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

A Taste of Magic

98th Course – Confirmations

"And that is how you make your cloak billow instead of bluster," Drake said with a flourish. "Any questions? Yes, you there."

Anthony Goldstein gave Drake an odd look. "Uh, just one question. Why?"

"Well sometimes you want your cloak to look like it is blowing in the wind, to give the illusion of airflow when there is not any, hence the bluster," Drake said with a warm smile. "Sometimes however, you do not want that. You want it to give you the impression that you are moving swiftly and with import. Two very different atmospheres with very distinct uses."

"No I mean, why even teach us the…is it seriously called the Cloak Movement Charm? And why even show us the differences between the two? That won't be on our O.W.L.s," Anthony said shortly.

"Do you only learn things because there is a possibility it will be on a test?" Drake asked. He sighed when Anthony nodded. "How perfectly English."

"Excuse me?" Anthony said, narrowing his eyes.

"How perfectly dreary and boring," Drake continued, ignoring Anthony's look of affront and the look on some of the other students' faces. "First of all, learning something only because you will be tested on it later is very, very shortsighted and boring. Second of all, I am surprised you did not catch the meaning of the differences between casting the charm. Did anyone else catch it?"

"The way you turned your wand was different each variation, at the end," Sue said.

"Precisely! And that tiny difference, a flick versus a flicker, is all the difference between the two and it makes a rather large difference. And that applies to every spell that has variations." Drake snapped his fingers and a flicker of flame hovered over his middle finger. He snapped his fingers harder and the flicker was brighter and more pronounced. He gently snapped his fingers and the flame was smaller but more focused, less wild.

"Nuance and attention to detail will determine if your," he released a deep sigh, "your pineapple does a waltz or if it does a tap dance. A deficiency in detail will result in your fruit doing less of a dance and more of a salsa." He sighed again when he received a bunch of blank looks but smiled brightly when Harry chuckled. "Thank you Harry my boy."

"That was a good joke," Harry grinned.

"I do not understand," Daphne said, looking confused.

"Salsa is a dance and it's also a condiment that can have chopped fruit in it," Harry explained.

"Oh! That is clever," Daphne said, nodding.

"So while the Cloak Movement Charm, and yes that is the name of it, may not be part of your tested material, the lessons you learn on how to cast it and what different wand movements mean, will be. Those lessons are universal between the spells and the schools of magic," Drake finished smoothly.

He smiled a little insincerely at an annoyed Anthony. "Do not feel so bad, you are young and have not come to appreciate nuance that much yet. It is perfectly understandable, given how-"

"English we are?" Harry cut in.

"Yes, let us go with that," Drake said, smiling broadly.

"Can you be more of a teacher's pet," Anthony hissed.

"I see we are eager to move onto the Defense Against the Dark Arts portion of the tutoring session," Drake said coolly. "I will need a volunteer. Come along Mister…"

"Goldstein," Padma offered with a sharp smile.

"Mister Goldstein," Drake said. He matched Padma's smile and the ones not used to him gulped a little as his fangs peeked out. "Let us put you through the paces, shall we?"

"You know, with how nice he is and how flamboyant he is," Parvati said as they watched Drake casually bat aside Anthony's spell casting with a bare hand while yawning, "you forgot just how scary he can be."

"He does think a lot of himself," Sue smiled. "Anthony, I mean. It's good to see him get humbled like this."

They all winced when Anthony yelped. His shield spell shattered under one of Drake's spells and he was hoisted into the air by one ankle and he flailed there after Drake summoned his wand away.

"Now a strong shield spell is good and all, but one must not over rely on it," Drake said, turning his back to the dangling Anthony. "The most ineffective spell is the one that misses completely, meaning it misses hitting your shield as well."

He looked over at a groaning McGonagall and a smiling Flitwick and an amused Remus. "Oh wait, was this against the rules or some such?"

"You have proved your point," McGonagall said weakly. "Please right Mister Goldstein."

"Oh yes yes, I completely forgot." Drake waved a hand and Anthony flipped around to his feet, face bright red from blood and swaying in place. "See how fast I moved my hand and how fast you flipped around?"

