A Taste of Magic

Chapter 37: 37th Course - Stand the Heat

"I wish I could be there to watch you crush Malfoy," Parvati said. "There's no way you'll lose to that pompous prat."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Harry said, somewhat distracted. He was looking through his two cookbooks and making notes on his wax tablet.

"You can't possibly think you'll lose," Hermione said, incredulous.

"I really don't think I will," Harry said, chewing on his quill feather. "But there's always a chance I mess up and there's a chance he'll make something that tastes really good. I don't want to get cocky or…what's that word where I mess up by being too cocky?"

"Complacent?" Lavender offered.

"Yeah, that. I don't want to be that." Harry wiped the tablet clean with a tap of his wand and went back to scribbling. "Besides, I don't want to just win, it has to taste good too. And it has to be something the judges will want to eat and like."

"So everyone who was picked by you two agreed to be judges?" Parvati asked. She hummed when Harry nodded. "Well, Seamus will probably vote for you just to spite Draco. He and you don't get along really but he hates Draco on principle. Right Ron?"

Ron nodded. "He really doesn't like Malfoy."

"I'm not counting on that," Harry said, "and like I said, I want it to be good too."

"Terry is nice," Padma said. "He doesn't have any odd tastes in food or doesn't lean a certain way in what he likes or doesn't like I don't think."

"I still can't believe you picked Hannah," Neville said. "Sorry Susan."

"Oh don't apologize, I can't believe you picked Hannah," Susan said. "I wasn't kidding, she really thinks you're her nemesis."

"Yeah but will she vote against me just because of that?" Harry asked with a slight huff.

"No," Susan said stoutly. "She has standards and she also hates Malfoy so she won't." After a moment she shrugged. "At least, she shouldn't."

"Would Smith and MacMillan join with Malfoy because they're all Society?" Lavender asked.

"Uhm, Smith might. He's an arse that way and he is really snooty about being in Society," Susan said after some thought. "Ernie doesn't like the Malfoys much but he is pretty deep set in thinking that Society families are better and all that. So probably not a bad choice in the end for Hannah."

"Wait, people really would vote for other Society families even if they don't think they legitimately won the contest?" Hermione asked.

"Some do," Neville said with Susan agreeing.

"That's not right," Hermione said, shocked.

"That's politics," Neville said. "Half the deals in the Wizengamot are from members buying votes and support."

"The whatagot?" Harry asked.

"Wizengamot. It's the body of government in the Ministry," Susan explained. "The Heads of the families that are a part of it sit on it and they determine laws and people can be trialed by them and all sorts of things. It's the pillar of governance going back to when Wizarding Britain was founded."