I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
A Taste of Magic
5th Course – Families and Recipes
"What's wrong Parvati?" Lavender asked, sitting down beside her friend.
"Nothing really, I guess," Parvati said. Her expression was slightly glum however, her tone subdued.
"Is something wrong with steak and kidney pie?" Lavender asked.
"No, aside from that it's steak and kidney pie," she replied.
"What's wrong with steak and kidney pie?" Harry asked.
Parvati giggled at his look of vague affront. "Nothing really, just not what I was wanting, I guess. It's weird, I kinda miss having what my family usually has for dinner."
"Oh that makes sense," Lavender said sympathetically. "I guess my family usually ate this sort of thing on the regular so it feels more familiar to me." She looked at Harry. "How about you?"
"Pretty much the same," Harry said. "The Dursleys didn't really like foreign food really. So I never got the chance to learn or make very different things. Always wanted to, though."
"Hey!" Parvati straightened, her expression brightening. "Do you think you could make something if I gave you the recipe?"
"I can try," Harry said slowly. "I'm good at following recipes but if it's a different kind of food, I don't know if I'll do a good job at it. Since I've never made anything like it before."
"I bet you could!" Lavender said brightly. "Your biscuits and muffins are amazing and you do those with a recipe in your head. I'm sure you could do a good job with a recipe written out. Especially if Parvati knows what it's supposed to look and taste like."
"Yeah! I mean, I never learned how to make it myself but I have watched before. Please Harry?" Parvati gave him a soulful look, her eyes wide open and blinking slowly.
Harry went beet red. "Oh! Uh, I mean, sure I'd be happy to try," he stammered.
"Thank you!" Parvati said happily. "Hmm, I don't remember recipes completely. I could write home. Oh! Wait, I have an idea." She looked over at the Ravenclaw table. "Drat, she's not there. Let me go find her." She took off running.
"She probably went to find Padma," Lavender said, frowning as her friend ran off.
"Oh that makes sense. Should we wait for her here or follow?" Harry asked.
"We can finish dinner. She'll find us later or we can find her first."
Parvati did not return and Harry and Lavender finished their dinner and started walking back up to Gryffindor tower. As they got off the last moving staircase and entered the hall leading towards the upper part of the castle, they stopped when someone shouted for them. They waited for Parvati and Padma to reach them.
"Finally found her," Parvati said, gasping a little.
"I was reading," Padma sighed, giving her sister a look.
"I know, I saw. Padma, you've met Lavender. This is Harry. Harry, meet Padma, my twin."
"Hello," Harry said, nodding shyly.
"Hello," Padma said back, giving him a curious look. "What's this about?"
"Harry's going to try and cook something for us," Parvati said. "He's a really good cook and if we can give him a recipe, he'll try and make it for us."
"Okay, so what am I doing here then?" Padma asked.
"Because I don't remember the recipes and I was thinking you did."
Padma glared at her sister. "Really? This is what you want?"
"What?! I've missed eating our home food and you can't tell me that you haven't either!"
"Okay, I might, but you can't expect the castle to provide Indian food for us!"
"I didn't! That's why I asked Harry!"
Padma looked at him. "Have you ever cooked Indian food before?"
"No, I haven't."
"Then how can you expect him to cook it then?!"
"With a recipe!"
Padma rested her hands on her hips. "Just following a recipe doesn't always work. Indian food is way different than lots of other foods and," she gave Harry a sheepish look, "no offense, but just because you can cook one thing, it doesn't mean you can cook another."
"None taken," Harry said quickly. "I said as much but I'd love to try."
"Come on, it can't be that much different than potion making and Harry's really good at that too. That's just following a recipe and you learn by doing that." Parvati rested her hands on her hips and gave Padma a look. "I've had Harry's cooking twice now and it's so good and with me and you to help him, it'll be good!"
Lavender started giggling, covering her mouth with her hand. She giggled harder when the other three looked at her. "I'm sorry, but you two look so much alike right now," she said, pointing at the Patil twins.
They gave identical eyerolls and huffs, exchanging an irritated look that made Lavender giggle even harder and Harry smile. "We are twins after all," Parvati huffed.
"But there are some differences," Padma said with a sharp smile. "You never learned how to do anything in the kitchen right. That's why Mum and the aunties and Grandmum stopped trying to teach you."
