I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters,
Howdy everyone, hope all are having a nice weekend. I wanted to update yesterday because I had a good writing week and to celebrate the cover, but the website was down until very late, so have a surprise Sunday update. As always, thank you for reading. Have a lovely day!
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A Taste of Magic
58th Course – Not so Different
Sophie sighed when she watched Luna, Padma, and Sue walk past. The two groups of girls arrived at the Great Hall at the same time and the former were ignoring the latter rather pointedly.
"Why are you so bothered?" Colette asked, throwing her hair behind her shoulder. "We shouldn't care what they think."
"I know you're used to people thinking you're a rude bitch, but not all of us like being thought of like that," Aimee said dryly.
"Why not? Plenty of our classmates back at school do," Colette retorted as they sat at the Ravenclaw table.
"To be fair, we usually earn those ill thoughts back home," Fleur said with a slight shrug.
"It would be one thing if we did earn it," Sophie said. "It's…well, I don't know. It doesn't sit right with me that we treated something so heavy, so lightly."
"How were we supposed to know?" Colette asked, looking a little embarrassed. "No one back home knew what happened, only what did happen and what the boy is called. We only know what we have been told."
"Or assumed through hearsay or reputation," Sophie said softly.
"Hey, that's not fair," Colette protested, aggrieved. "Your situations," she gestured at Sophie and Fleur, "and his aren't the same!"
"Aren't they? When people repeat things without due diligence?" Sophie asked.
"Peace cousin," Fleur said, patting her arm. "You and Colette are not wrong. Look, we can either make amends later or simply stay away. It's not like we need to interact with them at all and after the Tournament is over, we won't meet them ever again."
"I guess that's true. Sorry," Sophie apologized.
"From one bitch to another, I accept," Colette said easily.
"Why are you so bothered?" Fleur repeated after some time.
"Did you see the way that girl glared at us?" Sophie asked. "She didn't know a thing about us, felt confident enough to speak up for her friend, and the sheer anger and disgust she had for us, for suggesting something unkind, well, it has been a while since I have been subjected to something like that."
"She has a point," Aimee said uneasily.
"And since when has kindness been something to look down upon?" Sophie persisted.
"I suppose it's such a rare commodity for us, we've forgotten about it," Fleur said at last.
The four witches ate and looked over briefly at a group of friends at another table.
-0-
"You are so cute," Lavender gushed. "I'm so jealous."
"Really, you're jealous of her?" Sue asked, smiling.
"Yeah I am! She looks cute in everything!" Lavender exclaimed.
Hedwig sat on the table, feathers fluffed and looking quite happy. The red and grey bandanna was tied over her head and she admired herself in a small mirror that Lavender had set up for her. Hedwig had flown about some after it was tied and secured with a charm. Loops and spins did not cause it to slip and she was very happy with it. After some more reflecting on her reflection, she sat against Lavender and nuzzled her gratefully.
"She does look beautiful in everything," Harry smiled.
"Good thing you don't have to worry about camouflage and hiding," Parvati said and Hedwig bobbed her head in agreement. "Imagine not being able to accessorize."
"Sometimes they aren't worth the bother," Millicent sniffed.
"So is your face sometimes and yet I continue to make the attempt," Pansy said. She exclaimed with outrage when Millicent took her eggs from her plate.
"You're more of an accessory than wearing accessories," Millicent said, eating Pansy's eggs in a large mouthful and chewing them slowly, smiling at Pansy's scowl.
"That doesn't even make sense!"
"Neither does your face and yet I continue to make the attempt! Hey, that's my juice!"
"That is the nice thing for me being here," Lavender laughed, watching Pansy defiantly guzzling Millicent's juice and holding her friend off with her other hand. "No Marigold or Clover to filch my food."
"I don't know what that's like at all," Harry said, watching Hedwig lift a rasher off his plate and chew on it in front of him.
"Oh the joys of being an only child," Hermione smiled. "Do you two ever have that problem?"
