I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
A Taste of Magic
21st Course – Secrets Come to Light
"The new clubroom looks wonderful," Harry said, looking about.
They moved the clubroom to a different unused classroom, one somewhat closer to Flitwick's office. Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Remus went over it carefully, putting in some extra protections via wards and charms. The House Elves, still vexed having not caught the saboteur, put their own magic in place so they could be warned if any non-Hogwarts elf tried to interfere with the room. They also repaired the oven and after making it thoroughly safe, installed it into the new clubroom along with the icebox and other things.
Permanent cabinets were put in as well to hold things as well as a wardrobe for fabrics and other materials. Bookshelves were put in for books and magazines and it felt like a cozy nice clubroom for the Household Charms club.
"I'm pleased my ownself," Flitwick said, rubbing his hands together. "The Household Charms club never had its own room before so it was very satisfying to make this one a permanent home. Not to mention you know I enjoy casting magic I normally don't get to, so the protection spells were quite fun."
"Sorry for all the trouble," Harry said weakly. "I feel responsible."
"You shouldn't," Flitwick said flatly. "You were the victim in this, Harry, not the cause. Even if it did not happen, I feel better that my students will be protected." He smiled brightly. "Now, that is no excuse to be any less careful, do you hear me?"
"Yes Sir," Harry chuckled. "I do appreciate it."
"It is all finished now and we can enjoy it properly." He hesitated for a moment. "And you are still going to be on your own for Halloween?"
"If that's okay."
"You have my permission, the Headmaster's, and Professor McGonagall, as last year." He hummed softly. "Are you sure you do not want someone to be with you?"
"Not this time, but I appreciate you asking Sir," Harry said softly. "I…well…"
Flitwick patted his shoulder. "No need to explain if you are having trouble to. You have not given me any cause to distrust you, Harry, and I will wait to be shared with if you ever choose to."
"Thank you," Harry half-whispered. "It's hard."
"I understand," Flitwick said sympathetically. "Just know that you are not alone."
Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
-0-
"No, I don't know what Harry would be doing," Remus said in a slightly worried tone. "He hasn't mentioned it to me."
"Hmm, well, he seemed fine more or less last year at this time regardless," Flitwick murmured. "I was just wondering if you had any insight."
"I wish I did," Remus sighed. "Perhaps if I hadn't been so withdrawn from the world up to now, I might."
"Perhaps, but there's no use in lamenting what can't be changed," Flitwick said prosaically. "Focus more on what can be changed, for the better."
"Yes. I'll be doing that more," Remus said quietly.
-0-
The Halloween Feast was in full swing. This year the floating jack-o'-lanterns flew about and sang Halloween songs and had ridiculous conversations with one another. They then had a spirited game of bowling, floating above the students. Impacts with bone pins sent showers of candy all over the delighted students and the air was full of funny noises, laughter, and conversation.
Lavender caught some when a rather ponderous pumpkin exploded messily, showering the Gryffindors with lights and treats. She looked through the handful and dropped some in a draw-string bag.
"Here, take this one too," Parvati said and handed one over.
"I don't think Harry would want one of these," she laughed, holding the Bloody Sucker blood-flavored lollipop.
"We don't know until we ask," Parvati giggled.
"Fine but I'm warning him before he tries it," Lavender said, dropping the candy into the bag.
"Harry didn't want to come tonight?" Hermione asked softly.
"No," Lavender sighed. "He seemed okay more or less, like last year, but still didn't feel up to it."
"I wonder what he's doing instead," Neville said.
"He'll tell us one day," Lavender said stoutly. "Maybe," she said, a little uncertain.
"I think so, he's been opening up to us more," Parvati said.
"Yeah, he has, hasn't he," Lavender said brightly. She opened the bag so Hermione and Neville could make their own contributions to it. They continued to munch on some sweets, laughing when a bunch of pumpkins began singing a very lively song.
The doors to the Great Hall opened and Snape came striding in. He ignored all that was going on, heading for the Head table. He bent over to whisper in Dumbledore's ear and even from a distance, you could see concern replacing amusement on Dumbledore's face.
"I wonder what that's about," Parvati remarked.
Lavender chewed on her bite of cake, hoping it did not involve Harry.
