47 Chapter 47
The next day after class, instead of going to his abode, the library, where Severus mostly spent most of the day.
He went to the Transfiguration classroom, where the class was currently being held.
A few minutes later, the fourth-years began to leave the room, talking cheerfully, almost not paying attention to "Severus", and when the last of them left, Minerva also appeared.
"Mr. Snape, follow me," she got straight to the point, since they had already been busy since morning, so she didn't waste time on formalities.
In response to her, Severus just silently nodded, following her towards the descent into the living part of the dungeon, where the kitchen was located.
Along the way, the Archmage quite often caught her thoughtful gaze on him."Professor, if you want to ask something, you can ask."
"I… I'm just surprised by your appearance."
"This is a side effect of one of the potions," the archmage lied "embarrassedly", in response she only nodded thoughtfully.
"Professor Slughorn has already explained this… But Mr.Snape, can you tell me why you need a house elf? Since I am responsible for them and I'm the one who decides whether to give them into the hands of other wizards or not.
I already had one unpleasant incident: one family decided to take a house elf, they paid for him and took him away, and a month later I learned that he was used as a test subject for dark rituals." McGonagall said with a sad tone.
"Professor, if I study at the Slytherin house, does not mean that I am a terrible person, who is throwing unforgivable curses to the right and left, and then eating innocent maidens and babies for breakfast, while arranging bloody orgies with sacrifices to the dark gods," from such words the lips of the poor professor trembled, and her face was as white as chalk.
"M-Mr. Snape! Where are you learning all this!"
"That's how Muggles represent dark wizards," he replied with a smile, pulling out a book called The Dark Lord: The Warlock's Testament. "As for me, dark wizards are correctly described in this book, and the local ones don't even have a tenth of charisma. Same with Voldemort, when compared with the main character from this book, he is just a psychopath." And, not a bit embarrassed, he thrust the book into her hand.
"Read at your leisure, but I need a house elf as an assistant for everyday affairs, nothing more."
"M-Mr. Snape...!"
"You started it yourself, professor," Severus added reproachfully as he walked past her.
"Mr Snape! Don't you dare talk about this again on the grounds of Hogwarts or anywhere else! If someone hears this, you can be accused of practising dark magic, and no one will even consider hearing your side - you will immediately be thrown into Azkaban!" Seeing real righteous anger on McGonagall's face, the young man could not hide the surprise that flashed across his face for a moment, and then he smiled again, but a little more kindly.
"Of course, Professor, I was just joking, but I didn't lie about the book, read it, by doing this you will only increase your horizons and, perhaps, draw a lot of new ideas, because Muggles describe us very interestingly."
"Are you into Muggle art…?" McGonagall asked him.
"Well, I sort of lived in the Muggle world for eleven years before joining Hogwarts, not counting vacations, and in my opinion, our Wizarding World is far behind in development, which is why I want to start travelling after graduating from Hogwarts and observe the development of their world. For example, I am very interested in technologies that work not on magic, but on electricity.
I also began to study chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology and many other sciences."
Listening to Severus, the witch could not contain her shock, because right in front of her was a real unique Slytherin, who spoke of Muggles not as garbage, but as people that are one step higher than wizards.
"Professor?" Severus raised an eyebrow and called out to the frozen McGonagall in bewilderment.
"I… I'm sorry, I was thinking something." The book disappeared from her hand. "I will help you with the choice of a house elf."
"Thank you, professor."
Finally descending the stairs, after a few minutes they reached a three-metre still lane.
The professor extended her hand to the pear and began to tickle it, and after that there was a cheerful laugh, and it turned into a green handle, the turn of which made the picture open like a door, and a rather interesting sight appeared before the eyes of the wizars.
It was a huge room the size of a large hall, in which almost a hundred houses were bustling and working.
One group was engaged in the preparation of ingredients, the other in the preparation of various dishes, and the third was washing the plates and pans, storing them on one of the three long tables.
At the end of the hall there was a huge stove, on the sides of which there were long cabinets with food.
You can even say that it was a kind of mechanism honed over the years, in which each house els knew his place and gave all his best.
But, as soon as McGonagall coughed a couple of times, all the houses stopped abruptly and looked at the witch in surprise.
