Power Has Never Been Granted as a Handout

Two days later, Mr. Weasley brought Harry out.

However, the communication between the two sides did not go very well. According to Harry's uncle Dursley, Harry ruined an important business deal for him.

That was the drilling rig project he had been discussing for a long time, and it was also his hope for a promotion, a raise, becoming a general manager, becoming a CEO, remarrying... cough cough, reaching the pinnacle of life.

But Harry... actually, unforgivably, threw the pudding cake he'd spent the whole afternoon making from the ceiling, splattering the the Masons all over.

Then, they got an owl, which angered Mrs. Mason was allergic to birds, and she left in a huff.

According to Mr. Weasley's description, he was terrified at the time, and if Dursley had been a wizard, he might have given Harry an Avada Kedavra.

Mr. Weasley negotiated for a long time, but the other party simply wouldn't release him.

By lunchtime, the the Dursleys believed that if he stayed any longer, he was trying to freeload a meal.

Or perhaps the two were afraid the neighbors would notice a strange person in their house, and besides, they wouldn't see Harry for a month... Anyway, for various reasons, they finally agreed to let Mr. Weasley take Harry away.

"I don't!"

Sitting in William's small courtyard, Harry argued loudly.

Soon, Harry told them about Dobby and the warning it had given him.

After he finished speaking, the courtyard remained silent for a long time.

"Very suspicious," Fred said.

"This is obviously very suspicious," George chimed in. "He won't even tell you who's behind it all?"

"I think he can't talk," Harry said. "Like I said, every time he's about to blurt something out, he bangs his head against the wall."

"House-elf cannot tell anyone about its owner without its permission," William explained. "He will punish himself."

Fred and George exchanged a glance. "That's right, he clearly disobeyed his master's orders and even informed Harry... This is completely out of character for House-elf."

"What, you think he's lying to me?" Harry said.

"Well," Fred said, "To put it this way— House-elf have amazing magic, but they generally can't use magic without their master's permission, much less go and reveal their master's secrets."

I think Dobby was sent to stop you from returning to Hogwarts. Someone wanted to play a trick on you and said those things on purpose.

George asked, "Do you have any enemies at school?"

"Yes," Harry and Ron said immediately in unison.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained, "He hates me."

William slightly raised his eyelids, took a sip of tea, and thought that Malfoy would be heartbroken to hear Harry say such things.

"Actually, it's quite simple to find out whose House-elf Dobby," William said.

"What method?" All eyes turned to William.

"Just ask in the Hogwarts Kitchens," William shrugged.

"Hogwarts Kitchens are home to a large number of House-elf House-elf, who often interact with each other, honing their culinary skills and competing in cleaning techniques."

There will always be someone who knows Dobby.

"That's right!" Fred clapped his hands.

Harry nodded eagerly, realizing that telling everyone had made things much simpler.

"What? Hogwarts also has a large number of House-elf?" Hermione frowned.

She suddenly realized that Dobby, the House-elf, was not quite the same as she had imagined.

The Nicolas family members were always humble and polite; they wore proper clothes and carried wands.

But Dobby, as Harry described him, seemed to be in a very bad situation.

And now she's heard that Hogwarts also has a large number of House-elf.

She had never seen it before.

Fred asked curiously, "Of course, there are over a hundred at Hogwarts. They carried all our luggage to our dormitories, and also all the food for the dinner."

"I haven't seen a single one!" Hermione said.

"They rarely leave the kitchen during the day," George said. "They come out at night to clean... watch the stove and stuff... you shouldn't see them."

The hallmark of a good House-elf is that you have no idea it exists. My mom has always wanted one.

Hermione frowned. "So, do they get paid?"

Do they have holidays? And—do they have sick leave, pensions, all that?

Ron laughed, he laughed so hard.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. House-elf don't need sick leave or pensions."

They only need to work; they love serving wizards.

"Nonsense!" Hermione retorted angrily. "I've seen plenty of House-elf at Nicolas's estate, and they all have all sorts of holidays."

Mercury even asked us to give him good reviews, as it was related to his year-end bonus, so I wrote him a lot of reviews.

Is it, William?

William quickly recounted the story of the Nicolas family's House-elf.

"But they have gold. Even though the Philosopher's Stone is gone, Nicolas Flamel doesn't care," Ron muttered.

Dumbledore has already spread the news of the destruction of the Philosopher's Stone, and perhaps a hundred years from now, people will discover that Nicolas Flamel was lying.

Harry clearly didn't want them to continue arguing, so he interrupted, "Let's not talk about this anymore. We're going to Stoatshead Hill. Are you coming?"

"No!" Hermione opened her textbook. "We need to study."

Harry looked at the four strange groups slumped over the small table.

William was holding a thick book with strange writing on the cover, which he couldn't understand.

Hermione is looking at her Potions Class; judging from her progress, she's already finished learning the second-year material.

Anne was diligently doing the homework Hermione had assigned.

The girl Luna was holding a magazine, but she was holding it upside down.

"Merlin! Is it summer vacation?" Harry wondered to himself.

No! No, if he stays here any longer, he'll feel guilty—guilty of wasting his summer vacation.

Clearly, the others thought so too, and the twin brothers got up to say goodbye.

After the others left, Hermione picked up William's teacup and drank the water in one gulp.

She angrily exclaimed, "This is slave labor! This is blatant exploitation!"

"That's not entirely true, Hermione." William closed the book.

"You just heard about Dobby's situation, all sorts of punishments, which is common in large families."

But this isn't the case at Hogwarts. I've seen the House-elf in the kitchen; they're very happy, and they don't even want to go to wizarding homes."

"But..."

"Do you know how many years it took Nicolas to rid the House-elf of their servility?"

Hermione shook her head.

Six hundred years.

"A House-elf has a lifespan of two hundred years, and it took Nicolas almost three generations to rid the House-elf of the slave nature in his manor."

Do you think you have that much time?

"But we can spread the word about being kinder to the House-elf and improving their lives," Hermione said earnestly.

William shook his head and said softly, "History tells us that top-down reforms never succeed easily."

Power is not bestowed by those in power, but rather earned by those in power through their own efforts!