Mountain Fold (Oliver Wood)

Chapter Eleven

Anna scrunched her nose up at the giggling pear and watched as it turned into a green handle. She pulled on the handle, the painting she was standing in front of swung open to reveal the Hogwarts kitchens. The house-elves were scuffling around the five large tables that were identical to the ones in the Great Hall above them, they were doing the dishes since it had been lunch not too long ago.

A few of the house-elves greet her while she made her way over to the pantry and started to gather the ingredients she would need. She was in the mood to bake cookies, and also eat cookies, Darian and Zinnia were in the library doing their homework, which Anna would probably regret putting off.

In her first year, when Darian had first heard that the kitchens were so close to the Common Room, he had been very excited, dragging Anna along with him as he went there the first time. The house-elves had been very accommodating, asking Darian and Anna if they were hungry or thirsty but Darian asked if he was allowed to come down here to bake when he wanted to.

The house-elves smiled and told him that there were many past and current students that had enjoyed cooking or baking when they felt like it or were stressed. And quite a few had been from Hufflepuff. Darian had been delighted, the house-elves were happy to supervise him and do the dangerous tasks that Darian's parents would usually do for him. After a while Darian had started to teach Anna and she found that she enjoyed it as well. Zinnia on the other hand, she didn't really like the kitchens and said that the idea of house-elves made her uncomfortable.

She used a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe in the kitchen that the house-elves had told her was from Helga Hufflepuff herself. It was easy and quick, in no time at all she was sitting down with a cup of tea waiting for them to finish cooking. It wouldn't take long, she was contemplating trying to smuggle the cookies into the library for Darian and Anna when the entrance painting swung open.

The Weasley twins entered and spotted Anna immediately. She had been expected one of the other people she sometimes saw frequenting the kitchen because they enjoyed making food. This was the first time she had met the Weasley Twins there.

"Anna!" They said happily as they made their way over to her joining her on the coach she was sitting on. The house-elves quickly bringing them a cup of tea each. She was a little surprised that they remembered her name since they hadn't spoken since detention, but they seemed like the type to remember the names of everyone they met.

"What brings you down to you down to the kitchens?" One asked, Anna still couldn't differentiate between the two.

"I wanted to make cookies," she answered.

"I thought it smelled wonderful in here."

"Fred it always smells wonderful in here." Anna quickly took note of which was Fred and George when George said that.

George turned to her with a mischievous smile, "by the way, that was a good throw at Hallowe'en."

Anna flushed with embarrassment, "I didn't throw that cake, the girl sitting across from me did."

"Well it was still a spectacular throw," George said, still smiling. They sat in an awkward silence for a bit until the Weasleys seemed to realise that Anna didn't really talk much so it was up to them to make small talk.

"Do you come here often to bake?" Fred asked.

"Sometimes but not as often as my friend Darian."

"Are you any good?" Fred asked, and Anna could feel that they were genuinely curious.

"Uh I'm not sure."

"You're making cookies, right? Do you mind if you mind if we try one when there done?"

"I don't see why not, they should be nearly finished," Anna said in confusion, she didn't understand why they were so interested in her baking skills. She got up to check on the cookies and to get away from being interrogated.

She went over to the oven and saw that the cookies were finished, she took them out to let them cool. The twins were behind her, they saw the cookies and looked at each other with a grin.

"So, Anna... if we ever needed any baked goods, for business reasons of course, would you be willing to supply us?" George asked.

She thought about it for a second. She wasn't sure about the way he phrased the question, it sounded a little suspicious, but she couldn't see any danger in it.

"I guess so."

"Wonderful," they both said beaming.

"The house-elves don't mind making us stuff, but we don't want to bother them too often and Mum gets suspicious if we ask her too much," Fred told her.

"Why do you want me to bake for you?"

"The less you know the better. But I'm sure you'll find out one day." That was not the most reassuring of answers. They waited for the cookies to cool down, before they went to eat one.

"Delightful."

"Wonderful."

"You'll do well as our little baker, Anna," George told her, they were both grinning mischievously, and Anna wondered what she had gotten herself into.

She gathered up the rest of the cookies before they could eat anymore, Darian and Zinnia would not be happy if she came to them empty handed. They wanted cookies. She was starting to feel a bit awkward in the Weasley twin's presence, so she decided to make her getaway.

"Ah I have to go to the library, it was nice talking to you."

"Yes, it was lovely doing business with you," Fred said.

"Oh, and Anna, our brother Charlie absolutely adored that paper lion that you made for Alicia. I wouldn't be surprised if he hunted you down and asked if you could make him one," George told her.

Anna frowned, she was already doing business with enough Weasleys. She wouldn't mind making an origami lion for Charlie, he could probably just find one roaming around the castle somewhere, but she hoped that he didn't start a trend. She didn't want to have to make a lion for everyone in Gryffindor.

How many people would want a paper pet anyway?