I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

Side Dishes

54th Course – A Day on the Hunt

Takes place around the 10th Course of Side Dishes, when the girls had a girls' night.

The morning began as most mornings did, with her waking due to someone poking and pawing her face.

Millicent groaned slightly, her mind and body slowly rising from the land of dreams due to her natural circadian rhythm, the sunlight making its way through the curtains, and Sunny plapping her in the face with her paws. She snorted and suddenly sprang into action, wrapping her arms around her cat and rolling over, trapping her in her arms and with her body. "Gotcha," Millicent said sleepily and Sunny purred, nuzzling her.

Millicent and Sunny dozed for a few more minutes before Millicent finally woke up fully, yawning widely. She looked at the clock on the nightstand and sighed a little. "Time to get up I guess," she said and Sunny nodded reluctantly in agreement.

Neville had already gone but she was used to that. On school days, Neville frequently woke and left earlier than she did, especially if she got back from an overseas trip or was out late for work. He liked to do the morning duties for the greenhouses and set things up for the day's lessons. They lived in a nice cottage at the edge of Hogsmeade on the side closest to the school and castle, and some mornings Neville jogged lightly to the school or he apparated or took the Floo. He had gotten used to jogging for exercise because of Millicent and had taken a liking to it, doing it if the weather was amenable to it.

The couple made up for their disparate schedules on the weekends if Millicent was not actively on a Hunt and more often than not, they had time in the evenings if they had no other responsibilities. Millicent also routinely went to the castle several times a week for her Mastery work with Hagrid and to help teach Care of Magical Creatures. They frequently did combined work with Herbology classes too, especially N.E.W.T.s ones, so she and Neville saw each other plenty of times as it was.

Not for the first time, she marveled at the state of her life. Growing up, she thought she would only ever be involved with the family's fabric business until she got married to a 'proper Pureblood' and became a mother and a caretaker for the family home. If she was lucky, she would still be attached in some way to the family business but that depended on the circumstances of things.

Now she was an established Hunter, a member of one of the best Hunting groups in the United Kingdom and the world, she was working on a Mastery, she was living with and in a relationship with a legitimately good person who just happened to also be a proper Pureblood, she still spent time with the family business, and taught. She was also living somewhere nice, near her friends that she saw often. She even had friends in the Tribe and they had a weekly/bi-weekly hurley and shinty game as well as the times she went to Hogwarts for club days.

It was a wonderful life.

After the morning routine, she went to the kitchen carrying Sunny, the lazy creature. She put her cat down on the counter and opened the ice box. "Let's see," she mused, looking within. "How about some eggs and some leftover pie?"

Sunny nodded eagerly, licking her lips and meowing hungrily.

In a short time, Millicent had two plates ready. Two fried eggs on both and a large slice of chicken and ham pie that she warmed up in the oven. She smiled to herself. When she was younger, it was fine to ask a house elf to magically warm food or her parents would do it if needed to. There were plenty of times on the Hunt she'd eat something cold or poked it with her wand. Now though, whenever possible, she preferred to heat it up in the oven or on the hob if she could, or over a fire even while in the field. It really did change the taste and the feel of things.

She also knew why she preferred that and she thought fondly of said reason.

In a short time, the food was eaten and the dishes cleaned. She had no problem using magic to do that. She then sat at the table and went through a small pile of letters while Sunny sat on her lap, playing with a string that Millicent dangled while reading and writing, adept at doing that after years of practice.

"And finished," Millicent said, sorting the letters. "Take these to the post office for me later?" she asked.

Sunny nodded. She nuzzled Millicent back when the girl kissed her head.

"I better get going then. I'm hoping to eat at the Hearth tonight for dinner. I'll come get you if I get back early, if not, I'll meet you there." She smiled at Sunny's happy nod. "Bye baby!" She waved back to her kneazle and grabbed her bag and left the warm home with a spring in her step.

-0-

Riannon's Rangers operated out of a hunting lodge that was built during the inception of the hunting group. It was a series of buildings owned by the group and some were used as lodging while others used for storage of gathered materials with even more for processing. The Rangers were tasked to aid in all sorts of Hunts or given orders to go for certain things. Anything else they got or extra, they stored to sell or trade to various businesses around the country and even the world.

It was called Stone Top and was established in one of the magical forests outside of London. The forest was owned by the group as well, given to them for something they helped the Ministry of Magic with more than a century prior. They used it to train new recruits, grow and manage certain magical animals and plants, as well as the many other things they needed.

Millicent walked through the grounds, waving at her fellow Hunters and other members of the group. She exchanged a word here and there in greeting with a few, and dropped her bag to help heft a large tusk that had almost fallen off a sled. She continued on her way and walked into the main building.