-0-
"Harry!"
Harry blinked with surprise. He had just gotten back to the common room, escorted by Inky, and was surprised to see his friends sitting there waiting for him. "Hi everyone, what's wrong? Are you all okay?"
"We're fine, but are you?" Lavender asked, eyes radiating worry.
"I'm fine, what happened?" Harry asked, concerned.
"The Feast ended a bit early," Neville said. "Someone did some vandalism in one of the hallways. Wrote on the walls with red paint and flooded the corridor."
"What was written?" Harry asked, interested.
"The Chamber of Secrets has been Reopened. Enemies of the Heir Beware," Hermione said.
"That's ominous and kinda freaky," Harry shuddered. "Did they catch whoever wrote it?"
Neville shook his head. "No and they don't know who did it. Dumbledore went to look and when he got back, he dismissed everyone and went to investigate it more."
"That's weird," Harry said. "Sorry the Feast got cut short for you all."
"It's okay, it was coming to a close anyways," Parvati said airily. "Anyways, all the common rooms got mini-feasts to make up for it and as you see, everyone's still in the mood to chat and eat. So we waited for you."
Harry smiled, his melancholy from the day fading slightly. "Aww, thank you."
"Feel up to sitting with us?" Lavender asked gently.
Harry thought for a moment. "Sure, I mean, yes please." He sat beside her and happily took the bag of candy from her. "Oh thank you."
"Everyone put in what we think you'd like," Lavender said. She poked Parvati. "She put in a Bloody Sucker."
Harry fished it out. He blanched at how luridly red it was and how the wet interior of the lollipop glistened realistically. "It's not real blood, is it?"
"No idea. My parents would never let us try it." Parvati smiled at him. "Go on then! Try it!"
"You try it," Harry laughed, giving it to her.
"No thanks!" she grimaced, sticking her tongue out at it.
"Then why make Harry try it?" Lavender asked, incensed.
"Someone has to," Parvati said matter-of-factly.
"I'll save it for now," Harry grinned. "Maybe I'll try it one day."
"Did you have a nice night?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded. "Nice enough." He hesitated for a moment. "I, uh, what I usually do for Halloween is cook something specific. I've done it for years." He slowly undid the top of his own draw-string bag and took out a container. He opened the top and the others took deep whiffs of the deeply savory aroma.
"That smells incredible," Hermione gasped.
"Do you mind sharing it with the others?" Harry asked Lavender.
"All that was for me?" Lavender asked. She smiled brightly at Harry's nod. "Sure! I can't possibly eat that much and I'd hate for it to go to waste."
"You've had it before? When?!" Parvati asked when Harry went to the table for some cups and spoons.
"Last year, Harry had Inky bring me some," Lavender said, a trifle smug.
"Boo! Not fair!" Parvati said.
Harry smiled warmly as he listened to Lavender and Parvati bicker, pouring out the container into four different cups. He handed them to his four friends and waited with baited breath for their reactions.
"This is the best beef stew I have ever had," Hermione said, staring down at her cup. "And I really like beef stew."
"This is really good," Neville said as he ate it eagerly. "I'm full from the feast and I still want to eat it."
"I can't believe you had this last year and didn't share," Parvati pouted, glaring at Lavender.
"I had a mug and everyone went to bed," Lavender sniffed. She beamed at Harry. "This is delicious Harry! Better than last year even!"
"You make this every Halloween?" Neville asked.
Harry nodded. "It was my mother's favorite," he said quietly. The four stopped eating, looking at him. "It's one of the few recipes my aunt taught me directly. She helped me make it the first time. When I first learned it, I made it all the time. Too much," he said ruefully. "My uncle told me to stop making it."
He missed the look the others had. "But I never did obviously. Just a lot less but I always make it on Halloween for my parents. It…makes me feel like I'm close to them still, if that makes sense."
Neville nodded solemnly. "It does."
Harry smiled a little. "Lavender was the first person I made it for that wasn't my uncle or aunt or cousin. First person to try it in years actually."
She sniffled a little at that, incredibly touched. "Thank you," she breathed softly.
He smiled bashfully. "I'm always a little nervous when I cook for others, hoping they like the food. But this makes me…really nervous. It's really important to me."
