Archaeologists at Hogwarts

in the library.

"What does instinct include?"

"Didn't the professor say it in class? First of all, you have to get rid of other distracting thoughts, leaving only one thought in your mind - it sounds similar to the Patronus Charm, but this idea is not necessarily to make yourself happy, but Is it the kind that subconsciously thinks? You can’t resist, even if you know the result may be bad.”

"Is it necessary to add the content that you like, at least the field of interest?"

"Your idea is very good, I decided to add it to my thesis."

"I have to write it too. But I don't seem to have any special interest. Except making money, but I can't make any money. Is it possible that I can only rely on Fred and George? They won't help me."

"Mine is easier on the contrary. There must be flying."

"Then you are about to make a lot of money. When you develop a new broomstick, you must notify me in advance. I will be your tester."

"It doesn't have to be a broomstick, maybe there's some kind of charm invented that allows wizards to fly freely—what do you think, Hermione? Is there such a thing as magic now?"

Harry looked up at Hermione, who was sitting opposite, and Ron also looked over curiously.

Hermione was staring at her blank parchment thoughtfully, seemingly not hearing what Harry was asking her.

Harry shook his palm in front of Hermione's eyes: "What are you thinking? How can you be distracted?"

Hermione came to her senses suddenly, she narrowed her eyes slightly, she looked a bit like Professor Highmore.

"I wonder, does this instinct apply to house-elves as well? Could this be the key to their liberation? Is Professor Highmore indirectly reminding me that I should do this. No, I have to go to the kitchen for a while." Come on, do you want to come together?"

Harry glanced at his parchment, it was only one-third full at most - this was an assignment left by Professor Highmore for them, and they were required to write a paper as detailed as possible on instinct, and the length No less than nine inches.

"It's been a while since I've seen Dobby either," said Harry.

Ron asked expectantly: "Will you have some snacks when you go? It would be even better if there is honey cake."

Harry said as he stood up to pack his things, "I know what your instincts are now - eating a good meal is the first thing you think of before you die, not holding a pile of gold."

Hermione nodded in distaste: "Maybe you even made a mistake with the creation of the magic circle. It shouldn't be a sweater, but a frying pan."

"Frying pan?" Ron muttered dissatisfiedly, "That sounds much cooler than a sweater."
-
Hermione led the two of them down the marble stairs into the foyer below, and Harry turned his head curiously. He and Ron had never been here before.

After arriving in a wide stone hallway, Hermione found a painting and walked up the marble staircase into the foyer below.

Hermione's movements were very skilled. She stretched out her index finger and gently scratched the big green pear.Pear squirmed, giggled, and suddenly turned into a big green doorknob.Hermione grabbed it and pulled the door open, pushing Harry hard on the back and pushing him inside.

"So it's here."

Before Harry could finish speaking, he suddenly heard a loud cheer, and the house-elves in the kitchen rushed towards them as if they saw some treasure.

Among them, Dobby who rushed over first was the most conspicuous.

"careful!"

Harry turned around sharply and circled Dobby like he was catching a golden snitch, only to avoid the tragic end of being hugged until he couldn't breathe.

"Harry Potter," Dobby said excitedly, and he let go, stepped back a few steps, and looked up at Harry with a smile on his face, with tears of joy in his green eyes the size of tennis balls : "You are finally willing to visit me in the kitchen, sir."

This made Harry feel a little guilty. He never thought of coming to the kitchen on his own initiative, and the last time we met, Dobby quietly sent him gill grass.

Ron looked at the group of house elves circling around them. He looked at Hermione strangely and said, "I never thought you would be so popular. Sure enough, you are becoming more and more like a black devil, Even brainwashing has been done so successfully."

"It's not brainwashing." Hermione snorted and said, "I'm just telling them what they should do and what they don't need to do. I can feel that this method must be right. Back then, Hai Professor Mo's reminder is not wrong—are you right, Winky?"

Winky was Mr. Crouch's former house-elf, and after she was kicked out, she kept drinking to drink away her sorrows, until Hermione ordered the other house-elves to do the same.As a result, it didn't take an hour for Shining to stop drinking because of guilt. She didn't want to delay other people's meals, which was more uncomfortable than anything else.

"Of course, Ms. Granger." Winky bowed respectfully, she looked completely changed: "Would you like a cup of black tea, ma'am?"

Hermione glared at the expectant Ron, she turned her head and smiled at Shining, "No need for today, I have something to talk to you about."

Ron stared at Hermione thoughtfully: "Could it be that she wants to put the reward mechanism behind and let these elves serve her after talking? Why do I always feel a little weird? What do you think?" , Harry?"

Harry also stared at Hermione's back with some trepidation. He thought about it carefully, then beckoned to Dobby, and asked him to walk to the corner with him, and Ron followed curiously.

"How have you been?" Harry asked hesitantly, "Has Hermione asked you anything else recently?"

"Excellent, sir." Dobby said happily: "Miss Granger often comes to visit us, she tells us many interesting stories, and occasionally gives us homework, let us think carefully about the story in the story The implication. At the very beginning, she asked us to use three sentences, and only those elves who performed well would be valued more by her. Now it is Dobby, and I have to say at least ten sentences. Row."

Harry and Ron looked at each other in horror.

"Am I right?"

"There are still people who are grateful for the increased amount of homework. Hermione seems to be more terrifying than the black devil."

Harry then asked Dobby what story Hermione had told them.

"There are many."

Dobby excitedly talked about the stories Hermione made up, in which the protagonists were also house-elves, but the experience seemed a bit bizarre-there were house-elves who were freed for the master's last wish; An elf who is experimenting with dangerous black magic and chooses to report in order to prevent his master from being injured.

