I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Side Dishes
16th Course – A Day at Hedwig's Hearth
Takes place a few months after 173rd course of Taste, after Hedwig's Hearth had been open for some time.
A cavernous yawn heralded Harry's return to consciousness. He blinked sleepily, his mind slowly coming to true wakefulness. As his senses woke with him, he looked myopically around at the room, everything out of focus, but comfortably so. Despite having only spent a few weeks living in their new home, he felt like he had spent much longer than a few weeks there.
He looked down and smiled at the mass of blonde hair on his chest, listening to Lavender snore slightly as she continued to slumber. Hedwig was a fuzzy white blob, snoring in her nest bed beside his. More snores, feline in nature, alerted him to Sunny's presence. The grey kneazle was tucked into him as well, curled up comfortably and sleeping too. The first time they woke up with Sunny there had made them laugh. The cat/kneazle had obviously come over after they had gone to sleep. Millicent and Neville lived in Hogsmeade as well and Sunny was a frequent, and welcome, visitor.
Harry deftly extricated himself from both Lavender and Sunny and did his usual morning routine. While the Hearth was not open until the late afternoon, there was still plenty to do leading up to opening. Many things were better prepared right before service, as well as trying to stay ahead of the other preparations that could last longer. Not only that, there were a myriad of other tasks that the restaurant needed to maintain proper function. Harry also frequently helped out at the Thread some mornings if he had the time, happy to help Lavender and Parvati.
Morning washing done, Harry opened the curtains on the windows in the kitchen. The morning sunlight streamed in and he smiled as he got to work making breakfast. The stoves turned on with a comfortable click and the kettle was filled with water and set to boil. Bacon started to crackle and a few moments later, Hedwig swooped in.
"Morning girl," Harry smiled as she landed on his shoulder. Hedwig cooed back and nuzzled him, resting against his face as she nibbled on his hair. She then hopped through the window and flapped off to the Hogsmeade Post Office for the morning post. She was back swiftly, dropping some letters in a basket on the counter. By then, Sunny had joined Harry in the kitchen and was sitting on the countertop, watching him cook through contented lazy eyes.
By the time everything else was finished, Lavender walked in, yawning and stretching. "Good morning!" she said cheerily, perking up at the smells and the sights. She helped to finish setting the table and the four of them sat to eat, breaking their fast with the casual voracity of people gearing up for the day.
"Are you coming over for dinner?" Harry asked as they ate.
"Not sure. I have inventory to do today and then there's a couple of big commission orders so I might stay there to finish them up," she said as she munched on toast.
"I have inventory to do too," Harry said. "I scheduled to do it today in solidarity."
"You're too cute," Lavender smiled and kissed him. "How does your day look?"
"Pretty good otherwise," Harry said. "Solid book of reservations. Everyone's in a good place right now working together I feel."
"Any applications for more floor staff?"
"Not yet but it's actually not a problem right now. Turns out a few of the elves at Hogwarts want to come and work at the Hearth now and then and there's enough for them to rotate through so we can always have at least an extra two or more depending on the day. Inky still goes back to do stuff during the day at the school if she doesn't have much to do at the Hearth and the other elves have heard her stories and want to come over here and there."
"That's amazing," Lavender smiled.
"They're great," Harry smiled back. "Professor Dumbledore gave his blessing of course. The hard part was getting them to accept some pay. I'm not letting them work at the restaurant and dealing with other people without some kind of compensation. They finally agreed to take it as a joint fee paid to Hogwarts and they're using it as additional funds for material and grocery in the kitchens."
"As long as they're happy," Lavender said.
"That's what I said," Harry nodded.
They did the dishes together and got the rest of their work things together. They walked out of the house and parted with a kiss.
"Have a good day!" she said. "Love you!"
"Love you more!" Harry smiled and walked off with Sunny riding on his shoulder and Hedwig on his head. When they walked to the side street that led to Millicent and Neville's home, Sunny nuzzled him and leapt onto the wall. She waved goodbye to Harry and Hedwig and walked daintily along the wall top back to her home.
Harry let out a sigh of satisfaction when he unlocked the backdoor and walked into the Hearth. He always felt a rush of warmth and comfort there, even when it was cold. The air seemed soft and comfortable whenever he entered and he relished the feeling. He put his things away while opening more curtains and Hedwig flew around for a quick inspection.
