A Taste of Magic

Chapter 28: 28th Course - Lettered Concern

"Boy! What's the hold up?"

"Almost done," Harry called back through gritted teeth. He continued to stir the sauce in the pan, tasting it for seasoning, and sprinkled in a pinch of salt. "I just wanted to make sure it's good since it's for Aunt Marge."

"Leave the boy be," Marge Dursley said from the dining room, her disdain for Harry plain. "It's all he's good for anyways." She said something more quietly and the Dursleys roared in appreciative laughter.

Harry continued to stir the sauce, trying to ignore them. He had known what to expect when Marge's visit was announced. She was a very opinionated woman and was not shy in making her opinions known, especially to the one she was making the opinions of. Even more so when said opinions were quite rude.

She had never liked Harry and it was mutual. She used to set her dog on Harry before he became the full-time cook, delighting in giving Dudley gifts and giving Harry nothing but harsh words. When he became the cook, she would constantly criticize his efforts and decry his cooking as fit for dogs.

Which never stopped her from cleaning her plate before, he thought rebelliously. Guess that makes you a dog too, at least a kind of one.

The summer with the Dursleys was going as well as Harry expected it to. The second he returned from Hogwarts; he was expected to make up for not being at Surrey for the whole year. Party after dinner party was thrown, almost several times a week, and Harry had to purchase, prepare, and cook everything as per usual.

Luckily, he had been able to practice here and there while at school and his skills were still sharp. He was able to do his homework and personal reading during the day and keep up with that. This time, no one interfered with his post so he regularly wrote to his friends and delighted in receiving letters from them in turn.

He smiled a little, thinking about the end of the school year. With the closure of the Chamber of Secrets and bringing a basilisk to justice, the end of the year was fairly normal. There was the rush to prepare and study for final exams and like the last year, they met as a group and studied together while he was still able to cook and eat with his friends. Consequently, he earned very good marks and was high up there in the class rankings, something he was proud of.

At the end, there was a bit of a shock. Dobby had appeared and he was going to be employed at Hogwarts, receiving pay and clothes that he wanted. He had apologized to Harry for his actions in 'helping' him. The apology was earnestly, and nervously, delivered because Inky, Quarters, and a few other House Elves had accompanied Dobby and held him at implement point essentially. They were still very furious with him for what he did. Inky told Harry later that he would be under close eye if he tried to approach Harry with Quarters making a vague reference to smashed knees while waiving his swagger stick threateningly.

The others had given Dobby some strange looks and Hermione had been drawn into a debate at how House Elves were treated and how they thought, something Luna, Sue, Millicent, and even Neville had gotten into as well. Pansy had looked at Dobby strangely and later said it was odd to hear what he did having known him somewhat from childhood. In the end, Harry was grateful for his friends among the House Elves and while he 'forgave' Dobby, he certainly would not forget the odd elf's idea of helping.

Harry sighed, no longer able to ignore the snide complaints coming from the dining room. He finished the sauce and poured it into a sauce boat and put it on a tray. He then put the steaks he had resting on their plates and added a few stalks of asparagus and a spoonful of roasted potatoes to each plate. A basket of rolls was put on last and he carried it all to the dining room.