"Yes Sir," Anthony said queasily. "Felt it too. Matters a lot."

"It sure does. Now sit before you vomit." Drake waved him back to a seat. "Which actually does remind me of a spell, a Hurling Hex. It induces nausea and prompts the opponent to vomit. Not to be confused with a Hurl Hex for hurling something as in throwing."

"A credit to your teaching," he said later when the students were leaving. "Some are better than others of course, but all are fairly competent."

"Thank you," Remus said. "It's a fairly important subject and a lot of the coursework applies to real life, much less dealing with the darker things."

"A far cry better than the last I was by. Your predecessors were lacking," Drake sniffed. "A night light would provide more protection against the dark in comparison to what they were learning, much less anything actually Dark."

"They were not that bad," Dumbledore said weakly. He sighed when Flitwick and McGonagall gave him a look. "They were not that great either, admittedly."

"There's very few that could defend themselves adequately against you," Flitwick smiled.

"Mr. Drake isn't Dark," Harry said indignantly. "He's warmer than a lot of people I know."

Drake beamed. "You are far too kind, my fine friend. I like to think I have a very light disposition sometimes." He folded his cloak behind his shoulders and tugged neatly on his shirt. "I just choose to dress darkly. Fits my complexion."

Dumbledore snorted richly before he looked up suddenly. "Hmm. Someone is trying to reach me via my office Floo. Rather violently too. Pardon me." He left in and in a remarkably short time, arrived at his office. He walked over to the hearth and sat before it, waving his wand. "Ah, hello there Headmaster Quirrell. How are you this day?"

Quirrell's head seemed to fuel the fire. The fire crackled and burned around him, sparks flying every which way. His eyes were deep red and his face was pale, carved in severe lines. His hair was dark brown and seemed to be fanned by the flames. "I want it back," he spat without preamble.

"I am doing fine thank you," Dumbledore said, leaning back and looking calm. "Preparing for the Showcase as well, but O.W.L.s first and foremost. How are your students doing?"

Quirrell took a deep breath, visibly drawing on reservoirs of patience. "What game are you playing?" he asked, his voice cold and calm.

"Game? I have no idea what you mean."

"Do not think me a fool, did you think that I would not notice it in your vain picture in those vain articles?"

"What, this?" Dumbledore reached into his desk and held up the locket. He noticed how Quirrell's eyes focused on it intently. The other man licked his lips, his tongue flicking in an unsettling way. "This belongs to the school."

"It does not! It belongs to me!"

"And how do you determine that?" Dumbledore asked, looking outwardly calm but his insides thrummed. "As far as we can tell, this is Salazar Slytherin's locket, and if so, it belongs to Hogwarts."

"I am the Heir of Slytherin, the last of his line! By my blood, it belongs to me!"

Dumbledore set the locket aside and looked down into the flames, his look of calm confusion melting away. "Quirinus Quirrell does not have any ties to the bloodline of Slytherin. I know that for a fact. Which, you would know that as well. Right? Tom?"

"How long have you known?" Tom Riddle asked, face twisting in displeasure.

"Known? Not long. Suspected, for some time." Dumbledore shook his head. "What happened to you?"

"What was necessary," Tom said, his eyes burning. "Return to me what is mine."

"I think not. You have no claim over it, Headmaster Quirrell. And if you are also Tom Riddle, then you have no concrete claim over it either. Not to mention that Tom Riddle is, well, dead, allegedly." Dumbledore noticed with each repetition of the name, the man in the flames' face twisted more and more.

"You think you are so clever," Voldemort hissed. "You always have. Sitting on your throne with your superiority bred deep in your bones!"

Dumbledore said nothing, looking back at Voldemort.

"I will take back what is mine, one way or another," Voldemort said. "We can do this easily, or bloodily."

"You are correct, we can do this easily. I do not recognize your claim over it," Dumbledore said, watching Voldemort's nostrils flare. "That said, if you want it back, I suppose we can make a wager for it."

"What kind of wager?" Voldemort asked, on his guard.

"Since both of our schools are going to perform at the Showcase, as well as the Headmasters, let us see who performs the better. Defeat Hogwarts, you may see the locket again," Dumbledore said.

