Harry Potter: Raised By Roses

Chapter Thirty-One: Secrecy

(I just love that show.)

The feast at Crystal Rose was as grand as ever. The entire hall decked out in decorations made by their own magic. And as usual, the food was to die for.

"I have no idea how I manage to live without spanakopita in my life at school," Harry took another bite of the dish.

Spanakopita, meaning spinach pie, is a Greek savory pastry, typically with spinach and feta cheese filling. It is similar to the börek pastry of other eastern Mediterranean cultures. Greeks have been eating these pies since ancient times. One of the earliest references to one comes from the poet Philoxenos in the fifth century B.C. Philoxenos writes that at the end of a banquet the hosts served a cheesecake made with milk and honey that was baked like a pie.

Growing up on traditional Greek food had really driven home on each of the trio's favorite food. Harry, even though he was not a vegetarian in the least, loved vegetable dishes because of how he channels animal abilities. While he eats meat, he likes to think that the animals that died to give them the meat all lived happy and long lives before dying of natural causes. Plus, he was a big fan of cheese, and spanakopita usually has a lot of feta or ricotta in it.

Krinos and Melody were similar to him but technically have lived in Greece for longer than him. Krinos has always had a sweet tooth, so he loved lokma. They were basically Greek donuts but soaked in a sweet syrup or honey and sometimes rolled in cinnamon-sugar. He, of course, would prefer a sweet fruit syrup on his lokma since fresh fruit was one of his favorite things to grow in his garden. Melody might look like all thin and like she only eats salad, but the girl likes her food heavy and filling. Her favorite is a traditional lamb gyro with tzatziki. You'd be surprised how a little lady like her could make an entire gyro disappear in less than five minutes, but she makes it happen. Though, she does like the tomato and onion cooked for her gyros since she does not like raw vegetables in anything other than a salad or slaw.

"What is with you and cheese, anyway," Krinos asked, chuckling at his brother.

"Nothing can beat a good cheese when you need to satisfy your appetite," Harry responded. "Don't believe me, ask anyone here that is from Italy."

"I do love a lot of parmesan when I eat pasta," Melody giggled.

"Or a good cannoli with that sweet ricotta filling," Krinos licked his lips as he thought of the Italian dessert.

"Ask and they shall appear," Sofia giggled as she slid next to the Gardna family with a plate of cannoli.

"Sofia, you are now my favorite person in the whole world," Krinos took the whole plate from her.

"Hey," his siblings protested.

"Bring me a dessert and I might change my mind," Krinos smirked at them.

"You bring any more cheese, Sofia," Harry jokingly asked the shapeshifter.

"Just because I am Italian does not mean that I am a walking cheese factory," Sofia cutely pouted.

"We're just teasing," Harry patted her playfully on the head. "You know we love you."

"You love us too, right," Abby was next to slide next to them along with Hestia.

"We were basically raised around each other until we had to go to Hogwarts," Melody grinned. "It was either love you guys or have a very miserable childhood."

"When you're a mystic soul, you do have to make friends and allies or the future would not be very bright," Olivia says.

All the younger mystic souls nodded in agreement with the time mage. Unlike with wand users that rely a lot on politics to deal with each other and make allies or enemies, mystic soul politics are solely for survival. While not all mystic souls were good, just like every other kind of human-like being on earth, there were those that rely on each other.