I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
An extra update this week. I am just about to wrap up chapter 25 and the end of 2nd year shortly after, so I can maintain a few extra updates for now. I'm glad people seem to continue to enjoy this story. Thank you for reading and hope everyone has a lovely weekend!
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A Taste of Magic
13th Course – Melding Together
"I can't believe it's close to the end of the term," Harry said. "This year has flown by."
"We can believe it," Parvati said. "Hermione stays up late studying."
"I've seen her in the common room," Harry said. "She's usually the last to leave I think."
"And she keeps reading in the dorm." Lavender adjusted the strap of her bookbag. "We had to get her to close her curtains so we could sleep without a light on."
"Do you think you'll still beat her marks?" Parvati asked, smiling.
"I never thought I would in the first place," Harry laughed. "That was you or Padma."
"Have a little more faith in yourself," Parvati said. "It's not entirely probable, but it's certainly possible."
"There's having faith and then there's being delusional," Harry snorted. "I have plenty of faith in myself in the kitchen though."
"You should," Lavender smiled. "I could go for something you make right now. Too bad Professor Flitwick said we can't have club meetings because of term tests coming soon. Not to mention he's helping his O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s students."
"Say, what if we ask to study in the clubroom?" Parvati suggested. "That way we can get Padma to come. I'm sure he'll let us study there and if Harry accidentally cooks something at the same time, then we might as well eat it."
Harry laughed. "Oops! I'm so sorry Professor, I accidentally fell and the veg chopped themselves up. I have no idea how that happened!"
"Oh no I spilled biscuit dough into the oven!" Lavender giggled. "Whatever shall I do?"
"I knew you two would agree," Parvati said smugly.
"He'll probably let us, and I'll make extra for him too of course," Harry said. "What do we want to eat?"
"Something new?" Parvati suggested. "I can eat curries every day, because I'm used to it, but it'd be nice to have something different."
"I want to make biscuits too though, for snacking during studying," Lavender said.
"Nothing too much though," Parvati added hastily. "It's important that you study too. Sorry, don't mean to try and guilt you or anything."
"You didn't," Harry said warmly. "I know what you mean."
"Oh good, so I can push it a little more," Parvati said. "OW! Lav!"
"I'll pinch you again," Lavender said severely.
Harry chuckled. "You two are great. Oh look, there's Pansy and Millicent." He looked at the other two girls. "Did you want it to just be us or can we invite them too?"
The girls exchanged a look. "I guess we could," Lavender said slowly. "As long as they remain nice."
"Padma can invite one of her friends too," Parvati said. "She said it's someone she gets along with."
"And we can also ask Hermione," Harry said. "Who knows, maybe more people will make the studying a little better? And that won't stop us from doing a just us thing later."
"You'd be surrounded by girls," Parvati giggled.
"You two will protect me, right?" he asked plaintively, making them giggle more.
"We're girls too," Lavender laughed.
"Obviously," Harry sniffed and then laughed with them. "I can ask Neville if he wants to join us. I don't think Ron or Dean would study with us and if I'm being honest, still kinda hard to talk to them."
"And I don't want to be around Seamus so that works," Lavender said stiffly. She loosened up a little. "But that sounds good to me. And like you said, we can study together just us later on if it's a disaster."
"Works for me. Besides, I still want to know if Pansy's planning something. Hey Parkinson, Bulstrode," Parvati called out.
The two Slytherin girls stopped and turned, looking quizzical. They saw Harry and Lavender too and waved and approached them. "Hello," they greeted.
"We're going to ask Professor Flitwick if we can use the clubroom to study soon," Harry said. "Do you want to join us?"
"Why study in the clubroom?" Pansy asked.
"So Harry can make food for us to eat," Parvati explained. "Can't quite do that in the library."
"I think Pince would have a heart attack," Millicent snorted. "I tried to nibble on some toast in there once and she made it seem like I was eating a book."
