Flitwick’s Favor and Ron’s Grudge

Flitwick hummed for a moment. "Strictly speaking, the classroom should be for club activities and while I do not doubt your skills anymore Mister Potter, I don't know if it's wise to let you cook without supervision. In case of emergency."

"Would it make you feel better to know I've cooked by myself for years?" Harry asked.

Flitwick blinked and the girls looked at him once more. "Well, yes and no," he said.

"What if we do practice some of the charms we've learned while we're using the clubroom?" Lavender asked.

"And we promise to be extra careful," Parvati said.

Flitwick smiled gently. "That would be considered club activities, and I am enthused knowing Miss Patil would be joining you. I always like seeing inter-House interactions, especially when it's one of my own. I suppose as long as you have one of the House Elves keeping an eye on things-" his smile grew when Inky popped into the classroom.

"Inky volunteers!" the House Elf said happily.

"You aren't neglecting your other duties of course?" Flitwick asked.

The House Elf gave him a jaundiced look. "Inky would never! Inky will keep an eye and ear out on Mister Harry and the others and other House Elves will help too."

"They will?" Padma asked, surprised.

"As long as they get to eat," Inky said. "They like Mister Harry's cooking too."

"Which brings me to my next condition," Flitwick continued. "I would like to try whatever you are making as well."

"Of course," Harry said with a large smile. "Are we allowed to then?"

"I suppose you are," Flitwick said. He looked about with exaggerated caution. "Don't tell anyone else, however. I would hate to be accused of favoritism."

.....

"I didn't do anything," Ron complained.

"Neither did we," the twins complained.

Percy sighed but continued to push his brothers into a corner of the common room. "Yes you did and I want to get to the bottom of this." He gave them all a severe look and privately lamented when none of them seemed to be all that affected by it.

He took a deep breath. "Why were you two messing with Potter at Flying club?"

"Who said we were?" the twins retorted, incensed.

"Oliver."

"And he came running to you? Boo," George grunted.

"Because he was concerned," Percy said evenly.

"For Potter?" Fred asked.

"And for the both of you, saying it was uncharacteristic."

That mollified the twins slightly. After staying silent for a moment longer they shrugged. "Okay, maybe we were messing with him, but just a little," George confessed.

"I already knew that. I want to know why," Percy pressed.

"Because of Ron," Fred said.

"I didn't tell them to do that!" Ron protested.

"Not in so many words," George said, waggling his hand.

"Enough!" Percy pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. "Ron, why did you say something that Fred and George would want to mess with Potter over? What has he done to you?"

"He had a go at Mum," Ron muttered.

Percy opened his eyes and looked at Ron with a very serious expression. "I sincerely doubt that Potter insulted our mother."

"So I'm a liar?" Ron retorted, cheeks going red.

"I did not say that," Percy said as patiently as he could, ignoring the looks from the twins. "What I am saying, based on what I have seen from Potter, I do not think he deliberately insulted her."

"So you'd trust someone else instead of family?" George and Fred said with disgust.

"Please," Percy snorted. "You two mislead people all the time and we all know that everyone in the family is guilty of misunderstanding things."

"Fair enough." The twins shrugged.

Percy looked back at Ron. "What did Potter say exactly?"

"It was weeks ago," Ron said weakly.

"Try and remember."

Ron thought hard. "Well he seemed nice at first. When the snack cart came, he got a lot of candy and he traded me a bunch for the sandwiches Mum makes. He ate one and asked if I knew how she made them and I said like how anyone makes a sandwich. He said it tasted different from other corned beef he had and I got mad."

"Different does not mean bad," Percy said. "Did he actually say it tasted bad?"

"No, he said it tasted good, just different," Ron said lamely. He flushed at the looks from his older brothers. "But then he kept saying how weird the candy was!"

"Ron, did he grow up in a magical family?" Percy asked.

"No, he said he grew up with Muggles."

"Then of course he would find things to be odd," Percy sighed.

"He wouldn't shut up about talking about food and cooking and things," Ron grumbled.

"You'd think you'd like that considering you eat a lot," Fred grinned.

"So do you two!" Ron shouted.

Percy held his hand up. "So do we all but that is not the point. Clearly cooking and food is something Potter is interested in. He was most likely trying to connect with you."

"It's weird though," Ron said mulishly. "I told him that wizards and witches don't really care about cooking and stuff like that."

"It is no weirder than you enjoying Quidditch and the Chudley Cannons so much," Percy said.

"The Cannons are great!"

"No they aren't," the twins said.

"Enough," Percy said again, keeping the ensuing argument from happening.

"It's not my fault!" Ron said angrily. "He's weird! He cares more about cooking and food. He was eating potion ingredients! That's not normal!"

"Ron, he does not know," Percy repeated. "How could he? Yes, we know not to do that but we were raised differently. Everyone has different interests. That is normal."

"He should know," Ron insisted.