Harry Potter, Sovereign - Chapter 18

As Harry opened the door, he found himself in a small entry hall leading to a small circular room. Unlike the neutral glow present in the rock corridor, the lighting in the room was of a light brown color.

When he reached the small room, he realised that it was the center of vault, a circular one. What he though was an entry hall was in fact one of the aisles of the vault. The other 6 aisles had various items stored on shelves. These shelves were supported by the outer walls of the vault, and rock pillar at the entrances of the aisles. He walked absentmindedly through the aisles, glancing at the contents of the shelves. C.h.e.s.ts and cases, medieval weaponry and armors, earthenwares, glass vials and jars with various content, books and journals.

On the pillar facing the door was the Potter crest: a brown shield, 2 crossed white wands at its center, and a red dragon head at the foreground. Looking more carefully at the rest of the place, he noticed that the pillars, ground and ceilling had modest red and gold artistic paterns. That, with the crest and the brown light, hinted strongly to earth and fire. The 2 elements used in pottery.

“Potter” he whispered in reverence.

With that, Harry uncovered the humble origins of his family. People who worked the earth with fire. They started with clay in pottery and ores in smithing, adding some enchanting for magical effects. Later they added products from the land (magical plants and beasts parts) in potions.

He smiled, elation filling his heart. He wasn’t aware of his magic leaking out of his body in gentle waves, producing a soft breeze in the underground chamber. He also didn’t notice the place becoming warmer in response, the glow getting slightly stronger, as if welcoming a kin. To him, this place was the heart of his family.

He hadn’t felt that happy since he discovered that Sirius wasn’t a traitor. He may have been obsessed with killing the rat, but he never stopped caring about him. When he escaped from Azkaban, instead of going to The Burrow, he went to check on his godson in Surrey first. And now, Harry felt like he had been reunited with his family.

Thinking of his family reminded him of the other people looking after him. Mainly, the 2 ladies still waiting for him at the shores of the pond.

“I should get back. It took some time to come here, and it’s probably going to be noon soon. The girls are going to be hungry.”

With one last look around, he left the vault. Once outside, he briefly explained to the girls his discovery. They were happy for him, and Xuanzang even took him in her arms. He certainly enjoyed it since he was still half-n.a.k.e.d and her clothes were light. He quickly finished to dress himself and they went back to their base.

‘Cho my be pretty, but Xuanzang is in a completly different level… Damn, she’s gorgeous!’

He didn’t dare turn around to look at Vi, who kept pace behind them. He internally cringed, thinking about the teasing she would unleash on him if she caugh him checking her out. The shopping trip had been bad enough. The memory was enough to make him flush in embarrass.e.m.e.nt and arousal. Once they got back, Harry rushed to the kitchen to prepare lunch, letting Xunazang and Vi relate their little expedition.

Concerning Harry’s cooking, the summoned girls only experienced his breakfast, which was something simple. Milk, toasts, eggs and bacons. It was done mostly out of habit. However, this time, he was not cooking for hated relatives. With them, the slightest mistakes would result in either pain, starvation, or both. He had to get good at it, and he even studied foreign cooking, mainly french and spanish, in books. When the Dursleys invited guests, the meals had to be perfects or he would suffer.

This time, he was not cooking for them. He was cooking for beautiful ladies that were also his protectors and sworn allies. Furthermore, after discovering his family hidden vault, he was in a celebrating mood. Thus, he was very caring in the preparation of each ingredient, and each dishes. They came from different areas, so he wanted to make something that would suit all of them. He altered known dishes to make something new.

If he wasn’t so concentrated in his task, he would have heard 3 stomach growling, the owners of these stomachs entranced by the fragrant smell spreading around. Vi and Xuanzang, who were observing from afar while chatting, looked away in embarrass.e.m.e.nt. Scathach closed her mouth and hastly wiped the bit of droll that had started to leak.

Harry didn’t need to tell to prepare the table. When he was done and turned around, he found everyone already seated at the table. He blinked twice, seeing Camille seemingly ready to eat as well, but chose to not dwell on it. The girls eyes were fixated on each dishes he placed on the table, and Harry was quite pleased and slightly amused in his mind. They didn’t move until he sat down as well.

“Go ahead. Enjoy the meal.”

Harry didn’t move and watched them. Once they filled their plates, nearly at the same time, they scooped a and carried it to their mouths.

“”Mmmhhh!””

“Delicious” exclaimed Xuanzang, while the other nodded in agreement.

“Indeed” added Semimaris. “It is excellent.”

“Thanks” he said as he started serving himself. “I’m glad you like it.”

“If that’s what we can expect everyday, then you’re on permanent cooking duty” Vi said in a half-joking tone.

“Or I can teach you how to cook.”

“No way. Not my thing. I’ll let the expert deal with it.”

“Too bad, because I’ll leave for Hogwart in less than a month, and I won’t be back for 3 and half months. You’ll be on your own.”

Vi froze, and even the others, who were absentmindedly listening to the banter, slowed down. Harry just gave them an innocent smile. They soon resumed eating. It was the best meal he had since the end of the tournament, not just because of the quality of the food, but also the warm and relaxing setting.