6 Jun 2024, 19:08
Bacon! Egg! Cheese!
@Cecily Quinn | @Amadea Campbell
Big, fluffy clouds drifted lazily across the ceiling of the Great Hall as Adam maneuvered his way to his usual seat at the Ravenclaw table. With one hand, the seventh-year student was trying to comb his unruly hair into a presentable state; with the other, he clutched a small parcel that had been hastily wrapped in old copies of the Hogwarts Headliner. He put the package down on the breakfast table and slid into his spot, glancing at the empty seat across from him. He'd ought to save it, just in case someone came along and tried to sit down before his friend arrived. Quickly realizing that he didn't have much on him that would do the trick, Adam pulled his wand from his sleeve, put it between his teeth, shrugged off the black robes that made up the outermost part of his school uniform, and tossed them onto the seat on the other side of the table. There. Now, Cecily would have a place to sit — and, as a bonus, the hot summer air was a lot more tolerable in just his white shirt and loose Ravenclaw tie.the Ravenclaw table | breakfast time | shortly before the end of the school year
He wiped his wand on his sleeve and put it down on top of the newspaper-wrapped parcel, next to his plate. Would Cecily like the present? He hoped so. They hadn't planned on getting each other anything, and it was still a few days until graduation, technically (the fact that he could now count them on one hand was completely mad), but he wanted to do something to commemorate the end of their time at Hogwarts together. It was still strange to realize how the most mundane parts of his daily routine had become special: his last trip to Hogsmeade, his last walk through the viaduct, his last breakfast in the Great Hall. It had never been a secret that this year was his final year at the castle, but... still. To come face to face with leaving was different.
Good thing he wasn't leaving yet, then. He still had plenty of things to pack, people to say goodbye to, and kitchen elf-prepared meals to enjoy. Reaching for his goblet, Adam closed his eyes and conjured the taste of a sweet, ice-cold sip of lemonade in his mind. When he opened his eyes again, the goblet was full to the brim with the pale yellow liquid and a few wedge-shaped ice cubes. He took a long drink and savored the flavour (this time, for real) of summertime.
While he waited idly for his breakfast date to arrive, Adam wondered what his friends were planning to do over the summer. In the past, he might've planned to see them at Hogwarts' summer camp, but — of course — they'd aged out of that now. He was probably just going to go home to Nottingham and spend time with his mother. Maybe he'd get a job. Maybe Dean would visit for a while, and he and his brother could practice their Gobbledegook in person. It wasn't the most exciting of plans, but it sounded relaxing. After those NEWT exams, Merlin knew that Adam was ready for something relaxing.
Where was Cecily? He couldn't remember what time they'd agreed to meet, but he was starting to get hungry. It was only polite to wait until the other person arrived to start eating — but there was nothing wrong with serving himself, was there? He'd just figure out what he wanted for breakfast now, so it would be ready to be conjured when Cecily got here. He wouldn't even lift the lid off the tray.
Adam's eyes fell closed again as he began to think of his favourite breakfast foods. Bacon was obviously a necessity; any good breakfast came with bacon. He remembered the time that he and his brother had tried to fix a plate of bacon and eggs for his mum on her birthday. The eggs had come out alright, to their credit, but the bacon had wound up a blackened mess. The whole kitchen had smelled like smoke for the rest of the day. The memory made Adam smile. He was lucky that Hogwarts took care of cooking his meals for him, or there was no telling how many fires he might have started.
Eggs. Eggs were another very important part of this very important meal. Although he usually preferred them scrambled, Adam was in the mood for a fried egg this morning; he thought it felt more fitting for a special occasion. What else could he fit on his plate? Chips, toast, black pudding... His stomach began to overtake his mind, until he was sure that he would uncover the serving tray in front of him and find an avalanche of breakfast food. He eyed the sweet rolls and pumpkin pasties that had been laid out down the length of the dining table. Oh, he was going to miss this next year.
To hell with being polite — Adam cast a quick glance towards the door one more time to look for Cecily, then turned his attention to the serving tray. He put the lid to the side and picked up his fork and knife; at the sight of the food before him, his stomach rumbled in anticipation. He loaded thick slices of bacon and perfectly-fried eggs onto his plate, then squeezed in a piece of toast, a slice of tomato, a bit of black pudding, and a couple of chips. And how was he meant to say no to a pumpkin pastie? He balanced the treat on the rim of his plate. Everything looked great and smelled even better. Cecily would understand if he started eating without her. Eagerly, Adam started to cut into his bacon, knowing he had to enjoy it before it was gone for good.