He left the office and picked up the clipboard they stuck to the wall beside the pantry. "Want to help me do inventory?"
Hedwig nodded and she brought Harry's cane over. He set it down and turned it into her roost, now with a rest for books and clipboard-like things. She fluffed comfortably and adjusted the clipboard, holding a charcoal pencil in one talon.
Harry walked into the pantry and began looking at the boxes and containers, moving them around to organize them while looking at the contents. "We've got….one crate of onions still, two of potatoes. Carrots…two crates. Sprouts, one crate. Cucumbers, hmm, only half crate here." As he called the items out, Hedwig would make a mark on the clipboard, barking after each call out to confirm that she heard him.
After finishing the pantry and the dried goods and the produce, he moved to the cool room where they stored meats and other perishables. After making sure the cold and ice charms were working properly, he went through the things within. He came back out, rubbing his hands and blowing on them. "Aww, thanks," he smiled when Hedwig fluffed up against his hands with her soft feathers. "How are we looking?"
He looked over her head as she nodded at the clipboard. "Oh good, I think we're getting a shipment tomorrow, so that'll be good. Plenty enough for tonight. I don't think we'll need anything emergency ordered." He summoned the daily prep list for their usual service mise en place and frowned at it. "Hmm, actually, might be a bit low on a few things after this."
The Floo roared into life in the small Floo room he had in the restaurant. "Morning!" Mirra said, walking in and stomping on the grate to get rid of the soot and ash.
"Morning Mirra!" Harry said and Hedwig barked a greeting.
"Oh Chef, Phrog wanted me to tell you that your order came in early. Do we want to have it today or wait until tomorrow?"
"Oh great timing, I'll take it now," Harry said eagerly.
"Phrog!" Mirra shouted into the Floo. "We'll take it now."
"You got it!" Phrog's loud voice came in easily through the fire. After a moment, he came through and waved. "Morning lad!" He turned back to the fire. "Ready!" The fire roared once more and the end of a large heavy case appeared and Phrog grabbed it with professional ease, hauling it clear and putting the large case to one side. Mirra grabbed it to clear space, passing it to Harry as Phrog repeated the process a few more times.
"It really came early?" Harry asked as they opened the heavy metal cases and took out bundles and boxes that had been packed securely within.
"There was some spare room on the last couple of trains from Thalga so I told them to pack your stuff," Phrog said. "The dried stuff came in piecemeal the last two days or so and the fresh stuff came in this morning, completing your shipment."
"I really appreciate it, was running low on mushrooms and nightbeans," Harry said gratefully.
"And just sign here," Phrog said, handing Harry a manifest. Harry read it swiftly, double-checked the shipment, and then signed it.
"What would you like for lunch?" Harry asked.
"Do you have any of that cassie-beanie stuff?" Phrog asked eagerly.
"I can make a pot for you and the others," Harry smiled. "I'll throw it on now and it'll be done by lunch time, good thing I got the nightbeans for it."
"Sounds good to me! See you later lad." Phrog secured the now empty cases and sent them back through the Floo one by one before following them.
"Have you made the cassoulet yet?" Harry asked.
"No Chef," Mirra replied. "But I want to!"
"Let's get a couple batches started then along with Phrog and the depot people's batch done," Harry said, smiling at her enthusiasm. At his direction, she chopped onions, shallots, carrots, leeks, and minced garlic while butchering some nicken and sausages. Harry parboiled the nightbeans, while getting some cannellini beans ready that had been soaking since the day before. They browned the sausage first, then took them out and cooked chicken breast and thighs in the fat, before removing them too. Onions, carrots, and leaks were cooked in the combined fat before the shallots and garlic was added with plenty of seasoning. The pot was then deglazed with some white wine and then all the proteins and the beans were put back together and everything was covered with water. Once they came to a boil, they set the pots in the oven to bake slowly.
"Cassoulet is French?" Mirra asked.
Harry nodded. "Lots of different ways to make it. It's usually seen as something more homey and rustic, but obviously you can make it really fancy. I like to cook it with nightbeans and nicken to really add some deep flavors with the cannellini beans and chicken and other things."
