Chapter 7 ~*~ A trip to the kitchens
An hour later the girls had changed into jeans and t-shirts and were waiting in the common room for Remus. When he finally came down, he had on a black t-shirt and baggy khaki pants.
"So where are we going?" He asked.
"We hope you're hungry Remus." Katie replied.
"And if I'm not?" He asked.
"That's a joke Rem. You haven't even had dinner yet." Allison said.
"Alright, you caught me." He teased. "Let's get going."
"Right. Follow me." Hannah said with a large smile.
So for the next ten minutes, they allowed Hannah to lead them through halls and secret passages. When she finally stopped, they were in a cheery hallway filled with paintings of fruit.
"Here we are!" she said.
"A hallway?" Remus replied with raised eyebrows.
"No you dope. The kitchens!" Allison said with a bright smile.
"You expect me to believe the kitchen is a hallway of painted fruit?"
"Nope, but the entrance is." Hannah answered, as she walked over to a large painting of a bowl of fruit. "Tickle the pear."
"What?" Remus asked. Things were getting weird.
"Tickle.the.pear, Rem!" Allison said.
"Alright." So he did so, but when he did, it began to giggle and then turned into a door and green handle. "One of you open it. I don't trust you."
"Fine, I will. I'm starving!" Katie said. She opened the door, and climbed in, only to be bombarded by house-elves (lilt creatures with bat like ears and tennis ball sized eyes). Soon the others followed her in and the door closed.
"Miss Katie! Miss Katie! It is good to see you!" was being shouted, and as the other three entered, shouts of.
"Miss Allison!" and "Miss Hannah! Welcome!" was echoing around.
"Hello Twinky!" Hannah said, giving one of the elves a hug. "This is my friend Remus Lupin. We've come for dinner if that's alright."
"Oh yes Miss Hannah, and welcome Mister Lupin! Right this way. We's shall bring you all food." She said, and then scurried off.
They were seated at a round high table over by a fireplace in a room the size of the great hall, with pots and pans hanging all around. There were also four long tables that looked to be placed in the same place as the house tables.
"How did you guys find this place?" Remus asked in awe.
"It's a long story, that I won't make short." Hannah stated. "Oh hi Twinky." Twinky had appeared to the right of Hannah and was tugging on her arm.
"Would any of you like' a butterbeer Miss Hannah?"
Hannah looked around at her three friends who were all nodding. "Four butterbeers please, Twinky." She said and smiled.
"Yes, Miss Hannah." She clumsily curtsied, and then scurried off to retrieve the drinks.
Within ten minutes they each had a butterbeer, and a plate of food that magically refilled itself. They talked and ate food for a good hour before Twinky cam back over.
"Is Miss Hannah and her friends finished?" she asked.
"Guys?" Hannah asked everyone. When they all nodded she turned back to Twinky. "Yes Twinky, and thank you."
"It is a pleasure Miss Hannah. You is to kind to Twinky, Miss Hannah." And she took of with the dishes, along with the help of three other house-elves.
"Likes you, doesn't she Hannah." Remus said chuckling.
"I come and visit at least once a day, and we just talk. She also.er.well she helps us with a few secret rooms and such in the castle. Although most of them we have to find out how to enter on our own." Hannah replied.
"Exactly how many secret rooms did she show you?" now Remus was grinning to himself.
"Er.113.but that doesn't include the ones we found on our own." She answered.
"You know 113 rooms in one week!" Remus shouted causing the nearby elves to glance at them curiously.
"Yep!" Katie said, smiling. She was about to make another comment, but another elf had stumbled over and was tugging on Remus's arm.
"Yes?" Remus asked.
"Would you be Mister Remus?" the elf asked. He looked a bit nervous.
"Yes I would." Remus said.
"What's wrong Binky?" Allison asked.
"Have you checked the calendar today?" he asked.
" No we haven't. Why?" Allison asked.
"You might want to do so Miss Allison and Mister Remus!" He answered. He seemed like he was about to faint.
"Alright, we will Binky. Thank you." And with that he bowed and left.
"Miss Hannah?"
"Yes Twinky?"
"Where is Miss Lily tonight?"
"She has detention tonight, but I'll be sure to tell her you said hello."
"Thank you Miss Hannah." She said as she glanced at the window towards the clouds.
"Twinky? Are you." Hannah started but was cut off by Katie. "Allison! Remus! Your eyes! They're glowing!"
"What? But they aren't burning. There must be a mistake." Allison was about to continue, but Remus looked ready to faint.
"Twinky! What's today?" Remus shouted.
"It's.It's.t-the eighth Mister Remus." She was shaking now.
"Alli let's go! We have to get out to the shrieking shack before the clouds clear!" He was shaking.
"Remus, what are you.Oh My God!" She turned pale and pointed out the window where the edge of a full moon was shining in. "Y-you guys .
