To say that Olivia was weirded out when she got a message from Sirius asking her and Krinos if there was such thing as mystic souls with baking magic would be the understatement of the century. And that says something considering that she had been to a lot of different centuries.
Sirius was lucky that there was a two-hour time difference between Britain and Greece. But that did also mean that Sirius had been calling her when it was only six in the morning back in his country. Why he was up at that time, she was about to find out.
Since Krinos had gotten Harry a birthday present anyway, she decided to bring him along with her. He could have gotten to England on his own, but traveling together was more convenient than traveling separately.
When they got back to Number 12, imagine their surprise to see the normally not-panicking Sirius Black in a complete mess. It was like a tornado had struck inside of the kitchen and destroyed every bit of food that they had. There were over a dozen dirty bowls in the sink as well as dirty whisks, spoons, butter knives, and spatulas. There were also broken eggs on the floor and countertop as well as butter melting on the floor from the room temperature. Flour was also everywhere and empty bags of sugar were scattered about as well.
"What in the name of Demeter, Hestia, and Priapus happened in here," Krinos swore.
Naming the goddess of agriculture/food, the goddess of home/cooking, and the god of animal and vegetable fertility spoke volumes about how much a disaster the kitchen was. Especially since as Greek magical beings, they never used the names of the gods in vain like others would. Swearing with their names was pretty common where they were from. They did not consider it taking their names in vain the same way a person that goes to church can still say "oh my god."
They saw Sirius frantically taking a, what was probably supposed to cake, cake out of the oven. It looked really burned and was smoking.
"I think we are about to find out," Olivia said.
The frantic man quickly put the burned cake on the closest counter to him. Then he turned around and saw the two mystic souls standing there.
"I don't think I have ever been so happy to see you two in my life," he looked so relieved.
"Uh... Sirius," Olivia approached him slowly as if he was a wild animal about to attack. "Mind telling us what in the wide world of witchcraft is going on here!"
"What is going on is that I found out that just because I can cook does not mean that I know how to bake," Sirius exclaimed.
"I am both confused, worried, and a little amused," Krinos stated.
"Okay, how about you turn off the oven, sit down, and try to relax," Olivia tells the fugitive. "You're going to give yourself a nervous breakdown."
Sirius took a deep breath before turning off the oven and all three of them sat down at the table. Well, sitting in the few remaining chairs that did not have a layer of flour on them. Sirius did end up face-planting right onto the table as he groaned in frustration.
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but are you okay," Krinos asked.
"I was just trying to give Harry a more memorable birthday," Sirius did not even take his head off of the table.
"Oh, I get it," Olivia said. "You wanted to bake Harry a birthday cake, but failed miserably."
"I think that with how this kitchen looks, he failed more disastrously than miserably," Krinos looked at all of the baking ingredients on the floor.
"Not helping, Krinos," Olivia told her cousin.
"Hey, I'm a Gardna, so being sassy and sarcastic is pretty much in my blood," Krinos chuckled.
"This definitely explains why you were asking if there were any mystic souls with baking powers," Olivia could not stop herself from giggling.
"You are both enjoying my suffering a little too much," Sirius looked at them as he moved his head to be laying sideways on the table.
"Well, you're acting like this is the end of the world," Olivia giggled again. "Ever thought of consulting a cookbook or something?"
"I was always able to cook really well," Sirius finally took his head off the table. "When I first ran away from my parents to live with James and his parents, I would actually cook for them just to show my gratitude for them letting me stay. Charlus and Dorea constantly tried to tell me that I did not need to, but it was better than taking advantage of their kindness. I once even made a full Sunday roast dinner for them and yet I can not bake a single cake."
"Well, baking and cooking are different things," Krinos says. "There are even some people that can bake but are actually terrible at cooking. Basically the opposite of your problem, Sirius."
"But, unfortunately for you, there is no such thing as baking magic," Olivia tells the man.
"There are those that use their powers to help them in the kitchen, but not specifically culinary magic," Krinos says. "Such as those with telekinesis moving pots and pans around or those with fire magic using it as their heat source. That second one usually does not end well for those that do not like their meat on the well-done side."
