I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters, nor do I own other pop culture references including one of my very favorite ones that is featured in this chapter/course.

A Taste of Magic

129th Course – Extended Exchange

"You eat this for breakfast every day?!" Tsumugi gasped.

"Well, not every day," Harry said with a laugh. "Not all of it anyways. Here our breakfasts depend on the person. Some only want some fruit, others some eggs and either bacon or sausage or ham. Some only eat toast and tea or juice. Milk and cereal or oatmeal for some too. But I like making this for weekend breakfasts or for special occasions. It's also a standard special at the Hog's Head. But we call it a full English breakfast so I thought it would be a good example of a breakfast."

Harry and Sota were making their culture's breakfasts for their friends to try and Harry made his favorite, the full English. He had grilled sausages and then finished them in the oven, setting them beside rashers of crisp and chewy bacon. A pile of golden-brown hash browns were ready, crunchy and delicious, alongside bread that was pan-fried in butter. Tomatoes had been pan-grilled until the skins burst, mushrooms sautéed until brown and fragrant, and a pot of beans had been slowly cooked with a rich slightly sweet sauce. Eggs sat on a tray, some fried with runny yolks and others making a mound of soft scrambled eggs.

"It's my favorite," Ariana smiled broadly.

"No wonder you recover so well after a night out," Yuna laughed.

Sota's contribution looked just as delicious. He had grilled thin cuts of salmon that he marinated in mirin and miso, the fish becoming flaky and smelling savory and rich with slightly golden-brown edges. Bowls of rice steamed besides bowls of rich brown miso soup that had bits of enoki mushroom and cubes of tofu floating within. Eggs were also a part of the breakfast, in the now familiar shape of tamagoyaki: golden rectangles that were sliced into thick pieces, slightly sweet and savory. Bowls of pickles were served too, completing the breakfast.

"I love all the bowls and plates," Lavender said brightly. "It feels fancy and cute."

"Every family has their own miso soup," Sota said as everyone ate. "There are different blends of miso, white and red, and you can put all sorts of ingredients in it. Clams, vegetables, just about anything."

"At first I thought it would be weird to eat fish for breakfast but then I remembered I have a kipper now and then," Ron said, chewing thoughtfully. "Salmon is really good and this miso stuff is great."

"Not everyone eats breakfast like this either, but it is very common," Chiyo said. "Oh no, Sota, don't offer that!"

"I told him about it and he said he wanted to try it," Sota said. He opened a small container and revealed a tiny mound of beans that looked incredibly sticky. The Hogwarts students looked at it with apprehension when Sota stirred it with chopsticks after putting on a little soy sauce and mustard. It made long strands that clung to each other and the chopsticks and it had a very pungent fermented smell. "This is natto," he said as he poured the sticking mass onto rice. "Fermented soybeans. It is very good for you. Good for your health I mean."

"It is also something a lot of people do not like, even Japanese people," Chiyo said with a wince.

"How is it?" Padma asked, looking at Harry when he ate a bite.

"It's really weird," Harry said. "Almost slimy, really sticky." He licked his lips. "I don't mind it though." He, Millicent, Luna, and Sue were the only ones brave enough to try it and they all shared his sentiments to varying degrees.

"Sorry, but that's not for me," Millicent said, drinking a large glass of water. "Oh that's weird!"

"I like it," Luna said as she licked her fork clean. "It's delightfully odd."

"These beans are a lot less strong," Tsumugi said. "I like these. Much more pleasant and slightly sweet. I feel like I would fall asleep if I ate so much though." She gave Harry a look. "Did you do this on purpose? To give your fellow classmates the advantage in the coming game?" she asked teasingly.

"That would be sneaky if I thought of it," Harry remarked, making them laugh. "Also all the Quidditch players I've known eat like mad before games so probably not honestly."

"This is very good bacon," Sota said appreciatively. "And putting the runny yolks on bread and potatoes is very good."

"I have always liked bread and toast," Haruto said, munching on his. "It is something I argue a lot about with my siblings."

