Zoe and Peeves

The pear wriggled as if it were ticklish, giggling as it turned into a green doorknob. Theo grabbed the handle and pulled hard, and everyone filed inside.

It was an enormous room.

Its size and layout matched the Great Hall above, with four long tables as well, except they were completely bare. Numerous gleaming cooking utensils lined the surrounding stone walls. At the far end stood a brick fireplace, where Incendio blazed brightly, carrying the aroma of roast meat.

The room was filled with strange-looking creatures. They had bat-like ears, round frog-like eyes that bulged so much they looked as large as tennis balls, pencil-thin noses, and lanky limbs. They wore tea towels bearing the Hogwarts crest as robes.

Hearing the commotion, all the little creatures turned to look at them. They watched the students with eager, expectant eyes, but did not swarm over all at once. Whenever Wade and the others looked in a certain direction, the little creatures bowed and curtsied toward them, appearing extremely respectful.

"Oh my God!" Michael said in astonishment, enviously adding, "So many House-elves."

"Welcome to the Hogwarts kitchens!" Theo said, spreading his arms. "This is the best place in Hogwarts!"

"You can tell them whatever you want to eat. The elves are all very enthusiastic," Ryan added.

"Hello," Wade said, bending down to look at the nearest House-elf. "Could you get us something to eat?"

"Of course! Of course I can, sir!" the House-elf said in a high, thin voice. "It would be my great honor."

The House-elves happily brought over all kinds of food: pies, steaks, roast potatoes, egg tarts, raisin pudding, and more. There was orange juice, Pumpkin Juice, and vegetable juice, even two bottles of Butterbeer. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the elves brought out a great many desserts, determined to leave them utterly satisfied.

"I can't eat another bite," Neville said with difficulty after licking the ice cream in his hand.

"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 always has all kinds of delicious food too—Hufflepuff never goes hungry!"

"This is wonderful," Michael sighed as he drank Butterbeer. "Why wasn't I sorted into Hufflepuff?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryan mocked. "I heard someone say during the Sorting that if he got sorted into Hufflepuff, he'd rather drop out."

"Ravenclaw isn't that great either," Michael said mournfully. "Ravenclaw Tower is too high—seriously, way too high. Climbing all those stairs every day makes me want to die. Every time class ends, I have to work up so much determination just to go back to the Common Room..."

He seemed to have drunk a little too much, and he sounded terribly aggrieved.

Wade had managed not to stuff himself sick, but as someone drinking for the first time, his tolerance was clearly poor. Just two rum-filled chocolates and a cup of Butterbeer had knocked him flat. His head was spinning now, and everyone he looked at seemed to have a double image.

Resting his chin on one hand, he gave a lazy yawn and began identifying the House-elves one by one—

"Coco, Amy, Becky, Hobby, Lola, Phil..."

Having a wizard say their names seemed to be an immense honor to the elves. They lined up and told Wade their names, as though taking part in some kind of ceremony.

"Hmm, Zoe? Are you a girl?" Wade recognized the elf who had spoken to him first.

Honestly, all the elves had wrinkled faces like eighty-year-olds. Other than their names, there was no way to tell their genders apart from either their appearance or clothes.

"Y-yes, Mr. Gray," Zoe said, nervously and excitedly twisting her fingers together.

"Are you the ones who usually help clean our rooms and wash our clothes?" Wade asked.

"Yes, sir." Zoe nodded vigorously, her huge eyes fixed earnestly on Wade. "Zoe, Hobby, and Phil are responsible for Ravenclaw Tower."

Looking more closely, there was a tiny flower decorating this House-elf's tea towel—she really was a girl.

"Do you also do the cleaning in the rest of the castle?" Wade asked again.

"Yes, sir."

"Were you also the ones who took our luggage off the train?"

"Yes, sir."

"You work hard," Wade said with a sigh. "That's truly exhausting work."

"No, no—how could it be?" Zoe hurriedly said. "We like working! Work doesn't make us tired. Having no work is what's truly terrible!"

The House-elves all declared how diligent they were at work and how they never slacked off. They put every effort into preparing dinners that satisfied everyone, polished every piece of silverware until it shone, scrubbed students' mud-caked shoes spotless, and always appeared and disappeared quietly, never disturbing anyone. They were excellent House-elves.

Wade watched them silently and said nothing for a long time.

After dinner, it was nearly curfew. The elves enthusiastically stuffed several cream cakes and jam doughnuts into their hands, and then they each returned to their own house Common Rooms.

Wade and Michael climbed the moving staircases all the way up. When they were both exhausted and gasping for breath, the armor by the wall suddenly rattled, and then a white figure lunged out with a wild beast-like roar.

"Ah!" Startled, Michael's legs gave way and he fell to the floor.

"Hahahaha..."

The white figure clutched his stomach and burst into laughter. He floated in the air, kicking his feet wildly.

Michael was both annoyed and amused. "Peeves! You're hiding here to scare people again!"

Peeves was a special ghost at Hogwarts. He could float around, yet he could also become solid and touch objects. He loved causing chaos. Just like his name suggested, he was an incredibly mischievous fellow.

"Look! Two Young Wizards wandering around at night instead of sleeping!" Peeves circled Wade and Michael in the corridor, saying maliciously, "Just wait! I'm going to fetch Filch! He'll catch you little troublemakers!"

Peeves loved frightening students who sneaked around at night, then chasing them as they scrambled back to their dormitory. Sometimes he would even tug their robes and pull their hair to tease them. But this time, he had miscalculated. With a flick of Wade's Wand, a row of golden letters appeared before them, displaying the current time.

"Ha!" Michael laughed between breaths. "There are still seven minutes until curfew! You can't fool us anymore, Peeves!"

Peeves's round eyes rolled as he said slyly, "Seven minutes—not enough time for you to get back to Ravenclaw Tower."

"True. But by the time you bring Filch here, we'll definitely be back already," Wade said casually.

Peeves curled his lip and muttered, "Hmph, boring Ravenclaws!" Then he turned and floated away to play pranks on other students.