The Kitchen
 

The house elves are hard at work preparing your next meal but, they're always willing to prepare an after-hours snack to those students who are brave enough to tickle the pear and enter the kitchens.

Kurumi held her breath as she approached the kitchen, half expecting it to be closed to students like last term or for it to be on fire or SOMETHING else that would mean she was unable to spend time in her precious kitchen like she had been dying to last term. However, tears were brought to her eyes as the clouds parted and Veela sung.

THE KITCHEN WAS OPEN TO STUDENTS!

Unable to contain herself, Kurumi rushed into the kitchen and ran over to the house elf nearest her, promptly picked the wrinkly creature up off the ground, and hugged them. "Oh thank you...thank you thank you thank you!"

She was now officially home.

So everything was back to normal?, Gwen thought as she was about to go back to the Common Room. However, she wasn’t sure about one thing- the house elf story… Was it going to continue this year too? And still she didn’t know all the details. And suddenly a baby comes up? And we need to find a name?, she asked herself. Too many questions!, the third year thought and tried to just drop it. But she couldn’t. I want to find out more!

Turning around, Gwen climbed down the stairs and headed over to the Kitchens. Maybe I’ll find someone there… if it is open to students. Finally arriving there, the Ravenclaw opened the door and was surprised to see the Gryffindor Prefect hugging a house elf. ‘Umm… Hi’, Gwendolyn finally said. Maybe I should have come here another time.

Daichi hadn't forgotten Kurumi's offer to help him with baking a chocolate cake after their last conversation. But as time went by he started to wonder if she had meant those words or if she had just said it to make him feel better for blowing up half of his house kitchen?

There was only one way to found out and that was asking her. The Slytherin had a hunch that the Gryffindor would be somewhere in the kitchens and it was worth the shot to look around. Walking towards the kitchen area, Daichi saw just in time as a girl around his age walked through the door and then the door slammed shut. He tickled the pear and waited before he entered too.

For the record, the Slytherin had never been in the kitchens before. Atleast not that he could remember and he immediately turned to the Ravenclaw. "Thanks for the password~!" he grinned before turning his attention to the Prefect that was....eh...hugging an house elf?
O__o

Everyone has their things, he guessed. "KURUMI~~!??" he suddenly shouted, a liittle too loud. "kurumi kurumi did you SEEE?" his eyes widened and his old innocent features came back. "THERE IS A DUCK POND!!" breathe Daichi breeathe. He then turned to the little ravenclaw and waved at her. "Hi, i'm Daichi" he smiled.

Failing to notice that the house elf in her arms was trying to wiggle its way out so that it could return to work, Kurumi turned around when she heard the faint voice of someone greeting her. Judging by her robes, Kurumi knew she was a Ravenclaw, but she also just so happened to know her name due to some yearbook photo editing and layout designs she had worked on last term.

"Oh, hello Gwen," Kurumi smiled, deciding that she really should release the elf in her arms. Its eyes all wide with surprise, the house elf spent no extra moment lingering and quickly returned to the task of cleaning the kitchen. "What brings you to the kitchen?"

But before she could hear any sort of answer from the Ravenclaw, she heard the loud and overexcited voice of someone else. "Daichi," she smiled before her eyes began bouncing up and down along with the boy. "Wait...a what?" she repeated, placing her hands on his shoulders...sort of...to attempt to calm him. She had to stand on her tip toes to reach, but she sort of managed.

Breathe Daichi...BREATHE!

Surprised that Kurumi had recognized her, Gwendolyn tried to act normal. So the kitchens- why was everyone making such a big fuss about it?, she asked herself , looking around. Then, she glimpsed back at the house elf. For the first time she actually felt sorry those creatures had too work so much. Tsk tsk.

‘Hmm?’, she mumbled and looked back at the Gryffindor. Maybe it’s not the time to say the truth… ‘I’m not sure’ Nice going, Gwendolyn, the girl ‘congratulated’ herself. ‘I thought I could find out…’ Nope wrong start. ‘… more about everything that has happened to the house elves’ Argh- you couldn’t have found something normal to say? Psh.

But then, as she waited for Kurumi to say something, she heard a voice behind her. Turning her head, Gwen realized it was a Slytherin student she hadn’t met before. ‘Hi. I’m Gwen’, the ravie said and extended her hand.

Daichi took a deep breath to calm himself and giggled as Kurumi had reached for his shoulders. It was a funny sight for him because this year , the Prefect had to stand on her toes. Ah, this felt good~! He wasn't the little boy anymore, someone actually had to stand on their toes to reach him woohoo!