"Cousins yes, each other no," Padma said. "Our tastes differ in some ways."
"We actually like to take both ends of a spectrum of food and fight others off for them and share the spoils," Parvati said. "Tastes better that way." She struck a pose. "Victory makes everything taste better." She frowned when Lavender made a gagging noise.
"You're so dramatic," Lavender said.
"Traumatic even," Padma giggled.
"What a belligerent breakfast," Hermione smiled when the three of them started to squabble, joining the already existing one.
"I don't know what that's like at all," Harry repeated, sighing softly when Hedwig snatched half of the rasher of bacon off his fork in mid-air and chewed on it while cheeping cheekily at him.
"Hey Harry, do you have a moment?" Sue came walking up to him as they rose from the table to go about their day.
"Of course, what's up?"
"I'd like to ask a cooking favor thing. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up again and can we make something for it?"
"I'd like that a lot," Harry said easily. "Why are you asking me like this though?"
"Well, it's not just for me," Sue confessed. "Cho Chang, she's a year above us and also in Ravenclaw, her family and mine have been pretty close since we were little. Our mothers are friends. She's been having a rough time of things lately and I was hoping we could make something and if I could take some for her later."
"I don't mind, that's good of you."
"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Sue sighed with relief. "The problem is, the main ingredient is kind of hard to get here."
"What is it? I can ask the elves or see if we can get it from one of the delivery places."
"I'd be surprised if we could. It's tofu."
"Oh yeah, probably not something to get at Hogwarts or locally," Harry mused. "I've never cooked with it either. Aren't there a lot of different kinds?"
Sue nodded. "And this dish works best with a specific one. It also needs a special spice but I brought that. We could send for it from my family but I was hoping it would be kind of a surprise, you know?"
Harry hummed for a few moments. "Actually, I have an idea. There might be a way we can get it. Let me write a letter to someone and see. No promises of course."
"Of course and I appreciate it," Sue smiled. "And like I said, we can try to get it from my family but I honestly have no idea how it would fare under owl post."
"Might be worth experimenting with one day anyways. Hedwig has never roughed up a package before." Since Hedwig had already left the Great Hall earlier, he and Sue walked up to the owlery with Harry writing a letter on his wax tablet. He then used the charm the Patils taught him and transferred the letter to parchment. "Up for a flight?" he asked when he saw his owl.
Hedwig nodded and extended her wings, wiggling happily when Harry secured her harness. She tugged his hair lovingly when he tucked the letter into the pouch. A nuzzle and a head-bonk to him and a head-bob to Sue and she flapped off, gaining speed and height as she flew.
"Gosh, she's getting faster and faster," Harry said when she disappeared from sight in moments.
"Are you going to Hogsmeade with the others early on?" Sue asked.
"No, I'm not going to go until around lunch. Going to spend the morning on homework because I plan on staying in Hogsmeade till late at the Hog's Head."
"Oh right, you worked there," Sue said as they descended the stone staircase.
"I'm going to try and sneak a shift," Harry laughed. "I miss it."
"Mind if I and some of the others come for dinner?" Sue asked.
"I don't and while Mr. Abe might grumble, I don't think he'll mind terribly. Hopefully. He sounds grumpy but he's nice."
"I'll check with the others and see who wants to come then."
-0-
The door opened and Aberforth came walking in, his wand in his teeth and carrying a bag in one hand and a very large barrel over his shoulder. He took a few steps in and stopped, sniffing the air. "What the," he mumbled indistinctly around his wand and tossed the bag onto the counter and took his wand in hand. Setting the barrel down, he walked to the stove and peered into the pot, sticking a spoon into it and tasting it. "Willie!"
Willie came walking into the kitchen. "Yes Master Abe?"
"You got the soup down?"
"No Master Abe."
Aberforth blinked a few times and sighed. "Alright, where is he?"
"Out front," Willie said. "Master Abe be nice now."
"Yeah yeah," Aberforth grunted and walked into the main room of the Hog's Head. "Kid, what're you doing here?"
