I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
A Taste of Magic
22nd Course – Amends
"I still can't believe you did that," Parvati said as they walked to breakfast the next morning.
"You told her?" Harry asked with a smile.
"I was debating it but she apparently sniffed out the biscuits," Lavender smiled back.
"At least I didn't try to steal any," Parvati said as if she made a very large concession.
"No, you just begged for them, looking at them like Cokie does for treats," Lavender giggled. "But I didn't mind sharing. I had to bribe Hermione so she wouldn't tell on us."
"I wasn't going to!" Hermione protested. She sighed and smiled a little when Lavender and Parvati laughed. "I completely understood why you did it, even if it broke the rules."
"I know, just teasing," Lavender smiled.
"There you go, now you're loosening up a little," Parvati praised when Hermione stuck her tongue out at Lavender.
"You two are terrible influences," Hermione said with a teasing smile.
"I can say the same about you. I find myself reading for fun and working on homework more," Parvati said airily.
"You could blame that on Padma," Harry smiled.
"I'd never admit to that," Parvati laughed. She looked past Harry and Lavender and went still. "Uhm, Pansy's coming over."
Harry turned and opened his mouth but his jaw dropped. "Pansy, are you okay?" he asked, worried.
Pansy always appeared collected more often than not. Her school robes were always clean and well maintained and she wore other kinds of robes for when they met in club, fashionable and well-made. She never appeared anything less than what she called 'presentable'.
Today she was not entirely presentable. She had dark rings under her red eyes, her hair not done like it normally was, her clothes a bit askew. She looked nervous and upset, almost as upset as the time Harry found her crying in the alcove. Her eyes were red and she twisted a handkerchief in her hands.
"I am not okay," she said very quietly. She took a deep and shaky breath. "Miss Brown, I am very sorry for what I said yesterday."
Lavender and Harry stared at her and Parvati and Hermione exchanged a shocked look.
Pansy continued to speak, her words coming out in a rush. "I swear I was not directing those comments at you. Millie, Millicent and I grew up together and that's how we usually interact and it's something a lot of the families that we know do. I realize from an outsider perspective it looks mean and it is…a little mean and…" her voice faded a little.
She blinked rapidly. "I know how I treated you all at the beginning of last year was unkind and I never properly apologized for it and I wish to do that now," she babbled. "And I am very sorry Miss Brown and whatever I must do to make up for it, I swear I will do." She looked down miserably, and waited.
Lavender took a deep breath herself and let it out slowly. "I forgive you," she said quietly. "And I accept your apology."
Pansy's head shot up and she looked at the other girl. "You do?" she whispered.
"I do," Lavender said. "I was going to wait and see what you did and well, I can tell you mean it. You didn't sleep, did you?"
Pansy shook her head. "No. I kept thinking about it and every time I saw your face and Harry's again, I felt wretched. I never felt that way before when confronted with how I spoke to people. I used to never give it a second thought or…" she gulped, "I was proud of what I said.
"I knew I had not directed my comments at you and yet, for you to look that distressed, I felt terrible. I got worried that we wouldn't be…friendly anymore and I really don't want that." She swallowed painfully. "That's why I wanted to come and apologize sincerely."
Millicent came walking into the Great Hall and looked left and right, seeing Pansy at the Gryffindor table. She hurried over and looked at everyone anxiously. "Hey," she said shyly. "I'm sorry. I swear, Pansy and I talk like that to each other all the time and we really didn't mean it to spill over. Pansy wasn't talking about you at all, I promise."
"She told us," Harry said softly. "And we believe her, and you."
"Oh thank Merlin," Millicent said with a huge sigh of relief. "But, uhm, do you, forgive us?"
"I do," Lavender repeated. "I knew you weren't really talking about me but…" her voice trailed off. When Harry took her hand and squeezed it like she had done for him, she smiled a little, thankful for the gesture and support. "For years I was bullied for that. Wearing the same thing and it struck a nerve."
"There's nothing wrong with having a favorite outfit," Millicent said kindly.
"No, but it was all I had," Lavender said quietly.
"Oh," Millicent winced. "I see."