"I think it's one of the best things I've ever had," Parvati said emphatically. "And I'm not lying."
"Are you fibbing?" Harry asked.
She laughed. "Nope, not even fibbing."
"It's so good," Hermione said. "Thank you for sharing Harry, and Lavender."
Harry felt much better. He was surprised how good it made him feel for them to say that and for the first time in an incredibly long time, he felt a sort of relief on Halloween, a warmth that was not physical.
A kindness.
"Hey, excuse me, where did you get that? It smells really good."
They turned and looked at the speaker, a girl with long red hair. She looked at them with interest.
"Harry made it," Lavender said.
"You made it?" the girl asked, staring at Harry with a surprised look.
"That's right," Harry said evenly.
"Oh wow. So it's not from the Feast?" The girl looked disappointed when the they shook their heads. "Okay. Thanks then." She gave them another look before walking away.
"Who's that again?" Parvati asked quietly.
"Ginny, Ron's little sister," Neville said. "And her other brothers of course."
"I wonder how much they've told her," Lavender sniffed.
"Has Ron treated you any better?" Hermione asked.
"We don't interact still really," Harry said. He noticed Ron looking their way with Ginny arguing with the twins alongside.
"He still doesn't go against Seamus when he's spouting off," Lavender said coolly.
"I don't need him to, I've got you and the others," Harry said happily.
"Damn straight," Lavender and Parvati said with Hermione and Neville nodding in quiet agreement.
-0-
Dumbledore stared up at the red letters on the wall. Just reading the words: 'Chamber of Secrets' made his skin crawl as well as made him feel a tinge of regret for what happened in the past. The water on the floor had been drained by now but the red letters had so far proven resistant to a bevy of simple charms.
"The castle is clear of intruders," Remus said as he and a few others approached. "As far as we know."
"Hmm, I thought as much. It was a good time to do this," Dumbledore mused. "With the Feast going on and our attentions focused elsewhere."
"The lettering is made up of magical paint and ink mixed with blood," Snape said, making some of them blanch. "Hence why it is proving to be difficult to remove."
"What kind of blood?" Flitwick asked, face twisted.
"Chicken," Snape said.
"Chicken?" Remus rubbed his chin. "Precious few rituals I can think of would require chicken blood. It's not very magically powerful. Not to mention you need a lot of chickens to provide enough blood needed."
"The percentage of blood to paint and ink is on the low side," Snape confirmed.
"Why paint and ink?" Flitwick wondered.
"We shall seal off this portion of the corridor," Dumbledore said. "I will draw a privacy line and leave a small clear part of the hall for passage. I already sent a message to the Aurors and some are on their way to do an investigation."
"Hopefully they find a more satisfactory conclusion than 'we don't know' this time," McGonagall said frostily.
"Hopefully," Dumbledore said plainly. "This worries me, if I may be frank. The last time the Chamber was opened, a student died."
"Do you think it is possible?" Flitwick gasped. "That it has been opened again?"
"The original culprit was never caught," Dumbledore murmured. "And I never believed Hagrid was responsible for it."
"We will try our best to prevent that from happening again," Remus said quietly.
"I have faith," Dumbledore said, a trace of warmth returning to his tone. "Like a friend would say, constant vigilance."
McGonagall snorted. "If we feel the need to call him, we would be in dire straits."
"I will if I feel the need to, however," Dumbledore said seriously.
-0-
The atmosphere in the coming days was tense. The words written on the wall, though cordoned off and hidden from the students, were all they talked about for a while and so many people had their own theories on what the Chamber of Secrets was, why it was not a good thing, and who the Heir of Slytherin was.
"According to Hogwarts, A History, the Chamber of Secrets was a room created by Salazar Slytherin," Hermione said. "And in it resided something that only he could control and it was something of a last resort."
"That's not ominous at all," Sue shuddered. "What a mad bloke. Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly, looking at Millicent and Pansy.
While not an official club time, they had gathered in the clubroom to study together and spend time together. Flitwick was fairly confident in the protections of the new room and with the Elves being vigilant if needed, he had allowed them to congregate there.
