Opening Ceremony, Lemons Are So Sour / Elven Protection, Putting Yourself in Someone Else's Shoes ...

"Oh my god!" "Someone has fallen into the water!"

As the fleet passed through the center of the lake, a small disturbance occurred on the surface, as if a first-grade student had lost their footing and accidentally fallen off the boat.

However, the commotion only lasted a few seconds before the child who had accidentally fallen into the water was swept back into the boat by a gust of current.

"Dennis, sit still and don't move!"

While rescuing the boy, Harry also recognized him as Colin's younger brother, Dennis Creevey.

The child must have found everything around him too novel, and he must have gotten a nail in his bottom to move around so much that he fell into the Black Lake. When Harry glanced at him, the little drenched chicken was still excitedly grinning.

Well, seeing this, Harry can basically confirm his Sorting House.

"Lord Granger, you big Hagrid, over here! Thank goodness you've finally arrived!"

Finally, the doors of the Hogwarts Great Hall were in sight, and Harry heard Peeves's anxious calls.

Chapter 586 Opening Ceremony, Lemons Are Really Sour

"Master Granger, the rain is too heavy, you must come quickly!"

As Harry and Hagrid arrived at the door with the first-year students, Peeves hurriedly flew out with an umbrella, trying to ingratiate himself by shielding Harry's head from the rain.

As for Hagrid... he always carries his umbrella with him, even when it's not raining.

Of course, Harry didn't actually need Peeves' help to shield him from the rain. As someone who had complete control over the water element, it was impossible for him to get wet.

This was simply Peeves' way of expressing gratitude, so Harry naturally accepted his kindness.

The stalker was wearing a brightly colored dress and the hat Harry gave him, and seemed to be in a very good mood.

Peeves was unusually allowed to attend the opening ceremony, the first time in hundreds of years, naturally because Harry intervened on his behalf.

For a long time, the Ghost Council of Hogwarts —which is actually the ghosts of the Four Houses —has habitually excluded Peeves from discussing matters among ghosts.

Meanwhile, because Peeves is too mischievous, the Ghost Council has never allowed Peeves to attend the opening ceremony.

Peeves was naturally very unhappy about this, but unfortunately, he was most afraid of the Slytherin Bloody Baron, so he could only stare at the brightly lit Great Hall every year.

But this year is different. With Harry vouching for Peeves, none of the ghosts from the Hawk, Griffin, and Badger houses will have any objections to him attending the banquet.

Bloody Baron had some reservations about this, and so... he got beaten up.

The true Lady Grey, also known as Helena Ravenclaw, said that the enchanted knuckle dusters Harry made were particularly useful, not only beautiful and lightweight but also delivering powerful blows, which really helped her vent her anger.

After this outburst, Helena may not have fully understood, but her mood was no longer as depressed as before.

The only downside is that when she wanted to beat up Bloody Baron again to relive her form, he went into hiding and hasn't shown up since.

Because of his abstention, Peeves finally became a guest of honor at the opening ceremony.

At that moment, he was leading Harry and Hagrid deeper into the Great Hall, expressing his deepest gratitude, while leaving a group of first-year students in the Sorting Area.

This action also caused a stir among the whispers. Among the first-year students were many young wizards from families with educational backgrounds, so they had some prior knowledge of Hogwarts.

Harry Granger is the school bully and war god of Hogwarts. His legends are numerous, including his taming of the infamous Peeves.

Now it seems that this really did happen.

The Great Hall was as magnificent and grand as ever, and it seemed to have been decorated extra for the new semester banquet. Hundreds of candles floated above the tables, making the plates and wine glasses Winky.

Hagrid went to the faculty seating area alone, while Harry and Peeves sat at the Ravenclaw table. It was Peeves' first time attending a banquet, and he seemed very excited, waving two extinguished candles the whole time.

Harry condoned this behavior; as a poltergeist born to cause trouble, it was impossible to completely tame Peeves... but as long as he didn't throw what he was holding, Harry didn't mind his flailing around.

"I just saw Colin's brother; he accidentally fell into the lake." While waiting for the Sorting Ceremony, Harry told Hermione and the others about the funny things that happened when they crossed the lake earlier.

Meanwhile, the two brothers he was referring to were waving to each other across the long table.

"Harry is amazing! He just pointed his finger and I flew from the lake to the boat!"

Hmm... Dennis, that kid, he practically shouted so loud the whole school could hear him.

"Sir, please be quiet! We're about to begin the sorting process!" After Professor McGonagall reprimanded him sternly, Dennis immediately stuck out his tongue and looked embarrassed.

"Ha, this kid is even more lively Colin," Will couldn't help but find it amusing. "He'll probably be sorted into the same house as Colin, right? I think the Weasley family are all Gryffindor graduates, aren't they?"

