October 1971
Hogwarts’s timetable was crafted in a way there were free periods.
James, Peter, Sirius and Remus had just finished History of Magic and were walking back to their common room, when a ghost had stopped them in their tracks.
“Why, hello there children! I am hoping to request a favor from you lot, ah, do not worry, it won’t take much of your time.”
The boys conferred before deciding they would help the ghost.
“Thank you! I just need you to bring me some tasty foods from the kitchens at seven o clock!”
But just as he was about to waltz away, he was stopped.
“But how would we gain access?” Sirius asked.
The ghost blinked and then requested a map of Hogwarts.
(They’d each gotten one at the start. Remus had used his to spit out his gum, Peter had misplaced it, and Sirius burned it because he didn’t see a reason why he’d need it).
James pulled his map out, resting it on one of the walls.
The ghost then pointed to every place he knew where there was access to the kitchens. He also mentioned how some staircases moved so they had to be extra careful.
“Right then, I should really go now.” The ghost said, eyes flickering nervously to a clock.
“Wait! What’s your name?” James called out just as the ghost was floating away.
“Nearly headless Nick!” he replied.
-
“Who knew there were so many passages that led to the kitchens!” Peter stared at the scribbled-on James’s map.
“Maybe there’s more around that we know not of. We’ll have to find them ourselves, or better yet, ask around.” Sirius marveled at the thought of being able to traverse from lessons easier or getting to the Great Hall first.
“We probably shouldn’t tell anyone. There’s a reason their secret after all.” Remus argued.
Sirius nodded along, though, he was beginning to think of every odd nook or cranny he saw.
“Did Nick ever tell us where to bring the food?” James had just realized there was no destination. The boys all nervously looked at one another, until it dawned on them they’d have to spend a good portion of the night, searching for Nick.
“Next time, I’m gonna sprinkle salt on any other ghost who asks for favors.”
James just laughed at Sirius.
-
Nevertheless, at five o clock, they’d split into pairs.
One pair would sneak to the kitchens and the other would search for Nick.
“I’d like to search for Nick. Ghosts have a weird smell, and I have a heightened sense of it.” Remus explained.
“You ought to take Pettigrew with you.” Sirius suggested, though he never explained why.
Peter wanted to sneak to the kitchens but he didn’t speak up. He did as Sirius suggested and so, Remus and Peter had left the dorms a bit earlier.
“We better get a move on if we want to get the items fresh” James murmured.
“Whatever you say.” Sirius spoke.
-
They chose a passage which led them to the kitchen through an empty classroom. You had to knock on a brick on the wall, a very specefic one. Then, it would slowly disappear, each of the bricks, one by one.
James and Sirius were mesmerized, though, James did wish Peter and Remus were also there.
They hurried through the darkness, trying to be as quiet as they could.
At last, they reached another wall.
But when James put his hand out to feel it, it went right through.
“Bloody hell… This castle is something beyond magic.” James had whispered.
Together, they had walked inside and found it strangely empty.
“I thought there were elves who worked continuously here.” James commentated.
Sirius shrugged, but when they continued walking, they had struck gold.
There was a spread on a large wooden table.
Golden roasted chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, pigs in a blanket and many more goodies.
They couldn’t resist taking one or seven bites or so from each dish.
“Well, how do we transport it?” James slurped some gravy as he talked.
“Might know a spell or two, though, I don’t know if it’ll work.” Sirius loaded some more chicken on his plate.
“Well, don’t just eat! Cast it!” James wiped some gravy from his mouth.
And Sirius did cast it.
He closed his eyes and whipped out his wand and imagined all the food disappearing from the table and reappearing elsewhere.
The issue with spells is if you don’t concentrate, they don’t work.
In their case, they didn’t have a place to teleport the food and so, the first place where Sirius thought of, the food went when Sirius had spoke the spell.
“Movere Locus!”
The food had all but disappeared, and the two boys were disappointed for they hadn’t eaten their fill yet.
It was the shrieks that made them run back the way they had come, only to find the food they had disappeared had found a new odd location.
On top of Severus Snape’s head, and by default, the people he was with in the moment.