"No need to apologize," Millicent said, waving a hand. "I'm not related to him as far as I know. If that's true, I'd say he was mad too."
"You're not upset, even though you're Slytherins?" Neville asked.
"Words of spells and incantations are the words to concern yourself most," Pansy said snootily. She shrugged. "Most of the time anyways. Millie is right. Slytherin is so far removed from us, we don't care if people think him mad. We take pride in the ideals of our House, not our Founder."
"Drat, I was hoping since you were Slytherins, you'd know what was in the Chamber or where it was," Parvati said glumly. "Or who the heir is."
"None of us do," Pansy said. "It's been a popular topic of discussion lately though." She frowned slightly. Draco had boasted that he knew who the heir was as well as knowing other things, but while a few believed him, others did not when he demurred when asked. He was clearly trying to brag and draw attention, but Pansy did not know what to think.
"I hope they find out soon," Padma said. "Apparently the last time the Chamber was opened, a person died."
They all shuddered at that.
"The Headmaster has been doing a lot," Harry said. "He's had the grounds checked and he's patrolled with the other professors. Aurors have been checking things too."
"That's a relief," Lavender sighed.
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.
"He talked to me the other day, asking me if I heard anything on Halloween night since I wasn't in the Great Hall. He told me after I said I didn't."
"Guess we don't have much to worry about then," Neville said nervously.
"What are you making, Harry?" Luna asked brightly. She had remained quiet while they talked, drawing in a notebook.
"They're called eggy in a basket," Harry said, gently flipping the piece of bread with an egg in the middle in the pan.
"That's an adorable name," Pansy said.
"They're simple but really good," Harry said. He lifted the crisp bread and cooked egg out of the pan and put it on a plate. The yellow yolk was sunny bright and set, the whites completely cooked. The bread was golden brown and he delicately placed the round piece of bread that was cut out and grilled separately on top. A sprinkle of white salt and black pepper finished it off and he put the plate in front of a delighted Luna. "You can top it with sauce if you like."
"You're made of stern stuff," Millicent remarked as Harry kept cooking, serving the finished baskets as soon as they were ready.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Barely a couple of weeks ago you had a stove explode in your face and you were hit and burned," she said seriously.
"Oh that." Harry shrugged. "You get used to burns and stuff when you cook a lot. Besides, if you like it enough, it's easy to keep at it and come back to it I suppose."
"That's why I'm still friends with Pansy," Millicent said and the others chuckled. She smiled cheekily at Pansy's glare.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Pansy asked sourly.
"You know, don't be coy," Millicent smiled.
"You're a koi," Pansy returned. "All giant mouthed and empty-eyed." She opened and closed her mouth slowly, pretending to gulp air and fanning her hands at her neck.
"You're more fish-like than me," Millicent said back. "All cold and floppity. Say, maybe that's why Sunny likes you so much."
"Dang, I need to up my insult game," Parvati said to general laughter.
"I will destroy you," Padma muttered.
"You know, I think I know why you don't care when Sunny sheds all over you, it's certainly an improvement over your regular wardrobe," Pansy said sharply with an even sharper smile. "For someone in the industry, you'd think you'd wear nicer things, instead of the same thing again and again. Have you no shame?"
Harry was enjoying the byplay between the two girls before he noticed Lavender's expression. She had been standing beside him and was waiting for her eggy but had frozen stiff. Her face was scrunched up and she was looking like she was about to cry. "Lavender?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?" He put the pan aside and turned to her. "Lavender?"
At his touch she jumped, as if startled. "Oh! Uhm, yeah, I mean, I, uh…" She scrubbed her eyes.
Harry then remembered what she shared with him last year and felt absolutely wretched. "Hey, stop it," he said out loud.
"What? It's true! Millicent used to wear this same thing all the time-" Pansy began to argue.
"I said stop it," Harry said firmly, turning to look at everyone. "Please," he added in an afterthought when everyone turned to stare at him. No one had ever heard him speak like that before.
"Lav? Are you okay?" Parvati said, rushing over.
"I'm okay," Lavender said insincerely, unable to stop from tearing up. "It's okay, really."