"Hey, it's not easy! Right Harry?"
"It can be hard, yeah," Harry agreed.
Padma snorted. "One time she confused the paprika with chili powder and we drank gallons of water that night when the curry was super spicy."
Parvati flushed while Lavender broke out laughing and Harry chuckled. "Like you're little miss perfect! One time she mixed the salt and the sugar and our gulab jamun were salt balls!"
Padma flushed deeply and growled at her sister. "You're the one that used all the strings for the dolls and Papa and the uncles couldn't restring any of their instruments!"
"You didn't stop me and those were our dolls, you kutiya!"
"I'm telling Mum you called me that!"
Harry's eyes widened with alarm as Parvati and Padma started shouting at each other, half in English and half in a different language. They were waving their arms and were pushing each other slightly. "Should we stop them?"
Lavender shook her head. "No, this is normal for siblings. I used to fight with my little sisters like this all the time."
"I'd never dare fight Dudley like this," Harry muttered to himself.
"Ahem," Lavender cleared her throat. She quailed a little at the identical angry looks from the Patils. "Might not want to draw any teachers or prefects."
Padma smoothed her skirt out. "Right, sorry. But here's the thing, we need a lot of spices. I remember the ratios but how are we supposed to get them out here? Not to mention where are we supposed to cook it?"
"I can ask Professor Flitwick if we can use the Household Charms club classroom," Harry said. "He might let us. As far as spices go, I can try asking the House Elves."
"Really?" Padma looked impressed. "I didn't know you could do that."
"I don't think I'm supposed to but I know we can order things via owl. Maybe they can tell me how to get some things that way? We can make it work."
"We can ask Mum and Dad," Parvati said. "They might send us stuff."
"You know they won't. They only care about us learning and school stuff here," Padma sighed. "Plus Grandmum would get really mad at us. These are family recipes and you know that. We're not supposed to be sharing those with people not in the family."
"Oh right," Parvati mumbled. "Always thought that was kinda dumb though."
"I wouldn't want you to get in trouble over this," Harry said quietly. "Family recipes are important, right?" The tone of his voice made the girls stop and look at him.
"I mean yeah, but it's nothing like that," Parvati said, though she had a touch of uncertainty in her expression.
"I think Grandmum cares more about the ratio of spices," Padma said after a moment. "So if I measure the spices myself then it should be okay, maybe. As far as they know anyways." She shrugged. "Honestly, she might be happy that we get to eat our family food while here. She always complained that we eat too much British food."
"Then we can ask Professor Flitwick tomorrow after class," Lavender said encouragingly. "I'd love to eat some Indian food too. I miss having takeaway from other kinds of food here. It'll be fun!"
"Yeah, I'm excited," Harry said with a smile.
"I'll write a letter for home," Padma said. "See what Grandmum says."
"You can ask Hedwig to deliver it for you," Harry said. "She's my snowy owl. Just tell her it's for me and I think she will. She gets bored I think since I don't really have anyone to write to."
"Thanks Harry," Parvati said. "I'll help Padma write the letter and we can send it off tonight." She and Padma waved and walked towards Ravenclaw tower while Lavender and Harry continued on to Gryffindor tower.
"Does…does he usually say stuff like that?" Padma asked after they walked in silence for a few moments.
"Kinda? Enough to notice," Parvati said quietly. "I'm not as close to him as Lavender but I like him. He's nice and seriously, he's great at baking and I bet he's a good cook too. But yeah, it's a little weird."
Padma did not say anything more and the two continued to walk in thoughtful silence.
-0-
Flitwick hummed for a moment. "Strictly speaking, the classroom should be for club activities and while I do not doubt your skills anymore Mister Potter, I don't know if it's wise to let you cook without supervision. In case of emergency."
"Would it make you feel better to know I've cooked by myself for years?" Harry asked.
Flitwick blinked and the girls looked at him once more. "Well, yes and no," he said.
"What if we do practice some of the charms we've learned while we're using the clubroom?" Lavender asked.
"And we promise to be extra careful," Parvati said.
