The scene became awkward.
The house elves were discussing in a low voice. Their voices were not considered low, and the whole kitchen was filled with their chattering.
Marble pillars decorated the surroundings, and the stone floor made the whole room look much bigger than the Slytherin lounge. It was almost the size of the Hogwarts auditorium.
Other than the house elves, the four long tables were the most eye-catching things in the room. They were placed in a similar position to the long tables in the auditorium. It seemed that when the students were eating, the delicious food was placed on the long tables and sent to the auditorium. After the meal, the tableware and food scraps were sent back.
A pile of fresh ingredients was piled up in the corner of the room. A dozen specially trained house elves were preparing them. There were several large pots and other cooking equipment piled up against the wall of the room. A few house elves wearing white pillowcases were holding spoons and surrounding them.
More house elves surrounded the pool in the left corner. The water here was so clear that the bottom could be seen. It seemed that it would never be polluted. Anna, who was standing at a high place, could clearly see the large amount of tableware at the bottom of the pool.
The walls of the room were mainly a warm beige color. The walls were full of hanging paintings. The most eye-catching one was the fruit painting. It was placed in a conspicuous position and was decorated with green plants.
"I knew it!"
A house elf wearing a pillowcase embroidered with the Hogwarts emblem was dancing. "Those barrels that have been there for who knows how many years definitely haven't been cleaned. Look!
They have grown people! "
"Yes, Sasha." Another house elf stared at Anna and agreed. "You are right!"
No matter what was in those barrels before, growing people would never happen, regardless of whether it was a magical world or not.
The exit of Hufflepuff's secret room was set on top of a pile of wooden barrels that had not been used for a long time. It was covered with dust.
Anna felt that Hufflepuff seemed to have a special fondness for wooden barrels.
Jumping down from the barrel, Anna patted the dust off her robe and said, "Uh … My hardworking workers, I'm just an ordinary student. I'm not full from the banquet, so I'm here to look for some food …"
The house elves looked at each other. A house elf who was folding a napkin into a boat and wearing it on her head even dropped the spoon in her hand.
Why would an ordinary student hide in a barrel of vinegar?
"Merlin's pillowcase!
I remember now! "
The house elf, Sasha, seemed to have thought of something and reacted. "Miss, please come and sit down!
We will prepare the food for you immediately! "
It took the toilet seat and cockroach from Anna's hands and handed them to its companions. It brought Anna to sit on a soft bean paste sofa and quickly served her a cup of hot tea.
The house elves quickly got to work. They washed and cut the vegetables, lit the big pot, and floated the ingredients. A house elf was trying to inflate the cake. No one knew how it did it, but it didn't use the oven.
"I'm really sorry, Miss. It's because most of the gentlemen and ladies come in from that secret door." Shasha pointed at the fruit hanging painting on the wall. "Very few people … I should say that you're the second person I've seen who came in from the barrel since I came here …"
"That was about fifty years ago. I almost forgot that there was a secret door over there. I'm really sorry!"
"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who troubled you …" Anna said politely.
The scene quieted down. For a moment, only the sound of the big pot could be heard.
"Why …" The atmosphere suddenly became quiet. Anna thought that she had said something wrong and scratched her head.
"It's not troublesome at all!"
The house elf with a spoon waved it. "It's our duty to serve the teachers and students of Hogwarts. It's our mission!"
"When there's work to do and a master to serve, the house elves must always be focused!"
"I'd rather wash a thousand or ten thousand dirty dishes here than return to … Honorable Master's house … I'm sorry, Honorable Master …" A pitiful looking house elf with scars on her head muttered silently.
Anna looked at the house elf who was muttering. Judging from the scars on its body, it should have suffered a lot in its previous master's house.
But unexpectedly, the muttering of the scarred elf did not arouse the sympathy and sympathy of the other elves.
"Are you crazy?!"
The elf with a spoon shouted to stop the scarred elf. "We can't say bad things about our master!
Not even our previous master!
It's not allowed even if we think about it! "
Amitabha. What kind of inexplicable and inhumane rule was this? Even complaining about the boss was not allowed. Anna frowned.
The point was that the scarred elf, Sisi, accepted this rule. It panicked and slapped its hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry …"
It apologized crazily. It looked very skilled, as if this had been engraved in its DNA.
"This … who made this rule?" Anna took a sip of the black tea that Sasha handed over.
"It should be the Ministry of Magic …" Sasha was not very sure. It shook its head. "I'm not very sure … I'm sorry. I've been told to follow this rule since I can remember …"
"It's the master's rule!"
The elf with a spoon jumped over. "The master's order is the highest law for house elves."
After seeing the traditional house elves with her own eyes and hearing these wonderful words, Anna felt that her worldview had been refreshed.
"Yes, yes." Sasha agreed with the spoon elf. "If we violate the master's order, we have to punish ourselves …"
"Wait." Anna could not listen to it anymore. She put down the black tea in her hand. "What if we don't punish ourselves?"
Sha Sha and the spoon fairy looked at each other with puzzled expressions. They seemed to be wondering how they could have disobeyed their master's orders without being punished. They said in unison, "There won't be such a time."
They were like the most devout believers who believed in a kind of god called 'master.'
"I know …" Sisi, whose body was full of scars, slowly moved over. "I will be arrested by the Ministry of Magic's Magical Creatures … Management and Control Department …"
"No." Sisi changed its wording. "I will be taken for a friendly exchange …" It paused for a moment. "They said so. Later, the house elves' rights center brought me here. Although I'm sorry, I think … it's a good thing …"
Sisi had doubts about the correctness of escaping from the abuse of its previous master. It was obvious that the house elves had long been used to losing their freedom and human rights.
A house elf hiding in the corner who heard this conversation chuckled softly.
It was very light and did not attract the attention of others.
Anna did not know what Sisi had experienced, but she felt uncomfortable. She did not like the way the house elves thought and did not like to see these hardworking elves suffer.
Maybe something could be done.
These thoughts suddenly appeared in Anna's mind when she was eating the delicious supper made by the house elves.
[Sparks of Fire: Low and narrow cellars, damp cupboards, or attics filled with junk. Tens of thousands of house elves live in these places. They are shrouded in pain and suffering. Their ears are pointed, their eyes are big, and they have to repeat complicated tasks day after day, enduring the torture of their 'master'.
They have never seen the sky full of bright stars on a summer night, nor have they personally made a cute snowman in the warm winter sun.
They had an average lifespan of two hundred years, but they did not have the opportunity to love freely. They could only be arranged by their 'master.' How many elves were forced to accept this idea and fell into the mire?
Now, there was such a house elf. It was wearing an ordinary pillowcase and standing in the mire, but it raised its head to look at the starry sky. Its eyes were shining with stars of fire.
Condition: Find the special house elf of Hogwarts. Reward: Unknown.]
Anna raised her head and looked around.