Chapter 9

Behind the opened portrait was a large hall, lined with four long tables set up exactly like the house tables in the Great Hall upstairs. There was also a fifth table running perpendicular to the others, reminiscent of the staff table.

"This must be directly below the Great Hall," I realized, piecing it together.

"Seems so. And those are house-elves," Remus pointed out.

Only then did I notice the other inhabitants of the hall. They were short, with large ears and eyes like tennis balls, dressed in white tea towels emblazoned with the Hogwarts crest. House-elves. I'd read about them but had never seen one before.

"Uh, hello," I greeted uncertainly.

"Good evening, miss! Delighted to serve you! What can I get for you?" the house-elf squeaked, clearly thrilled.

"Oh, I just need something to eat. Anything will do, just to fill my stomach. But no pumpkin juice, please." 

"Of course, right away!" The little figure bustled off.

"Uh, do these house-elves make all the food we usually eat?" I asked Remus.

"Technically, yes, but it's not just one of them."

"More than one? Then where are the others…?" 

"The other house-elves are resting now. Tonight it's just me and Tito on duty, miss! My name is Bobo!" The house-elf, Bobo, quickly returned with a tray of food, including a steaming bowl of soup, a glass of pumpkin juice, and some pies.

"Thank you, Bobo. You can call me Sawyer." I took the tray, inhaling the delicious aroma of the soup. "So, why are you the only one here? Where's Tito?"

"She's in the back, Miss Sawyer! She's very sad today because it's the anniversary of her old master's death, and it's also the day she was thrown out twelve years ago." Bobo's large head drooped sorrowfully.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Bobo. You can go comfort her. We don't need anything else, and you've already helped us." I spoke gently.

"Oh, thank you, kind miss! Just call my name if you need me!" With a nod from me, Bobo disappeared.

"Remus, are there many house-elves at Hogwarts?" I asked as we munched on pies.

"Yes, quite a few, though I don't know the exact number."

"Do they all come from wizarding families?"

"Most of them do. Many wizard families have house-elves, and they rarely release one. For a house-elf, being released is a disgrace, and they find it hard to get work elsewhere. Not having work is very distressing for them. They're incredibly hardworking creatures," Remus explained. "I heard that Professor Dumbledore hired many freed house-elves, giving them jobs. He's a kind and great wizard." Remus's eyes shone with admiration. Gryffindors seemed to idolize Dumbledore.

I sighed internally. Dumbledore always struck me as a cunning, calculating figure beneath his kindly facade. Those twinkling blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles seemed to harbor secrets. He might be a Gryffindor alumnus, but he had a touch of Slytherin about him. Perhaps that's why he was so successful. Nonetheless, he was undeniably a great wizard.

"...Sawyer, are you tired?" Remus's voice brought me back to the present. He smiled, repeating, "Are you tired? You seemed to drift off. If you're done eating, let's head back."

"Ah, sorry, yes, I'm a bit tired. Let's go." I placed the tray down and followed Remus out of the kitchen.

---

Back in the dormitory, I quietly climbed into bed. Lily and the other girls were sound asleep. I lay there, staring at the moonlight spilling onto the foot of my bed through the curtains.

Thinking of that irritating Potter filled me with a sense of helplessness. The enmity between Gryffindor and Slytherin was as old as Hogwarts itself, a proud tradition of sorts, with both sides relishing the rivalry. It was tiresome. They could battle all they wanted, as long as they didn't target Severus and me. Severus was like family to me. If they hurt him, there would be hell to pay, I thought as sleep finally claimed me.

---

The next morning, I woke up late. After a rushed start, I barely made it to History of Magic class on time. Sitting in my seat, still yawning, I managed to fall asleep ten minutes into the lesson.

When I woke up, the class was over. Feeling refreshed, I went to find Severus, who had just finished Herbology. Catching him on the way back to the castle, I dragged him to the library. It was a good place to study—mostly quiet and free from troublemakers with Madam Pince around.

We settled down to read. I was skimming through a book about magical trace detection. Ever since learning about the restriction on underage magic outside school, I'd been curious about how the Ministry monitored us. They couldn't possibly have surveillance devices on each of us. There had to be a way to circumvent it. The ban on magic during holidays was frustrating—I wasn't some irresponsible child who couldn't control their actions.

Stretching and moving closer to Severus, I saw he was engrossed in a thick book on advanced potion theory, the diagrams resembling complex chemistry. "Ugh, this looks complicated," I murmured. "This isn't first-year material, is it?"

"No, it's for third or fourth years," Severus replied without looking up.

"Wow, you're a potions genius," I said, clicking my tongue.

Severus finally looked up, snorted, and buried his head back in the book. His slight smile showed he was pleased.

I chuckled quietly. Kids always liked being praised, no matter how prickly they seemed.

---

Not long after, Lily joined us. She had gone back to the dormitory with Mary after History of Magic. 

Excitedly, she pulled out a letter. "Petunia's letter arrived! She's been chosen to represent her class in the end-of-term essay competition! She's so brilliant, she'll do great!" She was so thrilled that she forgot to lower her voice, earning a stern look from Madam Pince.

Lily ducked her head, sticking her tongue out. Her face was flushed with excitement, breathing heavily from running all the way.

"Looks like we'll have to prepare a celebration for her during the summer holidays, right, Severus?" I patted Lily's back.

Severus looked at us, not answering, but his eyes were warm with a soft smile.