I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
A Taste of Magic
23rd Course – New Traditions
"Someone looks happy," Lavender observed while looking equally happy. After some thought, she frowned. "I'm not going to like the reason, am I?"
Harry kept stirring the sauce on the hob. "You don't like that I'm happy? I'm wounded." He snickered when she poked him in the side.
"Don't tell me that you're really happy because you're making a Christmas dinner and that you get to eat it with the people you made it for, for once," she said shortly.
"Would you rather I lie?" he asked quietly.
"Harry…"
"I know, it's not right," he said quieter still.
She huffed and hugged him around the middle hard. "At least we can make it right. Everything smells amazing!"
He flushed from pleasure. "Thanks! I worked extra hard on the food this time."
"You work hard on the food all the time," Lavender smiled.
"True, but I wanted to make it super good this time," he said.
It was the day before people left for holiday and there was a hint of tension in the air. There had been a series of strange occurrences around the castle. There were rooms where things were broken and smashed, as if by something big and heavy. A few older Slytherin students had claimed they were attacked by something and the door to the room they hid in did look damaged. Despite investigations from the faculty, they had not found who, or what, was doing all of this. A sense of dread and chill had fallen about the castle that had nothing to do with the winter and more than a few were eager to leave the school.
Having obtained permission, Harry was making a traditional Christmas dinner for the club and they were going to eat it together. Harry was the only person staying at the castle over the holiday, something that Lavender and the Patils and Pansy were not too happy about. He had told them that he would be safe with Remus and Flitwick and Dumbledore at the castle as well as the other major professors. Not to forget about Pomfrey and Hagrid and of course the House Elves.
In fact he was already going to have Christmas tea with Dumbledore and spend a great amount of time with Remus, both things he was looking forward to. And he knew he would be spending a lot of time in the kitchen with the elves and with Hagrid as well. He, logically, made the point that he would be reasonably safe in their company.
Harry had been especially excited because, like the aforementioned unfortunate reasoning was, for the first time he would be able to eat the Christmas dinner with the people he was cooking it for. At the same time no less, instead of the leftovers and well after. Also some of them have never had an English Christmas dinner before, so he wanted to do a good job of it.
The others had decorated their clubroom and it was very cozy. Fairy lights glittered and twinkled as they moved about the periphery of the room. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth, keeping the room very warm and comfortable. A cauldron bubbled in the corner filling the room with aromas of pine and winter mint and citrus and cinnamon that emphasized the savory smells of the dinner instead of combatting them.
"I think Luna's finally succeeded in thoroughly confusing Hermione," Padma said as she wandered over. "She can't tell if Luna's telling the truth on holiday traditions or not."
"I don't think Luna's lying," Harry said.
"I don't either but I think Luna is taking personal family tradition and making it sound like general magical tradition," Padma giggled. "And what she and her family does apparently does share a lot of what other magical homes do because Neville and Millicent and Pansy have agreed with some of what she said."
"And I guess Parvati is just fanning the fire huh?" Lavender asked.
"She's being a dreadful liar," Padma laughed. "We do things way differently for the holidays and she's having fun confusing everyone."
"What's on your mind?" Harry asked when Pansy approached them.
"I was surprised to learn that my family has some of the same traditions that the Lovegoods do," she said. "Given how eccentric they are. It was actually nice to learn that we share some of them." She sniffed the air delicately. "That looks very nice, if a bit odd. What is it?"
"It's a bread sauce," Harry said, stirring the creamy and thick-looking sauce.
"Bread…sauce?" Pansy raised an eyebrow and Padma mirrored the expression.
"You can make sauce out of bread?" Padma asked.
"It's good!" Lavender said.
"Why is that a thing?" Pansy asked with mild trepidation.
"Apparently it was a way to use stale bread way back then," Harry said. "To stretch food out and not waste it. But it's a traditional side for Christmas dinner. Think of it like gravy you put on meat and veg." He scooped some up on a tasting spoon.
Lavender opened her mouth and Harry fed her the spoonful of sauce. "Mmm, that's tasty," Lavender said, licking her lips.
After wiping it clean, he dipped the spoon back into the sauce and after a moment, Pansy took the spoon from him and tasted it. "I didn't know what to expect," she said, "but that is delicious. Texture is a bit strange but not unpleasant."
"Yeah, that's weird but in a good way," Padma said after she tried some.