Flitwick smiled gently. "That would be considered club activities, and I am enthused knowing Miss Patil would be joining you. I always like seeing inter-House interactions, especially when it's one of my own. I suppose as long as you have one of the House Elves keeping an eye on things-" his smile grew when Inky popped into the classroom.
"Inky volunteers!" the House Elf said happily.
"You aren't neglecting your other duties of course?" Flitwick asked.
The House Elf gave him a jaundiced look. "Inky would never! Inky will keep an eye and ear out on Mister Harry and the others and other House Elves will help too."
"They will?" Padma asked, surprised.
"As long as they get to eat," Inky said. "They like Mister Harry's cooking too."
"Which brings me to my next condition," Flitwick continued. "I would like to try whatever you are making as well."
"Of course," Harry said with a large smile. "Are we allowed to then?"
"I suppose you are," Flitwick said. He looked about with exaggerated caution. "Don't tell anyone else, however. I would hate to be accused of favoritism."
-0-
"I didn't do anything," Ron complained.
"Neither did we," the twins complained.
Percy sighed but continued to push his brothers into a corner of the common room. "Yes you did and I want to get to the bottom of this." He gave them all a severe look and privately lamented when none of them seemed to be all that affected by it.
He took a deep breath. "Why were you two messing with Potter at Flying club?"
"Who said we were?" the twins retorted, incensed.
"Oliver."
"And he came running to you? Boo," George grunted.
"Because he was concerned," Percy said evenly.
"For Potter?" Fred asked.
"And for the both of you, saying it was uncharacteristic."
That mollified the twins slightly. After staying silent for a moment longer they shrugged. "Okay, maybe we were messing with him, but just a little," George confessed.
"I already knew that. I want to know why," Percy pressed.
"Because of Ron," Fred said.
"I didn't tell them to do that!" Ron protested.
"Not in so many words," George said, waggling his hand.
"Enough!" Percy pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "Ron, why did you say something that Fred and George would want to mess with Potter over? What has he done to you?"
"He had a go at Mum," Ron muttered.
Percy opened his eyes and looked at Ron with a very serious expression. "I sincerely doubt that Potter insulted our mother."
"So I'm a liar?" Ron retorted, cheeks going red.
"I did not say that," Percy said as patiently as he could, ignoring the looks from the twins. "What I am saying, based on what I have seen from Potter, I do not think he deliberately insulted her."
"So you'd trust someone else instead of family?" George and Fred said with disgust.
"Please," Percy snorted. "You two mislead people all the time and we all know that everyone in the family is guilty of misunderstanding things."
"Fair enough." The twins shrugged.
Percy looked back at Ron. "What did Potter say exactly?"
"It was weeks ago," Ron said weakly.
"Try and remember."
Ron thought hard. "Well he seemed nice at first. When the snack cart came, he got a lot of candy and he traded me a bunch for the sandwiches Mum makes. He ate one and asked if I knew how she made them and I said like how anyone makes a sandwich. He said it tasted different from other corned beef he had and I got mad."
"Different does not mean bad," Percy said. "Did he actually say it tasted bad?"
"No, he said it tasted good, just different," Ron said lamely. He flushed at the looks from his older brothers. "But then he kept saying how weird the candy was!"
"Ron, did he grow up in a magical family?" Percy asked.
"No, he said he grew up with Muggles."
"Then of course he would find things to be odd," Percy sighed.
"He wouldn't shut up about talking about food and cooking and things," Ron grumbled.
"You'd think you'd like that considering you eat a lot," Fred grinned.
"So do you two!" Ron shouted.
Percy held his hand up. "So do we all but that is not the point. Clearly cooking and food is something Potter is interested in. He was most likely trying to connect with you."
"It's weird though," Ron said mulishly. "I told him that wizards and witches don't really care about cooking and stuff like that."
"It is no weirder than you enjoying Quidditch and the Chudley Cannons so much," Percy said.
"The Cannons are great!"
"No they aren't," the twins said.
"Enough," Percy said again, keeping the ensuing argument from happening.
"It's not my fault!" Ron said angrily. "He's weird! He cares more about cooking and food. He was eating potion ingredients! That's not normal!"
"Ron, he does not know," Percy repeated. "How could he? Yes, we know not to do that but we were raised differently. Everyone has different interests. That is normal."
"He should know," Ron insisted.