"Oh, Merlin," Sirius complained, looming ready to face plant into the table again.
"The closest that we could probably get to a baking or cooking mage is probably Wyatt," Krinos says. "But the food he makes is not exactly the most edible of cuisine."
"What does he do to it," Sirius could not help but be curious.
"Wyatt is an Alchemy mage that specifically deals with mystical herbs and spices that change regular food into spells, curses, and other magical things," Krinos explained. "He has specific spice and herb 'families' where each influences a different magically affected area. The body, the mind, emotions, time, the elements, you get the idea."
"That actually sounds very cool," Sirius was getting more and more relaxed as they talked.
"Only when he actually can control what the food does," Krinos says. "Wyatt can sometimes go a little overboard and usually ends up blowing up a few cauldrons a week when experimenting. Plus, there was the one time this jerk stole a drink Wyatt had made called Noteworthy Horchata. He wanted to play a prank on a girl that rejected his request for a date. He ended up accidentally using the drink on the whole school when he put the drink in the special cauldron in the kitchen that magically sends it to all the goblets in the dining hall."
"Why would a cauldron, like that, even be in the kitchen," Sirius raised an eyebrow and actually thought that would be a cool thing to have used for pranks back in his own days at Hogwarts.
"It's for when there is a contagious illness going around," Olivia tells him. "Whether it is a serious one or just a simple one that could take students out of class for a day or so. The cauldron is used to quickly spread out the proper medicine to either help those infected or to vaccinate those not infected yet."
"The wannabe prankster even had no idea what the drink would even do," Krinos continued. "He didn't even read the card that Wyatt usually puts with his dishes to remind himself what each dish does. What the Noteworthy Horchata ended up doing was turning the entire school into one giant musical for a day."
"The drink made everyone sing," Sirius could not stop himself from laughing.
"You laugh now, but you were not there," Krinos said. "You try learning in class when the teachers can not finish a sentence without bursting into song."
"It's not like you can complain much since most of your classmates describe you as having the voice of an angel," Olivia smirked at her cousin.
"It's a blessing and a curse since now they want me to sing at every holiday event at Crystal Rose," Krinos shook his head.
Olivia snickered as she knew that her cousin really could sing really well. And as much as mystic souls stay away from the mundane world, they did enjoy plenty of mundane music. Krinos tended to lean more toward pop and country music, being a fan of those like Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton. Krinos had more of a natural talent with his voice, even some calling it extraordinarily since he was able to sing so many different types of songs with ease. Melody might be a music mage, but she preferred to play instruments than sing. When she did sing, it was usually duets with her twin brother.
"I just wanted to make Harry's birthday really special," Sirius said. "He has not had a proper birthday since he turned only a year old. I am his godfather, so I know that he would appreciate it if I was the one that made him his cake. Plus, I know what he would want in a cake and in a birthday meal. Mrs.Weasley would want to do it all, but she would not even bother to do any of Harry's favorites and just do what she wants to."
Olivia and Krinos both rolled their eyes at that. That woman got on both of their nerves with how she always wanted things done to how she wants them to be done. She does not listen to anyone but herself and does not seem to care if anyone wants to do anything in another way. She was extremely selfish in that regard.
"We can still help you," Olivia tells Sirius.
"Really," Sirius looked at the two with hope.
"We're no pastry chefs, but we know our way around a kitchen," Krinos says. "But first things first. Gotta clean up this mess."
He proceeded to cast a spell to clean up the whole kitchen at once.
"Let the object of objection
Become but a dream
As I cause the seen
To become unseen."
When he finished the spell, a wave of magic seemed to flow right over the kitchen. As the ave passed over everything, it all became clean in an instant. The whole kitchen was spotless in seconds. There was no sign of any mess in the least.
"Much better," Olivia grinned.
"I really need to read more mystic soul spellbooks," Sirius said.
"Our spells are both simple and yet complex at the same time," Krinos says. "That is what makes them so difficult."
