The Hufflepuff common room was tucked away at the very end of the kitchen corridor.
Its entrance was a low wall embedded with a bas-relief of copper barrels.
The prefect tapped the bottom of a barrel twice and recited the password.
A round doorway swung open on cue, releasing a warm yellow glow accompanied by the lingering aroma of toasted bread!
Evelyn stepped over the threshold, her boots sinking into the thick carpet as all sound was completely swallowed up.
rounded windows faced the lawn, where moonlight filtered through dandelion fluff to rest quietly on the sill.
The canary-yellow sofas were adorned with cushions embroidered with badger patterns.
On the tea table sat a plate of steaming butter cookies.
Evelyn looked around the room.
“House mascot is a badger, common room is right next to the kitchen, and there are always cookies on the table.”
She picked up a cookie and took a bite.
“I definitely picked the right house!”
A short-haired older student sauntered over.
It was the third-year girl who had slammed the table back in the Great Hall—Nymphadora Tonks.
“Just call me Tonks!” she corrected.
“Hey there, new little badger!”
Tonks slung an arm around Evelyn’s shoulders and crowed with excitement, “What you did in the Great Hall earlier?
The whole Hufflepuff house is buzzing!”
“Which thing?”
“Pointing your wand at the Sorting Hat!
Do you know who the last Hufflepuff was to pull a stunt like that?”
“Who?”
“Nobody!
Never happened!
You’re the absolute first!”
Tonks’s hair turned a vibrant orange-red in her excitement.
Evelyn stared at the tips of her hair.
“Your hair was pink a second ago.”
“Metamorphmagus.
Born with it—it changes with my mood.”
Tonks shook her head, and her hair color shifted back to purple.
Evelyn: (ↀᴗↀ✧)
“Can it turn green?”
“Yep!”
“Can it do a rainbow gradient?”
“Tried that once.
Blew up in my face, and my nose was crooked for three days.”
“Then we have plenty of room for collaboration.”
Tonks grinned and sat down on the arm of the sofa.
“Valentine, how old are you?”
“Eleven.”
“Eleven years old and you dared to shove your wand in the Sorting Hat’s face.
What do you plan to shove at fifteen?”
“Depends.
Whoever steps out of line gets shoved.”
Beside them, a round-faced boy shrank behind a cushion and spoke up in a low voice: “Is she…
a little scary?”
“Ernie, don’t be afraid, she’s one of us,” Tonks said, patting his head.
Evelyn waved her cookie at the round-faced boy.
“I’m only scary to impolite people.
Are you polite?”
“P-Polite!
Very polite!”
“Then we’re friends.”
Ernie Macmillan: (with a surprised expression)
Evelyn brushed the cookie crumbs off her hands and took a loop around the common room.
She stopped in front of a wall near the door where a hand-drawn map was pinned up, its yellow ink marking the kitchens, greenhouses, and herbology gardens.
The kitchen was marked with an asterisk, next to which was written: *Tickle the pear’s belly.*
“What does this mean?”
Tonks leaned over to explain.
“The kitchen entrance is behind that fruit still-life painting.
Tickle the pear’s belly, it’ll giggle, and the door opens.”
Evelyn turned back to look at Tonks with a deadly serious expression.
“You’re saying that twenty paces from here, there’s a kitchen operating twenty-four hours a day?”
“Yep.”
“All day, every day?”
“Around the clock!
There are over a hundred house-elves in there.
Whatever you want to eat, they’ll make it.”
Evelyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
A system panel popped up automatically.
[Current Mischief Points: 1180.]
[Player emotion detected: Extreme satisfaction.]
[Mall Limited-Time Recommendation: Muggle Seasoning Pack (Basic Edition).
Cost: 20 points.]
Twenty points for a pack of seasoning.
Evelyn opened her eyes.
“Tonks, do the Hogwarts house-elves know how to make barbecue?”
Evelyn’s eyes lit up.
“Come on.
I’m taking you all out for real meat!”
…
Fifteen minutes later.
Evelyn stood before the fruit still-life painting, followed by Tonks, Ernie, and three older students she had dragged out of bed.
She extended her index finger and gently tickled the green pear’s belly three times.
The pear wriggled, giggled softly, and transformed into a green door handle.
The door swung open!
The kitchen was as spacious as the Great Hall, with over a hundred house-elves bustling between tables and chairs, and copper pots lining the walls.
A house-elf wearing a clean tea towel rushed over to greet them.
“What does Miss need?
We are at your service at any time!”
Evelyn crouched down to look it in the eye.
“What’s your name?”
“Dobby, Miss!
No, Dobby is not here.
My name is Winky!”
“Winky, what seasonings do you usually use?”
“Salt, pepper, thyme.
Occasionally a little nutmeg, Miss.”
“What about chili powder?”
“What is chili powder?”
Evelyn pulled out the seasoning pack she had just redeemed, unsealed the cumin powder, poured a small pinch into her palm, and held it up to Winky’s nose.
Winky: (ΟΔΟ∥)
The house-elf’s large eyes widened instantly, its body leaning forward thirty degrees.
“This scent!
Winky has never smelled this before!”
“This is called cumin—the soul of Muggle barbecue.”
Evelyn poured the seasoning onto a cutting board.
“Winky, do you have an iron rack that can grill meat directly over fire?”
“Yes!
The iron mesh used for baking bread!”
“Fetch it.
Then slice a platter of thin lamb, and bring as many chicken wings as you have.”
Winky snapped her fingers twice.
In under thirty seconds, the iron mesh, meat slices, and charcoal were all in place.
