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

An extra update this week. I've been able to write a decent amount, actually started course 22 and am in second year, so things are still going strong. Also managed to keep doing a chapter a week of Extended to maintain my bank there too. Thank you all for reading. Have a lovely weekend!

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A Taste of Magic

10th Course – The Stand

Harry looked at the doors to the Great Hall eagerly. The students had just returned from the holiday break and were streaming in for the return dinner. While he had enjoyed himself over the holiday, he had missed Lavender, Parvati, and Padma. It was a shock to him when he realized he missed seeing them and talking to them. He never had friends before to miss.

"Potter," Fred and George said, giving him a cool but polite nod as they walked past. Ron grunted and nodded, saying nothing else. He looked less hostile than he did before and it surprised Harry.

"Hello," he said back. "Good holiday?"

"Was pretty good," Fred said. "Yours?"

"It was good, thank you. I was alone in the tower," Harry replied.

"Having the run of the tower by yourself, that must be nice," George said.

"We'd never get that chance," Fred said, looking back towards the door.

"Probably for the best," George snickered. The three Weasley brothers nodded again and kept walking down the table.

"I do hope they were polite," someone said from behind, making Harry turn. He saw Percy standing there, throwing a stern look after his brothers.

"They were," Harry said.

"Thank goodness," Percy sighed. "I hope I did not act out of turn, but I had a talk with them a few months ago about how they were treating you."

"You did?" Harry looked surprised. "Why?"

It was Percy's turn to look surprised. "Because it was not right, how they were treating you. I should address it as a prefect and as their older brother."

"Oh. Thank you, I appreciate it."

Percy felt faintly embarrassed for some reason. "You are welcome. I sincerely hope that there will be no future problems, but do feel free to let me know if there are."

"Did…did they tell you why?" Harry asked nervously.

"It was over a misunderstanding between you and Ronald on the Express and it was taken out of proportion," Percy said.

"Oh actually, I think I can explain more. We learned in Household Charms club that you can taste magic."

Percy looked interested. "You can?"

"Yeah, apparently the more you use magic to cook, it leaves a distinct taste. That's why I found your mother's corned beef to taste so different."

"Is that so? How interesting." Percy looked impressed. "Mother cooks with magic all the time so that would explain things. With your permission, I will tell them that and hopefully the misunderstanding could be firmly put to rest."

"I'd like that. Thank you," Harry said sincerely.

"You are welcome." With a nod, Percy walked away.

"Harry!"

Harry turned and smiled as he saw Lavender walk in with the Patil sisters. He waved back excitedly. "Hi everyone!"

"Did you have a good holiday?" Lavender asked as she sat beside him.

"It was really nice. Quiet and I got a lot of work done and visited with the Elves and Hagrid and the Headmaster. Thank you so much for the gifts. I love my apron and my mortar and pestle!"

"You're welcome! I adore my sewing kit," Lavender smiled brightly.

"I've never seen Parvati read something so diligently like her book," Padma smiled.

"It's really interesting!" Parvati said. "And that tablet is really handy. Padma uses it a lot and it's so cool."

"I'm glad," he said with relief.

Padma left to go back to the Ravenclaw table and Harry felt more at ease eating and chatting with Lavender and Parvati like before.

-0-

"Everyone liked your biscuits," Lavender said the next night when they met for club activities.

"Really?" Harry asked, pleased.

"Mmmhmm! They said they were great and my mum said she could actually taste a difference between the ones you made with and without magic," Lavender said. "That was really exciting. My little sisters preferred yours to mine though," she huffed, making the others laugh. "It was fun baking with them though. When we went to my Grandmum's, we all baked together and Grandmum was really happy to do that with us."

"Only your mum could taste a difference?" Parvati asked.

"Daddy could a little but she could more. She's a witch too," Lavender said. "My dad is a Muggle." She hesitated for a moment, as if debating whether or not to say more, and decided not to.

"I guess that answers a question if Muggles can tell the difference in tasting magical food or not," Flitwick said smoothly. "We can explore that as well later on. Oh and I managed to procure some magazines for the club." He revealed them with a large smile. "Here are some ones focusing on fashion and textile work and things like that."

Lavender and Parvati picked those up eagerly, already flipping through them.

"And for you Mister Potter, some cooking magazines." He grinned at Harry's enthusiasm. "Now most of them are from international magical communities. There really aren't any domestic ones."

