Wiley had been super excited to have been sorted into Hufflepuff. It was in his top two houses and it was his dad's house! His dad told him lots of stuff about Hufflepuff and he was trying to figure out if they were all true. Or at least as much as he could remember him telling him. Some of the stuff went in one ear and out the other. His mum had told him plenty too. But the thing he was most interested in today was the kitchens.

He knew the house elves here were great at making all kinds of delicious food and he heard that if you got into the kitchen, they would make you anything you wanted! He wanted to try that out today. But first... Dad said something about a painting of fruit and tickling one of the pieces.. So.. where exactly was that? Wiley wandered down a corridor close to his common room, hoping it was the right one.

Maisey had finally gotten to the point where she was pretty confident in getting herself around the castle without getting lost. Now she could walk around and take in everything around her. The statues on the upper floors were very interesting, also she could talk to the portraits on the staircase and corridors. How cool was that? Her brothers and sisters would be so jealous but also they would love it here. She frowned to herself knowing that she probably would never get to really share this part of her life with her siblings.

Anyway…

Where was that fruit bowl painting? She seen it the other day. She just passed it and didn’t get a chance to really look at it. Someone was standing there in front of it reaching for the pear. Which was bizarre to her. Maybe they were reaching up to take one to eat? This was a magical school, where she was pretty sure anything could happen. So why not a fruit bowl painting that you can take a piece and to eat. Finally after wandering around she found the painting, someone was there again. With a grin ”Are you hungry too?” She walked up to the boy Wiley? If she remembered right. She reached up to take a banana.

Ohhhh that definitely wasn’t the kind of painting she thought it was. She jerked her hand back, took a step back embarrassed and put her arms behind her back.

No one was to tell Aurora’s parents under any circumstances that she was sneaking down to the kitchen for a sugary snack in between meals. The blonde had a sweet tooth and she desired a little something to keep her going from those amazing house elves who made the most delicious meals. Yes, she was trying to eat all her fruits and vegetables and grains but when there were all these other options it was difficult. She had even heard there was a sweet shop in Hogsmeade that was maybe even better than the one in Diagon Alley. The blonde has made her way down from the seventh floor where she had been sat on her bed flicking through a magazine she had packed in her suitcase and was wandering the basement corridor.

The problem was that she hadn’t quite worked out how to enter the kitchens by herself yet.

She knew it had something to do with the painting of a fruit bowl hanging up on the wall. Unfortunately at the time there was no one else present to assist her in the corridor and therefore this was something she’d have to use her newly appointed Ravenclaw brain to figure out. It was bad enough that the only way to enter the Ravenclaw common room was to answer a riddle and now there was another painting that wanted to test her?! The eleven year old stood there staring at the painting with her head tilted slightly to one side in confusion trying to figure it out. How long could she stand here before she’d have to give up?

Another week, another batch of cookies and baked goods to make! Though most of her days have been spent attending classes, doing homework, hanging out with her friends, and snuggling with her cat, Yukie has so far never missed a baking schedule. Recently, she had started branching out of her typical list of flavours. Her last experimental recipe of anything-but-the-kitchen-sink cookies was surprisingly delightful, and had inspired her to try different variations of it when she could. Mum's cookie girl legacy won't be dying as long as she was around, Yukie would make sure of it.

Suddenly, the entrance—or exit, in this case—to the kitchens revealed itself and out came one Yukie Selina Rasting. What was that in her hands? Yes, it was a big jar full of her latest batch of cookies. Having tested one cookie from this batch of assorted flavours, Yukie was pleased with the outcome and ready to share it with her friends while they were still fresh from the oven. The Hufflepuff still had a dust of flour on her cheek as she stepped out, when she crossed paths with a much smaller girl. "Oh, hello!" Yukie said with a warm smile. By the looks of it, the younger girl was probably a first year and ooooh how Yukie enjoyed first years! All so adorable, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "Were you heading in?" That must explain why she was standing there with no company, right?