"It's really good," Mirra nodded.
"Ooh, something smells good," Felicity said, walking in.
"We started a few things already," Harry said.
"Whew, thought I was late for a moment," Felicity laughed. She got changed in the locker room and she and Mirra looked at the prep list for the day. They divided up the early work and got to it while the air was filled with the savory scents of the slowly baking beans and meat. Harry put the rest of the shipment away and he and Hedwig readjusted the inventory sheets.
The elves arrived and got to work cleaning the floor of the Hearth, lovingly polishing the bar and making the windows sparkle and shine. Eddie arrived and got to work and the air soon had the happy chatter between him, Felicity, and the elves. The atmosphere became more lively as they worked together.
"Bonjour," Chloe greeted, walking into the kitchen. "Bonjour Chef."
"Bonjour," Harry replied. "Ca va?"
"Bien," she said. "I took the weekly numbers home last night and looked at them earlier today."
"You don't have to take work home," Harry frowned.
"No I do not, but I chose to," she replied pertly. "We continue to perform at what we had hoped for. Comfortable profit over expenditure and our reservation numbers remain steady. I also checked the business account ledger and everything checks out. Not that I expected any different with Monsieur Ted and Monsieur Doran being number one and two on the account."
"Can't be too careful," Harry agreed. "I just paid for our Gringotts shipment today, it came early."
"I saw on the ledger. They update that swiftly," Chloe nodded. "Do I need to contact Greengrass or the Rangers for anything else?"
"No, we'll be fine with the Gringotts one coming early," Harry said. "Tori always lets us know if they're running behind on something. And of course we can get something from Hogwarts if we're in dire need."
"Very good," she nodded with approval.
"How do the reservations look tonight?"
She offered the metal tablet to him. "Comfortably full and all have confirmed."
He took it from her and looked at it. "Looks pretty good. Oh, let's VIP this table." He tapped a name and the etched name turned into gold.
"An acquaintance?" Chloe asked, looking at the name.
Harry nodded. "He's great. Was really nice to me my first years at school. One of Ron's older brothers."
"Very good," Chloe nodded. She sighed. "Speaking of siblings, I have a cousin that would like to work here, I think."
"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, smiling.
"She is looking for work while studying and is also Veela so also has the usual problems. My family and the Clan know how nice it is here and so my Tante has asked me to ask you about a position," Chloe said. "They trust you and me to watch out for her. The reason why I said, 'I think', is that I do not know if she wants to work here specifically."
"Front of house?"
"Oui, Chef."
"I'm fine as long as she wants to do the work and is okay with it," Harry said. "Even with the help from the elves, it never hurts to have some extra people on the floor."
"I believe she has barkeeping experience," Chloe said.
"That would actually be really helpful. Let Mr. Abe have some more time off and to give him more help."
"I will inquire then and ensure that she will treat it like proper work," Chloe said. "I will not risk the restaurant's reputation or efficiency."
"I know," Harry said. "If anything, I might need to keep you from being too hard on her."
"You know me well," Chloe said with a small smile. "Rest assured, however, that if I was too hard on her, she deserves it." She frowned at someone who walked past them. "Like Henri frequently does."
"Lies and slander," Henri gasped as he continued to walk out into the dining room.
Harry chuckled as Chloe threw a rude hand gesture at Henri who returned it. "It's almost time for summer and Clover and Aster will be here full-time most of the time too."
"Ah that will be good," Chloe nodded. "If my cousin does come, Esme, they could hopefully get along and become friends. She can be a bit shy and lonely."
"Shy? BeauSoleil?" Harry gasped, giving her a wide-eyed look.
Chloe laughed merrily, attracting the attention of the others. "Hard to believe I suppose," Chloe said with a big warm smile. "Despite being abnormal in many ways, Fleur and Gabi and Sophie are normal for our clan."
"I'm telling them you said that," Harry grinned.
"I will tell it to their faces," Chloe said, waving a hand.
"What do you want for family meal? It's your turn to pick."
Chloe hummed. "What do you have to use?"
"Anything really, though we do have a lot of nice leftover cuts from the nickens and chicken we broke down."
"I would adore some butter chicken," Chloe smiled.
"Butter chicken it is," Harry smiled back.