Pansy saw what was going on and she felt her stomach clench. The look Harry gave her was one she had not seen him wear before, stern and unamused. Even when he was suffering under the worst of what Draco threw at him, Harry had never looked that unhappy. And seeing Lavender upset made her feel odd too, which was odd because she never cared before if she looked upset at what she said. Realizing that she was the cause of both of their expressions, even unwittingly, made her feel strange. "I wasn't talking to you-" she started to say.
"Let's break things off for now," Harry said, interrupting her. "Good thing everyone else got their eggys and we finished our studying. We can meet another time."
After a quick look, the others started cleaning and putting things away. They dispersed, feeling awkward and anxious and Pansy watched as the Gryffindors left together.
"I…I didn't mean to upset anyone," Pansy said, her voice small and shocked. "You and I talk like that all the time. You've never been upset at me for saying that, not in many years."
"I haven't no, but it looks like it stuck a nerve with them," Millicent said uneasily. "Come on, let's go back to our dorm."
"What…what is going to happen?" Pansy asked, afraid.
"I don't know," Millicent replied. She gave Pansy a worried look. Her friend looked incredibly upset and hearing her say that she did not mean to actually upset someone, despite being the target of her barbed words, was a true surprise. In normal circumstances, she might even praise her friend.
Unfortunately, the circumstances were not normal.
-0-
"Hey Lav?"
Lavender looked up. Ever since they returned to Gryffindor tower, she had gone straight to her room and flopped into bed. Hearing Pansy say those words, said so similar in word and tone like the bullies in her past really shook her. She had thought she had gotten over them but evidently not. Her emotions raw, she had curled up in bed, trying not to lose herself.
She had mostly succeeded.
"Harry's asking for you," Parvati said. "He wants to know if you're okay and if you're willing to come down to the common room."
A part of her wanted to tell Parvati to say no to Harry. After some thought, she sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, I'll come down."
"You don't have to," Parvati said. "Harry also said that. He also said he'd like to try and help if he could but only if you want."
"I'll go," Lavender said. With a watery smile she walked down the steps and found Harry waiting for her beside them. "Hi Harry," she said weakly.
"Hi." He dithered a little. "Uhm, I think I know how to help a little. If you like."
She smiled wanly. "Sure." She followed him to the side of the portrait door, slightly confused. "What are you doing?"
Harry looked around and when he saw no one was looking, he hurriedly threw the invisibility cloak over the both of them. Lavender almost squealed with surprise but just managed to stop herself when Harry shushed her. She gasped when she realized they could see out but no one seemed able to see them. She kept silent and when Harry took her hand, she followed willingly when someone opened the door and they slipped out behind them.
"What is this?!" she whispered as they walked down the hall.
"It's an invisibility cloak," he whispered back. "Belonged to my dad. Isn't it neat?"
"It's brilliant!" she said, her sorrow temporarily forgotten. She walked with Harry hand in hand until they reached the clubroom. When they entered, he took the cloak off and handed it to her. She ran her fingers over the silky material, exclaiming with wonder at the invisibility qualities. "This is so cool!"
"Right?!" Harry turned the stove on and started assembling a few ingredients.
"We shouldn't be here," Lavender said belatedly. "Won't we get into trouble?"
"Maybe, if we're caught," Harry said with a seemingly nonchalant tone. "But I don't think we will. As long as I make a little extra. Inky will help. I hope."
"Oh, I don't know if it's worth getting in trouble over," she fretted.
"If it helps you feel better, it's worth it," he said sincerely.
"Oh." Something deep in her chest felt warm and the warmth spread. She carefully folded the cloak and sat at the table, hugging it to her chest. "Okay." She watched him in silence.
"I'm sorry," he said after a while.
"What for?" Lavender asked, genuinely confused.
"For not stopping them," Harry sighed. "I knew you were picked on before for…exactly what Pansy was saying. But when Millie didn't seem upset, I didn't think of it at all. Not until I saw how upset you were."
"Oh. That makes sense," she said quietly, looking down.
"If it makes you feel any better, I really don't think Pansy meant to hurt you," Harry said.
"I…I don't think so either," Lavender allowed. "It's just, the way she said it, what she said, it was pretty much exactly what they used to say to me every day all day." She sniffled again a little. "And it really got to me."
