The pear seemed to squirm as if it was ticklish, chuckling softly, and then transformed into a green doorknob. Theo grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open with effort, and everyone gradually entered.
It was an incredibly vast room.
The room's size and layout were identical to the hall above, with four long tables, but the tables were completely empty.
Along the stone walls were numerous shiny kitchen utensils, and at the other end was a brick fireplace, with flames blazing, filling the room with the smell of roasting meat.
There were many strange-looking creatures in the room. They had bat-like large ears, round eyes that bulged out like a frog's, almost as big as tennis balls; they also had pencil-thin noses, slender limbs, and tea towels with the Hogwarts crest printed on them, which they wore like robes.
The little creatures turned their heads when they heard the commotion. They looked at the students with eager, expectant eyes but didn't rush over.
Whenever Wade and the others glanced in their direction, the creatures would bow and curtsy towards them, showing great respect.
"Oh my gosh!" Michael was astonished and said enviously, "So many house-elves."
"Welcome to the Hogwarts kitchen!" Theo said, spreading his arms wide. "This is the best place in Hogwarts!"
"You can tell them whatever you want to eat; the elves are very enthusiastic," Ryan added.
"Hello," Wade bent down to look at a house-elf that was closest to him and asked, "Could you help us get some food?"
"Of course! Of course, sir!" the house-elf squeaked, "It would be my greatest honor."
The house-elves happily brought out all kinds of delicious food: pies, steaks, roasted potatoes, egg tarts, raisin pudding, and more, along with orange juice, pumpkin juice, and vegetable juice, and even two bottles of butterbeer.
After everyone had eaten and drunk to their hearts' content, the elves brought out many desserts, determined to ensure they were completely satisfied.
"I can't eat another bite," Neville said with difficulty while holding an ice cream cone and licking it.
"Most of the Hufflepuff students know where the kitchen is since our common room is nearby. So it's kind of an open secret," Theo said to Michael.
"Our common room is always stocked with all kinds of snacks—Hufflepuff never goes hungry!"
"It's wonderful," Michael sighed while drinking butterbeer, "Why wasn't I sorted into Hufflepuff?"
"What are you talking about?" Ryan teased, "I clearly remember someone saying during the sorting—if he got placed in Hufflepuff, he'd rather quit school."
"Ravenclaw isn't all that great either," Michael sighed. "The Ravenclaw Tower is too high—really, way too high—I feel like I'm going to die climbing those stairs every day.
After every class, I have to summon all my willpower just to make it back to the common room..."
He seemed a little tipsy and sounded quite pitiful as he spoke.
Wade managed to control himself and didn't overeat, but this was his first time drinking alcohol, and it was clear he couldn't handle it well. Just two rum-filled chocolates and a cup of butterbeer were enough to knock him out.
At this moment, Wade's head was spinning, and everything he saw was double.
He rested his chin on his hand, lazily yawning, and started calling the name of the house-elves one by one—
"Coco, Amy, Becky, Hobby, Lola, Phil..."
For the house-elves, hearing their names spoken by a wizard seemed to be a great honor. They lined up to tell Wade their names, as if participating in some kind of ceremony.
"Uh, Zoe? Are you a girl?" Wade recognized the first house-elf who had spoken to him.
To be honest, the house-elves all had faces wrinkled like those of an 80-year-old, and apart from their names, it was impossible to tell their gender from their appearance or clothing.
"Y-Yes, Mr. Grey," Zoe said, nervously and excitedly twisting her fingers.
"Is it also you who cleans our rooms and does the laundry?" Wade asked.
"Y-Yes, sir," Zoe nodded vigorously, looking at Wade with her big, earnest eyes. "Zoe, Hobby, and Phil are responsible for the Ravenclaw Tower."
Upon closer inspection, the tea towel this house-elf wore was decorated with a small flower—she was indeed a girl.
"Do you also clean the rest of the castle?" Wade asked again.
"Yes, sir."
"Are you the ones who brought our luggage down from the train?"
"Yes, sir."
"That's a lot of hard work," Wade sighed.
"N-No, not at all," Zoe quickly said. "We love working! Work doesn't make us feel tired. Not having work—that would be truly terrifying!"
The house-elves all expressed how dedicated they were to their work, never slacking off.
They put all their effort into preparing dinners that would satisfy everyone, polished every piece of silverware until it shone, cleaned the students' mud-covered shoes until they were spotless, and always appeared and disappeared quietly, never disturbing anyone.
They were truly exceptional house-elves.
Wade watched them silently for a long time without saying anything.
...
After dinner, it was almost curfew time. The house-elves enthusiastically handed out lots of cream cakes and fried jam-filled doughnuts to the group, and then they each returned to their respective house common rooms.
Wade and Michael climbed the moving staircase, going up and up. When they were both out of breath, a suit of armor on the wall suddenly shifted slightly, and then a white figure leaped out with a beast-like roar.
"Ah!" Michael was startled and his legs gave out as he sat down on the floor.
"Hahaha..."
The white figure clutched its stomach and laughed loudly. It floated in the air, kicking its feet wildly.
Michael, both annoyed and amused, said, "Peeves! You're hiding here to scare people again!"
Peeves is a unique ghost at Hogwarts. He can both float around and take on a physical form, able to touch objects. He loves creating chaos. As his name suggested, he is a very mischievous and naughty character.
"Look here! Two little wizards! Wandering around at night instead of sleeping!" Peeves circled around Wade and Michael, saying maliciously, "Just wait, I'll call Filch! He'll catch you little troublemakers!"
Peeves loves scaring students who are out at night, chasing them as they scramble back to their dorms.
Sometimes he would even pull on their robes or tug their hair to tease them. But this time, he was out of luck because Wade waved his wand, and a row of golden letters appeared, displaying the current time.
"Ha!" Michael laughed, still catching his breath. "There are seven minutes left until curfew! You can't fool us, Peeves!"
Peeves' round eyes darted around, and he slyly said, "Seven minutes—won't be enough for you to get back to the Ravenclaw Tower."
"True. But by the time you get Filch, we'll definitely be back," Wade said confidently.
Peeves pouted, grumbling, "Hmph, boring Ravenclaws!" He then turned and floated away, off to prank other students.
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