"Why is that?" Padma asked.

"Unfortunately, cooking is not held in high esteem in Wizarding Britain. A good portion of our community is very much, how do I put this politely, image focused." He hummed at their blank looks. "The Pureblood culture tends to be more dominant and for them, one should have food prepared for them. They are very concerned about appearances, both literal and figurative."

"Oh, I understand," Harry said with utter sincerity.

"I'm afraid you do," Flitwick said softly to himself, given what he has learned from the comments he heard Harry made. "So while there are eateries and restaurants and taverns all over, it's less of a prestigious thing to do here. Also from what I understand, British cuisine is a bit maligned as it is and with our culture being so image concerned, it bleeds over."

"You're not wrong," Harry confirmed. "Lots of jokes about how it's bland or not good and how most of it is simple food. Which is a shame, there's nothing wrong with that. Good food is good."

"A good mindset to have," Flitwick said approvingly. "In any case, just like most things, things and customs will wax and wane in time. Perhaps one day we will see a rise in British cooking in our culture. But at least, you can see how some of the rest of the world does it."

"Thank you, Sir!"

"You are quite welcome!" He sniffed the air, looking at the bubbling pot of butter chicken with intense interest and anticipation. "I am terribly excited that I can enjoy this fresh from the pot. Also, what a lovely gift you received." He gestured at the mortar and pestle. "It made short work of the spices."

"I really like it," Harry beamed, making Padma and Parvati smile with pleasure. "And my apron," he said, smoothing out the edges and proudly showing off the additions Lavender made.

"I wanted to try and make you one but we didn't have the right materials," she said, smiling with pleasure as well. "So I ordered one and added the bits to it thinking you'd like it."

"I really do," Harry said. "So much."

"I'm sure Professor Snape will be happy with your mortar and pestle as well," Flitwick commented. He blinked when Parvati muttered something under her breath that made Padma poke her and Lavender giggle.

"Has Professor Snape ever been happy?" Harry said in what he thought was a diplomatic tone.

Flitwick stifled a snort. "It has been known to happen," he said and could not stop from smiling while the four students laughed.

-0-

Pansy felt Millicent pressing her foot against hers, the action hidden by the table. Before she could look at her friend, she noticed someone walking up to them in the Slytherin common room. "Hello Draco," she said blandly, looking up at him.

"Pansy," he said back shortly. "I want to talk to you."

"Okay," she said and went back to writing her essay. "Go ahead then," she said as he stood there and fumed.

"Go away," he sneered at Millicent.

"You don't have to," Pansy cut in, giving Millicent a kind look. She ignored Draco's look.

Draco seethed for a moment before visibly swallowing. "May I speak with you in private then?" he asked Pansy.

"Okay," she repeated blandly and got up and followed him a few feet away.

"What did you tell my mother?" he asked when they had a semblance of privacy.

"That I loved her dress robes," Pansy said honestly.

He looked at her, trying to determine if she was mocking him or not. "Did you tell her that we're fighting?"

"Is that what we're doing?" Pansy retorted, showing her irritation and hurt.

"Apparently," Draco sniffed. "Despite me being the bigger man and apologizing."

Pansy snorted. "If you can call it that."

"I did apologize! It is not my fault if you did not accept it!"

She looked at him cooly. "I thought that was one of the Malfoy things, 'never accept anything'."

He flushed. "Never stopped you from accepting what you could get from me before," he bit back.

She flinched and glared at him, pain and anger mixed in her eyes in equal measure. "I didn't say anything else to her," she said back finally. "She asked me if I was having fun, and asked how school was and if you and I were getting along. I said yes, that it was hard, and you thought we were. Then I said I loved her dress robes and we hugged. That's it."

He had the grace to look slightly abashed. "And you did not tell her anything else?"

"I have never snitched on you," Pansy said severely. "Never, ever. Even when I climbed the tree on your estate and fell out of it trying to get the kite that was stuck in it."

"Oh. Right. I remember that," he said in a soft whisper. For a brief moment he looked like the boy that Pansy had really liked, a kinder face with softer eyes. Then his face hardened and his eyes sharpened. "Well, good. Thank you." With what he thought was a lordly nod, he turned and left without another word.

