CHAPTER 6: TICKLING THE PEAR
"Would you be so kind as to tell me why you are following me Miss Evans?"
Lily stood motionless before Dumbledore. She opened her mouth to say something but no sound came out.
"Yes?" Dumbledore prompted.
"I - er - that is - actually - when will you be going into your office Professor?" Lily stammered out and immediately regretted saying it.
"After the dinner, I think," Dumbledore replied casually, but he noticed the way Lily was glancing uncomfortably around as though expecting eavesdroppers, "Is anything troubling you, Miss Evans?"
"Yes Professor, it's about my sister, Petunia." She whispered.
"Ah," he said softly, "Yes we did correspond a little. Quite an extra ordinary girl, I must say. Pity I couldn't fulfill his request."
Extra ordinary was quite an under statement, Lily could have argued, had it been anyone else. But she swallowed the retort and instead said, "I was wondering if you would grant her the permission to attend Hogwarts..."
"Alas, Miss Evans," Dumbledore sighed, "the matter does not lie in my hands."
"But sir, you are the headmaster! Couldn't you possibly do anything?" Lily asked desperately.
"Lily, Hogwarts is a school for witches and wizards. I cannot allow her to study here. But that does not mean she becomes less magical than she already is." On seeing Lily's look of confusion, he further explained with a twinkle in his eyes, "The world in which your sister lives is just as magical as the wizarding world but the forms of magic vary. We wizards whip out our wands even to make a hot chocolate but the magic within the muggles lies in their simplicity. Your sister is a very magical person if only she chooses to perceive the magic within. The choice lies with her, whether to pursue the magic that is beyond her reach or explore the magic that lies inside her." Dumbledore sniffed. "And incidently I happen to smell an excellent dinner. Why don't you join your friends in the Great Hall?" And with that he walked away, leaving a very bewildered Lily to follow in his wake.
Half an hour later Lily, hunched in an armchair by the fire, was still pondering Dumbledore's words. She looked up to find herself surrounded by her room-mates.
"What's up, Lily?" asked Alice.
"Nothing," replied Lily, a little too quickly.
"You look really tired," observed Aletha.
"That I am. I think I'll go to bed. Good night."
"We too. Let's go together." said Alice.
The four girls followed Lily up the girls' staircase and into their dormitory. She began to get ready for bed along with the other girls. As Lily straightened up with a fresh pair of pyjamas from her trunk, she felt four pair of eyes scrutinizing her each move.
"What?" she asked aloud.
"Alright, I'll just get to the point!" said Janet, abandoning all the pretence, "What is wrong with you, Lily?"
"Nothing," Lily replied shortly, "I am alright."
"Perfectly alright, yes. That's why you aren't paying any attention to a word we are saying since dinner, I suppose?" said Janet.
"Well - I was - er - eating and... lost track of things." Lily improvised.
"Or maybe you could just tell us what's really on your mind." said Dorcas.
"Ok!" said Lily, defeated. When she was finished with her narration, the four girls sat wide-eyed in surprise.
"So you thought you could just tell Dumbledore, all the way upto his office? Are you mad?" asked Dorcas.
Lily went scarlet as her hair. "Well I didn't know where his office was." she mumbled.
"And you talked to him about your sister!? That's really very kind of you." said Aletha.
"Thanks." said Lily, not looking up.
"That was an awful lot you did for your sister, though." remarked Alice.
"She really wanted to attend Hogwarts and she even wrote to Dumbledore about it. Of course she wasn't happy when Severus and I found out about that letter." said Lily.
"Severus?" asked Janet frowning, "You mean your friend from Slytherin? He's been to your house?"
"We live nearby." said Lily defensively.
"I don't understand why you talk to that boy. He's just so... Slytherin!" said Dorcas simply.
"What's wrong with that?"
"What isn't wrong with that?" asked Janet.
"He's my friend. We've been friends even before he was sorted into Slytherin. I know he is a good person. It was him who introduced me to magic."
