I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
To celebrate the new cover and that I managed to do a fair bit of writing lately, an extra update this week. Might be able to post another one this weekend as well. Thank you for reading, have a lovely day!
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A Taste of Magic
57th Course – Foreign Flavors
"Wow, breakfast looks really different today," Parvati remarked as they sat at the table.
"Probably for the visitors," Lavender said, peeking at the other tables.
The night prior, the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived at Hogwarts. It had been a very eventful night. The Beauxbatons students came to the school in a giant flying carriage that was as large as a many-floored house, pulled by gigantic pegasi. At first, it seemed everything from Beauxbatons was very big: their transportation, the horses, their Headmistress towered over everyone. All that made the students seem especially diminutive at first, comparatively. However, it turned out that they were much like the students at Hogwarts, with varying heights and builds and colors of skin and hair, wearing silk robes and other fine clothing. Though as a whole they looked a bit more reserved and set apart, some of them looking down on the locale and the locals.
While the Beauxbatons contingent came from the sky, the Durmstrang group came from the water. A giant hole had formed on the far side of the Black Lake and a very large three-mast ship had popped out of the water. It sailed to the docks and the students came up in a somewhat orderly fashion, wearing heavy robes lined with fur and many had heavy cloaks and over-robes. Their Headmaster was thin and reedy, with cold eyes that lacked warmth.
The Beauxbatons students had sat at the Ravenclaw table while the Durmstrangs sat at the Slytherin table. There was a minor commotion when it was revealed the Viktor Krum, star Quidditch Seeker on the National and International Stage, was still a student and the Slytherins had been very smug about that.
Harry had been interested in seeing what the visiting students were like, but when the Welcoming Feast appeared, his attention had been drawn to the new variety of food available. He saw dishes that he had never seen in person before and had made a point to try each one. What had made him especially happy was that when the dinner was served, a tiny sheaf of parchment had appeared on his plate first and he had smiled wide when he realized it was a small menu written out with all the names of the new dishes. Inky and Ebbers had written it for him, knowing he would be interested, and he was grateful for it.
Dumbledore had shared during the meal that the legendary Goblet of Fire would be the one to select the school champions. Whoever wished to enter into the Tournament would submit their names into the Goblet and on Halloween night, the champions would be chosen. There would be sign-ups for the other events related to the Tournament, the ones that anyone could participate in. Those would go up on the main notice board in the foyer when it came close to the event in question.
As per protocol, people sat at their own House tables for the major feasts but as per usual, a few migrated to their favorite spot in question other times, like now. While some people still looked askance at it, and the professors approved, the usual people have long since ignored the looks and whispers.
"How's sitting with Durmstrang?" Lavender asked.
Pansy hummed for a moment as she sat. "They're nice enough I suppose. Pretty interested in their surroundings, said it was quite warm compared to where they normally are. Some seemed interested in talking to us."
"Did you talk to Krum?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Not really. He kept to himself. Many in the House tried to chat with him of course." Pansy shrugged. "I wasn't paying too much attention if I'm being honest. I'm not terribly invested in Quidditch. He seems polite enough, reserved but if he's as famous as people say-"
"He is," said the Quidditch fans.
"-then perhaps he does not wish to be bothered," Pansy finished.
"Makes sense," Lavender said. "How are the Beauxbatons students?"
"Kind of rude," Padma sighed. "They're really full of themselves."
"Really? Boo," Parvati said.
"Yeah, you can tell not a lot of them are happy to be here," Sue said. "They're polite but it's that kinda mean kind of politeness, you know?"
"Oh the 'I'm going to be very polite to your face but you can tell that I'm only doing it to prove that I'm better than you' kind?" Millicent asked.
"Yeah, exactly," Sue nodded.
"Society genteel," Pansy said, pressing her teeth together and smiling in a way that the expression lacked warmth and it did not spread far from her lips.
"Wow, you're good at that," Parvati admired.
Pansy smiled more genuinely and warmly. "A consequence of being raised that way."
"That and she's like creepily good at it," Millicent said in an overloud whisper. "Hey!" She glared at Pansy who took her cutlery and pushed them down the table.
"They talk about us too," Luna said softly. "The Beauxbatons students. Say some rather mean things out loud in French."
"They are?" Sue and Padma asked, aghast.
Luna nodded. "I can understand them. I speak French fairly well."
