After answering, Hermione watched Vaughn nervously.
She was afraid of hearing Vaughn laugh at her or offer some cold assessment. That would mean not only that the person closest to her rejected what she wanted to do, but also that the boy in her memories, who seemed to shine from head to toe, would burst like a soap bubble.
To her surprise, however, Vaughn did not pass judgment on her actions. Instead, he continued asking, "If people refuse to accept it, what will you do?"
Hermione answered without hesitation. "They only refuse because they haven't realized that enslaving house-elves is wrong. I'll keep campaigning and spreading the word to raise awareness."
Vaughn nodded and asked, "Then have you considered why they haven't realized it's wrong?"
Hermione pressed her lips together. "I have. That's why I spent all yesterday researching, from when wizards first discovered elves to how they enslaved and brainwashed them. For thousands of years, wizards have imposed their will on the elves, and on all other wizards as well, until elves serving wizards became a normal part of society, just like eating and drinking-no one questions why they should eat or drink."
At that, Hermione looked up, her expression complicated. "You're probably the same, aren't you?"
At that moment, she suddenly felt with painful clarity that an enormous gulf actually existed between her and Vaughn.
She was Muggle-born, while Vaughn was a pure-blood, born and raised in the wizarding world.
They had never belonged to the same world!
The thought flooded her mind. She stared blankly as Vaughn shook his head. "No, darling. I've never believed that wizards enslaving elves is the natural order of things. In fact, before developing the Wolfsbane Potion, I considered freeing house-elves myself." This was true.
Freeing house-elves had once been the fallback