"That's generally true, but there are exceptions," Hermione said from the side. "Parvati Patil Patil from Gryffindor House, her sister Padma Patil is in our house."

"He'll be sorted into Gryffindor... unless he has other intentions." Luna Lovegood was quite certain of this.

"Yes, Sorting is actually a two-way selection process, but young wizards at this age rarely have a firm grasp on which direction they truly want to go."

"That's true..." Hermione, who had once been a troublesome student in the Sorting House, wholeheartedly agreed with Harry's words.

If she had her own inclination at the time and had actively chosen Ravenclaw when the Sorting Hat was agonizing over it, Harry wouldn't have had to set that fire because of the hat's flip-flopping.

Since then, year after year, they have all changed a lot...

But the one thing that hasn't changed is that they've always been together!

"Dennis Creevey, Gryffindor!"

At this moment, Professor McGonagall's voiceover came in, confirming that Colin's brother had indeed been sorted into Gryffindor House.

The two brothers were huddled together, chattering happily, occasionally glancing at Harry, clearly talking about something related to him.

"It really is Gryffindor, you guessed pretty accurately." Hermione pouted. "Loony, can you guess again who the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts is this year?"

There was still an empty seat in the faculty section, and the new Black Society professor hadn't arrived yet for some reason. So, not only Harry and his friends, but everyone in the school was very curious about who the new teacher would be.

Lupin's bizarre resignation at the end of the school year left many students feeling very regretful, because he was an absolutely impeccable teacher.

Therefore, many people are praying that the new teacher won't be too much worse than the previous one.

"I do know a little about that," Harry said, his smile gone for some reason, as he casually spoiled the surprise for everyone. "Lupin told me that the new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts is Alastor Moody."

"Mad-Eye Moody... you mean that retired Auror went to Albania with you? He must be pretty amazing, right?" Will's eyes widened in surprise.

"Hmph, what's so great about him? Just a neurotic retired wizard." Harry seemed full of resentment. "I heard that the night before school started, he was so paranoid that he suspected someone had broken into his house, not only abusing magic but also blowing up a dumpster."

"Sigh..." "Here we go again~"

Hearing Harry's explanation, Hermione and Luna Lovegood exchanged a glance, both showing helpless expressions.

The same thing happened last year; Harry seemed to value the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts highly and disliked any new professors taking office.

Even Lupin, who had a close relationship with him, had his eyes rolled to the sky by Harry.

It's no exaggeration to say that Harry and Snape were definitely the two most envious people at Hogwarts when it came to the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Chapter 587 Elf Protection, Empathy

The new year's Sorting Ceremony has ended, Ravenclaw has naturally welcomed many new faces. When these young wizards took their seats, they all looked at Harry with admiration or expectation, clearly regarding him as the undisputed leader of Eagle House.

This is understandable, since everyone in the school knows that although Harry Granger is eccentric and domineering, causing Eagle House to often lose points because of him, no Eagle House student can mess with him as long as he is at Hogwarts.

Slytherin are now absolutely certain of this; many of them have personally verified it with their parents.

However, Harry isn't entirely without a nemesis, and it's actually quite simple for Eagle House to win the House Cup; all it takes is for someone to say the word.

"Hey, I'm going to take the House Cup back this year! You're not allowed to cause trouble, or else... you can go home by yourself~"

Hermione kept her voice down so that only the two of them could hear her last sentence, and Harry immediately nodded vigorously, swearing that he would never lose House Points this year for causing trouble.

Hmm... if the academically gifted girl uses the threat of not commuting to school with him as leverage, then Harry might actually fall for it.

Of course, the main reason is that people who play this game are generally quite interested...

In the middle of the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall took away the Sorting Hat and the stool, and at the same time, the Headmaster, who was in the main seat, also stood up.

Dumbledore smiled at all the students and opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"I only have two words to say to you... Eat!"

Suddenly, the empty plates on the long table were magically filled with food, and after a burst of cheers, the students began to feast.

It seems that after experiencing the incident last year, Albus Dumbledore has also come to realize the importance of "eating first is the most important thing".

Otherwise, if another big news story like the 'hunting of Peter Pettigrew's happens, these students will have to go hungry again.

However, the weather today has been really cooperative, with only dry rain and no thunder. It seems that even God feels sorry for these students who have suffered so much.

This was a bit tough on Professor Tofudi, who was a special guest. He had to look at the sky outside with the Omnioculars almost every minute, and he couldn't even eat in peace.

"Mmm... delicious! It's so delicious, hahaha!"

Among the students, the one who ate the most was undoubtedly Peeves, who was attending a party for the first time in hundreds of years. As a poltergeist, he was able to have a physical form and naturally enjoyed the pleasure of chewing.