"We're going to invite a few other people," Lavender said. "So it'll be a mix."
"Thank you for inviting us," Pansy said. She looked at Millicent who shrugged and nodded. "That sounds nice. We would like to come."
"We'll let you know when then," Harry said. "Maybe Saturday? We can just relax in the clubroom all day and take advantage and cook while there."
"Things can take that long to cook?" Millicent asked. "Really?"
"Oh yeah, some things you have to let sit overnight," Harry said. "Other things taste really good the longer they simmer for." He grinned. "I know what to make now. It'll be really good."
"Ooh if you say it is, then it has to be," Lavender smiled.
"Let's go see what Professor Flitwick says and then I'll place an order through Hedwig," Harry said excitedly. "See you later!" He and Lavender and Parvati ran off, leaving a bemused Pansy and Millicent watching them dash off.
"I never expected to be invited to spend time with Gryffindors," Millicent remarked. "Or anyone else for that matter."
"Me neither," Pansy said. "I don't hate it though."
"Clearly," Millicent said dryly, giving her friend a look. "Because you think it sounds nice."
Pansy gave her a look and a poke. "What?"
"Just saying you're awfully nice to Potter," Millicent smiled.
"I'm nice to you too," Pansy muttered. "Or I was."
"Yeah and it took you ages to treat me so nicely. He got to skip years of you being rude," Millicent sighed gustily.
"I hate you."
"You love me."
Pansy shook her head, a smile breaking through. "Wish I didn't."
"No you don't."
"Stop that!"
"Shant." Millicent smiled broadly at Pansy's groan of frustration.
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"I thought we were going to spend the day studying," Hermione said.
"We are," Lavender replied.
"Then why did you bring that?" Hermione asked, pointing at the case Lavender was carrying.
"For when we take breaks," Lavender said. "Or when I take a break and you keep studying."
"I'm taking breaks too," Parvati said.
"I take breaks," Hermione sniffed.
"Falling asleep on your notes doesn't count really," Parvati said. "That's more like your body protesting and taking matters in its own hands. Which are actually your hands come to think of it."
"A break is anything you do that's not the task at hand," Hermione argued.
"Taking conscious breaks is different from an unconscious one," Lavender protested.
Neville looked askance at the three girls as they argued. "Do they normally do that?" he asked nervously.
"I think so," Harry said, not bothered by their arguing. "Lavender and Parvati arguments can get even more loud and active. This isn't anything to worry over I don't think."
"That's good," Neville said, still looking nervous. "Thanks for inviting me. I'm…I'm sorry I never said anything before," he added quietly. "I've been thinking about saying something but…well…" his voice trailed off dismally.
"It's okay," Harry sighed. "You didn't actually say anything rude to me and while you didn't stick up for me, it still counts. I think you're okay."
Neville smiled gratefully. "I think you're okay too." He looked around the club classroom with interest. "So this is where you guys do Household Charms?"
"Yeah, not sure what classroom it used to be before the club but it's nice. We've kept it clean and Inky lets us keep the stove here now. She used to bring it every time but since this is our official clubroom now, it's the club stove," Harry said, patting the stove fondly. "Professor Flitwick charmed the icebox for us too to keep things in."
"And you learn charms for doing stuff for cooking and sewing and things?" Neville asked. He looked surprised when Harry nodded. "I've never thought about learning that sort of thing in a club before."
"How do you learn stuff like that? From your family?" Harry asked.
"Uhm, well my family has House Elves to take care of the house stuff," Neville said. "I guess other families will teach them spells to use at home? I've never thought about how you don't learn it at school."
The door to the club room opened and Padma came walking in followed by another girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail. "Hey everyone," Padma said pleasantly. "Everyone, this is Sue Li. Sue, meet everyone. Parvati you know of course. That's Lavender, Hermione, Harry, and Neville right?"
"Hello," Sue said politely. "It's nice to meet everyone outside of class. Do you all study together like this often?"
