How new!
Of course, the food was made by house elves.
If they don't do it, will the ghosts of Hogwarts do it?
Hearing Hermione's words, Nearly Headless Nick suddenly turned his head and almost tore it off.
He clutched his head helplessly, staring at Hermione in bewilderment, unable to understand why she had reacted so harshly.
"You eat delicious meals every day, all thanks to those little ones," Nick said proudly. " There are over a hundred house elves at Hogwarts , more than any wizarding family in Britain . "
"I've never seen them at school," Hermione said , frowning.
Before Nearly Headless Nick could speak, Ron coughed lightly, which caught Hermione's attention.
" Hermione , a good house elf doesn't reveal their presence; they quietly take care of everything in the background."
"To be honest, our family has always wanted a house elf ."
"It's perfectly normal that you haven't seen them at school; they spend most of their day in the kitchen, and then they clean up when you're not paying attention."
Harry seized the opportunity to say, "I know they're responsible for the school's security. If someone triggers the alarm, they'll be the first to arrive."
"Then, depending on the situation, they either handle it themselves or report it to a Professor . Sirius even told me an embarrassing story about being chased away by a house elf ."
" Sirius said that their movements were very secretive, that you wouldn't even notice them if you weren't careful."
"Ah, Sirius also said that the house elves at Hogwarts are a little different from the ones outside, at least their clothes are quite nice ."
Harry was particularly surprised that Hermione was unaware of the existence of house elves, since no one had bothered with her dirty laundry since they started first year.
These soiled clothes weren't cleaning themselves; everything was being fixed by house elves using magic .
House elves are experts at all kinds of household chores. With so many Little Wizards at Hogwarts , there's definitely a need for house elves to look after them .
Hermione was a little annoyed by the indifferent attitude of her two friends .
During the summer holidays of his first year, Harry went to Swan Manor to celebrate his birthday , stayed there for a week, and met Jeff , a house elf in a suit .
He had always thought that house elves should be similar to Jeff , that they should take on a role similar to that of a butler in wizarding families .
But after meeting Winky that summer, he discovered that house elves dressed in rags, held extremely low status, and lived even harder lives than slaves.
You know, on the Quidditch pitch, because of his fear of heights, that little creature was constantly covering his eyes with his hands, never daring to look outside.
Most wizards were used to this and had no objections.
Hermione looked at Nearly Headless Nick and asked seriously, "Do these house elves get paid? Do they have proper holidays? Can they take sick leave when they get sick?"
Fees?
Sick leave?
Nearly Headless Nick laughed exaggeratedly. He laughed so much that his head fell off, remaining attached to his neck by only a piece of skin.
He quickly put his head back down and, laughing, said , "You're really funny, Miss Granger . I've never heard of a house elf asking for payment ; they don't need it."
"For house elves, pay and holidays are a clear insult; they simply love to work."
Suddenly, Hermione's perception of Hogwarts was shattered.
She had thought the house elves at Hogwarts lived a different life, but she hadn't expected these poor little creatures to continue working day and night like Winky.
Being responsible for providing three meals a day for all the teachers and students at the school; what an exhausting job.
And for all this hard work, there's neither pay nor vacation; that's absolutely ridiculous!
"Nonsense! Nobody is born loving to work," Hermione said , her eyes wide with a justified tone. "They must be forced to be that way."
"I think they would definitely prefer a more free life as well."
In Hermione's view, Winky's pathological slave mentality was a result of prolonged oppression by her master and needed to be corrected.
"Freedom?" Ron grumbled , laughing.
Seeing Hermione glaring at him angrily, he quickly swallowed the food in his mouth.
"If you talk about freedom to those little children, you'll definitely scare them away and you'll be labeled as the most undesirable person."
"Honestly, Hermione ," Ron took a sip of pumpkin juice, "these aren't things you need to worry about, especially when your classes are already demanding enough."
"How wonderful the situation is now: We're living a comfortable life, and the house elves are happily working. Everyone gets what they need."
" In Professor Swan's words, this is a win-win situation for everyone."
Is it a win-win situation?
Where's the win-win situation in this?
" Ron Weasley !" Hermione angrily struck Ron's arm. "Our comfortable lives are built on the suffering of house elves."
"This is exploitation, slave owners!"
After saying this, she pushed her plate forward and angrily declared, "I'm not going to eat! I'm starting a hunger strike!"
The thought that the food in front of him had been made by house spirits toiling like slaves upset him so much that he couldn't eat a single bite.
Looking at the little witch who was preparing for a hunger strike, Harry desperately tried to persuade her: " Hermione , there's no need. These were all made with great care by the house elves."
"They would be very upset if they knew you treated their food like that."
"Ultimately, for a chef, eating the food he's prepared in a completely clean state is the greatest compliment you can give him."
I'm not eating!
Hermione nodded decisively. She did this for the house elves, believing the little creatures would understand her.
Seeing Hermione's blank expression , Ron shrugged, picked up a molasses tart, and took a bite.
"Wow, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and smells amazing! I never expected the house elves' cooking to get even better after their vacation."
He winked dramatically at Hermione , "Are you sure, Hermione , you don't want a piece?"
Hermione pursed her lips and glared angrily at Ron ; her gaze was so intense itimmediatelyreminded Ron of Professor McGonagall .
He let out a strange laugh, then quietly ate his pie without saying a word.
About an hour later, Dumbledore stood up and, waving his wand, cleared all the food from the tables.
After reiterating some old caveats about the new term, he handed the floor to Sebastian .
Amidst the cheers of the Little Wizards , Sebastian ,as was tradition, first handed out welcome gifts to the new students, then cleared his throat and announced important news.
"I regret to inform you that Hogwarts will be suspending all Quidditch activities this year ."
"This means that the Inter-School Quidditch Cup, the Inter-School Quidditch Cup, and Quidditch team tryouts have been suspended."
From where!
Harry and the twins looked at each other, neither of them able to believe what they had heard.
They were discussing who had the best chance of making the team this year, when they realized they were worrying unnecessarily.
The students held their breath, looking at Sebastian anxiously , expecting further explanation.
Sebastian raised his hand to silence them and, smiling, said:
"This academic year, a major event will be organized, starting in October and continuing throughout the entire academic year."
"Believe me, this great event is even more exciting than Quidditch , and you'll all enjoy it very much."
"Therefore, at Hogwarts this year ..."
Before he could finish his speech, the doors of the Great Hall suddenly burst open, interrupting him.