The most exaggerated of these is a story about asking a house-elf to be buried with him after his master dies.

But after the master died, the house-elf didn't follow the master's request, but embarked on a journey to revive the master—because the master didn't explain a detailed enough way to die—what does it mean to cut it with an axe? neck?How big an ax should be used, and what if the owner's beloved treasure is soiled.

"Dobby will hand in this homework in a while. Dobby feels that he has already figured it out—for the master who is about to die, he must ask the master's order clearly. But of course Dobby doesn't need to face this question Yes, because Dobby is free."

Ron's face was wrinkled when he heard it. He looked at Harry and asked suspiciously: "If Hermione's lesson is as successful as Dobby's, then all the house-elves will be masters when they are masters." Can you be free?"

"It can't be regarded as complete freedom." Harry also said very tangled: "After all, the master's order is still restraining the house-elf, but the way of execution is not right."

The two found Hermione with anxiety, and they found that Hermione was constantly asking Winky something, showing great concern.

"Xingying really didn't touch alcohol!" Shining looked pitiful for being slandered, she opened her big eyes like light bulbs and shouted: "Even if she sees those bottles now, Shining will think it's a crime!"

"I didn't mean to wrong you." Hermione said in a good voice: "I just hope you can keep going until Mr. Crouch changes his mind, right? It would be even better if you can learn more skills." Well, Mr. Crouch is currently working in Azkaban, and all the prisoners locked inside are very dangerous, do you want to cause trouble for Mr. Crouch?"

Shiny's eyes widened even further.

"I don't want to, not at all." She said excitedly: "Ma'am, you are right, Winky needs to learn more skills—but how should I do it?"

In the eyes of Harry and Ron, Hermione seemed to have become a strange demon, even with horns growing faintly on her head.

She bewitched in a low voice: "It's better than this, you first think carefully about what magic you will think of subconsciously, and it doesn't matter even if you know it will become worse after failure, by the way, it must be something you like Just do it."

Winky was lost in thought.

"Hey, what are you pulling me for?"

Harry and Ron hurriedly pulled Hermione to another corner of the kitchen, and ordered other house elves not to come over.

"What did you just say?" Harry stared at her with wide eyes: "When did Mr. Crouch say he was going to take Winky back?"

"He didn't say that." Hermione flattened her sleeves unhurriedly, and then said with some dissatisfaction: "Why can't you even understand this kind of thing? You have to give Winky some hope. This is called kindness." Lies, don't you see that she is already thinking hard? Do you know how much progress this is? Let the elf think independently, and I also spent a lot of effort to come up with this plan."

"What about the homework?" Ron said from the side, "You even learned this skill from Professor Haimer?"

"It can only be regarded as learning a little superficial." Hermione said regretfully: "In addition to Dobby, there is also Winky who was kicked out not long ago, and the other elves have not been able to understand the deep meaning of those stories-but you think How about I do a book too? It's called The Tales of Granger the Bard, and I got the inspiration from The Tales of Beedle the Bard."

"Maybe one day I will have the opportunity to hold a signing event."

Seeing Hermione gradually falling into beautiful imagination, the sense of despair in Harry and Ron's hearts became even stronger.

"You're crazy," said Ron. "You're totally insane."

"No, I don't." Hermione replied angrily: "And I think I have gradually grasped the key point after the lesson of instinct - house-elves must have instincts, as long as you find out this, you can let them go." They have gone one step further in their emancipation—a step absolutely unprecedented."

"And then?" Harry asked in panic, "Have you ever wondered what will become of them after they are free? Did they start a war of elves like goblins?"

"I will try my best to avoid this kind of result." Hermione said calmly, obviously thinking about it long ago.

"Besides, do you think that Professor Haimer will not think of this? I will ask him for help at that time, and I also believe that he will understand me and not be as cold-blooded as you guys."

Ron was speechless all over his face.

Harry muttered under his breath, "Don't say that. I'm half blood too."

Ron turned his head and stared at him: "What? Now I've become the most evil person? Well, you two, I'll see how you end up—Professor Highmore is never soft on students who make mistakes, you guys Just wait for the confinement to be locked up until graduation."

It didn't scare Hermione at all.

She then gave the elves a good lesson in front of Harry and Ron, and this time the story was about two evil wizards, making Harry and Ron think that Hermione was doing it on purpose. scare them.

In the end, Hermione left contentedly after assigning them another homework. Dobby was still the elf who needed to express his feelings the most, which made him receive a lot of admiration.

The kitchen was quiet again.

Dobby looked left and right, and he disappeared from the kitchen with a bang, while the other elves continued to be busy with their work as if they hadn't seen this scene.

Office of Ancient Magic.

"Dear Professor Highmore."

Dobby bowed to Toby who was sitting behind the desk, and said, "All the elves have been checked, and there is no trace of an intruder in the castle."

As expected, Hai Erbo was not so easy to find.

"I see." Toby nodded calmly and said, "Go back, remember not to tell anyone about this."

"Yes, sir." Dobby left the office after another bow, and suddenly appeared in the kitchen.

This time, all the elves were silently watching Dobby.

"The great Professor Highmore says he knows."

Dobby said loudly: "Then he didn't allow any of us to tell the story, did you hear clearly?"

"Only in this way can we [help] wizards better."

Much earlier than Hermione, Toby knew better what the instinct of a house-elf was—it didn't have to be the master, the real key point was to help the wizard.

But exactly how to help is a matter worth studying.

Under Dobby's gaze, all the elves turned around at the same time, and they bowed deeply in the direction of the ancient magic office together.

They chanted in unison—

"For Professor Highmore, for Hogwarts, and for the wizarding world."

"For the Wizarding Liberation Front."