"I can understand that," Harry said softly. He dropped the holed bread into the pan with a pat of butter and cracked an egg into the middle. "It's hard to ignore when it's all you hear for a while."
She looked at him. "Yeah, it is." She watched him finish cooking the eggy and she smiled a little when he put it in front of her.
"You didn't get to eat it earlier," he said with a small smile.
She cut the egg and bread in half, smiling to see the yolk spill out and get absorbed by the butter fried bread. The small cut out piece absorbed the golden runny yolk too and when she bit it, it tasted wonderful. Butter, salt, pepper, bread, and egg, a simple symphony. "It's really good," she smiled.
"Good." Harry smiled back and continued to mix things, moving his hands with purpose.
"My Mum isn't my mum," Lavender said all of a sudden. At Harry's questioning look, she flushed and swallowed her mouthful of food. "I mean, she is my Mum but she didn't give birth to me. My Daddy raised me from a baby by himself for the longest time. He was seeing my birth mum and then one day she was gone and after a little while I was…there."
She rubbed her eyes. "He did the best he could but we didn't have a lot of money. So like I said, when I was teased about clothes when I started school, it got to me because we didn't have a lot. I used to wish for all sorts of things and it made me feel bad. I knew he worked his hardest and there were times we didn't eat a lot but he tried and never blamed me."
She felt better when Harry put an arm around her shoulders. "Later, he met Leena and they dated and fell in love. At first he was so scared because I was doing things we couldn't explain. He cried from relief when Leena said it was accidental magic and she knew because she was a witch. She explained so much and she fell in love with me and I love her. I was so happy when they got married and I got a mum."
She dabbed her eyes. "My two little sisters are technically my half-sisters but I love them like full sisters." She sighed heavily. "Sometimes, I wish I could be like them and have two parents from the start." She paled and looked at him in horror. "Oh God I am so sorry Harry-"
He hugged her gently. "Don't be, I know what you mean." He did not flinch when she hugged him hard. He only let go when she did and he continued to mix the biscuit dough, putting it on the tray and popping the tray into the oven.
He looked at her. "Does Parvati know? About your family?"
"I've sorta mentioned it in vague terms," Lavender said weakly. "But no. You're the first person I've told actually, in a long time."
Harry nodded. He took a deep breath. "I was like you, just left at my aunt's doorstep. That's what she said anyways." He took another deep breath. "I grew up in a cupboard."
Lavender was nibbling part of the crust and inhaled swiftly and started coughing. Harry hurriedly pounded her back and she managed to cough out the crumbs that had lodged in her throat. "Wait, what?" she sputtered.
He looked horrifically embarrassed but continued. "I grew up in a cupboard. For the longest time, that was where I slept. I didn't have clothes of my own, toys or anything. And I had to do chores and if I didn't do them well, I didn't get to eat."
"A cupboard?! Didn't get to eat?!" Lavender shouted. "That's not right!"
Harry was surprised by her outburst. "It's all I knew," he said lamely.
"That's…that's not right!" Lavender repeated angrily.
"It got better," he said hurriedly. "When I started cooking more. One of the few times I saw something on the telly, I saw how happy people were when they ate something good and one day, I tried my best to make something good. Something to make the Dursleys smile. And it worked. They smiled and were in a good mood and I was allowed to eat the leftovers."
"Allowed to eat the-" Lavender cried out.
"And it slowly got better even more," Harry continued. "I started cooking all the food and I could save bits and pieces for myself to eat. And they were happier. And I thought that was good for me." Harry sighed, a deep and heavy sound borne from long years. "Then one time, a work colleague tried something of Uncle Vernon's lunch and he invited them to the home for a dinner party, one that I cooked."
He looked down at his hands, at the small cuts and small burns that were on them and his wrists. "After that, they entertained more and I was seen more. I was allowed to live in the Dudley's second bedroom, I got clothes to wear for when there was company. I was allowed to watch and read cooking related things, anything that made my cooking better and made them look better. They let me eat my fill, let me cook a little bit more so I could eat enough."
"And for a while, that was great," he said quietly.