Pansy looked mortified. "I'm so sorry," she said again.
"And I accept, again. Just, try not to use that sort of joke again, please," Lavender said.
"I swear," Pansy said eagerly.
"Me too," Millicent said.
They stood there, looking awkwardly at each other.
"How about you join us?" Parvati said all of a sudden.
"Can we do that?" Millicent asked.
"There's nothing in the school rules saying you cannot," Hermione said slowly. "You are just expected to on special events to sit with your House, but on other days, there are no rules against it."
Millicent and Pansy looked at each other. "If you want," Millicent said softly.
After a moment of hesitation, Pansy nodded and she and Millicent gingerly sat at the Gryffindor table, as if expecting something strange or terrible to happen. As it were, Harry and the others sat at the end so Pansy and Millicent sat on the other side with Harry and the three girls being a barrier between them and the rest of Gryffindor.
Soft murmurs began to rise as people from all the Houses watched on with astonishment. Seeing Pansy publicly apologize was already a rare sight. Seeing people from one House sit at another table was another one.
"Why did you suggest this?" Hermione whispered to Parvati. "Wasn't it already a bit awkward?"
"I panicked a little," Parvati admitted. "And well, I thought it would be a nice way to smooth things over more."
"Thank you for apologizing," Harry said softly, turning a little to Pansy.
She looked at him, eyes still a little red. "We're still friends, right?"
Harry felt his heart ache a little. "We are," he reaffirmed. "And I'm glad you apologized. That was really good of you."
Pansy nearly cried from relief. She sniffled a little. "I…I actually did want to apologize because I did feel terrible, though I'm not too sure why honestly. But," her voice was a whisper, "I wanted to apologize because I didn't want to lose you either."
Harry patted her arm awkwardly. "It's good that you wanted to apologize and we're still friends. I'm glad I can be friends with someone who does care, even if they're not too sure why. I don't know why I do things either sometimes."
Pansy's smile trembled a little but she looked a lot better.
"Can I join you?" They turned and saw Luna standing there, looking a little wistful. "It looks much nicer to sit here than where I usually do."
"Sure, join us," Parvati said, sliding down a little. Luna plopped down beside her, a bright smile replacing her look of general dreaminess.
Neville arrived and blinked at the sight. "What happened?" he asked softly.
"We'll explain later," Hermione said, making room for him.
Breakfast food appeared on the serving plates and that distracted them for the moment as they served themselves. Millicent took a bite of bacon and looked at the tray with a questioning look. "Say, your bacon is better."
"Is it?" Lavender asked.
"Yeah, it tastes better." Millicent took another bite. "How's that fair? Why do the Gryffindors get better bacon?" She said the words without heat and a slightly exaggerated smile on her face.
"I don't think it is because it's for the Gryffindors," Luna said as she munched on a rasher. "It is better than the ones I've gotten at the Ravenclaw table too. But I don't think it's because the Elves are treating the Gryffindors better."
"I wonder why then," Hermione mused.
Luna blinked her slightly overly large eyes. "It's for Harry of course. They like him."
Harry flushed a little but joined the laughter of the others. "I should tell them not to do that. I don't want them playing favorites for me."
"I don't mind," Parvati quipped. "We get to benefit too."
The post and family owls arrived, the usual storm of flapping wings and hooting and barking filled the air. Hedwig circled down, coming in for a landing and not upsetting a single thing on the table. She hooted hello at Harry and nuzzled his cheek before bobbing her head at the others. She looked at the newcomers with a bit of surprise, giving Pansy a cool look, before also bobbing her head hello.
"She comes to visit you even if she isn't delivering you anything?" Pansy asked with wonder.
"Mmhmm! We always have breakfast together," Harry said happily.
"And she always filches from your plate?" Millicent asked, smiling when Hedwig was indeed doing just that.
"Yup," Harry smiled. "She has good manners as in she never takes from the serving tray. She helps herself to mine though and never takes from anyone else's plate without permission. She probably thinks it tastes better that way."
Luna reached across the table and took a rasher from his plate and bit into it. "Oh I think I agree with her," she said brightly, making the others laugh while Hedwig nodded sagely.