"He was not taught, not like us," Percy said firmly. "Look, obviously this was all a very unfortunate misunderstanding." He pointed at the twins. "Do not mess with him anymore. If he legitimately does something that upsets you, let me know." He looked back at Ron. "And leave him be. Do not think I have not noticed how Finnegan continues to spread those rumors and say those things. You do not have to be friends with Potter but do not let this misunderstanding continue to fuel your ire."
The three Weasleys opened their mouths to protest but they shut them abruptly, quailing at the incredibly severe look that Percy gave them.
"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist," Fred muttered.
"Thanks a lot," George muttered, poking Ron.
"It wasn't my fault," Ron growled back.
"That. Is. Enough." Percy's tone was a very final one that caused his three brothers to fall silent. "Let us go about our day then." He turned to walk away.
"Kinda funny how you're so willing to defend him," George said wryly.
"Is it?" Percy turned halfway and raised an eyebrow at them. "After seeing what he has endured, I can understand what he is going through."
"You can?" Fred asked, surprised.
"Yes. I know exactly what it is like to speak and be heard but not listened to. And to be mocked for liking something different." He turned and walked away completely, leaving a very quiet corner behind him.
-0-
Hedwig came flying down, dodging nimbly around other post and family owls. Spreading her wings wide, she landed neatly in front of Harry and hooted a hello before walking daintily up the table to approach Parvati. She held a leg out, revealing a small package tied neatly.
"Thanks Hedwig!" Parvati said as she undid the ties. She looked a little confused when Hedwig looked at her expectantly.
"She wants some of your bacon," Harry whispered loudly. "For a job well done."
"Oh! Here you go." Parvati giggled when Hedwig carefully accepted the piece of bacon and gobbled it down noisily.
"Do you need her to send some post too?" Harry asked.
Lavender shook her head, smiling when Hedwig took the piece she offered. "Maybe later. But I wanted to give her a piece because she's beautiful and adorable."
Hedwig fluffed up, sticking her chest out and gave Harry a smug look.
"Hey, I tell you that all the time," Harry laughed. He shook his head when she helped herself to the bacon on his plate.
"Ooh, Grandmum sent us a little pack of our family garam masala." Parvati continued to read the letter. "She says it's fine if you learn the recipe, unless you mess it up. Then you'll be cursed by our ancestors." She looked at Harry. "I'm pretty sure she's kidding."
"Better not mess it up to be on the safe side," he gulped. "I got the rest of the ingredients Padma wrote out. Some were delivered from a grocer that had a mail order list and others I got from the kitchens."
Lavender clapped her hands with glee. "This is so exciting! Can we do it tonight?"
"I'll check with Padma but I hope so!" She opened the small packet of potent spices and took a whiff. "Mmm, it smells like home."
"Your home smells very nice," Harry said with a smile when he sniffed delicately from the spice bag.
"Yeah." Parvati's tone became wistful. "Guess I didn't know how much I missed it."
-0-
"I'm sorry, I don't know if Grandmum is kidding or not," Padma said seriously. "She says things like that all the time and she's a witch too so…" She shrugged.
"I better not mess it up then," Harry said in a half-resigned and half-determined tone.
The four of them were in the clubroom and after bringing a few things, Inky said she would be in and out but they could call on her whenever. They set everything up on the long preparation table and set the pot on the hob, letting it warm.
Padma looked at Harry with interest as he diced the onion. "Wow, you look like one of our aunties right now."
"Really?" Harry asked though he kept his eyes on the cutting board as he continued to dice.
"Oh Auntie Anvi," Parvati said. "Yeah I agree. She runs a restaurant where our family lives in India."
Harry looked up and his eyes sparkled. "You think so?"
Padma smiled, seeing his joy. "Yes, she is a very good cook and she's the fastest chopper and dicer in our family. Her cooking is really good. I think the recipe is one of hers actually."
"What are we making?" Lavender asked as she helped clean things with a combination of water and soap and the Scouring Charm.
"Butter chicken. That was one of the easier recipes to follow," Padma said.
"I love butter chicken!" Lavender said brightly. "I'm so excited and hungry."
"We're also going to make roti," Parvati said as she measured out the ingredients. "I can make that at least."
