Pip led the two along a secluded route, moving quietly.
In the empty corridor, only the clatter of Nios's and Hermione's heels on the stone floor echoed.
Pip's bare feet made no sound as he walked.
The three finally arrived at the first floor of Hogwarts Castle, near the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room.
It was break time, and many little badgers were entering and exiting.
Pip led the two to hide in the shadows of a corner, and once the flow of people temporarily thinned, he quickly gestured for them to follow.
He stopped in front of a large oil painting depicting a bountiful fruit bowl.
In the painting, a plump silver pear was particularly striking.
Pip reached out a finger and carefully scratched the surface of the pear.
"Giggle, giggle..." The pear actually let out a series of faint, eerie laughs!
Immediately after, it twisted and transformed, turning into a gleaming brass doorknob in the blink of an eye.
Pip grasped the doorknob and gently twisted it.
With a soft "click," the entire oil painting silently slid open inwards like a door.
Pip quickly beckoned, signaling for the two to enter.
Stepping inside, a warm current, a mixture of the toasted aroma of freshly baked bread, the rich warmth of stewed meat, and the sweet fragrance of baked pie crusts, enveloped them, instantly dispelling the chill of the Castle's stone walls.
This was an astonishingly large cavernous space, with towering archways illuminated by the firelight and hanging magic candles.
As far as the eye could see, it was a dazzling scene of bustling activity.
In the center of the kitchen were four large long tables, identical to those in the Great Hall upstairs, and it was through these magically connected tables that food was precisely transported to the House tables above.
Dozens of House-elves, dressed in neat uniforms, bustled about with astonishing efficiency.
Their tiny figures were everywhere: some were waving their slender arms, directing giant spoons to automatically stir in cauldrons taller than themselves.
Some stood on tiptoe, directing rows of knives to neatly chop mountains of vegetables.
Others pushed floating trolleys piled high with golden, crispy bread rolls and pies just removed from the oven, their aroma almost solidifying.
The four walls of the kitchen were lined with enormous stone fireplaces, where fires blazed fiercely, with large copper pots and iron hooks hanging above them.
Piles of gleaming copper pots, pewter plates, and wooden bowls were stacked high on shelves.
In a corner, hanging hams and sausages glistened invitingly in the firelight, next to baskets of freshly picked, dew-kissed pumpkins and vegetables, emanating the freshness of the earth.
Huge oak barrels were filled with apple cider, and the air was also permeated with a faint scent of yeast and cinnamon.
There was never a moment of quiet here, only the clinking symphony of pots, pans, and bowls, the crackling of the fire, the rustling of ingredients being prepared, and the peculiar little tunes House-elves hummed or whispered in their high-pitched voices.
Their movements were swift, their eyes focused, and their faces radiated an almost sacred sense of mission, as if providing delicious meals for the teachers and students of Hogwarts was their highest glory.
You could see one House-elf carefully using magic to smooth the edges of a stack of napkins, while another checked a whole row of sizzling roasted chickens in a giant oven, ensuring each one had a perfect golden-brown color.
The entire kitchen was like a vast, complex, vibrant, and delicious magic-driven precision machine, continuously creating warmth and joy to nourish the entire Castle under the diligent hands of countless little helpers.
The aroma of food, the shimmer of magic, and the sense of bustling activity together formed the constantly beating "stomach" and "heart" of Hogwarts.
All of this should have been so harmonious and wonderful.
However—
On the ground, a layer of "little pink" at least twenty centimeters thick, like a spreading alien fungus, completely ruined the scene!
Before Nios and Hermione, more than one House-elf tripped over the slippery, soft, and bouncy "ground" beneath their feet, their ingredients or utensils clattering to the floor.
Pip closed the door, turned around, and bowed his head deeply, his voice full of self-reproach and frustration: "Mr. Chaos... it's like this... your little pink... it makes it impossible for us to work properly..."
Nios looked at this "pink disaster" that almost covered the entire kitchen floor, and his brow furrowed under his eye patch: "How could it proliferate to this extent?"
Pip's head drooped even lower, almost buried in his chest: "We found... found that it only needs water to multiply... so... so we wanted to see how big it could grow..."
