I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Side Dishes
56th Course – Speaking With Words 20: After Hogwarts, Part 1
As per tradition, takes place all over the timeline with the first instance starting at the 170th course of Taste, with Harry leaving on his slightly more than year-long trip around the world.
"You'll keep an eye on him for us, right?" Lavender asked.
"Of course I will, don't fret. Chick needs all the eyes on him and mine are the best."
Hedwig nodded emphatically. She looked a little disgruntled at being within a cage but she fluffed up and nibbled on Lavender's fingers in a reassuring way. She opened one eye wide first, then the other, then both and stared at Harry unblinking.
"Chick gets into so much trouble without me. So I will make sure he is safe and that no one interferes with his training and whatnot. I'm watching you Chiiiiiiick."
-0-
"Ahhh, it tastes and feels like home! As much as I enjoy traveling, home really is the best."
Hedwig kicked the door to her cage open and flew out of it, flying around and around in the air and barking happily. Harry watched her fly with a big smile and he felt just like she did. Despite having just traveled back from Japan via Portkey, he felt fairly energetic which was also due to the time difference. That and returning home always felt nice to him. For some reason, coming back to Hogsmeade always gave him a sense of comfort, as if the village itself was welcoming him back.
"Go on," he called to his owl. "I'll follow!"
"See you there!" Hedwig cheeped and flapped off to the village.
-0-
Lavender looked up at the building. On the outside, it looked nice; well-built and situated on the edge of the main mercantile street in Hogsmeade on the corner, leading to the residential parts of the village. It was mostly rectangular with some large windows looking into the building. However, through the windows, it was apparent that the interior of the building had been neglected. Debris and trash had been left there. The inner walls were dingy and in a state of disrepair. Despite all that, Lavender was absolutely giddy with excitement and nervousness.
She threw her arms around Parvati and hugged her hard. "It's all ours!"
"It sure is!" Parvati exclaimed, hugging her best friend back.
"We're not about to make a giant mistake, are we?" Lavender asked nervously.
"I hope not," Parvati said back with equal nervous energy. "I don't think so though. We've worked so much since graduating. We did some smart investing with what little money we had and grew it a bit. Had tons of business meetings and planning with experts. Have a small supply line ready. And we're going to start small with mostly some new stuff and be able to do alterations and repairs. We got the permission from the Hogsmeade council and blessings from Gladrags. This is about as prepared as we can be if we didn't want to work for a few more years."
"Just making sure," Lavender said. She released a deep breath. "We can do it. We're still going to work with Millie's company but slowly expand our end until we are on our feet as our own clothier and design and product shop!"
"We're going to do it!" Parvati and Lavender opened the door to the building and coughed as a waft of dust and stale air wafted past them. "Maybe we should've waited for the weekend when more people can come and help."
"Let's get started at least," Lavender said, looking around at the disused place with grim determination. "Let's try to get the smaller trash things cleared out of the building. Mr. Abe said he'll be by later to help us take it to the place they collect trash to dispose of and show us how that works."
"Right. We can do this," Parvati nodded. "While we're in here though, what the hell was this place before?"
"Something to do with magical creatures I think," Lavender said.
"Explains the smell," Parvati sighed. "Right, let's start."
The duo started to clean. At first they were able to use cleaning charms but it soon was apparent that the charms could only do so much. The amount of leftover trash and things had deeply saturated some surfaces and the residue could not be cleaned with spell alone. They had to break out the cleaning supplies they brought, Muggle and magical, and got to work cleaning more. They worked solidly and doggedly, breaking apart into different parts of the store in an attempt to cover more ground.
"Goodness me," Hedwig said, swooping into the building. "This is a messy place! Like Grimmauld when me and Chick got there the first time. Good thing we're here to help."
Lavender sighed as the bottle filled with magical spray cleanser fell over and rolled off the counter she was behind, clattering on the floor on the other side. "Great, sounds like it rolled far away," she grumbled. She smiled when the bottle was deposited neatly on the counter. "Oh thanks Hedwig. Can you get me that sponge over there please?" She took the sponge from the helpful owl. "Thanks, I really appreciate-HEDWIG?!"
