Spices, Secrets, and Sibling Rivalries

"He was not taught, not like us," Percy said firmly. "Look, obviously this was all a very unfortunate misunderstanding." He pointed at the twins. "Do not mess with him anymore. If he legitimately does something that upsets you, let me know." He looked back at Ron. "And leave him be. Do not think I have not noticed how Finnegan continues to spread those rumors and say those things. You do not have to be friends with Potter but do not let this misunderstanding continue to fuel your ire."

The three Weasleys opened their mouths to protest but they shut them abruptly, quailing at the incredibly severe look that Percy gave them.

"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist," Fred muttered.

"Thanks a lot," George muttered, poking Ron.

"It wasn't my fault," Ron growled back.

"That. Is. Enough." Percy's tone was a very final one that caused his three brothers to fall silent. "Let us go about our day then." He turned to walk away.

"Kinda funny how you're so willing to defend him," George said wryly.

"Is it?" Percy turned halfway and raised an eyebrow at them. "After seeing what he has endured, I can understand what he is going through."

"You can?" Fred asked, surprised.

"Yes. I know exactly what it is like to speak and be heard but not listened to. And to be mocked for liking something different." He turned and walked away completely, leaving a very quiet corner behind him.

.....

Hedwig came flying down, dodging nimbly around other post and family owls. Spreading her wings wide, she landed neatly in front of Harry and hooted a hello before walking daintily up the table to approach Parvati. She held a leg out, revealing a small package tied neatly.

"Thanks Hedwig!" Parvati said as she undid the ties. She looked a little confused when Hedwig looked at her expectantly.

"She wants some of your bacon," Harry whispered loudly. "For a job well done."

"Oh! Here you go." Parvati giggled when Hedwig carefully accepted the piece of bacon and gobbled it down noisily.

"Do you need her to send some post too?" Harry asked.

Lavender shook her head, smiling when Hedwig took the piece she offered. "Maybe later. But I wanted to give her a piece because she's beautiful and adorable."

Hedwig fluffed up, sticking her chest out and gave Harry a smug look.

"Hey, I tell you that all the time," Harry laughed. He shook his head when she helped herself to the bacon on his plate.

"Ooh, Grandmum sent us a little pack of our family garam masala." Parvati continued to read the letter. "She says it's fine if you learn the recipe, unless you mess it up. Then you'll be cursed by our ancestors." She looked at Harry. "I'm pretty sure she's kidding."

"Better not mess it up to be on the safe side," he gulped. "I got the rest of the ingredients Padma wrote out. Some were delivered from a grocer that had a mail order list and others I got from the kitchens."

Lavender clapped her hands with glee. "This is so exciting! Can we do it tonight?"

"I'll check with Padma but I hope so!" She opened the small packet of potent spices and took a whiff. "Mmm, it smells like home."

"Your home smells very nice," Harry said with a smile when he sniffed delicately from the spice bag.

"Yeah." Parvati's tone became wistful. "Guess I didn't know how much I missed it."

....

"I'm sorry, I don't know if Grandmum is kidding or not," Padma said seriously. "She says things like that all the time and she's a witch too so…" She shrugged.

"I better not mess it up then," Harry said in a half-resigned and half-determined tone.

The four of them were in the clubroom and after bringing a few things, Inky said she would be in and out but they could call on her whenever. They set everything up on the long preparation table and set the pot on the hob, letting it warm.

Padma looked at Harry with interest as he diced the onion. "Wow, you look like one of our aunties right now."

"Really?" Harry asked though he kept his eyes on the cutting board as he continued to dice.

"Oh Auntie Anvi," Parvati said. "Yeah I agree. She runs a restaurant where our family lives in India."

Harry looked up and his eyes sparkled. "You think so?"

Padma smiled, seeing his joy. "Yes, she is a very good cook and she's the fastest chopper and dicer in our family. Her cooking is really good. I think the recipe is one of hers actually."

"What are we making?" Lavender asked as she helped clean things with a combination of water and soap and the Scouring Charm.

"Butter chicken. That was one of the easier recipes to follow," Padma said.

"I love butter chicken!" Lavender said brightly. "I'm so excited and hungry."

"We're also going to make roti," Parvati said as she measured out the ingredients. "I can make that at least."

After finishing preparing the ingredients, they clustered around the hob and Harry followed Padma's instructions as she read from the recipe. "Too bad we couldn't get any ghee. What is ghee by the way?" Harry asked as he dropped butter into the pan.

"It's clarified butter," Padma read. "A different kind of butter. But regular butter is just fine."

"Gosh that smells amazing," Lavender sighed as the onions sizzled in the butter. After softening and turning translucent around the edges, garlic and ginger was added, making things even more fragrant. Harry then added the spices, including the Patil family garam masala. "Okay, now that smells amazing," Lavender said as the air became aromatic and spicy.

"That smells like home," Parvati said wistfully.

"It really does," Padma said softly.

"What kind of spice is garam masala?" Harry asked. "Sorry for the questions, I really like learning about things like this."

"I don't mind at all," Padma said. "It's a mixture of spices. It means 'hot' and 'spices' but it's not always super spicy. The spices can include cinnamon, peppercorns, coriander seeds, all sorts of things. But every family has their own mixture and that's the secret."

"They're always debating which one is better," Parvati said. "Sometimes they make the same dish but with their own masala mixes and try to say which is better. It can get pretty heated."

Padma started giggling. "One time, one of our uncles tasted a bunch of them and picked one that he thought was his wife's but he was wrong!"

Parvati laughed. "Auntie chased him around the house for that!"

At Padma's direction, Harry added the chicken that had been marinated in yogurt and other spices in small batches. Once the chicken was cooked slightly, he added the crushed tomatoes and stirred. "Now we wait for it to mostly finish and then add the cream?"

"That's it," Padma said. She nodded with approval. "It looks really good."