Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Additionally, there are references to canon-typical child abuse. Feel free to back out if need be. Also, feel free to check the FAQs on my FFN profile before leaving reviews about anything you dislike (including characterization or length).

Author's Note: Just another NaNo project. I'm just aiming for the word count, not that the word count is on a single project.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts 2.0 (T04); RAVEN (2024); MC4A (Fa-Yr7)
Individual Challenges: Cinematic; Reader; Bucket Listing (Y); Sandbox (Y)
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Assignment: Term 04 - Assignment 05
Subject [Task (Prompt): Muggle Music [Task#3 (something that feels new & exciting)]
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Library [Book](Prompt); Frenzy [AtLA#5](Protective); Center [97 - Padfoot](cuddling); Pokemon [Boldore](lemon); Nov Stardew [Robin](periodic); In Memorium [18](found family); Bargain [Art & Crafts Kit](disgust)
RAVEN Challenges: A [15](Cuddling/Snuggling); Traits [100](Yucked Out); Colors [72](Pitch); Items [84](Table); Settings [34](Family Meal)
Other MC4A Challenges: Ship (HeSh)[n/a]; Chim [Sheddy](Protection; "Isaac" - Bear's Den); Fire [Olympic League]; Garden [Fall Fires (Romantic/Sexual Ship)]; Hang [Phrase#01](n/a);
Representation(s): Desi Harry Potter/Blaise Zabini/Luna Lovegood; Daphne Greengrass/Tracey Davis; Friends as Family; Dursleys; Compare/Contrast; Chim Song Prompt
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Under the Bridge; Jet Fuel; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Found Family; Nontraditional; Unwanted Advice; Brooms Only; Clio's Conclusion; Three's Company; Deadliest Catch; Lovely Coconuts; Bad Beans); Chorus (Odd Feathers; Wabi Sabi; Machismo; Peddling Pots; Delicious Lie; Tomorrow's Shade; Larger than Life; Unicorn; Abandoned Ship; Surprise!; Turtle-Duck; Cooler Yelp; Forked Path)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Terse; Tether); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); LiCK (Poppy; Tansy); FR (Satisfaction; Liberation); SS (Schooner; Sanctuary); Once (Santa Fe; Inchworm); CM (Brier); TY (n/a)
Space Address (Prompt): Ship 4D (Mixtape of Love); FaB 4D (Dining Room); Set 5E (Dining Room);
Word Count: 688 words

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Family Meals
(Ø)

Petunia set the steaming plate of bangers and mash in the middle of the kitchen table, carefully dividing the sausages and mashed potatoes up so there was enough for everyone. Dudley eagerly eyed the lemon yellow plate and Petunia couldn't help but smile. Her son loved her bangers and mash.

Vernon had already started eating, using the same fork to cut into the sausage and scoop up a healthy portion of mashed potatoes. Petunia shook her head in amusement. Vernon was always the same when it came to food.

Marge had just finished settling herself at the table. Ripper, her bulldog, was eagerly waiting by her side, his pitch black eyes trained on the plate of sausages. Marge smiled indulgently and shook her head. With greater care than her brother, she used her fork to cut her sausage in half. Ripper caught it mid-fall when she dropped it for him. Marge only managed a few bites before Ripper was begging again.

Without hesitation, Marge fed Ripper from the same fork she had been using to feed herself. Ripper eagerly gobbled up the sausages and mashed potatoes, licking the fork clean before Marge put it back on her plate. Petunia barely managed to keep her disgust off of her face. Marge had been doing this for years, and it was a sight that never got any easier to stomach.

The four of them continued to eat in companionable silence, enjoying the warmth and comfort of being together. Petunia glanced over at Dudley, who had finished his plate and was now leaning back in his chair, eyes closed in contentment as he rubbed the large curve of his stomach. Petunia was proud of her son, and glad that he was surrounded by such love.

None of them paid any attention to the boy watching them eat from the kitchen, half hidden by the door frame. It was just Petunia's freak of a nephew, after all. He could handle only getting periodic meals, especially if they had guests. It wasn't as if he was wanted or anything.

(Ø)

The five of them had gathered in the front room of their new apartment. They were sitting on the wooden floor because of the still-unpacked boxes covering nearly every surface, including the plum couch shoved against the wall across from the apartment door. They had just finished the long process of moving into the three-bedroom apartment, even if next to nothing was actually unpacked. All of them were eager to celebrate with something that didn't involve manual labor for once.

The centerpiece of the little celebration was a large collection of takeaway containers filled with various curries and sides. The smell was mouth-watering, and the sight of it was enough to make everyone's stomachs rumble. Each friend grabbed a carton and a plastic spork, using napkins as makeshift plates for naan or samosas.

The music from the neighboring apartment drifted in through the walls, a deep heavy metal beat that made it feel like a real party. The group barely even noticed, too caught up in the moment to care. It did have the benefit of keeping Harry grounded enough that he wasn't getting overwhelmed by the new environment. Or maybe he was grounded from the way Luna had allowed him to tuck his head into her neck so long as he kept taking bites of curry from her spork. Occasionally, Blaise would lean against her other side so that he could feed Harry a bit of samosa with his fingers. Across the space from them, Daphne and Tracey were equally wrapped up in each other.

The takeaway was gone far too quickly, and the conversation turned to future plans and dreams, the possibilities that the new apartment created. TAll too soon, the group was spreading out the cushions from the couch and covering them with comforters to make a pallet. The group laid out on their makeshift bed, exhausted from the day. Unpacking and assembling furniture could wait until tomorrow.

This was the start of something special, a group of friends with a place to call their own. Anything was possible now.