Lavender felt something deep in her chest ache and she seethed as she sat there. "None of that is great," she half-snarled. "All of that is terrible! My Daddy never treated me like that and we barely had anything! How dare they?!"
"Like I said, it's all I knew," Harry repeated. He looked off into the distance. "You know what's usually the first thing they said? The guests that ate what I cooked. They would say, 'You must be so proud of him', to the Dursleys. As if they taught me or were responsible for it," he snorted sourly. "Or something like 'what else can he make', 'what else can he cook'. Then they would say it tasted good and they wanted to taste more or eat more and see what else I can do."
He looked at her fondly. "But I remember what you said, the first time you ate my cooking. You only said it tasted good. And every time you've tried something, you only comment on what that is. You've never asked me to do more, or what else. You've liked what I made and enjoyed it right then." He smiled shyly. "That's why I really like cooking for you."
"Oh, Harry," she said softly. "You're an amazing cook and I love everything you've made."
He beamed at her. "I, uh, I didn't tell you all that like it's a competition. It's not. I just wanted to share something private with you since you shared something private with me. I've never told anyone that stuff ever either."
She smiled at that but then her smile fell. "Oh, when you said you cried in the bathroom at school too…"
He nodded. "Dudley and his friends would do it. At first they would beat me up but they stopped when my aunt and uncle said if he hurt me and I couldn't cook, he'd get in trouble. He then decided to get back at me by making sure no one would be my friend. That no one would be friends with the weird kid that can only cook."
She hugged him with desperate strength. "I'll always be your friend," she vowed. "No matter what."
"Me too," he said, hugging her back. "I mean, not being my own friend but being your friend." He smiled when she giggled.
She let him go and rubbed her eyes. "Is…is this why you used to not eat with us at first?"
"One doesn't eat with the help," Harry said softly, repeating the words mechanically as if it had been said to him a thousand times.
Lavender growled. "I don't like the Dursleys."
"I'm not terribly fond of them either," Harry admitted quietly. "But-"
"-they're all you know," Lavender finished sadly. She sniffled a bit before squaring her shoulders. "It'll get better Harry. I don't know how, but we'll get it better."
"It already has, ever since we became friends," Harry said sincerely. He liked seeing her smile. He took the biscuits out of the oven and set them on a rack to cool. "So, uhm, do you want me to tell Pansy she isn't welcome anymore?"
Lavender sighed. "I…I don't know. I agree that she probably didn't mean to hurt me directly; she couldn't have known. But, it still hurts a lot." She nibbled on a warm biscuit gratefully. "Maybe if she apologizes and promises to not say that sort of thing again?"
"If you're sure."
"I wouldn't want to ban her completely, she's your friend," Lavender said slowly.
"But so are you and you were my friend first," Harry said sincerely.
She smiled and felt warmer at his words. "Are those all for me?" she asked as he put the biscuits in the bag.
"All except for this tray. This one is for the House Elves to keep us from getting in trouble," he said and they both snickered. They broke into outright laughter when the tray of biscuits disappeared in front of them. They then finished cleaning up the clubroom and snuck back to the tower, hiding once more under the cloak. Luckily the door swung open when they got there, a prefect leaving for patrol, and they slid in and made it to a corner to take off the cloak with none the wiser of what they've done.
"Harry?" Lavender hugged him tightly. "Thank you. You're an amazing friend."
He hugged her back. "You're amazing."
-0-0-0-
Earth Guardian 28 - Thank you. It's hard sometimes trying to find new ways to hit those stations of canon but I was pretty happy with that one. Glad you like the character development.
Arnie1701 - A bit wet and foreboding though.
odonnellzoo99 - He's got enough going on without needing Lockhart being a lockhart in his business. Glad you enjoyed.
alix33 - An upset Inky is a dangerous thing.
poka - It's hard sometimes to find other ways to interpret stations of canon. Since Harry doesn't play Quidditch in this, the Bludger doesn't apply really. I was pretty satisfied with how this came about and how it fits into this setting. Same with Draco and Pansy. We didn't really know their relationship really in canon so I wanted to give them some life here that people can understand and relate to in some ways, and that it's believable. I'm glad you like it.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - Glad you thought so. I like it when things are reasonable. Thank you for reading.
DarkRavie - Thank you.