Tsumugi sighed when Azuki filched a rasher from her plate. "You have your own! I saw Harry make a big breakfast for all of you!" She rolled her eyes as the little fox sat in front of her and chewed on the stolen bacon with relish.

"I'm glad that happens to other people too," Harry smiled as Hedwig took a piece from his plate, dipping the end into his miso soup and then munching away with immense pleasure. "I know Hedwig does it because she thinks it's funny and it tastes better to her for some reason."

Harry watched as Lavender took a piece from him. "This is new though."

"Girlfriend tax," Lavender smiled. She replaced the taken piece with one from her own plate.

"And what's that then?" Harry asked with a grin.

"To replace the one I took," she said glibly, giggling at his snort.

-0-

Ron dove under the incoming Bludger, keeping his eyes forward. He twisted around the goalpost and extended his hand up and out, neatly blocking the Quaffle from going in. He managed to kick it with a twist of the broom and the large red ball went flying through the air, neatly caught by Katie. She took off with it, Ginny and Demelza Robins tucked right behind her. The three Chasers passed the ball between them, dodging Mahoutokoro Chasers clad in blue and white.

"Nice block Ron!" Neville shouted and the others cheered, waving back when Ron waved down to them. The other Hogwarts students cheered and even the visiting Mahoutokoro students applauded the good play.

"I thought our players were good for students," Blaise said. "But yours are exceptionally good."

"Quidditch is very popular at our school," Chiyo said. She and her friends cheered when their Keeper blocked a shot by Ginny and their Chasers regained possession of the Quaffle. "We have eight teams that play every year in our school league and many play for fun after classes and on weekends."

"Wow, we have a decent enough rivalry between the four House teams," Millicent remarked.

"Does Japan have a big professional league?" Tracey asked.

"Very big. Many prefecture teams," Chiyo nodded.

It was a lovely day for Quidditch. The sun was bright and the wind fresh. The four school teams had come together and formed two mixed teams to play against the Mahoutokoro team. All the players had played well and enthusiastically, enjoying the chance to play against new people and in regards to the mixed teams, with new people on the same team.

Tsumugi had caught the Snitch against Stevens from Hufflepuff in their first game and she and Cho were now vying for position around the pitch while the Chasers and the Beaters fought along the length of the pitch.

"Do you play other sports in Japan?" Millicent asked.

"Baseball is very popular, even with the magicals," Chiyo said. "Probably the second most popular after Quidditch."

"Really? Is there magic involved?" Lavender asked.

"Some games but a large amount like to play without magic," Chiyo explained. "Dueling is another popular sport. And martial arts too. How about here?"

"Mostly just Quidditch," Daphne said. "Dueling as well. Though here at school at least, shinty and hurling are becoming popular. It would be something if it became more popular."

People gasped as Cho and Tsumugi dove, plummeting straight to the ground. The two Seekers flew neck and neck before Cho pulled up hard, flying off at an angle with Tsumugi doing the same a second later. The two wove around each other and a shot from the Bludger made Tsumugi dodge and Cho banked the opposite direction. She then climbed into the air with her hand held high, holding the Snitch in her fist.

"Hogwarts wins!" Hooch shouted, shooting lights with her wand while the watchers cheered. "210 points to 80!"

Both teams came to ground and congratulated each other for the good game while their friends applauded their efforts. After some lively conversation, they wandered over to where their friends were waiting.

"It's fun playing against new people," Ron said happily. "Completely different styles of play and tactics."

"You lot are so fast," Ginny said, throwing her braided hair over her shoulder. "And super focused."

"Some of us really like Quidditch," Sota said, rolling his shoulder. "Many arguments break out between fans."

"Same as here," Neville said.

The two Hogwarts mixed teams met up and formed a third team to play again. "Wow, you guys are about to go to a tournament and are still willing to play so much before?" Padma asked.

"We welcome the practice," Tsumugi nodded. "And like Ron said, good to play against new people and learn new tactics and things."

"Wow, they really like to play," Hermione observed as the third game got underway. The Japanese team were still playing with evident pleasure, if slightly less energy compared to the other two games. "They must be borderline obsessed with it."