Yukie looked at her jar of cookies, then back at the girl, and had an 'oh right!' moment. "Do you want one? I just baked them. They're assorted, but if you have food allergies, you should let me know." She'd pick out a flavour for the younger girl instead. There was no time for allergies when freshly baked cookies were involved!

Aurora couldn’t predict how long she had been stood there staring at the painting before another student exited before her eyes. Her nose buds were met by the delicious waft of freshly baked cookies and her stomach grumbled a little at the prospect of there being all these snacks directly behind the painting ready for her to enjoy. It was a good job that the little Ravenclaw had a fast acting metabolism and an active personality or she might have put on weight already!

The other student started talking to her and the eleven-year-old beamed in response. “I was going to but no one has told me how to get in.” Had she missed that part in the grand tour or had they intentionally left it out to prevent all those first years from indulging on sugary treats. She imagined it was bad enough trying to control a whole group of very excited firsties let alone a group entirely fuelled by sucrose. “Can you teach me how?” Pretty please with a cherry on top.

And then the most exciting thing happened and the other student actually offered her a cookie. “Yes please! They smell delicious” She grinned. “No, I’m not allergic to anything.. at least I don’t think I am. I’ve never tested but I’ve never reacted to anything I’ve eaten and I’ve eaten many cookies!” Secretly, behind her Ma Layla’s back.

“I’m Aurora” she introduced herself to the Hufflepuff.

It was wild how first year for Yukie was three terms ago. She hadn't really paid attention to the passage of time, always simply enjoying the present and making plans for the future, but she hadn't took a moment to look back. It was only now that it hit Yukie that she was technically an older student. "The kitchens aren't exactly on the welcoming tour, so it's alright that you haven't figured out where it is!" The Hufflepuff replied, matching the younger girl's big smile with one of her own. She'd always thought that the kitchens should be open for all, but maybe the house elves didn't want to be bothered all the time. That part, she understood. "Oh, yes! See that pear over there in the corner?" Yukie pointed at it, stepping aside so the first year could have a better view. "That's the one you should tickle. It'll laugh a lot, until it turns into a doorknob." It was funny too, when the pear giggled and all. Laughter was so contagious.

See? First years were just so excitable and eager. Yukie tilted the jar towards the younger girl so she could take a cookie. "Here you go. Take whichever you want and how many you like! There's classic chocolate chip, oatmeal, red velvet, snickerdoodle, and more in there." Or she could even choose one blindly for a bit of a surprise factor. It's what Yukie did when she wasn't sure what flavour to eat.

"Lovely to meet you, Aurora. Like the princess!" Yukie commented. "My name is Yukie. I'm a fourth year. Is this your first year?" She had only assumed previously, but it's always nice to be sure.

Wiley still hadn't found the fruit bowl painting yet so he was surprised when he was approached by a girl his age asking if he was hungry. "Huh?" Why yes he was hungry, which was why he was looking for the kitchens, and he was just about to answer her when she reached past him.

He turned to look. "Oh! Is that the painting?" Wiley stared at for a moment. How had he missed it? But he was pretty sure that was the painting that was the entrance for the kitchens. And now he needed to make a mental note and remember which corridor it was to be sure that he remembered which one it was.

"Which fruit did you tickle?" he asked the girl, thinking that was what she had tried to do, unaware that she was trying to pull a piece of fruit out of the painting. "I can't remember which one it's supposed to be." And maybe she didn't know either since whichever one she did seemed to be the wrong one. Maybe they could figure it out together.

Still disappointed and embarrassed just a bit. She really did think that she was just going to puck a fruit off of a painting to eat. Though now she was a little confused. The way he said ‘the painting’ made it sound like it was a special painting. Meaningful or important even. Maybe.

With that thought she smiled proudly. Whatever the reason why this was the painting she had found it. ”I dunno. Is there another painting of some kind of food, somewhere else?” Were there others hanging around that she hadn’t seen yet? She hadn’t noticed any others. Her eyes wandered down the corridor one way then the other. She didn’t see another good painting anywhere near by.