"GO NOW!" Remus shouted. Hannah and Katie didn't need telling twice. They dashed for the exit, and after a small glance back they were gone.
"Allison, let's go!" Remus grabbed her hand and pulled her with him.
"Mister Lupin! This way's!" With a wave of the little elf's hand, he had created a whole in the wall onto the grounds.
"Thank you Binky." Remus quickly said. "Alli! Come on, move!" He grabbed her hand again, pulling her with him. True Allison could run fast, but Remus was faster. "We're almost there. Come on, and please hold out!"
"I am Remus, but I haven't been at this as long as you have."
"We just have to get far enough into the tunnel before the clouds clear." Remus was running even harder now.
"R-Remus.I.c-can't ran any.farther," and she collapsed on the ground, "j-just go." She was breathing heavily now, but Remus couldn't leave her.
"I'm not gonna leave you here to get lost in the forest or something."
"A-Alright.I'm coming." Allison stood up and began running to the tree.
20 feet away.
15 feet away.
10 feet away.
5 feet away.
Remus ran forward and prodded the knot on the tree, with a stick, and it froze. Allison then ran forward, and was about to climb into the tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow, when the clouds cleared. Allison fell forward clutching her stomach, as did Remus.
"Allison please.Go! If we're i-in the t-tunnel, it will slow the p- pro-process!" now Remus was wheezing.
Allison didn't know where it came from, but she suddenly felt stronger. She looked down at her hand. Remus had grabbed it, but in the process he had almost lost consciousness.
"Alli.Go!"
"You're coming to." Allison grabbed his arm, and lowered him into the tunnel. His nails and teeth were growing just as Allison's were. Allison dropped in with him, and grabbed his hand. She felt a weird sensation, and then it was as if she was the same as before Remus grabbed her hand. "See. Now we're both stubborn."
"Come on, it's not far. I used it over the summer." Remus began running down the tunnel, and Allison was close behind.
"Why aren't we affected in the tunnel, Remus?" Allison asked after about forty minutes.
"Spell.slows the process.here we are." Remus pushed up on the ceiling and a trap door opened. "When you get in there, run into any room, just go."
"Won't this be fun." Allison said sarcastically.
They both laughed for a minute. Then Remus lifted Allison up into the room, before pulling himself out, and shutting the door. Allison had already gone into a different room, and Remus could hear her screams change to howls, as the same happened to him. The last thought that ran through his head was, 'This is going to be a long year.'
An hour later the girls had changed into jeans and t-shirts and were waiting in the common room for Remus. When he finally came down, he had on a black t-shirt and baggy khaki pants.
"So where are we going?" He asked.
"We hope you're hungry Remus." Katie replied.
"And if I'm not?" He asked.
"That's a joke Rem. You haven't even had dinner yet." Allison said.
"Alright, you caught me." He teased. "Let's get going."
"Right. Follow me." Hannah said with a large smile.
So for the next ten minutes, they allowed Hannah to lead them through halls and secret passages. When she finally stopped, they were in a cheery hallway filled with paintings of fruit.
"Here we are!" she said.
"A hallway?" Remus replied with raised eyebrows.
"No you dope. The kitchens!" Allison said with a bright smile.
"You expect me to believe the kitchen is a hallway of painted fruit?"
"Nope, but the entrance is." Hannah answered, as she walked over to a large painting of a bowl of fruit. "Tickle the pear."
"What?" Remus asked. Things were getting weird.
"Tickle.the.pear, Rem!" Allison said.
"Alright." So he did so, but when he did, it began to giggle and then turned into a door and green handle. "One of you open it. I don't trust you."
"Fine, I will. I'm starving!" Katie said. She opened the door, and climbed in, only to be bombarded by house-elves (lilt creatures with bat like ears and tennis ball sized eyes). Soon the others followed her in and the door closed.
"Miss Katie! Miss Katie! It is good to see you!" was being shouted, and as the other three entered, shouts of.
"Miss Allison!" and "Miss Hannah! Welcome!" was echoing around.
"Hello Twinky!" Hannah said, giving one of the elves a hug. "This is my friend Remus Lupin. We've come for dinner if that's alright."
"Oh yes Miss Hannah, and welcome Mister Lupin! Right this way. We's shall bring you all food." She said, and then scurried off.
They were seated at a round high table over by a fireplace in a room the size of the great hall, with pots and pans hanging all around. There were also four long tables that looked to be placed in the same place as the house tables.
"How did you guys find this place?" Remus asked in awe.
"It's a long story, that I won't make short." Hannah stated. "Oh hi Twinky." Twinky had appeared to the right of Hannah and was tugging on her arm.
"Would any of you like' a butterbeer Miss Hannah?"
Hannah looked around at her three friends who were all nodding. "Four butterbeers please, Twinky." She said and smiled.