Voldemort licked his lips, eyes flicking between Dumbledore and the locket on the desk. "I have your word on this?"

"You do," Dumbledore said quietly.

After a moment, Voldemort nodded. "Done. You will regret this," he hissed. His head disappeared and the fire disappeared with him.

"So that is what he looks like."

Dumbledore jumped slightly, seeing Drake standing in the entryway to his office. The vampire had drifted in unnoticed. He had waited and watched silently until now. "Drake, that was a private conversation," Dumbledore chided.

"Should have closed the door," Drake sniffed.

"It was closed," Dumbledore countered.

"Should have explicitly told me not to eavesdrop," Drake amended. He looked at Dumbledore. "He is quite mad. And I can smell the magic, even from here and through the soot and ash."

"And your earlier assessment?" Dumbledore asked.

"I stand by it," Drake said with complete certainty.

Dumbledore released a sigh, one heavy and full of pain and regret. "Then our plan will work. Hopefully."

"It will, to a degree," Drake agreed. "Do not look so forlorn, Albus. You are not alone in this. Nick and Perenelle and I will be there with you. It will be on my territory. And as far as your information goes, he will be well outnumbered."

"I know, and that makes me feel better. That said, there is still much uncertain."

"We will do what we must," Drake said. "For Harry."

"For Harry," Dumbledore nodded.

They stood in silence for a few moments.

"I still say I should go hunt him down and split him in half from crown to crotch and let him bleed himself dry," Drake said pleasantly.

"You know full well the consequences of that if you went off and did that now," Dumbledore sighed.

"And you know full well how little I care about the laws of your country."

"I was not even referring to that. Imagine the hell that Perenelle and Nicolas would raise if they missed the chance to do something."

"There is truth to that," Drake said seriously. "Very well. He only has a few months left anyways." He watched Dumbledore carefully put the locket away. "Speaking of Harry, I am hungry. Let us go eat."

"Sounds good to me," Dumbledore said. They left the office together and walked sedately down the hall. "Did you really find a charm for heartburn?"

"I did and it is very effective," Drake said. "I have been testing it."

"In terms of phoenixes?"

"Well, admittedly not on them but I have high hopes."

Dumbledore snorted and shook his head. "I have difficulty taking you seriously sometimes."

"Something else we have in common," Drake said brightly.

-0-

"I have to admit, I like staff meetings a bit more now," Bathsheda Babbling said brightly.

Dumbledore and the others chuckled richly at that. "Did you find them so terrible before?" he asked teasingly.

"Not really, but there's definitely a nicer perk now," Bathsheda said, reaching for another sandwich in the middle of the table.

"The food and tea are very nice," Septima Vector said with a smile.

"They are," Dumbledore nodded proudly. "I have reviewed everyone's progress reports and I commend all of you. I am happy to see the results and think we will have a very strong O.W.L. and N.E.W.T year."

"The extra tutoring by the specialists has been very beneficial," Sprout said. "Do you think we can maintain it in future years?"

"I can ask," Dumbledore said. "Worst comes to worst, these specific individuals cannot anymore, but I will try to find other sources for future years. I too believe it has been very good for the students to have extra tutoring by outside sources for perspective."

He sipped his tea. "Now then. I have received the parameters for the Showcase. As you all know, it will be a several day affair with some classes being conducted by specialists in that field. There will also be tests and demonstrations for a multitude of classes where students from the schools will take part in. The invited schools will be focused upon for these classes and workshops. Also, we will be having a select few that will be representing the school at large. They will show their abilities and knowledge for the core subjects and at the end, two of the invited schools will have a final demonstration based on a topic."

"Who decides the two at the end?" Aurora Sinistra asked.

"The Scholastic Committee, based on their observations of the schools throughout the Showcase," Dumbledore answered.

"And only from the ones specifically invited to perform at the Showcase?" McGonagall asked.

"Correct. That will be Mahoutokoro, Uagadou, ourselves as in Hogwarts, and Sanguis Verus." He smiled blandly at the looks of displeasure that the last name elicited.

"They accepted then?" Sprout snorted. "We taught the vast majority of them up till this year. Riding our coattails, are they?"

