The days of hanging out at Hogwarts

In mid-April, the weather is getting warmer.

The popularity of Gryffindor students in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw has declined recently. Since winning the Quidditch championship, many Gryffindor wizards look at people with their nostrils and have sullen expressions when walking. A match for the annoying Slytherins.

This situation lasted for about a week. The news that several senior wizards summoned physical patron saints replaced the Quidditch champion and became the most hotly discussed topic at the moment.

Professor Lupine has more and more teaching assistants, so Loren and Hermione are free.

On Thursday night, while everyone was gathered around the Great Hall practicing the Patronus Charm, Loren and Hermione quietly walked into the Hufflepuff common room and gently tickled the pear on the cartoon, making the big white pear giggle. He stood up and bent over with a smile.

"I brought you here because of your strong request. Hermione, we must agree first. When you see the house elves later, you can't yell randomly, and don't scare them with outrageous language."

Loren led Hermione into the open door behind the portrait.

"Scared them?"

Hermione looked inside curiously, "Will they lose control, like Dobby did to Harry? Are other house elves also scary?"

Dinner time has passed, and many house elves have stopped working and are busy with other things. Most of the candlelights in the kitchen have been extinguished, leaving only a few remaining in the kitchen to prepare for tomorrow's breakfast, and to prepare for the little wizards to come back at any time for extra meals. .

"Look at the fire!"

"Is the pumpkin cut yet?"

"Remember to boil enough hot water..."

The high-pitched voices of the house elves could be heard in the kitchen. They seemed to be afraid to speak loudly and kept their voices down, adding a terrifying tone to the deep and dark kitchen.

As soon as the two of them stepped in, all the sounds in the kitchen disappeared. The house elves in various positions noticed them and looked at the two of them with strange eyes, but subconsciously shrank into the corner covered by shadows.

Hermione saw a short figure hiding in the cupboard in a panic, causing the dishes and chopsticks inside to rattle.

It seems that they are both terrifying things to house elves.

Loren paused before answering her question: "To them, we are more terrifying."

Someone probably recognized him. Not long after, a house elf walked nervously in front of the two of them. His eyes were staring at Loren with expectation, as if he wanted to get something from Loren. Answer:

"Dear Mr. Morgan, do you need anything?"

There was suppressed excitement in the house elf's voice, and the tone sounded like an opera, trembling.

Hermione looked at the house elf. He was only a little over two feet tall, with slender arms and legs connected to a thin torso, but a big head, protruding eyes as big as tennis balls, and a pair of bat-like ears.

Compared with his appearance, the most eye-catching thing is his clothes. He has a strangely colored scarf wrapped around his neck, the size is obviously smaller than the normal scarf, and he wears a strange little red felt hat on his head.

These things don't match it at all and look extremely awkward.

Loren was in a daze. He hadn't seen Mai for a long time. Since the last time they met, in order to avoid the uncomfortable enthusiasm, he had reduced the number of times he came to the kitchen.

After hearing the news about Wheat from Dumbledore, he came up with the idea of ​​coming to see Wheat, but he soon forgot about it and only gave him a cheap gift at Christmas.

Loren came back to his senses and said: "Long time no see, Mai, I don't need anything, but my friend wants to find you for some information..."

"oh!"

Before Loren could finish his words, he was interrupted by a house elf named Wheat. He looked like he was about to faint with excitement. An abnormal blush appeared on the gray-green cheek skin. He screamed in surprise:

"Mr. Morgan remembers me! Mr. Morgan remembers my name!"

"Yes! I am wheat! I am wheat!"

"I knew it! Mr. Morgan remembered my appearance the first time, and asked my name the second time! The great Mr. Morgan will definitely not forget me!"

The house elf's high-pitched voice hurt his eardrums. Loren waved his hand to calm him down and looked at him helplessly: "Mai, you are wearing the scarf and felt hat I gave you. Of course I can recognize it..."

Hermione saw the house elf named Wheat smile, with an incompatible expression of shyness and pride on his face, and his voice softened:

"Oh, yes, yes...this is Mr. Morgan's Christmas gift to Wheat."