"Oh I do hope they do that around me," Pansy said with a hungry smile. "I'll be more than happy to talk back to them." She flushed and looked at Harry. "Politely, of course."
"If we're not friends with them, go for it," Harry smiled.
"Oh no, don't give her permission," Millicent groaned.
"Anyone else wondering what you ate last night and what's on the table today?" Susan asked when she joined them.
"We weren't," Lavender smiled brightly.
"Oh well, you have the expert here," Susan laughed, nodding at Harry.
"I haven't had most of it and didn't recognize a fair amount," Harry laughed. "But I did get this." He showed them the parchment.
"Where did you get that?" Padma asked, taking it from him and looking at the writing.
"The kitchens of course," Hermione smiled.
"Wow, why didn't we get it?" Susan asked.
"Harry of course," Luna said matter-of-factly. "They knew he would want to know and would appreciate the information."
"It's very educational reading," Harry nodded.
"You've ruined him," Parvati sighed, looking at her sister.
"Hey, he likes learning about food! And Hermione is the one that lives with you guys in your tower," Padma protested.
"Liking to learn is a good thing," Hermione sniffed.
Millicent turned to Harry while the Patils and Hermione devolved into an argument. "I know croissants at least; my family's elves make good ones. What are some of the other things?"
Harry took the parchment back and pointed at a few things. "This is called strandzhanka, I think. It's Bulgarian and its minced meat with spices baked on bread. That's also Bulgarian and it's called banitsa. It's egg and yogurt and cheese layered with phyllo pastry and baked. Those are German potato pancakes called kartoffelpuffer? You can put sweet toppings on them too."
"And they have cold cuts for breakfast too?" Sue asked.
"Mmhmm. Salami and leberwurst and kinderwurst are some."
"Why do they eat the worst for breakfast?" Parvati asked.
"You're the worst," Padma groaned. "Kinder is German for child, right? Here, this is for you." She pushed the plate of kinderwurst over and scowled when Parvati's napkin hit her in the face.
"The French options seem a little light in comparison," Susan observed.
"Most French breakfasts are light," Pansy said. "Usually a pastry or bread with butter and jam and maybe a little meat. Lunch and dinner are larger."
"I know what that is though I think," Sue said, pointing at some soft looking golden-brown bread with caramelized edges, dusted in powdered sugar. "That's French toast, right?"
"It is but they call it something else," Harry said brightly. "They call it pain perdu. It means 'lost bread'."
"Aww poor bread," Lavender said.
Harry smiled. "It's traditionally made with stale bread from the day before. Instead of letting it go to waste, they devised a way to use it so that it could still be enjoyed in a different way."
"Ooh that's clever, I didn't know that," Lavender said.
"There's actually a position called a garde manger," Harry continued excitedly. "It was an important position in a castle and a kitchen because they were responsible for preserving food and protecting it, making it last longer. In fancier kitchens, they do a lot of the cold food preparation because a lot of the old ways to eat the protected food and still do the traditional and classical preparations of dishes. Like using every bit of a chicken and vegetables and things to get the most out of it while keeping it tasty."
"That is correct."
Harry turned and looked at the speaker. She was tall, dressed in Beauxbatons blue robes, with short blonde hair. She looked at Harry inquisitively. "I am surprised you knew that."
"I like cooking and stuff related to it," Harry said, a little thrown-off by the newcomer.
"I thought you Magical Britons looked down on cooking," she said, continuing to look at Harry closely. "Not to mention on classical French things."
"Harry likes it and is good at it," Lavender said, giving the other girl a look.
The girl smiled, a hint of disbelief and condescension in the expression. "Is that so?"
"Yes, it is," Pansy said coolly. "And typically, one introduces themselves before casting any aspirations on another's character."
The girl blinked at that, looking at Lavender and Pansy before noticing the less than warm looks from the others. She nodded slowly before curtsying slightly. "My apologies. I am Sophie of Beausoleil. I did not mean to be rude. I was surprised."
"Thank you," Harry said politely. "Harry Potter, nice to meet you." He blinked a few times and shook his head a little.
"Are you okay?" Lavender asked, noticing him looking distracted.
"I think so, just a weird head thing," he said. "Felt a little funny for a moment but I think I'll be fine."
Sophie's eyebrows rose at that, her surprise growing. She smoothed her expression when they turned back to her. "I also came over to ask if you were done with the pain perdu. We have run out of it at our table."
