illnesses such as dragon pox, splattergroit, conjuredema, and some others that can be treated more specifically, but the others we just try to let the body heal. Magic helps us be more resilient than Muggles, which makes magical illnesses even more resilient too."

She pointed at Verity filling out some notes. "We have been recording charms and diagnostics to gather information and try to screen for the more troubling illnesses. Luckily, and unluckily, it seems to be a more robust common cold. Pepper Ups, coughing potions, and fever potions are the best we can do with some bed rest."

"Makes sense I suppose. It's a bit funny that colds can still be annoying here in the Magical world. When lots of other things can be healed up fairly easily."

Pomfrey smiled grimly. "Just a reminder that magicals are not immune to everything."

"Anything I can do to help?"

Her smile turned warm. "I will not say no if you can help us sanitize things and keep things clean and sterile for us as well as provide potions for others."

"I can do that," Harry said easily. "I'm good at manual labor."

"You certainly are laborious," Pomfrey said, laughing at Harry's look.

-0-

Snape looked around the classroom. "Seeing how the majority of the class is ill, I am canceling class for now. We will do a review session once class resumes."

Most of the others left, eager to take advantage of the free time. Harry did not however and approached Snape. "Professor? If the class is canceled, is it okay if I stayed and made use of the storeroom and the facilities?"

"What for?" Snape asked.

"I wanted to help Madam Pomfrey and Healer Verity and make some potions for them."

"Laudable and just so happens I was going to do that myself with the time. You may remain, Potter. You can either work on your end or you may assist me."

A few years ago, Harry could think of many things he would rather do than assist Snape. Yet, with the change in years, so had Snape and Harry was interested to work with the Potions Master. "I'd be happy to help," he said, and meant it.

"Very well." Snape picked up a silver knife and prepared a selection of ingredients. He moved with a surety and grace that showed years of work and experience. Harry was impressed at the speed that Snape moved and soon each ingredient was prepared and ready. "Please prepare the materials like so. Do not prepare all of them at once. Do them in batches so I can brew each potion completely before going on to the next or starting a new batch."

"Yes Sir." Harry did as bidden and the time passed with a companionable silence. Harry worked industriously, slower than Snape of course, but not slacking nor taking his time.

When Snape came by to take the first set of prepared materials, he nodded approvingly. "Well done, Potter. Your knife work is satisfactory."

"It's actually not too different from a lot of kitchen knife cuts," Harry said. "Thin slicing, mincing, dicing. It's really interesting." He paused for a moment. "I actually was wondering about the differences in garlic you use for potions versus garlic one would use for cooking."

"The garlic itself is the same," Snape said as he went back to his cauldrons. "Obviously there are magical varieties for specific potions but the vast majority of the time, base reagents and materials for mundane ones are the same as one would find in a Muggle grocery or store."

"Could you use a magical garlic for when regular garlic is called for?"

"You could but you run the risk of ruining the potion. The magical types have their own inherent magic and they would react differently to the other ingredients, making a potion unlike what you were intending on creating."

"Has anyone tried cooking with magical garlic? Do they taste the same?"

"I am sure some have. I personally have not. Magical garlics are more difficult to grow and thus more valuable for potion making."

"So just like in spellcasting, intent matters a lot for potion making. You intend the potion to work as created and do everything you can to make it happen."

Snape nodded approvingly. "Precisely Potter."

"Huh, guess I learned something after all," Harry said under his breath.

Snape snorted. "Thank Merlin for that," he said just as softly.

-0-

"I can't believe you," Harry sighed. "I mean, I can believe you, but I feel like this is a time where I should say I can't." He rolled his eyes. "I can't really understand you through the bubble-head."

Hermione glared at him, or rather attempted to but the bubble head ruined the effect. The Bubble-Head Charm was not the sole reason she could not be understood. She dismissed the charm and coughed. "I need to get this done!" she said, her voice raspy and hoarse.

"You are sick," Harry said sternly. He rested his hand on her forehead. "You have a fever and I can feel you shivering."

"I am fine," she said, sounding anything but.

"Come on, we're going back to our dorm and you're going to bed, I can handle the paperwork stuff for now." He pulled her up and out of the prefect offices, ignoring her feeble protests. He continued to ignore her arguing and pushed her gently into her room.

