"Why not go upstairs and catch some sleep?"
After breakfast, everyone else, including the three adults, went upstairs. Manus glanced at Barty Jr., who had only returned to the sofa.
"I don't fall asleep that quickly. If I spend over half an hour getting to sleep, I'll have a headache when I wake up."
Barty Jr. shook his head, then looked outside with some concern.
Though the tent flap was down, the summer sunlight that had risen early still revealed the constant movement of figures outside, accompanied by noise that had barely diminished over the past half hour.
If a conflict broke out later...
"If you're worried, you might as well take Winky with you later."
Manus suddenly said.
Then, seeing Barty Jr.'s surprise, Manus explained,
"Didn't you notice? House-Elves don't need wands to cast magic, and in wizards' eyes, they aren't valued... they often aren't even noticed at all."
That was why Manus had said it. If they insisted on bringing a House-Elf inside... they actually could, because House-Elves were considered private property rather than independent intelligent beings.
No one had done so before because it was like taking a servant along whenever one went out just to wait on them. It was respectable at home, but outside it made one look incapable of taking care of oneself.
Yet Barty Jr. gleaned another meaning from those same words: the importance of observing every aspect of life.
Though Manus had taught him about such things before, simply hearing about them was ultimately one step removed. Now that the special nature of House-Elves—something that had always been right before his eyes yet had gone unnoticed—had been pointed out, Barty Jr. began examining life with greater scrutiny.
"Since you don't plan to go upstairs for a nap, why not listen to a