"Yes, Miss Hannah." She clumsily curtsied, and then scurried off to retrieve the drinks.
Within ten minutes they each had a butterbeer, and a plate of food that magically refilled itself. They talked and ate food for a good hour before Twinky cam back over.
"Is Miss Hannah and her friends finished?" she asked.
"Guys?" Hannah asked everyone. When they all nodded she turned back to Twinky. "Yes Twinky, and thank you."
"It is a pleasure Miss Hannah. You is to kind to Twinky, Miss Hannah." And she took of with the dishes, along with the help of three other house-elves.
"Likes you, doesn't she Hannah." Remus said chuckling.
"I come and visit at least once a day, and we just talk. She also.er.well she helps us with a few secret rooms and such in the castle. Although most of them we have to find out how to enter on our own." Hannah replied.
"Exactly how many secret rooms did she show you?" now Remus was grinning to himself.
"Er.113.but that doesn't include the ones we found on our own." She answered.
"You know 113 rooms in one week!" Remus shouted causing the nearby elves to glance at them curiously.
"Yep!" Katie said, smiling. She was about to make another comment, but another elf had stumbled over and was tugging on Remus's arm.
"Yes?" Remus asked.
"Would you be Mister Remus?" the elf asked. He looked a bit nervous.
"Yes I would." Remus said.
"What's wrong Binky?" Allison asked.
"Have you checked the calendar today?" he asked.
" No we haven't. Why?" Allison asked.
"You might want to do so Miss Allison and Mister Remus!" He answered. He seemed like he was about to faint.
"Alright, we will Binky. Thank you." And with that he bowed and left.
"Miss Hannah?"
"Yes Twinky?"
"Where is Miss Lily tonight?"
"She has detention tonight, but I'll be sure to tell her you said hello."
"Thank you Miss Hannah." She said as she glanced at the window towards the clouds.
"Twinky? Are you." Hannah started but was cut off by Katie. "Allison! Remus! Your eyes! They're glowing!"
"What? But they aren't burning. There must be a mistake." Allison was about to continue, but Remus looked ready to faint.
"Twinky! What's today?" Remus shouted.
"It's.It's.t-the eighth Mister Remus." She was shaking now.
"Alli let's go! We have to get out to the shrieking shack before the clouds clear!" He was shaking.
"Remus, what are you.Oh My God!" She turned pale and pointed out the window where the edge of a full moon was shining in. "Y-you guys .
"GO NOW!" Remus shouted. Hannah and Katie didn't need telling twice. They dashed for the exit, and after a small glance back they were gone.
"Allison, let's go!" Remus grabbed her hand and pulled her with him.
"Mister Lupin! This way's!" With a wave of the little elf's hand, he had created a whole in the wall onto the grounds.
"Thank you Binky." Remus quickly said. "Alli! Come on, move!" He grabbed her hand again, pulling her with him. True Allison could run fast, but Remus was faster. "We're almost there. Come on, and please hold out!"
"I am Remus, but I haven't been at this as long as you have."
"We just have to get far enough into the tunnel before the clouds clear." Remus was running even harder now.
"R-Remus.I.c-can't ran any.farther," and she collapsed on the ground, "j-just go." She was breathing heavily now, but Remus couldn't leave her.
"I'm not gonna leave you here to get lost in the forest or something."
"A-Alright.I'm coming." Allison stood up and began running to the tree.
20 feet away.
15 feet away.
10 feet away.
5 feet away.
Remus ran forward and prodded the knot on the tree, with a stick, and it froze. Allison then ran forward, and was about to climb into the tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow, when the clouds cleared. Allison fell forward clutching her stomach, as did Remus.
"Allison please.Go! If we're i-in the t-tunnel, it will slow the p- pro-process!" now Remus was wheezing.
Allison didn't know where it came from, but she suddenly felt stronger. She looked down at her hand. Remus had grabbed it, but in the process he had almost lost consciousness.
"Alli.Go!"
"You're coming to." Allison grabbed his arm, and lowered him into the tunnel. His nails and teeth were growing just as Allison's were. Allison dropped in with him, and grabbed his hand. She felt a weird sensation, and then it was as if she was the same as before Remus grabbed her hand. "See. Now we're both stubborn."
"Come on, it's not far. I used it over the summer." Remus began running down the tunnel, and Allison was close behind.
"Why aren't we affected in the tunnel, Remus?" Allison asked after about forty minutes.
"Spell.slows the process.here we are." Remus pushed up on the ceiling and a trap door opened. "When you get in there, run into any room, just go."
"Won't this be fun." Allison said sarcastically.
They both laughed for a minute. Then Remus lifted Allison up into the room, before pulling himself out, and shutting the door. Allison had already gone into a different room, and Remus could hear her screams change to howls, as the same happened to him. The last thought that ran through his head was, 'This is going to be a long year.'