"Wheat was scared on Christmas day. Giving house elf clothes means expulsion. Wheat thought Mr. Morgan disliked the things I did on my own initiative."

"It was the new Dobby who woke up Xiaomai. He told me that today's little wizards have different ideas from the previous wizards..." Xiaomai rambled on about the situation at that time, "Dobby also received a gift from Harry Potter. Socks, Wheat also has socks, but Dobby does not have a scarf and a small felt hat, only Wheat received a scarf and a small felt hat..."

Loren felt that his eardrums no longer hurt, but his brain began to hurt.

Hermione looked at the house elf's bare feet and asked curiously: "What about your socks? Why didn't you put them on?"

Xiaomai looked at her proudly: "Socks will get damaged if worn for a long time. Dobby's socks have already been damaged, even though he saved up his own money to buy them. Xiaomai's socks will not get damaged, and Xiaomai will always keep Morgan." Socks from sir!”

"..."

Loren couldn't help but feel a little silent.

In the shadowed corner of the kitchen, many pairs of tennis-ball-sized eyes stared unblinkingly, shining with envy.

Such a look made Hermione feel extremely uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but said: "But socks are for wearing. If they are worn out, just replace them with a new pair, right?"

Mai began to look dissatisfied when he looked at her, and he shouted loudly: "Mai will not ruin the socks! Let alone the socks given by Mr. Morgan! No, absolutely not!"

"But--"

"No! Absolutely not!"

"sock--"

"No! Absolutely not!"

"..."

Whenever Hermione tried to say something, she would always be interrupted by Mai with a louder voice. His dissatisfied and wary attitude simply made Hermione look like a bad woman.

The sounds of Loren's two sides coming and going, even though Hermione had anticipated a similar scene before bringing her here, she still couldn't help but feel a headache.

"...You can buy more——"

"Absolutely not!"

"Please stop for a moment..." Loren interrupted the heated exchange, "Mai, find us a quiet room. We have something to ask you."

"This is my honor!" Xiaomai puffed up his chest excitedly and held up his crooked scarf, "Please come this way, Mr. Morgan!"

The two of them followed Mai, gradually moving away from the prying eyes in the kitchen.

Loren tugged on Hermione's sleeve and whispered: "Remember what we said before we came here, Hermione, you scared them."

"I'm sorry..." Hermione said dejectedly, "I can't help but want to correct his misunderstanding. Their thinking is too twisted..."

"If you want to change them, it won't work this way... just take your time."

"I try my best……"

Five minutes later, they came to an abandoned storage room. Mai found two chairs for them, while he stood opposite, keeping a subtle distance between them.

This scene is like interrogating a prisoner.

Hermione couldn't help but frown. Thinking of what just happened, she pursed her lips and didn't ask for anything more.

"I can find another table and serve you some tea and snacks..." Mai was obviously very happy to meet Loren again and asked enthusiastically, "Black tea or pumpkin juice?"

"No need for wheat."

"Where's the butterbeer? I know this is the little wizard's favorite drink!"

"No need."

"How about hot cocoa? Mr. Dumbledore's favorite drink in the evening, I can get his share first!"

Loren waved his hands dumbfounded: "It's really no need, Mai. We're mainly looking for you to ask for some news."

"Oh alright……"

Xiaomai lowered his head in despair, and the small felt hat blocked most of his face. The next second he raised his hand and pressed the felt hat, and looked up again with an enthusiastic smile: "Just ask, Mr. Morgan, I will definitely answer if I know the answer." …”

Hermione composed herself: "That's right. I want to know how ordinary house elves survive. In addition to employment at Hogwarts and contracts with wealthy families, do you have other clansmen?"

"Clansman?"

"Just the other house elves."

"Oh, other house elves, house elves that no one wants..." Xiaomai's voice was slightly sharp, and he involuntarily pinched the scarf on his chest.

"Some house elves are unwanted when they are born. If they are lucky, they will find their owners before they starve to death... Others are too lazy and are kicked out of the house by their owners. Such house elves will not Some people sympathized, saying that they generally did not survive that winter.”

