The Return to Hogwarts

“Oh, not just in the yard—” Hagrid placed a plate of hard, iron-like fudge on the table, turned around and kicked Tooth, who was whimpering at Hermione’s backpack, then said happily.

"He's such a good person, offering to patrol the Forbidden Forest for me. Thanks to him, I have a lot of free time every day to take care of the Blasttails. And you should also thank him; with Professor Moody around, you don't have to worry about anyone trying to break into the campus anymore, okay—"

Hagrid slumped onto the bed, lowering it so much that it sank in quite a bit. He looked at Harry, his two companions, and...

"Tell me, what problem did you encounter?"

Hagrid's implication was that they rarely came here unless there was a specific reason, which made Harry feel a little ashamed. However, now was not the time to waste time on this, and both Harry and Ron turned their gazes toward Hermione.

“I need your help with something, Hagrid—” Hermione said, taking a deep breath.

“Of course—” Hagrid tilted his head, already realizing that something was wrong with Hermione’s backpack, and stared at it with great interest.

Hermione stared at the window for a few seconds, making sure no one was peeping through the window, then she pursed her lips, swallowed, and unzipped her backpack, letting the little guy out.

It has to be said that house-elves are much cuter. No matter Dobby, Twinkle, or Kreacher, none of the house-elves Harry knows are as cute as Hermione's.

"Oh, don't move, Toothpick, that's not a goblin!"

Toothy whimpered and bared its teeth, crouching down as if to attack. This terrified the newborn Tom, who stood trembling on the ground, facing Toothy, which was ten times its size. If it weren't for Granger's command, it probably would have already fled in panic.

They hadn't seen him clearly in the common room before, but now, Harry and Ron stared wide-eyed at the timid Doom, their expressions full of surprise.

"House-elf—"

Hagrid jumped up from the bed in surprise, roughly pushing the tooth aside. He squatted down, his dark eyes wide as he scrutinized Dom, even flicking Dom's chin with his thick, carrot-like fingers, observing him closely.

“It’s a cub, isn’t it, Hermione? I guess it’s just been born—”

To Dom, Hagrid was an absolute giant. Before she fainted from fright, Hermione scooped Dom into her arms and glared at the rude Hagrid.

Where did you get this?

Hagrid shrugged, then noticed the fabric draped over the newborn elf and the missing piece in Hermione's wizarding robes, and his expression became amused.

"You've become its mother, haven't you, Hermione?"

Ron burst out laughing, and even Harry's lips parted in a smile.

“Don’t be afraid, Dom, that’s Hagrid, he’s my friend. He just looks scary, but he’s a very nice person—” Hermione gently reassured her.

“A friend of Mistress Granger—”

Dom seemed to feel it was presumptuous to be in Hermione's arms, and it slid off, still fearful, but it still bowed deeply to Hagrid.

"Dear Mr. Hagrid, how can Dom do anything for you? Dom can do a lot of work--"

“If you can,” Hagrid said, “the dishes in the kitchen haven’t been washed yet—”

"Hagrid!"

Hermione shouted angrily, grabbing the trembling, happy Tom and pulling him close to her chest.

“You don’t need to do anything for anyone, Dom, you’re just a child!”

“Now I know why Mom always wanted a house-elf—” Ron chuckled, finding the scene quite amusing. “They’re so diligent!”

“I was just joking with it, Hermione—”

Hagrid grinned and raised his hand, making an innocent gesture.

Professor Blaine's assessment of Hagrid was absolutely correct. Harry remembered that when they were in their first year, Hagrid treated the little dragon named Norbert much more gently than he treated Dom; he practically treated Norbert's mother.

Tell me about it--

Hagrid clearly realized he shouldn't be touching Hermione's sensitive nerves. He grabbed Tooth's ear, dragged it to the other side of the room, and then turned around to ask,

"Where did you get this little guy from?"

So Hermione repeated the story she had told Harry and Ron to Hagrid again.

"It's amazing!"

After hearing Hermione's story, Hagrid exclaimed with admiration,

"Professor Blaine—a wizard as great as him was willing to go to the trouble of saving a house-elf who was having a difficult birth. Professor Dumbledore was the same. These great people never easily discriminate against others, even if it is a house-elf, he still feels it is necessary to save him!"

“But he just watched a house-elf who had just given birth go to work,” Hermione said angrily. “And he even made me order Doom to work in the school kitchen!”

Hermione rambled on and on, including about Sirius's old Kreacher, Barty Crouch of the International Department of Magical Cooperation's cruel treatment of his house-elf Sparkle, and Professor Blaine's indifferent attitude towards Ragnarok and her son after rescuing them.

"They all think it's perfectly reasonable!"

Hermione said in a strong tone,

"They believe that domesticated elves are clever and should be enslaved by wizards simply because they are obedient!"