"Hiiiiiii!" Hedwig barked a greeting, cheeping happily. Her white speckled feathers appeared even more luminous and bright in the darkened and mucked up interior.
"What are you doing here?!" Lavender exclaimed, wiping her hands clean and hugging the fluffed-up owl, kissing her on the forehead. "Did you deliver something? Wait, you wouldn't be flying over from Japan for that, right?"
"Nope! We're back to visit and help!"
Hedwig shook her head and cheeped smugly, giving Lavender a pleased half-lidded look. A form blocked the outside sun from entering the door and Lavender squealed with delight, seeing Harry standing in the doorway. "Harry!"
"Hi Lavender!" Harry grunted when Lavender threw herself at him and he caught her, back stepping a little to prevent them from falling over. He hugged her back hard, enjoying how happy she was and how glad he was to see her.
"What are you doing back?!" she exclaimed after kissing him several times in rapid succession.
"I remember you and Parv saying you were probably going to get your place at this time. I asked for a few days off and it actually coincided with a longer holiday in Japan so Chef Morimoto was more than fine with it. As long as I bring her back some of our tea cakes and biscuits. She's gotten a taste for them. So as soon as I finished with my last shift, Hedwig and I grabbed a portkey back." He hugged her again and kissed her sweetly. "So here I am! Ready to help!"
"I love you," she sighed happily.
"Love you more," he smiled into her hair.
"You sound way too happy to be cleaning," Parvati complained, walking around a wall. "Harry!"
Harry caught her with a free arm and hugged her back. "Hey Sis!"
"Welcome home!" Parvati cried, hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek. "Please tell me you're back to help."
"Sure am! I'm back for 5 days."
"Good! 'Cause as you see, we need it," she laughed.
"It's not too bad," Harry said, looking around. "We can do it easily."
"Especially if you feed us. Learn more tasty foods?" Parvati asked eagerly.
"I've learned so much. Japanese cooking is some of my favorite now," Harry grinned. "And I brought back some ingredients but I can figure out what to do with mostly local stuff. I sent a few messages ahead and everyone that can come over will be meeting at the Hog's Head later."
"Then let's get cracking and we can go and hear all about things!" Lavender said, getting her wind back.
The four of them got to work and Lavender and Parvati felt much more energized with Harry and Hedwig there. Harry shared his experiences of working in Japan with them while they cleaned. Hedwig fluttered about collecting trash and scrap and kicking open the windows and beating the curtains for them while Harry helped deep clean things and help them move the heavier things out.
"Do you see Tsumugi, Chiyo, and Sota a lot?" Parvati asked.
"Yeah," Harry said. "Tsumugi plays for her prefecture Quidditch team and Chiyo is working for their Ministry. Sota is working at his family's bento restaurant. Most days I'm working at one of Chef Moriomoto's restaurants, but she's on good terms with the Aikawa family so I've been there to work sometimes too. I see Kaito a lot too and have visited his place as well. His uncle is still really funny. I've learned a lot and can actually say a good amount of kitchen terms and cooking things in Japanese now, but my translating earplug still helps so much."
"Have they been nicer, the crews and kitchen staff," Lavender asked.
"Yes and no. Chef Morimoto's staff are all incredibly professional and polite but not very warm but they're getting friendlier," Harry said. "The staff at the bento place is a lot more relaxed and they were really friendly from the start. A lot of them are family members and they practically accepted me from the first time we met."
"I bet they did. Your usual charm," Parvati smiled.
"Chick is very charming!"
"I don't know about charm," Harry laughed. "But they said they felt like they knew me because of all the messages Sota and I exchanged and they liked a lot of the recipes I shared and sent."
"How are the foxes?" Lavender asked.
"Annoying as always," Hedwig huffed.
"Adorable as always," Harry laughed. "You see a lot of them in the magical parts of the cities and villages. They have a lot of different personalities like we were told before. They have owls too and smaller birds called storm petrals, like the ones we saw at the Showcase. But they move about as easily as owls do and Azuki and Ebi come by a lot."