-0-
"Well now, that's an interesting sight," McGonagall murmured softly.
The drama at the Gryffindor table was noticed by all, including the Head table, where the professors and Headmaster sat at. They had watched with intense fascination as it played out before them and they were all fairly surprised when Millicent and Pansy had sat at the table, with Luna following soon after.
"When was the last time something like this happened?" Flitwick said with a broad smile.
"Before I started my time as Headmaster," Dumbledore chuckled, "so many many years." He served himself some bacon. "I think it is a good thing."
"Not all do," Snape said quietly. He noticed how a good amount of the Slytherins were watching with poorly disguised displeasure on some, apathy on others, and one had a look of sheer anger on his face.
"True," Dumbledore acknowledged. "Perhaps that can also change eventually. An open mind is much better than a closed one."
"Unless you have something to hide from a legilimens," Flitwick said brightly, causing them to snort and laugh. "What's wrong, Pomona?"
"I can't help but notice none of mine are over there," Sprout said. "And my House is supposed to be the friendly one!"
"Give it time," Dumbledore smiled. He gave Harry a fond look, watching him from afar. "I do believe it will only be a matter of time before there will be others. He draws people in and makes them feel welcome. His kindness can only grow when more flock to him."
-0-
"Do relax, Mister Potter, before you strain something," McGonagall said dryly.
Harry relaxed a little at that. "Yes Ma'am."
"There is nothing to fret over," she continued. "This is a meeting about choosing your electives next year."
"Oh okay, I thought the meetings weren't mandatory though."
"They are not but I wanted to offer some insight if you would like some. Have you spoken with any of the older students?" she asked.
He nodded. "I chatted with Oliver and Percy. They were nice and talked about what they're doing and why."
"That is good," McGonagall said approvingly. "You are getting either side of the spectrum there: one more academic and one more athletic. I typically advise that you match electives to your interests and it is never too early to not think about future careers. Granted, one typically discovers what they like during school and there are many instances where a person changes their mind during school. Do not feel too pressured there."
She smiled a little. "That all being said, I believe you already have a passion?"
"Not sure if I'd call it that," Harry said shyly. "But I like to cook and if I could do something with that, that would be great. Are there a lot of magical careers that involve cooking or food or something like that?"
McGonagall sat back and hummed thoughtfully. "To be truthful, I do not know. Unfortunately, Wizarding Britain does not think too highly of a culinary profession. There are plenty of eateries and taverns and the like but I know for example France places more of an emphasis on it as do other cultures. Most of the careers that come readily to mind are Hunters or work in trade, as in trading goods."
"I see. I guess Muggles care more about it. There are chefs that have really famous restaurants and things like that."
She shifted in her seat a little. "Perhaps that may be why it never was as highlighted. A fair portion of our society caters to the Magicals that deem Muggle things or mundane things as beneath their notice."
"I wondered why there aren't any real magazines or publications," Harry said wistfully. "I was reading one I found and did you know there's this big international competition for cooking? I mean there're ones for Muggles but there's one for the magical community too."
"Oh? That's intriguing." She shook her head. "Actually, it makes sense. One thing you will learn, Mister Potter, is that magicals around the world share one universal trait: the drive to prove themselves to other magicals. There are plenty of competitions for all sorts of magical things. I suppose I never thought about a cooking one because, again, Wizarding Britain does not care for it as much."
"That's silly," Harry sighed. "Everyone has to eat. Might as well like what you eat and try new things."
"A very practical viewpoint," she praised.
"What would you recommend for me to take as electives?" he asked.
"Care of Magical Creatures," she said easily. "Animal husbandry is a part of the course and I heard you asked Hagrid to hunt with him? In Care, you learn about all sorts of aspects of caring for magical animals including in breaking down the ones hunted or who die in care and are used. I believe that will fit your interests.
"Aside from that, Ancient Runes perhaps? Reading runes is a way to understand older cultures and magics while runic magic is also vital for rituals. Not to mention runes are used for permanent magics. I will also tell you that once past your O.W.L.s, Ordinary Wizarding Levels that you take in your fifth year, there are additional classes that can open up to those willing and talented. If you perform well in Charms and Runes and have a firm understanding of Transfiguration, there is an Enchanting class that can be offered. That might prove interesting since you can enchant objects and things which I'm sure you could find uses for in a magical kitchen."