"Right now? Cleaning," Harry said, wiping the counter with a towel. "I was cooking and plan on cooking after cleaning too."
"Dammit Ari," Aberforth sighed. "Did she teach you that 'be annoyingly literal when asked that question' thing you're doing?"
"She might have," Harry smiled.
"Is good Harry back," Nillie said as she walked past Aberforth with a tray. "Master Abe be nice now."
"You're a student now," Aberforth said, crossing his arms. "We had a deal. No working here if it endangers your education."
"I know," Harry said indignantly. "I spent the morning doing my homework and studying. I'm all caught up and then some."
"Wouldn't you rather be with your friends in Hogsmeade or doing anything else?" Aberforth asked.
"Willie and Nillie are my friends," Harry sniffed. "Same with Auntie Ari and you. I like cooking and working here." He looked slightly evasive. "Besides, some of my friends are going to come for dinner so I'll spend time with them too."
"Wait, hold on, this is not the place for a bunch of kids! I can only tolerate the one and that's you!"
"They'll be good," Harry said, walking past a dumb-founded Aberforth. "And I'll pay for their food out of my pay."
"You assume I'm paying you for today," Aberforth grunted.
"No, I still have all my money you paid me," Harry said. "Been saving it for something like this."
Before Aberforth could protest, the door opened and the scarred man walked in. "I knew I smelled your soup!" he said happily, seeing Harry.
"Hey Mr. Bennets!" Harry greeted happily. "Good to see you."
"Great to see you," Bennets replied, his smile making the scars look faded. "Been missing your food Kid. Willie does a good job but yours is super satisfying. What's on the menu besides the chicken soup?"
"Got chopped steak and chips or fish and chips," Harry said. "Plus the chicken soup and there's a small salad option."
"I'll take the lot," Bennets said, sitting down at the counter. "And an ale."
The door opened again and two more customers came in, exclaiming with delight at seeing Harry and smelling his cooking. Aberforth sighed and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Just who's running this place," he muttered to himself before begrudgingly accepting the situation.
-0-
"Hello hello!" Ariana said brightly as Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Hermione, Sue, Pansy, Millicent, Neville, Ron, Susan, and Terry. came in. "Lovely to see all of you. Go ahead and take the back table. It's the biggest one."
"Wow, this place does look really different compared to the Broomsticks," Parvati remarked as they sat.
"Makes me think of a medieval or fantasy tavern," Hermione said. "Darker, lots of shadows, but it's still nice and clean."
"Can't wait to rub it into George and Fred's faces," Ron smiled. He flinched at Aberforth's cough.
"Listen, you're only here 'cause you're friends of the Kid," Aberforth said gruffly. "I got no problem kicking you lot out if you mess about. Understand?" He served them bottles of butterbeer as they nodded. "If you want something else to drink, ask Nillie. She'll take your food orders too." He nodded and left to continue serving the lively crowd.
"Is it always this busy?" Millicent asked.
Nillie appeared beside her and shook her head. "Not usually," she said brightly. "Is steady most nights and busier on weekend nights. But Harry's cooking brought the crowd back! Was like this often over the summer."
"Really?" Lavender asked. She straightened up a bit to peer into the far window, waving brightly when Harry noticed them.
Nillie nodded. "Was even more so before Willie and Nillie started working here. But is good to be busy like this! Busy tavern sounds happier." She took out a small tablet and dabbed the tip of the stylus on her tongue. "We has chopped steak with mushroom sauce and fried fish. Both has chips. There is also chicken soup and salad too. Oh and one moment." She popped away and came back almost immediately. "And Harry's friends are allowed to order the Dumbledore Family Special. Is full English breakfast."
The group made their orders and for a few minutes, they just watched. Obviously they could not see Harry very well with them out in the dining area and him in the back, but they could see him serve things up to the window with professional speed and regularity. It was impressive to see him working solidly, exchanging a word or two with people at the bar who called out to him with genuine friendliness. They had seen him cook of course, up close even, but to see him cooking in this professional environment was something different entirely.