"I wonder what it's like to be obsessed with something like that," Harry said with a smile, making the others snort and laugh.

"Oooh, are you wishing Harry was a Quidditch star?" Parvati asked cheekily.

"Nope! I'm happy with how my Harry is now," Lavender said, hugging Harry and leaning against him comfortably. "Though I would like to wear a jersey that belongs to you."

"We can make a cooking jersey, or a chef's jersey," Luna said seriously. "That would be fun. I want one too."

"That would be an amusing new fashion trend," Pansy smiled. "Kitchen jerseys."

"Something to think about," Harry laughed.

-0-

"So you typically use non-magical saline in this step?" Yuna asked.

"Correct. I find that it mixes more cleanly with mundane ingredients and then you can control the rate of infusion with magical reagents more easily," Snape replied.

"But if you calculate the amount of magical solution through all the steps, then you are already controlling the amount of magical inclusion."

"True. But then you have to calculate it all from the beginning and it would increase the workload. Not to mention it is far simpler to create more of the mundane components than the magical."

"Then the end result is not as efficacious."

"Well within normal tolerances however. Do you truly need to eke out a minimal percentage to increase miniscule performance?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yuna's smile was bright and it lit up the dungeon classroom. "I appreciate the challenge."

Snape snorted. "And I prefer not to increase the challenge for the sake of difficulty just to show that it could be done."

"Where is your sense of hard work and toil? Do you prepare strangleroot by soaking them in the stasis solution first before peeling them with a silver knife?"

"Yes. Do you not?"

"I find it more entertaining and more productive to do it in a sand bath."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Ah yes. How could I forget entertainment value? Not to mention you disprove yourself because by doing it that way, you lose approximately three percent yield from sand contamination."

"I thought you did not pay attention to 'minimal percentage' and 'miniscule performance'," Yuna said with a theatrical gasp.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about Yamada-sensei," Harry said admiringly. "She really is friendly."

"Did you not believe us?" Tsumugi asked, sounding indignant. "Besides, you met her before last year at the Showcase."

"Not that we did not believe you," Daphne said with wide eyes, "but more like we did not think Professor Snape would be so…open to it. He is typically not so…"

"Friendly," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, that," Daphne said. "I mean, he is actually bantering with her. That is unheard of."

The Mahoutokoro students had sat in on a N.E.W.T. level Potions class and Yuna was the Potions professor for their school. She had gleefully jumped into the lesson and to the Hogwarts students' collective shock and surprise, Snape had not only not stopped her, but had welcomed it to a degree. The class had been very interesting with how Yuna taught and how she applied her skills, and how differently she and Snape approached potions.

"You do things a little differently though," Tsumugi said to Harry. "I can tell."

"I've learned a lot from Auntie Ari and Grandmother," Harry said. "They tutor me a lot."

"Ah that makes sense. Yamada-sensei thinks very highly of Dumbledore-sensei," Tsumugi nodded. "They are very close friends."

"I do believe that is the closest I have ever seen Professor Snape smile," Daphne whispered with disbelief.

"Pansy," Harry said, smiling as the girl leaned down to touch the ground with her hand.

"You laugh, but the stones are fairly cold," Pansy said with a big smile while the others did indeed laugh.

-0-

People clapped as Tsumugi's flute playing made a piece of paper fold itself into an intricate crane shape. At her magic and music, the crane then flew serenely through the air before landing in front of her.

"I see, and hear, what you mean," Daphne said, nodding slowly. "Repetition is the key."

"Yes!" Tsumugi nodded eagerly. "Magic through music needs more coaxing than incantation. But one cannot play everything loudly and forcefully all the time. So it is better to cast magic with repeating the notes. It is also easier when the target of the spell is magical in nature, or has ambient magic around."

"And you said your flute is the same material as your casting foci?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, the same. It is possible to cast magic with music using other instruments, but it will be much harder. The masters can do it even with non-magical instruments but they are masters for a reason."

"Which is why I was having so much difficulty with the piano," Daphne mused. "My violin is not exactly the same material as my wand, but I think I will do better there."

