The Deadly House Elves

They left the Great Hall and, after only a few steps, arrived at the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff common room.

A huge painting of fruit hung on the corridor wall, vividly lifelike.

If Brook had not known it was a painting, he would have thought it was real fruit.

After all, the fruit in the painting looked exactly real.

"This is the kitchen entrance," Fred said, pointing at the painting.

Brook asked curiously, "How do we get in?"

"You just need to tickle the pear. Of course, you can try tickling the others too, but remember to put on a raincoat first."

Fred stepped forward and lightly tickled the pear in the painting.

The pear suddenly wriggled and let out a few giggles.

Then the painting slowly opened, revealing the spacious kitchen behind it.

He looked at the creatures in the kitchen, which looked somewhat like Goblins.

A word suddenly surfaced in his mind—House Elves.

He remembered the earlier quest, [Be Served by House Elves].

He had found it baffling at the time, but now he finally understood.

At that moment, some of the House Elves were still cooking, while the rest happily washed dishes.

Fred led Brook inside.

When the House Elves saw them, one immediately hurried over enthusiastically.

"Mr. Weasley, welcome back, sir!"

The House Elf said excitedly, bowing as it spoke.

Fred's tone carried a hint of pride.

"We often come to the kitchen to 'borrow' snacks, so we know them pretty well."

Brook stepped forward. "Hello, my name is Brook Lott."

"Hello, Mr. Lott. Is there anything I can help you with?"

At the same time, another House Elf approached carrying a large platter.

On it were waffles piled into a small mountain and three glasses of golden Pumpkin Juice.

Fred casually grabbed a waffle and started eating it off to the side.

"What's your name?" Brook asked.

"Sir, my name is An An," the House Elf An An said.

"Here's the thing. Are you usually busy with work? Could I pay to hire you?"

An An jolted at his words and said excitedly, her voice turning somewhat shrill.

"House Elves do not accept money!"

The other House Elves who had been working also looked over, their eyes openly hostile.

Fred quickly grabbed Brook and explained in a low voice.

"House Elves believe serving their masters is only natural, and they are extremely loyal to them. They will not disobey any order from their masters, even if they are told to die. They certainly will not accept money as payment. To them, that is an insult."

Brook was stunned.

Did a creature like this really exist in the world?

Loyal, and asking for nothing in return.

They were practically every capitalist's dream.

He said apologetically to An An.

"I'm sorry. I come from a Muggle family, so I don't understand some of your customs. Please forgive my thoughtlessness."

An An seemed startled by Brook's apology.

Her body swayed constantly, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Mr. Lott actually apologized to An An!"

She gave Brook a deep bow.

"It is An An's fault that Mr. Lott had to apologize to An An."

Brook was completely thrown by An An's reaction.

Fred was somewhat helpless as well. "Just tell them what you need. I'll explain the rest to you later."

Brook organized his thoughts. "It's like this. I'm not quite used to British food, so if you have time, I hope you can help make some food that suits my tastes better."

Seeing An An's tear-filled eyes, he hurriedly added.

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"It's not that your food isn't good. I like it too. I just sometimes want to eat something different."

An An's tears immediately began pouring down her face.

"We did not serve Mr. Lott well enough and disappointed him."

Brook was truly speechless.

After being reborn, he had come to terms with many things and felt as though he had attained great enlightenment.

Even if he truly faced Dumbledore, he would dare pull out Big Gudu and test himself against him.

But when dealing with someone like An An, he was genuinely at a complete loss.

Clearly, he was the one asking An An for help, yet the situation now made it seem as if he were bullying her.

"An An, I'll teach you how to cook. Then you'll be able to make meals that satisfy me. How does that sound?"

"An An will definitely make meals that satisfy Mr. Lott."

An An immediately stopped crying, puffed out her chest, and stood ramrod straight.

It was as though she had received an important mission.

Only then did Brook let out a long breath.

House Elves were far too frightening.

He would have to choose his words more carefully in the future.

Just then, there was a commotion at the entrance, and George came running in, panting heavily.

"Mr. Weasley, welcome back!" An An said respectfully, bowing.

George waved his hand, then picked up the Pumpkin Juice on the table and chugged it down.

Fred seemed to notice Brook's awkwardness as well and suggested.

"Let's go outside and talk."

In the end, the three of them left the kitchen after receiving the House Elves' enthusiastic hospitality.

Everyone's pockets were stuffed full of waffles.

Although Brook did not like them, he filled all his pockets too.

Because An An seemed ready to cry if he did not take them.

"The kitchen really is my favorite place," Fred sighed.

George led them into an empty classroom on the first floor.

He cautiously looked around the classroom as well.

"Every painting is the professors' eyes and ears. If you ever want to do anything bad, you must be especially careful."

Brook nodded as though he had learned something.

He really had not known that.

He had originally planned to use the Space Gate to move freely around Hogwarts and avoid the professors' notice.

But now, it seemed these paintings would be troublesome.

After all, nearly every corridor had several of them.

"Then do you know the Disillusionment Charm? Can you teach me?"

Fred smiled. "Actually, we're not very proficient at it either, but we can teach you the incantation and how to cast it."

"We mainly rely on it to move around Hogwarts without obstruction."

George pulled a piece of worn-looking parchment from his robes.

Brook leaned closer curiously.

George spread the parchment out on the table.

"To be honest, I'm still reluctant to give this to you."

Fred sighed. "But it's the best way to thank you for trusting us."

"Yeah. It'll tell you everything you want to know, and it can keep you safe too," George added.

Although Brook did not know what exactly the parchment did.

Hearing the twins describe it this way, he knew it must be extremely important to them.

He had only wanted to find a cook and learn one or two secret passages out of Hogwarts.

"A gentleman does not take what others cherish. Just tell me about those secret passages. You should keep the parchment."

But the twins shook their heads.

"Don't worry. We got it back in our first year."

"We've already memorized everything on it."