"Has Hedwig beat up any other magical animals?" Parvati asked, smiling as Hedwig puffed her chest out and struck a pose. She playfully air punched at Hedwig who flapped around and playfully kicked and nipped back at her.
"Hi yah! Take that! And that! Also yes, as if there was any doubt."
"Surprisingly not. The other foxes were kept in line by the ones that have met her before," Harry said while Hedwig cheeped smugly. "There were a couple of other owls that tried to test her but she chased them all over and now they're properly respectful."
"Respect me or suffer my feathered wrath!"
"As they should be," Lavender giggled.
"Damn straight!"
After a few more hours of work they finally stopped, looking about the much cleaner main room with satisfaction. "That's so much better," Lavender sighed happily.
"Thanks, Bro," Parvati said, leaning on Harry.
"Of course. I bet we can get all the cleaning done by tomorrow and then we can start doing the set up for everything else," Harry said, wiping his hands clean.
"We need to do the upstairs too. We're going to be living up there for a while at first," Parvati said, stifling a yawn. "Eventually we'll probably split off. Grandmum says it's better for you to live somewhere else so your mind and body can take a break from your work."
"That makes sense," Harry nodded.
"Let's go to the Hog's Head," Lavender said eagerly. "I'm starving and want to see everyone and have them see you! Is it open tonight?"
"Not tonight," Harry smiled as they all started walking down the street. Hedwig sat on his head, plumping down comfortably. "Tonight is friends and family only, but tomorrow they're opening and I'll be working at night."
"Not much of a vacation," Parvati said worriedly.
Harry put an arm around their shoulders. "I'm seeing my friends and family and I'm back home and I get to do what I like. It's my kind of vacation."
"That's our Harry," Lavender sighed happily, resting her head on his shoulder.
-0-
The bell above the door jingled, heralding someone entering the store. Lavender, still looking down at something behind the counter, called out. "Hi! Be right with you!"
The Needy Thread had been open for almost half a year now, and they were starting to hit their stride. Lavender and Parvati knew that running a business as adults would be much harder with much higher stakes than when they did stalls and commission work as students.
They also knew that they were having a much better start than most people who started their own business. True to his word, Doran had taken very good care of their business accounts and helped them set things up while advising them on how to allocate their funds and what to expect in operational costs and expenses while helping them on their fees and what they wanted to charge. Not only that, the Bulstrode company would be providing a lot of their material at cost and discount, as well as the Greengrass shipping company. Not to mention that they had some investors in their burgeoning business, providing a cushion for them.
They refused to take all of that for granted and worked hard in making as solid of a business plan as they could while strictly keeping themselves honest on the incoming investment support and writing out how to reward and return the investments with ample legal documentation written up by Gringotts. Luckily everyone had been happy with the terms of the agreements.
The grand opening of the store had been a rush. Their preexisting stock had been claimed very swiftly and they spent a lot of their time working on new finished items, often one of them doing work on that while the store was open and the other helping with customers, and then time was spent after the store closed. They took orders and did a lot of alteration and repair work, something Gladrags did not do, so their business was solid and eventually, rising. Their pet accessories was a big hit. Not only that, they started doing a lot of repairs and things for Hogwarts students and ran a student discount for them.
After months of hard work and sleepless nights, they were able to hire on more people to help with both production and customer service. Then they were able to rest and enjoy themselves more. The two girls saw people everyday wearing the clothes they made and repaired and their happiness and pride grew and grew.
"I'm just finishing this up real fast and can help you," Lavender said. Her fingers danced over the shirt as she repaired a tear, nodding in satisfaction as she managed to do it without the stitch showing too much. "What can I do for you?"
"Well I just got back from traveling and I need a new wardrobe," a voice said warmly. "Something fitting for the local environment. Also my friend here needs some new accessories. A new straw hat, some ribbons, bandannas, that sort of thing."
"I need all of that and more! A girl needs her accessories after all!"
Lavender's smile grew from ear to ear and her fingers moved even faster. "That sounds like a lot of work," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I only do that for people I really like and are really cute." She finally looked up, eyes dancing.