[I]HUH?!?![/B] He just asked her which fruit she tickled. ” I didn’t tickle any fruit.” She blinked at him even more confused than before. Maybe he didn’t see her actually try to pull the banana off the painting. ”What’s so special about it? What does it do?”

Callista was getting hungry for a snack and was really hoping she remembered exactly which fruit she needed to tickle. Although she supposed it was more like scratch n sniff but she didn't actually have to sniff it. Her older sister and brothers had tried to tell her all the secrets she would ever need to know.

Instead she was walking almost aimlessly toward the door when she saw a boy and a girl she remembered from being sorted. She wondered if they were trying to get into the kitchen too. "Hi." She gave a bright smile and a small wave, "You two trying to get into the kitchen?" She didn't want to join them unless they didn't mind. Her mom told her too many times to count that she needed to remember not everyone wanted to be her friend just because she wanted them to be... rude, right?

Logan was no stranger to the basement level. While there wasn't really much to see down there besides torches, several paintings of food, and stacks of barrels (which he would not be tap-tap-tapping again), he was a frequent visitor of the space. In fact, he showed his face often enough for the Hufflepuffs to be used to a Gryffindor roaming about this part of the castle.

To passersby, he flashed a smile as he moved toward one of his favourite portraits in the castle. The blond was not really all that impressed the first time he laid his eyes upon it; however, it was the room within that was of interest to him when he just could not wait until the next meal was being served in the Great Hall.

Should he have been heading off to class right now? Absolutely. Was he going to be arriving late? Most likely. Did he care? Not really. What mattered at this exact moment was fetching another a snack for himself, which was why he did not hesitate to tickle the pear.

The amount of time, Keighley Anders spent in the kitchen wasn't even funny. About half of the time it was for hot cocoa and cookies purposes but it all counted. She saw her fair amount of students coming and going through the portrait that held the door to the kitchen. It honestly didn't surprise her anymore who she ran into while getting herself a snack.

So when she got to the portrait of the fruit bowl and someone was already standing there, Keigh smiled. Ready to greet whoever it was, only to notice it was family. Of course it was. "Snack time, Logan?" she asked by way of greeting.

The amount of time, Keighley Anders spent in the kitchen wasn't even funny. About half of the time it was for hot cocoa and cookies purposes but it all counted. She saw her fair amount of students coming and going through the portrait that held the door to the kitchen. It honestly didn't surprise her anymore who she ran into while getting herself a snack.

So when she got to the portrait of the fruit bowl and someone was already standing there, Keigh smiled. Ready to greet whoever it was, only to notice it was family. Of course it was. "Snack time, Logan?" she asked by way of greeting.

Was this the right painting? It didn't seem that this girl was all that sure about it and Wiley squinted slightly at the painting. "Umm, I'm not sure... but I didn't see another one, so I figured this must be the right one." But to be fair, he hadn't seen this one right away either until she reached past him to... oh. She hadn't tickled any fruit? Wiley was confused but maybe she just didn't know about the entrance to the kitchens. He sorta knew, but he still wasn't 100% sure.

Wiley was just about to explain all about the fruit bowl painting and what he thought you were supposed to do (he just couldn't remember which fruit), when another girl joined them asking about the kitchens. Had she heard about the painting too?

"Yep!" Wiley replied chipperly. "Just trying to figure out which fruit gets us in.." He turned back to Maisie to explain. "My dad said that to get into the kitchens, you need to tickle one of the fruits in the fruit bowl painting. Then it turns into a door knob." Or something like that. "I just can't remember which fruit it is... Do you know?" he asked the second girl that joined them. "I guess we can just try the different fruits till we pick the right one." As long as this really was the correct painting!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

The amount of time, Keighley Anders spent in the kitchen wasn't even funny. About half of the time it was for hot cocoa and cookies purposes but it all counted. She saw her fair amount of students coming and going through the portrait that held the door to the kitchen. It honestly didn't surprise her anymore who she ran into while getting herself a snack.

