Chapter 469 House Elf Education Plan

Twinkle hesitated for a moment, then moved slowly in front of the two of them step by step, holding the corners of the apron with her slender fingers and twisting them.

Speaking of what the abandoned house elf did in the past month, the other house elves only thought that she was trying to return to her former master, accepting humiliating wages and vacations, and following the house elf in torment. The shame of the elf, the traitor named Dobby -

He used his dirty wages to buy gloves, socks, candy, and was even dragged to the Pig's Head Bar for a drink while hiding his identity.

When it comes to loyal Twinkle, even the house elves in the narrowest shop in Hogsmeade will praise each other. If they had experienced such humiliation and torture, they would have been unable to bear it and would have cut off their heads and stuffed them into their masters. The fireplace at home was used as firewood.

But only Shining knows what the truth is.

It was true that the previous period was very difficult. She couldn't sleep every night, and the tears she shed in one night were enough to wet the pillow.

She has become a shame for generations. From her mother's mother's generation, she worked in Mr. Crouch's house. In her own generation, not only was she kicked out of the house, but now she was reduced to receiving shameful remuneration and accepting a job that symbolized laziness. holiday.

When working in the kitchen during the day, she was worried that other elves would look at her strangely. Whenever more than three elves gathered together to talk quietly, she felt that those chattering voices were spurning her...

But those days only lasted less than a week, and she soon learned that the other house elves admired her, considered her loyal and reliable, and could endure these terrible and painful humiliations in order to return to her former master.

At this point, the gazes of other elves are no longer unbearable, and Shining even enjoys the admiration and admiration.

Later, she got her first salary in her life. Taking advantage of the weekend vacation, Dobby took her to Fengya Wizard Clothing Store to buy beautiful gloves and socks, and went to the Pig's Head Bar to drink a glass of butterbeer. It is said that it is the favorite drink of noble little wizards...

In fact, she can also do it, and her skills are much better than the owner of the Pig's Head Bar.

But compared to the cup of inferior butter beer I made myself, the cup of inferior butter beer I bought with my labor money had a completely different flavor.

In that dilapidated bar that was full of old stains and filthy smell, the butter beer with rich bubbles fell into the stomach through the tongue. It was sour and slightly bitter, and only after careful aftertaste could one taste the slightest hint of sweetness.

She seemed to taste the taste of freedom in Dobby's mouth.

Looking at Winky who lowered her head and remained silent, Hermione was anxious: "What do you think, Winky?"

Twinkle raised her head and glanced at the two of them, then lowered her head and said in a timid voice: "As long as I can return to my master, Twinkle, Twinkle can do anything."

"..."

Hermione looked aggrieved.

Loren nodded noncommittally: "But in my opinion, your behavior is unqualified."

Twinkle's face turned pale.

"We agreed at the time that you would negotiate wages with Principal Dumbledore or Vice Principal McGonagall, but if you let Dobby negotiate for you...you will be punished if you make any mistakes."

Loren looked at the elf in front of him, moisture gradually rising in his eyes as big as tennis balls, as if he might cry at any time: "For this reason, the time limit we agreed on has been extended by half a year, to the end of the school year. During this half year, you still have to Do the same thing as Dobby, and if you do well, I'll have you back at the Crouch house before the year-end dinner."

Hermione and Dobby looked at Winky expectantly.

Twinkle was stunned for a moment, the tears in her eyes gradually disappeared, and she stood there blankly, not knowing what to say.

She didn't want to admit it, but there was a trace of shameful joy in her heart.

Twinkle was silent for a few seconds and replied softly: "I...I know."

…

"Ah……"

Loren stretched himself and walked on the way that Mai was sending them back. The aroma of thick soup floated in the kitchen, and the fireplace was warm. Education Shining said a long story, which made him feel a little sleepy.

Hermione looked at Dobby and Winky who were talking quietly behind her, looked away, and pursed her lips:

"Professor Morgan really has a way."

"You can no longer call me professor, call me mentor."

"Put it off until the end of the school year. How will you convince Mr. Crouch then?"

