Enthusiastic House-elves

Near the Entrance Hall on the First Floor of the castle, there was a door leading to the Hufflepuff Common Room and the kitchen.

Albert spent some time wandering around the Entrance Hall. Beside the Marble Staircase, he found two doors as well as Filch's office. Filch's cat was staring at him with wide eyes.

"What's its name?" Albert asked.

Filch did not answer. He picked up his cat and went into his office.

"It's probably jealous," Albert muttered. If he remembered correctly, Filch was a Squib. Since the man was a Squib, Albert thought he should have left the magical world behind and quietly integrated into the Muggle world. Why stay here and make trouble and misery for himself?

All right, the annoying guy was gone. Which door should he choose? Where would the kitchen be? Albert took a coin from his pocket and tossed it onto the ground. It landed heads-up, so he chose the door to the left of the stairs.

Beyond the door was another flight of Stone Steps leading into a broad stone corridor. As Albert passed through, the torches on the walls lit themselves, illuminating the surroundings. He noticed that the walls were decorated with pictures of all kinds of food.

"Not bad luck." Albert found a large painting depicting a huge silver bowl filled with fruit. The kitchen was said to be hidden behind that painting.

The secret to entering the kitchen lay with the pear.

Albert gently touched the Emerald Green Pear. It actually wriggled, giggling, before suddenly turning into a large green door handle.

"It really is here. Looks like my luck is pretty good." Albert was in a cheerful mood. After finding the Room of Requirement, he had successfully found the kitchen as well.

He grabbed the handle and pulled open the door. The kitchen was as large as the Great Hall above. The surrounding cupboards held countless pieces of tableware, while four long wooden tables stood in the middle, arranged exactly like the tables for the four Houses in the Great Hall.

Some food had already been set out on the tables, probably for the students' breakfast. When mealtime came, the House-elves would use magic to transport the food to the corresponding tables above.

"Is there something you need, sir?" One House-elf spotted Albert and jogged over.

"The dining hall hasn't opened yet, so I came to have a look at the kitchen." Albert gave them a polite smile.

"Please come with me, sir." The House-elf took Albert's hand and led him to a seat beside the table. Six House-elves hurried over carrying a large silver tray laden with a jug of milk, ham, fried eggs, toast, salad, and Pumpkin Porridge.

"Thank you, little ones." Albert poured himself half a glass of milk. He had not been in the habit of drinking milk in his previous life, but he had developed the habit over the past few years. Thanks to that, he had become much stronger than before.

"It is our honor, sir." Perhaps because someone had thanked them, every House-elf beamed and bowed to him.

Albert ate some ham, fried eggs, and two slices of toast, then drank a small bowl of Pumpkin Porridge. His stomach was quickly filled.

As he finished the last small serving of fruit salad, he looked over the House-elves. They were all dressed—no, not dressed. They were wrapped in tea towels printed with the Hogwarts crest.

"I should be going. Thank you for breakfast." Albert noticed that his exploration progress had reached 7.3%.

"It is our duty, sir," the House-elves said in their shrill voices. Before Albert left, many House-elves crowded around him and handed him all sorts of pastries to take with him.

"That's enough. Goodbye, little ones." Albert put four pies into a brown paper bag and tucked it into his robes. They were for George and the others.

The House-elves crowded by the door and watched Albert leave. They liked hearing that thank you; it made them feel Albert's respect and recognition.

Following the route he had taken yesterday, Albert returned to the Common Room within a few minutes.

However, there was still no one inside, and the ghostly lady had already left as well.

When Albert returned to the room, the Twins were still asleep, but Lee Jordan was already awake. He stared in astonishment at Albert standing in the doorway and could not help asking, "Where did you go?"

"For a walk, and breakfast while I was at it!" Albert grinned. "I brought back gifts for you."

"What gifts?" The Weasley on the right climbed out of bed and scratched his head with his right hand, looking as though he had not fully woken up.

"I thought you were asleep." Lee Jordan got out of bed, stretched lazily, and asked, "What gifts?"

"Pies." Albert took a brown paper bag from his pocket, pulled out a pie, and took a bite. He handed the bag to Lee Jordan. "One each."

"Where did you get them?" Fred asked curiously.

"The kitchen."

"Wow, you actually found the kitchen."

"You sneaked out by yourself and didn't even call us along," Fred complained, now fully awake. If not for their beds, Albert would not have been able to tell which Twin was which.

"Shouldn't you brush your teeth first?"

"Oh, I almost forgot about that." George set down the pie in his hand, then asked curiously, "How did you find the kitchen?"

"I wandered around randomly and happened to find it." Albert also told them about meeting Filch. "His cat is smart. It can notify its owner. Still, I think Filch was probably trying to make trouble for me."

"I bet he was really frustrated!" Fred could not help laughing as well. He got up, ready to go explore. Hogwarts Castle was truly interesting.

After the three of them got dressed and washed up, they arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room. There was still no one there. Albert lit the fire and sat on the sofa beside it. The rain outside had stopped.

"Bill and Charlie said there are lots of secret passages in the castle," Fred said to the others as he ate his pie.

"But they won't tell us where they are," George complained a little about his older brothers.

"Maybe they want you to explore the castle's secrets yourselves. That's what makes it fun." Albert remembered what Nick had said and casually tried to comfort them.

"I think so too," Lee Jordan agreed.

"Oh, I almost forgot about this." Albert walked to the entrance. While the Common Room was empty, he took several photographs, including one of the Fat Lady.

"You're taking pictures again?"

"I'm planning to send a letter home. To Muggles, everything in the magical world is fascinating." Albert checked the photos. He had noticed earlier that he had gained another skill related to photography.

"I heard Charlie say that Filch likes making trouble for students. He spends all day wanting to hang students who break the rules up and whip them," George continued after finishing his pie. "Filch also knows many of the school's secret passages. He always appears without making a sound."

"Most students who wander around at night get caught by Filch," Fred added. "Then they get heavily docked points and put in detention."