"Do you guys mind?" Harry asked his friends. "I'm sure we can get more if we ask for-" He smiled when a new plate of golden pain perdu appeared on a platter before him. "Thank you, Inky," he said happily, laughing a little when a tiny patch of powdered sugar that looked like an inkblot appeared on his plate. He took the first platter of pain perdu and handed it to Sophie. "Here you go."
"How did you get more?" Sophie asked, plainly interested. "Is there a certain way to go about it?"
"Normally ask kindly," Harry said. "Inky is pretty awesome though and proactive."
"Thank you," Sophie said. She gave the others another look before nodding at Harry and walked off with the breakfast platter.
"What a bitch," Pansy muttered under her breath.
"She's in a strange place," Harry said, trying to be polite. "She wasn't super rude, like some people we know."
"Doesn't mean she's not a bitch," Lavender grumbled.
Harry chuckled and served them both a big slice of vanilla-fragrant, sweetened bread soaked in creamy custard liberally dusted with soft powdered sugar. "Thanks for sticking up for me though, I really appreciate it."
"Of course," they both said together and looked at each other with surprise.
"Oh that's what it looks like!" Parvati and Padma exclaimed together and everyone dissolved into laughter.
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"Ah, you received more? Good. It's one of the few nice things in this place," a girl said when Sophie rejoined her and two others. She had long platinum blonde hair and elegant features with bright blue eyes.
"I did, and learned something interesting," Sophie replied, setting the platter down in front of them and sitting down. "There's a boy over there that's somewhat knowledgeable about the food it seems and has a familiarity with French cooking tradition."
"Oh?" They looked over, noticing Harry and his friends laughing. "The one in the middle?" Colette de Mayne asked.
"I thought the Britons here look down on that sort of thing," Aimee Lorraine said.
"He seems to be the exception, and get this, that is Harry Potter," Sophie said.
"The Boy-Who-Lived?" Fleur Delacour tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "That's interesting. Pity Gabi isn't here, she would love to meet him."
"He doesn't look very impressive at all," Aimee mused.
"Looks can be deceiving," Sophie said. When the other three looked at her, she leaned in and her voice was a whisper. "He seemed somewhat resistant."
"Really?" Fleur looked over at Harry and his friends with greater interest. "You think?"
"He seemed affected slightly but said it was only 'a head thing' or something like that," Sophie said, serving herself a large piece of pain perdu. "I know my aura is weaker comparatively but still, those affected by it are still very much so."
"Now that is interesting," Fleur mused as she ate.
"I wonder if it is because he is who he is," Colette said. "Aimee? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, but have you noticed this pain perdu is better than the one he had earlier?" Aimee asked. "It tastes better somehow."
"And the prior plate didn't taste bad either," Sophie said as she concentrated on the flavor. "I think you're right."
"Hmm, I wonder why," Colette said. She and the other three French witches ate and chatted and rose together to leave. Colette looked about as the quartet walked behind a small girl with long pale-blonde hair, and two taller girls, one Indian and the other Chinese. "I was hoping to bump into him, see why he is so special."
"Who? Oh, the Boy-Who-Lived?" Aimee asked.
"Don't call him that."
The four girls stopped and stared at the smaller girl with evident surprise. She had turned and looked at them directly and spoke in French with barely a hint of an accent. The other two girls had stopped too with her, looking at their friend with curiosity and then at the four French girls.
"I beg your pardon?" Colette asked, bristling slightly.
"His name is Harry Potter," Luna said coolly. "He doesn't like to be called the other thing."
"And how would you know?" Aimee asked.
"We are very good friends," Luna said, her smile breaking through her displeasure, making her features soften slightly before they became detached once more.
"And how were we supposed to know that?" Colette asked snidely.
"You weren't. I was informing you while also informing you that I do in fact understand what you are saying. Not all of us are uneducated yokels on the wrong side of the Channel."
The four girls flushed a little. "It's rude to eavesdrop," Aimee blustered.
"It's rude to assume as well," Luna said pertly. "And to answer your question, what makes him so special is that he is incredibly kind. He is a good person, genuinely."
"And that's what makes him the…thing he doesn't like to be called? Kindness?" Sophie asked incredulously.
Padma and Sue flinched at the look on Luna's face. They had known her for going onto three years now and even in the beginning when Luna was being bullied by the other people in Ravenclaw, they had never seen her make that sort of expression before. Her generally dreamy expression of good-natured ambivalence was gone, replaced by something hard and foreboding. The suddenness of it appearing and how different it was also made the four witches of Beauxbatons recoil.
