Closed Making Friends

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish had been thinking a lot about what his brother had said after the last Quidditch game. He wasn't sure what he could do, his love was in the kitchens. He loved to cook. He had though of expanding though, and decided to try his hand at baking. He'd gone down to the kitchens after breakfast, and smiled shyly at the elves. He wasn't sure what he wanted to try yet, so he took a seat on the counter and started flipping through one of his cookbooks. He was engrossed in his reading, not paying much attention to the world around him.

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata was tired, but she was still determined. She wouldn't get as much of a chance to cook at home - her grandparents would likely shoo her out of the kitchen. She wasn't miraculously going to get better at art, or music without talent, but if she kept working at cooking she could at least be decently skilled at that. She'd never be a chef, perhaps, but if she could make food people enjoyed that was good enough for her. Reading over the notes that Lily had sent her, Renata entered into the kitchen and was greeted with only mild disdain by some of the house-elves this time, when she noticed a boy she recognized from her classes. She didn't quite know his name, because she only really knew the Hufflepuffs well enough to know their names, but she knew he was a twin. He was the Ravenclaw, and his brother was a Slytherin. "Oh, hello!" Renata greeted, cheerfully approaching the boy. She peered at his cookbook nosily, wondering what he was thinking of cooking. She leaned against the counter, looking at the book. It was perhaps a bit rude, but it was a positive curiosity, interested to see what the boy was doing.

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish looked up when he heard someone speak, smiling shyly as a girl appeared. "Hi," He greeted her shyly. "You're the new Hufflepuff, aren't you?" He asked, tilting his book a little so she could see the pie recipe he was looking at. "My name is Hamish," he introduced himself to her. "What's yours?" He asked, trying to be friendly.

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata was relieved that the boy didn't seem too put out by her approach. He was reading a pie recipe and Renata was intrigued. She'd never made a pie before and was curious as to how it was done. It seemed simple enough but it looked like there were lots of tricky parts to it, especially because of the pastry. "I am, yes! Hi Hamish, I'm Renata," she said, giving a small wave. "You like cooking?"

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish smiled shyly. "Hi, Renata," He greeted. He wasn't much good at talking to girls, so he focused on the things he was better at. "I do, I love cooking. I thought I'd try baking." He told her, swallowing nervously. "Do you like cooking?" He asked her, thinking it was a very safe subject to use to try and make friends.

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata was not often good at reading people, but she was slowly getting better. From what she'd seen of Hamish in classes she could tell he was shy and reserved but she was also vaguely aware he was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. And if she'd stayed beater this would've been awkward. She gave him am encouraging smile. "Baking is fun! I'm learning how to do it," she replied, enthusiastically but gently. "I like cooking. My grandparents are cooks, so I want to get better," she chattered away, hoping to make him feel comfortable. "Would you like a help? A...hand?" She corrected herself. Sometimes English idioms were confusing.

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish swallowed hard and smiled nervously. "I mean- yeah, sure, thank you," He offered his book out to her. "I- just want to bake something, do you have a preference?" He asked, slipping off the counter. They were about the same height, which oddly made him more comfortable. He smiled, relaxing slightly. He'd just defer to whatever she suggested.

 

[Renata Stepanova]

For her part, Renata was just relieved to have more people to talk to on pleasant terms. It was so different from Durmstrang. The fear in the back of her mind that she would get found out as being terrible and useless and hated for it lingered, but she tried to focus on the positives. "We could, um, try the pie if you wanted? Or I have some cake recipes I've been practicing," she offered. "This really nice baker sent them to me, even I managed to make something that tasted good," she admitted, a little shyly.

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish smiled shyly. "Sure, I'm chill with either," He told her, moving over to the sink to wash his hands. He dried them on a towel, turning to smile at her. "This is exciting, I typically cook by myself, it should be interesting to work as a team." He admitted, moving to grab a mixing bowl and some measuring cups.

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata beamed, washing her hands in turn and looking back at the book. "Let's try the pie then! If it's a big disaster then that can be our secret, okay?" She giggled at that, placing a finger to her lips. Of course she'd try really hard to ensure she didn't screw it up, she didn't want to let Hamish down. "I cook with my nonna, sometimes. She keeps all her measurements and ingredients secret so it's hard to keep up with it," Renata admitted, shrugging. "She says things like 'you have to feel it in your soul' and 'more garlic'," she added, cheerfully chattering away as she started summoning a couple of ingredients over. "Sorry, I hope I'm not being annoying..."

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish smiled, nodding easily. "Sure!" He agreed, bringing the book over to get the recipe. He listened to her go on, shaking his head quickly as she apologized. "Oh, oh no! I like listening to you go on," He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't have anyone to cook with usually, I thought it was nice to hear your story," He told her, almost shyly.

 

[Renata Stepanova]

Renata relaxed a little. She always felt pretty nervous around people at first but she was finding Hamish easy to talk to, which was helpful. She was just better at covering nerves than some other people, having had some practice at Durmstrang. And her mother always reminding her of the importance of putting on a smile and faking it until she made it. "If this goes well we can cook together again sometime if you wanted?" Renata offered, glad to maybe have another friend. She was a little worried about screwing up but hoped he wouldn't mind her shortcomings. "I only got to know my grandparents in recent times, so it has not been long that I've started." Renata's English was pretty good, but sometimes her phrasing could be a little odd. "Should we make pastry or should we cheat a little?"

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish smiled shyly at the girl. "I would like that, yeah," He agreed. He bit his lip, considering her question. "We could try making it from scratch? We might as well try doing it all the way if we're going to do it," He told her, grabbing the proper ingredients. "This could either turn out great or be one major disaster."