Should I Go Back to Sleep Tonight?

By the time Cassandra finished the last page of her second lesson plan, it was already dark outside.

She set down her Quill, flexed her wrist, and glanced toward the windowsill.

Harry was still sitting there, one leg bent up against the edge of the sill, his arm resting on his knee as he stared out the window.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

Harry turned around.

"A little."

"Then I'll make something. You go take the dishes out of the cabinet."

Harry stood and walked over to the small cupboard in the corner, then opened its door.

Inside were several shallow plates and two soup bowls stacked neatly together. He took them out one by one and set them on the table.

Cassandra took several containers from the little refrigerator in the corner, opened them and checked what was inside, then turned and set a pan on the stove.

Harry noticed the brief pause when she lifted the lids, as though she only relaxed after confirming the contents were correct.

"That beef stew yesterday, did you take that from here too?"

With her back to him, Cassandra poured oil into the pan without pausing.

"What else? Did you think I could actually make beef stew?"

"You said you made it yesterday."

"I said there weren't many things I could make, but it was still better than you digging through leftovers in the Kitchen." Cassandra did not turn around. "I never said I made that."

Harry laughed.

"So everything on the table yesterday was premade food?"

"Pabbie made the beef stew. She made an extra portion last week and froze it, so I swiped a container." Cassandra tipped the chopped vegetables into the pan, and the hot oil sizzled loudly. "I cut the potatoes and carrots, and I sprinkled the parsley.