"But-"
"No, Dorcas. Severus is my friend and I won't hear a word against him. Good night." And with that she climbed into her bed and fell asleep.
"Isn't she just strange?" said Janet, staring at the drawn curtains of Lily's bed.
"Two weeks into October and we've discovered just three passageways." Sirius sighed, lounging on his bed. The five Gryffindor boys were lazing in their dormitory on a saturday afternoon.
"It isn't 'just three', Sirius, it's THREE!" Remus corrected, "And God only knows how many school rules we've broken to find them," he added as an afterthought.
Their late night excursions of the castle had been really eventful. James and Sirius had taken it as a challenge to find as many secret passageways in Hogwarts as possible before they completed their first year. And they often dragged an excited Peter and a grumbling Remus with them. Although Remus always kept muttering about breaking school rules and losing house points. He proved himself to be very useful in tricky situations. As Peter was more of a hindrance than help, he often blundered in tense situations and nearly got them caught twice. Only James' invisibility cloak and Remus' quick thinking had helped them wriggle out of the trouble so far.
"I still can't believe you wormed your way out of detection twice. I would have gone frantic, had I ever seen the mere shadow of Filch while roaming at night." said Frank.
James just smirked in response.
"It's just a matter of nerves," said Sirius.
"And brains," Remus put in.
"We are going to find the kitchens on Halloween. Wan't to join us, Frank?" James asked, even though he knew the answer.
"Thanks but I don't have any interest in roaming the castle at night on my own." said Frank.
"You are such a spoilsport," James commented lazily.
Each time they had invited Frank to accompany them to their little adventures, he had politely declined their offer. He was least attracted by their stunts and was plainly terrified of breaking school rules, getting caught, and most importantly Filch. He mostly left the other four boys to their business and spent most of his free time in the common room or the library.
The Halloween morning dawned bright and sunny. An excited chatter was buzzing through the castle. Lessons were subdued. The teachers and Filch were busy in the Halloween preparations. And so, the first year Gryffindors were chatting among themselves instead of practicing the levitation charm sitting in their Charms classroom. James and Sirius were having a feather fight with their respective feathers hovering in the air.
"We are going to find the kitchens this afternoon, aren't we?" said James, battling his feather with Sirius'.
"Yes we are," said Sirius, who was giving a tough fight, "Ouch! That's my feather! But when are we leaving?"
"After the lessons end. Do you have any idea where the kitchens are?" asked Remus. The two boys smirked at Remus. He was getting along quite well.
"We are supposed to tickle a pear," said Sirius. On seeing the skeptical looks his friends gave him, he hastily added, "I overheard a fifth year in the common room!"
"That's a nice way of putting it. 'Overheard' indeed! So let's tickle a pear." said Remus, chuckling.
"Shall I get a pear?" asked Peter.
The three boys looked at him incredulously in perfect unison.
"Would you mind shutting your mouths for some time? We need to concentrate." said an enraged Lily, who was in the bench next to them.
"Speak for yourself, Evans!" said James, smirking. "Your friends are already busy with their chatter."
Lily flushed. Her friends were indeed busy in some discussion. It seemed that! only Lily was really practicing. She attempted to change the topic. "I don't know how you stand them, Remus. They're so arrogant."
"They are my friends, Lily." said Remus quietly.
"Ok. Will you be there in the library tomorrow? We can do the Potions homework together." said Lily.
"Sorry Lily. But my grandmother's ill. I am going to visit her." said Remus, not meeting her eyes.
"Oh! Alright then I'll see you on Monday." With that Lily returned to her work.
"Are you really going tomorrow, Remus?" asked Peter.
"Yes I am. Grandma's ill again."
"Ok but you are there for the feast, aren't you?"
"Of course I am."
After the lessons were over, the four friends stood outside the Great Hall, wondering which way they could find the kitchens.
"I think we should start from here." said James, "Why don't we split up?"
"I'll go with Peter," said Sirius, "And Remus, you can go with James."
"And if any of us finds where the kitchens are? How do we call you?" asked Remus.
