United Over Ice Cream

Hermione didn't get cravings that often - and usually, she would just ignore them. But this one couldn't be ignored. She had been craving something for almost a week before she figured out that it was ice cream. So one night, she pulled on some slippers and her robe and snuck out of Gryffindor Tower. It was around midnight but she could just say she was on one last Prefect round if she bumped into one of the teachers or Filch.

She made her way through the corridors and finally arrived at the big panting of a fruit bowl. She tickled the pear and the painting swung open to reveal about a hundred house-elves shuffling around, preparing the breakfast for the next day.

One of the little heads popped up and yelled her name. "Miss Granger!" Dobby walked up to Hermione, wearing quite a few mismatched items of clothing, and tugged at her arm.

"Hi, Dobby!" she said to the little elf. "I was just looking for some ice cream."

With a squeak and a 'Right away, Miss Granger', Dobby pushed her over to a well-worn kitchen table in a corner of the huge kitchen. To Hermione's surprise, a young girl was sat at the table eating ice cream. As Dobby pushed Hermione into a chair next to the girl, she remembered seeing her get sorted into Hufflepuff at the Sorting Ceremony three weeks earlier.

"Hello," Hermione said cheerfully.

"Hi," said the girl softly.

"You're a first year, right?" Hermione asked her, just as Dobby came over with a huge bowl of ice cream and a spoon. He put both in front of her then disappeared into the mass of house-elves.

The girl nodded. "I'm in Hufflepuff."

"I remember seeing you get Sorted," Hermione said, scooping a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "I'm Hermione, by the way."

"Elizabeth," the girl offered. "What house are you in, Hermione?"

"I'm in Gryffindor."

"Oh. I hear that's a good house."

"Yes, it is. But Hufflepuff is a wonderful house too."

Elizabeth nodded and looked down at her bowl of ice cream. "I miss my parents and my house and my dog."

Hermione could understand what the girl was going through. She herself had been homesick when she had first come to Hogwarts. It was difficult to get used to all the new things and all the magic. "You'll get to see them at Christmas, though," she said gently.

"I know. I'm just not used to all of this."

"What aren't you used to, Elizabeth?"

"I've got Muggle parents. I didn't know anything about magic until I got my Hogwarts letter. It scares me sometimes."

Hermione gave her a warm smile. "I know exactly what you're going through. I'm Muggle-born as well."

"Really?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes. I was so scared for a long time when I first came here, but then I made friends and I started to feel more at home. It just takes a while to get used to everything."

"I suppose," the younger girl said sadly.

"I promise that things will get better," Hermione assured her. "You just have to find all the good things coming out of this. For one, you'll be a witch - which is really awesome, isn't it?"

This brought a smile to Elizabeth's face. "Yeah, that will be really neat."

"Exactly! And you can always look forward to seeing your parents at Christmas time! And in third year you can go to Hogsmeade Village."

Elizabeth nodded. "You're right! There are a lot of things I can look forward to. Thank you, Hermione."

"You're most welcome, Elizabeth," Hermione said. "Now, why don't I walk you back to the Hufflepuff common room so you won't get points taken away from your House?"

With an enthusiastic nod, Elizabeth jumped up; Hermione followed her out of the kitchen. The two talked about how different it was at Hogwarts compared to their homes in the Muggle world. Elizabeth was in awe of Hermione when she told the younger girl that she was the best witch of her age, even though she was Muggle-born. That seemed to raise Elizabeth's spirits even more and they chatted until they reached the door leading to the Hufflepuff common room.

"Thank you for talking to me, Hermione," Elizabeth told the older girl.

"It was my pleasure," Hermione said. "It's good to know I helped you feel more at home."

Elizabeth nodded. "Maybe I can become a Prefect like you someday and help someone else who's homesick."

"Maybe you can. Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"Goodnight, Hermione!" Elizabeth said before heading through the door. Hermione turned and walked back to Gryffindor Tower, smiling to herself.