Closed Soft Bread

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily was always looking to try new recipes. Today, she had gotten a recipe for cinnamon bread from her mother. She was eager to have Elliot try it, and Clifton, and Lars, and Philip. She smiled. It was nice to have so many people she cared about to bake for again. She would need at least four loaves of bread, one for the Ravenclaw boys dorm, one for the Slytherin boys dorm, and two for the Hufflepuff boys dorm. Oh, no, she would need more than that. One for Emily's dorm, and one for each of her siblings, and one for Arthur. That was... seven? Seven, alright. She skipped into the kitchens, humming to herself as she started to gather ingredients.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars had been on the lookout for Lily, but hadn't spotted her anywhere yet. He'd even gone to the Hufflepuff common room and asked someone to look inside, but she hadn't been there. Eventually he checked the kitchens, and he realized he should have looked there earlier. He smiled at the sight of her, approaching. "Uh, hey." He said, moving to her side. "What are you making?" He said, looking around at the different ingredients. "Something with cinnamon?" He guessed, sniffing it and wrinkling his nose a bit.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily looked up, surprised to see Lars. "Hi!" She greeted brightly, giggling at his question. "Yes, I'm making cinnamon bread," She told him, though she noticed the way he wrinkled his nose. "Do you not like cinnamon?" She asked, immediately thinking of what else she could make him instead. "Oh! Lars, hold still," She hurried over to her bag, digging into it for a few moments before coming back with a dark blue scarf she'd knitted. "Here," She smiled, standing on tiptoe to lay it over his neck.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars rubbed his nose as he putt he cinnamon down. He quickly shook his head. "I like it, it's just not great to sniff." He said with a small laugh. "It's fine, I bet its going to be delicious." He said. He frowned a bit when she said he should hold still, taking it quite literally and freezing in place until Lily returned. He blinked at the scarf she presented him, then lowered his head a bit so she could more easily place it around his neck. "Uh." He said, adjusting it a bit. "Is... this for me? Are you sure?" He looked at it, then frowned. "Did you make this?"

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily giggled a little. "You're not supposed to sniff the bottle, silly," She teased, moving it back with her ingredients. "Do you want to help me bake it?" She asked, pleased at the thought of having some company while she worked.

She giggled as he readjusted the scarf, glad it both fit and even looked a bit good on him. "I did make it. I've been knitting a lot," She admitted shyly. "Of course it's for you," She pressed up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, smiling brightly as she moved back to her baking, sorting it so she could begin. "Maybe it's a little silly of me, I just thought you might like it," She moved to wash her hands and tie her hair back so she could begin work on her bread.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars shrugged with a slight smile. "What can I say? I'm a curious person." He said jokingly. He nodded when Lily asked if he wanted to help her bake. "Sure." He said, pushing his sleeves up. "I didn't know you knit." He added, flushing as she kissed his cheek. He lowered his gaze for a moment, smiling shyly. "I do like it, a lot." He said, then followed her lead and washed his hands. He glanced over at her. "So... what do you need me to do?" He asked Lily, still a bit pink from the kiss on his cheek.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

((godmod approved))

Lily shrugged a bit. "It's a hobby, really, and I wasn't any good at it for the longest time," She smiled at him, beckoning him over and instructing him as she set about making her bread. It wasn't long, and easier with his help, before she had the bread in the oven. She pulled herself up on the counter once she had everything cleaned up and the timer set, munching on some berries and patting the spot next to her in an invitation for Lars to sit as well. "You have good timing you know," She told him. "I was making one of those loaves for you." She smiled, offering him a berry. "What brings you to the kitchens, anyways?" She asked.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars shrugged. "You get good at stuff by practicing." He said as Lily said she hadn't been good at it for a while. Lars helped her making the bread, enjoying himself quite a bit. It smelled pretty good. He joined Lily sitting on the counter, almost hitting his head on one of the cupboards above. He rubbed his head. "Oh, thanks." He said with a slight smile, taking the berry. "I was looking for you, actually." He said, shrugging. "It has been a while since we just talked, right?"