Harry's eyes opened wide. "Really? That sounds incredible!"
McGonagall smiled again and this time it was pride and melancholy mixed together. "Your mother was in that class. One of the few Muggleborns ever to take it, and she did quite well in it too."
"She did?" he asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"She did," McGonagall affirmed. "She was very good at it too. She and Professor Flitwick got along very well; she was quite good in charms. He is the Professor for it as well and they did many wonderful things."
"What did my dad take?" he asked, hungry for more.
"The bare minimum," McGonagall snorted. "Spent a lot of his time on the Quidditch pitch if he could get away with it." She enjoyed Harry's laugh at that. "He also took Care of Magical Creatures, though he saw it more of a way to have fun outdoors but he took it seriously which was good. He also did an extended Transfiguration elective with me when he could."
She smiled again. "He actually took Muggle Studies too, eventually. For a rather lovely and silly reason."
"What was it?"
"To impress your mother," she said and her smile was warm. "When he wanted to prove he was more than one of the Pureblood boys and tried to be better."
"Did it work? Impress her I mean," Harry asked.
"To a degree. The class has always been a little outdated and when he tried to show off his knowledge, he was still a bit behind on the current social climate," McGonagall chuckled richly. "Yet, as if showing his maturity, he continued to take the class seriously after Lily laughed at him for some misconceptions. He was ever so proud when he proved he could go about in the Muggle world with little difficulty."
"Wow, that's pretty cool," Harry said softly. "The Headmaster said that he was a little headstrong and that he and mum were somewhat likely to talk back to people."
"James Potter was a cheeky bairn and I say that lovingly," McGonagall nearly shouted, coloring from embarrassment but grateful that despite looking shocked, for many reasons, Harry was laughing. "First day of class as a firstie, he was trying to prove to me he knew what was what in transfiguration because he was taught by his father. Well I taught his father and he did not take too kindly to that!"
She regained her composure. "To be fair, he did know more than most firsties but I had to knock him down a few pegs and keep him there." She smiled softly. "He got over himself soon enough and it was a joy to teach him. He was talented in transfiguration."
"Lily was a delight too. So intelligent and eager to learn basically everything. More talented in charms and she had a dab hand in potions, but her transfiguration abilities were perfectly satisfactory," she continued, her eyes slightly out of focus as she peered into yesteryear.
"I guess I'm not like them that much," Harry said sadly.
Her eyes focused on him. "I do not expect you to be them," she said gently. "I know you will always feel compared to them but remember that you are not exactly them. You perform well in my class and I know you try. That matters a lot. Talent is one thing. Dedication and effort is another. I have no complaints with your abilities so far and as long as you continue to work as hard as you do, I do not believe I will."
"Thank you!" Harry said with a bright smile.
So like the both of them, she thought, her heart aching, but he is not them. "You are very welcome. Now, let me tell you what your father did once in my class as a cautionary tale to not repeat…"
-0-
"Harry, you did not order anything special for the club, did you?" Flitwick asked.
"No Sir," Harry said, looking at the parcels and things on the tables in the clubroom. "Where did all this come from?"
"That is what I am trying to discover," Flitwick said. He looked through them, waving his wand. "Nothing nefarious or harmful spell wise. Ah, here we go." He found a piece of parchment and began reading. "It is a receipt. Goodness, that is a lot of fabric material and things. High quality too and unstinting in the amount."
"Don't look at me," Lavender said as she looked at the packages longingly. "I wouldn't know where to order from and that all sounds wonderful. Expensive! But wonderful."
"Oh it arrived." They turned and saw Pansy and Millicent walking into the clubroom. "Finally."
"This is your doing?" Flitwick asked, surprised.
The girls nodded. "Stuff from my family trading company," Millicent said.
"I helped pay for the things and the delivery," Pansy said.
"These are very expensive fabrics and materials," Flitwick said, holding up the receipt.
