He shakes his head. "Using transfigured ingredients when brewing is a third-year error. I'm not sure why; it may have to do with a residue of magic, or with even competent transfigurations not being entirely complete. It is barely possible that something transfigured by a transfiguration master, a genius with an understanding of theory both broad and profound, would behave the same way as a natural object, but my area of mastery is elsewhere."
He nods, and frowns a little. "I'm not sure that both those things could have been avoided at once," he points out. "Not being spread thin and relying only on the passionately faithful."
He struggles, visibly, not to snerk.
Severus had been giving Rus a tightly contained glow of a well-done smile, but the one he turns on T2 is, combined with the slowly rolling head motion, pure Moriarty. Turning his face back to Rus without taking his eyes off T2, he says in a softly steel voice, "Now, then, Rus, he was just surprised. Hasn't seen you play before and all. Let's not have a repeat of the Black Cap, eh? Have a wing, the pair of you; tasteless as they are, they'll do well enough for bread and salt." Except that there's no bread in them, not even crumbs: an appeasing subtlety he's sure will not be lost on Rus, who not only likes the vile things but of course would not want to share real bread and salt with someone he's so obviously itching to maim. It's one of the nastier things about the dish; the skin has been fried, but then, in the absence of a shield, made soggy by the sauce.
Oh yes, very. :D Although it's more comforting to think about it in context with the smug, oily, lying son of a jackel who's not only enabling but encouraging her hysteria. I think whole cranberries. If not, then the kind of sauce which has whole berries in. But I think fresh. IS SO GOOD. Well, it was a shortbread crust, with milk chocolate that had been cut up rather than coming in chunks, very finely cut walnuts (I think they said walnuts), and a sticky stuff filling in the gaps that reminded me of a pecan pie and might have been corn syrup or treacle. And there was bourbon in the name, of course, so one assumes that was there.