I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
A Taste of Magic
69th Course – A Nice Conversation
Lavender chewed her lip worriedly. She had purposely come early to the platform, thankfully Leena was more than happy to come earlier than they usually did and the twins only put up a smidge of fuss, in the hopes of seeing Harry first for a quick conversation. However, she had roamed up and down the train twice now and did not see him in any of the compartments from the outside like she did before.
"He's probably just a little later this time," Leena said soothingly. "You should pick a compartment and he'll come to you. I'm sure he will."
Before Lavender could reply, a happy shout caught her attention and she saw the Patils approaching them. She waved back and hugged the twins gratefully. She hesitated when she saw Durga but the older woman smiled and hugged her easily enough. "I had my morning coffee," Durga chuckled as they embraced. "I have just enough energy to deal with you."
Durga then held her at arm's length, giving her a shrewd look. "Then again, you seem a bit subdued. Are you feeling well?"
Lavender smiled weakly. "I'm okay. Just have a lot on my mind. Sorry."
Durga patted her shoulders warmly. "Don't be sorry for thinking. You should be sorry if you don't think."
"I do think," Parvati said crossly.
"You always think everything I say revolves around you, such a vain thing," Durga said with a wide smile.
Padma snickered at Parvati's look. "Haven't seen Harry in a compartment yet?"
Lavender shook her head. "No, he usually gets here before us."
Padma smiled sympathetically. "I'm sure he's just running behind, which for him, is still on time."
"Harry!" Marigold and Clover shouted excitedly, waving.
Harry walked to them with Sirius and the Tonkses with him. Harry smiled brightly at all of them. "Hey everyone!"
"Oh my goodness, you do have a cane," Parvati said, staring at the cane that Harry had strapped to the side of his bag. The wood was mahogany, almost black in color but shining with polish. A silver tip was at the base and the head of it was a silver snowy owl sitting on a collar of polished iron.
"Yeah, it's great!" Harry smiled. "I'll show you more on the train. Actually that's kind of why we're later than usual."
"The cane made you late?" Marigold asked.
"No, we saw off Grandfather and Grandmother at the Ministry first," Harry said. "They had an early Portkey and we went there before coming here."
"Aww, that's nice that they came to see you for the holidays," Padma said.
"Yeah it really was," Harry smiled. He gave Lavender a slightly awkward smile. "Hi Lavender."
"Hi Harry," she said brightly and also slightly awkwardly. She felt much better when Harry hugged her and she squeezed as hard as she could, injecting as much effort into the gesture as possible, making him cough and gasp a little. They missed the look that passed between Andromeda and Leena, a slight knowing smile.
"Right, I'm freezing out here so lets get you kiddos on the train," Dora said, teeth chattering and shivering. She looked at Harry. "Some of us don't have hugs to keep us warm." She smiled when Harry hugged her, looking smug and warm. She and Ted and Sirius helped take their trunks onto the train and into a compartment they chose before they gathered back on the platform briefly for last goodbyes.
"Apparently you are my newest grandson," Durga said before she gave Harry a hug. "Since you show more interest in cooking and are duly respectful, you are now my favorite. Despite the myriad that I have, competition is what you call a low bar."
"Grandmum!" Parvati and Padma cried indignantly while Durga cackled.
"I couldn't do that to them," Harry laughed.
"Conscientious too? Goodness, you two have a lot to make up for." Durga hugged and kissed the twins and waved merrily before leaving in her usual fashion.
"Thanks for everything," Harry said, hugging Sirius and the Tonkses.
Andromeda was last and she squeezed Harry. "Anytime, dear. Just remember, be yourself."
"Cook something?" he asked.
She laughed. "Yes. And be kind and communicate," she whispered into his ear.
"Bye Mum," Lavender said, hugging Leena.
"Goodbye, love." Leena kissed her. "It'll be okay, I'm sure of it." Everyone waved after the quartet went to their compartment and then left in a pack, chatting with one another.
"What does your cane do?" Parvati asked eagerly. "Does it do the whole 'wind blowing look suave' thing Nicolas' does?"