Harry smiled back at her. "Well that's good because Hedwig is really cute," he said and Hedwig nodded regally, fluffing up and tilting her head in an almost coquettish way, blinking soulfully up at Lavender from where she plumped on the counter.
"I am so cute. Praise me! Praise my cuteness!"
"Yeah she is," Lavender said and kissed Hedwig on the forehead who bonked her back, hooting happily and self-assuredly. "Hi!" She leaned over the counter and pressed her lips against Harry's kissing him with all her might. "When did you get back?!"
"About twenty minutes ago," Harry said, his smile crooked and goofy from the kiss. "Came straight here after going through customs."
"How long are you staying now?" Lavender asked, looking happy and hopeful.
"Well, uh, forever, hopefully," Harry said with a trace of his old shyness. "If you'll have me of course."
"Wait, are you all done?" Lavender gasped.
Harry nodded. "I'm done. I finished the end of my stage by helping Chef Gabriel set up his second restaurant and got it going. I think I learned all I wanted to for now and I'm ready to come back home and stay here. I'm ready to start my own place. I don't want to leave you and the others again." His eyes opened with surprised as Lavender climbed over the counter and into his arms and kissed him again and again. He held her easily and kissed her back, beyond happy.
"My cute adorable idiots," Hedwig cheeped happily.
"Hey! No snogging during work hours! You're grossing out the customers!" Parvati came around and smiled at the sight but waggled a finger at the happy couple. "No one wants to see that!"
Hedwig fluttered over and landed on her shoulder. She then extended a wing, blocking Parvati's eyes and turning her own head to face the other way. "Here you go. Now you don't have to watch and they get a bit of privacy. As much as you get from snogging in the middle of a store anyways."
"Okay this works too," Parvati laughed and Hedwig laughed with her. "Thanks Hedwig. Welcome home Harry!" She walked over as Harry let Lavender go and hip bumped her best friend out of the way so she could hug him.
"Glad to be home," Harry said, hugging her warmly back.
"He's back for good!" Lavender yelled happily.
"Finally!" Parvati shouted, hugging Harry again.
"Yup! Only vacations and short trips for me in the future and I want to go with people," Harry smiled. "But it's time for me to stay. This last year or so was amazing and I learned so much but it's time for me to make a place here. I think I'm ready."
He smiled as he was spun in a circle by both Lavender and Parvati, both grabbing an arm and running around and yelling happily. Their laughter filled the Thread and the other employees and customers looked on with big smiles, enjoying the sight.
"We're finally home!"
-0-
"You got over the time difference nice and fast," Harry yawned, petting Hedwig.
"Owl internal clocks are the most accurate and flexible," Hedwig hooted, nuzzling Harry back. "All I need is a nice snooze and I'm ready and raring."
It had been about a week since their return to Britain and boy and owl were more or less back to the time zone without lingering side effects. They split their time between Grimmauld and the flat above the Thread with Harry cooking at the Hog's Head and Gringotts Main One to stay in working shape. That said, he had already got his plans in motion and set up things in various ways for his plans for his restaurant.
"Things are going to get busier for us," Harry smiled.
"Busy is good! As long as it's pleasantly busy and not hectic busy. Being busy means when you're being lazy, it feels more satisfying. Let's go Chick! The early owl gets the bacon!"
-0-
"Wow, this whole place is yours now," Lavender smiled as she and Harry and the others walked into the Hog's Head.
"Ours," Harry said, his arm around her shoulder.
"Yours to run," Lavender amended, kissing him warmly on the cheek.
"I bet the others don't like the sign," Millicent remarked, pointing at the sign on the door saying that the Hog's Head would be closed for renovations until further notice.
"They'll wait, somewhat patiently," Harry smiled.
"We already have people asking us if we know how long," Parvati laughed.
"So how are things going to work for the most part?" Pansy asked eagerly. She and the others gathered around a table that Harry put out drawings and plans he had worked on for the last year while abroad.