"Wind instruments are easier too," Tsumugi nodded.

Daphne flexed her fingers and settled the violin on one shoulder. "So attribute a magical spell to a series of notes, play it purposefully, and will it into being." She took a deep breath and wore an expression of intense concentration as she began to play. She focused hard on the paper crane in front of her and she played a simple melody again and again.

Everyone cheered when the crane levitated from the table top, floating into the air a little bit before falling back down.

"Well done!" Tsumugi praised, clapping loudly. "You got it! Very fast too!"

Daphne's smile was from ear to ear and as bright as the sun. "I did it! Thank you! That is so hard. I feel like a child again that has not successfully done any magic."

"I learned as a very small child so I have much more experience, but I believe you can do it," Tsumugi said encouragingly.

"I really like those huge drums you guys have," Parvati said. "Can you do magic with those?"

"They use the taiko drums for rituals but more to keep time," Chiyo said. "Or when you need a way to unify people to cast a spell together. It helps harmonize people and helps them blend their magic together. There is a famous legend in our history, during the Sengoku Jidai or the Warring States, where a castle was built overnight. During the siege of the enemy, a castle was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Hachisuka Koroku at an important spot. They combined their magics and the magics of trusted retainers and Sunomata Castle was built very swiftly. Not literally overnight, but in a much shorter time than usual. They used the drums to distract the enemy, organize their troops, and to provide the basis for their chants and spells."

"That's so cool," Padma said, eyes shining. "We need to ask Grandmum if they have anything like that in India."

"I wonder if you can cast any magic playing the bagpipes," Hermione mused.

"Grandfather said that when he hears them, he feels like he is being repelled," Harry grinned. "So maybe they already do. I think Professor McGonagall talked about Irish lambeg and bodhran drums before for something."

"Oh that would be cool," Millicent said. "Also, what are you making because it smells amazing."

"Sota's been teaching me about ramen," Harry said happily. "It's so interesting! It's a noodle and soup dish with toppings."

"Oh I love instant ramen," Hermione said. "We've gotten it before which I'm sure it isn't like the real thing at all."

"Actually very similar," Sota said kindly. "But you are correct, ramen prepared in a shop is much better in taste and health. There are those who have dedicated their lives to their craft and have made broths that are generational secrets. Some are cooked for hours and hours."

"Really?" Tracey asked, astonished.

"Oh yes," Sota said enthusiastically. "There are also regional ones that the people who live there claim to be the best. Our bento store has one that we serve from time to time and I like it a lot. It is more simple than others but it is very satisfying. It is a shoyu based broth."

"I'm actually glad Sota and the others could explain a few things," Harry said. He lifted the lid of the very large stock pot and everyone enjoyed the deep rich scent coming from it. It smelled deeply of chicken and something savory. "There's four major kinds of ramen soup. Shoyu, or soy sauce based. Shio is salt based. Miso uses miso paste. And finally there's tonkotsu which is pork based. First you need to have a really good stock as the base. It can be made with chicken, pork, or seafood with vegetables. Then you blend it with dashi stock, which is made from kombu and bonito which is seaweed and dried fish respectively, and one of the four flavor profiles called the tare. The noodles are really important because the style and texture matters when combined with a specific soup. Then you have the toppings to finish off the bowl."

"That is all correct," Chiyo said with approval. "All are very important."

They all watched as Harry assembled a bowl under Sota's careful eye. He poured a measure of the shoyu tare into a large bowl and then slowly poured the golden chicken stock into it. The broth and tare sauce mixed, turning into a pleasantly light brown. Ramen noodles, boiled just before done, were put in and then slices of chashu pork were put on top with a soft-boiled egg sliced in half alongside, the center golden yellow and incredibly soft. A pile of julienned scallions was put on next and a tiny pile of menma, pickled bamboo shoots, were added to finish the bowl.

Sota sipped a little of the broth before slurping up a portion of the noodles. "Very good," he praised. "This is excellent!"

The others could hardly wait as Sota and Harry made them for everyone and soon everyone joined in on slurping up the noodles and drinking the fragrant and savory broth.