"It really sounds like the people here like him," Neville said admiringly.
"He looks like a professional," Hermione said. "I've been to restaurants with open-air kitchens or a way to look into the kitchen and he looks a lot like them."
"There's some tough people in the crowd," Susan said. She pointed at Bennets. "He's one of Auntie's best Aurors. I recognize a couple of Hit-Magicals too."
"I would've crumpled from the pressure already," Terry laughed.
Eventually Nillie came out with floating trays trailing after her. Waving a finger like a conductor's baton, the dishes left the tray and settled in front of each person. "All ready! Enjoy!"
"Can Harry come eat with us or is it too busy?" Lavender asked.
"Harry will be out shortly," Nillie said brightly. "Harry has to leave when you do, not allowed to stay late because he is student. Mistress Ari will be chasing him out the kitchen soon." Which happened as soon as Nillie stopped speaking. Ari snapped a towel at him like a lion tamer snapping a whip, driving him out of the kitchen much to the collective amusement of everyone.
"There!" She pushed him bodily into a chair between Lavender and Pansy and clapped her hands, smiling brightly at his pawky look. "Now eat! Relax!" She tousled his hair and Nillie plopped a plate in front of him before they left, giggling together.
"I still can't believe you're doing all this," Padma smiled. "It's so cool and impressive."
"Thanks!" Harry took off his bandanna and tied it around his wrist. "I was worried I got rusty already but it wasn't bad easing back into it."
"And you made all this and the food for everyone else?" Terry asked.
"Me and Willie yeah. We prepped together and Mr. Abe came in to help when we needed it. Auntie Ari and Mr. Abe run the bar and Nillie serves."
"Seems like a good system," Hermione said.
"It's funny, when I first started, we honestly weren't that busy. But things got steadily busier and busier and eventually Mr. Abe hired Willie and Nillie. We were having trouble otherwise."
"Hired, really?" Pansy asked.
"Yeah. They call Auntie Ari and Mr. Abe Mistress and Master out of habit, they said, but were hired on to work for the Hog's Head."
"Huh, that's interesting," Millicent said. The group of friends ate and chatted together and there was a small kerfuffle when it came to settle the bill. Aberforth said he'd take it out of Harry's pay for the day and gave him the remainder.
"Don't look at me like that, you said you'd do it," Aberforth said.
"You're enjoying this a little too much," Harry muttered, seeing how Aberforth did in fact enjoy the sight of the girls glaring at Harry.
"That's what you get for popping by like this and working," Aberforth grinned. "And bringing all these kids."
Harry sighed. "See you next Hogsmeade visit," he said with a sharp smile.
Aberforth snorted. "See you then, Kid."
-0-
"I'm not in trouble, am I Sir?" Harry asked with a small smile.
"Not from me," Flitwick chuckled. He led Harry to his office and opened the door.
"Hey Potter," Amythyst said, smiling at him.
"Hey Amy!" He blinked at the very large crate that sat on the ground. "All that is for me?!"
"Well yeah, it's cheaper to get it in bulk, wholesale prices you know. And we get a decent deal. Besides, I expect a portion for us, it sounds good," she smiled.
"Thanks! I really appreciate it. How much?"
She waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. Though if you don't mind sharing the recipe afterwards, we'll take that. Your deep fried nicken and American biscuits recipe is a hit at Gringotts. We call it Poittor's Poultry Plate." She and Flitwick laughed at his groan.
"Well I'll be sure to make extra and give a bunch to Professor Flitwick to take to you all," Harry said happily and picked up the crate.
"Can't wait," Amythyst smiled hungrily.
-0-
"What are we making?" Lavender asked excitedly.
Harry had taken the crate to the club room and gotten Sue. They then invited their friends who wanted to come and most of them did.
"Mapo tofu," Harry said. "For the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and for Sue's friend."
"What's tofu?" Pansy asked.
"It's fermented bean curd made from soybeans," Sue said. "Uhm, kinda like cheese but there's no dairy and the softer varieties have a custard-like texture."