Hearing these two short sentences, Hermione's throat tightened and her heart became a little panicked: "Can't you support yourselves?"

Hermione added: "I mean you are hardworking enough, you know how to do housework, make all kinds of valuable food and drinks, and even magic tools... Why can't you live on your own without wizards?"

"Dirty thoughts!"

Xiaomai's eyes widened, and his eyes the size of tennis balls almost jumped out of his head: "What a dirty and filthy idea. It's not enough to betray the master, actually! Actually!"

Mai was so excited that she couldn't speak. Hermione asked in disbelief: "Why is this betrayal?"

"..."

Hermione and Xiaomai then fell into a chicken-and-duck argument. As a house elf, Xiaomai and Hermione as a human had underlying cognitive differences. What was a matter of course for Hermione, in Xiaomai's view, Coming is simply an unforgivable sin.

Hermione believed that house elves could survive on their own, even if they found a place to farm.

And Mai almost fainted just after hearing the word "leave the wizard".

It was all thanks to Loren's mediation that the wheat didn't flutter its scarf and leave.

When Loren pulled Hermione out of the kitchen, Mai seemed to be relieved and left happily, while Hermione, who was blushing from the argument, was still gritting her teeth in anger.

"They should see a psychiatrist!" Hermione shouted, "No, they should be locked up in school until their ideological deviations are completely reversed!"

Loren whispered, "That sounds like brainwashing."

"..."

The patron saint's light in the auditorium was still soft and bright. Hermione slowly calmed down under the silver-white light. In the next week, Hermione's frequency of talking to Professor Bubbaji increased significantly.

Sometimes he even took notes, and one conversation could fill dozens of pages. Loren even doubted what party's ideological platform it was.

…

Time passed day by day. On the night before the full moon in April, Loren completed the transformation of the salamander in the virtual space of the Book of Fantasy, but he still could not exert the magical power of the salamander. In the blue bellflower flames, Can't stay.

He did not continue to explore and try. There was a more important thing to do on the day of the full moon - testing whether Professor Lupine could use Animagus transformation to restrain the werewolf transformation.

April 24, Sunday evening.

The setting sun has been blocked by the hills to the west, leaving only light yellow ribbon-like clouds hanging in the sky, and the remaining dim light illuminates the path outside the castle.

Harry and Ron were walking beside Lupin, and Harry asked softly: "Professor, are you sure?"

"I don't know either."

Remus Lupine looked at the clouds on the horizon and exhaled slowly: "You should return to the castle immediately. I didn't drink the wolfsbane potion. I might hurt you after the transformation."

"I have thought about this problem a long time ago!" Ron said with some pride, "We specifically asked Principal Dumbledore, and he was already waiting for us at the Shrieking Shack in advance. With the principal here, there is nothing to worry about!"

Lu Ping: "..."

Professor Dumbledore is still so unreliable.

While talking, they came to the Whomping Willow. Harry quickly jumped over and held down the knot on the tree. The three of them entered the tunnel one after another, and walked through the long and dark tunnel to the underground of the Shrieking Shack.

Ron was the most active. He opened the wooden plank first and got out. Then he stood silently at the entrance of the tunnel, motionless.

Harry followed closely behind, and then stood at the entrance of the tunnel in the same silence, as if he was petrified by the basilisk's gaze.

Lupine was a little confused about what they saw, and quickly turned over and crawled out——

Looking at the group of people in the room, Lu Ping felt a little tired and remained silent for a moment: "Why is everyone here?"

Madam Pomfrey, standing on the far right, replied, "I'm the Healer, I should be here."

Going to the left is Professor McGonagall: "I am Professor of Transfiguration, I should be here."

Principal Dumbledore smiled and said nothing, probably thinking that he was here as a matter of course.

Loren whispered: "I am a caring professor, and the principal agreed to let me come here."

"Me too..." Hermione huddled behind Loren and kept nodding.

What Lupine couldn't accept the most was that Flitwick and Professor Sprout were also nodding beside him.

The one on the far left is Snape. He said calmly: "I am the Potions Professor. If the transformation fails, I bring wolfsbane potion."

Harry and Ron stood nearby, looking stunned and at a loss.