"So much better," Hermione laughed. "This is incredible!"

"The broth is so tasty," Pansy said, licking her lips.

"Mmm, I usually prefer tonkotsu but this is really good," Tsumugi said as she slurped her noodles and gobbled the soft egg.

"How did you get the meat to look like this?" Blaise asked.

"You tie the pork up tightly with twine," Harry said, "and then cook it fully submerged. Then you let it cool and it keeps its shape, even after heating it back up."

"And this is only one kind of ramen?" Lavender asked.

"There are so many different varieties," Chiyo nodded.

"I like the crunchy things," Clover said, crunching on the menma.

"You can have mine," Marigold said, passing hers over. "I'm not a huge fan but everything else is wonderful."

Tsumugi smiled as she watched Hedwig eagerly and daintily enjoying her own bowl of ramen, slurping the noodles with gusto yet somehow not splattering her feathers with anything. "We will sometimes feed our foxes what we are eating, or they steal parts of it as it amuses them, but never a fully completed dish like that."

"Harry makes sure the petlings have their fair share," Millicent smiled as Sunny was eating happily too.

"We might have to do the same now," Tsumugi said, watching Azuki and the others gobbling their own portions happily with twitching ears and flicking tails.

"Thanks for teaching me so much," Harry said. "I really appreciate it."

"You are very welcome," Sota said warmly. "I have learned a lot from you too. I have made those dishes you have given me recipes for a lot too. Butter chicken and mango lassi are very popular right now among our friends and family. Same with shepherd and cottage pie."

"It is true," Haruto said. "We have enjoyed lots of new things to eat that we have heard of before or never have."

"Have you liked most of it?" Susan asked.

"Most yes. Not all of us like cheese, it is very strange," Haruto said. "But I do like your crumpets. And your beef stew is a popular favorite, even without the dragon meat."

"We do not eat dragon as much," Chiyo said. "Some of the aquatic ones yes, but the others are more revered and are not eaten. It is considered how you say, not good. A taboo? Am I using that correctly?"

"Yes," Pansy nodded. "And that is interesting. For us we don't revere dragons as much really."

"Too bad you won't be here for a cooking club tonight," Parvati remarked. "I bet you'd enjoy that."

"Oh you have a club for cooking?" Tsumugi asked. "We do not really back at our school. Perhaps we should. What do you do?"

"Cook, eat, have fun," Tracey said. "It's pretty great."

"Have a nemesis," Parvati said airily before she scowled at Susan for poking her.

"Nemesis?" Chiyo asked.

"A friend considered Harry a rival," Sue sighed, also poking Parvati. "Thankfully that's been handled."

"Rival, as in contest?" Sota asked, intrigued.

"Sort of? We never really competed or cooked against each other, unless you count the Festival during the TriWizard," Harry said. "I'd also like to point out that she considered me her nemesis. I didn't want to be!"

"Do you have many cooking contests?" Haruto asked.

"Only had one against a…former classmate," Harry said. "Sort of an honor duel thing. But I've cooked against Sophie a bunch now and it's fun. I think I have one match on her right now."

"None of us will compete against Sota in the kitchen," Tsumugi said slyly, looking a lot like Azuki for a moment. "Not too fair for someone of his skill to go against one of us."

"If only there was someone willing to cook against him," Chiyo said, sharing the look. "Give him a proper challenge."

"Gee, I wonder who," Harry grinned. He looked at Sota. "I'm game if you are."

"I would enjoy that very much!"

"Let's set up the TeeKay," Parvati said excitedly.

"Oh this will be very fun!" Luna said, clapping her hands with glee.

In a remarkably short time, they all moved to the teaching kitchen and the kitchen elves had stocked it with an assortment of groceries and ingredients. The Mahoutokoro students with Yuna, decorated the space a little and made two identical sides of the kitchen with the help of the elves. There was the same equipment on either side and there was a large covering over a central table. While it was not a formal event, the word got out and a good majority of people interested came to watch.

"Wow, you guys decorated it fast," Parvati smiled. "Why did you do it like this?"

