Eulalie Hicks

Eulalie Hicks

Tom covered his nose, staring at the strange creature wolfing down food in front of him with a look of disgust.

"Where did you find this thing?"

"This isn't some 'thing.' He's a House-elf. His name is Toby, and he is my most loyal servant."

As Li Weide added a chicken leg to Toby's plate, he spoke.

"What is that supposed to be?" Tom looked at Li Weide in bewilderment.

Having only just entered the Wizarding World, Tom still had no idea what House-elves were.

Before Li Weide could say anything, Toby sprang up and shrieked in a somewhat neurotic manner.

"Ah! Great Young Master Weide! Kind Young Master Weide! How could you let Toby add food for himself? Toby is truly wicked! Toby must punish himself!"

"Stop. I order you to finish your food properly."

Just as Toby grabbed Tom's new Cauldron and prepared to smash it against his own head, Li Weide calmly gave the order.

Toby had no choice but to put down the Cauldron and obediently sit back on the floor to continue eating.

But his tennis-ball-sized eyes brimmed with tears.

"Oh... Young Master Weide is truly the best, greatest master in the whole world!"

"So what exactly is going on? What exactly is a House-elf? Is he always this neurotic?" Tom asked with a frown.

Earlier, unable to sleep, Tom had taken his already-packed belongings and come to meet up with Weide. The moment he entered, he saw Li Weide ordering Toby to eat.

Having never seen a creature like a House-elf before, Tom had no idea what Li Weide had gotten up to in the few hours he had been gone...

Li Weide patted Tom on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Don't worry. Although you've gone from being my most loyal servant to my second most loyal servant, I'll still treat you as well as I always have."

Tom's face instantly darkened, and even the veins on his forehead bulged as he asked through gritted teeth, "Who did you say was your servant?"

"Tom... you're not nearly as respectful to me as you used to be. Now you know why you've gone from first servant to second servant, right?" Li Weide said with a face full of regret.

"You motherf—..." Tom forcibly restrained the urge to attack, because he did not want to get beaten up!

Calm down... You can't beat him yet... Calm down...

Tom took several deep breaths before his emotions finally eased.

"What's wrong? Are you hungry too?" Li Weide looked at the pot in his hands, then at Tom. "There's still some left here, if you want it..."

"No! I'm not hungry at all!" Tom's emotions, which had only just settled, nearly exploded again.

"Fine, then forget it." Li Weide placed the pot beside Toby and let him keep eating.

"So what exactly is a House-elf?" Tom persisted.

"House-elves are wizards' most loyal servants. Their race has mastered quite a few interesting kinds of magic too. It may not look as powerful as wizard magic, but it's still useful for handling household chores. Oh, and I read all of this in a book at the bookstore today."

Then, Li Weide told Tom what he could about how he had wandered around outside earlier and picked up a House-elf.

After all, if a House-elf was going to follow him around from now on, there was no way he could hide it from people. He might as well say it outright.

"I don't think a filthy creature like this can be of any help." Tom looked at Toby with disdain.

"Don't underestimate any kind of creature, Tom. Otherwise, you'll definitely suffer for it someday," Li Weide said meaningfully.

By then, Toby had cleaned out every bit of food from both the plate and the pot.

"Young Master Weide, Toby has never been this full before..." As Toby spoke, he looked like he was about to cry again.

"Alright, Toby. Go find somewhere to rest first, and remember to clean yourself up. I don't want to see you looking filthy again next time."

Toby sniffled and bowed respectfully. "As you wish, Young Master Weide."

Pop!

Toby vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a sound like a whip striking the ground...

The sight made Tom's eyes widen.

"See? At least you won't have to wash dishes for me anymore." Li Weide pointed at the plate and pot on the floor.

Only then did Tom notice that the plate and pot that had just been on the floor had somehow become spotless and gleaming like new.

It had to be said that Toby truly was an experienced House-elf. His kitchen magic was nothing short of masterful.

Suddenly, Tom's eyes flickered as he said, "Washing dishes is nothing. I can actually cook for you."

"You're planning to poison me, aren't you?" Li Weide remained unmoved.

"Tsk... Was it that obvious?"

In the blink of an eye, a pale sliver of dawn appeared in the sky, and the world gradually brightened.

Li Weide sat on the bed, engrossed in a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Tom, meanwhile, kept glancing outside from time to time.

"Could Dumbledore's people have forgotten to come pick us up? It's about to be daylight," Tom said anxiously.

Li Weide suddenly closed his book slowly. "Aren't they here already?"

"They're here? Where?" Tom had barely finished speaking when faint neighing sounds drifted down from the sky.

Tom hurriedly looked upward.

The neighing drew closer and closer. Then, a carriage suddenly burst out of the dim clouds! Yet in Tom's eyes, there were no horses in front of it—only a middle-aged man serving as the driver.

Li Weide also looked out the window. In his view, three pitch-black, winged, skeletal horses were straining to pull the carriage down toward them.

Li Weide recognized them as three Thestrals. They were Magical Creatures whose appearance could only be seen by those who had truly witnessed death.

Before transmigrating, Li Weide had witnessed death, so he could see those Thestrals.

Tom, on the other hand, was just starting out, with a kd of 0/0, so he still could not see the Thestrals.

Bang!

The carriage landed before the Orphanage gates with a tremendous crash.

Yet the people in the Orphanage and the other residents on the street seemed not to have heard anything at all. Everything remained quiet.

At that moment, the carriage door suddenly opened, and a dark-skinned Witch with curly hair jumped down from the carriage, a book in her hand.

She looked at the Orphanage gates in front of her, then raised her head directly toward the window of Li Weide's room. Her gaze met Li Weide's and Tom's exactly.

A smile curved across the Witch's lips, and then she vanished from the spot the very next second.

Tom widened his eyes and peered out the window. "Where did she go?"

"Are you looking for me?" A woman's voice suddenly came from behind them.

Tom jumped in fright and hurriedly turned around.

Li Weide turned his head as well, only to see that the Witch had somehow already appeared behind them.

Tom stared at her in shock. "Y-you... who are you? How did you get in?"

One second she had been outside, and the next she was behind him on the second floor. Just thinking about it was frightening.

"Hello. My name is Eulalie Hicks. You can call me Professor Hicks." The Witch smiled and extended her hand toward Li Weide and Tom.

Tom watched Hicks warily and did not move.

Li Weide extended his hand as well and shook hers. "Professor Hicks, are you the person Professor Dumbledore sent to pick us up?"

Eulalie Hicks was a character from the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She was a Charms professor at Ilvermorny and one of the earliest members of Dumbledore's Army.

Also, I plan to follow the film's setting and have a young Professor McGonagall appear... even though, according to the original Timeline, Professor McGonagall would only be three or four years old at this point...