-0-
They continued to work. Guy arrived and joined in after taking only a moment to change into this uniform. Prep work continued and they managed to finish it with plenty of time to continue on and to do the following day's extra work. Phrog came and happily took his pot of cassoulet along with a salad and some bread Harry packed too.
Harry got to work on the butter chicken, marinating the meat in yogurt and spices for some time before cooking everything together with tomato puree, chicken broth, heavy cream, and more spices. The savory curry scent mingled pleasantly with the smells of the other things cooking.
"Chef, Pansy would like to visit," Chloe called through the window.
"Come in!" Harry wiped his hands clean and hugged Pansy when she walked in. "Hi!"
"Hello!" She hugged him warmly. "Hello everyone," she said to the others, waving to them as they worked.
"How are you?" Harry asked as he got back to work, mincing herbs finely and putting them in containers.
"Well, thank you," Pansy said. "Finished a rather large account today so left a bit early."
"Congrats. The Selwyn mediation?"
"Yes, and it ended well thankfully. Silas is much more easy to be reasoned with than his father and uncle," Pansy said. She sat on a stool by Harry's workstation.
"That's good."
"May I make a reservation for this weekend? Two rather?"
"You never need to make one," Harry said, looking up at her.
She smiled back. "Well I would like one formal one at least. It is Mother and Father's wedding anniversary and I know they would love to have a romantic dinner here."
"Oh that's great! Yeah, let's do something super nice for them," Harry said eagerly. "Chloe! Special reservation for two, Saturday or Sunday?"
"Either day is open," Chloe called back through the window.
"Saturday please," Pansy said. "For my parents."
"On the list," Chloe said, holding up the tablet.
"What about the second one?" Harry asked.
"Oh that will be for myself and Aster," Pansy smiled. "Why should my parents get to eat here without us? Though we won't be eating with them together. They can enjoy a date with one another."
"Aww, you two are so adorable and sweet," Harry said with a big smile. He laughed when she poked him. "You two can hang out here in the back while they get one of the nicest tables out front."
"Perfect," Pansy smiled.
"Would you like to stay for family meal?" Harry asked.
"I would love to," Pansy said enthusiastically. She looked up when music suddenly started playing. She watched as Eddie turned the dials on the wireless in the kitchen and a popular song began to play. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Dance break," Harry smiled as Hedwig flapped through the air and landed on the cleared prep table. She began to dance, hooting and barking with glee as Felicity and Eddie danced too, jumping and whooping along with her. The music changed and the three of them danced in a line, stepping and twisting and moving together in tandem with obvious merriment.
"It's called line dancing," Harry said as Pansy laughed and clapped her hands. "Eddie taught it to Hedwig and Felicity and they like it."
"And no one else seems to mind," Pansy smiled as Henri and Julia joined in and the other continued on with what they were doing, completely unbothered.
"It is good for morale," Chloe smiled.
"And it is not the strangest thing I have seen in a kitchen," Guy said with a look of professional boredom on his face.
"That sounds rather ominous when you say it like that," Pansy said, looking at him.
"I have seen many strange things in the kitchen," Guy snorted.
"I'm one of them," Harry said proudly.
Guy snorted again but softened. "Your strangeness is pleasant."
-0-
Service started with a smile.
The first reservations at Hedwig's Hearth always came in with eager smiles and expressions, people who had been looking forward to eating there. They were typically people from around the country, as well as international guests. Many came from out of the country solely to visit Hogsmeade and to eat at the Hearth. A strong number of the reservations were also ICW employees who had come to conduct business in the United Kingdom and stayed to eat at the restaurant.
Hogsmeade residents and other friends and family usually waited a little before coming over. By now, they were used to seeing a lot of people there and had no problems waiting for a free table or to place an order and have it be delivered via Hedwig or they would come back over to pick it up. Many of them would come up and shout a greeting to Harry through the window, exchanging a few words. Harry also came out to greet guests when time allowed, something he enjoyed.
They had worked out a system where the Hogsmeade residents or friends and family that wanted to place take away orders did so at the bar and they were kept separate from the ones dining in. Harry also routinely made at least one night a week that was Hogsmeade and locals only and that was more laid-back while remaining comfortably busy.
