POP! Lydia gasped and almost jumped. She turned to see one of the house elves coming toward her. She still wasn't used to how they could just appear like that from thin air. One of the other students had called it...appa...appa-something. She didn't remember.

"Oh, you startled me," she said. "But yes, I could use your help! This castle is so big. It's so easy to get lost. Would you...would you mind showing me around a little bit? I hope that's not too much to ask. You're probably very busy. By the way, what's your name? I don't think I've met you before!"

Lydia studied the tiny elf with kind eyes. Coming from the muggle world, she had no idea other races even existed, let alone elves. From what she'd read in books, elves were either little Santa's helpers or tall and regal like in The Lord of the Rings. Hogwarts house elves were not really like either one of those. But from the first time she'd met one in the entrance hall on September 1st, Lydia had liked the gentle creatures. They were so kind and helpful all the time. She wondered why they were stuck cleaning up and cooking food and doing other such chores around the castle.