"A duck pond!" he answered her question as though he was talking to a five year old. "I love ducks and and...i went outside and BAM! There were ducks EVERYWHERE" Lie, there had been only fifteen but the Slytherin's eyes twinkled. And yes, he was already planning on trying to steal one and bring it with him to the common room. But he wasn't going to mention that part seeing as she IS a Prefect.

"Anyways, i was wondering if...uhm" Daichi looked down at his shoes for a moment before looking back up. "If uh, if you said that you would help me bake a chocolate cake was true"

Turning his attention back to the Ravenclaw, who was mumbling weird sentences. What was she talking about? Oooh wait, the kitchen had been closed last year! He listened to her mumbling before she asked about the house elves. Quiet frankly, he had wondered the same thing but that all had faded away when he had seen the duck pond.

"Nice to meet you~" he grinned stupidly before grabbing her hand to shake it. "And i wondered the same thing, what had happened to the house elves last year that is..." Cue the look towards Kurumi.

not quoting, but you know <3
 

Kurumi giggled and definately noticed the twinkle in Daichi's eyes when he spoke about ducks. Speaking of which, where was his stuff duck friend? Had the Slytherin boy already outgrown his little yellow friend? Kurumi really didn't want to think about that, Daichi needed to be the sweet little innocent boy that she had met. Was this how the older students had felt? Watching her grow up little by little?

Shaking these thoughts away, she smiled down up at Daichi. "Well, you will just have to take me to see it sometime. It sounds like a fantastic addition to the grounds." Hopefully Daichi wouldn't try to sneak one into the Slytherin common room although she might be tempted to do so herself if there were ducklings. She blinked when he mentioned the chocolate cake. "Of course it was true. Anytime you want to we can bake a cake together." And hopefully not blow up the kitchen.

She then looked back and forth between the two when they began questioning about the house elves. Had they...not been at the end of the term feast so see just what it was the house elves had been dealing with? "Well...what is it that you two are curious about?"

"Hmmhm... yep a big pond filled with ducks, it's ducky heaven i tell you~!" he said as he held his hands together. Oh how he wished he was a duck, if he was ever going to try and be an anima...something with that animal transformation... He would surely be a duck. Daichi looked back at Kurumi and smiled "Okay" he answered simply and bit his lower lip afterwards. "Eh..Jonathan isn't the jealous type right?" Cue the cocked head to the side and a frown on his face before he panicked. "WHY ON EARTH DID I SAY THAT!?" Quickly, so that Kurumi wasn't thinking any other things he said "I was just kidding, it's not like...ewww. ... okay i'll show you" breathe Daichi breathe!

His breathing became normal again when she mentioned the chocolate cake. He turned his attention to her and his eyes twinkled. "Really?!" he shouted and looked around the kitchen "Here?" he asked stupidly , of course here! "How about now? i want a chocolate cake!" he puffed his cheeks like a little kid wanting candy but then remembered it wasn't cool and quickly took a pose with his arms over his chest making him even more childlike but he didn't realise.

*squishes Daichi for being so cute!*
 

Kurumi giggled a bit more as Daichi appeared as though he were about to blast off into orbit over the appearance of the duck pond. "I am sure it is," she smiled. She was just about to ask if he had brought Mr. Duckles down to the pond - that was his stuffed duck's name, right? - when Daichi said a few things that suddenly confused her. "Jealous...jealous of what?" she asked, matching his head cocking. And now that Daichi was sufficiently flustered and confused, and her feeling about half as much of it as him, Kurumi thought it best to just...smile and nod.

"Well, I suppose we could do it now," she nodded. She didn't have any other plans at the moment and had actually come to perhaps get her hands covered in flower anyway. Daichi was just too adorable to say no to anyway. "Before we do, I have a very important question for you," she said, her violet eyes turning to Daichi with a tone of seriousness. "White, milk, medium, or dark." Because, that really would make all the difference in which chocolate cake recipe they used.

Jezzabelle followed not just her stomach but her sense of smell and eventually found herself in the kitchen. She wasn't really up for anything in the great hall so she thought maybe she could go down and fix something. She had her bag with her and in it she had some recipes for some yummy treats for her own tummy. It was just the matter of finding all the ingredients without being too much of a bother to the house elves.

Jezzabelle looked around and noticed it wasn't all that full so maybe she would not be too much a bother if she absolutely needed help. Flipping through all the pages in the book she had pulled out of her bag she stood the debating on some good old fashion peach ice cream or chocolate peppermint cookies. Those were the best! So I guess that settles it right? Cookies.

Presley had missed dinner, and she was dying for some yogurt and cheese. A strange thing to want in the evening, but she was Presley, and when had the girl ever been normal? She ticked the pear and skipped into the kitchen, noting the people in there. Of course, Kurumi would be here. Probably baking cookies or something. that made Presley smile, because as much as she admired Kurumi to the point of disliking her, the girl baked some good food.

