A Taste of Magic
120th Course – Harvest's Bounty
"Oh well done Mister Potter," Sprout said approvingly. "That's a good job of separating the pods from the stalk. How did you think of that?"
"I thought the sandpod plant looked a lot like a grain plant and when I was at the Farms, the elves showed me how they used the wind on a windy day to winnow the grain from the chaff, or when they feel like it, with big bellows," Harry said. "So I thought a very light Wind Blowing Charm might do the trick here too and it worked out really well."
"I agree," Sprout said. She held up a sandpod plant in one hand, a long thick reedy stalk with balls of encapsulated sand hanging off the end, and her wand in the other. She directed a gentle but focused stream of wind with her wand and after a little shaking, the pods fell from the stalk and landed on the table without bursting. They sounded like grains of sand in an hourglass, falling and making a soft noise as they landed.
"Ten points to Gryffindor," she smiled. "Much better than the other method of manual separation. I believe we have a better yield this way as long as you don't burst the pods from too much wind. Everyone, give it a try please."
"Oh that is easier," Lavender said as she managed to get the pods to fall off the stalk. "Do they really do that at the Farms?"
Harry nodded. "When the wind is strong, they throw the harvested grain up and the heavier grains fall while the wind carries the chaff away. They also showed me the bellows. They're huge! It takes a team of them to use them. They lie it on the side with one handle on the ground and the other in the air. A few stand on the top handle and others hang off ropes that are tied to the handle and they pull and jump at the same time and the wind that comes out is pretty strong. They then drop the grain in front and the chaff goes one way and the grains roll on the bottom."
"How strong is the wind blown that way?" Daphne asked.
"Strong enough to knock me over," Harry laughed and so did the others. "They had me stand in front and I went flying head over arse. It was pretty funny!"
"Amazing," Padma laughed.
They continued to work as they chatted. N.E.W.T.s Herbology was much like the past levels with just the level of care rising as well as the complexity of the plants they were learning about. Sprout had no problem with them talking while they worked as long as they minded their work and did not just stand around and do nothing. The sandpod plants were new and the sand they held in the pods were magical in nature and much finer than normal sand, very useful for many magical properties and things, but were oddly delicate. Breaking the pods made the quality of the sand go down and so they had to try and be gentle to not break the pods, but still remove them from the stalks.
"Now that is a good yield," Sprout said happily after they finished. She looked into the large bag holding the pods. "One of the better ones we've had. We even got the smaller ones that are usually trickier to get." After ending the class with a lecture and setting their essay, she dismissed them.
"I'm tired," Neville sighed. "I want to nap but I should try and stay ahead on homework too."
"Me too," Lavender yawned. "Wish someone would carry me up to the castle." She flushed when Harry shifted his bag to his front and bent at the knee a little. "I was kidding."
"I don't mind trying, just don't get mad if I fall over," Harry smiled.
"Are you calling her fat?!" Parvati gasped.
"No! I'm a bit weedy though," Harry said hurriedly.
"More wiry than weedy." Giggling fit to burst, Lavender climbed onto Harry's back. "Am I too heavy?" she asked, face bright pink.
"No, I think I can manage," Harry said truthfully, settling her weight on his back and holding her legs from below. "I'll try to fall forward too just in case."
Lavender hugged him tightly from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder and looked happy.
"I'm so jealous," Parvati sighed.
"I can carry you like that if you want," Millicent offered her boyfriend with bright eyes.
"Maybe another time," Neville laughed.
-0-
"What is it, Potter?" Snape asked in a bland and a fairly polite tone.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look of surprise. While Snape had always been more brusque and occasionally downright rude to non-Slytherins ever since their first year, he had mellowed out some as the years passed. At the start of this year, however, he seemed to have changed even more. He was even less rude than before, less sarcastic and biting. He even walked differently, as if he was no longer burdened by something.