"No, this is the first time," Harry said. "We're taking advantage of the space and being able to cook while studying so we can eat and relax somewhere different."
"I thought we'd be the last," Padma said.
"No, we're still waiting for Pansy and Millicent," Harry said.
"Parkinson and Bulstrode?" Sue's eyes opened wide. "The Slytherins? Really?"
"That was my reaction," Hermione murmured.
"They're not that bad," Harry said weakly.
"It's true," Lavender said with the Patils agreeing. "Pansy's still a bit snippy but she's not nearly as bad as she was in the beginning of the year."
"You weren't kidding when you said you have interesting friends outside of Ravenclaw," Sue said to Padma.
"I wouldn't consider those two friends just yet," Padma said wryly, "personally anyways." Her smile turned sly. "And Parvati isn't my friend, or interesting."
Parvati made a very rude hand gesture at her sister, making her and Hermione gasp while the others snickered and laughed.
The door opened and the laughter faded when Pansy and Millicent came in. They stopped and stared at the others who stopped and stared back. "I hope we aren't interrupting anything," Pansy said coolly.
"Not at all," Harry said with a smile that was a touch too broad due to nerves. "Come in, we've been waiting for you. That's Sue Li, we've just been formally introduced, and you know Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom, right?"
Pansy nodded, smiling thinly while Millicent waved shyly. The silence thickened noticeably, everyone standing around and not sure where to look or what to say.
"What are we doing first?" Lavender asked brightly, her voice puncturing the balloon of awkwardness and letting the air out.
"I figured we can start with Potions," Harry said, grateful for her breaking the proverbial ice, "while I prep the ingredients for our dinner. The knife cuts are the same essentially and we can quiz each other on the potential potions and stuff like that."
"They're the same?" Neville asked.
"Oh yeah. Julienning for long thin cuts, dicing, chopping, shaving is a little different but not too much so. A lot of the roots you peel like you would a carrot or a potato or a tuber."
"What are you making by the way?" Pansy asked.
"I'm going to make a Bolognese sauce," Harry said.
"Ooooh I love spaghetti Bolognese," Hermione said, brightening. "I didn't think I'd ever have it here!"
"What's Bolognese?" Millicent asked.
"It's an Italian meat sauce. You actually gave me the inspiration the other day. A good Bolognese simmers for hours to make the sauce nice and rich."
"Wow, not something to make when you're already hungry then," Parvati said.
Lavender helped Harry clean the waiting vegetables and things while the others set up their books and took out their notes. After a moment of hesitation, Pansy started helping to clean the cooking things too, giving a giggling Millicent a dirty look and firmly pressed lips.
"No wonder you get good results in Potions," Hermione said as she watched Harry finely dice onions, carrots, and celery. "Those are some very small and even cuts." She tilted her head and stared at Harry's hands as he chopped. "You must have practiced a lot."
"I did," Harry said.
"Did you ever cut yourself?" Neville asked.
"I did," Harry said without any reservation. "It can still happen but I'm a lot better at it now."
"How do you get the groceries and things to cook with?" Sue asked.
"The club has a small budget for things. I've also traded with the kitchens for things too," Harry explained. "But other times, like when we cook outside of club, I order things myself."
"And you pay for it, for everyone?" Pansy said, looking shocked.
"I can afford it," Harry said without care. "Lavender and Padma and Parvati have gotten things from home too. It's fine with me." He missed the look Millicent and Pansy gave each other, as well as the surprise on the other first-comers to the club. "Besides, Hedwig gets bored."
"I'm asking a lot of questions that aren't related to studying," Sue said with a small smile, "but who's Hedwig?" She jumped when Hedwig barked loudly from behind where Sue was standing.
"Hedwig," Harry chided when Lavender and the Patils laughed loudly. Hedwig wriggled her way out of the cabinet and flew past Sue to land on the table beside Harry, fluffing up and looking smug.
