Chapter 456 Like a Villain

The castle was a little deserted at night, but the tiny footsteps and voices of the little wizards broke the desertion. Under the leadership of Hermione, they hurriedly walked out of the portrait hole, went down the stairs, and did not stop when they reached the foyer on the first floor. Follow an underground stone staircase into a wide corridor.

The surroundings were brightly lit by torches, and everywhere was decorated with delightful pictures, chiefly of various kinds of food.

"This is the way to the kitchen...Loren and Dobby both mentioned it." Harry looked around, curious, "What could be more bizarre than Nick asking us to borrow money?"

"Nearly headless Nick wants to lend you his head." Loren, who was being held by Hermione, turned back in time.

"Stop joking." Hermione tugged at him, and several people stopped in front of a painting of a huge silver bowl filled with fruit.

The large green pear in the fruit portrait giggled and bent under Hermione's tickling, turned into a curved door handle, and pushed the door in——

Inside is the Hogwarts kitchen, a large room with a high ceiling. The furnishings are somewhat similar to the Great Hall. Four long dining tables are neatly placed, many gleaming copper pots and basins are neatly stacked, and there is a large brick fireplace. There was still a faint glow of fire left.

Before anyone could see more clearly, two little things quickly ran towards him from the center of the room, screaming:

"Mr. Morgan!"

"Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"

The two of them scrambled and shouted at the top of their lungs, as if they were competing. The elf running in front slammed into Harry's upper abdomen and hugged him tightly.

"Hoho——"

All the air in Harry's lungs was squeezed out, and his expression was as painful as if his ribs had been broken.

Loren felt a little phantom pain when he saw it. Fortunately, Mai stopped a few meters away from Loren and bowed respectfully, preventing Loren from feeling the feeling of being hit by a catapult.

Dobby buried his head on Harry's belly and screamed: "Dobby has been looking forward and looking forward to seeing Harry Potter, sir, and finally Harry Potter came to see him in person, sir!"

"You... Dobby, let me go first." Harry said with difficulty.

Dobby let go, took a few steps back, and looked up at Harry with a smile on his face, his green eyes the size of tennis balls filled with tears of joy. The bat-like ears and elongated nose twitched merrily.

Only then did the little wizards notice that the two of them were dressed completely different from the other house elves in the kitchen, except for a tea towel with the Hogwarts crest on it.

Dobby wears a teapot warmer on his head with a lot of colorful badges pinned to it. A tie with a horseshoe pattern hangs on his bare chest. He is wearing something similar to a child's football shorts. On his feet are Two mismatched socks.

Wheat's attire has changed a lot from the last time Loren saw him. The felt hat on his head has been replaced by black, the ill-fitting scarf has also been replaced, and the black and white striped vest looks a bit like an aristocratic butler. style. But looking further down, this grace was gone, because Mai was still barefoot and her toes were twitching uneasily.

Sensing Loren's scrutiny, Xiaomai suppressed her smile, lowered her head, not daring to look into his eyes, and explained in a low voice: "The clothes were given to me by Miss Granger. She said you would like me to dress like this, sir."

Loren glanced at Hermione in surprise, he didn't even know this happened.

"Sometimes I will ask him about the house elves. Telling your name will make him more cooperative." Hermione explained, raising her eyebrows and staring at Xiaomai, "I also asked you to put on shoes and socks, but you Not even wearing socks!”

Xiaomai's head hung lower, and he muttered in a voice so small that he couldn't hear clearly: "Socks... were given by Mr.... Xiaomai can't..."

Loren nodded thoughtfully, smiled gently and said, "It's okay, Mai, you can wear whatever you want."

"It looks good dressed like this, and the way you dressed up when we last met was also very good. In fact, apart from the gift I gave you and the clothes Hermione gave you, I would also like to ask you what do you want to wear?"

The house elf's ears twitched slightly, and he slowly raised his head, looking into those smiling black eyes. His voice trembled but he still mustered up the courage to reply: "I don't know, sir, I think What you gave is very good, Xiaomai likes the gift from Mr.

Hermione took a deep breath and tried to push the Declaration of Independence into his head again.

Loren smiled and did not continue to ask further questions. He turned to look at Hermione: "What is the bizarre incident you want us to see?"

"I know, it's Twinkle!"

Dobby, who was explaining two socks to Harry, replied sharply, his voice full of pride.

"Winky? Is she here too?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes, sir, yes!"

Dobby grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him across the four long wooden tables and into the kitchen. The house elves passing by were all smiling, bowing and curtsying. They had no clothes and wore tea towels with the Hogwarts logo on them as robes.