There had been plenty of speculation in the common room and the Uncommon Room as to why this was the case. There were also several bets as to the cause. Parvati thought Snape was finally in a relationship and said something that made Hermione and Padma get upset with her while the others were disgusted. Millicent thought Snape was indulging in something "medicinal".
Snape seeing a mind healer and receiving therapy was very low on the board, but it was there.
Harry coughed awkwardly. "We were wondering if you could help us with something."
"Perhaps," Snape said, looking at Harry with quasi-interest.
"Is there a solution that can make something flame resistant but not interfere with light coming through it? It also would be nice if it was not magic resistant either," Harry asked.
Snape hummed in thought. "Exactly how flame resistant does it need to be?"
"Enough so a candle doesn't light it," Hermione said.
"We tried looking it up in our potions books but they are usually a lot more potent than what we need," Harry said.
"Yes, because usually a candle flame is considered inconsequential to be considered," Snape said. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"We want to have paper lanterns," Harry said. "Ideally floating if we could, and we just want to make sure they don't catch on fire. Also we want to be able to color them. I know there are charms for it but was wondering if we could treat the paper first so we didn't have to only use the charms."
"A fire resistance potion would suffice. I would dilute it with a thinning solution so that the magic is not also diluted, but the properties will be sufficiently weakened to suit your needs. Especially if the medium is paper. Start with one to ten, fire resistance to thinning, and go from there," Snape said.
"Oh thank you, Sir," Harry said, scribbling that down onto his tablet.
"You should not need to soak the material because paper is thin. I would try applying it with a brush first," Snape continued.
"We'll try that, thank you," Harry said gratefully.
Snape nodded at them and walked away with no further comment.
"That was weird," Hermione said very softly.
"But nice," Harry said also very softly.
"I know it isn't any of our business, but I am so curious as to what made him like this," she said as they walked away.
"You sure Parvati's theory doesn't hold water?" Harry smiled.
She smacked him. "Don't be crude!"
"Tracey agreed with her!"
"I'm surrounded by perverts," Hermione groaned with red cheeks.
"You're dating one apparently too."
"Don't remind me."
-0-
"Oh no, don't tell me I did that," Lavender cried.
Harry had sat down with a wince, rubbing his back. "What? Oh no, you didn't," he said hurriedly. He grinned sheepishly. "Sort of."
"What does that mean?!"
"Clover and Marigold might have heard that I gave you a piggyback ride-"
"-and they're being brats about it," Lavender finished, flushing. "I'll make them stop."
"I don't mind really, just need to not overdo it," Harry said, hugging her.
"Okay good," Lavender said, snuggling into him. "How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
"I'm feeling okay," he said truthfully. "I want to be happy for them and to make good memories for them when we see each other again. Just can't help feeling down sometimes about it."
"That's normal," she said encouragingly. She smiled widely. "I'll help you make good memories, I promise."
"I know you will." He looked confused when she looked about for a moment before kissing him sweetly on the lips. After some thought, he laughed. "Really?"
"I'm going to get them one day," Lavender said wryly before kissing him again.
-0-
"Whoa, that looks intricate," Ron said, walking into the Uncommon Room. "What are you guys making?"
"Zongzi," Sue said happily. "It's one of my favorite things but it's a bit labor intensive as you see."
The long prep table had an array of things on it. Large long green bamboo leaves sat in a pile and there was a large bowl full of small rice grains that were almost round. Then there was small round thin slices of something red, shelled peanuts, thin slices of cooked pork belly, tiny dried shrimp, and thinly sliced mushrooms. Ron watched as Harry made a pocket with two of the bamboo leaves and then put some of the rice in and then a little of the other ingredients before more rice. He then wrapped the bundle with a third leaf and tied the entire bundle tightly with twine before setting it aside and starting a new one.
"Yeah, that's one way of putting it," Ron said admiringly as he looked at the tightly wrapped zongzi. "Why go through all the trouble?"
