A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Hagrid said thoughtfully, "It seems you haven't been too reserved lately. You can come over for tea sometime. Luna and Ginny come often, as does Ferenze..."

"Luna and Ginny?" Harry asked in surprise.

“Yes, I learned quite a bit from them. Ginny even considered borrowing Aragog from me to test if Ron was really not afraid of spiders anymore. You know she’s always been very curious…”

"Is Aragog still... uh, is it alright?" Harry asked, though he really meant to say whether the old spider was dead or not, but that seemed impolite.

“It’s alright,” Hagrid muttered. “To be honest, it’s not great. It’s always wanted to go back to the Forbidden Forest, but there’s no place for it in the giant spider’s nest anymore. It can’t see through it… Felix has to cast a shrinking spell every month so I can let it out for a stroll regularly, instead of always keeping it in a cage… It’s not bad to let it bask in the sun and eat some frog eggs…”

He kept rambling on and on, which surprised Harry, who seemed to have missed a lot of things.

When they returned from the pitch, Hermione was still complaining that she had missed reading fifty pages of her book, but she had a smile on her face. Harry and Ron were used to her insincerity. Ron said he hadn't finished his Divination homework yet.

“You don’t seem to be in a hurry at all?” Hermione looked at him questioningly.

“Thanks to spending this time exploring the forbidden section with Harry, we’ve come up with a lot of new ideas,” Ron said. “That has helped us maintain a good record.”

“Yes, getting high marks by fabricating stories of misfortune,” Hermione said. “Are you sure Trelawney knows about the effects of the spells in the Forbidden Library?”

Ron's expression was less confident, and he looked at Harry hesitantly.

As they entered the lobby, they saw a notice posted on the large bulletin board, with a large group of students huddled together below.

The Triwizard Tournament: The representative from Iphamoni will arrive at 10:00 AM on Sunday, October 16th. All faculty and students are requested to prepare accordingly.

“I knew it!” Ron exclaimed, as if he had discovered some truth: “No wonder the professors have been reminding us to be mindful of our manners these past few days!”

Harry didn't speak; his thoughts were already drifting to what the students of Ilfamori would be like two days from now...

Chapter 372 Someone is coming

The notice in the lobby had a significant impact on the school—it told all the students that the championship was no longer just something they talked about, but something that was really coming.

On Friday night and early Saturday morning, Felix woke up in bed, put on his pajamas, and pushed open the office door.

The corridor was pitch black, with hardly any light. In the dim moonlight, several small figures were stacked together, forming crooked and eerie shapes—they were the house-elves of the castle.

“Do you need any help?” Felix said, as he silently approached, coming within two feet of them.

"what--"

A suppressed scream was choked in its throat, and the three house-elves, piled on top of each other, were about to fall over when Felix quickly reached out to steady them. It was an amusing scene.

The house-elf at the very top greeted him respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Hyp!"

“Hello, Yunbo,” Felix replied.

The house-elf in the middle covered the mouth of the elf at the bottom to prevent him from making a sound, while trying to bow. Uncle Yun quickly patted his head and jumped down from the height. The elf in the middle followed suit, and in the end, the three of them bowed together.

"I heard a noise... You're doing—cleaning the portrait?"

Felix looked at Yunbo holding a rag and a brush, and in the corner there was a large bottle with the words "Mrs. Skol Brand All-Purpose Magic Stain Remover" shining in the dark.

“And the armor in the castle… sir! We need to clean them thoroughly so that our guests can experience the charm of Hogwarts! Mr. Hyp!” said Mr. Yunbo.

“Hmm,” Felix nodded, then asked curiously, “I didn’t see you carrying any lamps, so you were working in the dark?”

“We’re used to it, sir!” replied the same little elf named Yunbo, saying proudly, “Our eyesight is excellent; we can see clearly with just a little light.”

"Is that so?" Felix was unaware of this; the descriptions of house-elves wouldn't mention such things. "However, using a magic lamp would be much more convenient. I remember the school purchased a large batch..."

“Yes, the kitchen has a brand new, huge magic lamp, bigger than Uncle Yun!” Uncle Yun stretched out his slender hands to describe the lamp in the kitchen. “The other companions are very interested, and Dobby too—”

The little elf next to him nudged Uncle Yun with its arm, and Uncle Yun opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

"What's wrong? Dobby is also my employee, is there anything I don't know?" Felix asked. Dobby would come over at the beginning of each month to report on the company's progress.