"Oh, isn't it a vegetarian alternative or a meat replacement?" Hermione asked.
"No," Sue said shortly. "I don't know where that came from but tofu is something that existed for hundreds of years. In fact, most dishes in Chinese culture have tofu made with meat of all kinds and all sorts of ways. It's not a vegetarian only thing and you're not supposed to use it to make things meatless or 'healthy'."
She flushed. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "It really gets me when people say that. It's like, imagine if someone said that since audiobooks existed, they should replace regular books with them."
"Well that's patently absurd!" Hermione swelled up. "They are two completely different things and- oh! Okay, I understand." She smiled when Sue laughed. "I get it."
"What's an audiobook?" Ron asked.
"It's someone reading a book and you listen to them read it," Sue explained. "Instead of you reading it. Like a wireless program."
"That doesn't sound half-bad," Ginny mused. "If the book was interesting enough."
"Are you having fun, Luna?" Padma asked, smiling slightly.
Luna was poking a block of tofu gently as it sat on a plate. "I am," Luna said brightly. "I like how it wiggles and jiggles. It's oddly adorable."
"How did you get this much tofu by the way," Sue asked. She inspected the crate closely. "It's really high quality too."
"From the Crew," Harry said as he minced garlic and shallots and ginger, setting them aside.
"Did they make it?" Sue asked, surprised.
"Wait, you just asked them for it and they brought you some?" Pansy asked, equally surprised.
"No they didn't make it but they know all the magical purveyors for food things," Harry said. "And they told me if I needed anything, I just had to ask and they'd get it for me if they could. They'd charge me at cost or want some of what I'm doing with it, so I'm making a lot and giving a big portion to Professor Flitwick to share with them. Is it okay if I share the recipe?"
"If they can get us good stuff like this, I don't mind. It's not a Family secret recipe," Sue said.
"Wow, look at you, using your connections for personal gain," Millicent said, waggling her eyebrows.
"You're gaining too," Harry said, giving her a look.
"Don't tell a girl that!" Lavender gasped, poking him.
"Hey! I didn't mean it like that and you know it!" Harry said, turning red.
"My delicate feelings," Millicent sniffled, dabbing her eyes.
"Nothing about you is delicate," Pansy snorted,
"Whose side are you on?!"
Once the wok was nice and hot, Harry dropped in minced pork and stirred it around as it cooked rapidly, before taking it out and setting it aside once it was browned. Then he added the aromatics into the hot pan alongside various seasonings like soy sauce, bean paste and rice cooking wine. After the air was filled with rich fragrance, he gently put in the chopped tofu and covered it with chicken broth to simmer and bubble.
"Normally you add in the Sichuan peppercorns early on but we can save it for later and separate batches," Sue said. "That stuff is super spicy and gives the dish its signature mala quality."
"What's that?" Susan asked.
"It's numbing and spicy," Sue said. "It makes your tongue tingle and feel a little numb before the heat comes."
"And people eat that willingly?" Pansy asked, looking at the peppercorns with trepidation.
"Oh yeah, it's delicious," Sue smiled.
"What do you normally eat the mapo with?" Luna asked.
"Rice is the best and we have that on the go." Sue pointed at a pot on the back hob. "You can also have it with noodles or a Chinese steamed bread named mantou, but rice is classical and the best."
"Who're we making this for too by the way?" Parvati asked.
"For Cho," Sue said. "She's been having a rough time of it and I was hoping her favorite dish might cheer her up some."
"Why isn't she here with us?" Lavender asked.
"Oh well, she doesn't love cooking or want to cook or things like that," Sue said slowly. "She has some negative thoughts about it."
"Why?" Padma asked, looking at her friend.
Sue sighed and rubbed her hands together. "You know Cho. She's super stubborn about some things and really independent. Her family is kinda traditional on some things and she doesn't want to listen to that sort of thing."
"What does that mean?" Millicent asked.