“A wizard like Professor Blaine wouldn’t believe that any creature is born to be enslaved, Hermione—”

Hagrid spoke very patiently,

"You're the one who doesn't understand the situation, not Professor Blaine. For centuries, house-elves have been considered the private property of wizards. You want to fight for their rights, to give them holidays and pay? How do you expect to convince those who use them? Most house-elves are powerful figures like Lucius Malfoy, and they're not so easy to talk to—"

Chapter 533 Caught Red-Handed

2023-10-14

Hagrid's words surprised not only Harry and Ron, but even Hermione frowned.

Hermione realized once again that the perspective of an adult wizard is different from that of a young wizard.

She was determined to save house-elves from their miserable situation, but she never considered what so many people who used house-elves would think. As Ron said, his mother had always wanted to have a house-elf, and Mrs. Weasley was undoubtedly a good person. If even she thought so, one can imagine what wizards like Lucius Malfoy would think about liberating house-elves.

"But Professor Blaine promised me that, if the elves agreed, he would pay them and provide them with various holidays—"

Hermione persisted, now realizing just how easy Professor Blaine could be. She remained frowning, unconsciously crossing her arms as she pondered how to persuade the wizards outside the school, while Doom slid off her lap.

"You can't expect everyone to be like Professor Blaine and Professor Dumbledore—"

Hagrid put it succinctly.

"How many people can be as noble as them? And take Professor Blaine's demands, for example, Hermione—"

Hagrid said seriously,

"You're giving house-elves a reward, but what will they do with it? No wizard will sell things for house-elves. They work hard to earn Galleons, but then some bad guys will target them. You don't expect the Ministry of Magic to take care of them, do you?"

"impossible!"

Harry said decisively,

"During the Quidditch final, the Ministry of Magic didn't even let Remus sit in the best seat; they even sent Aurors to watch over him and others like him."

"yes--"

Hagrid smiled, but none of the three—Harry, Harry, and his companions—discovered the bitterness in his smile.

"So, do you understand now, Hermione? It's not as simple as you think. Let's talk about holidays again. That's impractical too. Holidays aren't a good thing for house-elves either. They're born to take care of people, they love it, you know? If they're not allowed to work, they'll feel sad, and paying them wages is a disgrace to them."

“But I heard that when Harry freed Dobby,” Hermione immediately retorted, “Dobby was overjoyed!”

“Yes, yes, there are oddballs in every species. I don’t deny that there are a few eccentric elves who want their freedom, but you can never convince most elves to fight for it—really, you can’t, Hermione. Look at this little guy!”

Hagrid, who had been speaking in a serious tone, suddenly looked at the kitchen with delight.

"It's helping me with the work!"

Hermione immediately cast a surprised glance toward the kitchen and discovered that while she was distracted, Dom had secretly slipped into the kitchen and was helping Hagrid with his work. Dom had already quietly scrubbed Hagrid's basin-sized bowl until it shone brightly and was now wiping Hagrid's greasy, blackened stove.

"Stop, Dom!"

Hermione, enraged, yelled, startling Doom into dropping the rag she was holding.

Watching Hermione rush off, Hagrid looked up, surveyed his little hut, and said with a hint of regret,

"To be honest, I really need a house-elf to help me with the cleaning and chores. When Professor Moody came to my place last time to express his willingness to patrol the Forbidden Forest for me, he also suggested that I clean up properly—"

"Dum hopes to help Granger's friend clean the house—"

Dom looked pitifully at the annoyed Hermione, as if Hermione had suddenly interrupted his wonderful enjoyment.

Hagrid raised his eyebrows and remained silent, while Hermione, who had clearly realized how troublesome the situation was, sat angrily on the bench, arms crossed and saying nothing.

To be honest, Harry didn't want to get involved in this mess, so he kept his head down and remained silent. But then, a glimmer of blue light flashed outside the abyss-like darkness of the window. Harry paused, and just as he was wondering what the light was, Ron said...

“I guess my mom would accept it, Hermione, otherwise—”

"No way, Weasley!"

Hermione was furious.

"I'd rather leave it with Hagrid, at least then I can keep it from being bullied!"

Hermione's chest heaved as she looked at the silent Hagrid, Tooth, and the hunched-over Harry and Ron. Finally, her gaze settled on the anxious little Dom. A wave of sadness washed over her, and she felt utterly alone and helpless. But if even they didn't support her, then who could help her?

"Okay, I've made up my mind!"

In the awkward silence, Hermione suddenly spoke up,

"I'm going to start a house-elves rights association, and you will all be members of this organization!"

"What!" Ron exclaimed. "I didn't agree to this!"

"Our immediate goal is!!!" Hermione's voice boomed, her clear orange eyes blazing with fury, her tone brooking no argument.

"We need to recruit more people into this organization, then persuade the house-elves in the schools to accept the pay and holidays. I'll go to Professor Blaine and make him keep his promise. In the process, we need to learn from the experience and then promote that experience throughout the wizarding world. Ultimately, we need to get the Ministry of Magic to legislate to protect the rights of elves!"