"Anyway, what did you have in mind for Harry's birthday feast," Olivia asked.
"I have a few ideas," Sirius gave them a Cheshire Cat smile, making the mystic souls both worried and excited.
*****
"PADFOOT," Olivia and Krinos heard screamed from the floor above them.
Remus soon came walking down from the family floor. He was chuckling, making the two of them very curious.
"What happened up there," Krinos asked.
"Sirius decided that the perfect way to wake up Harry for his birthday was to change into his grim form, jump onto Harry's bed, and start licking his face," Remus chuckled again.
"Why am I not surprised he did that," Olivia giggles.
"Sirius loves Harry more than anything else in the world," Remus softly smiled as he looked back up the stairs to the family floor. "Those two not only deserve each other, but they also need each other."
Olivia and Krinos could not agree more. The two had been through a lot and if there was one thing that mystic souls appreciated, it was those that kept their good hearts even after hardships. It was a hard thing to do, especially if you have nearly died.
It took a few more minutes for Harry and Sirius to come downstairs. Both were dressed and Harry had cleaned up the dog saliva that had probably been all over his face.
"Hey, Krinos," Harry smiled as he greeted his new friend and saw the present in his hands. "You didn't have to get me anything."
"I'm a nature mage, so get used to my generosity," Krinos chuckled. "I'm the fruit tree that never runs out."
"Please tell me that there is fruit in that box," Harry jokes, making Krinos laugh.
"Maybe next time," Krinos grinned. "Happy birthday, Harry."
"Thank you, Krinos," Harry gave him another smile.
"We also have a surprise for you in the kitchen, pup," Sirius was definitely looking excited.
He put his arm around his godson's shoulders as they all made their way down to the ground floor. Everyone else was either just getting up or still getting ready for the day. Fred and George were the only other ones that were already up and about, ready to celebrate their friend's birthday.
Entering the kitchen, Harry's jaw dropped. Years of starvation at the Dursley's with most of his "meals" being cold and canned soup, stale bread, some water, and maybe some slices of cheese if he was lucky could never have prepared him for the feast in the kitchen. There were two giant cheese pizzas with some sweet Italian sausage, a big pot of chicken curry, fresh naan and ciabatta bread, a platter of American cheeseburgers, and a finish of a big bowl of chicken caesar salad with a second bowl of a classic red and green cabbage slaw.
But the real showstopper was the cake that Sirius nearly had a panic attack over. It was a three-tier chocolate fudge cake with raspberry cream frosting and a strawberry jam filling. Each tier was decorated with tempered chocolate collars as well as chocolate raspberry truffles.
Harry looked just about ready to burst into tears as Sirius hugged him from behind. There was something about what he was seeing that told him that it was his godfather that had done it all for him, even if he did probably have some help. There had never been anyone that had done anything like that feast for him. All Sirius ever did was prove again and again how much he cared about him.
"It's all for you, pup," Sirius tells him.
"Thank you, Sirius," Harry smiled brightly at his godfather.
He gave him a big hug. Probably one of the sweetest scenes that most of them have ever seen.
"I will do anything for you, pup," Sirius says into Harry's hair as they hug.
"Awwwww! So cute that it makes my sweet tooth hurt," Krinos chuckled.
"Please, your sweet tooth is sweeter than an entire chocolate factory," Olivia playfully rolled her eyes. "Nothing can make it hurt."
"Way to ruin the joke, Liv," Krinos rolled his eyes.
It was soon that the rest of the house started to wake up and then come down for breakfast. As they all came into the kitchen, they were all shocked at the feast that had been prepared. Fred and George, who actually had presents for Harry in their hands, were the first to recover as they then hugged Harry and wished him a happy birthday. Krinos giggled a bit as he gave Harry a wink as he blushed while the twins hugged him. Harry blushed even more, playfully glaring at the nature mage. Did Krinos care, not in the least.