"Grandmother Penny took that charm off," Harry grinned while the others laughed. "She said I didn't need something so self-aggrandizing. But it does have something even better." He took the cane and tapped it on the ground twice. The girls exclaimed when the silver owl extended its wings and a long crossbar extended from the collar just below the owl. The cane stood upright when Harry let go, balanced perfectly. Hedwig kicked the door to her cage open and flew to the magical roost and plumped down on it comfortably, hooting happily.
"A mobile roost?" Lavender asked, laughing. "That's amazing!"
"Isn't it great? And when it's extended like that, only I can move it. And only when I want to move it." He kicked the cane and Hedwig did not move a bit, not even a feather moved. But when he grabbed the cane and lifted, the cane moved. When he put it back down, it remained standing and stable as before.
"That's incredible," Padma said. "The magic that went into making that must have been complicated!"
"Grandmother and Auntie Andi talked about the enchanting for a long time. It sounded really cool and really complicated," Harry nodded.
"Uh, question," Parvati asked, looking concerned all of a sudden. "Can Hedwig pick up the cane?"
Harry smiled. "Not in roost position. When it's loose however, she can. She already had a sword fight with Dora with it."
"Of course she did," Lavender smiled when Hedwig cheeped.
"Can you do magic with it if you put your wand into it?" Padma asked.
"No, but Grandfather already said he'd make me another one eventually to do that. I can summon the cane back to me without my wand and it's incredibly durable and nearly impervious. Plus the roost mode as you see. Oh and only people I want touching it can move it." Harry started laughing. "Hedwig already does this funny thing with it too. You should see it."
Hedwig clacked her beak eagerly and she climbed down the shaft of the cane, standing perpendicular to the ground. She started flapping and soon the compartment was full of wild laughter as Hedwig spun around the cane, a blur of white feathers as she spun around the cane, holding onto it with her talons. She screeched happily as she spun, the screech sounding suspiciously like an extended wheeee.
"That's amazing!" Lavender said, tears of laughter streaming down her face.
Hedwig eventually slowed and she climbed back up the cane slowly, her eyes spinning ever so slightly as she swayed back and forth a little. Harry petted her head and helped her regain her balance. "She gets a bit dizzy as you see. It's really funny and she enjoys it."
"Reminds me of that swing we used to play on," Padma said.
"Oh right, when we twisted it around and spun like a top," Parvati said. "Remember when you spun too fast and threw up everywhere?"
"That was you!"
"I don't recall that!"
"Of course you wouldn't!"
Lavender smiled and shook her head at the familiar sight of the bickering twins. Seeing them distracted, she leaned close to Harry. "Hey, uhm, can we talk later? I really want to talk to you."
Harry nodded. "I'd like that. Maybe we can go to the clubroom after the Feast?"
She nodded too. "That sounds wonderful, thanks." She hugged him again and sighed softly when he hugged her back unreservedly.
The compartment door opened and Pansy and Millicent were there. "Hello everyone," Pansy smiled. "So good to see you."
"Great to see you, come in," Parvati said. She helped drag their trunks in and Harry helped put them up on the racks. Sunny escaped her basket and spent some time finding the warmest lap, curling up on Harry's after due consideration.
"Did you have a nice Christmas?" Padma asked.
"We did," Millicent said. "How about you all?"
The others confirmed that they did. Then Parvati looked up. "Say, don't the Malfoy's usually have that Winter party thing?"
"Ah, well, it was a little different," Pansy said, her expression cooling. "This time it was a…Sanguis Verus gathering. A time for prospective students and their families to meet with the new school administration and the like."
"Ugh, just what you want on holiday, more school stuff," Parvati grimaced. "Evil school stuff no less."
"Seriously," Millicent sighed.
"Are your parents still considering sending you there?" Lavender asked worriedly.
"They are undecided right now," Pansy sighed. "I hope to prove our worth this term with the other events and convince them otherwise." She shot Harry a grateful look. "Apparently Mother has been speaking with Andromeda and has been more cautious due to that."
"Auntie Andi is great and gives really good advice," Harry said. He looked at Pansy. "Did Draco treat you okay?"