"Well I was thinking that I needed to do something specific to account for guests that don't live in Hogsmeade," Harry said. "I don't want to ruin the feeling and the atmosphere of the village, don't want people to feel uncomfortable from having too many visitors coming in. I also don't want things to be too busy with other guests where the people who live here don't feel welcome either. So I'm making things reservations only for non-Hogsmeade residents. They will be able to contact us for same-day too but it's a possibility, not a certainty. People who live here in Hogsmeade can always come by and eat in if we have space or get take-away."
"That is a very elegant solution," Daphne said approvingly. "You can control the influx of that clientele while maintaining the village feel."
"Question, we count towards the Hogsmeade side even though we don't live in Hogsmeade, right?" Tracey asked.
"Of course," Harry smiled. "Friends and family are always welcome."
"Thank goodness," Hermione said and they all laughed.
"Dress code for all of you is casual too. I made Dora a promise years ago," Harry said.
"Brilliant," Millicent smiled.
"I'm thinking of keeping the main floor here as the general dining room," Harry said. "Going to open up the window so I can see out and people can see in, but food will be taken out via server. I'm going to have some outdoor tables along the western side and put in a garden out there too. I'm thinking of taking the side nook there and making it a more private dining room for like a private party."
"You put a lot of thought into things," Pansy said, looking at his plans.
"What helped me keep going some days," Harry said. "I was having a lot of fun learning don't get me wrong. Seeing how different professional kitchens worked and exploring different cuisines. But seeing how happy the other chefs were, how satisfied they were with their own places, made me really want that. Working towards that goal, getting back to you all here, that was what kept me going towards the end."
"We really missed you too," Lavender said, hugging him.
"How do things look logistically?" Millicent asked after hugging him too with her being the last.
"Good. I am going to get my supplies through a combination of a Gringotts backed suppliers, Greengrass shipping, and the Rangers," Harry said, making Millicent and Daphne smile. "Other things will be grown at Mr. Abe's farm and I have a deal already with the Hogwarts Farms for some of their surplus too."
"And staff?" Hermione asked.
"Willie and Nillie are staying of course," Harry said. "Mr. Abe will manage the bar for most nights at the start but I'll eventually want more to help and to give him time off. Inky wants to come work with me and I'm happy to have her. I figure I will want at least three more people in the kitchen with me as full cooks to start and I know I will need a front of house manager or maître d' and a few servers on top of Willie and Nillie."
"How are you going to look for them? Open interviews?" Tracey asked.
"Well actually, I already have someone lined up for the maître d' position to interview," Harry said. "They were recommended by Mr. and Mrs. Delacour. Chef Diglin told me he has someone who wants to interview for the kitchen, and there were a few people who had their resumes passed to me by the other chefs for people who want to move here and are looking for a job."
"That's handy," Parvati said.
"Seriously. And since they were recommended, I'm less concerned about it. I was worried that I wouldn't be taken seriously again due to my age and everything."
"Despite the fact that you are incredibly experienced and have international acclaim from both the Showcase and the Rising Stars," Daphne snorted.
"Well, yeah," Harry said sheepishly and they laughed.
"He's not wrong. I can think of plenty of people who would balk at listening to others for some silly reason or another," Blaise said.
"Actually, yes, I agree," Hermione said. "You should hear how some people argue with Mistress Tonks. They think they know more about enchanting or how some things work despite hiring her to do the job."
"What's Hedwig's position?" Millicent asked as Hedwig flew about the room before landing on the table.
"Chick made a position just for me! He's the bestest Boy and is going to be the Best British Chef! The position suits my natural talent and ability, not to mention my natural nature and natural beauty."
"Owl de Cuisine," Harry said and Hedwig nodded emphatically. "She's going to raise morale as well as keep an eye on things, quality control, that sort of thing."
"Whatever needs doing really. I'll do it with a smile and they better respect me and Chick!"
"And what're Lavender's positions?" Parvati asked cheekily, waggling her eyebrows before shrieking as Lavender pushed her over.
"I'll help out some nights if I'm not tired from the Thread," she said to the laughing others while kicking a prone Parvati. "Just serving stuff on the Hogsmeade side. Wouldn't want to risk anything for others." She shrieked when Parvati pulled her down and the two started to push and scrap with each other, rolling under the table.