Sue shrugged. "Learning to cook for your partner and your family, marrying, being a homemaker. Those things."
"She's only a year older right?" Harry asked. "Is that really something to worry about right now?"
"Kinda?" Sue said weakly. "It's a Chinese thing. We're told to think about that and keep it in mind and make plans and all that."
"We know what that's like," Parvati sighed and Padma nodded. "Half of our family is super traditional like that and the other half is more liberal. There's lots of arguments about it."
"Right?" Sue shook her head. "Mine is kinda split too. Plus Cho always feels the need to prove herself and do things that aren't expected of her instead of the things that are. She hates stereotypes."
"What stereotypes? Due to her family name?" Pansy asked.
"More the stereotypes from being Chinese," Sue said.
"Really?" Susan asked. "People do that?"
"Judge you based on your ethnicity?" Sue frowned. "Yeah, a lot of people do."
Pansy snorted. "Muggles. They can make surprisingly nice things and yet adhere to some very strange thoughts like that. Magicals generally don't judge you on physical appearance alone."
Hermione's smile was sharp and devoid of humor. "Oh yes, they don't at all. Instead they judge you on the quality of your blood and you can't even look at a person's blood and make judgements on its appearance. You have to question their parentage."
The room went incredibly quiet and Pansy, Millicent, Susan, Neville, Ron, and Ginny looked at each other for a long moment while Sue, Padma, Parvati, and Hermione looked back crossly. Harry, Lavender, and Luna looked at the two groups quietly.
"I guess that means some lines of thought don't really matter in terms of magic at all," Harry said quietly. "And people are people, magical or Muggle."
"Yes, and that is a very good comparison," Pansy said at last. "And…that is not very dissimilar from what we have been told." She gestured to herself and Millicent. "About marrying into the right family and promoting the family name."
"Yeah, not too different," Sue agreed, relaxing a little.
Pansy looked down when Luna slid the block of tofu on the plate over. At Pansy's confused look, Luna smiled. "Try jiggling it. It's very therapeutic."
"Thank you," Pansy said, bemused. Oddly, the jiggling tofu was slightly therapeutic. "I never thought Chang would be so bothered, she does not show it."
Sue rolled her shoulders. "She's good at hiding it. But yeah, she's fussing with her family, stressed over Quidditch. Someone's trying to poach her position and she's dating Cedric now and-"
"Wait they are?!" Susan nearly shouted. "I knew it! He tried denying it but I knew I saw them holding hands together!"
"She's going to be so pissed at me," Sue groaned, covering her eyes. "You didn't hear that from me!"
"Nothing like a bit of gossip to change the air," Ron said wryly as the girls immediately started chatting about this newest bit of relationship information.
"At least it's not about us," Neville snorted.
"Okay, now make a slurry with more chicken broth and cornstarch," Sue said after the tofu had simmered some and the broth had reduced a little. "Then turn the heat back up and stir in the slurry and as soon as it thickens a little, turn off the heat. It'll keep thickening after we turn off the heat but we want to make sure we cook out the starch flavor."
"That looks delicious," Lavender said as the sauce became thick and luscious, clinging to the tofu and the meat, looking deep and rich.
Harry tasted a little from his spoon. "Oh wow, that's incredible," he said, smacking his lips.
Sue smiled widely when she tasted it. "Mmm! Almost perfect! I prefer it spicy so after I add some peppercorns and some chili oil, it'll be perfect to me, but this is so good!" Soon everyone was tucking into bowls of piping hot white rice and thick mapo tofu poured on top, garnished with finely chopped scallion.
"Okay, I love this," Millicent said. "This is so good."
"Try it with some spice," Sue said as she gobbled hers.
Lavender squeaked, fanning her mouth wildly with both hands. "Ahhhh it's hot!" she gasped and took the glass of milk from Harry and guzzled it.
"I love it though," Parvati said, licking her lips. "That tingle and spice is addicting!"