She snorted. "Technically. He treated me with the thinnest civility and I was fine with that. He had no choice, being under the eye of so many others. I was surprised I was even invited, probably was forced to invite me via Auntie Cissa."
"It was a little weird," Millicent said. "We," she pointed at herself and Pansy, "stuck with Daphne, Tracey, and Blaise and it was actually one of the better parties we've been too honestly."
"That's good. Were your parents happy with what you did at the Festival?" Padma asked.
"Actually, yes," Pansy said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Which is why I think my plan of proving that staying at Hogwarts being the better option will still work."
"They weren't too happy with everything we did to be fair," Millicent muttered.
"Oh no, what happened?" Harry asked.
Pansy rubbed her eyes. "Our deal with Skeeter came to light."
"At least the article was actually really nice," Padma said. "We read it and it was surprisingly good and thoughtful."
"It was?" Lavender asked.
"I brought it with me and I'll give it to you later," Harry said. "It printed during the break and Sirius and Andromeda were really surprised too. Rita wrote that the Festival was a success for international cooperation as well as showing that Hogwarts could measure up. She wrote that it was a pleasant surprise to see all the talent on display and cited the Weasleys and some other stalls."
"Including ours," Millicent said smugly. "She was actually really nice and complimented the stew, the clothes, and how we all worked together when traditionally Houses don't."
"Why were your folks upset then?" Parvati asked.
"Well, because she wrote of my abilities as a barker," Pansy said, flushing. "She made a snide comment about what she wrote about my father before and he caught it and questioned me. Which then led to him discovering our 'deal with the deviled hair' and then it became a rather long lecture about making smart deals and protecting oneself."
"Which I had to sit through too because she dragged me in and we got it from both our parents!" Millicent said angrily.
"I wasn't going to suffer alone!"
"I wasn't the one that made the first deal!"
"And you weren't the one that stopped me so there!"
"I'm really sorry you got in trouble over it," Harry said, looking bothered.
"Don't be," Pansy said firmly. "It ended up in our favor and I don't regret it." She smiled and it was a sharp expression. "Not to mention it also proved that we did something unusual, hold Skeeter to an agreement. Also, she was less than flattering to Sanguis Verus and their stalls."
"That's good," Harry said, relieved.
When the train pulled away from the station, they were joined by their other friends and it was a little more packed, but it was still comfortable. Lavender felt much better, after making plans to have a talk with Harry. She still felt somewhat apprehensive, but much more hopeful.
-0-
Harry and Lavender walked together down the hallway. It was after the Return Feast and they were going to the clubroom like they said they would back on the train. The trip was nice, full of chatter and laughter, and the Feast was delicious as always. The upcoming conversation never left the back of her mind however. In fact, it had sat there all throughout the holiday. She had almost driven herself mad, thinking about what she wanted to say and imagining the possible outcomes. Now that the moment has arrived, she was nervous.
They entered the clubroom and closed the door behind them. Harry smiled awkwardly when they sat across from each other at a table. "I brought my cloak," he said. "In case it takes a while and we have to sneak back."
"Aww, like we did in second year," Lavender smiled.
"Apparently my dad and Sirius did that a lot." Harry smiled more easily. "And Remus and…Peter, before everything went…well you know." His smile faded and he sighed before shaking his head. "But yeah, they snuck around and got into all sorts of trouble with the invisibility cloak."
"I bet, it's really handy," Lavender said, also looking sadly at Harry when his expression fell. The silence turned heavy between them and they sat there quietly, unsure what to do or say next.
"I'm sorry," they both said at the same time. They looked at each other with surprise before they laughed. It was a freeing sound, a bright sound, one that was pure and light.
"Mind if I go first?" Harry asked.
"Please," she replied, still smiling. "I'm not sure why you feel the need to apologize though."
"A couple things really." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for whatever I did to upset you." He continued on, cutting her off when she opened her mouth. "I don't know what I did, but I must've done something because we've always been close and well, I really missed you."