"Alright, no need to explain," Nios raised a hand to stop Pip's confession, his tone decisive.
"Tell them to stop all their work immediately! Cover all exposed food, ingredients, and water-sensitive kitchenware as quickly as possible! Seal them tightly!"
"Yes! Mr. Chaos!" Pip squeaked in response, as if receiving a military order, and turned to immediately issue commands in the high-frequency voice unique to House-elves.
The kitchen instantly became even busier, but this time it was for "protection" rather than "production."
The House-elves quickly lowered pot lids, oilcloths, and magic protective shields, moving so fast they almost left afterimages.
"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked, both worried and curious at the sight of this commotion.
The eye under Nios's eye patch gave Hermione a playful wink: "Watch closely, Miss Beaver."
Soon, an area in the center of the kitchen was cleared, and the House-elves all retreated to a position near the door, watching Nios with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
Nios stood at the center point enclosed by the four long tables, took a deep breath, and then slammed his hands down hard onto the thick layer of little pink!
"Sizzle—Buzz!!!"
In an instant, the entire kitchen was completely engulfed by dazzling white light and countless streaking silver-blue lightning bolts!
The electric currents leaped and spread across the floor like living things, but caused no harm as they swept over Hermione and all the House-elves.
Immediately after, the thick layer of little pink on the floor began to "boil" violently, as if ice had been dropped into hot oil!
Countless white water vapor furiously gushed out from it!
The water vapor was icy cold, without a trace of warmth; what Nios did was merely strip away all the water contained within the little pink!
He muttered to himself: It's a pity this is a confined space, otherwise it would be so much simpler to just decompose the water into hydrogen and oxygen! The key is that Azazel isn't here, and without the medium of "equivalent exchange," this kind of precise operation is impossible!
The dense, cold white water vapor, like a tangible thick fog, instantly filled the entire huge kitchen space.
Visibility was completely gone, and only the hissing sound of the permeating steam could be heard.
Five or six minutes later, the thick fog gradually dispersed.
The sight before them made everyone gasp.
The entire kitchen looked as if it had just been subjected to a massive downpour!
Water was dripping from the walls, floor, shelves, and even the archways.
The hastily covered food also had quite a bit of water seeping in at the edges of the protective covers.
The once fiercely burning fireplaces now only had a few stubborn wisps of smoke and soaked charcoal ashes remaining.
Hermione, Pip, and the other House-elves standing by the door were all drenched, their hair and clothes clinging to their bodies, looking utterly miserable.
Even the instigator, Nios, was not spared; his soaked black hair clung to his forehead, and water droplets trickled down his exquisite jawline.
He held a piece of little pink, now only fist-sized and completely "drained" of water, and walked up to Hermione, who was equally drenched and had a dark expression, even giving her a triumphant thumbs-up:
"Done!"
The next second—
"Nios Chaos!!!" Hermione's shriek almost lifted the dripping archway.
She didn't care that she was soaked to the bone! All she saw were the waterlogged ingredients, the extinguished fires, and the imagined scene of the House-elves having to work several times harder to rectify this disaster!
A monstrous rage ignited instantly! She clenched her fists, like an enraged little lioness, and lunged at Nios!
Nios, seeing the situation was bad, took off running!
Thus, in this magic kitchen that had just experienced a "flood," a comical and messy chase ensued: a dripping Nios dodged and weaved on the slippery stone floor, while a equally soaked and furious Hermione chased relentlessly behind him, splashing water everywhere.
The House-elves, startled, pressed themselves against the walls, watching the "drenched chicken battle" with wide eyes.
Eventually, Hermione managed to catch the slippery Nios.
"Dehydrate! Now! Immediately! Right now!" She grabbed Nios by the collar, gritting her teeth as she commanded, her wet curly hair still dripping water.
Ultimately, Nios, under Hermione's supervision, began to deal with the water-soaked ingredients and kitchenware, trying to salvage as much as possible.
When the two left the kitchen, the sky outside had already darkened, and the dinner bell from the Great Hall echoed melodiously throughout the Castle.