"This is glutinous rice," Sue said, pointing at the rice. "It's harder and takes longer to cook but it's super sticky and wonderful. You wrap it in the leaves to hold it together and it takes a bit of the scent of the bamboo leaves. That's Chinese sausage called lap cheong, those are mushrooms, pork belly, peanuts, and dried shrimp. Eventually we boil this and it all cooks together and tastes amazing. You can do it without the leaves but it's a little different."
She finished wrapping one and started another. "Technically these are eaten more for a different festival than the Mid-Autumn one, but they're delicious and I thought it would be nice."
"We're boiling the first few we made now," Harry said, pointing at a large pot on the stove. "I'm excited to try them!"
"Mind if I try?" Ron asked. He sat with them and followed along. It took him longer, naturally, and his bundle was messier, but he looked at it with pride. "That's finicky but kind of fun? Not something I'd want to do all the time."
"That's a great first try," Sue praised. "Mine were terrible when I was learning them years ago as a little kid."
"And how was Harry's first one?" Ron asked with a smile.
"Still unreasonably good," Sue smiled back. "Lavender did a great job though."
"All that needlework I do," Lavender laughed as she wrapped one. "I like doing tricky things like this though so it works surprisingly."
"I'm attributing my modest success to playing instruments," Daphne said as she put her finished one on top of the pile. "Strong and dexterous fingers."
"Don't," Padma warned.
"I wasn't going to say anything!" Parvati glared back at her twin. "You were the one that mentioned it first, meaning you're the one with the smutty mind!"
Luna hummed as she worked and looked at her finished zongzi with interest. "This looks like it would be comfortable.
"What, tied up in leaves?" Parvati asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I like to be securely tucked in," Luna said serenely as she started a new one.
"It's true," Padma smiled. "Luna rolls herself in a bundle."
Harry went to check on the zongzi in the pot. He took one out with tongs and squeezed it experimentally with a quick press of his fingers. "That's really soft," he said and brought it to Sue.
She squeezed it hurriedly too and blew on her fingers. "I think they're ready!" She and Harry fished them out and they cut the twine off and unwrapped the leaves with flicks of their wands. "I remember being impatiently and nearly burning my fingertips when I was little," Sue said with a fond smile.
"Oh those look pretty!" Lavender looked at the zongzi without the wrappers. They still held their shape and the fully cooked rice glistened with moisture and oil. A deeply savory scent filled the air and when they broke the zongzi apart, the contents steamed.
"Hot hot hot!" Tracey exclaimed, fanning her mouth after a bite. "But so delicious!"
"Oh wow," Harry said, licking his lips. "The oil from the pork belly and the lap cheong completely covers the rice but it's not too greasy or oily."
"The peanuts are soft but still firm enough to have a different texture. How wonderful!" Pansy ate another bite. "These dried shrimps are so tasty!"
"Wow, not how I normally would think of a sausage," Ron said, chewing. "But it's really good. A little sweet even."
"They're dried before cooking," Sue said. "Almost like jerky in a way. I love them."
"Mmm, this rice is so sticky and chewy. I really like it," Hermione said.
"This is worth all the effort," Parvati and Padma said together.
"Inky, Ebbers, they're ready!" Harry smiled when Inky, Ebbers, and a few of the other kitchen house elves appeared. He gave each of them a cooked one and enjoyed watching them eat them eagerly and hungrily. Soon he and Sue were demonstrating the process to the elves from start to finish with them talking about the work they put in the day before to prepare the ingredients like washing and soaking the glutinous rice and the bamboo leaves.
In an even shorter time, the elves got the hang of it and all they had prepared was used up completely and there was a small mountain of the completed zongzi sitting on the table.
"Thank you for teaching us!" Ebbers said excitedly. "So tasty and wonderful."
"We will definitely have plenty for Festival," Inky beamed. "Is not too hard."
"Awesome!" Sue said. She waved too when the elves popped away. "I'll happily take more chances to eat zongzi."
"Did you get the potion to work by the way?" Daphne asked.
"We did," Harry said. "It was like how Professor Snape suggested. We diluted the potion and brushed it onto the paper and it floats well and looks really nice."