"It was sold at cost with an additional discount," Millicent said. "Through my allotment. I was happy to."
"And I was happy to pay the fee," Pansy frowned slightly. "I've paid more for less before."
"That is incredibly generous of both of you," Flitwick said slowly. "But in the future, we can discuss it as a club to make purchases."
"It was more of a way for us to make up for our…well, what we did," Pansy said weakly.
"You didn't have to do that," Lavender said, a little shocked.
"Of course we did. We made the offense, we must provide the recompense," Pansy said a little frostily with Millicent nodding. "It is only right."
"We appreciate it," Harry said hurriedly. "But you did apologize too and we were happy with that."
"But…those were only words," Pansy said, growing less offended and more confused.
"It's what we do," Millicent shrugged. "When we mess up, we have to make up for it and this is how we do it."
"By throwing money at it?" Parvati asked incredulously.
"Yes," Pansy and Millicent said in a plain tone, as if it was obvious.
Flitwick cleared his throat. "Well, we can accept this the one time as a gift and I am grateful for your generosity. In the future however, let us discuss things beforehand. Thank you, Miss Bulstrode and Miss Parkinson, for doing this. It was wonderful of you to do it, even as a form of apology."
The two girls looked at each other again and nodded shyly. "You're welcome," Pansy said in a small voice.
Lavender smiled. "I really appreciate it. Can you talk about some of the fabrics and things?"
Millicent snorted. "I can do that in my sleep. I've done it before in my sleep."
"She has," Pansy confirmed with a small smile. The smile grew as she watched her best friend talk about the different things with great enthusiasm to Lavender, Parvati, and Flitwick. "I…I didn't know what you wanted," she confessed to Harry. "I thought about ordering some cookware or things but I don't know what you like."
Harry blinked and shook his head. "You don't need to. I'm grateful you wanted to and your apology meant a lot. I don't get a lot of those so it was very nice."
She bit her lip. "I feel like I should be doing something more to make up for what I've done."
"As long as you're trying, that's what matters," Harry said. "And you tried without anyone telling you to. That was really good of you."
She blushed a little. "Well, I'm getting you something for Christmas then and you can't stop me."
He smiled bashfully at that. "I'm doing the same then. Getting you something I mean."
She brightened. "I'd like that."
-0-0-0-
Arnie1701 - Just like all friendships, there are ups and downs and some growth.
AshokaTheGreat - Thank you for the kind words. Glad you are liking it.
Zincat - I don't think it is out of character. He asked her if that's what she wanted to because one of the big things they agreed on before Pansy joined the club was that she was welcome as long as she wasn't too mean. If she was,, they wouldn't let her be welcome. So he asked Lavender what she wanted, also, she is his first friend at school so he cares about her a lot and what she wants. Glad you liked the other chapters.
poka - Thank you. I wanted them to have 'similar' backgrounds while not being the same one and something that could fit the setting, while something people can see and understand. Some might even relate unfortunately. I had hoped it wouldn't feel over the top or trite.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - No petrified cat.
odonnellzoo99 - My continued attempts to have the adults feel like proper characters and hopefully slightly more intelligent ones. I did say AU and I think the changes to second year feel pretty good. Hopefully you'll enjoy today's chapter, I think it hits well with the themes of what you alluded to.
kaya - Thank you. I do appreciate good character development and hope mine makes sense.
- Thank you.
alix33 - Egg in a basket is very easy to make and they taste really good.
DarkRavie - Thank you.
Earth Guardian 28 - I hope you enjoy today's chapter. I think it does improve on things a bit.
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Sorry, I don't understand the first part of your review. I hope you liked how things resolved today.
jflamewalker - There's a line from Firefly I still enjoy. "The important thing is the spices. A man can live on packaged food from here till Judgement Day if he's got enough rosemary." I always found that one to be simple and fun. Truthfully, I never gave that delineation that much thought. It wasn't really mentioned at all in canon or in the wikis that I saw so I just went with that they don't shy away from eating beef. I don't know enough of the culture really to know the nuances so I just went with that they eat beef. I did use a couple Hindi words for their fun. I hope I haven't offended anyone. I sometimes forget some details.