He flushed and looked away, missing her look of shame and relief mingled together. "I figured I did something really bad because we've always been close and well, I'm sorry. And I really should've just talked to you. I talked to Grandmother and Auntie Andi and Dora and I didn't treat you right by not talking to you. We're best friends, right?"
"We are," Lavender whispered with conviction.
"I should've just talked to you but for some reason, I didn't. Well, wait, I kinda know the reason." He rubbed his face. "I was jealous of Tomas. I got really jealous that you were spending a lot of time with him and I felt…I felt like you didn't want to be around me anymore."
"Oh Harry," she said softly.
"I didn't want to be someone that tells a friend who to hang out with and all that so I didn't talk to you about it and guess I let me being upset get in the way." He flushed further. "And while we're being honest with each other, I'm kinda glad you're not talking to Tomas anymore because he's a prick and doesn't deserve you." He looked at her sheepishly. "You're not still talking to him, are you?"
"After how he treated me at the Ball? No way!" she said vehemently.
Harry sighed with relief. "Thank goodness. But yeah. I'm sorry and I swear I'll try to be a decent friend and talk to you about things in the future."
"Harry, you're more than a decent friend," Lavender said, looking and feeling ashamed. "It's my fault. Spending all that time with Tomas and not hanging out with everyone was something I was doing kinda on purpose."
"Because I did something?" Harry asked.
"No! Well, no not really but it wasn't your fault!" she added when she saw the look on his face. "It wasn't something you were consciously doing."
"How do I stop it then?!"
She waved her hands. "No no it's gah! I'm making a mess about this." She took a deep breath. "It was you getting close to Daphne and Tracey and spending all the time with them and Pansy." She continued at his look of confusion. "I felt so…inadequate compared to them. They knew more about running a business and how the magical world works and what we needed to do to be successful. You were spending a lot of the time leading up to the Festival with them and I know it was for planning and all that but it felt…different to me.
"And I know I shouldn't see it that way but I couldn't help it. All I could do was sew and didn't have as much to offer about everything like they did. Seeing Pansy do all that for the Festival, seeing Daphne and Tracey get nicer and more open, seeing how happy you were and how involved you were…it made me feel a little left out. Then after the Festival, you became closer friends with Fleur, Sophie, Aimee, and Colette and that made me feel even more left out. That I wasn't as…needed."
She looked up sheepishly and blinked at Harry's expression. He was looking at her as if he had not understood a word that came out of her mouth. "Harry?"
"Did you think I was…replacing you or something?" Harry asked, head tilted and still looking at her with utter confusion.
"Yes?"
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Lavender, you're my first friend, my best friend. You remember that, right?"
"I do," she said, equal parts indignant and sheepish.
"You can't be replaced, not to me," Harry said, opening his eyes and giving her a pawky look. He opened his bag and took out the small portable ice box. In short order, he had biscuit dough out and shaped into individual biscuits and he popped the tray into the oven.
Lavender watched him in silence and while she wanted to talk more, to reassure and be reassured, she remained quiet until the biscuits were finished. She eagerly took one from him after it cooled slightly and bit into it. "Mmm!" she hummed. "This is delicious! It's so good. Did you change the recipe?"
"No, not really." He looked away. "I made the dough last night and put it in the box and when I made it, I thought about all the things I wanted to say to you. To tell you how sorry I am and how much you mean to me."
"Oh." She looked down at the biscuit in her hands, at the ones on the cooling rack. "Really?"
He nodded, still looking away. "I really missed you, the week after the Festival and then after the Ball and through the holiday. I was so scared that we wouldn't be friends anymore, and that it was my fault."
She felt herself tear up a little. "I really missed you too," she said. "I'm so sorry Harry. I really shouldn't have let things get to that point. I was just so insecure and I let it get to me too much.
"I understand, really," Harry said. "I think we both let our insecurities get the best of us." He looked away again. "I thought you liked Tomas because he was older and cooler and…not me."
"Oh no, I mean, he was older and he looked cool and was sweet and romantic at the time, but I see now he really wasn't." Lavender sighed. "He changed when he didn't get his way and you've always been great and sweet and kind and no matter what happens, you're still like that. That's really amazing and makes you so much better."