The main order sheets glowed and orders began appearing. Harry looked at them and arranged things a bit. "Fire three dumplings, three soups, two charcuterie plates, and one bone marrow!" Eddie and Sage, one of the Hogwarts elves, got to work in the appetizer area, throwing dumplings onto the griddle to pan fry and steam while Eddie put a sizzle plate of prepared bones into the oven. Sage began to arrange the cut dried and cured meats on a board with bread and cheese.
"Prepare for two steak frites, one stew, one chicken, and one cassoulet," Harry called and Mirra and Guy began portioning, putting the materials at the ready to be fired when ordered.
"Thank you, Sage," Harry smiled at the perky house elf when she brought over all the finished appetizers. A quick look and some last minute seasoning and they were whisked out by a waiting Julia and Willie. "Fire steaks and chicken and ready the cassoulet," Harry called out and began to stir the big pot of beef stew that sat simmering at the ready at his station.
Orders came and went at a smooth pace. The take-away orders began to show up and Inky broke off to prepare those. Whenever they were finished and checked, she put them in special boxes that Harry had designed with Andromeda and Perenelle, wrapped in cloth, and put on the table by the window. Hedwig would then swoop in and out, carrying the wrapped orders and return and drop the payment in a small till by her roost.
"Hi Harry!"
"Hi Hermione!" Harry spared a quick moment to hug her. "Did you make an order?"
Hermione nodded. "For Auntie Andi and I. We're doing some late work and it's been a bit frustrating so she wanted to treat us."
"Frustrating because of the project or because of the people who ordered it?"
"A bit of both," Hermione said, shaking her head. "He wants something very expensive and doesn't want to pay it, but the materials are proving to be problematic too."
"That's never fun," Harry sighed. He stepped onto the line to help out for a moment and packed up their order. "Extra dessert for you two."
"Aw thanks! Wait, there's another box here."
"So Tracey doesn't get upset," Harry grinned.
Hermione laughed. "You're the best! We'll probably come by this weekend and eat here."
"See you then!" He waved as she left and focused back on the flow. "Felicity, do mise checks please."
"On it Chef!" she said and she did the rounds, making notes of what needed doing and hurried back to the cold prep station and got to work.
"Thank you," Harry said, taking a glass of water from Chloe. "How's it out there?"
"Happy and full," Chloe reported.
"Love to hear it."
"Love to say it," she smiled.
-0-
"Ah, Mr. Weasley," Chloe said, smiling at the red-haired young man. "We have been waiting for you. Please, follow me." She led Percy and a young lady to a table that was slightly off from the main floor. It was in an alcove of sorts, surrounded by windows that looked out into the garden along the Hearth. Fairy lights moved about outside, adding to the ambiance. After seating them and giving them menus, she left, saying she would return shortly.
"Do you come here often?" Audrey Fairfax asked, giving Percy a surprised look.
He flushed slightly. "I have ordered take-away before, but only once or twice. The last time I ate here was with the twins, Mother, Father, and Ginny a few weeks ago. Actually, this was the first time I made a formal reservation. Ron made one for us the last time."
"I've been wanting to come here for so long," she said, looking around. "The magazines and the newspaper make it all look and sound wonderful and it's so busy!"
"The food is excellent," Percy said, smiling softly at her. He looked up when Chloe returned. "Do you have any recommendations?"
"Plenty," Chloe smiled. "The potstickers are my favorite appetizer, I eat at least a plate every other day or so. The pizza is very nice as well and the chicken soup is a staple of the Hearth. For the main course, the beef stew is very good and the steak frites is finer than many I have had in France. Speaking of French dishes, the cassoulet is the current special and also wonderful. It is made using goblin ingredients with the traditional and it is very flavorful."
"That all sounds amazing," Audrey said with bright eyes. She and Percy ordered and they admired the restaurant in its entirety and watched the staff move with professional enthusiasm. Audrey craned her neck a little to look into the kitchen. "They look like they're laughing back there."
"I imagine it is a very pleasant place to work at," Percy said. "From what I know, the Chef is a very kind person and would allow nothing less."
"Aw thanks Percy!"
Percy coughed in surprise. "Harry!" He gaped as Harry put down a plate of crackling steaming potstickers, a bowl of chicken soup, and a small Neapolitan pizza on the table.