The others followed, and Hermione took the time to explain: "I met Winky on the way back to the common room. She was cleaning the frame of Sir Cadogan's picture, but as soon as she saw me she covered her face and ran away. "

"Oh, yes, Mr. Dumbledore said that guests are coming to the castle and ordered us to do a thorough cleaning." Dobby stopped in front of the brick fireplace and pointed out to them, "Winky is right there, look. !”

A thin house elf sat on a stool by the fire. She was wearing a neat little skirt and blouse, and a matching blue hat with two holes in it, revealing Her two big ears. Winky, on the other hand, evidently paid no attention to her clothes; her blouse was splattered with soup stains, and her skirt was burnt black in one spot.

She was so thin that she looked terrifying, with only a thin layer of skin on her bones.

Hermione's eyes flashed with a bit of unbearability. Although Winky was also very thin during the Quidditch World Cup, she was not out of shape at that time. She tentatively asked: "Hello, Winky."

Winky raised her head to look at them, her lips trembled a few times, tears rolled out of her big brown eyes, and then she burst into tears.

"No, Winky, don't cry..." Hermione was stunned and comforted at a loss.

However, Xiaomai and Dobby seemed to be used to this scene. Xiaomai looked up at Loren calmly: "Sir, would you like a cup of hot tea?"

After seeing Loren nod, Xiaomai waved his hands and ran away happily. Dobby's eyes immediately widened, and he felt a little regretful. Why didn't he think of serving tea to Harry Potter?

Wheat's steps were hurried, but his hands were very steady when serving tea. There was a pot of hot milk, cups for several people, and a large plate of biscuits on the silver tray. Loren, Harry and Ron sat down nearby.

Hermione was trying to answer the crying house elf by asking questions, but Winky kept crying to herself and had no intention of paying any attention to Hermione.

"Did anyone at the Ministry mistreat you, Winky?"

"..."

"How is work at Hogwarts?"

"..."

"How long have you been here, Winky?"

"A week, ma'am!" Dobby couldn't help answering for her, "Dobby took her to see Mr. Dumbledore. You know, ma'am, it's hard for a fired house elf to find a new job. , It’s really difficult.”

After hearing this, Twinkle squealed even harder, and snot dripped onto his chest.

Ron, who was happily chewing cookies, slowed down and sighed deeply. It was hard to imagine that such a thin body could shed so much snot, which was more than the milk in his cup.

Loren took the embarrassed Hermione to sit down, patted her shoulder, and looked at the proud house elf: "How did you meet Winky, Dobby, tell us what happened? "

"Okay sir!" Dobby smiled brightly, showing a lot of yellowed teeth, "This starts from Dobby's vacation last month. As you know, Dobby is a free elf. Mr. Dumbledore uses his wages to Dobby is employed, but Dobby has free time off.”

The house elves in the kitchen were looking at them with interest. When they heard this, they all showed disgust and dispersed in a hurry, as if they heard some rude, offensive, and shameful words. .

Hermione was the only one who looked at Dobby with admiration.

"During the holiday last month, Dobby went to the Ministry of Magic. They thought Dobby was sent by some wizard. They asked who Dobby's master was! When Dobby said he was a free elf , they were all shocked!”

Dobby's high tone was slightly lowered: "But it is difficult for a house elf without a master to visit another house elf in the interrogation room of the Ministry of Magic. This requires very strict scrutiny. They turned my clothes Twenty times, all the threads are out of line..."

"But it's not a problem for Dobby. Dobby can sew and mend himself. The kind Mr. Weasley gave me some needles and thread, and Dobby mended them quickly."

"Hey, that's my dad!" Ron said happily.

"Mr. Weasley told me that Winky was ready to be released, and the gentlemen at the Ministry of Magic were unwilling to leave her there. It was Winky who didn't want to leave. She just wanted to go back to her former master, but Mr. Crouch didn't want to. Want her and say she has been kicked out."

Twinkle sobbed twice in time, and her wails became louder.

"Sparky always said that her former master was a good person. He never beat her, burned her back with a red-hot spoon, or made her bang her head against the wall to reflect on her mistakes..."

Dobby said, trembling, and said with some fear: "But Dobby has seen that look in his eyes, from Dobby's first master... No, it was even scarier than Dobby's first master. That’s not a good person, that look is totally that of a dark wizard.”

"Don't speak of my master like that!" Winky screamed angrily. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Dobby, for talking about your master like that!"

"Oh, no, you can't criticize the master..."