"See? You can barely muster the energy to glare at me," he said when he did not flinch at her weak glare. "Get changed, I'm tucking you in and will check on you later."

"You're not my mother," she grumbled as she weakly pushed him out of her room.

"Now that's an idea." Harry wrote a letter and sent it away with Hedwig. Later that night when he returned, he found a reply waiting for him on the table. "Did she try to sneak out?" he asked.

Hedwig nodded and sighed deeply.

"Did you chase her back in?" Harry asked, smiling.

Hedwig clacked her beak and wiggled her talons gleefully.

"That's my girl," Harry praised her as he sat on the couch and opened the envelope. He had asked Jean what he could do to help Hermione feel better, if they had any home remedies. Jean had replied with their family's chicken soup recipe as well as thanking him for taking care of Hermione. She had decided against sending mundane medication back with Hedwig, not sure of the legality as well as the efficacy, but had said their chicken soup was one of their favorite things to eat when any of them were ill.

"Hmm, this looks tasty. Chicken of course. Noodles, carrots, onion, classic ingredients. Garlic, sage, ginger, thyme…hey, wait a second." Harry pulled out his Potions books and looked a few things up. "Huh, well, what do you know." He looked at the kitchen with a thoughtful expression. "Might be worth trying actually."

He noticed Hedwig looking at him with a concerned expression. "What," he said defensively. "Lots of people think out loud."

Hedwig cooed at him, patting him gently with a wing in an unmistakably condescendingly soothing gesture.

He snorted and poked her beak, just narrowly avoiding her revenge nip. "You're so funny. Come on then. Let's get you some bacon." He smiled when she barked happily, flying to sit on his head and pulling on his hair playfully as he walked into the kitchen. Soon she was munching on some bacon as he prepared the ingredients.

"Thin slice some onions, rotating chop the carrots here. Slice up some celery. Mince the garlic. Going to tie up the thyme and rosemary and sage into a bouquet garni. Thin slice the ginger, make it into needles actually for a milder taste. Let's do some dark meat and white meat chicken. And here are some egg noodles. Hmm, maybe I'll make a stock first with the bones and other things."

After copious scrubbing and cleaning charms, he set his cauldron on the hob and filled it with water. Then put the chicken bones and parts inside the water along with scraps from the onion and carrots and other vegetable pieces he had saved and simmered it together for a long time, watching the water and things become a stock.

After filtering it through a sieve and cheesecloth, he sautéed the celery, onion, and carrot with the garlic to add some color to the vegetables and did the same with the dark meat. He was poaching the white meat in a separate pot with some other herbs and when the cauldron full of vegetables and dark meat and stock came to a boil, he shredded the white meat into it. He stirred it occasionally, skimming off the scum that rose to the top. As the soup neared completion, he added the noodles to cook in the broth.

The kitchen was filled with savory scents and Harry tasted a bit of the simmering soup. "Hmm, that's really good actually." He filled the spoon with more broth and some meat. "Here Hedwig. What do you think?"

Hedwig dipped her beak into the spoon daintily and licked her beak. She hooted energetically and slurped the last of the broth and gnawed on the bit of chicken with gusto.

Harry smiled. "Good!" He ladled her out a bowl and he smiled as she ate it enthusiastically, waggling her tail feathers as she did. He filled a second bowl and knocked on Hermione's door. "Hermione? I'm coming in."

She blinked blearily as he entered. "I'm not really hungry," she said weakly.

"Think you can manage a little though? I got the recipe from your mum."

"You made me chicken soup?" She teared up when he nodded. "That actually sounds wonderful. Thank you, Harry." She pulled herself into a sitting potion on her bed and accepted the bowl. "I think I can smell it a little. It looks really good." It took her a little time but she ate the entire bowl of soup. "That tasted really good. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Get some rest, okay?" Harry took the bowl out and closed her door behind her. He smiled at Hedwig licking her bowl. "Wow, you really like it. Want some more?"

She nodded and looked pointedly at some bacon on the counter.

"Okay, I'll add some bacon for you too," he chuckled. "Watch out for Hermione please. Going to do some delivery."

-0-

"Aww, is this only for the sick people?" Ginny pretended to cough. "I think I'm coming down with something now that I think about it."

