Closed Cache Beneath the Castle

[Van Voclain]

Chance had let Van to the Hogwarts kitchens, but it was curiosity that made her venture inside. Lunch had passed over an hour ago, but the smell of cooking food was still strong. Did the elves ever stop working? Or did they start on dinner as soon as the lunch dishes were cleaned? "Cozy 'n'ere, innit?" she said to no elf in particular. She wasn't even sure she was allowed in the kitchens, but given that the door wasn't locked and and the floor hadn't turned into a slide and slid her back out, she was inclined to think it was within bounds. She watched an elf levitate several loaves of bread and a wheel of cheese over the heads of the other elves. Imagine having all this food under the castle! Nobody ever had to worry about going hungry at Hogwarts. Back home... No - Van didn't have to worry about going hungry at home any more, either. But there were people who did. What happened to the leftovers? She asked for a piece of cheese and nibbled on it as she wandered around, watching the elves work.

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene loved hogwarts and all of its offerings, but the novelty of the great hall and the amount of food on offer to him had definitely worn off. He had never seen soo much food in his life, never experienced that much ever. With his mum, his grandfather and with his cousin they’d eaten as well as they could afford but the comparison between that good and even just the richness of the food at Hogwarts was a little overwhelming. He knew that he’d get over it in a few days but he’d taken the initiative and had asked an older student for advice who had told him about the kitchens, a place he wasn’t in theory supposed to be but he felt he had a very viable excuse for why he would be there. As Eugene stepped into the kitchens he was surprised that there were creatures at work, he frowned at them...what were these things? Did they make all the food? Did they eat the leftovers? Where did they get so much food? How long did they work? Were they paid? He noticed as his mind raced a girl at one of the tables with some food and he wondered how to get some too. Eugene walked over to her, ”Hey, how did you get that, did you ask these…..the kitchen staff or just help yourself?” his tone was curious and keen, it was clear he wanted to know for himself.​

 

[Van Voclain]

The kitchen was so full of activity that Van didn’t notice somebody had come in until he was practically standing in front of her. “What? I didn’t steal it!” she said, colour rising to her cheeks. “Them over there said I could. Do you want some? They’ll probably give it you, if you ask.” Popping the last bit in her mouth, she added, ”I might get some more - it’s amazing.”

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene frowned and shook his head at the girl, ”No, I didn’t mean it like that, bro,” he was quick to say, but she told him how he could get some, it seemed you did have to talk to the….things. He nodded and then went over to the creatures. He asked for a sandwich, strawberry jam sandwich. It had always been a staple of his diet, jam lasted a while and usually was good energy. They produced it within seconds and he took his plate with a fancier jam sandwich than his mother or cousin had ever made him and went back to the girl. ”Do you mind if I eat with you?” he asked, he didn’t want to take the sandwich with him and was happy, if she was to sit and eat together. ”I’m Eugene by the way,” he added as if to try to help her agree to it.​

 

[Van Voclain]

“It’s all right,” Van said, cleaning her fingers on her robes. She knew an accusatory tone when she heard one, but this boy clearly didn’t mean any harm. And even if he had meant harm, he didn’t seem the type capable of doing much of it. She watched with amusement as he asked the elves for a jam sandwich. ”Sure. Didn't you have lunch? Or do you always eat a lot?” She hopped onto a crate and pulled her feet up to sit cross-legged. ”I’m Van. By the way, this is my spot, 'cause I found it first. And I don't want no-one else finding it, so don't tell anyone without my permission, yeah?"

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene nodded and gave a little smile as she seemed to get that he hadn’t really meant anything by what he’d said. He had his sandwich and joined her. He shook his head and laughed lightly. ”I got a bit overwhelmed with how much food there was in the hall and an older student told me I could come here,” he said with a little smile. ”Good to meet you Van! And don’t worry bro, I won’t tell anyone else, the older student definitely told me about this in a way that was clear I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone else,” Eugene said as he then took a bite of the sandwich, it was much better than anything his mum or cousin had ever made, he imagined all the ingredients were just fresher here. It still did remind him of home. ”What do you think those things are bro? Are they the house elves the head mistress mentioned in her opening speech?” he asked looking at them. He wasn’t sure if this girl would know, but she was the only person he could ask so far.​

 

[Van Voclain]

"What?" said Van. "You mean everybody in the whole school already knows about this place?" That wasn't exactly what Eugene had said, but if the older students were telling first years about the kitchens, it wouldn't be long before the entire lot of them came down and claimed it as their hangout, or something. Maybe they'd get lost in the dungeons and never find it. Van hoped. She followed Eugene's gaze. "I think so. One of them was in our room, earlier, cleaning. Is it just me, or is it kind of weird? I mean, little elves working in the dungeons, picking up people's dirty socks." She adjusted the level of her voice carefully to avoid being overheard, though she had a feeling they could hear a whisper a mile away. "Do you think an elf can be, like, a professor?"

 

[Eugene Nestor]

Eugene shrugged, ”Maybe it’s like a known secret,” he wasn’t sure how many people knew about it and without someone telling him he wouldn’t have been likely to seek it out. He was glad to know of it, thinking that eventually he would get used to the great hall and all its offerings but happy to sometimes be able to seek out something simpler. Something familiar. He looked back at the elves as Van said in agreement that perhaps these were the creatures that they had heard about. He hadn’t seen any of them cleaning up hufflepuff but perhaps he just hadn’t been paying attention. He gave a little nod, ”It’s a little weird,” he agreed, but if he remembered correct the headmistress had said they were there because they wanted to, he had to imagine they were paid, and those that treated them unkindly would end up in trouble. He leaned in as she whispered and nodded, ”Don’t see why not, they must have magical knowledge and information they could teach or even just how to cook,” he said. He wasn’t sure any of them would want to teach, but he hoped if they did that they could. ”Do you think they have names? That they give themselves or that we give them?” he asked. The creatures seemed like they would, they seem intelligent.​