Luna flourished her wand and a few lanterns on a table came floating over. They were made with the treated paper with a bit of wire around the top. She lit the candles within them with pokes of her wand and they drifted just above their heads.
"That's delightful," Daphne applauded.
"We'll have some of the more intricate ones for people to decorate that don't float," Sue said proudly. "These ones are sky lanterns and are traditional and traditionally dangerous. So I'm happy we figured out a way to have them without the traditional danger."
"We're going to charm them with extra reinforcement, anti-collision, and a few other safety features," Harry said. He smiled when Hedwig flapped around and the lanterns deftly and gently moved with her wing buffets but did not tip or crash. She then landed on the top of one and sat down, looking as secure as she would on a roost or a head. "See?"
"Very nice," Pansy said with a smile. "I'm so excited for the Festival. It's nice to look forward to something during the school year like this. It'll be a good break from the academic things and not just look forward to the holidays away from school."
"It is nice to learn something new as well, also not scholastically related," Daphne said.
"Yeah, the school feels a bit different now, not just solely focused on academics. It's nice," Hermione said.
"Hermione Granger admitting to say another something not-academic is nice?!" Parvati gasped loudly.
"Hey!" Hermione and Tracey exclaimed while the others laughed.
"I said 'another something'," Parvati said. "Meaning you were the first something."
"Oh, well that's fine then," Tracey said, placated.
"You're not a thing," Hermione said shortly, glaring at Parvati. "And I'm friends with you, for some reason, and like you, also for some reason."
"Aww, I'm touched," Parvati said, fanning her cheeks. "I like you too for some reason!"
"I just like you less than Lavender," Hermione smiled sharply. "And less than Harry too. And much less than Crookshanks."
"Okay, no need to lie and be cruel," Parvati sniffed.
-0-
Sprout whistled. "You know, if you ever told me a centaur could get trampled, I wouldn't have believed it. But I believe it now."
"Miss Bulstrode is very good at the game," Dumbledore said proudly. He winced a little when Millicent and Birch and another centaur flailed at each other with their sticks before Millicent came out the victor, passing the ball to a teammate and knocking Birch over as an afterthought. "Perhaps too good."
The Shinty and Hurling Club had put on a few exhibition games at their first meeting and there was a fairly respectable amount of students wanting to play. There were enough participants to have a mini-league of a few different teams and the Tribe came to join the fun. The games were broken up with younger years playing only each other, the older years doing the same, and any who braved the mixed team game with the centaurs.
Hermione had found rules for a combined Shinty and Hurling game that McGonagall and Pomfrey had looked over and agreed to easily. So while either version could be played as a pick-up game, they used the combined rules as well if desired and for the league. They made various teams and Luna had made symbols for them and Lavender had done designs for jerseys and made them with some help.
Millicent was the captain of Harry's Hounds, their symbol was an artistic rendition of Cokie over overlapping Hs on white speckled uniforms, and they were currently playing against Ron's team, the Wilderness Wranglers, their symbol was entwined double-Us over eye-watering orange. They played fiercely, the ball going back and forth and the players not holding back.
"Thank goodness we got those extra medi-magicals and healers to be on staff," Flitwick remarked as he saw a particularly energetic impact sent two players tumbling.
"I was surprised Pomfrey wasn't raising a fuss actually," Rolanda Hooch snorted. "She normally decries the injuries one sustains from Quidditch. Then I saw her play and it all made sense. Bias, pure and simple."
"To be fair, when you fall over in this sport, the distance to the ground is much less than in Quidditch," Sprout said with a cheery smile.
"There aren't any clubs and sticks in Quidditch either," Hooch snorted.
"What do the Beaters use?" Flitwick asked innocently.
"A bat and let's not get into semantics," Hooch growled. "Hitting people with them is illegal in Quidditch." She pointed as Ron overran another human player. "Trampling is also illegal in Quidditch."