"To be fair, you eat it on top of things like a sauce or gravy," Harry said. "But I made regular gravy too."
"We should really help you more," Pansy said. "You do so much."
"I'm happy to really," Harry smiled. He gave a start and jumped a little, looking down to see Sunny climbing his leg. "Aww, hello Sunny," he greeted, smiling again when she clambered up onto his shoulder and draped herself over his neck, purring contentedly.
"Someone's a little jealous," Padma smiled, pointing at a severely affronted Hedwig that glared at the kneazle. Sunny closed her eyes with lordly insouciance, continuing to purr unperturbed.
"Come here beast," Pansy said and lifted a protesting Sunny off of Harry's shoulders. "Before you start a fight and fall into the food and ruin it." She smiled triumphantly when Sunny dug her claws ineffectually into her overrobe. "Foiled again!" She shrieked when Sunny managed to bite her through her sleeve and the kneazle minced off, her tail up in victory.
"I guess we need to ask Professor Flitwick for kneazle-bite proof charms," Harry grinned. He turned his head a little when Hedwig landed on his shoulder and fluffed up, looking incredibly possessive. He rubbed his head against her, making her coo.
"Just like her owner," Pansy said, shaking a fist at Sunny. "Both love to bother me!"
"Alright everyone, it's all ready!" He proudly displayed the serving table and everyone oohed appreciatively at the food. "We have a roast turkey and lots of roasted veg: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and Brussel sprouts. There's lots of Yorkshire puddings. These are pigs in blankets here. And this is a simple brown gravy I made from the drippings and this is bread sauce. I didn't make the traditional pudding because I couldn't get any brandy but I made a ginger and carrot cake instead. Hope you all like it."
"Like it, this looks amazing and I still can't believe you made it all," Millicent said, eyes wide. "How long were you cooking for?"
"A few hours," Harry said off-handedly. "But I'm used to it and I think this is some of the best I've ever made."
"Oh boy then it has to be great," Parvati said eagerly. "Thanks Harry!" The others thanked him profusely and they filled their plates and sat together at a few desks they pushed together to be their dinner table and dug in.
"Okay, I'm a fan of bread sauce," Padma said. "It does taste really good on the turkey and the vegetables. It's so weird but I like it."
"These puddings are my favorite," Luna said, dipping a piece of pudding in gravy. "And I like puddings but this is not the same as those."
"It does get a bit confusing," Hermione said. "Considering pudding is a catch-all term for desserts too. I agree, these Yorkshires are so good!"
"Does anyone else find the name pigs in blankets a bit odd?" Neville smiled as he ate the bacon-wrapped sausage.
"It's cute in a worrisome way," Millicent laughed.
"I've always wanted to try this," Sue said as she ate. "We normally have way different kinds of foods for the holidays."
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"Roast duck usually, or whole fish or chicken," Sue said, "with a bunch of other side dishes. I'll see if I can get the duck recipe for us. That's a family one and my uncle who makes it is annoyingly tight-lipped about them though."
"This is different too from what we normally have," Pansy said with Millicent and Neville nodding in agreement. "Ours are more in smaller courses and a touch more elaborate."
"Ours are like this," Lavender said. "But can I steal the Pudding recipe? It's so good. I want to wow my family this holiday with it."
"We have vindaloo and biryani and mutton stew for ours," Parvati said. "Stuff that takes a little longer to make. We usually have to help make all the samosas."
"That way we can claim more later," Padma smiled.
Everyone ate until very full, with Hedwig and Sunny having their own dishes and having done their own full justice to them, and the remainder was claimed by Inky and the other House Elves. They sat together and enjoyed that sleepy state of a warm room and a slightly overfull stomach.
"I'm glad we did this," Harry said gratefully. "Thanks for sharing dinner with me."
"Thanks for cooking it all," Lavender said warmly with murmurs of agreement from everyone else.
"I feel like we should do more so you can take a break," Sue said. "But you're so happy making it and I don't think we'd do nearly as good of a job."
"We can help more moving forward," Pansy said firmly. She looked at Harry when conversations continued between all the others. "You will be careful, right? Being here during the holiday."
Harry felt flattered by her care. "I will, don't worry."
-0-
"I am very happy that we can do this again," Dumbledore smiled when he opened the door to his office. "I have many fond memories of last year's tea."
Harry beamed, carrying the large serving tray in. "Me too. It was really nice. Maybe next time we can do it with more of the people in the castle."
