Chapter 66: The Elf and the Portrait

"This is made by Muggles, no magic involved, but it's very fragrant and delicious," Vade explained to them. 

The house-elves looked flattered, hesitated for a moment, but since it wasn't their first time exchanging gifts with Vade, the house-elves quickly calmed down and accepted the candies with immense gratitude.

"Would Vade Gray like breakfast?" Phil asked respectfully, "Most of the kitchen's breakfast is ready by now."

"Sure," Vade responded decisively.

Phil found a slightly cleaner old mat from the pile of junk, while Zoe and Habi left the Room of Requirement. They returned shortly, one carrying a large tray filled with food, the other holding a big jug of drink, Vade's favorite orange juice.

Habi and the others kneeled and set up a tablecloth, placing food and drinks as Vade sat down. The elves stood by, clutching their candies, smiling broadly at Vade.

A thought flashed through Vade's mind, and he looked up, surprised, "Why are you standing? Sit down—this is our breakfast meeting."

"S-s-sit down?" Zoe stammered, "Us?"

"Of course!" Vade mimicked her style, then laughed, "Who else would there be?"

The three house-elves looked at each other, more excited than when they first received a gift from Vade, as if sitting down was an unimaginable honor.

But they seemed frozen, their large eyes filled with a mix of trepidation.

Vade urged more firmly, "Please sit—don't you want to have breakfast with me?"

"Of course—we do!"

Zoe, as if struggling to breathe, carefully seated herself beside Vade.

Next was Habi, who was a bit braver, clumsily sitting opposite Vade.

Finally, Phil, wobbly and hesitant, sat down shyly in a corner, fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the tablecloth.

"Then—" Vade announced, looking at the three house-elves, "let's start the breakfast meeting!"

He took the lead by picking up a meat pie and gave each elf one too, eating casually. Soon, faint sobbing could be heard in the air.

The house-elves had tears like large beads falling from their tennis-ball-sized eyes.

"Weird—so weird—" Habi sobbed, wiping tears, "Habi is so happy—why tears—"

Vade said nothing, gently patting its small, ugly head with affection.

Phil and Zoe, mixing bitter tears, gulped down the pies.

In the shadows of the old furniture, a wizard and three house-elves, in a place of light and dark, shared their breakfast for the first time.

...

Ravenclaw's Monday still began with the unpopular Potions class.

The Room of Requirement was on the eighth floor of the castle, while the Potions classroom was in the dungeons. Vade, too lazy to climb stairs, simply flew down on a broomstick, circling the castle before landing in the main courtyard.

By the time he touched down, Vade's fingers were nearly frozen stiff, and his ears and nose were red with cold.

It turned out winter wasn't a good season for flying, and even a warming charm couldn't keep the biting winds from being cold.

"Pop!"

Habi suddenly appeared, handing Vade his book bag, then eagerly took the broom, looking at Vade with a gaze full of adoration, excitedly saying, "Habi will put Vade Gray's broom in the dormitory!"

Habi bowed deeply, his long nose almost touching the ground, and then disappeared with the broom.

Having had breakfast, Vade intended to head directly to the Potions classroom. But shivering with cold, the damp chill of the dungeon suddenly became unappealing, and the warmly-lit Great Hall appeared inviting instead.

Vade ascended the steps, passed through the entrance, and sat in the Great Hall for a while.

Some stressed fifth-year students were already at the long tables, most with messy hair and faces full of fretful resignation, munching breakfast while attempting to read… or reading breakfast and eating books, seemingly about to fall apart.

Vade didn't dare disturb these stressed seniors. He sat quietly for a while, read a chapter on Potions, and quietly left the hall once he warmed up.

"Hey, Vade, long time no see!"

A familiar voice called as he passed the entrance.

"Griffiths?" Vade looked over, surprised.

"Yep, it's me." The red-haired wizard leaned against a big picture frame, the painting's original occupant shoved to the corner, glaring resentfully at Griffiths from behind.

"Long time no see, have you missed me?" Griffiths' voice was as lively as ever, "Hmm? Looks like you had a relaxing holiday! Your face seems a bit rounder… Unlike me—"

He rolled up his sleeve, showing a bruise on his arm to Vade, "See? Someone even beat me up! Only a few years apart, and everyone seems more distant, tempers have become so bad—"

—Could it be because of you that tempers flared?

Vade thought, glancing at the poor wizard displaced by the bully, and asked Griffiths, "Weren't you in the corridor? Why are you at the entrance now?"

"No, my painting is still in the corridor!" Griffiths wiggled his finger, chuckling, "They only said there's no room at the entrance, but didn't say I couldn't visit! Checking on old friends, even Dumbledore wouldn't mind!"

"Hey, kiddo!" Suddenly, an old man in a high hat from the nearby painting shouted, "You took this guy from the Astronomy Tower, right? Be kind, take him back!"

"Yeah, yeah!" The old heads and grannies in the paintings around suddenly chimed in, "Take him back, take him back!"

"We barely got him to the Astronomy Tower; why'd you bring him out?"

"Do you know how annoying he is? My hair's falling out in clumps!"

"—But you're a painting; you can't shed hair."

"I'm using a metaphor! Get it? Don't pick apart what I say."

"I'm just being truthful… Why are you so mad? Can't we all just communicate civilly?"

"Ahhh—someone drag this guy away!!!"

Usually quiet, the portraits suddenly started shouting, and the early breakfast students were amazed, eagerly gathering to watch.

Vade quietly left the entrance. Griffiths ignored the uproar he caused, unapologetically wandering through the paintings, even waking some genuinely asleep folks, and followed Vade out of the entrance.

"Noisy bunch, right?" Griffiths grinned, "House-elves are much quieter than them."

Vade paused, looking at Griffiths.