"You know, it's kind of refreshing when you see how some things don't change," Hermione smiled and the others laughed harder.
"Go on," Harry smiled and Hedwig hopped off the table daintily. "She also breaks up fights," he said as Lavender and Parvati shouted loudly while Hedwig barked at them, nipping and hair pulling.
"Stop that! Stop fighting! You fight, I fight! Have at you!"
"While sometimes causing them," Daphne added as Lavender and Parvati fled from a happily hooting Hedwig.
"That too," Harry grinned.
"Get back here! I'm not done yet!"
-0-
Harry smiled at that. "Join me," he said, putting cutlery out for both of them. He dug into both plates without reservation, chewing thoughtfully. "Mmm, great omelet. Egg is good, nice flavor. Like how you cooked the mushrooms first. Really nice mapo tofu too. I like how you minced the mushrooms fine and cooked it out with the meat first to give it more volume."
"I'm so happy you have goblin mushrooms here," Mirra smiled as she ate.
"One last question," Harry said after they finished eating. "How do you feel about owls?"
"Like in general? I haven't had a lot of experience with them but I think they're pretty," Mirra said, slightly confused. She gasped when Hedwig swooped into the kitchen and landed delicately on the table. "Oh wow, you're pretty!"
Hedwig fluffed up and looked pleased, hooting pleasantly back. "Oooh I like you! Chick! I like her! We should keep her! She sounds intelligent, is obviously observant, and looks like she can cook."
Harry smiled and offered a hand. "Mirra of IronSides, the position is yours if you want it."
"Really?! I mean yes! Yes Sir I want it! I mean Chef!" Mirra babbled, shaking his hand excitedly.
Harry winced a little but laughed. "You got a really strong grip," he laughed at her flush. "I think we're going to work together really well."
"I think so too!"
-0-0-0-
Doombreed - Thank you, glad you thought so.
AshokaTheGreat - Thank you so much. We will see of course, but I thought it was a nice moment of closure for him.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - I think Harry would be happy to know the results at last but agreed, the care and praise from Gabriel is much more meaningful and worthy. I wanted this to be a moment like the finale, Harry approaching things on his terms and no one elses. Thanks for reading.
odonnellzoo99 - I wanted Harry to have the say here. Petunia and the Dursleys took his agency from him before. This time, he approached it knowing what the possible results would be and choosing to do so. I wanted to show how much he has grown since last seeing them, which I thought the conversation with Gabriel helped too. He knew his worth and wasn't letting their reactions determine it. Yup. Her voice was the last.
Arnie11701 - Yup.
iamchaos98 - And Gabriel's mindset wasn't wrong either. Nor was Harry choosing to do it. Everyone had their own reasoning and worked for them in the end. Glad you liked it.
alix33 - I was so pleased with Gabriel's reasoning for the name of the restaurant. It was perfect to him I thought.
HoneyBear84 - Yeah. She had her moment though. And for some, that's more than what they deserve.
choquain - I don't mind some well-meaning opposition when it comes to my stuff. I've had a lot of negative reviews and comments and some were warranted. Others decidedly not. In this though, I just thought it was a good way to see Harry how he is now compared to how he was before. He questioned Dudley, was appropriately cynical. He then thought long and hard and decided to do it because he was the one in control of the final decision. And in the end, he got the answer he needed to hear. Agreed though. Millie and her club would have been a sight to see.
mike33308 - Don't see that happening but maybe in a different time and place.
l4w - That's why I insinuated that the Masons being there made it more like a work thing he had to do.
dawnsfire - Oh that is lovely timing. That's how I saw Vernon looking yes. Or was one of the people talking how Harry thinks of Hedwig talking?
TheSphynx - Yes, they have a daughter named Pasque. Unlike Extended Family, I had a lot of stories I wanted to explore of right after Hogwarts and them growing into their careers and lives. So I didn't want to skip too fast into having children and the next generation. Also there aren't as many solid couples in this setting and story immediately, compared to Extended. I feel like Harry and Katie really wanted that big family fairly early on with the rest of the Team at the same time where here they have plenty of time to get there.