"Seems like it," Dumbledore said lightly. "All the more for us to outperform them and show the quality of our institution."

The professors discussed who they wanted to represent each subject for the demonstrations and the classes and they were all in agreement for the majority.

"Are we sure we do not want one of the seventh years to be overall representative?" Septima asked.

"There is a rule about that. They cannot be since they are essentially having graduated by the time of the Showcase," Dumbledore said.

"Fair enough, but not one of the sixth years then? One with a bit more knowledge and experience?" Septima persisted. "No offense to Mister Potter, but even in his year, there are those stronger than him scholastically."

"That is true," Flitwick said. "But Mister Potter possesses qualities that will aid him and make up for where he lacks."

"Cooking?" Bathsheda said. "Don't get me wrong, I adore him and he is a splendid cook, but I don't see how that will help here."

"Cooking yes, but he has other qualities as well," Remus said. "He is also one of the most well-rounded students in his year."

"Potter has an impact on the school," Snape said quietly, making heads turn. "A positive one. More than a few in my House like him and look up to him. I would agree that he has other qualities beyond scholastic." His lips twitched slightly. "In fact, one could argue Slytherin as it is now would be non-existent without his influence."

"If you're lookin' for someone that represents the good of Hogwarts, Harry's one of the best," Hagrid said proudly.

The other professors looked at each other and none looked like they wished to object. After some nods and some small shrugs, they looked back at Dumbledore.

The Headmaster smiled. "I am also happy to report that our travel and expense budgets have all been accounted for and then some, so we will not have to worry about that."

"The Ministry is giving it to us? Even with Sanguis going as well?" Snape asked, eyebrow raised.

"To a degree. Sanguis is using the generous scholarship provided by the ICW for disadvantaged and struggling schools," everyone snorted and chuckled at that, "and while they took some of the money allotted for Hogwarts to help Sanguis, there is ample in reserve for us. That said, we have had some generous patrons that have matched the Ministry budget so now we have plenty to utilize and be able to take a full complement without worry."

"Oh that is very nice," Septima said. "Do we know who? Or were the donations anonymous."

"Lord Sirius Orion Black the Third, current lord of the House of Black, also known as the Instigator of the Brawl, among many varied and terrible titles, is the first of them," Remus said in a very weary tone making Snape narrow his eyes, McGonagall groan, and the others to either look astonished or look amused. "And yes, he did demand for me to introduce him as such. Not only that, some of the parents of the students here also have donated some as well and Sirius was responsible for that."

"The Brawl? What is that?" Bathsheda asked. "Sounds important, or should be."

"Oh I remember. The first entire school fist fight in recorded school history," Aurora smiled. "Sirius and James started that, didn't they?"

"Yes," McGonagall growled. "Yes they did."

"The Flamels made a contribution as well," Dumbledore said, shocking some of the other professors.

"Gringotts did as well," Flitwick said smugly.

"They did?!" Septima gasped.

"There won't be a problem about appearances for that, will there?" Aurora asked.

"I do not believe so. There has never been a rule about contributions from Gringotts before," Dumbledore said.

"Most likely because Gringotts never contributed like that before to be fair," Flitwick said brightly. "Not without concessions and negotiations."

"Why are they doing so now and so freely?" Septima asked.

"They have a vested interest in the safety and comfort for one of their own," Flitwick smiled. "Mister Potter. He is an official employee of the bank."

"Oh goodness, that's rather impressive," Aurora said, deeply impressed.

"And speaking of safety, we will have an Auror contingent with us," Dumbledore said. "As added security. Alastor will be coming as well."

"I'll stock up on sobriety potions and calming draughts," Pomfrey said in sotto.

"My goodness. We will be putting on quite the display," McGonagall said at last.

"Yes, we certainly will," Dumbledore said happily. The meeting was concluded and about half of the professors left.

"Did he really wish to be mentioned like that?" McGonagall asked flatly.

Remus snorted. "What do you think?"

"Of course he did," she sighed.

"I knew Harry had close ties to Gringotts but even this is surprising," Sprout said.