She smiled at Gwen, still not forgetting the incident where Gwen had nearly run her over on the moving staircase last year, and almost laughed, seeing the third person in the room. Why was Daichi in here? Not that Presley knew him well at all, just from what she'd seen of him in class, he didn't seem like a kitchen sort of kid. But, she was down here as well, there were some oddities in the world.

"Hello," she said brightly to everyon in general. Then looking around she stepped over to the refridgerator closest to her, and searched around for a second, surfacing with a strawberry flavoured yogurt.

A great place to be in Hogwarts always was the kitchens. So much food and the house-elves were so friendly and determined that one should not go away empty-handed. Yes, Evangeline loved visiting. Puddings being prepared in the vast kitchen space... YUM!! :)

All this talk about the duck pond made Daichi think about his old stuff animal. He really missed him but his father told him...no...forbid him to take it with him. Said he needed to grow up. He should be happy his father hadn't thrown the plushed duck out and it was now lying in the closet. Good thing his father was a noisy sleeper so he could grab the stuffed animal and hug it while sleeping...

Ofcooouurse , he wasn't going to say that. I mean, come on! What thirteen year old still sleeps with a plushed duck!? Laughing a bit nervously at his own thoughts, Daichi jumped a little when Kurumi talked again. Eh.. she wanted to know why jealous? .....don't panic man! "N-nevermind, i was just kidding" saved?

"Really? now?" He asked, his smile widened at the thought. He was going to make a chocolate cake!~ yaay! "Okay let's do this!" he brought his fist in the air and laid some punches, as though he was a boxer going in to the ring. The ring of flour and...hopefully not a blasted off kitchen...

Important question? Daichi lowered his arms and looked at Kurumi , a little nervous at how serious she looked. He hadn't done anything! he swore! if someone talked about wh...oh...the white, milk, medium , dark question! heh, he knew that! ..wait what?

"Huh?" was the only thing that came out of his mouth as he stared at Kurumi deadpan. "Oh right the flavor!" he laughed and slapped his forehead. "I'll piiiiick..." and then he got the most BRILLIANT idea.

"Let's make a cake with ALL chocolate flavors~!" he suggested and nodded his head vigorously up and down. "Like a mixture! we call it Choco-DaiMi~!" oh he was so smart! He should be a ravenclaw ...

Pixie! you won't mind, right?
 

She heard that the Kitchens were open. OPEN!

And upon hearing that, her mind immediately flew to Kurumi, the Gryffindor Prefect who promised to teach her how to bake cookies last term. She was very excited at the prospect of it and when she had the chance--that was when classes was over, she headed out to the places where she might find the lioness. She explored the grounds yet didn't find her.

So, she decided to check in the Kitchen. Maybe the Prefect was way ahead of her and was already there.

And sure enough, she was not mistaken for when she took a peek at the Kitchen, the Fifth year was there indeed! "Kurumi! Haiiii..." she greeted. "I've been looking all over for you."

oh my, lots of you <3
 

Before Kurumi could respond to Daichi, she heard a very loud and cheerful greeting from someone entering the kitchens. "Beezus," Kurumi softly gasped. Oh Merlin, this was a little awkward considering the discussion she had had with Jonathan a few days ago. "Y-You have?"
Kurumi folded her arms across her chest and studied Daichi's expression for a moment, including the mild flailing coming from the third year. Just kidding? Kurumi was pretty sure that she didn't buy any of that stuff now, especially after his little stunt of pretending to be someone else. How very Slytherin of him! "Riiiiiiiiiiiight," she said, rolling her eyes playfully.

Kurumi began to laugh again. "All the chocolate flavors? Then I suppose it is a layered cake then," she said as she rummaged through her bag for her baking note book. Granted, layered cakes were a little difficult, but she would just be sure to give Daichi the easier tasks like...stirring the ingredients and pouring things into each other. No chance of blowing things up that way, right?

"First we need....flour, eggs, sugar, and...bars of chocolate," she instructed.
Then Kurumi looked up when someone said hello to everyone in the kitchen. "Hello," Kurumi replied with a small wave.

Was there anything wrong? Kurumi didn't seem to like seeing her right there and now. In fact, the lioness gasped upon mentioning her name.

Beezus bit her lip and looked down for a moment. Did she do something bad or perhaps did not do something she ought to do? Then she looked up and stared at her, "Am I err--interrupting something?" she asked, maybe because Daichi was also there and from what she knew Kurumi was going to teach him how to bake a cake.

