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Chapter 565: I'd Rather Die Than Eat This Pastry!
Chapter 565: I’d Rather Die Than Eat This Pastry!
After Ivan explained, Hermione nodded in satisfaction.
Harry struggled to hold back his laughter. He knew very well how Ivan treated Dobby, and the description of “better than nothing” barely did it justice.
"How can that be!" Nearly Headless Nick's eyes widened, and his floating body shuddered, refusing to believe Ivan's words.
"For House-Elves, wages and holidays are an insult. They love to work!" Nick muttered, adding to his point.
"No creature is born to enjoy work!" Hermione glared at Nick and continued firmly.
"They must have been forced by Wizards. Ivan's House-Elf, Dobby, receives wages and holidays, doesn't he? If only we could—"
"Dobby is a very special House-Elf, Hermione!" Ivan interrupted, looking at her seriously.
"I always respect Dobby's wishes. He wants wages and holidays, so I give them to him. Similarly, I respect the wishes of other House-Elves!"
Hermione was speechless for a moment, then stammered, "But that—that isn't their true desire. Who doesn't want a more free life?"
She had seen Winky and Kreacher and was well aware of the House-Elves' pathological "servant" mentality. However, she believed this was the result of long-term enslavement by their masters and should be corrected.
"Freedom?" Ron snorted, still eating his custard pudding. "If you really talked to those House-Elves about freedom, they'd be terrified!"
He took a large gulp of orange juice, smacking his lips, and continued, "And Hermione, why do you even care? Isn't everything fine the way it is?"
"Of course not! I can't believe our comfortable life at Hogwarts is built on the suffering of House-Elves!" Hermione said angrily, putting down her cutlery.
Thinking about how the dinner was made by House-Elves who were being exploited, Hermione couldn't bring herself to eat a single bite.
Seeing the young witch determined to go hungry, Ivan tried to persuade her, "There's no need to go that far, Hermione. If you want to make a change, it should be done step by step, right?"
"This is my first step!" the young witch declared firmly.
Ivan shrugged and didn't press the issue. Instead, he calmly picked up a fragrant syrup fruit pie, took a bite, and savored it.
The pie was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a rich aroma and a sweet, syrupy filling that was just right—neither too sweet nor too cloying.
"Even after a summer apart, their skills are still top-notch!" Ivan said, his mouth full, and then used his fork to place a piece of pastry on Hermione's plate. "You sure you don't want some?"
Hermione pursed her lips. She had been on the train all afternoon and her stomach was growling.
But she held firm, pushing the plate away and glaring at Ivan as if anyone who ate the pastry would be betraying the revolution against House-Elf discrimination.
"Alright, I think you've all had your fill!" About an hour later, Dumbledore stood up again and, with a wave of his wand, cleared the plates and leftover food from the table.
"It looks like you really will go hungry tonight!" Ivan whispered.
"I would rather starve to death than eat something made by House-elf slave labor!" Hermione shot him an angry glare.
On the podium, Dumbledore's lips twitched slightly. He had clearly heard Hermione's words but pretended to be oblivious, continuing his usual speech about the new term's important notices.
He mainly reminded the first-years not to venture into the Forbidden Forest and prohibited the use of dangerous magic "toys" within the castle walls.
At this point, Dumbledore glanced over at George and Fred, who had been the subject of many complaints from Filch over the past two years.
Under Dumbledore's gaze, George and Fred looked extremely uneasy. They exchanged a glance and immediately decided that they needed to be more discreet when selling their "toys" in the future, ensuring they wouldn't get caught!
After a quick scan, Dumbledore returned his attention to the young wizards in the Great Hall and announced a significant piece of news.
"Additionally, I must regretfully inform you that Hogwarts will not be holding any Quidditch matches this year!"
"Why?" Harry's eyes widened in surprise, and he nearly knocked over the candlestick beside him in his excitement.
The other Quidditch players had similar reactions, and a wave of murmurs swept through the long tables of the four houses. Many people looked anxiously at Dumbledore, waiting for his explanation.
Dumbledore raised his hand to silence the crowd, cleared his throat, and continued, "This is because a major event will begin in October and continue throughout the school year, consuming a significant amount of the masters' time and energy. Therefore, we have had to make some adjustments!"
"However, I believe you will all find great enjoyment in it. I am very pleased to announce that this year at Hogwarts—"
Dumbledore's loud voice echoed throughout the Great Hall, but at that moment, a hurried knocking on the door interrupted his words.
The young wizards in the Great Hall, including Ivan, turned their gazes to the door in unison.
Under the collective attention, an old wizard stood at the entrance, leaning on a long staff and wrapped in a black traveling cloak.
His legs seemed to be in poor condition, and he limped forward, his staff thudding on the ground with each step. The entire Great Hall fell silent at his arrival, with only the sound of the storm outside filling the air.
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky in that instant.
In the blinding light, the old wizard lifted his hood, revealing a head of sparse, gray-white hair and a terrifying, scarred face.
Most striking were his eyes, one large and one small, looking very mismatched.
The normal black eye stared straight ahead at Dumbledore on the podium, while the other, a strange blue eye, continuously rotated, scanning everyone in the room.
As the man drew closer, a collective gasp rippled through the Great Hall. Harry and Ron instinctively shrank back in their seats, and the young wizards in the front rows pushed their chairs further away.
(End of Chapter)
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