“What method?”
“What cake?”
Fel and Hermione spoke at the same time.
“Oh, I want to make a birthday cake. Harry and Ron are trying to figure something out.”
Fel explained briefly.
“Listen, my brothers told me they know where the kitchen is.”
Ron lowered his voice.
“It’s in the corridor by the Hufflepuff basement. There’s a hidden entrance to the kitchen there. They often go there to get food, so we can go too.”
“But we can’t make it too obvious. George said that if too many people find out, it’ll become a huge hassle, and the house elves will be exhausted.”
“They even said the school might replace the hidden entrance.”
Fel rubbed his chin.
“So, if we don’t want to attract attention, we’d better go at night.”
“What?!”
Hermione jumped to her feet, her eyes wide.
“I can’t believe someone would sneak out at night just for a cake. Do you know what the consequences are?”
“We’ll lose House points, or even worse, we’ll be expelled!”
However, Ron and Harry had already begun imagining their nighttime adventure through the castle, completely ignoring Hermione’s warning.
Fel gently tugged Hermione’s hand and motioned for her to sit down.
“That’s no ordinary cake, Hermione. It’s our birthday cake, and don’t worry, we won’t be expelled.”
“As long as we don’t get caught, it doesn’t count as breaking the rules, and we won’t even lose any points.”
Hermione shook her head repeatedly, but she knew she couldn’t persuade Fel.
More often than not, it was Fel who persuaded her.
Fel’s voice sounded almost hypnotic.
“Hermione, you’ve never seen what Hogwarts looks like at night, have you?”
“I… I…”
In the end, she convinced herself instead.
“I’m coming with you to keep an eye on all of you!”
Admit it, every little lion has a restless heart!
(…)
The clock struck ten that night, and several sneaky figures appeared outside the common room.
Fel looked at the shadow before him and whispered, “Password. Blackthorn.”
“Grapevine.”
“Holly.”
“Ash!”
Everyone used the wood of their own wand as the password.
“Shh, keep your voice down, Ron.”
Fel noticed Ron had spoken a little too loudly.
“Sorry, I’m just a little excited.” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
As they drew closer together, Fel finally got a clear look at everyone.
“So where do we go now?”
Harry looked around nervously.
It was his first time sneaking out at night, and he was both anxious and excited.
Ron thought for a moment.
“Fred said the kitchen is in the Hufflepuff basement, so it should be directly beneath the Great Hall.”
“What? We’re still in the tower!”
Hermione sounded frightened.
“Enough talking. Let’s move faster. Hopefully we won’t run into Filch.”
Fel made the final decision.
Ron led the way while Harry stayed at the rear.
Fel held Hermione’s hand while keeping watch on both sides.
After walking for quite a while, the pitch black castle remained as silent as a grave.
Fel could only vaguely hear the eerie cries of owls echoing through the darkness, making the atmosphere even more unsettling.
Fel felt Hermione’s hand becoming colder and colder until she was practically pressed against him.
Ron swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
“M, maybe we should go ba…”
“We’re almost at the Great Hall. Going back is farther than continuing forward.”
Fel patted Ron’s shoulder, and it seemed to give him a little courage.
At last, the four of them arrived at the underground corridor and stopped before a painting of a fruit bowl.
An oil lamp hung before the painting, as though announcing that this place was anything but ordinary.
With the light, Ron finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“Alright. Fred said all you have to do is tickle the pear.”
Hearing that, Fel reached out and tickled the painted pear.
The pear suddenly opened its mouth and burst into laughter before transforming into a green door handle!
Fel let out a breath, gripped the handle firmly, and pushed the door open.
A brightly lit room stretched out before them, with countless kitchen utensils lining both sides and four long tables standing in the center.
Fel noticed the four tables were exactly the same as the dining tables directly above them in the Great Hall.
Several small, skinny creatures were busy wiping down the stoves.
The moment they noticed the group enter, they threw aside their rags and rushed over all at once.
Only when they came closer did Fel get a clear look at them.
They had long, flat noses and enormous ears that looked like bat wings.
Well, they looked much better than goblins.
At least their skin wasn’t covered in wrinkles like dried tree bark.
Hermione and Harry looked a little frightened and hid behind Fel.
“Don’t be afraid. They’re house elves. They serve wizards.”
Ron appeared much more at ease.
He had obviously seen house elves before.
“Hello, sir and madam. My name is Dorsey. How may I help you?”
She wore a rough linen garment, and the boots on her two feet didn’t even match.
“Ahem. Hello, Dorsey. It’s like this. Today is our birthday, so we’d like a cake. I’m very sorry for disturbing you so late at night. We can pay.”
Fel spoke as he took out several silver Sickles, which were more than enough.
“Oh, you said disturb!”
Several house elves cried out at once, looking incredibly emotional.
Well, the vast majority of house elves took great pride in serving wizards, so Fel’s words made them feel both touched and guilty.
“No, sir. No payment is needed. It is our fault if a wizard goes hungry!”
The house elves immediately burst into activity, some fetching cream while others hurried off to beat eggs.
While they waited, Ron explained house elves to Hermione and Harry.
“This… they’re just like servants?”
Hermione looked uncomfortable.
“No, Hermione. House elves have lived like this for hundreds, even thousands of years. They’re already used to it. Haven’t you noticed how happy they are to serve wizards?”
“The right thing to do is to respect what others want. Don’t you think?”
Fel had no intention of discussing a topic like this any further.
The achievements human wizards enjoyed today had all been won through brutal struggles.
If they had lost those wars, they would be the ones making cakes now.
Fel didn’t even have enough energy to care about many members of his own race, let alone another race.
Hermione was still young, and having long grown used to being persuaded by Fel, she simply nodded without giving it much more thought.
Before long, Dorsey returned carrying an exquisitely wrapped gift box.
Although Fel had repeatedly said they only needed a cake and a few small candles, the house elves enthusiastically prepared plenty of pastries, drinks, and fruit as well.
After thanking them, the group left the kitchen carrying the cake while surrounded by the cheerful house elves.
The journey back was much more relaxed.
They chatted and laughed together, completely forgetting they were still sneaking around the castle at night.
However, the moment they reached the fourth floor, disaster struck at the height of their happiness as a cat suddenly darted out from the staircase on the left.
“It’s Mrs. Norris! Filch’s cat!”
Startled, Fel waved his hand.
“Quick, this way, to the right!”
The group fled in panic until they reached the end of the corridor on the right.
There was only a single locked wooden door there!
“Tap, tap…”
The sound of Filch’s boots echoed faintly toward them, each step seeming to land directly on their hearts.
“Move aside. Alohomora!”
Fel reacted even faster than Hermione, drawing his wand and casting the Unlocking Charm.
With a soft click, the door opened.
The group quickly squeezed through the narrow gap and shut the door behind them.
But the moment they turned around, every hair on their bodies stood on end!