"That would be pleasant. And I see we have a new guest with us today. Pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said.
Hedwig hooted a very stately greeting, nodding in a very prim and proper way to Dumbledore.
"Lavender told her to watch out for me over the holiday, to keep me safe," Harry sighed. "And Hedwig is taking her duty very seriously."
"I imagine sitting on your head is an excellent vantage spot for safe-keeping," Dumbledore grinned.
"I personally think she sits on my head to keep her ar-rear warm," Harry said, correcting himself and looking sheepish.
"A cold arse is a terrible thing," Dumbledore laughed and even Harry broke into laughter when he felt Hedwig nod and saw Fawkes nodding in agreement. Dumbledore cleared the things off his desk and helped Harry set up the tray and plates, smiling in anticipation at the spread of food. It was like last year. Lots of sliced sandwiches, an array of small sweets and slices of cake, a steaming pot of tea, and of course, extra jam and cream.
He watched fondly as Harry served Hedwig and Fawkes their own plates and the two birds sat side by side and noisily enjoyed their food. "Tell me, Harry, has Fawkes appeared to beg for food from you? I have noticed he disappears on club nights here and there."
"First time he appeared, he startled everyone," Harry laughed. "Just flashed in with that burst of fire and light. Everyone likes him though. He stayed for Luna to draw him. He's always welcome."
"I will add some coins to the club budget. It is not fair for him to eat his share without contributing." Dumbledore ignored Fawkes' indignant song squawk.
"At least none is going to waste," Harry smiled.
"That is true. And the deal struck with the kitchens continues to be profitable I see. I noticed a very pleasant reception to your muffins being introduced at breakfast."
"I'm glad! The deal is still wonderful. They've been practicing the butter chicken and I can't wait to see Parvati and Padma's reactions when that's served for dinner one day," Harry smiled brightly. His smile fell a little. "Any word from the Elves actually, about finding Dobby?"
"Sadly not, which is a good thing admittedly," Dumbledore sighed. "It means he has not made a second attempt, at least as far as we know. Do not worry, we are keeping an eye on things."
"Anything new about the Heir and the Chamber?" Harry asked.
"Not really, which is vexing if I may be honest. Between you and I, we have not discovered any clues to identifying whatever caused the damage. No traces remained and it is perplexing."
"Can the House Elves look for it like they are for Dobby?"
"Unfortunately not. They can recognize each other's magic and are sensitive to certain others, but they are unfamiliar with whatever is causing the trouble now and they have looked some but so far, no luck there either." Dumbledore shook his head. "Let us speak of better things, shall we? No need to ruin the holiday right now."
"No Sir. I'm sorry."
"Do not be. You are naturally curious and if anything pertinent comes up, I will speak to you of it." Dumbledore ate a cucumber sandwich delicately, enjoying the soft bread and the rich butter paired with the very crisp and well-seasoned cucumber garnished with cress. "I actually wish to commend you, Harry. You have made some wonderful friends. Even some from different Houses. That is no small feat."
"Thank you, Sir. They're good friends," he said honestly.
Dumbledore smiled mischievously. "I cannot help but notice there are no Hufflepuffs in your circle of friends, something Professor Sprout laments a little."
Harry laughed. "I guess I haven't gotten to know any of them. Zacharias is…isn't very pleasant and Ernie and Justin are a little snooty. And I don't know Miss Bones or Miss Abbot very well either. Only in class and barely speaking in passing."
"I am not pushing," Dumbledore smiled. "If a friendship with them comes to be, then all the better." He sipped his tea. "Do tell me if I am being too nosy, but I gather something rather serious happened a few weeks prior involving Miss Brown and Miss Parkinson?"
"Oh, yeah. Pansy said some things that weren't nice but didn't know how Lavender would react," Harry said softly. "But luckily Pansy apologized and Lavender accepted."
"That is good. It is always unpleasant to be in the middle of friends fighting," Dumbledore said seriously.
Harry nodded in agreement. "It's not fun at all. But they came to an understanding and I think they're friendlier now which is nice. Lavender's my best friend." He smiled. "It actually helped us get to know each other a little better."
"Splendid," Dumbledore said approvingly. "Sometimes an ill wind can bring a bit of fresh air."
"Yeah, she's been helping me too. Telling me that some things aren't right." As if noticing he spoke too much, Harry busied himself with another sandwich.
Dumbledore waited a few moments. "Hopefully with nothing involving the school."
