A Discussion Without Results

The study is located on the right side of the living room on the first floor. Unlike the highly educated Granger house next door, the study in the Loren family is empty, with some of Loren and Hermione's extracurricular books stored on the solid wood bookshelves.

For example, the first time I went to Flourish and Blotts and Blotts, I bought "Walking with Werewolves," "Curses and Counter-Curses," and "Alchemy: From Beginner to Expert"... I also found some books at the Room of Requirement, such as textbooks that Miranda Gossack used.

These books don't contain any weird magic or make any strange noises. Even if an ordinary person flips through them, they would just think they are fantasy novels published by some unknown publisher, so you can keep them at home without worry.

The desk, which was originally placed in the center of the room, was moved to a corner, and a projection screen covered by a red curtain was hung on the wall.

Opposite the projection screen on the wall is the projector that Grandpa Bates mentioned. It's actually a complete home theater system. The main unit is a CRT analog projector that's almost as big as a TV. It's a square box with three huge CRT tubes—red, green, and blue—extending out from the front, like the muzzle of a small-caliber cannon.

From Loren's perspective, this projector was too dated, with a rough and unrefined design, but he also knew that such a machine would be quite valuable in this day and age.

"Home Alone, Jurassic Park, Groundhog Day, Schindler's List..."

Loren squatted in front of the cabinet, muttering to himself as he rummaged through the drawers. He turned to Hermione, who was nestled in the armchair, and asked, "Which movie do you want to watch?"

Two single sofas were placed side by side; the left seat was empty, while a girl with loose hair sat on the right. In the dim light, Hermione glanced up at him.

The boy was going through a period of rapid development, and his height had already slightly surpassed hers. His waist and legs were well-proportioned, and he looked quite handsome squatting there. But now was not the time to think about these things...

Hermione silently guessed Loren's progress in learning Human Transfiguration, estimating when he would be able to turn others into cats.

"I wonder if he'll ambush me..." Hermione thought to herself.

"I'm asking you, which movie do you want to watch?" Loren asked again.

Today should really just be about watching a movie.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and casually replied, "I'm fine with anything, you choose..."

"Then it's Groundhog Day." Loren pulled a thick box of videotapes from the drawer.

"Wait a minute..." Hermione's face showed a hint of hesitation. "My parents have told me about this movie. It's good, but it seems too serious. Our holiday is almost over, so let's watch something lighter."

"That makes sense..." Loren rummaged around for a while, then took out another videotape. "How about Jurassic Park?"

"My parents went to see it when it was released. My dad said the special effects were amazing, almost like magic..."

"This one?"

"But we are wizards, won't we find this boring?"

"..."

This question-and-answer format felt strangely familiar. Loren realized that he wouldn't get an answer even if he kept asking until dark, so he silently took out a videotape of "Home Alone" from the drawer, stopped asking, and went to the projector to operate it.

The VSH videotape was too old for Loren, and it was a bit choppy to operate, failing to play any footage for quite a while.

Hermione got up and leaned over to help, her loose, unbound hair instantly obscuring Loren's view. She was actually more familiar with these videotapes, and as she took one out to adjust it, she saw the image and name on the cover:

"It looks like a Christmas movie. Is it too late for us to watch it now? How about we choose another one and save this one for next year?"

"..."

Loren reached out and brushed her hair aside, looking at Hermione expressionlessly. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"What do you mean, intentionally?" Hermione blinked, feeling a tickle in her palms. If she weren't holding the videotape in her hands, she would have reached out and patted Loren's head.

"Stop having those offensive thoughts!" Loren noticed her restless gaze and gave her a wary glare. "I've noticed you've been a bit too brave lately!"

"No, no..." Hermione said, her palm unconsciously rubbing against the side of the videotape. It was cool and refreshing, somewhat like the touch of a cat's tail.

She had to admit that since the day Loren turned into a cat, some of Hermione's preconceived notions seemed to have shattered, and she felt that many strange ideas would pop into her mind from time to time.

Loren said quietly, "Although I haven't fully mastered Human Transfiguration yet, I can cooperate if you want to try it."

"No need, let's watch a movie instead." Hermione immediately became obedient.

Home Alone tells a hilarious comedy story about a family who, while busy enjoying the Christmas holidays, leave their youngest member—8-year-old Kevin— at home. His parents panic when they realize what's happening, but getting back takes time... Two recently released burglars have their eyes on their house, and the film revolves around young Kevin's clever battle against the burglars, resulting in a series of laugh-out-loud moments...