However, Harry thought that Peeves ate like a reincarnated starving ghost because he was showing off to Nearly Headless Nick and other ghosts who couldn't eat... because he probably couldn't taste anything at all.

"Sigh..." Unlike Peeves, who wished he could have an extra mouth, Hermione seemed uninterested, only taking a few bites of food and drinking just one cup of her favorite Pumpkin Juice.

"Thinking about those House-elf?" Harry easily guessed what she was struggling with.

"Yes..." Hermione frowned and sighed softly, "Although I know this is normal for House-elf, I still feel that Hogwarts should at least be fairer to them. Preparing such a feast must be exhausting; will they get enough rest afterward? There are so many people at the school who need their care; they might not even have time to rest!"

"And what about those guys who don't even know the Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration? Do they think that all this food in front of them was conjured up effortlessly?!"

"Most people actually overlook this," Luna Lovegood said calmly from the side, "They won't care about a group that has nothing to do with them."

"How can this be unrelated?" Hermione frowned in dissatisfaction. "The teachers and students of Hogwarts enjoy the work of the House-elf, but treat them as if they don't exist. This attitude is really unreasonable! And then there was Mr. Crouch. His House-elf clearly has a severe fear of heights, yet he forced her to go to the high stands, completely disregarding how scared she was!"

"In my opinion, these House-elf who have always been mistreated should all be brought to work at my retirement home," Harry interrupted Hermione's grumbling, chuckling as he said, "The House-elf working at my retirement home get paid, have weekends off, can take sick leave, and those with excellent performance even get extra allowances and opportunities for promotion and raises!"

"What did you say?" Hermione stared wide-eyed in astonishment. "Is what you said true? But... would they be willing to accept this?"

What Harry was talking about were undoubtedly the rights that House-elf should rightfully receive in Hermione's eyes, but she also knew very well that no wizard would be willing to provide these things.

House-elf, on the other hand, would never willingly accept such a thing!

So how exactly did Harry do it?

Hermione wasn't the only one with this question; Luna Lovegood and Will, who were standing nearby, also stopped eating, as did some of the Eagle House students who had been watching their conversation.

"Of course they won't accept these things willingly, but I can find another way to let them enjoy them without them even knowing it." Harry took a sip of his juice, his gestures exuding a certain air of wisdom.

"A proper House-elf is one who doesn't let anyone know of their existence... But that's just a wizard's way of covering up their neglect of their House-elf. So, in light of this, I've stipulated that all House-elf must clock in and out, and can only begin work after clocking in."

"In this way, while limiting their working hours, I can also help them gradually develop the habit of 'resting without clocking in.' Therefore, when they encounter weekends without clocking in, they naturally have a holiday where they can move around freely."

"With the attendance records, I can calculate their wages based on their attendance and overtime. Of course, they definitely won't want the money, but I can save it for them first and pay them when their mindset changes."

"The rest are similar procedures. They are responsible for taking care of the elderly, so their own health is also very important. If they get sick, they must report it in time so that they can get sick leave. In the process of working, they may also receive praise or criticism. While stipulating that they are not allowed to self-harm, these evaluations are recorded, and in the end, they can be used to calculate allowances and promotion qualifications."

"This... this whole system, how did you even come up with it?" Hermione's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

She never expected that Harry would actually come up with a set of effective systems to protect the rights of House-elf!

"It's actually very simple, you just need to put yourself in their shoes," Harry explained with a light laugh.

"Imagine yourself as House-elf, then think about... under what circumstances you would accept these rights, and finally take action, that's it~"

Chapter 588 Individual Identification, No Need for Grouping

Encountering problems and solving them—this is the methodology Harry has always adhered to.

The crux of the problems with House-elf lies in the word 'forced'.

Because of the enslaved mindset passed down through generations, the enslaved House-elf will not voluntarily accept rights and protections that are beneficial to them.

Harry's solution was to indirectly use this coercion, forcing them to accept the Fawley by changing the narrative and withholding key information.

During this period, he only needs to provide subtle ideological education to gradually help the House-elf in the nursing home accept and come to like this new life.

In this way, there is a high probability that they will become the next, or even the next batch of, 'Dobby'.

After all, it's hard to go from extravagance to frugality.

Once these Dobby's beliefs are strong enough, they can leave the nursing home and go out into the world to influence more House-elf.

At the same time, if they can get the help of some wizards, they might eventually be able to truly improve the current situation of the House-elf.

Of course, this process will be lengthy, but whether it drags on or ultimately fails doesn't really matter.

Because Harry didn't force the House-elf to break their beliefs during this process, the House-elf were only grateful to Harry and didn't rebel particularly fiercely.