"That feeling you get from spicy flavors is a pain response if you can believe it," Harry said. "I learned that from the book Hermione got me for my birthday. It's really fascinating. Capsaicin is the thing that makes it burn and it was originally a defense mechanism in plants."
"Wow, humans are dumb for eating it and liking it, huh?" Parvati mused to their laughter.
"Still too spicy for me," Neville laughed. "I prefer to be spiceless I guess."
Harry made two more batches and put the rest of the tofu into the room's ice box. One portion he made for the House Elves, another for Flitwick and the Crew, and the last he gave to Sue. "Hope it helps," he said warmly.
"I think it will." She hugged him. "Thanks Harry, you're a good friend."
"So are you," he replied happily.
-0-
Harry whooped when he was hugged from behind all of a sudden. "Oh hey Sue," he greeted when he recognized her.
"Hey! Thanks again, it really helped her and perked her up," Sue said happily. "She ate the whole thing at once and even cried a little." She winced. "Don't tell her I said that."
"I won't," he laughed. "Glad she's feeling better."
"You'd think she'd come over and thank him though personally," Lavender frowned, looking over at the Ravenclaw table.
"She will later, I'll make sure of it," Sue said.
"I don't need to be thanked by her. You and everyone else being happy is more than good enough for me. Oh and get this, the Elves loved it and they're probably going to perfect a non-spicy version," Harry said.
"Oooh more tofu and Chinese dishes for us sounds great," Sue said happily. "Oh, what about the goblins?"
Harry snickered. "So uh, when I wrote the recipe, I guess they missed the part where the Sichuan peppercorns and the chili oil were optional."
"Oh no," Lavender and Sue said together, laughing.
"They loved it though still, though half the Crew has sworn vengeance on me," Harry laughed.
"But didn't they make it? Didn't they see the stuff? Not to mention chili oil is very obvious," Sue giggled.
"So Amy ate the portion and decided to make it for family meal the next day," Harry laughed. "And they just dug in and some were pleasantly surprised and some were unpleasantly surprised. Chef thought it was great and he added more chili oil to it, said it wasn't hot enough."
"Oh speaking of, may I get some of the peppercorns from you?" Pansy asked as she joined them at the table.
"Sure, but didn't you find it uncomfortably spicy?" Sue asked.
"Oh it isn't for me directly. I need it to return a favor that my little sister did to me over the summer," Pansy said, smiling sharply.
"Oh boy, I'm staying out of that," Harry laughed.
-0-0-0-
odonnellzoo99 - Thankfully, won't have to wait for long. I never thought of it that way but when you put it out like that, you're not wrong. Completely unintentional lol. I just wanted to end the chapter on an absurd note and well, I do have a fondness for bad sausage jokes.
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - No, I always saw Sophie as roughly the same age as Fleur which fits here since Fleur is a few years older than Harry as it is. That is true, good food can create friendships. We will see how it happens.
agnar - I wanted to challenge myself in this fic and try to make it feel like the setting while making it subtly different since it is an AU or sorts. In my other stories, Hermione and Ron are still very good friends from almost the start. I knew here that I eventually wanted them to be friends, but it would follow a different path and it would feel a little different. I totally understand people wanting the milestones or stations of canon to be similar, but it's always tough when people are so vehement in their criticisms in what they think is right. I certainly don't claim to be perfect, but I like to think most of my stories generally make sense and have a logical progression, but I am terribly biased on that after all.
poka - Sadly not. Though they had a tougher start in Family too. I'm sure things will smooth over and out. Maybe.
61394 - Yes they have. Thank you.
No Vigilance - Perhaps.
alix33 - She will be very stylish.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - I always imagined that casting magic required a lot of energy and that's why they could eat a lot without too much worry during school. It makes sense to me anyways.
DarkRavie - Thank you.
Jah Ith Ber - Thank you. A critique of my other works that kind of gets to me is that I am often accused of infantilizing or fetishizing them when they were younger which is not something I wanted or intended at all. So I have tried hard here to have a more natural pace and growth as much as I can. You know, juvenile humor about sausages aside.