Noticing the time was getting on to lunch, Harry re-entered the house and went into the kitchen. He didn't know if Wendell had eaten yet and was very sure no one else had, either. So, set to making lunch.
Cooking helped him think. It's what he used to do while at the Dursleys. The Dursleys left him alone while he was cooking, so he could use that time just to figure things out.
He found himself standing there for a few moments trying to clear his mind of what Wendell had told him so couldn't think of what to make.
"Dobby!" he softly called.
"Yes, Master Harry?" asked the elf.
"Help us out, Dobs," he replied. "I can't think of anything to make for lunch. Wendell's got me all confuzzled over something."
Dobby took a long look at his master and said, "Dobby will cook. Master Harry Potter, Sir, be in no fit state to be cookings now."
"Master Harry Potter, Sir, be needing... damn it. I need to be cooking at the moment, because I need to think about something. And cooking helps me do that," explained Harry. "I tell you what; how about you be head chef and I help? That way you can teach me something."
"Dobby cannot be havings Master Harry Potter, Sir, helping Dobby," the elf firmly replied. "Wizards not be helping house elveses; house elveses be helping wizards. It be not right, other way 'round."
Harry sighed, stood there and massaged the bridge of his nose. Taking his hand away he said, "Fine! You cook or make lunch and I'll go find something else to do."
"Thank you, Master Harry!" declared the elf, happy he wouldn't have his master in the way when he was trying to do his job. Then got right to it as Harry walked back out of the kitchen trying to think of something else to do.
As he walked out and into the main part of the house he almost collided with the senior male auror currently stationed there. "Sorry!" he blurted.
"No, My Lord," replied the auror. "My fault."
Harry was about to disagree when he just shook it off and asked, "Where is everyone?" And negligently gestured.
The auror looked off into the distance for a moment before he looked back and replied, "Mister Granger is in his office, Madam and Miss Granger are up in Miss Granger's room on the top floor."
"Hunh!" said Harry, giving a verbal nod. "Thank you."
The auror gave a small smile and a nod before he moved off downstairs towards the servants' quarters, while Harry headed for the stairs heading up.
He'd go see the two ladies and hoped he wasn't interrupting something important.
_β_
β==(oIo)==β
Λ
Hermione and her mother were chatting and had been catching up with what was going on with the wider Granger and Puckle families - Puckle was Monica's maiden name. However, that's only what Hermione thought was going on. Monica was subtly trying to work out just how in love her daughter was with the 'messy, raven-haired boy with those enchanting green eyes' who was their current guest.
To that end, she also had her daughter telling her stories about the boy. She was using the words and terms her daughter used about him, together with her expressions, to gauge that.
She'd finally developed a very good idea when there was knock on the door.
"Come in!" Hermione called. It was, after all, her room.
The door gently opened to see Harry standing there. To Hermione he looked a little confused. Then, when he looked at her, he appeared slightly more confused.
"Harry?" she asked. "What's wrong?"
He gave himself a little shake, smiled at her and said, "Nothing, really. It's just something I need to figure out for myself.
"I just thought I would come up to see if you ladies had anything interesting to do."
"Don't you usually cook when at home and fly when at Hogwarts when you need to figure something out?" she asked.
He gave a nod and replied, "Yes, but I can't fly here and I just let Dobby toss me out of the kitchen. He's cooking lunch, by the way."
"You could always study," she suggested.
Harry looked back in shock for a moment before he suddenly grinned, snapped his fingers and said, "I knew there was something I needed to do! I'll be right back!"
He suddenly spun about and ran across the landing from the doorway and down the stairs.
Hermione looked at her mother and was about to say something when she heard Harry come running back up the stairs again.
He burst in through the still open doorway, holding a book. Excitedly, he walked across the room and handed it to her.
.
.
.
πThe novel is available in PDF with more than 400 chapters, visit us in our Ko-Fi storeπ
πko-fi.com/shihao123π