Chapter 124: House-elves' Freedom

King's Cross Station

Arthur arrived at the platform early but didn't board the train.

He waited for Cho and Hermione to get there before he helped them find a compartment.

Sitting in the compartment, the three of them exchanged stories about their Christmas break.

"I went to Bournemouth Beach with my mom and dad. The view was nice, but it's a shame it wasn't summer, or else I could have played in the sea," Hermione said with a hint of regret.

Arthur's eyes lit up when he heard that.

He immediately spoke up, "Don't worry, Cho and I will be with you during your summer break."

Hermione blushed, understanding what Arthur was thinking.

She shyly pinched his waist a few times.

Cho also gave him a playful punch, and only then did Arthur settle down.

At that moment, Cho took a few food boxes that Arthur had given her out of the space pocket he had given her.

"Mom knew you love Lao cuisine, so she specifically asked me to bring some," Cho said.

Arthur opened the lunch box and found it quite delicious—Kung Pao chicken, sweet and sour ribs, and a few vegetarian dishes.

He picked up a piece of chicken and tasted it.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction and said, "Auntie's cooking has improved again."

Cho's eyes formed crescents as she smiled.

"If you like it, eat more. Hermione, you should try some too."

Hermione was also curious about Lao cuisine, so she picked up a piece and took a bite. Her eyes lit up.

It seemed that the sweet and sour flavor was something young girls enjoyed.

The rest of the time was spent eating all of the tasty food.

Cho's mother had prepared a large amount, and all three of them ate until they were full.

Seeing the satisfied expression on Arthur's face, Cho suddenly had an idea and said,

"Arthur, why don't I go learn how to cook from the house-elves? You did pass on some Lao recipes to them, right?"

Arthur shuddered when he thought of Astoria's cake.

He asked in a fearful tone, "Cho, you should be able to tell the difference between salt and sugar, right?"

Cho looked at Arthur with a puzzled expression.

"Of course. Even though I can't cook, I can easily tell the difference between salt and sugar."

"Good, good."

Arthur wiped away the sweat on his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are you two talking about with house-elves?"

Hermione curiously looked at them.

She had never been to the Hogwarts kitchen with Arthur, and since she was from a Muggle family, she had no idea what house-elves were at all.

Cho explained the existence and situation of house-elves to Hermione. After listening, Hermione's face was filled with anger.

"How can they do that? Not only do they rob house-elves of their freedom, but they also don't pay them wages."

"This seriously violates British labor regulations."

"Hermione, the wizarding world has its own rules. Strictly speaking, wizards don't care about Muggle rules."

Arthur reminded her from the side.

He knew exactly how Hermione would react after Cho finished explaining.

Hermione wanted to argue back but couldn't find a reasonable argument.

"Well, even if that's the case, we can't use house-elves like this, right? At the very least, we should pay them some wages and provide them with days off."

Arthur sighed helplessly and patiently explained to Hermione,

"If you say these things to the house-elves, they'll think you've gone crazy. They take pride in their work. You're trying to change their nature."

"Indeed, Hermione, every time we go to the kitchen, the house-elves are very happy, as if serving us is their greatest honor," Cho said, supporting Arthur's idea.

She didn't see anything wrong with it because she came from a family of wizards.

Hearing their words, Hermione grew increasingly frustrated.

She knew that most wizards agreed with Arthur and Cho's point of view, but that didn't mean she had to agree with it.

Even after entering Hogwarts, Hermione remained gloomy as she made her way to the Gryffindor table.

"Is Hermione okay? Should we go comfort her?"

Cho asked, concerned about Hermione's mental health.

"Don't worry, Hermione will be fine. She's just thinking of ways to change the house-elves' situation," Arthur reassured Cho.

He had a feeling that the legendary "Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare" would make an early appearance.

[S.P.E.W., or the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, was founded by Hermione Granger during her fourth year at Hogwarts to promote liberation and rights for House Elves, an enslaved caste who appear happy.]

The Great Hall was full of life, and the young wizards who hadn't seen each other in a while were happy to catch up.

Arthur noticed that Dumbledore's seat was empty.

Dumbledore wouldn't normally miss a day like this as the headmaster.

It seemed that they were already searching for Horcrux.

...

The next day, the second half of the school semester began, but all the young wizards were still in holiday mode.

Arthur had Transfiguration class with the Hufflepuffs today, and even Professor McGonagall's rule couldn't keep the wizards from falling asleep.

"Abbot! If you don't open your eyes, I'll have to deduct five points from Hufflepuff."

Hannah Abbot nodded drowsily, making an effort to open her eyes.

She was just a usual representation of the Hufflepuff students.

Arthur saw his fellow Ravenclaw student, Lisa Turpin, sleeping behind a tall Hufflepuff boy, with a faint trace of drool at the corner of her mouth.

Professor McGonagall accepted the situation. When wizards returned to school after a break, they were always like this, and she was used to it.

However, when Professor McGonagall announced the end of the class, everyone woke up and went to the cafeteria in groups.

Arthur followed the crowd, and suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure.

"Luna."

The blonde girl turned around, followed by Ginny, who had red hair.

Arthur took several steps forward and greeted them, "Good afternoon, Where are you heading for class? You look a mess."

Both Luna and Ginny had dirt on their clothes, and their hair was a bit messy.

"Of course, it's Herbology. Professor Sprout asked us to transfer the Devil's Snare to a larger pot. When we pulled them out of the soil, the vines went crazy, and we ended up covered in mud,"

Ginny complained without holding back, while Luna simply looked at Arthur and greeted him with her unusual voice.

"Good afternoon, Arthur."

...

https://www.patreon.com/Abyssuit

You can find up to 35 advance chapters at my patreon.