Harry tucked in, satisfied in heart while satisfying his stomach. The thick red sauce clung to the noodles perfectly, creamy and satisfying. The meat was soft and the vegetables were softer still, falling apart with the slightest pressure. The noodles were chewy, slightly past al dente as he preferred them to be, and it was a very warm and satiating dish.
"Go ahead and take more if you want," he encouraged. "There's plenty of sauce for the House Elves and Professor Flitwick, I can always boil more noodles."
"Don't have to tell me twice," Parvati said. "Thank you, Harry! This is delicious."
"This is a Muggle dish?" Neville asked.
Harry nodded. "There's a place called Bologna in Italy where the sauce is supposed to come from. But there's been so many variations on the recipe. Oh!" He looked at the Patil sisters. "Kinda like curries come to think of it."
"That's a nice comparison," Padma said. "Same name, different ways to make it."
"That's so strange," Pansy said. "Not like potions at all where it's usually all done the same way. Though I suppose there are people who try to come up with different procedures."
"We'll have to ask Zabini if he's familiar with this," Millicent. "He's Italian. Or at least half of him is."
"The annoying half," Pansy said and she and Millicent burst out laughing.
"Nah, both halves are annoying," Millicent snickered.
"Oh so you lot mock each other too then," Sue observed.
"We usually do it inside the House," Millicent said. "But yeah, we do."
"How did Hedwig not get messy?" Parvati said, watching Hedwig finish her plate and not a drop of sauce on a single feather.
"She's very talented," Harry praised. "But she can be messy when she wants to be." He sighed when she dipped her beak in a bit of remaining sauce and wiped it on his cheek, making the others laugh uproariously. "See?"
They ate until each person was very full. Inky came and went, delivering Flitwick's portion and taking her and the other Elves' share gleefully while dropping off some more groceries for them. After they finished studying, Lavender and Harry made biscuits and they sat around, smelling the biscuits bake.
"Look at you acting like an expert baker," Parvati laughed.
"Harry's the expert, but I'm getting better," Lavender said proudly. "It's fun now that I know how to do it better." The biscuits were placed on racks to cool but a good portion of them would not survive long, eaten eagerly by everyone there.
"Mmm, they're great," Neville said happily. "Even better than the ones I've had at home and our Elves are really good bakers."
"Where did the recipe come from?" Hermione asked as she chewed blissfully on one.
"Harry's recipe," Lavender smiled. "It's so simple but really nice. Everyone at home said it was good." She bit into one and shook her head. "Yours are still better."
"I've had more practice than you," Harry said. "Yours taste super good," he praised, making her smile brightly.
"Is it me or is there a difference between them?" Sue asked. "No offense, but when you said Harry's taste really good, they really do. Not to say yours don't of course, Lavender, but there's a difference."
"None taken!" Lavender said spritely. "We've learned that magic leaves a taste in things and Harry's been practicing on what leaves more of a taste and what doesn't. But Harry's cooking does taste super good, doesn't it?"
"Magic leaves a taste?" Sue and Hermione looked really interested.
"Oh yeah, we've been exploring that and hope to figure out more later," Harry said.
"Wish I knew about this sooner," Sue sighed. "I'll be sure to join next year. Especially if I can eat some different things. I've missed home cooking too while here."
"That's how we've been getting our fix for home cooking," Parvati said and Padma nodded.
"Thanks for organizing this," Padma said as they cleaned up the clubroom and were getting ready to leave. "I think the group studying helped a lot, not to mention eating Harry's wonderful cooking."
"Can we do it again?" Neville asked eagerly with others nodding and making noises of assent.
"We can try. Professor Flitwick doesn't think I'll burn down the castle anymore," Harry laughed. "But we can still meet and study together elsewhere too."
"Thank you for inviting us," Pansy said softly and sincerely.
"Yeah, this was great," Millicent smiled.
With waves and goodbyes, they all split off to go to their respective common rooms.
"Good idea Parvati," Lavender said to her best friend.
"I'm full of them," Parvati said smugly.
"Full of something alright," Lavender smiled, giggling when Parvati shoved her.
"You really have cooked for a very long time," Hermione said frankly to Harry. "I'll admit I didn't think much of it but what you made today, you can't deny that."
"Like I said, I've had a lot of practice," Harry said quietly.
"It was really good, thanks Harry," Neville said.
"I'm glad," Harry smiled warmly. "It's nice cooking for you all."
.....
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