"We have our means," said Sirius. He winked at James, and left for the first floor with Peter. Wondering what their means of communication could be and what mayhem that could cause, Remus left with James towards the dungeons.
After roaming the dungeons for about half an hour, James and Remus returned to the entrance with no success.
"I wonder what's behind this marble staircase!" James said, enthisiastically.
"Solid thick wall?" Remus suggested.
"Let's find out!" said James, dragging Remus along with him.
They circled the marble staircase. On the right side they did meet a wall. Remus smirked but James' spirits weren't dampened. He turned and led him to the left.
They found a door. Curious, they pushed the door open and started inside.
But, on the first floor Sirius and Peter were having no luck regarding their search. They roamed through the corridors, Sirius kicking and pushing every other wall at different places. This was much of a nuisance but it led to the discovery of two small passageways leading from one corridor to another. Peter trodded along with him, sniffing for any smell of food.
For now Sirius was kicking yet another wall when he heard a tinkle from his pocket. He nearly tripped in surprise and was steadied by Peter. He withdrew a tiny mirror from his pocket and saw the face of a grinning James in it instead of his own.
"What's that?" said Peter, astonished.
"It's a two-way mirror." said James from the mirror. "We found out the kitchens!"
"How?" asked Sirius.
"Just tickled the pear!" Remus winked.
"We are coming there. Where are you?"
James explained about the door to the left of the marble staircase, that led to another narrow staircase, down which there was a stone corridor.
"We are near a painting of gigantic bowl of fruits. Hurry!"
Sirius and Peter wasted no time. Minutes later they were with James and Remus, tickling the pear in the painting. The pear giggled and materialized into a large door handle. James twisted the handle and the door swung in to reveal the kitchens. Inside they met a sight of atleast hundred house elves working feverishly to prepare their Halloween feast. A few welcomed them graciously and served them with tea and buiscuits.
"Do the masters wan't anything else?" squeaked a tiny house elf.
"Could you possibly have some cakes?" asked Sirius.
"Yes we is having plenty of cakes, master!" said another elf. Four elves promptly brought a large plate of cakes.
"You have just had lunch, Sirius!" said Remus.
"So what?" said Sirius, munching his cake. Remus sighed and helped himself to a small piece of cake.
After they had their bellies full of cakes, James insisted on a tour of the kitchens. The house elves, somewhat reluctantly, agreed. The kitchen was exactly the size of the Great Hall. There were four tables equally long as the house tables which were slowly being filled with food items. Along the walls stood great vessels in which food was being cooked. They walked forward to take a closer look and were surrounded by steam and smell of delicious gravy.
"You cook so much!" said Peter in delight.
"The Halloween feast is very big, sir!" said an elf, "We is cooking number of dishes for the students and the teachers!"
They were now near a huge gravy pot. Suddenly it issued a blast of steam and the kitchen was momentarily fogged. There was a tinkle of glass somewhere near James' right. The house elves clicked their fingers in unison and the steam vanished.
"What was that?" said Sirius wiping away sweat from his forehead with his handkercheif.
"The gravy is cooked, sir" said an elf.
"Lets get out of here. I am suffocating," said James.
With lots of chocolates stuffed in their pockets, they left the kitchens thanking the house elves.
Savouring their chocolates, they made their way up the Gryffindor tower.
"Tinkling tins!" James gave the password to the fat lady just as Sirius gasped dramatically.
"What now?" James said, turning around.
Sirius was standing petrified with one hand inside his robes pocket.
"What's up, mate?" asked Remus, looking worried.
"The tickling solution I nicked from the students' store cupbord," Sirius whispered, "It's missing!"
"Where would it be?" Remus asked at once, "You might have dropped it somewhere. Think."
"That I did," said Sirius as realization dawned on him.
"Where?" asked the other three in unison.
"Near - possibly in the gravy pot in the kitchens!"
"Move in the four of you!" called the Fat Lady.
But the four boys just stood stunned, staring at each other.
-Explicaturus Mysterium