Dobby showed a struggling expression. He raised his palm tremblingly, as if he wanted to slap himself, but Harry grabbed his slender forearm: "Dobby, you are no longer a slave, you are a free man." The elf."

Dobby's stiff and trembling body relaxed, and he repeated uncomfortably: "Yes, I am a free house elf, and my current master is Mr. Dumbledore."

"The employer, the employer." Hermione interrupted.

"Mr. Dumbledore didn't ask us to keep secrets and remain silent. He said we were free to call him a fool and a fool if we wanted to, ha!"

Dobby let out a dry laugh, and his awkward tone slowly returned to normal, "But I like Professor Dumbledore, I am willing to keep his secrets, and I am proud of him for keeping silent."

"You will know what happened next. Where can I take in a homeless elf? Dobby suddenly had an idea and brought Winky to Hogwarts so that she would never have to see her former master again."

After hearing this, Winky jumped forward from the stool, fell face down on the stone paved floor, beat his little fists, and sobbed in pain: "My poor Mr. Crouch, he doesn't have Winky anymore." What should I do... I have taken care of the Crouch family since I was born, before me, it was my mother, before her, it was my grandmother... Oh, what a shame, what a shame!"

"If you can calm down, I may be able to let you see your master again."

The gentle voice sounded unhurriedly, and the cry that Dobby had been shouting at the top of his lungs for a long time, but could not be covered up, suddenly weakened. Winky sobbed twice, but tried hard to suppress the sound, and blinked his eyes to look at Loren.

Loren slowly drank the hot milk in the cup and put the cup back on the tray: "I'll make an agreement with you. In the following days, no matter what Dobby does, you have to do the same thing. He gets his salary. You also receive a salary, he goes shopping during the holidays, and you also go shopping during the holidays...I can promise that you will see Mr. Crouch again before Christmas."

Hermione's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she looked at Winky expectantly.

Shining's tear-stained face was stunned, and her wide eyes were full of disbelief. The concept of not being ashamed to receive a salary and the longing for her master collided in her mind, making her head dizzy.

In the end, the obsession to return to his master prevailed.

"Really, really?"

"I can sign a contract or an unbreakable oath with you."

"No, no, no, Winky is not worthy of signing a contract or swearing an oath with Mr. Morgan." Winky shook his head in panic, "Mr. Loren Morgan is a person respected by both Wheat and Dobby. He is a distinguished wizard of Hogwarts and my master. I believe you, Mr. Morgan."

"It's just..." Winky's face was full of tangles, "Winky can't ask for wages. Although Winky is a house elf who was kicked out, Winky has not fallen to the level of asking for wages. Principal Dumbledore is willing to take me in. This is a huge favor, and I cannot let Mr. Dumbledore be discussed by others."

"..."

Hermione's fists were clenched tightly, and her face was full of hatred for her misfortune and anger.

Loren let out a chuckle: "That's your business. I don't care whether you go to Principal Dumbledore or Vice Principal McGonagall, beg them for charity, or have a friendly discussion with them. In short, you can always You have to earn no less than Dobby’s wages every month, otherwise I know Dobby has bought new clothes and socks, but you don’t have any, then you can only see your master in your dreams.”

Twinkle was silent, her eyes filled with tears again, flowing down her cheeks and onto her dirty skirt.

Looking at the elf who dared not cry, Harry and Ron looked at each other and found the same feelings in each other's eyes. They always felt that this person was a villain who bullied and persecuted house elves. Listen to that line, What kind of coercion and blackmail...

"By the way, if I see your skirt is dirty next time, it will be considered a breach of the agreement."

Loren said something lightly and pulled Hermione up and walked out of the kitchen without any intention of talking to her anymore.

Harry and Ron silently grabbed the remaining cookies on the tray and followed, feeling more like villains.

Mai and Dobby glanced at Twinkle, one with pity and sympathy, the other with excitement and blessing.

When they came to the door, the elves gathered around them again and enthusiastically stuffed them with many cream cakes and pies...

When Mai and Dobby sent a few people out of the door, Dobby asked tentatively: "Harry Potter, can Dobby come to see you sometimes, sir?"

"sure."

Dobby suddenly beamed.

Wheat also secretly glanced at Mr. Morgan, feeling moved, but he was afraid that Mr. Morgan would let him get wages, take holidays, and go shopping like Dobby... which would definitely be regarded as a shame by other elves.

Loren looked amused and knocked the little felt hat on his head crookedly: "Come to me on Friday night. I have something else to ask you to do."