"Th-thanks," Harry stammered, cheeks pink. "You're amazing too. You're always cheerful, well most of the time, and you're really kind too and you always supported me. You did a lot for the Festival too. We all did. Everyone helped and we were successful because of everyone. No one did less or were less important than anyone else."
She smiled at that, feeling much better.
"And sure, I became friends with Daphne and Tracey and Blaise, and am friendly with Fleur and her friends now, but I'm friends with them for them. I'm not replacing you at all." He gave her a look and a smile. "Besides, you're the one that taught me to be friendly with people, especially if there wasn't a reason to be."
"Don't throw that back at me," she laughed, cheeks pink.
"I'll never not need you," he said quietly.
"I swear, we'll always talk no matter what," Lavender said tearily with utter conviction. "I won't let this happen again. I promise."
"Me too," Harry said gratefully, a huge smile on his lips. "I promise to talk to you about pretty much anything, especially when we need to." He coughed with crushed ribs and with delight when Lavender lunged across the table and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, relishing the contact and the comfort once more, at the huge relief he felt in mind and heart and soul. They stayed like that in each other's arms for a very long moment.
"We should probably get back before we get in trouble," Harry said reluctantly.
"Yeah." Lavender broke the embrace and dabbed at her eyes. Then her eyes widened when she saw Harry put all the biscuits into a drawstring bag and give it to her. "Is that the bag I made in first year?"
"Sure is, I use it a lot and take very good care of it," he said happily.
"I'm sure I can make better ones now," Lavender said, looking at the bag in her hands.
"I'm sure you can but I like that one," Harry said. "So I better get it back, I'm only lending it to you."
She giggled. "Okay." They snuck down the corridor with the cloak thrown over them. She tucked her arm into his and leaned against him slightly as they walked. They managed to sneak into the common room when the portrait door opened for another and when no one was looking, they took the cloak off in a corner of the room. She hugged him tightly again. "Thank you for talking," she said, her voice muffled slightly by his shoulder.
"Thank you," he said with conviction. "I'm glad we had this talk."
"Me too. See you tomorrow!" She watched him walk up the staircase to the boys' side of the tower before walking up hers. She walked into her dorm and blinked when Parvati and Hermione looked up at her. "Hey girls," she said.
"Hi Lav," Parvati greeted. "Good talk?"
"Yes, it was very nice," Lavender said with a big smile. Hermione and Parvati smiled too, showing evident relief.
"That's good," Hermione said happily. "Everything okay with you two then?"
"Yeah." Lavender sat on her bed. "It was my fault. I was feeling really insecure about things and we talked it out. And we promised to always talk when we need to."
"That's good. Say, what was the problem on your end by the way?" Parvati asked.
"I got jealous with how close he was getting with Daphne and Tracey and how much more Daphne and Pansy were doing for the Festival. I felt like he was getting closer to them, and then with Fleur and them after the Festival, and thought he didn't need me around anymore." She realized that the room was silent and she looked up. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"
"Did you really think that?" Hermione asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Yes?" She squawked when Parvati threw a pillow and hit her in the face. "Hey!"
"You are so bloody dim sometimes!" Parvati cried out. She threw another, catching one when it was thrown back. "How could you possibly think that Harry wouldn't need you of all people? How he would replace anyone?!"
"Well I panicked obviously!" Lavender shouted and threw a pillow. "Everyone panics!"
"There's panicking and then there's going off the deep end," Hermione said.
"Even Hermione sees that!" Parvati said.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?!" Hermione asked, glaring at Parvati.
"I mean what I meant!" Parvati scowled when a pillow bounced off her face and she threw herself at Lavender, belaboring her with said pillow.
"Stoppit! You'll crush the biscuits!" Lavender shouted, trying to protect the precious bundle while fighting back with all her worth.
"You better share those for being dim and driving us to worry!"
"No!"
After more tussling, a few choice words, and more pillows, the fight subsided and Lavender relented and shared some of the biscuits.
"Wow, these taste even better than normal," Parvati said admiringly as she gobbled hers.