I watched Loren a long, long time ago. Although the plot wasn't very deep and there weren't many twists and turns, the classic comedy still managed to grab attention and make people laugh thanks to its solid foundation.

Loren watched with great interest, holding the sweet potato chips he had made in his hands, eating them bit by bit.

The movie's lighting created a dim, half-lit atmosphere in the room. Hermione subtly turned her head to look at Loren beside her, who was eating a sweet snack while his bright eyes were fixed intently on the screen.

Hermione inexplicably thought of that white, long-haired lion cat.

The movie was at an exciting part when Loren next to me had already finished his dried sweet potatoes. He hadn't made many anyway, just wanted something new, so he casually put the plate aside and tossed the tissue he'd used to wipe his hands into it.

Loren slumped into the sofa, resting his hands on the armrests of the armchair, shifting into a more comfortable position before focusing on the movie.

Hermione's eyes followed his hand to the armrest of the sofa. After a moment's thought, Hermione leaned closer and whispered, "You still have some icing on your hands."

"Yeah?"

Loren watched intently, reaching for the tissue without turning his head.

"Let me wipe it for you," Hermione said, pulling a tissue over and wrapping it around Loren's left hand.

Applying the icing didn't take much effort and was done quickly, but Hermione thought she should check it more carefully.

If even tiny sugar crystals were to fall into the projector, the expensive machine could be damaged, and nobody knows if the Mending Charm could fix such a thing.

Thinking this, Hermione grabbed his hand and placed it on the sofa armrest, pinching the skin on the back of his hand. Hermione glanced up at his expression—

Hmm, no response.

Hermione then focused intently on the examination.

Hermione pressed her palm against his, confirming that his hand was slightly larger than hers. She could feel the fine bones beneath the skin on the back of his hand, the veins were more prominent than hers, and it felt very elastic when pressed. Although he often did housework, his fingertips didn't have hard calluses, and had a warm, smooth feel.

Just as the movie reached a minor climax and entered a lull, Loren finally noticed something unusual in his hand. Looking down, he saw Hermione intently playing with his left hand, her eyes shining like Crookshanks discovering a new and fascinating toy.

"..."

In the past, I was the one playing with her hands, but now the roles have been reversed!

Although he felt a secret thrill, Loren told himself not to be fooled. His former authority had been completely lost in Hermione's eyes; she now saw him as a cat toy in human skin.

We must turn Hermione into a cat as soon as possible and play with her all day long, so she'll know who's really in charge.

In the Library of Fantasy Book.

Loren circled the body Flamel had conjured up, repeatedly confirming his desired Transfiguration target in his mind, before shaking his wand.

A white ribbon of light floated from the tip of the staff, slowly wrapping around Flamel's body. The faint white light seeped in, and the outline of the humanoid body rippled with distortion. A few seconds later, Flamel's whole body shrank inward, while his limbs gradually expanded.

It eventually transformed into a hairy, muscular chimpanzee.

Flamel raised his arm, looked around, and seemed to find it quite interesting, squeaking and making sounds like a gorilla.

"I never thought that the knowledge of anatomy I learned before would come in handy..." Loren tried hard to suppress his laughter. He could tell that Flamel was trying to sing high notes with a gorilla's voice.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Chimpanzees have a very similar body structure to humans. Once I become more familiar with the anatomy of cats, I will be able to try turning humans into cats."

Flamel broke free of the Transfiguration, reverting from his ape form to human form, and reminded him, "If you're just playing around with your friends, remember to undo the Transfiguration in time... Transfiguration is different from Animagus after all. If a person's rationality stays in an animal's body for a long time, unexpected changes may occur."

Early in the Animagus class, Professor McGonagall emphasized the conflict between exceptional reason and primal instincts: Mirabella the Witch, transformed into Cod, failed to break the spell in time and ended up becoming an ordinary Cod in Loch Lomond. And then there were the seven hedgehog sons of the dark wizard Thaddeus Serkel...

"Speaking of this..." Loren and said slowly, "When I transform, I don't seem to have to worry about rationality. I think in terms of human cognition for the entire day."

"It's probably the Magic Power within you that's at work..." Flamel guessed. "The Animagus uses the power of astrology and Secret Potion to suppress their animalistic nature. Starlight shines on the world at all times, and as long as they succeed, they can maintain their animal form indefinitely..."