"Good to see you," Harry said warmly, shaking Percy's hand. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter," he said, introducing himself to Audrey.
"Oh my goodness, you're the chef!" Audrey gasped, shaking his hand enthusiastically.
"That's me! Though only one of the chefs. I have the best Brigade back there," Harry smiled, nodding to the kitchen. He turned back to a flabbergasted Percy. "I saw your name on the reservations today and wanted to make sure I said hi."
"You two know each other?" Audrey asked.
"He was a few years above me at school," Harry said. "And he was one of the first people to be really nice to me. He's a great guy," he said with complete confidence.
"I hardly did anything amazing," Percy said, touched and embarrassed.
"I mean, you did get the twins and Ron to back off a little. That's not something easy," Harry laughed.
Percy smiled. "That is true," he conceded.
"Enjoy! I'll be back later," Harry said and left them to go back to the kitchen.
"You never said you knew him," Audrey smiled.
"I did not want to presume," Percy said, cleaning his glasses fussily to hide his delighted embarrassment. "But as you see, he is very kind."
The food was delicious and so was the main course of the house's beef stew and the cassoulet was rich and chewy and meaty, savory and filling. Harry returned with a small glass bowl filled with trifle and a stack of warm biscuits served with a bowl of gelato. "How was everything?"
"So good," Audrey gushed. "Thank you so much! Your food is amazing. You normally wouldn't see a menu like yours."
"I know my menu is very self-serving," Harry laughed and they laughed with him. "It's food I like to eat and hits that homey feeling that I adore. And I like to take the dish and try and make it more inviting and accessible."
"You have succeeded," Percy smiled. "I love the place. Each time I come, it feels very warm. Like a second home in a way."
"That's the goal," Harry beamed. "Thanks for coming, you're always welcome."
-0-
"Harry, help…" Parvati gasped, falling onto him and grabbing onto him desperately.
"Famished?" Harry smiled, hugging her.
"Beyond famished, feed me!"
"I'd tell her to stop that but I agree with her," Padma smiled.
"We managed to get everything done but we worked super late," Lavender laughed. "We decided we wanted to come here for a late dinner after finding that Padma got home late too."
"Well service is done and I can focus on you all," Harry grinned.
"Sounds good to me," Parvati smiled.
Lavender and the Patils had come after the Hearth had closed to business. The elves and the Brigade cleaned things up in a short time and they all left, leaving the witches behind with Harry and Hedwig. Harry poked around the pantry and the cold room for a bit and came back out with leftover prep and things. In a short time he had food sizzling in pans and although he had worked a full day, he still moved with purpose.
"Thank you so much," Padma said, hugging him when put plates of food down on the table in the back.
"Of course," Harry said, hugging her back. "It's nothing fancy mind."
"It's delicious though and it's family style which makes it perfect," Parvati said, dishing the food out on plates for everyone. "Hey! I already put out yours," Parvati said when Hedwig nabbed a piece of meat off her plate. She poked the owl as Hedwig mooned her cheekily.
Harry laughed with the others and they ate and chatted with one another, all of them tired after a long day's work, but feeling content and comfortable together.
-0-0-0-
AshokaTheGreat - Thank you so much. I wanted to explore something a little different and was watching some YouTube about during the Wild West and that sort of thing and thought it would be fun to play with that idea. They still do them today which is very neat.
TheSphynx - I feel like if it's new and interesting, Perenelle would be on board. Same with Luna.
alix33 - Hedwig is an equal opportunity mooner.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - I bet those old caravans and travels must have been easier with magic for sure. Hedwig is the best at what she does no matter where or when.
odonnelzoo99 - I think Tony knows it's a risk but he can hold his own. Hedwig's very good at doing that to just about anyone. I was happy with the horse names and the dog names. They fit the setting and the animals well I feel.
Shroudy9 - Indeed. Unless you're being mooned for being made fun of, it's always a yay moment for that.
poka - Hedwig sasses anyone for usually good reason. If only indeed.
Lucy Elizabeth Dawson - Right? Best mental image.
Wentley - A working vacation, but a fun one for sure.
DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Always nice to explore a new place and see what happens.
HoneyBear84 - Thank you.