"I would actually be impressed if someone trampled another player in Quidditch," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Headmaster, please don't tell me you condone this," Hooch groaned.
"I did approve of the club and the new rules," Dumbledore said, making the others laugh. "I personally find the sport entertaining to watch, in a very primal and slightly shocked at the outright roughness of the sport way. And it is a way for the students, and instructors, to interact with one another as well as the Tribe. Not to mention, teams are mixed from all the Houses and are not House specific."
"That's true," Hooch conceded. "I suppose it is impressive in some ways," she said when a player hit the ball from a fair distance away and managed to score a goal. "And it is rather impressive to see the Tribe here at Hogwarts and mingling with the students so easily."
"It is honestly something that will benefit the school and the students as a whole and for the better," Dumbledore said sincerely. "The Houses interacting and working together, improving relations between each other and the Tribe, and some genuine fun." He winced as two players collided and more tackled their way in. "And you know, healing injuries together."
-0-
"Go Millie!" Harry and his friends cheered as Millicent scored another goal, striking the ball with the wide-paddled hurley club and sending it neatly into the goal past the goalie.
"I will never get tired of seeing her check a centaur," Pansy laughed. "And thank the heavens that I'm not playing the game."
"I'm surprised Parvati is playing," Sue smiled.
"Oh her only way to play was to be on Millie's team," Padma laughed. "But she's getting into it. Same with Tracey."
"She tried to convince me to play," Hermione snorted. She applauded when Tracey blocked a shot and managed to pass the ball. She winced when Tracey tripped and rolled but smiled when Tracey rolled to her feet and went after the player that pushed her over. "At least she's having fun."
"I love the costumes and symbols," Daphne praised.
Luna and Lavender beamed. "Aren't they great?" Lavender smiled proudly. "Everyone's been lovely with working with us for designs and have all paid for both services and it's been fun!"
"How did you convince Millicent to use your name as a team name?" Daphne asked with a big smile.
"I didn't convince her, she had to convince me," Harry laughed. "I tried to convince her not to!"
"It's a form of honor," Pansy grinned, patting his arm. "She wants to honor you by giving her the circumstances in even learning about the game and then playing it like this." She started laughing harder. "We went through a few different options before finally settling on Hounds."
"Oh like what?" Hermione asked, smiling wide.
"Harpies were thrown out because Holyhead can be rather litigious," Pansy smiled, "and there would be boys on the team too. Hares sounded too nonthreatening. I suggested Harridans but that was also denied because again, there would be boys on the team and it's a rather rude name too. I just liked the sound of it."
"I didn't," Harry snorted.
"The Hellhounds were also thrown out due to mild rudeness so we settled on Hounds," Pansy grinned.
"Why did you not do hippogriffs?" Daphne asked.
"I already started on making Cokie the team symbol," Lavender said.
"Fair enough, your dog is very cute and cuddly. Not a hound however," Daphne smiled.
"She can be relentless when she wants a treat or attention," Lavender giggled.
"Why didn't they use Hedwig as a model if they wanted something threatening?" Sue asked.
"There's threatening and then there's dangerously threatening," Pansy smiled when Hedwig barked. "What are you waving about by the way? They're adorable."
"Pom-poms," Lavender smiled as Hedwig flapped in the air and waved the black and white pom-poms she clutched in her talons as she hooted encouragement to the Hounds. "Muggle cheerleaders use them to cheer for their teams."
"There's a lot of Purebloods in there too, for playing a more Muggle sport, not to mention a sport that physical," Sue observed.
"Guess it was too fun not to enjoy," Harry grinned.
"I'm surprised there's enough human players for the mixed teams with the centaurs," Hermione said.
"Why?" Harry asked. "The Tribe are really nice."
"They are," Padma said, "doesn't mean I want to risk getting run down by one though."
"Guess that's just a risk you accept when you play the game," Pansy said sagely. She shook her head. "Color me surprised that Aster is playing."
"I figured the twins would," Lavender sighed. "I told them if they even thought about hitting me with their sticks, I'd either hit them back, break them, or ban them from Harry."
