Daughter of a Witch

The Great Dinner Disaster

The Vidal-Harkness household was unusually quiet for a summer afternoon. Y/n was home from college for the break, taking full advantage of the peace by lounging in the kitchen, her feet propped up on the counter, a half-empty bag of cereal cradled in her arm. She wasn't even bothering with a bowl-just pouring milk straight into the bag and eating it like an oversized snack.

That blissful silence, however, was shattered when Rio burst into the room, her expression a mix of panic and determination.

"HELP! I TOLD YOUR MOTHER I'D COOK DINNER TONIGHT, BUT I CAN'T COOK!"

Y/n barely glanced up, casually lifting the bag to get more cereal into her mouth. "And you thought I could help?"

Rio groaned, running a hand through her dark hair as she paced the kitchen. "I panicked, okay? I wanted to do something nice for Agatha, show her I'm... domesticated or whatever." She gestured wildly. "But I don't know how to boil water properly without setting off the smoke alarm."

Y/n sighed, setting down her makeshift snack. "Mom's going to know you didn't cook it yourself, anyway. You could burn cereal, and she'd still think it's cute."

"I am not burning cereal," Rio huffed, crossing her arms. "I just need to make something simple, edible, and impressive. That's not too much to ask, right?"

Y/n smirked, shaking her head. "Mom loves you. Just order takeout and throw it in a pot. She'll never know."

"Oh, she'll know." A new voice chimed in, and they both turned to see Agatha standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with an amused smile. "I can smell deception a mile away."

Rio let out an exaggerated groan. "Agatha! No listening in on my panic!"

"It's my house. I listen to everything," Agatha said smugly, stepping into the kitchen and kissing Rio's cheek. "Need some help, sweetheart?"

"No!" Rio said a little too quickly, pushing Agatha toward the door. "I've got this under control."

"That's what worries me," Agatha murmured but let herself be ushered out.

As soon as Agatha was gone, Rio turned to Y/n with renewed urgency. "Okay, we need a game plan. Do you think Lilia knows how to cook?"

"Lilia can bake like there's no tomorrow, but cooking? Not so much," Y/n replied, checking her phone. "Maybe Alice or Jen? They're always doing weird couple-y domestic things."

"Good idea!" Rio grabbed her phone and rapidly texted Alice. Minutes later, Alice and Jennifer strolled into the kitchen, holding hands and looking way too amused by the situation.

"So, you want our help cooking dinner?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jennifer grinned. "This is going to be fun."

"Why do you look like you're about to teach me illegal spells?" Rio asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Relax, it's just cooking," Alice reassured. "We've got a couple of foolproof recipes."

Y/n, munching on more cereal, watched Alice and Jennifer take charge. They pulled out ingredients Rio didn't even know they had and started delegating tasks.

"Nicky!" Y/n called out suddenly. "Come help!"

The fourteen-year-old peeked into the kitchen, headphones around his neck. "Help with what?"

"Helping our mom not burn the house down," Y/n said.

"I support that." Nicky joined in, grabbing a cutting board.

Billy wandered in not long after, his curiosity getting the best of him. "What's happening?"

"Mom promised to make Mama dinner, and we're trying to prevent a disaster," Y/n explained.

"Cool. I'm here for moral support," Billy said, leaning against the counter and watching the chaos unfold.

Soon enough, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of sizzling pans, clattering utensils, and Rio's increasingly frantic questions.

"Wait, how much garlic do we put in again?" Rio asked, holding up an entire bulb.

"Not that much!" Alice yelped, snatching it away.

"Oops," Rio muttered, dropping a handful of chopped onions into the pan with a dramatic flair.

Lilia finally arrived, curiously peering over Jennifer's shoulder. "I thought I smelled impending disaster."

"We've got it handled," Jennifer assured. "Mostly."

"I can bake us a cake for dessert, though!" Lilia offered excitedly.

"Please, yes. Something needs to turn out right tonight," Rio pleaded.

After what felt like hours but was probably only an hour and a half, they had managed to put together something that looked like a meal. Pasta with homemade sauce, a salad that Billy mostly picked the croutons out of, and garlic bread that miraculously wasn't burnt. Lilia's cake sat proudly on the counter, looking perfect and smelling divine.

"It actually smells... edible?" Rio said in awe.

"Have a little faith," Jennifer said proudly, wiping her hands.

"Okay, I need to go check on something important," Rio said, nudging Y/n. "Go distract your mom. You're her favorite. Just... keep her busy."

Y/n groaned but stood up, heading to find Agatha in the living room. She plopped onto the couch beside her mother. "Mom, wanna hear about the worst professor I had this semester?"

Agatha smirked knowingly. "Ah, so I take it Rio sent you to distract me?"

Y/n sighed dramatically. "Yeah, but I do have some pretty great complaints if you wanna humor me."

Agatha chuckled, patting Y/n's knee. "Go on, then. Let's hear it."

Back in the kitchen, Rio took a deep breath. "Alright, let's plate this thing and pray."

Just as they set the table, Agatha walked in, taking a deep breath. "Wow. I'm impressed."

Rio grinned, nervous but hopeful. "I told you I could do it."

Agatha kissed her cheek. "You did great, sweetheart." She glanced at the others and smirked. "Though I suspect you had a little help."

"What? No!" Rio said innocently. "Okay, maybe a little."

They all laughed and sat down to eat. As they dug into the meal, Agatha raised her glass. "To teamwork and not setting the kitchen on fire."

"Cheers!" everyone echoed.

Y/n nudged Rio under the table. "Next time, just order pizza."

Rio chuckled. "Oh, trust me. I'm never doing this again."