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Food has always been a complex and unforgiving issue in his life. Always missing salt, pepper or any other kind of fancy condiments. Even just the wrong atmosphere, mood or company could ruin a perfect dish. He had learned that the hard way. In every meal he shared with the Dursley´s as well as the particular way in which no matter what he ate on the anniversary of his parent's death everything would be sour or stale.
He was allowed to feel nervous, of that Harry was sure even if for everybody else this was just a common tradition that could become dull at times. No family dinner had ever been this inviting, at least not at the Dursley´s, but right now he was sharing the table with his found family of sorts. The friends he had made along the way and those who were there because they cared enough to show up even after all.
Cooking had been one of his chores since he could turn on the stove. His aunt had been glad to have some competent help around the kitchen even if she would never admit it. Even then he had gotten used to the usual complaints about his cooking. Not enough salt. Too much salt. Undercooked. Overcooked. Too dry. As well as the small fights that arose when cooking with someone else.
Now he had been barely allowed to help or step foot into the kitchen, the reason was one he found very disappointing. He didn't know the correct spells. Molly had made it seem as the only way to cook, the right way that didn't include any kind of muggle technique. And while he could see the point of using magic to help with chores like this he wasn't sure if it was worthwhile to relearn basic abilities.
Most of it was easy enough that magic just felt like a bit much and on the other side it was way more rewarding to pull off a difficult recipe without much help or guidance. Instead he was expected to learn the easy way, but that didn't feel right. Cooking was about experimenting a bit and while recipes and utensils make it easier it was always good to know why each step was there.
Instead of practicing the spells he decided to do it the Muggle way. Harry cooked an easy but great recipe, sweet potato purée. He had to ask Remus to buy what he needed and Sirius had offered to pay for it. The preparation hadn't taken long but according to the rest of the Weasley´s
it would be easier to just say it was made with magic if only to appease the most conservative wizards and witches .
Lying on any special date or to the people he cared about was not the best but still better than being interrogated by Molly especially for such idiotic reasons as cooking without magic. He knew that most of them wouldn't even mind it, Hermione would be proud of him putting effort into something for once while Ron would insist that magic could have saved him so much time and energy. In any case it didn't matter much at the moment, it was New Years eve and his friends and family were here, alive and happy.
He would savor every moment of this dinner, that might be the last one before any other trouble found them but for now it was enough. Harry was happy to be there and while he felt a bit guilty of every bad decision made there was no more time to wallow on it at least not tonight. Harry was happy and even if the thought sounded slightly selfish this was all he had ever wanted. No spell could make him feel happier and fulfilled than this, not even Felix Felicis.