After finishing preparing the ingredients, they clustered around the hob and Harry followed Padma's instructions as she read from the recipe. "Too bad we couldn't get any ghee. What is ghee by the way?" Harry asked as he dropped butter into the pan.
"It's clarified butter," Padma read. "A different kind of butter. But regular butter is just fine."
"Gosh that smells amazing," Lavender sighed as the onions sizzled in the butter. After softening and turning translucent around the edges, garlic and ginger was added, making things even more fragrant. Harry then added the spices, including the Patil family garam masala. "Okay, now that smells amazing," Lavender said as the air became aromatic and spicy.
"That smells like home," Parvati said wistfully.
"It really does," Padma said softly.
"What kind of spice is garam masala?" Harry asked. "Sorry for the questions, I really like learning about things like this."
"I don't mind at all," Padma said. "It's a mixture of spices. It means 'hot' and 'spices' but it's not always super spicy. The spices can include cinnamon, peppercorns, coriander seeds, all sorts of things. But every family has their own mixture and that's the secret."
"They're always debating which one is better," Parvati said. "Sometimes they make the same dish but with their own masala mixes and try to say which is better. It can get pretty heated."
Padma started giggling. "One time, one of our uncles tasted a bunch of them and picked one that he thought was his wife's but he was wrong!"
Parvati laughed. "Auntie chased him around the house for that!"
At Padma's direction, Harry added the chicken that had been marinated in yogurt and other spices in small batches. Once the chicken was cooked slightly, he added the crushed tomatoes and stirred. "Now we wait for it to mostly finish and then add the cream?"
"That's it," Padma said. She nodded with approval. "It looks really good."
While the chicken and sauce simmered, they moved onto the roti. Bits of flour got everywhere as they stirred water into the flour and a little bit of oil.
"This is a heavy dough," Harry said as he kneaded it out, rolling the dough with his hands and pressing down with the heels. "Makes sense if it's just water and flour though."
"Use your knuckles too. Especially if you knead it in the bowl," Parvati suggested. She rolled her eyes at Padma's shocked look. "I remember some things!" She and Padma started arguing again.
Lavender nodded reassuringly to Harry. "Yup, still normal," she said.
After letting the finally smooth dough rest, they kneaded it once more and portioned it out into small balls that they flattened into round shapes. Each roti was brushed with butter and then cooked over a skillet on the hob while the butter chicken continued to simmer.
"This looks exactly like it should!" Parvati took the first completed one and juggled it from hand to hand. She eagerly tore it into four pieces, hissing slightly as she kept flicking her fingers to keep the tips from burning.
"It tastes like it should," Padma gasped as she chewed on the flatbread. "I didn't think we'd get it right the first time!"
"It's a good recipe," Harry said as he blew to cool the steaming roti. "It tastes really nice! Chewy and buttery. Really simple."
"You're an amazing cook," Lavender said as she nibbled her piece, also blowing on it.
"Let's wait for the butter chicken first before you say that," Harry said with a smile and pink cheeks. He added the cream and stirred the curry, watching the deep red tomato sauce become rosy red. He scooped up some of the sauce onto a spoon and took an experimental taste.
"Well?" the three girls asked.
"I have no idea if it's supposed to taste like this but it tastes wonderful," he said sincerely.
"This is it!" Parvati cried as she tasted it.
"It really is!" Padma agreed.
"This is so much better than the takeaway I've had!" Lavender smiled.
Harry poured out bowls of butter chicken and set aside portions for Inky and the other House Elves and Flitwick. He smiled as he saw the girls digging deep into their bowls, eating with big smiles and evident delight.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Lavender asked, seeing Harry standing further away and eating. "Come and join us silly."
"Oh! Uhm, okay." After some hesitation, he moved closer and sat beside them at the table. Slightly embarrassed he tucked in too and after a moment, the girls resumed eating.
"Please tell me there's more," Parvati said as she wiped up the sauce with a piece of her flatbread.
"Plenty more," Harry said. "I'm going to want seconds too."
"You might want to eat some more roti with it," Padma said. "If you haven't really had curry before and eat too much of it at once, you can get an upset stomach."
"Oh thanks. I can't believe I missed out on curry for so long," Harry said.
"Curry is pretty popular for British people though," Lavender said.