Harry chuckled. "Just for the sick people for now but I'll make you more later. Deal?"

"Deal." She stuck her hand out and they shook on it. "I'll make sure Lyla and Mirabelle drink their share. You know I won't have to make Ron eat his."

Harry went to Ravenclaw tower next and Padma let him into their common room, showing him where Luna's room was. When he peeked inside after knocking, Luna's eyes lit up. "Hi Harry," she said brightly, dispelling her generally miserable state.

"I brought you some chicken soup. I hope it'll help you feel better."

She felt warm. "Thank you. Sit with me while I eat it?"

"Of course." He stayed with her until she finished her portion and tucked her in as she fell asleep. He left the tower and went by the Hufflepuff common room, dropping off some for Susan and Hannah before stopping at the Slytherin common room. "You've been delegated into messenger?"

Blaise snorted. "Daphne and Tracy didn't want you to see them sick and unkempt. I knew they were truly ill when they missed their jinxes when I asked them how is that any different from any other time you see them normally."

"I don't think I've ever seen them unkempt," Harry laughed. "The closest was when I saw Daphne horrifically drunk that one time and even then, she looked perfectly presentable."

"One of the abilities of being raised in Society," Blaise said sardonically. He took the containers of soup from Harry. "Very kind of you to do this."

"Do you feel the need to check those for charms or anything?"

Blaise snorted again. "From anyone else, yes. From you? No."

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely. "I'll bring you some of the next batch."

"I would appreciate that," Blaise said just as sincerely.

-0-

"Hey, you look better!"

Hermione smiled. "I feel much better. Thank you so much for the soup. I always feel better after I have some when I'm sick but I feel incredibly good today." She hugged him strongly.

"Now I know you're feeling better," he wheezed as he felt her crush him in her arms.

"Did you do something to the soup? Like I said, it's a tradition to have chicken soup when you're sick but I've never felt quite this good after."

"Well, so I was looking at the recipe your mum sent and I realized something. It had a lot of the mundane ingredients that are used in anti-cough and fever potions."

"Really?"

"Yeah so I made the soup like I would a potion and I guess it worked."

Hermione blinked. "That's extraordinary."

"And I did some more reading. One of those cookbooks you got me before was about medicinal cooking."

"Oh right! I saw that and thought it was really interesting. Been meaning to borrow that from you."

"So turns out it's a lot about balancing foods and having a good diet, but there are a lot of ingredients with natural properties that help with aches and fevers and things. And guess what are good for warmth and helping with colds and feeling unwell?"

"The same ingredients in the soup and the potions?" Hermione looked astounded. "That's so interesting!"

"I took some soup to the others that I knew were sick. If they feel better too, I was going to talk to Madame Pomfrey, Healer Verity, and Professor Snape about it."

As if summoned, the door portrait lioness appeared in the frame on the wall. "You have some visitors," she said. "Shall I let them in?"

"Yes please." The door swung wide and Harry smiled at the two who trooped in. "Hey there, you guys feeling better?"

"Way better," Lyla said happily and hugged him. "The soup was so tasty. It's better than Mum's."

"Don't tell her that," Harry begged.

"You know I will," Lyla laughed.

"It reminded me of my Mum's and it was so good," Mirabelle said as she hugged him. "And I feel a lot better too. Not completely back to normal but at least I don't sound like I'm going to cough up a lung anymore."

"That's three for three. Statistically noteworthy despite the small sample size," Hermione smiled.

"Guess I should go talk to them then," Harry smiled back.

-0-

Pomfrey, Verity, and Snape looked at each other. When Harry first spoke to Pomfrey, she asked Snape to come and they were in her office with Harry, Hermione, Lyla, and Mirabelle. Harry brought a container of soup and described what he did to make it.

"Their symptoms are much better," Verity confirmed. "The Diagnostic Charm shows some improvement, more than I'd expected overnight even with the potions they took yesterday. Granted, there might be an additive effect if they took the potions and drank the soup."

"But drinking more potion typically does not heal you faster despite what some think," Pomfrey mused. "And they are not showing signs of overdosing. If anything, they might be acting in concert and that is why it was so effective."

