Before it was time to go to the dining hall and join Hermione and the others, I decided to check if the kitchen was still there. I did this while invisible, as I didn't feel like answering curious questions about why I was wandering around the castle instead of studying.
Luckily, the kitchen was in the same place, only its door was hidden by a fruit portrait, which I was able to open after tickling a pear. As soon as I entered, I canceled my invisibility and was soon surrounded by a large group of small elves who were very excited and eager to serve me some snacks, especially when they realized it was me. They only calmed down a bit when Blinky scolded them.
Seeing the elves so enthusiastic, I asked them to find me a place to sit and pour me some juice. It was rather amusing to see the little ones vying for my attention, and I couldn't help but remember the first time I met the castle elves.
Once I finished my juice, I asked Blinky to tell me the names of all the elves in the castle. I also asked him the names of the elves who were in the island house. Luckily, Blinky knew their names too, so I called one of them, whose name was Grey.
As soon as Grey appeared, he was as happy as Blinky had been the first time he saw me. He told me how happy he was to be able to serve someone in the family again. Once I managed to calm Grey and the other elves down and get them to stop offering me things, I told Grey and Blinky that I wanted them to get some fabric so they could make themselves some clothes. At first, the elves were scared, thinking I wanted to free them, and they started crying until I explained that I didn't.
It took me a few minutes to calm them down and explain what I really wanted by having them wear clothes.
I told them I wouldn't give them ready-made clothes, that they would have to make them themselves, and that I would only pay for the fabric they would use. So, technically, I wasn't giving them clothes at all. Since they were initially reluctant to wear the clothes, I had to explain that as servants of the Ravenclaw family, they had to look dignified. If their appearance wasn't appropriate, it would make me look like a bad teacher, and my ancestors would be very disappointed in me, which would make me very sad.
When they heard that, they seemed eager to wear the clothes I told them to, as they didn't want me to be sad because of them. I used some of the spoons to transfigure small dolls dressed in the uniforms of a maid and a butler so they could use them as models for the clothes they would wear.
I also told Blinky that the elves at the castle had to wear the school emblem on the chest or back of their clothes. This confused them a bit, as they only wanted to wear the Ravenclaw emblem, just like Grey and the other island elves. They only agreed when I told them that the school emblem was also important to me, as it was the emblem my mother chose, along with the people who were as important to me as my own blood family. I
never thought it would be so hard to convince them. I took some cookies and put them in my bracelet before leaving the kitchen, promising to return another time. I also promised to call Grey to take me to the island house later. I left them some gold coins so they could get the fabrics, telling them I hoped to see them in their new clothes next time.
As I was heading back to my room, I found Hermione, Harry, and Ron standing in front of the portrait. When I approached them, I heard the lady in the portrait tell them I wasn't in the room, so I called out to them to get their attention.
"Hey guys, are your classes over? "
Hermione was the first to see and speak to me.
"Yes, we were thinking of going to the Great Hall and thought we'd invite you to eat with us... but we didn't know you were out. It's good you're back just in time.
" "I see... I had a few things to do... I'd really like to eat with you, I just need to come in for a moment."
When the door opened, I invited them in. We'd barely taken a few steps inside when I noticed several packages on the table in front of the sofa. I walked over and put them in my wristband. When the packages started disappearing as soon as I touched them, Ron exclaimed in surprise,
"Wow! How did you do that?"
I replied as I put the last one in my wristband.
"I just put them in my storage wristband... I need something from my room, I'll be out in a minute. Please have a seat."
As I walked to my room, I heard Ron quietly ask Harry and Hermione,
"She said she used a what?"
"I don't know what it is, do you, Hermione?
" "I don't know what it is either, but from the name, it sounds like something to store things in."
I find it really funny to see their surprised faces, but I hope they get used to the things I do soon, since I want to teach them some of my skills, if possible, especially Harry, because of the challenges he'll face in the Triwizard Tournament.
When I got to my room, I absorbed the clones I'd left there studying the non-school books, and once I finished assimilating their memories, I left with the others for the Great Hall.
During lunch, I asked them what their plans were, and they told me they only had an hour free. Hermione said they would spend that hour in the library since they needed to study a bit before the Potions exam, and Harry and Ron, though reluctant, agreed to go.
Something I noticed during lunch was that Headmaster Dumbledore kept glancing in our direction and would become thoughtful until he realized I was looking at him. Then he would just smile at me before continuing his meal. There was something about his gaze that I didn't quite like, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was that bothered me, so I decided to avoid Dumbledore as much as possible.
I never really liked his character because I thought he was a manipulative person who didn't care much about how his plans might affect people's lives as long as he got the result he wanted.
When we got to the library, we looked for an empty table where we could study, and luckily, we found one in the corner.
While they were reviewing their potions notes, or rather, while they were looking at Hermione's notes, I wandered among the shelves looking for a book with more extensive information on potion ingredients. As expected, I ended up in the herbology section, where I happened to run into Neville. I remembered that Neville was very good at herbology, so I approached him and, to get his attention, touched his shoulder, which startled him a little.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
" "N-no, it's okay, don't worry... it was... it was my fault, I didn't hear you... how can I help you?"
"I'm really sorry, I just wanted to see if you could recommend a book on herbology. I was reading a potions book and it mentioned several plants I didn't recognize... and since I saw you in this section, I thought I'd ask if there was a good book about them... it would be great if it had all the plants used in the potions of the first three years."
" Umm... I know one that would work for you, it's around here..."
Neville was very kind and helped me find the book himself. When he gave me the book, I invited him to come with me to the table where Hermione and the others were. At first, he seemed nervous, but when I told the others that he had helped me find a book and invited him to study with us, and they didn't seem to mind, he felt a little more relaxed, and we were able to study the rest of the hour in peace. He and Hermione even explained some of the plants in the book to me.
Since they would have classes back-to-back until dinnertime, I invited them to my room for dinner so we could talk more quietly and get to know each other better. Neville seemed very surprised that I invited him too. In the short time we talked, I noticed he was very shy, except when it came to plants. I thought it was because he struggled with his spells, so I decided to see if I could bring up wands so he could get a new one that would make casting spells easier and help him gain some confidence. My impression of him in the movie was that he was someone who showed his courage when necessary, and I'd like to see him become that confident boy again without having to face Voldemort and his crazy followers.
Speaking of Voldemort... I still need to find and destroy the Horcruxes...
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