It was made of wood and stone, old and timeless. The air was warm and smelled of smoke and meat and history, old iron lanterns keeping the interior lit beside the large fire that sat in the middle of the building. People came and went on different tasks and there was plenty of chatter in the air.

"Hey Millie."

"Hey Stevie." Millicent exchanged a high-five with Steven Li, Sue's older cousin and her mentor. True to his word, he had given Millicent and Ron an apprenticeship chance as soon as they graduated, with them having already worked with them in training before that. By then, the pair had been easily voted to join the group and they had loved the work ever since. "What's the word?"

"Good," Steven said. "Hunt Boss is finalizing the crews for the summer hunting trips."

"What's on the list?" Millicent asked, intrigued.

"There's a dragon that's causing a lot of damage in France," Steven said, looking at a clipboard. "Our sister group there is tasked to take it down so they want us in on it too. There's also a herd of snarlbacks that are doing some damage in Germany too. We've been petitioned to join that one too."

"Both sound interesting," Millicent nodded.

"Think we can get Harry to come and join the support team?" Steven asked, grinning.

"If the Hearth isn't too busy and depending on how long he'd be away," Millicent smiled. "I'll ask him."

"That'd be great," Steven said. "We have his usual aged boars ready for you to take to him today later."

"I'll do that, going there anyway tonight."

"You and half the group on the reg," Steven said and they laughed. "Good thing we get a discount."

"As if he's expensive to begin with," Millicent snorted.

"True, he's not, but still. When you're eating out several times a week, every bit helps," Steven chuckled.

"He puts the discount right back into us so we can't complain," Millicent said proudly.

"That's why we love him," Steven nodded. "Oh, Rowan sent us a message. Said the carpets are getting a bit out of control up at the edge of the mountains and the Forest. Feel like going out there today?"

"Sure thing. I can process a bunch and separate it out. Harry, Gringotts, and us?"

"Yup. Sounds good." Steven made a note on the clipboard and high-fived her again. "Later."

"See you."

-0-

"Hi Millie!"

"Hi Rell!" Millicent had apparated away from Stone Top and landed at the stable point that they made in the Forbidden Forest. The group had made a deal with the Tribe and were allowed to put down the spells to give them an easy and stable anchor point for apparition and the Tribe watched over it and kept it clear and in order. She landed lightly and waved at the centaurs that were waiting there.

"Got a pinchy problem?" Millicent asked and she and centaurs laughed.

"Very pinchy," Rell nodded. "So many this year!"

"Healthy land, big opportunity for growth," Yarrow said, hefting a lance. "It's good but also annoying in a way."

"They're starting to pass into the scrub land and into the forest proper, eating everything," Hawthorn said, shaking her head.

"Well let's do a bit of culling," Millicent said, cracking her knuckles. She followed the centaurs, jogging lightly beside them and keeping up with their pace. They moved through the Forest and in a short time, reached the edge between the Forest proper and the mountains. Millicent looked around at the ground with a critical eye. It did look in fact like it had been literally chewed and clawed, the remaining plant life showing signs of damage. "You weren't kidding, they're really getting into the Forest here."

"The only good thing is that the sounders seem to be immune to the crake toxins," Rell said. "Though that means the sounders are getting bigger too. They're more fun to hunt though."

"It is a bit odd to see them fight though," Yarrow said. "It's rather terrifying to see a boar being picked clean by a carpet."

"Yeah, that is kinda scary," Millicent said, shuddering. "So I have an idea. I was talking to one of the Crew from Gringotts and they say what they do sometimes to block a mine or a tunnel from the crakes is to use a type of rock plant. It either grows wild and the crake avoids it or they make a paste of it and smear it on the entrances."

"How would it affect the environment here?" Rell asked.

"I think there is an above ground cousin of it actually," Millicent said, taking a plant out from a pouch.

"I have seen those up in the mountains," Hawthorn remarked. "I think I have some here actually. It smells nice."

"They're very similar," Rell nodded, examining the two.

"We can crush up a bunch, spread it around the border here, and maybe funnel the carpets into where they run into each other and other beasties," Millicent said.

"That would be good, a more natural way of keeping things in check," Yarrow nodded.

"Let us do that then," Rell said. "And then cull what carpets we can find." She and the centaurs exchanged their lances and bows for heavy clubs and mallets, setting up a small camp to put their things away and to get other gear ready.

"Any of the Tribe like to eat them yet?" Millicent asked as she hefted her own carved club.

"Only when Harry makes it and even then occasionally," Rell said and the rest of the party nodded. "The taste is not to our liking really."

"The shells are pretty though," Hawthorn said, admiring a bracelet made from polished crake shells.

"And the crushed shells make for good fertilizer," Yarrow said.

"Useful things, if you know, pinchy," Millicent said and they laughed together.