"They really do," Hermione said as she ate hers happily. "I wonder if it's a new recipe."
"He said it wasn't," Lavender said softly, nibbling on one.
"Well I'm glad that you two worked it out," Parvati said as she climbed back into her bed. "He worked himself into a state before holidays and you weren't much better."
"That's true. Even I saw it apparently," Hermione sniffed, returning Parvati's rude hand gesture.
"Thanks," Lavender said as she got ready for bed. She climbed into hers and laid back with a heavy sigh. "I'm glad too. I didn't realize how off things were before, well, I was ignoring it I guess."
"Just so you know, Harry and I are sibs now so I'll be fighting for him," Parvati said.
"Hey! We were friends first!" Lavender said indignantly.
"Right, but sibs and friends are different, allegedly," Parvati said.
"I've seen how you and Padma act, I'm not sure which is preferable," Hermione smiled.
They laughed at that. "Fair," Parvati chortled. "But you haven't seen me scrap with cousins that try to pick on her." She yawned. "I guess I'll fight most for the one who's been nicest to me most recently."
"How mercenary of you," Hermione giggled.
"Just being honest," Parvati giggled.
As they slowly fell asleep, Lavender rolled to her side and looked at the bag that sat on her nightstand. She remembered what her father had told her over the holiday. She nodded to herself as her lids slowly closed. She knew where she was in Harry's life and she knew how he felt about her. The last thing she saw before falling asleep was the drawstring bag and everything it represented. She fell asleep with a smile on her lips and a warmth in her heart, neither going away and persisting into the next day.
-0-0-0-
SolarSolstice - Thank you. I like heart-to-heart conversations. I think it's a nice way to see character growth, how situations appear to different perspectives, and hopefully they can resonate with the reader. Penny, Andromeda, and Dora all offer vastly different viewpoints I think and all would be welcome. The men will have their time to shine eventually though. Maybe. I also wanted to show Leena's dedication to her family and even though she isn't Lavender's biological mother, she's still her mother in the way it counts.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - Family can help a lot in emotional ways, found family like in Harry's case and Lavender's blood family. Tom-arse will get his and I hope people enjoy it when it happens. Thanks for reading.
WriternotAuthor - I work really hard on the majority of my chapters. I try hard not to phone it in or be lazy, the occasional Extended Family chapters with really weird moments notwithstanding. Thank you. That's how I have tried to show that the majority of the British Society meals and what not to be French in nature since they want haute cuisine as more of a status. How I envision the other magical cultures, they don't have that kind of mental stigma. That's something I plan to explore a lot more in later chapters. Thank you for reading.
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Yeah. I thought it would be nice to see three incredibly different viewpoints. Perenelle's line of 'you are very young' made me laugh because it is literally true and it's something we've all had been told or will/have told someone else. It really adds some perspective to things.
Hoodedgenius98 - There are some people I do not have any desire to really write for/with and she's one of them. That would be amusing if that happened to her, but I really don't envision myself utilizing her all that much, but we will see. I'm not quite there yet despite being 7 chapters behind in posting.
odonnellzoo99 - I hope so. I totally understand that people are reacting to what they see and the episodic updates sort of slows that down. I had hoped I offered enough hints leading up to the events where there might be more going on, but I suppose not. It happens. That's the nature of the story and the medium and I'll just keep trying to work on it. Glad you enjoyed, thank you.
Ronin Kenshin - Thank you.
SvenHPotterFan - Thank you. Emotions and feelings are difficult for everyone regardless of age so I wanted to try and show everyone acting as they could with what they have. Then seeing some different perspectives. That's one of my main points in this setting: adults that try without feeling too railroady. They have their own flaws and it also influences what they say and do, but they try. That's what's important.
poka - Hope you enjoy today's chapter. I worked hard on it and I think it did what I want it to do.
alix33 - I've heard of figs and bacon but not prunes and bacon. That sounds interesting. Here's a fun thing I learned a while back. In the US, pigs in blankets are little hot dog or cocktail wieners wrapped in puff pastry while in the UK, I learned pigs in blankets are little sausages wrapped in bacon.
DarkRavie - Thank you.