"Oh my goodness she's adorable," Millicent breathed. "And she has a ribbon!"
"It was her Christmas gift," Harry said proudly as Hedwig puffed up even more, her crimson ribbon bow proudly on display. "She's my owl and my friend. She gets a lot of the food deliveries for me."
"How much can she carry?" Hermione asked.
"We haven't found a limit yet and she can carry a pretty packed box full of vegetables and meat," Harry said seriously. "She's also very proud of herself," he smiled when Hedwig flexed her wings, striking poses.
They quizzed each other on potential potions questions as well as procedures and steps from the three potions that they might be asked to make for their term final test. While they did, Harry browned minced beef and set it aside. Then he started slowly cooking the onion, celery, and carrot in the same pan, scraping up the fond with a wooden spatula. He then added bacon cut into thin strips, after giving Hedwig her due rashers first of course, and once the bacon was cooked, he added some tomato paste and a mixture of spices.
"Wow, that smells really good," Padma said. "And it's barely close to ready?"
"Still got a while yet," Harry nodded.
"I thought your aunt and uncle didn't like foreign food," Parvati said.
"They don't count some Italian things for some reason," Harry shrugged. "I've never really been able to figure out what they think is acceptable and what isn't. They got so upset when they learned that a kebab isn't technically British."
"What?!" Hermione looked gobsmacked. "How could they possibly think that a kebab is British?!"
"Like I said, I have no idea," Harry said weakly. "They tried to save face and say it wasn't something 'proper people' should eat after being told and they couldn't prove otherwise."
After the tomato paste turned a dull red, Harry added beef broth and double cream and a rind of parmesan cheese. He stirred it until it was smooth and turned the heat so it came to a light boil before turning it down so that it simmered slowly. "There, all done for now," Harry said, looking satisfied. "Now we wait until it's ready."
They continued to study, moving from potions to charms, then transfiguration. After they finished transfiguration, they decided to take a break. Hermione sat with Sue and Padma, discussing a finer point on their transfiguration notes. Neville and Harry talked at the stove while Harry stirred the simmering sauce.
Millicent and Pansy wandered over to Parvati and Lavender who had taken her case out and started working on something. "Oh wow, where did you get that?" Millicent said, looking at Lavender's sewing kit.
"It was a Christmas gift," Lavender said happily and proudly. "Isn't it great?"
"I'll say," Millicent said. "That's a legacy case, from a really high-end crafts company: Sartorious' Sartorial Supplies. They're super high quality and really expensive."
Lavender looked at her case. "Really?" she asked, eyes widening a little.
"Oh yeah, that sort of thing is something professional tailors would want. My family has one that's basically an heirloom. Whoever got you the case must really like you."
Pansy noticed the look that Lavender and Parvati shared, and she saw how Lavender looked across at Harry. Realizing what the looks meant made her squirm a little inside.
"It's really that valuable?" Lavender asked in a small voice.
Millicent nodded. "All the things inside, the tools, are made by hand and by enchantment. My family does lots of fabric and clothing related things so a lot of the tools they use come from Sartorious'." She flushed a little, waiting for the inevitable reaction.
"Your family does stuff with clothes?" Lavender and Parvati asked, eyes lighting up with interest.
"Mostly shipping fabrics and materials but we have a small branch of the business that makes things," Millicent said, looking visibly confused by the response.
"That's so cool," Parvati gushed. "So you have to know a lot about fashion stuff right?"
"Not so much on fashion really," Millicent blushed, "but kinda familiar. I know more about materials and things."
"I actually have some questions about magical fabric things," Lavender started and soon a very lively conversation started between the three girls, with Millicent growing more enthusiastic as they chatted.
Pansy was happy for her. Many who saw Millicent, being broader in stature than most girls, made many assumptions about what she liked. Many made cruel comments regarding her and her family business. Pansy knew that Millicent had always been reserved due to her size and to be so readily accepted by the other two girls made all the difference to her.