The little elf in the middle said respectfully, "No, sir. Dobby... he's very kind, and he even gave the kitchen some tiny magic lamps, which are very convenient..."

Felix smiled and said, "That's definitely not what you want to say. We can talk about that."

“Sir, Kaka is not a talkative elf. Ten years ago, his master passed away. He had no descendants, so he offered Kaka to Hogwarts... Kaka has been serving his master's family ever since..." The elf named "Kaka" bowed deeply in reply.

Felix listened quietly, knowing there was more to come.

“Kaka is very proud, whether at his master’s house or at Hogwarts… he has always done his duty, but, but…” Kaka’s eyes widened, “Dobby! He’s spreading dangerous ideas, and some of those with weaker wills are already tempted. This is not a good sign; he will bring misfortune to the entire elf race…”

“What did he do?” Felix asked.

Kaka kept his head down, and Uncle Yun interjected, "Dobby didn't do anything. He just introduced his new life. He..." The little elf stammered, "He puts himself on the same level as wizards, talking about who he met today... and who he'll meet tomorrow. The key thing is, he has some companions under his command..."

"Is there anything wrong with this? I told him to do it."

“Sir, Mr. Hep!” said the little elf named Kaka, “That’s not a blessing, but the beginning of misfortune. He has seized power that is not his, and that power is continuing to expand…”

Felix gave Yunbo a look. The tacit understanding they had developed from frequently eating late-night snacks in the kitchen made Yunbo understand immediately. He pulled Kaka away, saying in a shrill voice, "We're leaving now, sir. There's still work to be done! It must be finished before dawn!"

Felix returned to his office and sat for a while. There was a knock on the door, and Yunbo squeezed in through the crack.

"Please sit down, Uncle Yun."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Haip!" Yunbo said excitedly, sitting down next to the sofa.

A cup of tea, saucer and all, flew toward him. Even though the same scene had happened more than once, he still seemed very uncomfortable, and the teacup and saucer made a clattering sound.

Felix smiled and said, "Yunbo, you know I need a neutral perspective, and you are the most suitable person."

“Yes, sir,” Yunbo replied, after thinking for a moment before saying respectfully, “Kaka and Dobby, they are very different…Kaka is an old-fashioned elf who used to serve only his master, but that wizard had no children or heirs, and in his will he donated all his property to Hogwarts, so Kaka came over… He has always been proud of his identity.”

Felix nodded.

"Kaka is traditional; even among the hundred-plus house-elves in the kitchen, he's considered one of the old-fashioned ones. Dobby, on the other hand, is the complete opposite; some of his views... are quite novel..."

"Is it accepting payment, or belonging to freedom?"

Uncle Yun trembled and said shakily, "Yes, sir, yes... He once spoke ill of his former master, but it wasn't really bad talk, it all happened... but Kaka thought he was disloyal, and they had a fight..."

Felix nodded slightly. "And then?"

"After that... Dobby stopped talking about the past. He likes the present. Every time he comes, he brings some gifts. Some Pokémon accept them, but Kaka refuses! There are quite a few Pokémon like him, mostly older ones..."

"Dobby described his life outside, his work, and how he found some wild, wandering elves and provided them with jobs. They, like him, were free."

When freedom was mentioned, Uncle Yun shuddered violently.

Felix smiled and said, "I did ask him to find some companions, and it seems he did a good job."

Uncle Yun glanced at him cautiously and asked prudently, "Sir, what are your thoughts?"

“Me?” Felix smiled. “Let nature take its course. It always takes time to observe new things. Maybe it makes you uncomfortable, but decades later, it may become a mainstay of the ‘Future World’ company.”

Uncle Yun looked at him with some confusion.

Felix said, “Do you know Ilfamoni? Its founder, Aesop Thale, formed a deep friendship with a goblin named William. Even today, many goblins work at the school. Isn’t that a bit like the house-elves at Hogwarts? The difference is that the relationship between Aesop Thale’s family and William’s goblin family is more equal, and they even made a protection pact—goblins protect students.”

"You know, this is quite a rare thing. Goblins don't really like humans. On the contrary, they love to play tricks on people, are extremely capable of acting alone, and are full of cunning... This history is talked about by many people."

"When the Ilvarmoni Magical School was weak, it was William and his goblin family who protected the students. But hundreds of years later, the situation has reversed. It is Ilvarmoni who is protecting this goblin family from outside interference... And although Ilvarmoni's goblins still complain and insist that they are just fulfilling an ancient covenant, they still mysteriously appear throughout the school..."