"And they took the last threat very seriously I imagine," Daphne laughed.
"I certainly would," Luna said with a genuine shudder.
"How do you feel about being used as a punishment," Hermione asked, giggling.
"I honestly don't know," Harry laughed.
"As long as you're not against it because that's what I said to Aster and what Millie said to Nathan and Owen," Pansy said. "It's probably the most efficacious threat we have right now."
"All's well that ends well I guess," Harry said, shaking his head.
-0-
The Great Hall was full of light and noise and delicious smells. Lanterns floated in the air and they were all different colors, bobbing up and down gently and moving slowly, giving the illusion of wind and breeze. The enchanted ceiling showed a deep night sky without a cloud and a brilliant and large moon dominated the space, shining brilliantly on the people below.
The tables were covered in different kinds of food. Some were a little familiar by now: dumplings and mooncakes, things that have graced them in the past. Zongzi were entirely new, as well as almond biscuits, plates of steamed fish with soy and sesame and ginger, and piles of crispy cong you bing with crackling crisp outsides. Harry and his friends have had them before but not the majority of the school. There were even bowls of mapo tofu out, the spice levels having been brought down some, though there were a few pots of chili oil with warning labels stuck to them.
The atmosphere was merry and warm with everyone eating unstintingly. Stories of the Mid-Autumn Festival had been written out and more than a few showed genuine interest in the festival's history. Lots of people enjoyed the new food, to varying degrees, and everyone managed to find one thing they really liked and enjoyed unstintingly.
"Well done, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. He had wandered over to where Harry was sitting and Harry had excused himself from his friends to talk to him.
"Not just me," Harry said easily. "Sue brought the recipes and the elves helped make them."
"True, but you still did the testing and taught the elves," Dumbledore said warmly. "And made things accessible for the elves to learn. And the drive to make it happen."
"Just making sure I earned my position," Harry grinned, patting his badge. "But thank you, Sir. I've been working on accepting credit when its due. It's hard."
"It certainly can be," Dumbledore said. "I will not keep you from your friends. Enjoy, you deserve it."
"Talk to you later," Harry said brightly and rejoined his friends while Dumbledore walked back to the staff table.
Flitwick massaged his stomach. "I want to eat another zongzi but I have a feeling it will end terribly for me if I do."
"Ebbers reassured me that they will be a regular occurrence on the tables," Dumbledore said as he reached out and took another one for himself. "The recipe has been written in the Book."
"Oh very good," Flitwick smiled.
"Quarters has already made it clear that Hogwarts will need access to these sort of ingredients," Dumbledore continued as he unwrapped the zongzi and started enjoying the sticky rice and savory filling. "Wheatley is going to try and grow rice but unfortunately Scotland is not the best climate for it. I might reach out to the Li family and see about getting regular shipments of them."
He finished his and contemplated another. "Care to split one, Filius?"
"I think I can manage that," Flitwick grinned.
-0-0-0-
Arnie1701 - They've told Harry some stories already but more could come.
odonnellzoo99 - She's my favorite of the two I think by a slim margin too. I like her because she is so warm and more reserved yet absolutely terrifying when the need for it arises. I don't think I'd do that trope but that would be a funny theory. Also, it's still butterbeer, just a different kind of one.
DOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Yeah I was a bit worried that it would be a bit too much and contrived to have the food be gone, but I like to think it still fit the setting and it felt just magical enough and bittersweet like you said to happen that way.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - I think a combined outdoor feast with everyone just being together makes more sense in this setting anyways. Thanks for reading.
alix33 - The food offerings felt right. Glad you liked them.
DarkRavie - Thank you.
poka - Glad you enjoyed it.
longhitterz - Everyone grieves differently and no way is the right way, at least I think so.
TheSphynx - The Flamels in that setting would cause so much chaos with the bunnies.
booklover47000 - Thank you for reading. Glad you like it.
Guest - Thank you.
Guest - Thank you.