"No," Luna said coldly. "He earned that title because his parents were murdered when he was a baby. When he can remember his mother dying to spare his life." She turned and left, followed swiftly by Padma and Sue, leaving the other girls speechless.
"What was that?" Padma asked, eyes round.
"They're bitches," Luna said shortly, making the other two blink from surprise. She deflated and looked sad and recounted their conversation.
"Total bitches," Sue agreed, throwing an angry look back.
"That was really good of you," Padma praised.
"I was very angry," Luna admitted. "Do you think Harry will be upset with me for saying that?"
"No, he'll be happy you stood up for him while feeling bad that you put yourself to do so," Padma said with a warm smile.
Luna smiled too. "That does sound like him."
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"Hey Harry."
Harry looked up and smiled. "Hi there," he greeted back. He nodded when Katie gestured to the chair beside him at the table and she and Angelina and Alicia joined him. "Oh, here you go." He took out a box from his bag and gave it to Alicia.
"Ah thank you," Alicia smiled. "Well worth the snack money. You should charge more."
"I'm not doing it to make money," Harry smiled back. "I'm only charging you for the grocery costs for the club funds. I like to do it anyways and you girls have always been nice to me so I don't mind at all."
"You're such a sweetie," Katie smiled. "Lyla thinks you're really cool. She's also glad you told Mirabelle to talk to her."
Harry grinned and flushed slightly. "Aw thanks, I mean, I bet they would've been friends eventually anyways. I ran into Mirabelle late at night one night and she was lonely. She's cool too and I knew you're friendly so I said she probably would get along with your little sister."
"You'd be wrong there, she's a brat," Katie said and they all laughed. "But I love her so it's okay."
"Guess sisters are pretty close after all," Angelina said, grinning when Katie smacked her in the arm and kicked her back. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you something, Harry."
"Was two dozen not enough?" Harry asked, concerned.
"Two dozen?! You said you had less than that!" Alicia said, incensed.
"Well I already ate some by then and I needed to maintain my own stash," Angelina said, flushing and pushed Alicia back. "Also no, it was fine, thank you. But I wanted to ask you something else. Are you sure I can't convince you to join the team? We could really use a good player and I bet you'd get there."
"I mean, I like Quidditch and love flying, but I don't think so," Harry said apologetically. "I'll still be happy to help train with the team during Flying Club."
"Please Harry?" Angelina begged. "It'll be great. And we're already putting together a team to go against Durmstrang and Beauxbatons and we'll need good players." She winked at him. "You'll get to hang out with us more," she said, gesturing at herself and Alicia and Katie.
Alicia took pity on Harry's blush and stammer. "Leave him alone, you brute," she chided. "He said no. No need to brow-beat him into it."
"Can't blame me for trying," Angelina sighed. "We really need a decent player and Seeker."
"How about Ginny?" Harry suggested. "She likes to fly and play."
"I thought she was more of a Chaser, but maybe not a bad idea," Angelina mused, looking thoughtful.
"Just what we need, more Weasleys," Alicia sighed.
"At least they're talented at Quidditch," Katie smiled.
Harry smiled slyly. "I mean, if you want me to join the team, I might be able to." He pretended to look concerned when they looked up at that. "But then that means a lot less time cooking and baking because I'd be practicing and playing and-"
"Say no more." Alicia waggled her finger at Angelina. "Do not harass him anymore. His talents are far better suited elsewhere and I won't be having my supply of treats be imperiled by Quidditch of all things!"
"I have to agree with Alicia on this one," Katie said.
Angelina laughed. "Okay okay! You got me." She grinned at Harry. "That was pretty tricky of you."
"Guess I learned a few things," Harry grinned back. "I'll be team cook. How does that sound?"
"Perfect." Angelina and Harry shook on it. "I'll talk to Ginny. Fred and George have mentioned how she and Ron play but Ron's no Seeker. We can use some backups though, and reserves though." She gave Harry a look and sighed dolefully. "If there was only something that could fill the disappointment in my heart…" She brightened when Harry opened another box and set it on the table. "Oooh sausage rolls?"
"Help yourselves," Harry said.
"Do you just have boxes of treats on you at all times?" Katie asked as she took one. She bit into it. "Mmm, this is delicious!"