Pansy left them to their clothing conversation and walked to Harry and Neville. Seeing her arrive, Neville finished talking and left them, shooting Pansy a nervous glance as he passed. "I didn't interrupt anything again, did I?" she asked, watching Neville walk away.
"No, I think he's still a bit nervous around you," Harry said.
"How can you tell from his usual nervousness?" she asked dryly before flushing, clapping a hand to her mouth.
"Yeah, that's probably partially why," Harry said wryly. "You and Draco weren't too nice to him last term during Potions."
"I…no I wasn't," she admitted quietly.
Harry released a breath. "I know you're trying to be nicer, I can tell. So I kinda feel bad asking you this directly, but you're not planning anything mean, are you?"
"I am not," she said firmly, glaring at him. "Why?"
"Parvati seems to think so," Harry said sheepishly. He choked a little when Pansy turned to glare at Parvati who waved back cheerily when she noticed the glare. "Can you blame her?"
"No, I can't," Pansy said mournfully, looking at the stone floor.
"Like I said, I know you've been nicer," Harry repeated. "And I really appreciate it. It just…it might take a bit for the others to warm up to you too."
Pansy noticed the end of his statement and felt a little better. "I understand, I will keep trying to be…more pleasant." She flushed again. "But I have…what my mother charitably calls a tea tongue." Seeing Harry's look of confusion, she sighed. "I can be rather acrid, only unlike tea, unpleasantly so. Basically, I say mean things."
"I've noticed," Harry deadpanned, making her giggle. "You're trying though, and that's good of you. Just try and be less unpleasantly acrid to the others if you can."
"I'll try," she said softly. She sniffed the air delicately when he took the cover off the pot. A rush of deep savory scents washed over her. The air was rich with hearty tomato and cream, warm and inviting. "That smells wonderful," she said softly.
Harry dipped the tip of a spoon into the sauce and tasted it. "Mmm, I think it's close to being finished. Just needs a bit more salt and pepper and I'll add grated parmesan cheese with the noodles." He wiped the spoon clean and dipped it back into the sauce, then held the handle to Pansy. "Here, try it."
She took it and blew on it gently before tasting it. Her eyes popped open and she licked her lips clean. "That's incredible! It's so rich and creamy!"
"Great!" Harry had a pot of water bubbling away at a fast boil and he threw in handfuls of dried spaghetti noodles. "Now we cook the spaghetti until it's just about done and then I finish it in the sauce with a little bit of pasta water. The starch that cooks out of the noodles really helps the sauce bind to them when you toss them together."
"I never thought cooking was this intricate," Pansy said as she watched the noodles roil in the boiling water.
"It can be. In Muggle supermarkets there are jars of prepared sauce. You don't even have to do anything to them aside from heating them up. Then you throw in some noodles and that's it. It tastes way different though."
"You've spent hours on this," Pansy said, pointing at the large pot of Bolognese sauce. "So much effort to make something that will not last long."
"You like how it tastes though, right?"
"Of course."
"Then that's worth the effort. To me at least." He stirred the sauce slowly, waiting for the noodles to cook. "All I ever want is for a person to smile when they eat something I've cooked. For them to say that they like the taste, that they're happier because they ate something I made."
"How can anyone not say that when they taste your cooking?" Pansy asked sincerely. "I've only had your muffin and soup before and they were wonderful."
"You'd be surprised," Harry said sadly. He shook his head and the sadness disappeared. "But yeah, some things you have to spend a lot of time and effort on it. But the results can be worthwhile."
Pansy looked at the bubbling pot, not quite sure what to say to that. She flinched lightly when Hedwig swooped by and landed neatly on Harry's shoulder. "Your owl is very affectionate."
"Isn't she great?" Harry said proudly. He held his left arm out and Hedwig waddled down the length, resting on his forearm. "She's my first real friend."
"Really?" Pansy took a step back at Hedwig's sudden glare.
