----> Ardor

[Andromeda Potter]

Andromeda had long ago come to the conclusion that house elves were poor, defenseless creatures stuck in an unwarranted system of servtitude and someone really needed to do something about it. Witnessing the way her parents treated the house elves in her childhood home hadn't really done anything to change her thinking.

But that was all long before she met Kreecher.

She remembered that day as if it was only yesterday [and, indeed, it had only been a month or so ago]. It was the day she and James were half-moving into Grimmauld Place so that if there was an emergency they could movely comfortably from their home to headquarters, and Andromeda had noticed him sulking in the corner. Sirius had then filled her in that his parents had always used one of the better tempered elfs whenever her family visited, which was why she'd never seen him before.

But that was not the point.

"Sexists," Andromeda muttered menacingly as she turned the knob on the ancient stove and threw an ugly look at the stairs, which sounds of Sirius and James' laughter were drifting down, "It's not like they've got anything better to do, but oh no! Either the girl's got to cook or the house elf. Where is that damn elf anyways?"

She cast look around the vast kitchen to make sure Kreecher wasn't lurking in a shadowy corner somewhere.

He wasn't.

Feeling satisfied that at least one good thing was going for her today, Andromeda turned back to the stove, which was taking it's own sweet time to come to full heat. Opening various cupboards, she took a brief glance around to see what was available for dinner that evening. Once she had pulled out all the food from the shelves - they really needed to do some shopping - Andromeda asessed her ingredients carefully.

"Broccoli, chicken, potatoes...," she muttered to herself, "Only one thing possible -stir fry."

[Chloe Merrit]

((ack! Sorry this didn't get posted earlier. My internet went all funky.))

Chloe had long since lost herself into the fiction of her wizarding novel. Her only link back to reality was the raucous laughter that floated down the stairs and echoed in the kitchen. As much as she hated to admit, Chloe knew that laugh. James Potter (her best friend Andromeda's husband) and his mate Sirius Black (Andy's cousin) seemed to find anything and everything about their current situation hysterical. Under normal circumstances, Chloe would have gone upstairs at least twice to see what in the world could be so hilarious. But Miss Merrit was lost in her novel. THe romance the book contained made her either wistful or bitter, depending on her day, and the dialogue was comical enough for giggling Chloe to earn stares from random passersby. A heroic battle was interupted by the sound of footsteps entering the nearby kitchen.

The clatter of pots and pans broke Chloe's reverie and she was once again reminded of her empty stomach. Mr. Clive, Chloe's boss at the Oraia Spiti, was forcing punctuality by stripping any late arrivals of their lunch hour. Chloe was not one for punctuality, so she had not had a lunch break in a few days. THe Gryffindor alumnus wasn't very keen on eating breakfast each morning either, so dinner was the only meal poor Chloe got. For once she was glad to stop reading.

Chloe stood with a stretch to investigate who would be making dinner. Once arriving in the kitchen, Chloe saw none other than Andromeda Potter. The girls had been best friends since what seemed like forever. Actually, they had met in fifth year at Hogwarts during Charms. Andy was always the smarter of the duo when it came to Charms, their meeting was no different. The professor had paired them up to perform the Jelly Legs Jinx on one another for the remainder of class. Needless to say, Chloe left the classroom with more than just wobbly legs. She left with a friendship that continued to grow.

"Broccoli, chicken, potatoes...Only one thing possible -stir fry."

Chloe smiled to herself before making the trip from the counter to the fridge in search of a butterbeer. "Andy, I'm so glad you decided to make me dinner!" She joked before grabbing a bottle out of the refridgerator. "D'you want a butterbeer?"


((you don't mind if I call her Andy do you? Andromeda is so time consuming. ))

[Andromeda Potter]

The sound of footsteps on the ricketty wooden staircase announced clearly to Andromeda more than just the arrival of company, but also the arrival of a little helper. Or perhaps it was simply Arthur Weasley coming down so that he might collect the numerous rolls of parchment left on the scrubbed wooden table after the meeting from earlier in the day. Imagine leaving top-secret information laying about like last week's newspaper. Honestly, as other people were just becoming lazy, Andromeda was becoming the cook and general maid.

"Andy, I'm so glad you decided to make me dinner!"

A small smile spread across Andromeda's face as she recognised the unmistakeable voice of her oldest friend, Chloe Merrit. That sort of flattery and charm simply could not be confused with anything else in this world of sarcasm.

Without turning around to greet her friend, Andromeda grabbed a loaf of bread off of the counter and threw it behind her should for Chloe to catch. "Well, now that you're here, you can start slicing the bread for grilled cheese!" she suggested as though it was the most exhilerating prospect in the world, "After all, Bill Weasley's on holiday and Molly can't have her precious baby exerting himself on something as difficult as Asian stir-fry."

She grinned and turned around, "Plus, I've always had a weakness when there's sourdough bread involved.

"D'you want a butterbeer?"

Andromeda accepted the offered bottle and uncapped it with the same hand as she set busily to chopping the chicken into small cubes. Butterbeer was truly the most wonderful delight in the world. It was warm and comforting when needed, but could also be cool and refreshing at times like this when, although it was the middle of December, Andromeda was sweating profusely from how hot and stuffy the kitchen basement happened to be.

[Chloe Merrit]

"Well, now that you're here, you can start slicing the bread for grilled cheese!"

Chloe turned to her friend just in time to see a loaf of bread flying towards. Luckily, the bread landed in her arms. Chloe looked at her friend with a sense of bewilderment, Andromeda had a really good arm. She didn't miss the slight sarcasm hinted in Andy's exclamation, and Chloe made sure to reply with as much enthusiasm.

"If only I had this pleasure every day of my life." She sighed wistfully for effect before searching through drawers for a knife. It took about three tries in various kitchen drawers and Chloe found each and every other kitchen utensil before finding a bread knife. "It's a good thing I know where everything is," Chloe remarked, sarcasm dripped from every syllable. Chloe set down her already half-gone butterbeer and got to slicing bread.

"After all, Bill Weasley's on holiday and Molly can't have her precious baby exerting himself on something as difficult as Asian stir-fry.Plus, I've always had a weakness when there's sourdough bread involved.
"

A small giggle escaped Chloe's lips before she turned to meet Andromeda's gaze, "how in the world is Asian stir-fry difficult? Not that I'm complaining, I adore grilled cheese." The brunette held up her hands and turned back to her bread, sneaking a slice and offering the other half to Andromeda.

"How's Jamesie doing?" Chloe asked after swallowing. She had always used the nickname for Andy's husband. Somehow it completely contradicted yet defined the raven-haired man.