During the Triwizard Tournament, Pomona made a French fish stew for the Beauxbatons guests. At first, she had been thinking about what to cook for Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian athlete. She had heard that athletes were very particular about their diets, especially professional Seekers.
Quidditch players in interschool leagues did not have to worry about such things. They happily ate the high-fat, high-calorie food made in the Hogwarts kitchens.
Then she discovered all sorts of canned fish, over seven hundred varieties in all.
These canned foods did not use preservatives either. Vinegar, smoking, and salt were commonly used for preservation. There was also canned herring in tomato sauce, whose tomato juice could effectively remove the fishy smell from the meat.
Draco had smelled that Swedish canned herring and remembered it vividly. In the Durmstrang dining hall, many people opened the cans with the ease of long familiarity, as though they could not smell it at all, and ate with great relish.
It was a local habit, much like blue cheese. Those who liked it found its flavor more pungent and intense than ordinary cheese.
Draco had run back from Durmstrang. When he left, he took the House-elf Dobby with him. Dobby used Apparition several times to bring Draco back to Malfoy Manor, and then Draco was "beaten" by Lucius, who had rushed back as soon as he received the news.
Lucius was not like Arthur, who, in a rage, would put Fred over his knee and spank him. He merely struck Draco unexpectedly with his cane. It might not have hurt much, but it was enough to make Draco quake with fear.
Narcissa would not write a Howler like Molly, either, then send it to school by owl to scold Ron in front of the entire school in the Great