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily winced a little as he almost hit his head, resisting the urge to fuss over him like a mother hen. "You're getting so tall," She murmured, taking a deep breath to try and stifle her worries. She would make him a hat next, to try and help cushion his head. She was surprised to hear he had been looking for her, but pleased. She smiled, laying her head on his shoulder. "It has been a while, hasn't it?" She asked idly.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars rubbed the back of his head. "I know." He muttered. "I wish my body would get the memo and stop growing." He admitted. Sometimes it was hand , being tall, but most of the time it was just awkward, with the added side effect of standing out in a crowd. "Well, the OWL year is busy." He said with a small shrug. "Though I think it will pretty much end in disaster for me." He sighed, adjusting his badge. "I still don't know why I got this. I'm hardly an example."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily giggled a little, lacing her fingers through his. "Hey, look at it this way, Lars," She gave him a bright smile. "Tall people give the best hugs." She squeezed his hand in her hers. She straightened when he said he couldn't see why he got the badge. "Lars Van Houten," she scolded, turning towards him and taking his chin in her hand. "What are you even talking about? You're kind, and smart, and talented." She adjusted his scarf. "You're amazing, Lars, and this badge," She tapped it, "Just means that the Professors see the same thing in you that I do."

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars laughed a little as Lily said tall people gave the best hugs. That was one thing, at least. Lily always knew how to make him feel a bit better. But he was surprised when she suddenly used his full name and started scolding him. Lars felt embarrassed. "I didn't say that just so you would say it wasn't true." He aid quickly. "Sorry, I... just think I'm not very good at being a leader."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily smiled softly. "I know you didn't," She spoke gently, running her thumb over the back of his hand. "And I know you don't. I just happen to strongly disagree," She scrunched her nose playfully at him. She cuddled into his side, looking up at him with happy blue eyes. "Anyway, was there anything you wanted to talk about?" She asked.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars smiles weakly at Lily, feeling a little comforted by her even if he still wasn't sure of anything. She believed in him, but he didn't really believe in himself just yet. He patted her shoulder a little as she leaned against him, then shrugged a bit. "Not... really." He said, not sure if he had anything interesting to talk about. "Do you think the bread will come out nice?" He asked her, sniffing the air. "It's smelling nice already." He scratched his neck. "Did you have anything you wanted to talk about?"

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily nodded at his question. "It should be good," she mused, peeking towards the oven. She thought about what he asked. "I'm not sure," she mused. "How have you been? How is quidditch? Your patrols?" She asked. She moved her hand to his, holding it gently. "I'm doing the same, baking in my free time, chasing Penne around, spending time with you and Elliot and Clifton." She ran her thumb lightly over his hand.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars fidgeted a bit with his sleeves as Lily asked him a lot of questions. His fidgeting interrupted when she grabbed his hand, which surprised him a bit. He glanced at her, then looked back at the oven, mostly because he didn't want to make things weird by staring at her. It wasn't like he made a habit of holding hands with someone, though he knew this was nothing but a gesture of friendship "Quidditch... is alright." He said slowly. "Our only chance at not getting last place is beating Hufflepuff at the next game, so... I guess I hope we beat them." He thought of the patrolling and shrugged. "Patrols are with Elliot. So... it's going about as well as it can."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily leaned her head on his shoulder, snuggling in against him and just enjoying having him with her. "I'll be there to cheer for you both anyway," She promised. She looked up at him when he spoke about patrols, biting her lip a little in worry. "How are you doing with that?" She asked. "Are you alright?" She asked. "I know someone that's close to the head boy, I can get your patrols switched if it's too much," She fretted, unsure if her cousin's friend would even know who she was.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars smiled a little as Lily cuddled into him. She always seemed to enjoy doing that, and it reminded him a bit of when his sisters were younger. He quickly shook his head when she mentioned patrols, surprised she had connections like that. "It's fine." He said quickly. "I can handle it." He paused. "Do you really? The head boy always seemed so intimidating to me." He admitted.