But it did not escape the mystic souls that neither Ron, Hermione, or Ginny had presents for Harry as they came in. Sure, they could just be keeping their presents for him in their rooms to give to him later, but they had a feeling that was not the case.
All three of them had displayed nothing but selfish behavior since they had both met them. So, it was reasonable that they were probably also selfish long before they had met them as well. One was a human garbage disposal that wanted everything given to him on a silver platter. The other was a know-it-all with a superiority complex that wanted everything to be her way or it was the wrong way in her world. And the last was a silly little stalker girl that wanted her life to be a fairy tale and everything to go her way and acted like it was some big conspiracy against her when it didn't go her way.
So yeah, Krinos and Olivia doubted that any of them had gotten any presents for Harry. If anything, the three were so selfish that they probably believed that their "friendship" with Harry was enough of a gift to him.
"WHO DID ALL THIS," Mrs.Weasley screamed like a banshee when she came into the kitchen.
"And now I have another headache," Krinos said, quickly pulling out a headache potion and downing it.
"Can I have one too," Olivia asked, Krinos handing her a potion. "Thank you."
She downed hers as well. They both knew that this was gonna be another very annoying rant by the banshee lady.
"Let's see who could have done all of this," Sirius sarcastically looked around the kitchen. "There's the kids that hardly get up before ten, the godson that I would never let do all of this, the werewolf that would have made all of this out of chocolate, the mystic souls that do not have cooking magic, and the... oh wait.. the owner of this house that is allowed to cook in his own kitchen."
"YOU DID ALL THIS," Mrs.Weasley continued to scream.
"Merlin, Molly, there is no need to shout," Remus rubbed his ears, as being a werewolf gave his heightened senses.
"What, you actually think telling her that would stop her," Olivia raised an eyebrow. "It's never stopped her before."
"No kidding," Krinos shook his head as if he had swimmer's ear.
"Of course I did this," Sirius talked to her as if she was an idiot, which she was. "It's Harry's birthday and he deserves all the food that he has told me that he has never gotten to try, but he wants to try."
"Well, get rid of it," Mrs.Weasley ordered. "If you made it, we'd probably all be poisoned!"
"Hey," Harry protested. "You never even had Sirius's cooking. Remus told me how much my parents and grandparents loved his cooking. I trust their taste buds and will gladly eat anything Sirius makes for me."
"I would even eat fish if Sirius was the one that cooked it," Remus says. "And I hate fish more than I hate those laws against werewolves."
A few of them raised their eyebrows at Remus but just decided to let that go.
"Krinos and Olivia helped a lot," Sirius added. "But that was more because as much as I can cook, I can not bake to save my life."
"So, that burned smell I got when I first came in here wasn't just my imagination," Remus chuckled.
"Get rid of it and I will make us something actually edible," Mrs.Weasley continued to order them.
She was even more angry as she found out that Krinos and Olivia had helped Sirius. She actually looked at the food as if it was about to come alive and attack all of them at any second.
"It's his birthday and Harry should choose what is done," Krinos says. "I do not understand why anything other than what he wants should matter when it is his birthday."
"Nobody wants to hear the opinion of a mystic soul monster," Mrs.Weasley basically growled at the nature mage.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. And it wasn't even Olivia's fault. Everyone seemed to freeze after Mrs.Weasley so bluntly insulted not only Krinos but his entire kind as well. After seeing the plants being controlled by Krinos, plus the lightning bolt, even the annoying trio did not say anything against Krinos.
Something in Harry snapped as he heard that.
"How dare you," he yelled at Mrs.Weasley. "Just because he is a mystic soul, doesn't mean he is a monster. Krinos is one of the kindest and most amazing people I have ever met. He has so much power, and yet he uses it to help people. There is nothing about mystic souls that makes them monsters. Being afraid of their powers does not mean they are bad people. You are always shoving your opinions and your desires down everyone's throat to make them do anything you want and I am so sick of you doing that. So for once in your life, shut up and leave them alone!"
Harry stormed out of the kitchen after blowing up like that. Sirius was up and out before anyone could say anything else. It was godfather duty time.