"Oh no Sir, don't worry, Hogwarts is still awesome."
"Excellent," the Headmaster smiled. He waited for a few more moments. "Then it involves your home life? Once again, do feel free to let me know if I am being too nosy. You may not have noticed, but I am a little older than you." He grinned when Harry snorted. "In my many years of life, I have learned a few things and if I can provide some insight and some advice, I would be happy to."
"Oh well, it's nothing really," Harry said a little evasively. "Just about how I grew up at the Dursleys. It's nothing to worry about."
Dumbledore chewed slowly on a blueberry scone daubed with jam and cream. "If you say so," he said slowly. "If you ever feel the need to contact me while you are there, please feel free to do so. If you need aid that the Dursleys cannot provide, it would be my pleasure to assist."
"Really?"
"Indeed. I understand some things must be difficult for them to handle and once again, I have a bit more experience to render some aid."
"You can't be that much older than me," Harry said with a bright smile.
"Magicals have a longer lifespan," Dumbledore chuckled. "And in general, age a bit more gracefully. I am happy to say that I am comfortably in my early latter years of my life with plenty to do yet."
Hedwig chewed on her third bacon sandwich and turned to look at a snickering Fawkes that was doing a poor job of hiding his amusement.
"Is he choking?" Harry asked worriedly.
"No, he is being very rude," Dumbledore sniffed and reached out to take a biscuit off Fawkes' plate, ignoring the phoenix's indignant hiss while dodging his irritable pecking. "I know where you sleep," he said severely.
Fawkes' look was a very obvious 'so do I' and the venerable man and magical bird glared at each other for a few moments.
Harry was enjoying it immensely. Seeing the elder wizard, a stately and impressive figure, acting like a child with his pet/companion was a rare treat.
Dumbledore coughed. "Returning to the topic, if you ever need someone to consult with and are comfortable doing so, feel free to reach out to me."
"I appreciate it, Sir," Harry smiled.
-0-0-0-
"Harry, come in come in," Remus said warmly.
Harry walked into Remus' living quarters at the castle, looking around in interest, having never visited a professors' living space before. It was large and spacious, the furniture made of the same dark wood that most of the desks and tables and chairs were made of in the castle. A fire blazed in the hearth, making the room warm and comfortable.
He set the tray he was carrying on the table. "I like your sitting room."
Remus smiled. "It is a bit spartan, lacking in personal effects. I spent many years traveling and did so lightly so I do not have many things. I've been slowly going through my old storage however in an attempt to do some cleaning and bring some things over."
"I know how that is," Harry nodded with understanding.
"Traveling for many years?" Remus asked with some confusion.
"Oh no Sir, I mean Remus, not having many personal things I mean."
Remus frowned. "Hmm, well, then I think this will be a good time to add to it. Happy Christmas, Harry." He handed Harry a slim bundle.
"Thank you! May I open it now?" Harry took the package eagerly.
Remus laughed. "Of course! No need to wait for Christmas to open it."
Harry undid the wrapping carefully and gasped when he removed it completely. It was a photo album and a picture of his parents and himself as a baby graced the cover. He opened the album with shaking fingers and flipped the pages, seeing pictures of his mother and father. Like all magical photographs, they moved and smiled and were not still. "Oh, thank you," he whispered.
Remus felt his throat constrict a little. "You are quite welcome," he said thickly. "Hagrid and I worked on that together. We reached out to who we thought would have a picture and I combed through my storage. We found a good amount."
Harry blinked away happy tears. He closed the album and hugged it to his chest hard before setting it aside. "I love it," he said soulfully. He fished out a small slim package from his bag. "And this is for you!"
"You're too kind, you already provided what looks like an amazing meal," Remus protested but took the package.
"I made a lot of stuff for Christmas Tea and saved a portion for you," Harry said. "Is that okay? Having tea food for dinner?"
"It looks incredible regardless of the kind of meal," Remus said sincerely. He smiled at Harry. "May I open it early as well?" He opened it when Harry nodded and laughed. "My goodness, this looks very nice," Remus said, looking at the thermos with interest.
"It's enchanted to keep things hot for a long time or cold for a long time," Harry said. "I see you drink a lot of tea in class and sometimes you have that smoking tea in the goblet so hopefully you can use it for that too."
Remus gave Harry a careful look. "Quite observant of you," he said after a moment's thought. "Thank you, Harry. I will treasure and use this." He summoned some plates from the small kitchen in his quarters and after filling them, he sat back down. "Ah, should I do one for your owl too?"