Mai held his hat and grinned, nodding heavily.

…

Coming out of the underground stairs, it was past the lights-out moment in the castle. The lights were turned off in Mr. Filch's administrator's office on the first floor, and he was probably patrolling with Mrs. Norris. But the four people who were traveling at night were no longer the first-year wizards they had been. They had enough experience in traveling at night and walked back slowly and leisurely.

"Loren, how did you let her see Crouch?" Harry asked after swallowing the pie in his mouth.

"I know, because of the competition!" Ron raised the cream cake in his right hand and explained, "The competition will involve schools from four other countries. As the director of the International Affairs Cooperation Department, Mr. Crouch must be a member of the competition team. One of the committee members.”

He took a bite of the cream cake and asked vaguely: "I have another question, why do you want Winky to learn from Dobby?"

Hermione also looked at Loren. She had been discussing with Professor Bubaji for nearly a year. Considering the conditions proposed by Loren, she had some suspicions in her heart.

"Because freedom and desire are tempting apples of corruption. Once you taste it, you can never stop."

In the empty and wide corridor, Loren's voice was very soft.

…

In the next few days, the castle was thoroughly cleaned. The metal armor was polished and polished, and it no longer creaked when moving. Most of the portraits were repaired and renovated.

The youngest portraits in the corridors of Hogwarts are several decades old, and are covered with a thick layer of oily oxide, so most of the colors look gray. After turning off the lights every night, the elves would carefully dip soft grass blades into the magic potion, apply it on the surface of the portrait, and scrape off a layer of oil from the portrait.

The scrubbed characters were very dissatisfied with this, sitting huddled in the frame, muttering unhappily, grinning in pain every time they touched the newly exposed pink flesh on their bodies.

"Can't I just polish my armor and lance?" cried Ser Cadogan.

At the end of October, the autumn wind and cold wave arrived at Hogwarts together. The world outside the bed became indifferent, and the most difficult time of the day for the little wizards became getting up.

On Friday morning, the little wizards were surprised to find that the auditorium had been decorated overnight. Four huge banners were blowing on the wall, with a mighty golden lion on red silk, a black badger on yellow silk, and a bronze banner on blue silk. Eagle, silver boa on green silk.

Seeing the giant Hogwarts crest on the four strips of silk, the sleepy little wizards instantly woke up and happily discussed the information about the other three schools and the competition.

"Do you still remember my relative who went to school in Ilvermorny? He told me that Ilvermorny was originally the most closed and conservative school, but there were too many Muggles in that place in the United States, and pure-blood wizards were quickly integrated. .”

"Durmstrang has a formal black magic course, which is bigger than Professor Moody!"

"It is said that there are more girls than boys in Beauxbatons, and they are all beautiful!"

"..."

"Professor McGonagall still refuses to reveal how the warriors are selected..." George yelled with resentment, "She will only tell me to shut up and concentrate on transforming my raccoon!"

"Have you not given up yet? The death rate of warriors is higher than Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts?"

Angelina yawned. For a long time before the start of school, she struggled with how to manage the team after taking over and how to spend the days without Wood... Who knew that the Quidditch match was cancelled? Angelina was very worried. Melancholy.

Fred waved his hand: "Think about it, Angelina, the referee will not let anything happen to us. I don't believe that Dumbledore will watch his lovely students die."

"..."

Listening to the lively discussions everywhere, Harry took a big spoonful of scrambled eggs and stuffed them into his mouth depressedly.

Loren and Hermione ate breakfast in silence, not saying a word.

Ron, who had a lot to say, was feeling uncomfortable. He couldn't help it anymore: "How do you think those three schools will come to Hogwarts? Will it be broomstick or Apparition?"

"I don't know," Harry sighed with a resentful tone, "I may never know. After all, when everyone leaves get out of class early, I am the only one who will stay in the eerie underground classroom...

"How would I know? I had to stay in court to sort out the cauldrons of corrosive liquids, and I had to clean potentially poisonous spoons.

"This is all my fault, because I echoed a sentence when I was reading the notice that day..."

Ron felt goosebumps all over his body when he heard that, and he quickly rubbed the skin on the back of his hands: "Okay, okay, I'll stay and help you organize the equipment, okay?"

"Ha, maybe we can catch up if we move faster." Harry suddenly laughed happily, "They will definitely not Apparate. Apparition is prohibited within Hogwarts. Maybe by car. I once did Pass the Knight Bus..."

Loren and Hermione lowered their heads deeply and concentrated on eating breakfast.

They want to watch the fun and don't want to be caught.