"Really," Harry said, patting Hedwig's head, smoothing out her feathers. "I didn't have any and the day I found out I was a wizard from Hagrid, he took me to Diagon and got me Hedwig." Hedwig nuzzled him fondly but when Harry looked away, the owl glared at Pansy once more, narrowing her eyes.
"She eats human food?" Pansy asked when Harry let her taste from his sauce spoon.
"Yeah. I've checked with Hagrid and he doesn't think feeding her different foods owls normally don't eat is too bad. She's never gotten sick as I've seen. She's pretty picky on some things though, adores bacon as you saw." He smiled when Hedwig licked her beak and bobbed her head approvingly. "She's a great taste tester."
Harry strained the noodles and in a separate pot, put them in with heaping ladles of sauce. He added a bit of the pasta water to combine the sauce and mixed the noodles with the Bolognese until the noodles gleamed with rich red sauce and meat. He piled each plate with pasta, including one for Hedwig, and set them on the long table. "Okay, it's ready everyone."
"That smells incredible," Hermione said. "Just like ones we've had at home!"
Harry sat with them but did not eat first, waiting with baited breath while everyone else took bites of the dish.
"Wow, where has this been all my life?" Millicent asked. "This is so good!"
"I've never had anything like this," Sue said admiringly. "It's so rich and tasty."
"This is better than some I've had," Hermione gasped.
Harry tucked in, satisfied in heart while satisfying his stomach. The thick red sauce clung to the noodles perfectly, creamy and satisfying. The meat was soft and the vegetables were softer still, falling apart with the slightest pressure. The noodles were chewy, slightly past al dente as he preferred them to be, and it was a very warm and satiating dish.
"Go ahead and take more if you want," he encouraged. "There's plenty of sauce for the House Elves and Professor Flitwick, I can always boil more noodles."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Parvati said. "Thank you, Harry! This is delicious."
"This is a Muggle dish?" Neville asked.
Harry nodded. "There's a place called Bologna in Italy where the sauce is supposed to come from. But there's been so many variations on the recipe. Oh!" He looked at the Patil sisters. "Kinda like curries come to think of it."
"That's a nice comparison," Padma said. "Same name, different ways to make it."
"That's so strange," Pansy said. "Not like potions at all where it's usually all done the same way. Though I suppose there are people who try to come up with different procedures."
"We'll have to ask Zabini if he's familiar with this," Millicent. "He's Italian. Or at least half of him is."
"The annoying half," Pansy said and she and Millicent burst out laughing.
"Nah, both halves are annoying," Millicent snickered.
"Oh so you lot mock each other too then," Sue observed.
"We usually do it inside the House," Millicent said. "But yeah, we do."
"How did Hedwig not get messy?" Parvati said, watching Hedwig finish her plate and not a drop of sauce on a single feather.
"She's very talented," Harry praised. "But she can be messy when she wants to be." He sighed when she dipped her beak in a bit of remaining sauce and wiped it on his cheek, making the others laugh uproariously. "See?"
They ate until each person was very full. Inky came and went, delivering Flitwick's portion and taking her and the other Elves' share gleefully while dropping off some more groceries for them. After they finished studying, Lavender and Harry made biscuits and they sat around, smelling the biscuits bake.
"Look at you acting like an expert baker," Parvati laughed.
"Harry's the expert, but I'm getting better," Lavender said proudly. "It's fun now that I know how to do it better." The biscuits were placed on racks to cool but a good portion of them would not survive long, eaten eagerly by everyone there.
"Mmm, they're great," Neville said happily. "Even better than the ones I've had at home and our Elves are really good bakers."
"Where did the recipe come from?" Hermione asked as she chewed blissfully on one.
"Harry's recipe," Lavender smiled. "It's so simple but really nice. Everyone at home said it was good." She bit into one and shook her head. "Yours are still better."
"I've had more practice than you," Harry said. "Yours taste super good," he praised, making her smile brightly.