"While your Transfiguration are time-limited, they allow you to transform into more animals. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. When you gain a deeper understanding of Transfiguration in the future, perhaps you will be able to break down your Transfiguration methods into magical rituals, and spread them like the Animagus..."

Loren nodded thoughtfully. It was indeed a great idea, but there were more important things to do now.

"Flamel, help me find a book about cat anatomy... I need Munchkin cat."

"..."

Morning.

Loren got up first, washed up, ate breakfast, and then raided Hermione's bedroom.

When he teleported back, Hermione was already up, and it seemed she had even eaten breakfast. She was sitting at her desk, holding a thick book and reading it intently, her head slightly lowered, her thin lips pursed together, her expression quiet and somewhat serious.

The little Spectacled Owl on the desk Hānhan enjoying nuts, with a small cloth bag next to it, as if it had just delivered this large book not long ago.

Loren walked over, placed his hand on Hermione's chair, looked over her to read the book, and whispered the title, "Case Records of House-Elves?"

"I asked the manager of Flourish and Blotts to find me a rare book..." Hermione explained, "It contains detailed records of all the cases concerning House-elf tried by the Ministry of Magic from the early 19th century to the present."

She looked up at Loren, her voice filled with unspeakable sorrow. "Do you know, Loren, once you're in the Courtroom, all the House-elf will be found guilty and imprisoned in Azkaban."

"But even so, the House-elf who were imprisoned in Azkaban were lucky, because many more House-elf were executed by their masters before they were even sent to the Courtroom."

Loren didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only gently stroke her hair.

The out-of-print book was worn and tattered, the paper yellowed with decay, while the girl's bedroom was filled with a faint, lingering fragrance, like some kind of blooming rose. Taking a gentle breath, one would find the blooming decay upon turning the page.

After a long while, Hermione suddenly closed the book. "Loren, I want to watch a movie."

"Um?"

In the study.

The light and shadow on the projection screen changed, the movie ended, and the credits began to float.

[Oscar Schindler-Liam Neeson]

[Yzak Stein-Ben Kingsley]

[...]

The film "Schindler's List" tells the story of a Germany man in Poland who hired more than 1,100 Jews to work in his factory during World War II, helping them escape the Holocaust.

Loren turned his head and saw Hermione curled up on the sofa, her reddened eyes filled with tears.

He knew in his heart that Hermione would be upset after watching the movie.

"They're like House-elf, aren't they... No, House-elf are nothing compared to them; they're born slaves..." Hermione whispered, her voice trembling with fear. "I'm thinking of Hokey ..."

Loren sighed softly, not responding to her words, but instead talking about the movie. "The real Schindler had a very miserable later life, and few of the people he helped were grateful to him... If his factory were still around, he would probably have had a happy ending."

"Historians have many theories about how House-elf were tamed by wizards, one of which is the war theory."

"Thousands of years ago, before the word 'domestic' even existed in the names of House-elf, they waged war against humans... In fact, Centaur, Mermaid, Acromantula, and even Unicorn have all fought wars against wizards, and the goblins have even launched the famous Goblin Rebellion, but none of the ancient wizards used such vicious bloodline magic to enslave these races."

"Perhaps the scholars' conjecture is correct. House-elf once slaughtered weak young wizards, and in order to punish other races, House-elf were enslaved for generations."

"But..." Hermione shrank deeper into the sofa, curling herself into an even smaller ball. Although this know-it-all girl had read many books, she was still somewhat bewildered when faced with such a grand question at only the third grade.

She could only speak of what she was certain of, "But those were the mistakes of their ancestors from countless years ago, and the House-elf of today should not have to pay for them."

"Original sin is wrong, Loren. Just like Pure-blood discriminate against Muggle and Half-blood wizards, no one is born to be discriminated against or enslaved..." Hermione's voice slowed down, but her tone became more and more firm. "I don't want to see something like what happened to Hokey happen again."

"What if this leads to an even more serious disaster..." Loren sat down beside her and patted the girl's head. "What if the House-elf, after gaining their freedom, start another war, using their unique magic to attack young wizards and weak humans, inflicting even more cruel enslavement on them?"

Who would have predicted that the race that claims to be God's chosen people would wage war in the 21st century and even slaughter the elderly, women, and children without any scruples?

"As Headmaster Dumbledore said, many people have tried to make the world a better place in their own way, but often end up dragging it in a worse direction."

"..."