After watching him walk away, Pansy turned and sat back down at the table she shared with Millicent. Her movements were slow and without thought. She turned to look at Millicent when her friend pressed her leg against hers again. "Hmm?"

"You still don't deserve it," Millicent said quietly.

"I thought I was doing what he wanted," Pansy whispered. "I don't know what he wants anymore."

"You should do what you want," Millicent said gently.

"That's the problem," Pansy sighed. "I don't know what I want."

-0-

She had thought she would have time to ponder on that question, but as life was wont to do, she found she did not have much time at all.

Potions class was already off to a rough start. Millicent had gotten sick with a cold and stayed in their dorm room to rest. Pansy had relied on her best friend more these days to remain calm and centered. She never would want Millicent to suffer for her sake and while she wanted her friend to rest, she felt her absence keenly.

Snape had started the class by going over the potion they would be attempting to brew that day, lecturing on some of the more tricky parts of the instructions. Then he stepped out for a moment, giving Draco the chance to do what he wanted: mock Harry.

Draco, having learned that Harry had remained at the school over the holidays, had immediately gone for the throat and ridiculed Harry for not being wanted by his relations to return for the school break. Harry had tried to keep his emotions under check but the remark struck home and no one missed the flash of pain on his face.

Tasting blood, Draco bragged about how his family looked forward to his return and he was the highlight of their Winter Soiree. How everyone wanted to have him around. He had turned smugly to Pansy, waiting for her to help him. Waiting for her to aid in mocking him, to take part in torturing Harry.

There was a time where she would have done just that. She had done just that, a few months prior. Yet now, she hesitated. She thought about everything that had happened lately. She remembered the kindness Harry showed her, the cruelty that Draco had shown her. She felt the weight of the handkerchief, clumsily sewn and given to her, in her pocket.

You don't deserve it; you still don't deserve it. You should do what you want to do.

She opened her mouth and Draco looked at her expectantly, gleefully waiting.

"I'm tired of this," she said and he looked as confused as she felt.

"What?" he asked, wrong-footed.

Pansy got up from the desk, moving slowly but with purpose that grew stronger with each step she took. She walked up to Harry who looked at her with mirrored confusion. She tried to ignore the suspicious looks from Lavender and Parvati, from everyone else. "Potter," she said, her voice oddly calm. "Millicent is sick today and I don't have a partner. Care to work together?"

Draco's jaw fell to the floor and he stared in utter shock. The class dissolved into whispers and gasps and Harry looked at his two friends, as if confirming with them that he had heard correctly. When they returned his blank look, he turned back to Pansy. "Sure, I'd be okay with that," he said and sounded like he meant it.

Pansy nodded shortly and sat beside him, skin prickling from the intense stares from everyone around them. A part of her was horrifically embarrassed at her own boldness. A part of her was deeply nervous, unsure of what was going to happen next. And a small but not inconsequentially small part of her was very pleased at how upset Draco looked.

Snape walked back into the classroom and stopped. He stared at Draco standing there, shaking from anger. He then noticed Pansy sitting beside Harry and his eyebrows rose even higher. "Is there a problem?" he asked cooly, the question directed to the class at large.

"No Sir. I needed a new partner today," Pansy said loftily.

"I see." Snape coughed awkwardly. "Mister Malfoy, return to your seat. All of you should be working. Get started."

Harry's head swam from the rollercoaster changes in just a few short minutes. From having a pleasant lunch with his friends, to being upset from Draco's needling, to being the center of attention with Pansy's actions, he was confused and a little anxious. However, he pushed on, falling into the state he did whenever he cooked which potions was similar enough to.

"Shouldn't we be chopping the burdock roots?" Pansy asked.

"Yeah but if we slice it out like this first, we'll get more even pieces. Professor Snape said it was important for everything to be as uniform in shape as possible."

"That will take more time though," Pansy frowned.

"I can do it quickly enough," Harry said confidently. "But if you don't mind preparing the thistle flowers for the next part, we can catch up in time there."

"I can do that," she said slowly.

"Thank you," Harry said as he started peeling the skin off the burdock root. He then cut the long root into even pieces before julienning them and then chopping them.

"That's more than what we need," Pansy observed.

"I know, I'm splitting some with Lavender and Parvati and they're going to share the shredded dandelion root that they're working on with us."

"Should I be preparing more thistle flowers then?"

"If you could, that would be great."

Pansy blinked a few times. "I could, I mean, yes I can."

