Rock slowly walked into the passageway, and right around the corner he saw four long tables arranged exactly like the ones in the Great Hall.
Dozens upon dozens of house-elves were scurrying between stoves, ovens, and simmering pots, busy as ever.
One house-elf, carrying a tray taller than itself, suddenly froze. It turned its head.
"A young wizard!"
That sharp little voice instantly silenced the entire kitchen. Every single house-elf turned toward the entrance at the same exact moment.
Seeing Rock and the other two standing there, all the house-elves immediately bowed deeply, their long pointed ears trembling with excitement.
"Honored sir!"
"Welcome to the kitchen!"
"A young master of Hogwarts!"
"Whatever you need, just say the word!"
"Are you hungry? I just baked some muffins!"
"I made thick stew!"
"I baked Yorkshire pudding!"
A few house-elves who seemed to be in charge hurried over, rubbing their hands anxiously as they asked:
"Did you miss lunch? Or do you need something for afternoon tea?"
While talking, they cleared off a nearby table with a quick wave of their fingers, conjuring three comfortable chairs in an instant, motioning warmly for Rock and the others to sit.
Rock, Theo, and Adam had barely had time to react before the table filled up with all kinds of food.
Rock glanced around, then nodded politely to a nearby house-elf. "Thanks."
That one word of gratitude plunged the entire kitchen into stunned silence.
The house-elf in front of Rock reacted like he had just received the greatest reward imaginable.
Its bat-like ears shot upright and trembled wildly. Its already huge eyes somehow grew even wider, instantly filling with tears, glimmering like crystal balls in the firelight.
"Oh! Honored young master! You don't—absolutely don't have to—"
"This is too much! It's—it's—!"
The poor little elf was so moved he couldn't even speak properly.
All around them, the other elves began calling out:
"How can we serve you? Anything at all!"
Rock immediately shut his mouth, terrified that saying anything else might send them into some kind of emotional meltdown.
"Thank you, but we don't need anything else right now. The food is already more than enough," Theo stepped in, clearly more familiar with house-elves.
Adam, on the other hand—even though he was the one who asked for the kitchen's location—was completely overwhelmed.
"Just eat," Rock whispered to him. "If you don't eat, they'll feel even worse."
He really was afraid that one wrong sentence would send the elves into hysterics again.
But Rock had underestimated how sharp house-elf ears were. One elf zipped back to the counter at lightning speed and returned with a freshly baked cake.
"This is our brand-new chocolate cauldron cake! You absolutely have to try it!"
Rock stared at the cake, which was about the size of his whole face, and gave a helpless little smile. He nodded politely and accepted it.
Those sparkling big eyes made it feel like refusing would be a crime.
Under the house-elves' relentless hospitality, the three boys ate until they couldn't take another bite, finally giving up.
Rock looked at the leftovers on the table and turned to the elf who'd been hovering beside him. "Um… what's your name?"
"Young master—me? I'm Pocky!"
Pocky's originally grayish-brown skin flushed into a warm reddish gray from excitement.
"Well, Pocky… could you help us pack this up? Can we take the leftovers with us?"
"N-No—no! Young master doesn't need to take leftovers! We'll prepare brand-new fresh food for you!"
The kitchen descended into chaos again, but after Rock patiently explained, the elves finally agreed to let them take what they hadn't finished.
Surrounded by a crowd of house-elves, Rock and the others made their way to the door.
After thanking them once more, the boys left under the gaze of dozens of teary, shining eyes.
"He said thank you—to me!"
"And he said it while looking right into my eyes!"
An older house-elf trembled with emotion. "He's the kindest young master. He sees that we exist!"
Far down the hallway, Adam looked at the pockets of his robe stuffed full by the house-elves.
"They're… really enthusiastic."
"Not that bad," Theo muttered, though his pockets were equally stuffed.
"Rock, you've never met house-elves before?"
Rock shook his head lightly. "I've only heard about them, but… they're actually pretty nice."
It was his first time meeting any non-magical-creature beings—well, if you didn't count the goblins at Gringotts.
Theo just shrugged. His family had a house-elf, so it wasn't anything new to him.
When they reached the Ravenclaw common room, the older students barely reacted to how much food the boys were carrying. Everyone who'd been at Hogwarts long enough knew about the kitchens.
"Rock! Where'd you three go?"
Penelope's voice came from behind. Rock turned.
"What's up, senior?"
"Nothing bad. I just ran into Hermione in the library earlier. She's been looking for you all day."
Rock froze. He had completely forgotten to tell Hermione he wasn't going to the library today.
Actually… after what happened last night, he assumed she'd take a break from seeing him.
"She's still there?" Rock asked, blinking.
"No. I told her I didn't see you all day, so she went back. But…" Penelope's eyes shifted to the bag Rock was carrying.
"You guys went grocery shopping in the kitchens?"
"No, we just went out at noon and lost track of time, so we went there for dinner," Theo cut in quickly. Rock had already told him not to bring up the Room of Requirement casually.
"Senior, try this chocolate cauldron cake. It just came out of the oven."
Rock quickly handed her the cake—he absolutely couldn't eat another bite.
"Then thanks," Penelope said, smiling as she took it.
"No problem. Oh—right, senior, where's the Dean's office?" Rock asked, remembering he needed books on spellcraft.
"Seventh floor of the castle. It's the office next to the painting with the musical instruments," she answered immediately.