Loren rested his chin on his hand and recalled: "Who knows, I'll tell you what happens when the time comes. The world is always full of surprises."

"..." Hermione was silent for a moment, knowing that this person was not telling the truth, but she was not going to ask the truth, "Teacher Morgan has already guided Winky, and Dobby does not need guidance. What about Xiaomai? What are you going to do?"

Xiaomai, who was walking behind, said hurriedly: "Maizhou feels that she is fine now, and there is no need to worry about Miss Granger!"

"Wheat..." Loren was amused by his panicked look, "Don't worry, I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do, but I do have something to ask of you."

"Oh, okay, I mean, just ask, Mr. Morgan."

"You know, Ilvermorny is also participating in this Goblet of Fire Tournament. Ilvermorny is from a magic school in the United States. I need to know about the history and culture of that country, but the relevant books are too much and too complicated. It’s too much trouble for me to comb.”

Mai asked in confusion: "How can I help you?"

"I would like to ask you to consult relevant books and materials to sort out the major historical events that have occurred in that country since the 15th century, as well as the racial evolution and cultural development that have occurred on that continent."

Hermione blinked, her eyes sparkling.

"What race...culture..." Xiaomai's head was dizzy. It took him a long time to understand what Loren meant, and he was completely dumbfounded.

What kind of words are these? Why are they so difficult to pronounce? And they have nothing to do with the dishwashing and cooking he used to do.

"Don't worry about this matter. I will send the books and materials over in a few days. You only need to copy down the origin, development, results and impact of each incident in concise sentences..."

Loren looked at him with a gentle smile: "Am I clear?"

Wheat scratched his head blankly, and his high-pitched voice was less firm than usual: "Wheat doesn't know, Wheat will try his best to complete Sir's instructions."

As he spoke, he had already walked outside the kitchen door. The big green pear was sleeping peacefully in the fruit bowl, and his big belly was squirming gently.

Loren stopped and looked back, rubbing the felt hat on its head: "It's not a difficult job. Take your time and you will understand."

Xiaomai raised his head, the confusion in his eyes still not dissipating.

He will understand, understand what?

Do you understand how to do it, or do you understand the meaning behind it?

The house elf who had been repeating simple manual labor since he was born didn't understand anything. Maybe he wouldn't understand it for many years to come. But now, on this cold November night, he answered loudly:

"Okay, Mr. Morgan."

…

As December entered, the weather became colder and colder, and the howling north wind brought sleet and snow to Hogwarts.

New week, Monday.

The suffering begins when you wake up in the morning.

In the morning, there was a Care of Magical Creatures class, and it was hard to leave the castle and feel the cold wind.

Although there is always draft in the castle in winter, every time the little wizards of Hogwarts walk past Durmstrang's big boat parked on the lake, they are grateful for the hot fire and thick walls in the castle. .

The big ship tossed and swayed in the strong wind, and its black sails fluttered and danced in the dark night sky.

“It must be freezing cold in the Durmstrang mobile home,” everyone said.

The Care of Magical Creatures class was even more torturous, making the little wizards dizzy every time.

Hagrid constantly provided Ms. Maxim's horses with their favorite single malt whiskey. The paddock on the edge of the Forbidden Forest became a temporary stable. The smell of co-fermentation with rotting horse grass.

Going to class is like being punished.

As the snails in several large boxes matured, they became more aggressive and fierce, and their desire to kill each other became stronger. In the end, only ten survived.

Now nearly six feet long each, their thick gray protective coating, their powerful swinging legs, their exploding, fire-breathing tails, their spines and suckers, all add up to an explosive The tailed snail becomes the most disgusting thing the young wizards have ever seen.

"I'm not sure if they are hibernating. We might as well give it a try and see if they want to sleep... Let's put them in these boxes..."

Hagrid led the little wizards to put the Blast-Ended Skrewt into the box covered with hay pillows, close the lid, and then——

The box exploded, the ground was littered with smoking box fragments, and ten snails ran rampant in the pumpkin patch.

…

The two divination classes in the afternoon were quite enjoyable.

