THE KITCHENS,

The Hogwarts kitchen is located directly under the Great Hall, down the same staircase that leads to the Hufflepuff Common Room. It contains four long tables identical to and directly below those in the Great Hall; food must simply be placed upon the tables in the kitchens, and it magically appears on the corresponding tables in the Great Hall above. The kitchens are staffed by over one-hundred house-elves. Helga Hufflepuff brought the house-elves to work in the kitchens as a way of ensuring they could work without being abused. To gain access to the kitchens, one must tickle the pear a portrait of a bowl of fruit, which turns into a door knob.