"Not all the time, but I try to have something I can nibble on and share," Harry said.
"You're a good soul," Alicia praised thickly through a mouth full of sausage roll.
After they finished their rolls and some more chatting, the Chaser trio left. A few moments later, Lavender and Parvati joined him at the table. "What did they want?" Lavender asked, watching them walk away.
"Angelina wanted to see if I'd join the team. I said no but then I said I could join the team but then I wouldn't have time to cook anymore," Harry said.
"Please tell me you said no," Parvati begged.
Harry laughed. "Alicia and Katie said no and made Angelina agree to that."
"That's good then," Lavender giggled.
"I agreed to be team cook and that's it," Harry said. "Actually, do Quidditch teams have team cooks? Like for their nutrition and all that?"
"I don't know actually," Parvati said.
"I vaguely remember reading something about football teams and sports teams having people that do that," Harry mused.
"Oh that must be an important job. That would be interesting if there was something like that for Quidditch." Lavender opened her sewing kit and laid out her latest project on the table.
"That's really pretty," Harry said, looking at the colorful piece.
"Thanks! I'm experimenting with some charms I found in a book to make different colored patterns and things." She tapped parts of the material with her wand and made little wand motions. The motions made patterns in the fabric and the patterns changed color.
"Whoa neat!" Parvati said.
"It's a little tricky," Lavender said, frowning when two different portions bled together, their colors mingling. "It's kinda like dying in a way. If you're not careful or if you accidentally charm the thread, the color travels and mixes when you don't want it to."
"What are you making?" Harry asked.
"Nothing in particular really. This is a piece of cloth for me to practice charms and things on," Lavender said. "I've been getting into making scarves and bandannas lately."
"I love mine," Parvati said, readjusting her headband.
"Mine too," Harry said, patting the one he had in his pocket.
Lavender smiled prettily. "Aw thanks guys! I've been wanting to do some fancy patterns and things and get better with the charm work for it. Professor Flitwick has been so great about it. He will find me when he finds a new charm to try."
"He's really the best," Harry said stoutly. He watched Lavender try to do a pattern with different colors coming together at a point. "That does look tricky," he said sympathetically when the colors ran together.
"Do the colors not mix as much when there's a barrier like stitching?" Parvati asked.
"Typically yeah," Lavender said glumly. "But I also don't want to stitch the middle so much. At that point it's embroidery which is fine too but not exactly what I was going for."
"Why don't you sew different pieces together?" Harry asked.
"Well…wait, why don't I do that?" Lavender blinked a few times. "It'll be like a quilt! I can sew a pattern of fabric together and then change the colors of the individual pieces!" She took out another length of fabric and cut out some simple patterns and threaded a needle with the charm they learned years ago. She did a simple stitch between them and when she tapped the fabric with her wand, she squealed when the colors changed and stayed separate. "It works! Oh my gosh it really was that simple!"
"That's something Grandmum says all the time," Parvati laughed. "Magicals make things more difficult for ourselves for no reason at all."
Harry coughed when Lavender hugged him enthusiastically. "Thanks for the idea!" she said happily.
"You would've figured it out eventually," Harry said, hugging her back.
Time passed pleasantly as Harry finished his essay and Parvati finished hers. Lavender reluctantly put her sewing aside to do hers but when they finished, sat and chatted before dinner time. Harry watched her as she sewed, enjoying how happy she looked and how industriously she sewed. "What are you making now?" he asked.
"Finishing the hem on this bandanna," she said. She tied off the thread and held it up. "Doesn't it look pretty?"
"It does," Parvati said, admiring the shades of red edged in grey. "A bit small though, for a bandanna."
"It's for Hedwig," Lavender said.
Harry smiled. "She's going to love it."
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"Okay, wait, I got this," Millicent said. She looked at the plate with a calculating expression. "They're sausages." She smiled with unearned pride as the others hooted with laughter.
"Yes, very good Millicent," Pansy said slowly and loudly and patted her on the head like she would Sunny. "Well spotted. Those are sausages, clever girl!"
"I will slap you with my sausage," Millicent growled.
"You don't have the stones for it!" Pansy retorted.
"Don't slap her with your sausage," Lavender giggled. "That's such a weird sentence!"
"Do it! Slap her silly!" Parvati said loudly.
Harry snorted with laughter but stopped when Luna hugged him tightly. "Luna? What's wrong?"