So when she got to the portrait of the fruit bowl and someone was already standing there, Keigh smiled. Ready to greet whoever it was, only to notice it was family. Of course it was. "Snack time, Logan?" she asked by way of greeting.

Even though it only would take a handful of seconds, the third year stared at where a green handle would appear. It was moments like this that confirmed that he was, without a doubt, not a Hufflepuff, though he most certainly was jealous that their common room was in such a convenient place. For a boy who was constantly hungry, the location of Gryffindor Tower just wasn't ideal.

For such a problem, Logan did have a solution. Besides visiting the kitchens on average three times a day, he did make use of the satchel he was supposed to carry books around with. He, still waiting for that pear to transform into a handle, gave the satchel an impatient tug.

His head spun when he heard his name, recognizing his cousin's voice instantly. He was not at all surprised to see her around. This was, after all, basically her living quarters. "Of course. It's almost time for elevenses," he informed her with a grin.

For someone who's common room was so far from this spot, Logan was here all of the time. If she didn't know him the way that she did.. well she might've guessed he was a Hufflepuff with how much time he spent around the kitchens. She might even go as far as to guess he spent more time here then any of their other families.. maybe even out of all of them combined! Keigh understood why though, food was nice.

Elevenses. Right. Cause that was a thing, at least where her cousin Logan was concerned. "Of course it is. And can't forget that lunch is right after." Within the next hour or two. "So what type of snack are you looking for this time?" Perhaps she could help him and find something for herself to munch on too in the process.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

For someone who's common room was so far from this spot, Logan was here all of the time. If she didn't know him the way that she did.. well she might've guessed he was a Hufflepuff with how much time he spent around the kitchens. She might even go as far as to guess he spent more time here then any of their other families.. maybe even out of all of them combined! Keigh understood why though, food was nice.

Elevenses. Right. Cause that was a thing, at least where her cousin Logan was concerned. "Of course it is. And can't forget that lunch is right after." Within the next hour or two. "So what type of snack are you looking for this time?" Perhaps she could help him and find something for herself to munch on too in the process.

"Then it'll be afternoon tea, followed by dinner, supper, and a midnight snack," Logan trailed on. There just wasn't enough time in the day to make a visit to the kitchen for all of those meals. Carrying his satchel around did serve an important purpose: food storage.

Keigh did have a good question though. What was he in the mood to eat this time? "Haven't the foggiest," he said with a shrug. "I sort of just let my stomach guide me in the moment. Or ask the house-elves to surprise me." Typically both happened, since he couldn't help but nibble on something while they did their thing.

He then glanced back at the portrait. Finally the handle had appeared! Like a Niffler to a pile of gold, Logan grabbed onto the handle and gave it a twist, revealing the kitchen within. "Coming in?" he asked his cousin, curious if she would follow him or run off to class.

The fifth year listened as Logan stated all of his 'eating time', slowly nodding along to each one. GASP! "Wait.. you're telling me there's no snack break between dinner and supper?!" Keigh grinned at Logan playfully.

Once again Logan's reply didn't seem to surprise her. She did this a lot too. Usually she came in here for cups of hot cocoa but those were always made by Jude, Charlie or herself. When it came to snacking that was generally whatever was around or that she could get for herself quickly. "Fair enough.. but.. is your stomach leading you towards anything good today? Cookies, brownies, maybe peanut butter and jelly?"

Annnnnd there was the handle to the door. Finally! "I'm coming, I wouldn't be standing here if I had no intentions on grabbing something for myself too." She still had some time yet before her next class that she had to make it to.

SPOILER!!: Callista and Wiley

Quote:

Originally Posted by siriusblackliveson

Callista was getting hungry for a snack and was really hoping she remembered exactly which fruit she needed to tickle. Although she supposed it was more like scratch n sniff but she didn't actually have to sniff it. Her older sister and brothers had tried to tell her all the secrets she would ever need to know.