Harry shook his head. "She already had a lot early, she's just going to pick from mine," he smiled comfortably while Hedwig did just that. She had carefully sat on the photo album, cooing at the picture of baby Harry, and fluffed up beside the photo, leaning over to delicately pick bits and pieces off of Harry's plate. "If she wants more, I'll get it for her."
Remus chuckled. "Quite the intelligent owl and a close companion." He bit into the egg and cress sandwich and he looked at it with surprise. "Goodness, this is delicious! And you made everything?" He ate a little faster, eager to taste it all while Harry nodded proudly. "You're a wonderful cook, Harry. This is very good!"
He stopped and looked at Harry. "How are you this good?"
"I believe you've said it in class: practice makes perfect," Harry said.
"I did say that but this goes beyond practice."
"It was my main chore after a while," Harry said at last.
"How often?" Remus asked quietly.
"Well, you eat every day…" Harry mumbled.
"Every meal?" Remus pressed. He frowned when Harry nodded. "Without any assistance or sharing?"
"I had to earn my keep," Harry said quietly.
"And who on earth says that to a child," Remus said angrily. "And yes, you are a child, you were and still are," Remus said, cutting off Harry's look of indignation.
"My Aunt and Uncle," Harry muttered.
Remus spat a mouthful of tea out, startling Harry and Hedwig. "I beg your pardon. You are with your aunt and uncle and they treat you like that?! Wait. Aunt and uncle. On your mother's side? Petunia is your guardian?!"
"You know her?" Harry asked, eyes wide.
"We've met," Remus said evasively. "Is…so she's your guardian."
"Yes…" Harry said slowly.
Remus frowned once more. "And she forces you to cook all the meals."
"I wouldn't say forced," Harry said. "I like cooking. It's my favorite thing to do and once I did it full time, I didn't have to do the other chores really."
"Still, it is a bit much to have a child be responsible for every meal." Remus rubbed his face. "You truly enjoy it?"
"Yes, I do," Harry said earnestly.
"Silly question. Your food tastes incredible and if you didn't enjoy cooking, it wouldn't be nearly as good." The older man sighed. "Well, fine. But if you need anything, anything at all, do let me know."
"I appreciate the offer," Harry said. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you make it?" He flushed a little. "I'm sorry, that was rude, I'm just not used to people saying that."
Remus suppressed a growl at that comment. "I…I should have had a bigger presence in your life," he admitted quietly. "James and I were friends within the first few days of us starting Hogwarts and I was friends with Lily not long after." He smiled softly. "Something James hated. This was when they couldn't stand each other. But I promised I would look in on you when I could but I didn't."
He deflated a little, sinking into the couch. "Their deaths and the war and the end of things broke me. I fled. I tried to isolate myself from everything and it worked for a time. Seeing you now, I see the depths of my failure and I can only hope you, and they can forgive me."
Harry shifted a little. "Well, you're here now and you're trying now, right?"
A ghost of a smile appeared on Remus' face. "Yes, and yes."
"Then that still counts I think," Harry said.
"You are far too kind," Remus said with wonder. "I solemnly swear that I will do my best for you from now on, Harry."
The rest of the visit was very pleasant. Remus shared stories with Harry and the boy absorbed every word. It was late and Remus insisted they would have plenty of time later for more and Harry had left happily with Hedwig riding on his head and his arms wrapped tightly around the photo album.
Remus looked at two pictures on the shelf. One had four boys with their arms around each other's shoulders, pushing and shoving and smiling. Another had an older boy and an older girl dressed in their Hogwarts robes with matching crimson and gold badges on their chests, their smiles glinting just as brightly.
"Forgive me," Remus said to the photographic James and Lily. "I have failed you, and him. But I swear, I will not again. Thank you for this second chance and I will not squander it. Not this time." As he walked away, the smiles seemed a little kinder in the photographs but he did not notice them.
-0-0-0-
Harry blinked slowly. A cavernous yawn spilled forth and he rubbed his eyes, slowly waking up. Once again, he was the only one in the tower for the holiday but it had still been pleasant. Hedwig had been with him the whole time. He spent a lot of time in the kitchens with the Elves. Hagrid had hunted more boars and he and Harry spent time together and even cooked outdoors in the snow together. He had his tea with Dumbledore and visited with Remus a lot. It still felt odd to not be scrambling and cooking every day and preparing for parties and big meals and while he missed the joy of cooking like that, he did not miss cooking for the Dursleys and their guests.
