Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 41: Kitchen
The chirping of birds outside woke Dudley from his sleep, his eyes snapping open as he look around his surroundings.
The decorations in Hufflepuff looked almost the same as what he had seen in Hogwarts Legacy. But there was one thing he needed to figure out, it is the location of the kitchen.
Why did he want to go to the kitchen? Because there were two house-elves he wanted to recruit Dobby and Winky.
As a reader of Harry Potter books he knows how loyal Dobby to Harry Potter and how Winky really wanted a wizards as her master.
Harry Potter really was just a kid. Even after killing the Basilisk, he had left the corpse to rot there. He hadn't even thought to go back and check for any books Salazar Slytherin might have left behind.
If he is the one who slain the basilisk, the first thing he will do is to sell the corpse and venom of the Basilisk.
But it didn't matter anymore. The Basilisk had turned into a skeleton, and the only valuable thing left was the Basilisk Fang. Dudley needed that fang to destroy the Horcruxes.
Another mistake Harry had made was not recruiting Dobby or Winky. Maybe it was because of Hermione's S.P.E.W. campaign—they probably respected her enough not to take the loyal elves.
Dudley got up and opened the window, but since the Hufflepuff dormitory was in the basement, there wasn't much to see except the greenery.
Plants were growing inside the common room and outside the basement windows. Hufflepuff really was perfect for anyone who loved nature. It was a pity Neville wasn't in this house.
Dudley headed to the common room and met Justin.
"Morning," Dudley greeted him.
"Hi, morning, Dudley," Justin smiled back.
Dudley moved towards the door, clearly intending to head out.
"Where are you going?" Justin asked.
"The kitchen, obviously," Dudley replied.
"The kitchen? Do you even know where it is?" Justin asked, surprised.
Not everyone knew the location of the kitchen, even among the Hufflepuffs. Those who did often kept it a secret because students were encouraged to eat in the Great Hall instead of sneaking into the kitchen.
"Come on, I'll show you," Dudley invited.
Justin stood up, ready to follow, but before they could leave, Susan and Hannah came down the stairs.
"Up early, Justin?" Susan said, surprised to see him awake. She hadn't noticed Dudley by the door yet.
"Yeah, I had a nightmare, so I woke up early for some fresh air," Justin replied.
He had been traumatized by the revelation from Dudley the night before. Seeing Voldemort's true face in the Pensieve had shaken him deeply and when he slept, he dreamt of his family being killed by the Dark Lord. Waking up in a cold sweat, he had come to the common room to collect his thoughts, haunted by the stories and books he had read about Voldemort's reign of terror.
"Susan, didn't know you were a morning person," Dudley teased as he approached.
"My internal clock's been reset to 6 AM, thanks to some dude," Susan retorted with a smirk.
During her time at Dudley's house, he had been obsessed with training and woke up early every day. She had gotten into the habit as well, training alongside Harry, Dudley, Winky, and sometimes even her aunt Amelia.
"Haha! Do you two want to join me in the kitchen?" Dudley asked with a grin.
"The kitchen? You know where it is?" Hannah asked, intrigued.
"You can count on me," Dudley said, smiling confidently.
---The Kitchen---
"Welcome to the kitchen," said Dudley as he opened the door.
"Wow," they all exclaimed.
"Hogwarts students!"
"Let's greet them!"
"Welcome, master!"
"My name is Stipsy."
"I am Snickes."
The house-elves were eager to greet them. Though they saw students every day, they rarely had the chance to interact directly with them. Normally, they worked silently behind the scenes, unnoticed by the students. So, when someone actually visited the kitchen, especially new students, the house-elves greeted them enthusiastically.
"Hi, what food are you making today?" Dudley asked.
"We have pasta, sandwiches, and much more," answered one of the elves.
"Okay, I'll have some milk and two slices of buttered bread," Dudley said. "What about you, Susan?"
"Just give me the same as him," Susan replied.
"I'll have eggs with bread and some pumpkin juice," Justin ordered.
"I'll have the same as Susan," Hannah added.
The four of them sat down, waiting as the house-elves prepared their food. It only took a few minutes before everything was ready. Out of the corner of his eye, Dudley noticed the elf he had been looking for.
"Are you Dobby?" Dudley asked.
His question immediately caught the elf's attention.
"Yes, I'm Dobby," Dobby answered with a wide smile. "And you… I remember! You're the cousin of the great master, Harry Potter."
"Yeah, that's me," Dudley smiled back.
"Dobby? Is this the elf that almost got you kicked out of school?" Susan whispered to Dudley.
"Yep, he's the one," Dudley confirmed.
"So, Dobby, what are you doing here now?" Dudley asked.
"Dobby is working here now! Professor Dumbledore hired Dobby, and I'm getting paid—one galleon a week," Dobby said proudly.
Hearing this, the other house-elves shot Dobby contemptuous looks, disapproving of his choice to accept payment, which they felt undermined the honor of house-elves.
"Oh, is it fun working here?" Dudley asked with a curious smile.
"Yeah, it is. Professor Dumbledore is really kind," Dobby replied with a smile.
"Dobby, would you like to work for me? Harry and I are a bit short on house-elves, so we need another one," Dudley offered casually.
Susan shot Dudley a sharp glare, her eyes wide with disbelief, muttering something under her breath. Dudley pretended not to notice, while Justin looked surprised at the offer. It was the first time Hannah had ever heard of a house-elf being paid.
Suddenly, Dobby burst into tears.
"Master Dudley wants Dobby to work for him?" Dobby asked, needing confirmation.
"That's right. I can offer you one galleon a week and one day off every month," Dudley said.
"Dobby wants to work for Master Dudley!" Dobby exclaimed, raising his right hand into the air. "Master Dudley is the cousin of the great Harry Potter!"
Author Notes - To read 22 advanced chapter, you can go to my patreon. If you are Iphone user please subscribe using web browser instead of apps, you can get more than 30% discount by using web browser.
-patreon.com/zorojurown