Filch wasn't lying, the kitchen was indeed next to the Hufflepuff Lounge, or the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room to be exact was in the corner on the right hand side of the kitchen hallway.

Ash made his way up the spiral staircase to the basement, flanked by a large number of barrels stacked on dark stone troughs, one of which was the Hufflepuff lounge. But Ash wasn't aiming for the rest room, so instead of looking for the barrel where the Hufflepuff break room was located, he made his way to a picture in the hallway.

The picture shows a huge silver bowl filled with fruit.

Ash stood in front of the picture, reaching out and gently scratching the big green pear.

"Giggle~"

The pear on the plate was scratched and wriggled and giggled, eventually turning into a doorknob with a burst of green light.

And the painting also becomes a door, which automatically opens inward.

Ash walked through the porch, and the first thing he saw was a cauldron boiling with a burning flame underneath it, and a small circle of rotating bodies that led from the ground to the top of the cauldron.

In the kitchen there are four long tables, the same length, width and position as the tables in the auditorium.

And in the kitchen, there are more than a dozen strange-shaped creatures. They are two to three feet tall, with elongated arms and legs, a large head, and a pair of large eyes. They have large, pointed ears like bats, and their voices are high-pitched.

They wore thin vests made of tea towels, which looked a little old, but they were not dirty, but rather neat and clean.

This was a requirement set for them by the school a hundred years ago, and they had to be kept clean and tidy at all times to ensure that wizards had access to clean and hygienic food. The house-elves had no objection to this, but were rather pleased, and they were happy to accept any orders that would satisfy their masters.

Since it's not normal working hours, there aren't many house-elves in the kitchen.

Some of them are kneeling on the ground and carefully wiping the floor with rags and sponges, some are using magic to control kitchen knives to float in the air, they themselves throw ingredients into the air and let the kitchen knives dispose of themselves, and some are washing dishes by the sink......

The house-elves seem busy, but orderly.

It wasn't until they found Ash coming in through the entrance that they all stopped what they were doing at once, and looked at Ash with fear in their eyes.

They weren't afraid of Ash, but they were afraid of being discovered by Ash—

For a good house-elf, it would be a remiss to be seen by the owner!

Before the house-elves could leave with their apparitions, Ash hurriedly shouted:

"Don't leave yet, I have something to ask you for help!"

The house-elves glanced at each other, not apparition-shifting, but no one stepped forward.

Eventually, a young house-elf was pushed in front of Ash and asked nervously:

"Mr. Black, what can we do for you?"

They knew Blake, or they knew everybody in this school.

Ash looked at the elf in front of him and asked:

"What's your name?"

"Cohen, sir." He said cautiously.

"That's right."

Ash pondered for a moment and said, "I hope you can provide food to my friends on a regular basis, preferably three times a day. ”

Cohen's eyes became a little frightened, and he said worriedly:

"That's exactly what we're doing, is our food not to your friend's liking? No, no, I'm sorry! Please forgive us! ”

"No, it's not."

Ai Xu was a little helpless, and reassured:

"Your food is delicious and I'm satisfied, that's why I want you to serve my friends."

"It's just that my friends are not students at the school, they live in the Forbidden Forest. Of course, you don't need to go deep into the Forbidden Forest, I'll communicate with them, you just need to send the food to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and they'll pick it up themselves, okay? ”

Cohen almost burst into tears when he heard that it was not Ash who was dissatisfied with their food, but that he praised it, and even introduced it to his friends.

"Of course, Mr. Black!"

Cohen wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said in an excited tone:

"Sorry, I'm just so happy, thank you for enjoying the food we prepared."

The house-elves behind him gradually surrounded him, their faces full of emotion and surprise.

This is the house-elf.

House-elves have no pay, no holidays, they take pride in their labor and are ashamed of roaming freely. Any one of their kind who tries to demand wages and holidays will be spit on by the house-elves, and any chance to get a compliment from their owner will make them happy for days.

At Hogwarts, students like Ash are their masters.

"Thank you."

Ash thanked him sincerely, and then said:

"My friends are waiting for me at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Cohen, can you accompany me to meet them?"

"It's just an appointment for the delivery of food in the future, and it won't take too long."

"Of course! Of course! ”

Cohen excitedly:

"Mr. Black, I'm willing to go with you!"

In his opinion, this is a manifestation of Ash's trust in him, the highest honor that any house-elf can aspire to!

Ash smiled and thanked him, and then asked:

"Cohen, can you take me there with a transfiguration? Right in the Forbidden Forest, near Hogsmeade. ”

Phantom distortion is the disappearance of one place and reappearance in another place in the blink of an eye.

Hogwarts is protected by an anti-illusion spell, and no wizard can use a shapeshifter at Hogwarts, and even Dumbledore himself must leave the school to perform a shapeshift.

The exception to this is the exclusive Elves, who can perform Apparition in defiance of Hogwarts restrictions. The reason why Dick was able to leave with the magical beasts in the Room of Request was because of this special ability.

Cohen was tempted to accede to Ash's request, but was a little embarrassed:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Black."

"I haven't been to where you said I was, so I probably won't be able to take you there with a phantom shifter......"

Ash reacted that the apparition had to be imagined in his mind before he could be successful.

However, the slightest mistake can lead to accidents, such as the occasional wizard who only teleports half of his body to his destination, leaving the other half in place.

Ash changed his words:

"I was negligent, Cohen, you know the one at Hagrid's hut, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest?"

Cohen nodded and asked:

"Cohen has been there, do you want me to take you there?"

"Yes."

Ash bowed his head slightly, grabbing Cohen's hand.

With a slight popping sound, the two disappeared from the kitchen in an instant.