"I-I..well, kinda." Beatrice replied when Kurumi confirmed if she had been looking for her.

Elise twirled into the kitchens, looking for something to kill time with. She'd been studying for only about half-an-hour and was already sick of it. So, why not bake a cake? Cheesecake!

"Hi everyone," she beamed.

Finding some cottage cheese in the fridge, Elise weighed it carefully, the way her mother had taught her and put it into a bowl. Picking up a lemon, she grated the rind before cutting it cleanly in half. Squeezing the juice out, she picked up her recipe, charming it to hover over her workstation.

Finding a ziplock bag, Elise dropped some graham crackers in before rolling them over with a rolling pin. Way neater and faster than bashing them. Folding in the butter, Elise rolled the grainy mixture into a ball and set it in the tin, pressing it to the sides.

Going through all the steps, Elise worked almost mechanically. She was used to cooking. She'd done it all the time. But the thing was, when she tried to dissolve the single teaspoon of gelatin, it just sat. Like a lump of unresolved gelatin.

Staring at the double bowl in disbelief, Elise shook her head. What was wrong with her gelatin?

Presley listened to the spill of conversations going on while she sliced a peice of Cheddar Cheese to go with her yogurt. From what she gathered, Beezus and Daichi wanted Kurumi's help baking a cake, Kurumi felt awkward around Beezus, and Elise's gelatin wasn't going to well.

She finished off her last bite of yogurt and again addressed the room, decidely ignoring the awkwardness. "Oh, are you guys baking a cake?" Because if they were, Presley kind of really wanted to help. "Can I help out? Or would I just be in the way?" Essentially, Presley wanted cake. And usually if you helped bake something you got to help eat it. Right?

Kurumi , Beezus and Presley
 

Daichi looked the other way when Kurumi cleary didn't fall for his joke and now pretended like nothing had happened. He tapped his finger on the kitchen table and looked up when he heard a familiar voice calling for Kurumi.

Turning around, Daichi looked and smiled when he saw Beezus entering the kitchen. "Hi!" he greeted with a wave of his hand. Turning back to Kurumi again, he pouted when she told him they were going to make a layered cake. Mweh, he had hoped he had thought about a brand new cake! but it turns out it already excisted! This was unfair. But he wouldn't let that down though... helloooo it was still cake~ "I'll grab the ingredients"

Daichi walked off to find the ingredients in the refrigerator and cabinets. As he was grabbing the eggs out of the refrigerator he saw a Ravenclaw girl watching them while eating from her yoghurt... Smiling to her, Daichi grabbed the remaining of the ingredients before walking back to Kurumi.

"Here" he placed them on the table surface. He was about to ask something when the girl he had seen not a few seconds ago walked towards them. The Slytherin looked from Kurumi to Presley and then back to Kurumi and pouted his lips. And here he thought he was going to have private lessons... Oh well, maybe with more help they could make a BIGGER cake hehehe. "it's fine with me.." he answered with that thought in mind.

Is it just me, or does Daichi seem a little less than enthused to have me help with the cake? Presley wondered, studying the boys face. "I mean, if I'm interrupting something, I can go. I can come bake a cake another time if you want," she said hastily. She didn't want anybody to be upset with her because she ruined thier plans and they couldn't figure out how to say "no" in a polite way....

Elise looked up from her gelatin. It wasn't resolving. At all. And honestly, this had never happened before. Panicing slightly, she turned towards Presley, noticing her there for the first time. Grinning, she beckoned for Presley to join her.

"Sure," she beamed. "If you're a fan of cheesecake..."

El needed to get the gelatin right, or the cake wouldn't stay put after she refridgerated it.

Liam!
 

Ellie was silently praising the gods that the kitchen was open this term. It was one of the few places she could go that was somewhat quiet. Plus, it had food and Ellie was hungry. And she couldn't go to the Great Hall because Dallin might be there and she was avoiding him.

After tickling the pear, Ellie shuffled into the kitchen with a yawn. She hadn't slept well since her and Dallin had the fight. And she was just... sad. A lot. It was rather pathetic, but she was surrounded by house elves at the moment and she didn't really care how sad she looked.

Picking up a cookie, Ellie nibbled it a little. This would have to do.

:mwaha: *evil*
 

Laura was coming to get something to eat and so she had decided to come to get the kitchen, she hoped that no one would be there because if no one was there maybe she could try and get the House elves to talk to her, she wanted to learn their history and maybe ask if she could have one for a pet, they were so cute.

Laura was too busy thinking about things that she didn't notice the Ravenclaw student, she bumped into her by accident but she didn't say sorry she just moved on and took a cookie and stood next to the girl, she could say sorry for being in the way.