"In truth, I was a little surprised myself and I know how well they think of him," Flitwick said. "It came entirely unprompted too. Ragnok informed me and that was that. And he said if there was a fuss about propriety, then he said they would simply ensure it was only used for Harry alone. To them, they don't care how their funds are used as long as Harry benefits."

"Wouldn't that seem more improper somehow?" Sprout chuckled. "Clear favoritism instead of benefiting the school at large?"

"Probably, and they wouldn't have cared," Flitwick laughed. "Oh they do want the receipts in triplicate."

"Easily done," Dumbledore said. "I will ensure it."

"A rather showy way for us to return to the world stage," McGonagall said.

"It is," Dumbledore admitted. "But it has been some time and let us do our best to earn the return and show off a bit. This will be our best chance to put in a good new impression."

"Our students will be up to the task," Sprout said proudly.

"Oh and Sirius and Andromeda have agreed to join as chaperones and escorts," Remus said.

"Ah good. I will be sending letters to others and see if they wish to assist in that regard as well," Dumbledore said. "Some of the House Elves are coming of course." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ariana is coming as chaperone as well."

"Double the sobriety potions and calming draughts then," Pomfrey said.

"Ariana doesn't drink that much," Flitwick frowned.

"No, but she seems to encourage others to do that," Pomfrey retorted. "The calming draughts will be for the others too."

"She encourages people to?" Remus asked.

"As in self-medication," Dumbledore said wryly.

"Ah," Remus said in understanding while Flitwick chuckled and McGonagall shook her head. "I had a question. I thought Fawkes normally does not join staff and faculty meetings."

"No he does not, he typically finds them boring," Dumbledore said, giving his phoenix a look. "However, he is currently hiding from Drake."

"I thought Mr. Tepes already left," McGonagall said, confused.

"He did, but Drake said he left a surprise for Fawkes and Fawkes is being wary. It seems that Drake has been, well training for want of a better term, to enact a certain bit of revenge and Fawkes is taking it a bit more seriously than he normally would." He rolled his eyes when Fawkes made a sound like a tuba discharging off-key.

"What has Mr. Tepes threatened to do that could affect a phoenix?" Sprout asked with naked interest.

"Many things I am sure but Drake is adamant about eating Fawkes," Dumbledore sighed.

"That can only end poorly," McGonagall snorted.

"For everyone," Dumbledore sighed again.

-0-

"Hey Lav."

"Hey Sue." The friends met in a hallway and turned down the same one together. "Did you finish your Charms paper?"

"I still need to," Sue said. "Almost done though. As soon as I do, I need to do the Potions one too. Then I'll be ahead for a bit."

"I finished the Potions one last night. Ugh, that one was hard. I'm still unreasonably irritated that the poison and the antidote are basically the same thing with only one different ingredient."

"And one that isn't even poisonous in nature or healing in nature! It makes no sense!" Sue cried. The pair laughed until they both jumped when they heard a scream of undiluted agony.

"Parvati!" they cried together and both ran as fast as they could, wrenching the door to the Uncommon Room open. "Is everything okay?!" they shouted together. Their eyes popped open at a very strange sight. Padma was rolling on the ground, howling with laughter while Harry had one hand on the base of Parvati's neck, his wand in the other. Parvati was gasping and guzzling liquid from a very large cup she held in both hands while the majority of the others in the room were laughing too.

"She's okay," Harry said hurriedly. "For now. I think."

"What happened?!" Lavender asked, running over.

"So, uh, Mr. Drake made a spice blend the other day when he was here," Harry said, shaking his head. "He asked me to help him make it to train him up for spicy food and to test the new super anti-heartburn charm he found. For when he eats Fawkes."

"Wait, he wants to eat Fawkes?" Sue asked, incredulous.

"Like I said, they have a really rough relationship," Harry sighed. "Anyways, we made the spice sauce thing and Mr. Drake left it here after eating with it the other night and testing the charm. Parvati saw it and wanted to try it and well…she reacted strongly."

"I'll say! I heard her scream from like three hallways down," Lavender said, rubbing her chest.

"Is that glowing?" Sue asked, staring at the glass container with the fiendishly red sauce within. "What's in it?"