"Thank you," Harry said again pleasantly.

"You're welcome," she replied with uncertainty.

Parvati turned so that Pansy could not see her face and looked at Lavender with wide eyes. "Is she actually being nice?" she mouthed silently.

Lavender nodded, also with wide eyes. She peeked around Parvati and Harry to look at Pansy.

"I must be dreaming," Parvati mouthed again. "Hey!" she said out loud. "Why did you pinch me?!"

"To make sure you weren't sleeping," Lavender said and she scooted away when Parvati tried to pinch her back.

As the class came to an end, Snape walked to their table. He dipped a ladle into Harry and Pansy's cauldron and poured the liquid out, watching it closely. Cleaning the ladle with his wand, he did the same to Lavender and Parvati's cauldron, watching the potion drip slowly and smoothly from the ladle.

"Acceptable," he said tonelessly. He ignored Lavender and Parvati's happy expressions and gave Harry and Pansy a curious look. "Gather a sample vial for each of you and then you may clean and leave."

"Good work today," Harry said to Pansy as they cleaned up.

"Uhm, yeah, thanks for helping," Lavender said next with Parvati nodding.

"You're welcome," Pansy said softly. "It was…nice working with you too." They left the classroom together and after an awkward pause and an even more awkward half-wave, Pansy started walking away from them. A few paces away she stopped and turned around to face them. "When is your next club thing. You said you cook in a club?"

"Household Charms," Harry confirmed. "Tonight actually." He noticed her dithering there. "Would…would you like to come? That's fine, right?" He looked at Lavender and Parvati.

"I…guess?" Lavender said, sharing a look with Parvati who nodded hesitantly.

"I would," Pansy said. "Thank you. When and where?"

"The classroom is on the fifth floor, across the hall from a tapestry of flowers," Harry said. "We have it right before dinner because we usually eat during it now so we can skip dinner in the Hall."

"I will be there." Another half-wave and Pansy fled down the hall.

"Ow! Why?!" Lavender squeaked, smacking Parvati.

"You pinched me earlier and I was just checking to make sure I wasn't dreaming," Parvati said. She and Lavender exchanged pinches and pushes for a bit as the trio started walking back to their tower. "Okay, I'm just going to say it, that was weird right? Please tell me that I'm not the only one that thought that was weird."

"That was definitely weird," Lavender agreed.

"It was a good kind of weird at least," Harry said.

"I guess so," Parvati said. "I'm still not used to her being so…not her."

"I thought she and Draco were like super close," Lavender mused. "But she definitely didn't do what he wanted her to do, you could tell." She stopped and looked at Harry seriously. "What if it's a trick? What if she's doing this to really get back at you in the future or something?"

"I didn't even think about that," Parvati gasped.

"Do you think it's a possibility?" Harry asked, disturbed.

"Who knows? I mean, I never thought it was possible for her to be nice but she was today," Lavender said. Her face fell a little. "I feel bad for thinking badly of her like this…"

"But in our defense, she was horrid and only recently been less so," Parvati finished. The girls looked at Harry.

"We can give her a chance," he said at last. "Before the holiday break, she said thank you for the muffin and was really surprised when I explained why I was nice to her. Let's give her a chance and if she's rude or anything, we can tell her she's not welcome back to the club. I definitely don't want someone rude or mean there."

"That's fair," Lavender said.

"Padma is going to be really surprised," Parvati muttered.

"I think we've all been surprised today," Harry said.

-0-0-0-

odonnellzoo99 - They probably wouldn't no. Grandmum Patil is starting to become a fun random character to mention. I ran away with the Curse joke and her being a cantankerous matriarch is a lot of fun. Poor Sita indeed.

poka - It's been fun to focus on a different list of characters for this so far. It's refreshing to work with something new and not fall back on old reliables like I have plenty of for Extended. Breathing new life into these while trying to stay similar to canon has been a nice challenge. I'm not necessarily taking suggestions per se, but will keep them in mind and if it works later, I'll try. Thank you for reading.

Arnie1701 - Hedwig in a bow is always nice.

DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - This set of twins has been fun to write for and play with.

kaya - Thank you.

alix33 - Tiny embroidered Hedwig and big Hedwig with her bow are the best.

Guest - Haha, I had a brain fart but the second I typed that into youtube, I got it. That's a fun mental image.