Outside the kitchen.
Shawn tickled the pear in the painting and entered the kitchen as the door swung open amid a few giggles.
He found quite a few people inside. Judging by their uniforms, they were all little badgers.
Hufflepuff certainly lived up to its reputation for eating eight meals a day.
Which eight? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late-night snack made four, sneaking food in three classes made another three, and they had to munch on something along the way.
This time, the little badgers were not there purely to eat. They were asking the House-elves how to make China Cuisine, and naturally, they had been refused.
Some little badgers had obtained Chinese recipes from somewhere and were trying to reproduce them in a corner.
But some of the terms left them utterly baffled.
For example, "a pinch" of salt, "a little" sugar, "an appropriate amount" of vinegar, a low flame...
Shawn could not help smiling.
Apparently, the little badgers were not satisfied with their small portions of Chinese food at regular meals and wanted to fend for themselves.
Cedric had been patiently trying to talk the House-elf leader, Copper Ladle, around when the House-elves in the room suddenly erupted.
Copper Ladle, who had just been acting so old and frail that he could barely get his words out, immediately shoved him aside and hurried toward the door.
"Ah, great Mr. Black, you've come to visit us lowly House-elves again!"
"Boo-hoo, sir is here again! I'm so happy I could cry!"
"..."
Cedric looked back and saw Shawn smiling warmly as he shook hands with the House-elves clustered around him, without saying a word.
Questions flashed through Cedric's mind. Among all wizards, the kindhearted Hufflepuffs were arguably the least prejudiced against House-elves, but even they had never treated them