"Uh, lots of stuff," Harry said. "Chili oil, Szechuan peppercorns, firepepper pods, all sorts of chili peppers, a few things that Mr. Drake called Vulkan's Kiss and Pele's Embrace and the Doom of Titans."

"Luna, really?" Pansy asked, looking at Luna.

"I'm really curious," Luna said, extending her hand and dipping a cracker into the sauce.

"No," Pansy said firmly, and took Luna's hand away. "We literally just saw what happened."

"But I'm curious," she pouted.

Parvati belched and winced. "The air tastes like fire," she rasped. "Spicy burning delicious fire."

"I'm surprised you can taste anything," Hermione said. "Good thing you learned the heartburn charm, Harry."

"I think it's less of a heartburn charm and more of a stop burning charm," Harry sighed. "And yeah, good thing Mr. Drake taught it to me."

"I think it's melting the cracker," Millicent gasped, watching the cracker that Luna dipped into it dissolve as they watched.

"You know, I hope you treat your patients better when you're a healer," Parvati coughed, glaring down at her sister.

"I doubt I'll see many with those kinds of self-inflicted injuries," Padma said, still giggling helplessly and wiping tears of merriment from her eyes.

"I don't know, my parents see a lot," Hermione said. "Mum still remembers the time someone damaged their teeth because they were chewing on metal because they liked the taste of it."

"Thanks bro," Parvati said, her voice returning to some semblance of normal. "You know, if we dilute it some, I bet it'll taste just fine."

"Your tongue looks like it's glowing," Padma snorted. "I can see heat radiating off of it."

"What was Mr. Drake's reasoning?" Pansy asked, shaking her head.

"That Fawkes probably tastes spicy because he's a phoenix," Harry said, also shaking his head. "And he wanted to prepare himself."

"How did he react to the sauce?" Lavender asked.

"So apparently it is very much like licking actual fire and yes, he has done that before apparently," Harry said. "He also said that the flavor could use some work."

"Aww, poor petlings," Millicent said. She saw Hedwig, Crookshanks, and Sunny clustered on the cabinet in the far corner, staring at the bottle of sauce warily.

"They show more sense in this case," Pansy snorted.

"You know, this is the definition of insanity," Hermione commented later. "Doing the same thing again and expecting different results."

"Excuse me," Parvati hiccoughed. "I didn't do it the same way at all. I diluted it heavily this time and mixed it with other sauces and put it on noodles. And I was right, it tastes good."

"I question your use of the word taste," Pansy smiled.

"No, she's right," Sue gasped. "It tastes good, I think." She wiped her face with a napkin and breathed deeply through her nose. "I'm pretty sure."

"I hope you're happy with yourself," Harry said, his hand on Luna's throat. He smiled and shook his head when she stopped chugging water and smiled brilliantly at him, nodding happily despite her red face and watery eyes.

"Curiosity sated," she said raspily before belching. "Oh! Excuse me. More water please."

"You might want to seal it and put it somewhere safe," Lavender giggled. "Like the ice box."

"I put it in my portable ice box earlier and it never felt chilly at all," Harry laughed. "I think we created a dangerous substance."

"A dangerously delicious substance," Parvati and Sue and Luna said together, much to their shared merriment and the amusement of the others.

-0-0-0-

odonnellzoo99 - Poor Millie, no more sassy teasing of Harry. Sunny, like most cats and kneazles, already assume they own what they want. Yeah, it's a bit formulaic I admit but it works and it is still very amusing.

DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Hope you enjoyed the pancakes. I want to make some soon too.

Hands Off MY Wolfie - They eat as much as they want, they would never overindulge, maybe. Those sound tasty. I've heard of Dutch babies before but those are more bakes desserts. Still in a pan though if I recall correctly. Thanks for reading.

TheSphynx - They've had the chance to try pizza, the first time during fourth year. After the scholastic event I believe. Harry's good at caring for others and enjoys it.

DarkRavie - Thank you.

poka - Be the friend you want and make food for your best friend, yourself.

alix33 - She wanted a bow to look pretty. She deserves it.

Kaya - Thank you.

Jah Ith Ber - I haven't finished this fic yet, still have minimum two years left. I haven't had the time nor effort to even think of anything to come after.