"It is to mimic the Kitchen Stadium," Chiyo said excitedly. "It is a show we have in Japan called Ryori no Tetsujin, the Ironmen of Cooking. Challenger chefs come to cook against an Iron Chef special master. They have an hour to cook using the same special ingredient."

"Oh that's what we do for when Harry and Sophie compete," Pansy said. "A theme and an ingredient. That's so fun! The Headmaster chose the ingredient for Harry's honor duel too."

"I see our students have done something rather grand and entertaining," Dumbledore said warmly.

"I recognize the stage," Sanada chuckled. "The program is very popular in Japan and elsewhere so I have heard. Yamada-sensei is a big fan." He chuckled harder when Yuna walked to the front wearing transfigured robes that looked very fancy and imposing, complete with white gloves. "That is the outfit the Chairman of the show wears."

"I adore it," Dumbledore said appreciatively.

"We are honored to watch something very special today!" Yuna said brightly to the assembled audience. "Not only have we been welcomed to Hogwarts with open arms, received shared knowledge, and played games of Quidditch, now we can watch another form of contest, a cooking one!" She clapped eagerly and the others joined her applause.

"We have Mahoutokoro's own, Sota Aikawa! He will be cooking against Hogwarts' Harry Potter! Chefs, are you ready for your theme ingredient, that must be used in today's dish?" At their nods, she made an exaggerated hand gesture and the cover on the table dissolved revealing whole chickens and broken-down cuts on the table. "Today's theme ingredient is: chicken! You have one hour. ALLEZ CUISINE!"

Sota and Harry ran to the table and picked out what chicken they wanted. Sota took chicken thighs and rushed back to his side of the kitchen and immediately started doing his prep work. First thing he did was to wash rice and set it on the stove. He then sliced the thighs into small pieces and set them aside and sliced several onions thinly. He cracked several eggs into a large bowl and beat them roughly but not enough to fully incorporate the whites with the yolks.

Harry also chose chicken thighs but also took some legs and immediately put them in water to poach with some aromatic vegetables like celery and onion. He sliced a pile of button mushrooms thinly and started cooking them over heat with some chopped up bacon. In a separate saucepan, he melted butter and added flour to it to make a roux, then poured in chicken broth that was already prepared and milk. He then took prepared pie dough and rolled it flat, making two large discs with it.

Sota took three pans and put the onions in and poured in soy sauce, mirin, dashi, and sugar in each of them. Once the mixture started to simmer, he put the chicken on top and slowly stirred it, watching the onions soften and the chicken cook. As soon as the chicken was cooked through, he poured a majority of the egg mixture into the pans and moved it around gently, watching the eggs cook.

After his chicken cooked through, Harry took it out and shredded it, adding it back into the mushrooms and bacon and poured the thick sauce he made over top. He cooked that together for a few moments, seasoning it with salt and pepper, and then poured it into the pie pan he prepared with the dough. He crimped the top layer to seal it in, cut a few vents to let the steam out, and brushed it with beaten egg before popping the pie into the oven to cook through.

When the egg mixture was mostly cooked through, Sota added the last of the eggs to the middle and let it steam some more, leaving the mixture still very soft and just cooked through. He then carefully lifted the pan and slid the entire egg and chicken and onion mix onto a bowl of steaming hot white rice. He then did the same to the other two and looked down at his completed dishes with satisfaction.

While his pie was baking, Harry made a simple salad with greens, carrot, and onion as well as shaking a light vinaigrette together to dress it. He removed the pie from the oven and looked happily at the golden-brown crust and the delicious scent that came from it. After it cooled for a moment, he sliced into it and portioned it out onto three plates with the salad.

"For our judges, we have our Headmasters and the third being a student chosen at random. Chefs, describe your dish!" Yuna said.

"I made oyakodon," Sota said. "It is also known as parent-and-child rice bowl because it is egg and chicken cooked together. Typically the egg would be runnier but I remember hearing eggs from other countries are a little different, so I wanted it to be safe. This is a very comforting home dish to eat in Japan."

"I made a chicken, mushroom, and bacon pie," Harry said. "It's also a very comforting dish. Savory filling, gravy-style sauce, delicious pie crust. I also made a side salad for some freshness and to cut through the richness of the pie."