Instead she was walking almost aimlessly toward the door when she saw a boy and a girl she remembered from being sorted. She wondered if they were trying to get into the kitchen too. "Hi." She gave a bright smile and a small wave, "You two trying to get into the kitchen?" She didn't want to join them unless they didn't mind. Her mom told her too many times to count that she needed to remember not everyone wanted to be her friend just because she wanted them to be... rude, right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

Was this the right painting? It didn't seem that this girl was all that sure about it and Wiley squinted slightly at the painting. "Umm, I'm not sure... but I didn't see another one, so I figured this must be the right one." But to be fair, he hadn't seen this one right away either until she reached past him to... oh. She hadn't tickled any fruit? Wiley was confused but maybe she just didn't know about the entrance to the kitchens. He sorta knew, but he still wasn't 100% sure.

Wiley was just about to explain all about the fruit bowl painting and what he thought you were supposed to do (he just couldn't remember which fruit), when another girl joined them asking about the kitchens. Had she heard about the painting too?

"Yep!" Wiley replied chipperly. "Just trying to figure out which fruit gets us in.." He turned back to Maisie to explain. "My dad said that to get into the kitchens, you need to tickle one of the fruits in the fruit bowl painting. Then it turns into a door knob." Or something like that. "I just can't remember which fruit it is... Do you know?" he asked the second girl that joined them. "I guess we can just try the different fruits till we pick the right one." As long as this really was the correct painting!

Maybe Maisey was overthinking this whole magic thing, of course there were limitations on what could be done and what could not be done. But clearly she was still confused, slightly… or not so slightly. The Slytherin shrugged, ”I haven’t seen any other food paintings around.” But she was still learning where things were around the castle and she was still exploring around, but no sign of any other food painting so far.

She turned around to see that another girl had joined them now. She smiled, friendly toward her. ”Hi” She rocked back and forth on her heels. Mhmmm so now what? ”KItchens?’ There was a way for them to get to the kitchens? She turned to Wiley, what? He needed to explain, which he did. ”Oh, really? That’s interesting. Does that really work?” Fortunately, Maisey wasn’t confused anymore, she just had more questions now. "Mhmm... I think I heard something about a... apple? Or was it a pear?" She couldn't remember, and she didn't even know if that was a relative piece of information or not.

Callista watched the other boy speak up about wanting to get into the kitchen. She was 100% ready to get into the kitchen too. She nodded along at what he said about fruit. Her eyes glanced back at the girl she swore she knew. "My brother told me it's the pear." She said with no waiver in her voice and no I'm smarter than you tone. Her mother would be so proud of her. She didn't even make them be her friend. She was just politely conversing with them.

Glancing back at the painting she turned her head to the side a bit, "who wants to do the honors?" She wasn't sure if it was right but she figured that it would be worth the try at this point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

The fifth year listened as Logan stated all of his 'eating time', slowly nodding along to each one. GASP! "Wait.. you're telling me there's no snack break between dinner and supper?!" Keigh grinned at Logan playfully.

Once again Logan's reply didn't seem to surprise her. She did this a lot too. Usually she came in here for cups of hot cocoa but those were always made by Jude, Charlie or herself. When it came to snacking that was generally whatever was around or that she could get for herself quickly. "Fair enough.. but.. is your stomach leading you towards anything good today? Cookies, brownies, maybe peanut butter and jelly?"

Annnnnd there was the handle to the door. Finally! "I'm coming, I wouldn't be standing here if I had no intentions on grabbing something for myself too." She still had some time yet before her next class that she had to make it to.

The Gryffindor grinned back, not at all surprised that a snack break between dinner and supper had been mentioned. "That would depend on how heavy dinner was." For him, it usually was almost always heavy considering he normally had seconds or thirds.

What was his stomach telling him right now? To be fair, he hadn't thought about it a whole lot. Logan just knew that it was nearly time for elevenses, which meant that he was due for another visit to the kitchens. Now that Keighley was her and that door had been taking its sweet old time to appear, he supposed he might as well make a plan of action. "Those all do sound good. Maybe a sandwich might be good. And take some cookies to go."

"Nice." He gave the portrait-door a push inward, revealing the kitchens within. "Well, ladies first then." He was feeling gentlemanly today.