……

The next day, when the students woke up, they were surprised to find that the castle had been completely transformed. The portraits had been cleaned and the armor had suddenly become shiny and bright. As Ron was focused on these novel changes, he inadvertently guessed the trap in the spiral staircase and got one leg stuck in the gap.

The armored creature next to him panted and mocked him. Ron punched it, and the creature spat out several blue bubbles.

"Pah!" Ron exclaimed, "The smell of cleaning agents!"

In the afternoon, Hermione went to the library again, and Harry and Ron had no choice but to bring Neville along. They went on an underground adventure in Room 7, accompanied by a young Felix Heap throughout.

When Harry questioned why there was a tavern in the dungeon, a group of Aurors suddenly rushed in and started a battle with the dark wizards in the tavern. The three of them were caught in the crossfire and fled all the way.

“This is a disguised black market; the coded message on the door is proof,” Felix Heap’s memory echoed from behind.

They fled to a secret chamber filled with volatile golden snitches. Without them even trying to catch them, the snitches pounced on them, each one enchanted with a fiery spell, specifically targeting their exposed skin.

The three, bracing themselves against the Ironclad Charm, slowly made their way out of the chamber, wincing in pain from the scalding heat. Their only consolation was that Felix Heap's memory had taught them the "Humanoid Ironclad Charm"...

In the evening, all the selected students were summoned to the vice-principal's office, where Professor McGonagall spent two hours giving them etiquette training. As Harry lay in bed, he could still hear Ron talking in his sleep—

"Damn thief, stay away from me..."

The following Sunday morning, after breakfast, the students wandered around the castle as if sleepwalking, until a special bell rang, and they gathered from all directions in the foyer next to the castle's main hall—

"Line up! According to the academy..." Filch, wearing a moldy suit, shouted hoarsely. He suddenly grabbed a young wizard and said fiercely, "You! Where's your school uniform!"

The little wizard was so frightened that he became somewhat hysterical and ran away screaming.

The students lined up in long rows according to their grades and were led out of the castle by their respective deans, excitedly surveying the empty space.

"coming!"

"A sharp-eyed student exclaimed. The students and professors squinted, and suddenly the air burst into flames. A bright cluster of flames appeared, drawing out long, thin tongues of fire that formed a flower with four petals, each petal imprinted with a magical animal."

"Ahem! Is anyone on the other side?" a voice said from within the flames.

“Egilbert,” Dumbledore said gently from the front row, “the school has temporarily lifted the restrictions, you may come in.”

"That's good... I was just afraid I'd gotten the location wrong..." The voice disappeared.

The students stared wide-eyed for a while, then a hand suddenly reached out, carrying a box, and soon a round, somewhat simple-minded face appeared. He was wearing a long robe that combined blue and cranberry colors, with a complex golden knot tied around his chest.

When he saw the sea of ​​Hogwarts students and professors, he was startled and scratched his head. "Uh, hello, my name is Byers."

Chapter 373 School Song and Departmental Assignments

Byers stepped aside, and the second and third students came out. They were wearing the same school uniform, with the emblem of the Ivermony School of Magic embroidered on their left chests and boxes.

Iphamoni's students quickly lined up, with three adult wizards at the very back.

Felix's gaze swept past the middle-aged wizard and settled on a blonde witch and a dark-haired wizard, both of whom were young but not wearing student robes.

This is not the most important thing. What is more important is that both the man and woman have abstract sails embroidered on their right chests, with three wavy lines underneath.

This symbol is that of the American Reformation, which has grown rapidly in the past year or so. Even thousands of miles away, Felix occasionally sees the organization's name in the newspapers.

After that, the students murmured—

Emerging from the flames was a row of short, grey-skinned goblins with long ears. They were dressed as jungle warriors, their clothes adorned with leaves, carrying a miniature bow on their backs and a small quiver of arrows at their waists.

The students at Hogwarts were buzzing with discussion.

Professor McGonagall turned around sternly and swept her gaze around. They immediately fell silent, swallowing all their questions and curiosity.

A dozen or so Ephamoni students turned their attention to the wizard who was the last to emerge, highlighting his status. He looked somewhat like Barty Crouch, though the resemblance was more pronounced in his demeanor. They both seemed to possess a magical ability—when dressed in Muggle clothes, they could instantly impersonate government officials and discuss issues like car emissions without appearing out of place.