Dumbledore, Sanada, and Daphne, whom the students looked on with envy, dug into their plates eagerly.

"Oh, this is very nice," Dumbledore said as he ate the oyakodon. "The chicken is very soft and the sauce is delicious. The onions still have a bite to them and mixing them all together with the rice is very satisfying."

"Mm, this is wonderful," Sanada praised. "The crust is very buttery and firm, the filling is very luxurious and the salad helps cut through the heaviness with the vinegar dressing. Chicken and mushroom and bacon are a wonderful combination."

"I am sad to say that I find the egg texture to be very strange," Daphne said kindly. "It feels underdone yet not."

Sota nodded. "I half steamed them a little because I normally leave them to be very runny. In Japan, we eat raw eggs more than other places however."

"Please vote for your winner," Yuna said. "It looks like Harry Potter wins! Two votes to one!"

"I really enjoyed the chicken with the egg," Dumbledore smiled. "A brand-new taste and combination for me."

"In this case, steaming it went against you," Sanada said apologetically. "I have the misfortune of knowing what the texture should be normally, so this time it did not taste as good to me."

"No, that is understandable," Sota said with grace and he happily shook Harry's hand. "You win this time, perhaps I win next time!"

"Exactly," Harry said enthusiastically. "And hope we get to cook more in the future, with and against. It's a lot of fun." He looked at all the people in the audience. "Now we have to make everything again so everyone can try some."

"I help you with the pie things first then you help me with the oyakodon?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

-0-

"Thank you again for hosting us," Sanada said, shaking Dumbledore's hand. "It was a wonderful visit. We will of course do the same when you and yours are in our part of the world."

"I look forward to it," Dumbledore replied. "I hope you have a pleasant trip to the States and do well in the tournament."

Tsumugi clicked her tongue a few times. "Come on, we have to get going." She smiled as the heads of the foxes popped out of Harry's robe pockets. "We cannot bother him any longer."

"It wasn't a bother," Harry smiled as he lifted the foxes out and put them down gently with Azuki being the last. He petted them one last time and gratefully accepted last licks and nuzzles. He and Tsumugi and Chiyo hugged and he shook Sota's hand warmly and exchanged handshakes and embraces with the other Mahoutokoro students. "It was wonderful seeing all of you. Thanks again for sharing so much."

"Thank you for the same," Tsumugi said as she and Daphne hugged each other. "This was a wonderful visit and we learned so much too!"

"Good luck in the Quidditch tournament!" Lavender said. After last farewells and goodbyes from the friend groups, the Hogwarts students waved as the Hogwarts Express left the Hogsmeade station with a cheery whistle sound.

"World's a real big place," Parvati remarked as they left and slowly walked back towards the castle.

"It's nice knowing you can have friends in any part of it though," Harry said.

-0-0-0-

TheSphynx - Imagine a petling cafe like the owl cafe in Tokyo or the cat cafes where people can eat and drink and pet petlings.

odonnellzoo99 - I had a lot of fun with Tsumugi and company during the Showcase and it was fun to have them here again, especially with more trickster foxes. Hedwig is absolutely in charge and the law. And the Disney Princess joke will never not be funny.

alix33 - They had a nice warm welcome.

poka - Oh the horror, assaulted in broad daylight without shame nor reservation. Good thing they're cute. Its' been fun building on Mahoutokoro and expanding the setting like this. Hedwig is the boss, and everyone should listen to what Hedwig says.

DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Looks like you get a version of your wish here. I always like naming animals after food and after starting with Azuki, it felt right to name the others in similar fashion.

Hands Off MY Wolfie - I like the set up where everyone not used to foxes are like 'they're so cute' where the ones who are used to them are like 'be careful for what you wish for'. I think it adds a lot to their mythos and the setting. A skulk of them running up and down the halls of the castle would be cute and terrifying. Sunny gets around easily, imagine the tricksters doing the same. Hedwig is large and in charge lol. Thanks for reading.

DarkRavie - Thank you.