It was dinner time and they all gathered at the end of the Gryffindor table where they usually did. Like the other meal times, a few different dishes popped up and Millicent had loudly, and correctly, identified the sausage platter to much amusement and merriment. Luna had came up and hugged Harry first without saying anything, wearing an odd expression.
"I'm sorry," she said, subdued.
"For what?" Harry asked, concerned. "I like your hugs."
She sniffled a bit. "I said something very rude and private earlier, I don't know if I was allowed?" She explained what had happened earlier between her and the four witches from France.
"Oh, well, thank you for sticking up for me," Harry said at last and hugged her fondly. "That was really good of you. Besides, you weren't wrong."
Luna relaxed visibly. "Oh thank goodness. I felt bad thinking you might be upset."
"No, you were helping and I appreciate it," Harry said soothingly. He smiled encouragingly as she looked better, sitting across from him at the table.
"Who were these bitches?" Lavender asked quietly, looking around the packed Great Hall.
"Over there, at the end," Padma said.
"They don't look that impressive," Pansy sniffed. She sighed. "Mother entertained the idea of sending me to Beauxbatons at one point."
"Really?" Sue asked.
"Yes. She thought the campus was very pretty and she loves France. I fought hard against the idea."
"After learning magic was real and being accepted to Hogwarts, I tried to learn about more schools and I was really curious about Beauxbatons." Hermione shook her head. "Glad I didn't go there if that's how they act."
Parvati shuddered lightly. "Gosh, imagining you with those kind of manners is terrifying."
Millicent pushed the plate of sausages over. "Here, slap her with one. Especially that one, it looks wet."
"Can we please stop trying to slap each other with sausages?" Lavender asked, face turning pink from suppressed laughter and embarrassment.
"No one's tried yet," Parvati said airily. "Only insinuated.
"What are you eating, Harry?" Susan asked loudly, cutting through the conversation.
"It's really tasty. It's a braised chicken dish with bacon and mushrooms in a wine sauce," Harry said.
"Ooh what's it called?" Lavender asked.
"Coq au vin," Harry said.
After a beat of silence multiple people erupted into wild laughter. Lavender's face went bright red and she slumped against Harry, laughing hard while Parvati gave herself the hiccoughs. Hermione and Pansy flushed and groaned while others dissolved into merriment.
"Appalling," Pansy said, gritting her teeth to keep herself from laughing. "You all are appalling!"
"Oh I see," Luna smiled. "We were talking about sausages and Harry said coq which sounds like- Her straight-faced explanation was the death knell for Pansy and Hermione and even they joined in with helpless laughter.
Harry shook his head and continued to eat, trying his best to look dignified and failing miserably as he too chuckled along.
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AshokaTheGreat - Ron meant well, just didn't read the subtleties until too late haha. I know he wasn't all that prominent before, something I was lambasted for apparently, but I don't dislike him really. I was trying to challenge myself a bit and let Harry grow some with other friends, but he'll be around here and there.
DarkRavie - Thank you.
61394 - I should rewatch the first Avatar, never saw the second one. I just wanted to give them a tribal hunter/gatherer feeling. Poor Hufflepuffs. Probably not an unreasonable bet.
odonnellzoo99 - Poopy having a potty mouth, that made me laugh. Well done. Zach is always his own worst enemy. He won't, he knows Ron doesn't see things quite the same way as before seen.
please don't1 - I made them up myself. I see crakes as sort of like coconut crabs with more elongated spider-like limbs with darker colors. Grundwyrms are like very large worms with dewclaw appendages and a dragon like head, think tree trunk with teeth and a nasty disposition.
Jaysto - Ron just was trying to share and be positive and helpful, in an unhelpful way. I'm pretty happy with the relationship between Harry and the goblins. It feels a little different from other fics I've read but in a good way I hope.
TheReader81 - Poor Ron. One step forward, one and a half steps back. Glad you are enjoying it.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - I mean, probably. But it is a cooking fic so the chances of it not being one is very low haha. Now that's a knife.
alix33 - I really enjoyed writing out Lavender's question of "What's your excuse for not being adorable?"
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - No, the spoiler had to do with the 'new' characters in this chapter.
poka - It's kind of fun having such a broad spectrum of friends with vastly different backgrounds. It really lets me play around with lots of different interactions.
Guest - Thank you so much. I think Babbling Brook did a wonderful job.
- Thank you very much.