Evelyn spread the lamb slices over the iron mesh.
The fat dripped onto the glowing coals with a sharp, sizzle.
She grabbed a handful of cumin powder and sprinkled it evenly, the brown powder kicking up a plume of fragrant smoke in the heat.
Next came the chili flakes, and finally the salt.
Within five seconds, the aroma exploded throughout the entire kitchen!
Tonks’s hair turned a bright, searing red in an instant.
Tonks: (☆∀☆)
“Merlin’s beard!
What is that smell?!”
“Cumin grilled lamb—a street stall classic.”
Ernie skulked at the doorway, his nose straining forward desperately.
“I smell spiciness.
That kind of smell has never existed in the Hufflepuff kitchens.”
“Which means you guys have been losing out, eating plain boiled everything for centuries.”
Evelyn flipped the meat slices.
The edges of the lamb curled up golden and crispy, glistening with fat in the firelight.
Winky stared intently at Evelyn’s technique, her ears standing straight up.
“Miss Valentine, can Winky learn this?”
“Come here.”
Evelyn handed over the seasoning spoon.
“Use three fingers to pinch a bit of cumin, hold it six inches above the meat, and sprinkle evenly.
Cut the chili flakes in half, and add the salt last.”
Winky accepted the spoon with trembling hands.
Her first pinch was off-target, landing on the coals and releasing a puff of white smoke.
“It’s fine, try again.”
The second pinch landed square on the meat.
The brown powder mixed with the sizzling fat, crackling softly.
Winky’s ears twitched, and two trails of tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Never…
no wizard has ever taught Winky a new recipe before.”
“Well, now one has.”
Evelyn patted her head.
“Once you’ve mastered it, add ‘Muggle Barbecue’ to Hufflepuff’s late-night menu.
I’ll be coming down at least three times a week.”
Winky nodded vigorously, wiping her face with her tea towel.
Tonks grabbed a chicken wing and bit into it fiercely.
Her hair shifted colors continuously as she chewed, turning from red to gold, then to orange.
“Valentine!
But I can’t stop!”
“Normal reaction.
It’s called addiction.”
Ernie shuffled over as well and took a bite of lamb.
His entire face flushed bright red instantly.
Ernie: (ᗒ﹏ᗕ)
“Water!
Give me water!”
He grabbed a goblet of pumpkin juice and drained it in one gulp, then extended his hand again.
“Give me another slice!”
“Didn’t you say it was spicy?”
“Spicy is spicy, delicious is delicious—those are two completely different things!”
Three more heads popped in at the doorway.
News spread through the underground corridors with terrifying speed, faster than a thrown Dungbomb!
“Is someone grilling meat in the kitchen?”
“What is that smell?
It floated all the way into the common room!”
Evelyn flipped the meat without looking up.
“Line up if you want to eat, limit two slices per person.
First come, first served!”
In under ten minutes, twelve Hufflepuffs had squeezed into the kitchen.
Winky led the other house-elves to fire up a second grill, but the supply of meat still couldn’t keep up with the demand.
Evelyn stood before the hearth, sprinkling seasonings with her left hand and flipping meat with her right, all while barking out instructions for side dishes.
“Next time get some honey and marinate it twenty minutes in advance.
It’ll form a caramelized crust when grilled.”
“Winky will remember!”
A tall boy holding a chicken wing walked over, his expression solemn.
“Valentine, I am a prefect, Cedric Diggory.”
Evelyn looked up at him.
He was quite tall, with a square jaw and handsome, striking features.
“Hello, Diggory.
Have you eaten?”
“I’ve had three slices.”
Cedric paused.
“I originally came to check on who was using the kitchen after curfew.”
“And?”
“And I’ve decided that this incident doesn’t need to be recorded in the logbook.”
Cedric took a bite of his chicken wing.
Cedric: (⊙ᗜ⊙)
“On one condition, though.”
“Spill.”
“Next time you make this, save a portion for the prefects’ office.”
“Deal!”
[Ding!
Hufflepuff Late-Night Barbecue Event complete.
Massive increase in favorability!]
[Mischief Points +80!
Current total: 1240.]
[Unlocked Title: “Late-Night Snack Queen”.]
[Effect: House-elf response speed increased by 50% within the kitchen area.]
Evelyn wiped her hands and handed the remaining cumin to Winky.
“Winky, keep this safe.
I’ll buy more in a couple of days.”
“Winky will guard it with her life!”
The students gradually dispersed in small groups, their lips glistening with oil and their faces full of contentment.
Tonks let out a satisfied burp, her hair shifting back to pink.
“Valentine, what’s our first class tomorrow?”
Evelyn unfolded her crumpled timetable.
“Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall.”
“McGonagall?”
The tips of Tonks’s hair flashed yellow.
“She’s a tough nut!
You’d better not cause trouble in her class—she deducts points without blinking.”
Evelyn folded the timetable back up and stuffed it into her pocket.
System text floated quietly across her retina.
[Side Quest: Transfiguration Class — First classroom mischief opportunity!]
[Intel: Professor McGonagall’s Animagus form is a silver tabby cat.]
[Hint: Felines have instinctive reactions to specific objects.]
Evelyn slipped her wand back into her sleeve.
“Tonks.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know where in Hogwarts I can get my hands on some wooden boards and hemp rope?”
Tonks’s chewing froze mid-bite.
Tonks: (ꐦ°᷄д°᷅;)
“What do you need those for?”
Evelyn walked toward the kitchen exit, answering without turning around, “To make a little handicraft.”