He made an unhappy noise. Seeing people genuinely appreciative of his cooking made cooking for the Dursleys all the more difficult and he did not want that to be difficult. Not really. He knew they were rude to him, and had known if he was being honest. His feelings about them were rather complicated though.
He looked down, noticing at last that his covers were moving. Rather, something was moving underneath his covers. He lifted them and smiled as Hedwig peered back up at him, her amber eyes large and her pupils constricting and dilating. "Good morning," he said sleepily.
She hooted happily and scootched up his chest, popping out and nuzzling his cheeks before nipping his nose playfully. The boy and his owl play fought a little, her dancing around him and buffeting him gently with her wings and nipping him while he poked her and tugged on her feathers even more gently. She won of course, headbutting him in the forehead and while he laughed, she began to bring up his gifts from the foot of the bed.
"There's so many this year," he gasped as he looked at the pile. He opened the first one eagerly and smiled at the large wax tablet case the Patils had gotten him. It was larger than the one he gave Padma the year prior, and the note said it was stain and heat proof and would repel anything but the enchanted stylus to write on it. It had a built-in stand so it could be propped up and parchment could be affixed to it. It would be perfect for cooking.
Luna had painted a very lovely picture of Harry cooking. The fires on the hob moved on their own and he sighed with wonder at how life-like and pretty it was. Hedwig was there as well, something the real Hedwig enjoyed immensely, puffing up and looking at her painted picture proudly.
He really liked Hermione's gift. It was a book about the history of British cuisine and he flipped through the first few pages eagerly, knowing he would like it. Sue had sent him a book as well. It described all sorts of Asian dishes and cuisines and he knew he would love it too. Neville had given him a book on magical herbs and plants, specifically for use for potions and potion-adjacent activities.
Millicent and Pansy got him a new school bag together. It was dark brown leather but felt incredibly soft without losing any kind of durability or solidity. The top flap was closed with a metal latch and there was a side pocket for a handkerchief and even your wand. It felt very fancy and looked very elegant. He adored it.
Once again, he saved Lavender's gift for last and was so happy when he opened it. It was a new apron but this time, Lavender had sewn it herself. With the gift of materials from Millicent and Pansy, she had made it from the beginning. The body of the apron was a soft grey and the neck band and the back strings were a dark forest green. A large pocket was sewn into the front and there was a small loop over the heart to hang things off of. Like before, his initials and a tiny Hedwig were embroidered into the bottom right corner.
He hugged it to him and hastily put it on. It felt perfect to him and he loved it.
Hedwig barked happily, seeing her sartorial facsimile in full display. After Harry told her that he put her present in the room somewhere, she went flying about and came back carrying a small package, having found it on the canopy of the bed. Soon the air was filled with tinkling music as she danced, the silver bells tied to her legs ringing merrily.
"Happy Christmas," Harry smiled as she danced in his lap, her wings spread wide as she kicked up and down.
She cheeped lovingly back to him and continued to dance happily, hooting in time to the jingling bells.
-0-0-0-
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Ah I understand now. We will see what happens. I liked the throw money at your problems attitude they had and that they thought it was normal. For them, it was. Glad you continue to enjoy.
odonnellzoo99 - It took me a while to work them in, the Puffs, and there is a bit of a joke with it but we will see how it is received when it happens. There's also another joke that greatly amuses me involving them so hopefully people will enjoy it as much as I do. I love Firefly so much. I had the joy to meet Nathan Fillion one year at a convention and when I told him I understood his Mandarin every time he spoke, he was so happy.
kaya - I'm trying something different with character development here. Don't want to rehash my other works for the most part. Glad you like it.
poka - Yeah, I am hoping for believable growth and perhaps relatable growth as well. And they still have plenty of different backgrounds and personalities to not be too bored with things and see good dialogue. Poor Draco, not.
alix33 - All of those things can be possible.
SvenHPotterFan - I wanted Pansy's apology to feel heartfelt. It would be super easy to make it over the top or to make it feel trite. I was hoping for sincere apology and something that felt real and yet accepted by the others.
Earth Guardian 28 - Thank you for reading. They might get there, physical hugs. That sort of thing takes some time I feel and feels more satisfying when it does.
Professor Donger - Thank you, glad you found it.