"I guess but like I said, the Dursleys never cared for anything they thought was foreign."
"That's sad. I can understand not eating something if you're allergic but that sounds like a silly reason," Padma sniffed.
"I think so too," Harry agreed.
"Do you do this at all your club meetings?" Padma asked.
"We've only made muffins and biscuits so far but yeah," Harry nodded. "And we sew and learn spells for both things."
"I have to start coming now," Padma said. "I've been missing out."
"I missed out on the first one too," Parvati said, giving Lavender a look.
"Harry was my friend first," Lavender said smugly.
"But we're friends now too," Parvati said. "You can be friends with Padma too I guess, if you want." She glared at her sister when Padma threw her napkin at her.
"I'd like that a lot," Harry said sincerely. "You two are really nice too."
"Not to each other though," Lavender giggled when the twins started throwing things at each other. "Again, perfectly normal."
Inky and a few other House Elves appeared to help clean up the room. They eagerly divided their portion of the curry and roti up and ate it, praising Harry and asking him how he made it.
"You were right," Padma said, "he is very good. I'm still really surprised we got it so close to the original, especially since it was his first time making it."
"Told you," Parvati smiled. "There's something about his cooking that makes it taste extra good though. It's weird, it does taste really close to home. But different in a nice way."
"It's very comforting," Lavender said. She liked seeing Harry happy, showing the House Elves what he did. He looked animated as he talked to the eager Elves.
After finishing chatting with the Elves, Harry and Lavender and Parvati taught Padma the Scouring Charm to keep up with club appearances. After some spellwork and some handwashing, they left the club room. "Thank you so much," Padma said. "This was really nice. I didn't know how much I missed eating Indian food too."
"You're welcome. Thank you for teaching me," Harry said.
"We'll have to get more recipes and bring them here," Parvati said. "I'd love to do this more."
"Me too, and maybe we can learn more stuff together," Lavender said.
"Yeah, that'd be really great," Harry sighed happily.
-0-0-0-
AshokaTheGreat - I'm trying really hard to have them be more like their age, or as reasonably as I can as far as I know. I like trying to have a bit of nuance and plausibility. Of course Draco could be a mustache twirling caricature of a person pretending to be cartoonishly evil, but this way feels more understanding and relatable and hopefully more satisfying. I actually prefer banana bread or muffins without nuts haha, I feel the nuts get in the way for me. I hope you like their eventual development as characters.
Jaysto - I didn't even think that was much of a cliffhanger haha. I had some doozies in Family and Defiance though that I definitely intended to be major cliffhangers. Thank you for reading, I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Arnie1701 - Don't make any assumptions.
.master - Thank you for the kind words. I'm really wanting them to feel like believable characters, acting their age and the like. I want there to be a touch of subtlety and real life, something that people can recognize and empathize with. Thank you for reading.
SvenHPotterFan - I do intend on growing things as it makes sense. As a Muggleborn, I'd love a club like this. Imagine all the fun useful spells you learn instead of just learning how to turn animals into snuffboxes or tea kettles.
alix33 - Aww, that sounds really nice for your family.
poka - Muffins are basically cake for breakfast, what's not to like?
odonnellzoo99 - I've been working on the magic theory and have plans for it too, so look forward to that. I'm leaning more into gremlin Hedwig from the get go so I hope you don't tire of Hedwig being the best. I will never tire writing that.
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Playing the long game, as is my usual modus operandi.
Sugarcane Juice - That'll be a common sentiment in this fic.
CleddyF - I'm glad you liked the bit with Pansy. I'm sure everyone has felt that kind of change in things and gotten shaken up in a similar way before, so they can feel like it's real. There will be future romance, but it will be a long while yet. Hope today's chapter explains a bit more behind Ron's thinking. Hermione will have a lesser role comparatively compared to my other fics, but I still like her as a character so she will still be around.
kaya - I'm glad, thank you.
Nysk - Today's chapter will explain a bit more. Thank you. I got into a car accident on Friday and things are getting better as I get a handle on the fallout. I appreciate your kind words and care. I want to update regularly because seeing people read and comment really picks me up so I am still enthused to do so. Just Friday got away from me for many reasons.
- Good to see you again, always glad to see you pop by. Hope you are well.