"Leave your affairs for a few minutes and line up," she commanded sternly, and the house elves very quickly followed her order and almost immediately turned their eyes, which contained only two emotions, excitement and adoration, towards Severus, who was a little embarrassed by such .
"Nellie, Tok and Tobbi, come forward," and at the same moment the three named house elves took a step forward.
"These three are among the smartest and most diligent workers." McGonagall said.
"Hmm…" The archmage only nodded, looking at the three half-naked creatures, whose nakedness was covered only by a rag, and they almost did not differ from each other in appearance, and the adoration in the eyes of each of them made the choice much more difficult.
'Yes, they all have the same face, it's just impossible to understand anything, but… I still need the smartest elf possible…' he pointed his finger at one of the people who came forward. "What can you do?"
"Mr, Nellie can write, read, count, cook, and also do housework," the elf murmured timidly, but at the same time very quickly, and quite clearly, compared to other house elves who spoke with a strange accent.
"Understood, professor, can I take two at once?"
McGonagall, of course, looked a little surprised at such a question, but still nodded uncertainly. "Yes, but will you be able to maintain two contracts?"
Don't worry, I can."
"But still, before the conclusion of the second contract, we will have to check this." McGonagall said while looking towards the house elves.
"Then I'll choose her," he pointed to the excited Nellie, and then to another one, a little smaller than the others, and standing almost at the very end of the row.
"Since it's your choice, then everyone else can go back to their work." McGonagall exclaimed sternly, and the elves, sadly lowering their heads, almost sobbing, returned to their business again, only those two remained in place.
"You two follow me."
"Yes!"
Severus's eye trembled from the happiness written on the faces of the two creatures that were happily hugging each other, the professor herself didn't react to this at all, as if this was just a normal thing among house elves…
---
The contract turned out not to be as interesting as the Archmage had supposed.
One obeys the other, and the other shares vital magic with the first.
After all, house elves are a kind of "parasites": because of an unknown curse, they are not able to absorb magic from the air, which is why they went into voluntary slavery, because house elves simply cannot live without magic.
And those who lived at Hogwarts were "connected" to the magical core of the castle, which feeds the entire castle with magic. And as a payment for it, they keep order and cook food.
Of course, the curse was easy to break, one just needs to free them by giving them a piece of cloth and the house elf himself will be able to absorb magic from the air.
But the problem is, what normal wizard will refuse such useful "slaves" that do not require any wages, yes and the house elves, themselves do not really strive to get out of this voluntary "slavery", having already got used to it for hundreds of years, and even vice versa, for them to become free is a real shame and horror, which is worse than death.
And there are not so many house elves left, not counting the colony at Hogwarts, a small part in the Ministry of Magic and Gringotts, as well as a few in families, and if they wanted to raise an uprising, like goblins a thousand years ago, they would have nothing left.
Therefore, for the most part, the wizard themselves are afraid to free them, because the houses are very powerful creatures, able to cast spells quite powerfully without a wand, which was a real gift in the world of magic, and if they were also given wands capable of concentrating their magic, they would become real death machines, which is why a law was introduced prohibiting them from using wands.
After finally finishing the contract and paying two thousand Galleons, Severus also received a notebook from the headmaster that contained his research on the Maledictus.
And then, having thanked the headmaster, Severus grabbed the two house elves, who, like newborn puppies, looked at him, and returned to his place.
In the very same room, they were met by Nagina, who was thoughtfully examining the two houses and the elves were also looking at her with apprehension.
"This is Nellie and Tobbi, and you two, she is your mistresses, she is just under a curse and now she cannot return to human form," taking out a necklace from his purse, Severus tried to pass it to the elf, who almost shied away from him, tears began to well up in her eyes. "M-master, do you want to free Nellie, Nellie offended her master?! I beg you, forgive Nellie, Nellie is bad! Nellie will punish herself! Nellie…"
"Now I understand why Slughorn said they were 'a little' emotional and take everything too personally, and I'm afraid I will have to do a lot of work." taking a deep breath, he placed his hand to his face and, shaking his head, calmly began to explain what kind of necklace it was and that it did not give them any freedom …
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