"Is it me or is there a difference between them?" Sue asked. "No offense, but when you said Harry's taste really good, they really do. Not to say yours don't of course, Lavender, but there's a difference."
"None taken!" Lavender said spritely. "We've learned that magic leaves a taste in things and Harry's been practicing on what leaves more of a taste and what doesn't. But Harry's cooking does taste super good, doesn't it?"
"Magic leaves a taste?" Sue and Hermione looked really interested.
"Oh yeah, we've been exploring that and hope to figure out more later," Harry said.
"Wish I knew about this sooner," Sue sighed. "I'll be sure to join next year. Especially if I can eat some different things. I've missed home cooking too while here."
"That's how we've been getting our fix for home cooking," Parvati said and Padma nodded.
"Thanks for organizing this," Padma said as they cleaned up the clubroom and were getting ready to leave. "I think the group studying helped a lot, not to mention eating Harry's wonderful cooking."
"Can we do it again?" Neville asked eagerly with others nodding and making noises of assent.
"We can try. Professor Flitwick doesn't think I'll burn down the castle anymore," Harry laughed. "But we can still meet and study together elsewhere too."
"Thank you for inviting us," Pansy said softly and sincerely.
"Yeah, this was great," Millicent smiled.
With waves and goodbyes, they all split off to go to their respective common rooms.
"Good idea Parvati," Lavender said to her best friend.
"I'm full of them," Parvati said smugly.
"Full of something alright," Lavender smiled, giggling when Parvati shoved her.
"You really have cooked for a very long time," Hermione said frankly to Harry. "I'll admit I didn't think much of it but what you made today, you can't deny that."
"Like I said, I've had a lot of practice," Harry said quietly.
"It was really good, thanks Harry," Neville said.
"I'm glad," Harry smiled warmly. "It's nice cooking for you all."
-0-
"Okay, I'll be the first to admit that it was weird for you to be friends with Potter but I'm so happy you did," Millicent said as they made their way back to the Slytherin common room in the dungeons. "That Bolognese was delicious and the biscuits were too."
"And you got to be friendly with Brown and Patil," Pansy said with a soft smile.
"Yeah." Millicent's voice was equally soft. "They were really nice. At first I thought they'd be kinda…ditzy and rude you know? Mean in a different way but they weren't. When they were asking me fabric questions and stuff, they weren't judging me. They actually were interested and nice."
"I was surprised too, the first time I interacted with them. They're refreshingly…open."
"Why'd you glare at Patil by the way?"
Pansy blushed. "Harry told me that she thought I had ill motive for befriending him."
"Oh, well, can't really blame her for thinking that," Millicent said with a small shrug.
"I suppose not," Pansy sighed. "Harry doesn't think so, well, he asked me and seemed to believe me when I said I wasn't planning something."
Millicent looked at her. "That's good," she said eventually. "If you told me we'd ever willingly spend time with other Houses and actually enjoy it, I'd say you'd be wrong. But look at us tonight."
"It was very enjoyable," Pansy agreed. "I even found Granger less annoying."
"Me too," Millicent snickered.
They walked on and the normally chillier air in the depths of the castle did not feel quite so cold.
-0-0-0-
Hands Off MY Wolfie - She probably has to say that at least once per class every day.
odonnellzoo99 - Thank you. I wanted to try something a little different with Quirrell and Voldemort and I have to admit and say I like what I have right now. Time will only tell if others do too, but I hope they will. Same with Hermione a little. Trying to show her as a good Hermione with some slight changes based on the differences here in the beginning.
dianaanne - Thank you, glad you do.
Arnie1701 - I'm trying hard to have them feel like good characters with proper development.
alix33 - It's a possibility.
cg037 - Glad you like it, thank you.
poka - Snape has probably seen it all, or at least, he thinks so so yeah. Not to mention he's a bit of a stick at the best of times.
DarkRavie - Thank you. Hope things continue to entertain and provide that sense of wonder.