On Saturday evening, William led Hermione and Annie to the kitchen to begin their "grueling" detention.
Grueling indeed. They had to clean the entire kitchen.
In comparison, the punishment for Harry and Ron, who got caught joyriding the flying car, was much easier.
Harry had been taken by Lockhart under the pretense of helping him answer fan mail.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had been yearning for alone time with the Boy Who Lived for quite some time but never got the chance—until tonight.
So Harry's punishment was simple: keep Lockhart entertained!
This required a nimble right hand, potentially both hands. Otherwise, enduring hours of non-stop work would wear anyone out.
Fortunately, as Hogwarts' youngest Seeker in a century, Harry was exceptionally gifted. He had unrivaled reflexes and a strong, capable arm. Earning him the nickname "Golden Right Hand."
Helping Lockhart? Child's play.
Ron had it even easier. His task was to polish the silverware in the trophy room by hand.
Considering how rare it was to touch such precious items up close, Ron had to make the most of this opportunity.
He had the entire evening to spend with the shining silver trophies, free to admire or even pretend they were his own, basking in the fantasy of newfound riches.
Of course, he'd have to return them when he was done.
Ron also had the chance to "re-educate" himself by reading the names of Hogwarts' most outstanding wizards inscribed on the trophies. A great opportunity for personal growth indeed.
Meanwhile, William's trio walked through the hallway toward the kitchen.
"Isn't this the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room?" Annie asked curiously.
She'd been here before, dragging Ginny and Luna along on an adventure, and she'd seen the Hufflepuffs disappear down this corridor.
William nodded.
Hogwarts' kitchen was located right next to the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room.
This showed Helga Hufflepuff's remarkable foresight.
While other students had three meals a day, the Hufflepuffs enjoyed four.
Some of the more "dedicated" ones could manage seven or eight meals in a day without breaking a sweat.
Whether or not they excelled in academics was one thing, but they always made sure they were well-fed!
Honey badgers feared hunger above all else. When they got hungry, they wouldn't just taunt snakes or eagles, they'd provoke lions too.
Choosing the right location was a crucial decision.
Pick poorly, and you'd get no sunlight and develop all sorts of aches and pains. Pick well... and you'd graduate as the plumpest student in Hogwarts.
"This is the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room," William said after they walked a bit further, pointing to a spot.
The Hufflepuffs didn't have a portrait like Gryffindor or an eagle-shaped knocker like Ravenclaw. They had a more unusual mechanism for their entrance.
A row of large barrels arranged in a shadowy alcove.
To open the door, one had to tap the second barrel from the bottom in the middle row to the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff.
It was almost like a Morse code for barrels.
William wasn't entirely sure what "Hufflepuff's rhythm" sounded like, but he just went with the general cadence.
"What happens if you tap the wrong one?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Why don't you give it a try?" Annie encouraged her. "Hermione, you're not scared, are you?"
"I'm not scared!" Hermione rolled her eyes and boldly knocked on one of the barrels with her wand.
Annie, having experienced this before, quickly pulled a pink umbrella from her ring and held it over her head.
Sure enough, the barrel began to gurgle.
A torrent of liquid burst out, pouring down the narrow hallway.
Annie shot Hermione a smug glance—but her grin froze in the next second.
Hermione didn't panic or even flinch. She stood calmly, continuing to study the barrels.
William waved his wand, conjuring an umbrella to shield them both.
"Hermione, that's cheating!" Annie pouted.
William ignored the little troublemaker. He gently wrapped an arm around Hermione's slim shoulders so they could both fit under the umbrella and avoid the spray.
"What is this stuff?" Hermione asked.
"Vinegar. Really old vinegar!" William replied.
Hermione reached out and touched the liquid streaming down. It was thick and sticky, and the sour scent of vinegar filled the air.
The Hufflepuffs really had a strange sense of humor.
William tapped the correct barrel with his wand.
The vinegar disappeared, and the barrel lids opened to reveal a sloping earthen tunnel that led into the Hufflepuff common room.
The three of them didn't enter.
The Hufflepuff students were probably inside dancing.
After dinner, under the prefect's guidance, Hufflepuffs would gather in the common room for a ridiculous dance session before heading to bed.
The tradition was said to aid digestion, and maybe even help foster friendships.
Cedric Diggory was always the star of these dances, the most dazzling dancer among them.
Unsurprisingly, Cedric had more male friends than anyone else in their circle.
The trio left the barrels behind and descended another set of stone stairs. This wasn't some dark, eerie tunnel like the one leading to Snape's dungeon classroom.
Instead, it was a wide stone corridor, brightly lit by torches, and adorned with cheerful paintings, most of which depicted food.
And the food was animated:
A large plate of creamy escargot;
A pot of unsettling bat sashimi;
And a steaming Australian lobster.
William wasn't a fan of lobster.
It smelled great but tasted even better.
Soon, the three arrived in front of a painting of a giant silver bowl brimming with fruit.
William extended a finger and tickled the large green pear.
The pear squirmed and giggled, then transformed into a large green door handle.
Hogwarts had many hidden rooms, and without a guide, most people would never find the kitchen.
William grasped the handle, pulled the door open, and stepped into the Hogwarts kitchen.
The kitchen was an enormous, high-ceilinged room, the same size as the Great Hall above it.
The stone walls were lined with stacks of gleaming copper pots and pans. At the far end of the room was a massive brick fireplace.
Above the fireplace hung a painting.
The Last Supper.
It depicted the final gathering of the Hogwarts Founders.
Helga Hufflepuff held up a small, ornate golden cup with two handles.
Rowena Ravenclaw, wearing her diadem, quietly flipped through a book made of bark, a bronze ring on her right hand.
Godric Gryffindor was grilling something.
He adjusted the wizard hat on his head and set a skewer of dragon meat atop a crude wooden goblet.
The goblet immediately erupted into flames.
Salazar Slytherin sat alone, playing with a snake.
A small basilisk, barely a meter long, coiled around his left arm, its eyes fixed on the snakewood wand in his right hand.
Slytherin wore a grotesque black gemstone ring on his right hand.
On one side of the table sat a lone plate.
The plate was spotless.
And on it lay,
Seven eggs.