Hours later, they were pleasantly tired. Half of the party obtained more of the plants and processed them into a powder and paste, sprinkling both about. The other half happened upon a very large carpet of crakes and after some crushing and beating, thinned it out and sent the rest scuttling away into the caves. They then managed to irritate a second carpet before driving them into a sounder of boars and the two groups handled each other before breaking off, their numbers reduced.

A couple of the centaurs had taken some of the powder to one of the cave entrances and observed the crakes within avoiding the powder they doused the entrance with, reporting tentative success.

"Hopefully it does not attract anything," Yarrow sighed as they processed the crake they had caught and dispatched, separating them out into piles.

"Or is injurious to others," another centaur said.

"The goblins didn't say anything," Millicent mused, "but will be good to keep tabs on for sure." They finished separating the crake and Millicent wrote out the numbers onto parchment and made a copy of it, handing the copy to Rell. "There you go, for your records. I'll take all this back with me and we'll send Gringotts their share."

"Thank you, Millie," Rell smiled, leaning down to hug her. "Will you be coming to play with us this weekend?"

"Is Birch still being a little birch?" Millicent asked, making the centaurs cackle.

"Always," Hawthorn giggled.

"I'll be there," Millicent grinned. "Someone needs to knock him on his arse."

"You're the best at it," Rell laughed.

-0-

"Welcome back." Steven blinked when Millicent set down all of the things she brought back from the Forbidden Forest. "That is a lot of stuff!"

"The Tribe had a bunch of extra boars waiting and the carpets really are insane right now. More have been coming down into the Forest from the mountains for food and territory," Millicent said, setting the boar carcasses out and laying out the bags of crakes. "We're hoping that tip I got from Gringotts helps curtail them a little and won't let them run all over the place though."

Steven whistled and waved an arm and a witch came walking up to them. "Wow, that's a lot of stuff," the witch said, eyes wide and seeing what Millicent brought back. She took out a large notebook. "Right, let's get it processed." She and Millicent and Steven worked through all of the materials and things, documenting them and writing down exact numbers before separating them once more and putting them in one of the storage sheds.

"Good haul," Steven said when they finished.

Maise nodded. "Really is. Right then. That's this many to Gringotts. We'll charge them this much and take out our cut and put the rest into the Tribe's accounts." She made her notes in a leather-bound ledger. "They're still in the black so this will add to their vault here. Did they give you a list of things they want or need?"

"Here you go." Millicent handed over a note.

Maise looked it over. "We can get all of this easy, nothing's running short right now. We'll charge it against their account and they'll still have plenty left over."

"It's nice getting a steady supply of boar meat," Steven said with satisfaction. "Lots of places like it and boar hide and tusks and bones are good too."

"For sure." Maise waved her wand and a pile of things gathered together. "And this will be for Chef Potter." She blinked at Millicent's expression. "Is something wrong?"

"No not at all," Millicent said, smiling. "I just don't think of him as Chef Potter but Harry so when people say that, it throws me for a second."

"Same, but for Sue," Steven grinned. "She's an awesome solicitor and I'm proud of her but she's still little Susie to me."

"Oh that's right, you went to school with him," Maise smiled.

Millicent's smile was warm and fond. "Yeah, back when he was the weird scrawny kid that liked to cook which was even weirder. And now he's an international star. But he's still as sweet and kind as he was back then."

"You must be close friends," Maise smiled.

Millicent nodded. "First friend I made that wasn't part of the Society and the first friend I actually wanted to have outside of Pansy, Daphne, Tracey, and Blaise."

-0-

"Oh hi Millie!"

"Hi Inky!" Millicent smiled as the house elf threw the large delivery doors at the back of the Hearth open and waved a finger, levitating the various things that Millicent had brought with her. They floated into the kitchen and the others came to help open the boxes and crates and put things away. "Hey Harry!"

"Hey there!" Harry hugged her warmly.

"Aren't you going to check the manifest?" she asked, waving the form at him.

"I trust you," he said simply, making her smile even wider. "I'll do it if you want me to though."

"I mean, you should. It's just good business," she said. "But I'm glad you trust me."

"I know business before friendship," Harry said with a chuckle, giving Mirra a look who rolled her eyes making them both snicker. "But that doesn't mean I don't trust you." He took it from her and gave it a look while looking at the various things. "Anything I should know?"

"Not this time. Everything came in just fine, nothing short. I brought you some of the aged boar meat this time too. We have a bit of a surplus at Stone Top right now so thought I'd save you a step."

"I'm not taking it from anyone else, am I?" he asked, worried.

"Nah, don't worry about it."

"If you say so," Harry said with a smile.

"Oh, Steven wanted me to ask if you'd be willing to come with us on an international hunt during the summer. Germany or France." She gave him the dates.

"Hmm, maybe one of them," Harry said. "Chloe, what does our summer schedule look like?"

