Chapter 91: House Elves and Goblins

At this moment, Lockhart was on his way back to his office. Although he was a little disappointed with Dumbledore's performance just now, he could understand it. After all, he is the headmaster of Hogwarts, the White Wizard who has defeated the Dark Lord twice. It is indeed a bit unrealistic to try to convince him with just a few words. Now, even Voldemort's Horcruxes need to be baited. Let alone a living person. Huh, finding a high-quality worker is not easy no matter where you are in the world.

Lockhart was on his way downstairs when suddenly he saw two familiar figures approaching. Well, it seems they are the Weasley twins.

"Professor, good afternoon," George and Fred greeted Lockhart in unison.

"George, Fred, don't you have lunch? Why are you coming from the Hufflepuff common room?" Looking at the direction they were walking in, Lockhart asked curiously.

The twins looked at each other, with a smile on their faces, and said, "Professor, we went to the kitchen just now and have already had lunch." Hearing the replies from the two men, Lockhart was thoughtful. He seemed to have some impression that the Hogwarts kitchen seemed to have a group of house elves in it.

After thinking for a while, Lockhart asked, "George, Fred, where is the kitchen?"

The twins looked at each other, and George next to him said somewhat flatteringly, "Professor, if we tell you, is there any reward?"

Fred, who was next to him, also flattered, "Professor, you are so generous, you will definitely not be stingy."

"Yes, I heard that Professor Lockhart is the most generous professor at Hogwarts."

"And he wrote seven best-selling books."

Lockhart looked at the two of them, listening to their praise, and the corners of his eyes twitched slightly. After pondering for a while, he said lightly, "I seem to remember seeing you late at night..."

Before Lockhart could finish his words, they immediately changed their tone:

"Professor, the kitchen is just down the corridor from the Hufflepuff common room."

"Yes, there is a portrait of a pear over there. Just tickle it and you can go in."

"Professor, we still have something to do here. We'll leave first."

With that said, the two of them ran towards the Gryffindor common room without waiting for Lockhart to reply. Watching them leave, Lockhart walked towards the Hufflepuff common room with a smile on his face. Soon, before walking too far, Lockhart saw the portrait of the pear mentioned by the pranksters. He stepped forward and gave it a few gentle tickles. He took two steps back, and as the image of the pear shook, a door appeared in front of Lockhart.

After pushing the door open, Lockhart saw a large number of house elves inside, busy cooking.

"Professor Lockhart, is there anything you need Hemsley to do?" a wide-eyed house elf with floppy ears and a clean cloth provided by Hogwarts asked.

"Hemsley, I would like to ask, can you send some food to my office regularly every day?" Lockhart asked.

"Of course, Professor," the house elf Hemsley nodded quickly. "When should Hemsley deliver it?"

"Just send it to the office in the morning and evening. There is no need for it at noon."

After hearing this, Hemsley nodded quickly, "Okay, Professor, is there anything else that Hemsley needs to do?"

Seeing this, Lockhart nodded with satisfaction and asked casually, "By the way, Hemsley, I'm a little curious, how did you come to Hogwarts?"

After hearing this, Hemsley hit his head with his hand and said with pride, "Professor, some of us were donated to Hogwarts by the previous owner, and some of us were born in Hogwarts. Serving Hogwarts is the happiest thing we can do. If there is anything you need, just ask and Hemsley will do it."

Seeing the enthusiasm on Hemsley's face, he didn't have any other thoughts in his heart, as if he was willing to give his life for Hogwarts. Lockhart suddenly recalled the history of house elves he had read in the book, and felt a chill. In the wizarding world, the fate of losers is usually cruel.

Then, Lockhart shook his head slightly, suppressed this thought in his heart, and asked curiously, "Hemsley, does Hogwarts provide you with a salary?"

"Salary?" Hemsley asked with some confusion, then showed some disagreement and shouted loudly, "Hemsley doesn't need a salary, and the house elves at Hogwarts never need a salary. It is our honor to serve Hogwarts."

As he spoke, his head kept hitting the ground with banging sounds, as if he was ashamed that Lockhart mentioned salary.

"Okay, Hemsley, stand up and don't hit yourself on the head," Lockhart, who knew the characteristics of house elves, ordered directly.

"Okay, Professor."

After hearing Lockhart's order, although Hemsley's face was filled with an expression of disappointment, he still subconsciously stood up. Seeing this, Lockhart couldn't help but sigh. The ancient wizarding world was really cruel.

Lockhart sighed and asked directly, "Hemsley, how is your learning ability?" Then Lockhart added, "If I gave you a recipe, how long would it take you to learn it?"

Hearing Lockhart's question, Hemsley replied loudly, "Professor, Hemsley has a strong learning ability. What do you want to eat, Professor? Give me a recipe and Hemsley can make it in a day at most."

"So, house elves' learning abilities are not too bad," Lockhart thought to himself. He remembered that goblins and house elves looked similar and were distantly related by blood. Based on this reasoning, there shouldn't be much difference in their magical properties. In this case, if he gets the refining method of gold galleons later, then...

Lockhart kept thinking in his mind and smiled at Hemsley. Lockhart handed over a thick cookbook of world-famous dishes and said with a smile, "Hemsley, from now on, my food will be cooked according to the recipes in this book every day. There are some dishes that I have circled. Make these first and let me taste them."

"Okay

"Okay, Professor, I will complete the task according to your instructions," Hemsley nodded excitedly when he saw the thick cookbook in front of him. It is an honor for every house elf to serve the professors of Hogwarts. The more difficult the task, the happier they are.

Lockhart nodded with satisfaction. Well, this is to test their learning ability. Only if they have a certain learning ability can they participate in his subsequent plans. It has nothing to do with enjoying food.

Afterwards, Lockhart briefly chatted for a few minutes, then left the kitchen and walked to his office.

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