They still had to draw star charts and make predictions, but Professor Trelawney narrated the homework, and all kinds of ridiculous misfortunes and cases made the little wizards giggle.

That night.

Loren went downstairs in his pajamas after taking a shower, and saw Hermione lying on the table by the window, writing her homework. The quill had already reached the lower half of the parchment, and she should be almost finished.

Ron and Seamus were making gobstones for the fireplace, and Harry was sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at the crystal candlesticks hanging from the ceiling.

Loren walked over and sat down, causing the sofa to shake up and down: "Harry, you are so leisurely. Have you solved the clue to the golden egg?"

"..." Harry glanced at him, his eyes filled with resentment, "The skrewts had a riot in the afternoon, and you took Hermione and ran into the hut, leaving us outside to fight with those squids..."

"How about I run fast?"

"well……"

Harry sighed faintly, "Let's talk about the golden eggs, Loren. I have tried several methods, but every time I open them, there is a piercing scream. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Have you learned the head soaking spell?"

"Ah? The Bubble Curse?" Harry was a little confused, "I have learned it a long time ago, but what does the Golden Egg have to do with the Bubble Curse?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm just asking..." Loren showed off Professor Morgan's style and said earnestly, "Don't always think about cheating. Try it yourself first. I'll tell you if you can't solve it during the Christmas holiday."

"Your expression now looks like Hermione..." Harry looked at him, "Mr. Ludo Bagman said that cheating is the tradition of the Tournament."

"That's right. I suggest you say the same in front of the warriors of Ilvermorny."

"..."

Harry's expression froze.

That Pickley Graves has been discharged from the hospital and is now in class with the seventh-year Gryffindor. Every time they meet in the corridor or auditorium, Graves's angry eyes make people feel guilty. The other four warriors are now They all avoided him.

Harry muttered in a low voice without any confidence: "If I had known I had to remind Cedric, I would have reminded him by the way."

"Then if you knew the secret of the golden egg, would you tell him?"

"This..." Harry hesitated for a few seconds, "It should... be... right?"

"Tsk...just keep thinking."

Loren came to sit next to the girl by the window and sniffed. The girl's freshly washed hair smelled so good.

He stretched his head to look at the homework she had written on the entire parchment: "Huh? Why is it a paper for the Muggle Studies class? I thought you were writing an homework on ancient runes."

"I finished the rune translation assignment in class."

Hermione moved the parchment aside to dry the ink, tapped the quill in the ink bottle, and began to write on the new parchment. She said unhurriedly, "I told Professor Bubbaji that you let Wheat She was deeply inspired by what she was doing and felt that house elves and American black slaves had many things in common...

"This paper is not an assignment. It is a topic that the professor and I studied together. If it goes well, it may be published in a Muggle studies journal."

"A Muggle Studies journal with sales even worse than The Quibbler's?"

Loren grabbed a strand of curly hair and played with it around his fingers. The girl took a shower to save trouble and did not blow dry completely. There was still some water vapor in it, making it moist.

"For most wizards, Muggle studies is an unpopular field, which is why journals are unsaleable." Hermione explained, "However, many wizards have noticed the role and influence of Muggle culture and are paying more and more attention to this field. ”

"Um."

"Have you sent the information for Mai?"

"Um."

"What era materials were sent?"

"Um."

"Snapped……"

Hermione slapped his hand down angrily: "What historical materials did you send me?"

"From the colonial period in the 16th century to the Civil War... and beyond, he probably can't understand it at all."

Why? It's just a strand of hair, so why is it so fun?

Loren grabbed another strand and fell into a state of concentrated study.

…

Late night in the Gryffindor common room.

It was past the lights-out time, and most of the oil lamps had been extinguished, leaving only one or two weak candles. No new firewood was added to the fireplace, leaving only a few knots of red-hot charcoal, exuding warmth.

Harry stared at the golden egg on the table, his eyes sparkling with wisdom.

Loren mentioned the head soaking spell. It was definitely not just a random question. It must have something to do with the golden egg.

After pondering for a long time, he took a deep breath, squeezed the wand, put a bubble charm on himself, and resolutely opened the golden egg:

"ah--"