The pear wiggled as if ticklish, chuckled, and transformed into a green doorknob. Theo grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open, and everyone entered one by one.
It was a very spacious room.
The room's size and layout were the same as the Great Hall above, with four long tables, though they were empty. Along the stone walls, there were many gleaming kitchen utensils, and at the other end was a brick fireplace with a roaring fire, emitting the aroma of roasted meat.
The room was filled with many strange-looking creatures. They had large, bat-like ears and round eyes that protruded like frogs', appearing as large as tennis balls. They also had thin, pencil-like noses, slender limbs, and wore tea towels emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest as robes.
Upon hearing the commotion, the small creatures all turned to look. They gazed at the students with eager, expectant eyes but didn't swarm them. Whichever direction Weide and the others looked, the small creatures would bow and curtsy to them, appearing very respectful.
"Oh my god!" Michael exclaimed in surprise, saying enviously, "So many house-elves."
"Welcome to the Hogwarts kitchens!" Theo said, spreading his arms. "This is the best place at Hogwarts!"
"You can tell them anything you want to eat; the elves are all very enthusiastic," Ryan added.
"Hello," Weide bent down to the nearest house-elf and asked, "Could you get us something to eat?"
"Of course! Of course, sir!" the house-elf squeaked. "It would be my great honor."
The house-elves happily brought over a variety of delicious foods, including pies, steaks, roasted potatoes, tarts, and raisin pudding, as well as orange juice, pumpkin juice, and vegetable juice, and even two bottles of butterbeer. After everyone had eaten their fill, the elves brought out many more desserts, determined to make sure they were completely satisfied.
"I can't eat another bite," Neville said with difficulty, holding an ice cream and licking it once.
"Most Hufflepuff students know where the kitchens are because our common room is nearby. So it's an open secret," Theo told Michael. "Our common room also always has all sorts of good food—Hufflepuff never starves!"
"That's wonderful," Michael sighed, sipping his butterbeer. "Why aren't I a Hufflepuff?"
"What are you talking about?" Ryan mocked. "I remember someone saying during the Sorting Ceremony that if he was sorted into Hufflepuff, he'd rather drop out."
"Ravenclaw isn't so great either," Michael lamented. "Ravenclaw Tower is too high—really too high—I feel like dying climbing those stairs every day—it takes so much resolve to go back to the common room after class every time..."
He sounded a bit tipsy and spoke with a lot of grievance.
Weide, however, managed to avoid overeating, but as a first-time drinker, his alcohol tolerance was clearly not great. Just two rum-filled chocolate liqueurs and a glass of butterbeer had knocked him out. At this moment, Weide's head was spinning, and everyone he looked at had a double image.
He propped up his chin, yawned lazily, and was identifying the house-elves one by one—
"Coco, Amy, Becky, Hobby, Lola, Phil..."
Having their names spoken by wizards seemed to be a great honor for the elves. They lined up to tell Weide their names, as if performing a ceremony.
"Hmm, Zoe? Are you a girl?" Weide recognized the elf who had first spoken to him.
To be honest, all the elves had wrinkled faces like octogenarians, and besides their names, there was no distinguishing their gender by appearance or clothing.
"Y-yes, Mr. Gray," Zoe said, nervously and excitedly wringing her fingers.
"Are you also the ones who clean our rooms and do our laundry?" Weide asked.
"Y-yes, sir," Zoe nodded vigorously, her large eyes seriously fixed on Weide. "Zoe, Hobby, and Phil are responsible for Ravenclaw Tower."
Looking closely, there was a tiny flower decorating this house-elf's tea towel—she was indeed a girl.
"Do you also clean other parts of the castle?" Weide asked again.
"Yes, sir."
"Were you the ones who brought our luggage down from the train?"
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you for your hard work," Weide sighed. "That must be strenuous work."
"N-no—not at all!" Zoe quickly said. "We love to work! Work doesn't make us feel tired; having no work is truly dreadful!"
The house-elves all expressed how dedicated and diligent they were in their work, never slacking off. They put all their effort into making dinners that would satisfy everyone, polishing every piece of silverware until it gleamed, washing students' muddy shoes sparkling clean, and always appearing and disappearing quietly, never disturbing anyone. They were truly excellent house-elves.
Weide silently watched them, remaining quiet for a long time.
...
It was nearly Curfew after dinner. The elves enthusiastically pressed many cream cakes and fried jam doughnuts on them before they each returned to their common rooms.
Weide and Michael walked up the moving staircase. As the two of them were panting from exhaustion, the armor by the wall suddenly wavered, and then a white figure lunged out, letting out a beast-like roar.
"Ah!" Michael yelped in fright, his legs giving out as he sat on the floor.
"Hahaha..."
The white figure clutched its stomach, laughing heartily, floating in the air, its legs flailing.
Michael was both annoyed and amused. "Peeves! You're hiding here scaring people again!"
Peeves was a special ghost at Hogwarts. He could float around and also become corporeal, touching objects, and he loved to cause chaos. Just like his name suggested—he was a very mischievous fellow.
"Look! Here are two little wizards! Wandering around outside instead of sleeping at night!" In the corridor, Peeves circled Weide and Michael, saying maliciously, "Just wait, I'm going to call Filch! To catch you little rascals!"
Peeves loved to scare students out after Curfew like this, then chase them, watching them scramble back to their dorms, sometimes even tugging their robes and pulling their hair to tease them. But this time, he miscalculated, because with a wave of Weide's Wand, a line of golden text appeared, showing the current time.
"Ha!" Michael gasped and laughed. "We have seven minutes until Curfew! You can't trick us now, Peeves!"
Peeves's round eyes darted around, and he said slyly, "Seven minutes—that's not enough time for you to get back to Ravenclaw Tower."
"Yeah. But by the time you call Filch, we'll definitely be back," Weide said casually.
Peeves pouted and grumbled, "Hmph, boring Ravenclaws!" He turned and floated away, off to play pranks on other students.
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