An Interference of Portraits

A Gossip of Friends

Ron let out a low whistle of appreciation.

'Nice...' he nodded. Then he cracked open a Butterbeer and sipped it straight from the bottle as he sat down at the table in the breakfast-diner part of the long basement. It was the only original item I'd kept in the room because of the memories of sitting around it with Sirius and Remus.

Hermione was stood by the large French doors that I'd fitted out to the garden at the back. 'It's a bit of a mess out there,' she said.

I wrinkled my nose. 'Not a priority at the moment.'

Fuck knows when the last time was that anyone had nurtured anything in that garden. And I might have appreciated that Petunia had taught me a lot when it came to cooking and left me with a passion to keep exploring my culinary skills more, but I didn't feel the same way when it came to gardening despite aspiring to have a nice retreat out there one day. Maybe I'd have to get someone to come in to sort that one out.

'I think it stretches quite far back,' Hermione continued. 'Hard to tell with all those brambles and nettles.'

'I'm cooking a Panang curry, is that okay?' I diverted. 'Recipe I learnt in Laos.'

'Hell yeah,' said Ron, rattling open a copy of The Prophet that I'd left lying around.

'Anything I can do?' offered Hermione.

'Nah, just make yourself at home and help yourself if you want another drink.'

'How's Kreacher liking the new kitchen?' said Ron.

'Kreacher is liking it very much, Master Ronald,' said Kreacher, appearing out of nowhere beside Ron and make him jump out of his skin.

I smirked.

'Would Master Ronald be liking a glass with his Butterbeer?'

'No ta, it's fine just like this.'

Kreacher sneered slightly. 'And you, Mistress Hermione, can I be getting you a glass of that white wine you like? Master Harry has a bottle chilling in the new fridge in readiness.'

'Oh no thanks, Kreacher. I'll just have a water, please.'

I raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

'Master Harry, would you be liking a red wine?'

'Yeah, that'll be great, thanks.'

'And would Master Harry like Kreacher to choose which bottle again?'

'Yeah, thanks.'

Hermione watched with a mild frown on her face as Kreacher went to the new American Fridge/Freezer I'd brought and retrieved a bottle of mineral water. At least she knew better than to start any House-Elf Liberation S.P.E.W. shite with me and Kreacher. She understood better these days that giving Kreacher clothing and setting him 'free' would cause him psychological torment unless done under the right circumstances. Not that it was stopping her from ploughing forward with her act to have certain Magical Creatures properly defined and de-categorised.

Kreacher understood the concept of being 'free', he just didn't want it. He had stayed at Hogwarts while I was away but he was deeply unhappy away from Grimmauld Place and as soon as he heard I'd returned, he went to see Professor McGonagall and asked for immediate release from his employment at the school. These things needed careful management. Besides, Kreacher was hideously protective of me these days, though he still wore that awful fake locket around his neck and whatever my experience and knowledge, I still didn't dare ask him to take it off.

We waited for Kreacher to finish doing drinks and laying the table and disappear off again before we continued. I joined them at the table while the rice cooked.