Like the other times, they split up at first. Lavender had a new project in mind and she was soon sewing away industriously while Parvati asked Flitwick a few questions. Inky brought the things Harry asked for and she and Padma helped Harry with cooking. When the potatoes had baked enough to have soft insides, Harry took them out of the oven and scooped out the steaming hot potato, leaving the skin intact.
Flitwick then taught them the Potato Mashing spell, and their first attempts sent potatoes flying everywhere. With a laugh, he gathered all the bits of errant potato and they worked together to learn the charm properly, watching the contents become smooth and lump-free. "Remember! Too much magic is just as ruinous as not enough in some cases," he said broadly.
"Why are you doing some by hand?" Padma asked.
"We've been trying something out," Harry explained as he mashed a bowlful of potato with a wooden spoon. "We've discovered that some batches taste different and we're trying to figure out why. So far the only difference between the different batches is some have had magic to prepare steps and others didn't."
"Ooh interesting," Padma said.
He mixed cheese, salt, pepper, and butter into the mashed potatoes and started refilling the skins with them.
"Oh that looks good already," Lavender said. "Parvati!"
"What?!" the girl said defensively, licking her lips.
"Don't eat from the bowl like that," Lavender laughed.
"She does it at home too," Padma sighed.
"So do you!"
The refilled potatoes were popped back into the oven and soon the air was rich with the scents of butter and cheese mingled pleasantly with the earthy potato. When they came out, they steamed. Flecks of black pepper dotted the creamy potato filling that was laced with strands of melting yellow cheese. They were topped with dollops of sour cream and a bit more butter and Harry offered a small pile of chopped chives. "Careful, the potatoes will be super hot," he warned. Each person took a half of the first batch.
"It's like better mashed potatoes," Lavender said, fanning her mouth. "Not as creamy as some I've had but the melted cheese is wonderful with it!"
"And you still get the nice crisp jacket outside," Padma said as she chewed blissfully. "This is great!"
"Mmm," Flitwick agreed. "Well worth the effort when you want something a bit more than a standard jacket potato."
After they finished the first ones, they started eating the second ones.
"Oh wow, there is a difference," Padma said. "This is still amazing but you can tell there's a difference."
"The texture is pretty similar," Parvati said as she chewed slowly. "Not quite the same but there's something else going on."
"Everything else is the same," Harry muttered to himself. "I weighed out the cheese and butter and even the salt and pepper."
"Is it just me, or does it taste even more different?" Lavender asked.
"What do you mean?" Padma said.
"For the biscuits and the muffins, they tasted different but not too different. These definitely taste more different." She frowned. "It's hard to explain."
"Wait, I think I get what you mean," Parvati said. "And I agree, there's more of a difference between these two."
"And the only difference is that one had a spell used and the other didn't?" Padma asked.
Lavender nodded. "Mmhmm. The last two things, Harry cast the mixing spell to mix the dough."
"And everyone cast the mashing spell today…" The students turned to look at Flitwick. The professor's forehead was furrowed and he was looking at the potatoes. He jumped up suddenly. "I got it! I think I understand why we taste a difference in things!"
"Really?" they cried.
Flitwick clapped his hands excitedly. "Yes! Oh my, it's rather obvious if you think about it. I just never have in this connotation before!" He spread his arms wide. "We are tasting the magic!"
Harry, Lavender, Parvati, Padma looked at each other. "You can taste magic?" Harry asked.
"Apparently!" He was bouncing up and down on his feet. "This is a bit above your school level but you will come to learn that every magical's magic has a distinct signature. Much like when you sign your name with quill and ink. It is yours, specific to you. Granted there are means to mimic and forge it, but you can tell the differences if you try hard enough."
He started pacing, like he did during class when he was lecturing. "Now you all have learned the Wand-Lighting Charm, yes? Splendid. Please, would you all cast it?"
.....
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