"It has been some time since I heard someone trying to cook food in their cauldron," Snape said. "But, the way you made it, it does sound very much like potion brewing." He waved his wand over the soup and murmured softly. "Hmm. There are traces of magic power in it. Imparted by the cauldron certainly, but magic nonetheless."

"I mean, there is precedent for magical food of course. It's typically sweets though," Verity said.

"I am going to check on the others that you gave the soup to. If they are also doing better, then I think we can certainly do something with this," Pomfrey said enthusiastically. "What a marvelous find!"

"Eating healthy and well is a big part of medicinal cooking," Harry said. "And I know it's an idiom but there's a saying where you should feed a cold and starve a fever. Don't those sayings have a grain of truth?"

"I would like to borrow that book if I may, Potter," Snape said. "The idea has merit and now that I recall the conversation we had, it makes some sense."

"Diet and nutrition isn't something that's all that talked about in the Magical world, is it?" Hermione asked.

"Not really. Casting spells and using magic expends a lot of energy so it was never as much of a concern before, historically I mean," Pomfrey said. "In the past, it was important to eat a lot to have the necessary reserves to cast."

She smiled proudly at Harry. "Well done, Mister Potter. With this, I think things will improve greatly."

-0-

A day later, bowls of chicken soup appeared on all the tables at meal times. In the ensuing days, people began to feel better and less and less people got sick and needed potions or visits to the Medical Wing. A few more days after that, not a person was sick at the school.

"Aren't you guys tired of chicken soup?" Harry asked.

Luna took the bowl from him eagerly. "I'm not. The House Elves make a lovely soup but yours is my favorite."

A small group of people were in the Heads' dorm eating dinner together and they had asked Harry to make his soup again for them. He did not mind despite making it a lot the last week or so. "Well that's good then," he said happily.

"Did you really teach the House Elves how to make it?" Mirabelle asked.

"Sort of yeah. I taught a big group and they taught the others. Professor Snape got them a special cauldron for it and since it's not exactly like brewing a potion, the House Elves could make it and the effects are similar. The soup still works best if you take the proper potion, but they work great together."

"I hope you received some form of recognition for this," Daphne said. "You deserve it."

He waved a hand. "I love cooking for my friends and family. I don't need any special recognition. That said, I can order more groceries through the kitchens now and have a budget there so that's nice and handy."

"Thanks for all of this by the way, not sure if we said it properly," Tracy said and the others nodded their heads, making noises of agreement.

"Happy to and you should thank Hermione's mum too. It's their family recipe." He smiled. "They call it Granger Chicken Soup in the kitchens."

"Mum is going to love that," Hermione smiled happily.

"They didn't want to call it Potter Soup or something like that?" Ginny asked.

"They were but I managed to get them to call it another name," Harry laughed. "They were going to call it Pot Soup and I begged them not to."

"Oh yeah that'd be terrible," Mirabelle laughed.

"Why would it be terrible?" Daphne asked. "One cooks with pots after all."

"Pot is a name for a drug in the Muggle world," Mirabelle said.

"It is? Is that why all the Muggleborns were laughing their arses off at everyone calling themselves Potheads?!" Lyla exclaimed.

"Yeah, and that's another term for the people that use that drug," Harry said weakly while the others howled with laughter and Hermione shook her head.

"I need to punish Dean somehow for starting that," Hermione muttered.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Lyla yelled at Mirabelle, pushing her.

"Because it's really funny!" Mirabelle said, pushing her back.

"Are you sure you do not put something like that in your cooking?" Daphne teased, her sincere smile taking out any accusation. "We seem very addicted to it."

"Happily," Luna said, slurping the last of the soup from her bowl noisily. "Seconds please!"

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Ghostwriter - Young, awkward, love. Scarring for everyone.

EbonPurlight - Glad I can provide a break for you to enjoy.

odonnellzoo99 - Few people can make Hermione lose her cool, and relax, like Harry. Gosh, judgmental Hedwig. Imagine finding her just judging you as you were caught.

poka - Poor Harry, his favorite alcove always being used like that.

alix33 - Yup, seeing his older sibs doing that in his favorite alcove, the horror.

jouv25 - That was a big goal for this fic in general. Exploring those fun moments that were mentioned in the main story and letting people enjoy the silliness without being filler or detracting from the main story.