Late Dinner (Open)

Because he had been so preoccupied with other responsibilities, Aristotle had missed dinner at the Great Hall. He had come down from the Ravenclaw tower, hungry and exhausted from the day's activities that when he walked in to the Hall and saw empty tables and house elves cleaning around, he almost walked out in disappointment. The house elves, who were kind and true to their work, had offered to prepare something for Aristotle, who thanked them many times as they led him back to the kitchens.

Truthfully, he liked their company. They were soft-spoken and genuine, even if it was in their soul to obey rules. Whatever they did, they seemed to do it from the heart and Aristotle loved that. Maybe, when he was older, he could look after the elderly house elves. A retirement home of sorts. He smiled st the thought as he watched the tiny, wrinkly creatures make his dinner. They moved swiftly, in childish movements and muttering the recipes to themselves. Aristotle sat at the table as they cut potatoes and sliced fresh bread before putting them in a plate, waiting for the meat to be edible. Aristotle wasn't big on the meat, but they were so excited to make it for him that he didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise.

As he waited, he decided to tell Dante about them. He would be the one to appreciate these creatures the most, and Aristotle was certain his older brother would want to know all about them. One of the house elves, with big, round sparkly eyes approached Aristotle. He carried a plate with his hearty dinner in hand, and carefully placed it in front of him. "Thank you, sir. Thank you very much." Aristotle said with a smile, taking a fork and a knife. He noticed the way the house elves looked pleased when they helped him out and Aristotle wished he could be that happy to help his mother around the house. He was enjoying his dinner greatly, not really paying attention to the world outside the kitchen, until the door swung open and he lifted his eyes to see who had walked in, expecting another house elf.

Emilia had been in the Hufflepuff common room, reading in her Potions book, when she noticed the time. Quickly, she threw her hair into a ponytail and slid her robes back on. She hadn't been hungry at dinner so she didn't eat very much, nor was she even hungry now, however, the House Elves would be cleaning now and she always gave them her help. She knew that she could get in trouble for it and she could probably get them into trouble as well, but she insisted and figured, as long as no one caught her, then they all would be fine.

So with those thoughts in her head, she headed through the portrait hole into the kitchen, thankful they were close together as some nights, it was after curfew when they finished. Emilia wasn't one for breaking the rules or being the reason her House lost points, but she believed in being a kind, helping soul, which is why she did what she did. When she pushed the door open, she noticed the House Elves seemed to have just finished cooking, but who on Earth could they possibly be cooking for? They should be cleaning. Emilia turned towards the small table the had set up in the kitchens and saw the culprit. A young boy, Ravenclaw, who had been in some of her classes.

She'd be lying if she said that fear didn't course through her body in that moment. Fear of social interaction for one, but mostly, it was fear of getting herself and the little creatures into trouble. "Um, hello?" she started, walking slowly to the House Elves who were excited to see her. She began to help wash dishes and hand them off to be dried and stacked. Once they were dried and stacked, she put them away as she was taller and hated seeing the little Elves struggle with ladders and levitate them. She was always worried they get hurt or drop the plates, so she often encouraged them to go the muggle way. The entire time she helped, she couldn't stop thinking about the boy, what was he doing? House elves weren't meant to be personal slaves like this, even if that's really what they were meant for. "I'm Emilia," she spoke once again to the boy, turning from her work.