Chloe walked over, opening a large calendar book. "Normal schedule, no one is taking off for any major length of time. No other plans for the moment," she said, looking through the schedule.

"I can probably do one of them," Harry nodded. "Support team?"

"And morale officer, specifically raising it," Millicent grinned.

"Ooh officer? Should we start calling you Captain here?" Felicity asked, eyes sparkling.

"Chef is more of a General," Eddie said. "Or Admiral!"

"Chef is enough," Harry laughed.

"General Chef, or Chef General," Mirra smiled. "Admiral Chef sounds good too though."

"Seriously, just Chef," Harry groaned. "Don't you three start!" he said as Willie, Nillie, and Inky walked past, saluting him. "Millie, why do you do this to me?" he asked, pushing her lightly. It was like pushing a brick wall.

"Because it's funny," Millicent giggled, hugging him.

"You coming back for dinner?" Harry asked.

She nodded. "Going to go and shower and take a break for a bit. Ran up and down the mountainside at the far end of the Forest. Will bring the terrible beastie."

"Here, before you go." Harry poured chicken soup into a container and wrapped a small loaf of bread in cloth, putting in some dried meat and cheese with it. "Snack for you two."

"You're the best," she said happily, hugging him again.

-0-

A few hours later, Millicent returned with Sunny in her arms. The Hearth was comfortably full of people, laughter, and good food. She smiled as she saw the servers walk about and her stomach rumbled slightly and she felt and heard Sunny's do the same.

"Head on back," Chloe said, seeing her. "Neville is here too."

"Oh nice!" Millicent walked into the kitchen and smiled at Neville who sat at the small table that friends and family sat at in the kitchen. "Hi Nev!"

"Hi Millie!" Neville kissed her sweetly and rubbed a purring Sunny's head. "I finished with my grading early and I remembered you saying you'd be here for dinner, so I came over."

"Brilliant," she said, sitting beside him. She put Sunny in the cat bed that Harry kept there for her and she and Neville watched as Harry and the Brigade worked. "Never tired of seeing them in action," she said admiringly, watching them work together.

"They make it look really good," Neville nodded.

"It still amuses me that the Hogwarts elves come here too," Millicent said, watching a few elves working with Inky.

"They love the change in pace and atmosphere," Neville chuckled.

"What are you guys feeling?" Harry asked, walking over and petting Sunny who nuzzled him affectionately.

"Chef's choice for me," Millicent smiled.

"Sounds good to me too," Neville said.

"You got it!" Harry scribbled on a small metal slate and then tapped it against the large one hanging over his station. After a short time, he sent a small plate floating towards them.

"I love onigiri," Millicent said excitedly, seeing the small rice balls with strips of nori seaweed wrapped around them.

"There's your favorite pickled plums," Harry said from the pass. "And a special filling: braised pork belly. Well boar in this case. With all this nice boar we got, we've made some new things with it."

"Oh that's so good," Neville said, munching the soft sticky rice and the chewy savory braised pork that was within the rice balls. It was heavy with soy, sesame, and oyster sauce and hoisin sauce.

The next plates that came to them were fried pork chops, the exterior crisp and crackling. It was served with a fresh salad of dressed greens, carrot, and parsnip and a baked potato along each. Millicent, Neville, and Sunny devoured their plates, eating hungrily and enjoying the simple food made well.

Dessert was root beer floats and Millicent smiled as Sunny practically washed her face in her small bowl of it, licking her face with satisfaction. "No sweet pork or something?" she asked when Harry walked over.

"I've never been a fan of sweet bacon even though I know a lot of people do," he laughed. "I've read about this Portuguese dessert which is a flan made with a lot of pork fat or lard though, maybe I'll try that one day."

He picked up Sunny who was looking at him dolefully, purring happily when she snuggled in his arms. "How was everything?"

"As if you need to ask," Neville laughed.

"Well I don't want to get complacent," Harry grinned. "And I trust you to be honest but not cruel about it."

"I could eat a few more onigiri with the pork in it to make sure it's as good as I thought it was," Millicent said.

"You got it," he laughed.

-0-

The cool night air was soothing as Millicent, Neville, and Sunny left the Hearth. Sunny lay in Millicent's arm while she held Neville's hand with her other.

"Good day?" Neville asked as they walked.

"Good day," Millicent nodded. "Yours?"

"Not too bad actually," Neville said agreeably. He talked about his day as they walked slowly home, enjoying the atmosphere together.

-0-0-0-

odonnellzoo99 - They really are cute together, never imagined before but adore it now. I think that's the best part of having teens, at least I imagine it to be.

poka - He's the best support for the others as much as they support him.

alix33 - I'm sure you'll hear the merry tune eventually in a speaks chapter.

Hands Off MY Wolfie - I'm glad you like her this way too. She's still much like her persona, only softer. And still funny. Thanks for reading.