"It's just exploitation, it's unreasonable, how could Professor Dumbledore allow this to happen!"
Walking on the stairs at night, in the murals on the wall, many ghosts curiously watched the chattering girl and her male companion.
"Those house-elves deserve their own wages, Luke!"
Hermione complained angrily.
It seemed to her that this exploitative activity had disappeared hundreds of years ago.
"I'll never eat anything they make again!"
Hermione decided to go on a hunger strike!
"No, you can't solve the root cause like this," Luke explained to her step by step. "It's better to solve the problem from the root cause rather than not eating."
"For example, you can set yourself a small goal."
"What target?"
Hermione asked curiously.
"Do you have any ideals?"
Luke did not rush to answer her question, but instead asked a question.
"Ideal?"
"Yes, for example, do you have any positions you want to pursue in the future?"
"I want to be a... doctor?"
Hermione thought about it carefully. Under her father's guidance, the only job she could choose at the moment seemed to be a dentist.
"Wizards don't need dentists," Luke quipped.
For wizards, most diseases could be cured with a simple spell.
And toothache, such a minor ailment, was naturally included.
"Then, how about being a professor?"
Hermione said tentatively, considering that with her extensive knowledge of the future, becoming a professor was also a very good choice.
"Being a professor won't solve the elf problem."
"The scope needs to be broader, like aiming to become the Minister of Magic!"
Luke said exactly what he wanted to convey. Having a minister of magic on his side is not a bad prospect
Hermione, who hadn't thought of becoming Minister of Magic before, suddenly realized that with her knowledge and determination, she could indeed make a significant impact.
"Minister of Magic..." Suddenly, her brown eyes lit up.
"You're right! If I become the Minister of Magic, I'll have the power to free the elves!"
Hermione enthusiastically set her sights on this noble goal.
"Hahaha, it's quite amusing to see a young wizard aspiring to be the Minister of Magic!"
A sharp voice echoed through the wall, and the two looked up at a mural. In the mural, an old woman pointed her finger to the side.
Following the direction of her pointing finger, they spotted a short, comically dressed, pale ghost laughing heartily while clutching his belly.
"Peeves?"
Both of them had encountered this troublemaker in Hogwarts on several occasions. Many professors couldn't do anything about him, not even Snape.
Rumor had it that this mischievous spirit had been around since the establishment of Hogwarts, longer than anyone else.
"Hermione has no friends, Luke has no friends, you two are pathetic!"
"Hahahaha!"
"It's quite revolting!"
"Let's go, Luke, don't pay him any attention!"
Hermione half-squinted and pulled Luke away from the mural, leaving Peeves behind, still cackling in his ghostly glee.
This particular Peeves was not easily intimidated and had a penchant for mischief. It seemed impervious to threats and force.
Legend had it that there was a time when a caretaker attempted to capture Peeves. The result was chaos in the castle, with Peeves wielding machetes, crossbows, a large-caliber machine gun, and even a bazoka. Classes had to be suspended for three days to ensure the students' safety. The then-principal, Euplasia Moore, had to personally negotiate with Peeves. After that incident, no one dared to provoke the mischievous spirit.
However, not everyone was deterred. Luke was an exception.
"Wait a minute!"
Luke spoke, then turned his back to Hermione and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, his black sickle-shaped pupils began to rotate slowly.
Magic didn't have much effect on Peeves. After all, it had inhabited the castle for nearly a thousand years and had experienced almost all forms of magic. However, it was evident that Peeves couldn't resist the illusion that was being cast upon it.
Soon, Peeves' previously wild laughter abruptly ceased. The mischievous spirit floated in the air, its eyes growing distant.
"It's gone."
Luke informed the stunned Hermione.
"What happened to it?"
Hermione inquired, glancing at the motionless Peeves.
"I just looked at it, and I think the spell might not work on it."
"I don't know what happened to it; perhaps it's scheming another prank."
"Then let's move quickly!"
Hermione urged, and Luke followed suit.
Meanwhile, on the wall behind them, a group of curious ghosts observed Peeves, who was suspended in mid-air, rigid and unmoving, pointing and whispering to each other.
Suddenly, a sharp scream startled them.
"Don't come near—"
"Those red eyes, they're terrifying!"
"That snake is definitely up to no good—"
Peeves continued its rampage until the final crash into the wall, vanishing without a trace.
The surrounding ghosts exchanged bemused glances, unsure whether to laugh or sympathize.
But the corners of their ghostly mouths couldn't help but twitch.
Who would have thought that Peeves would meet such a fate?
The cheerful laughter at the Hogwarts supper that night was, for Peeves, the stuff of nightmares.
After parting ways, Hermione headed to the eighth floor, while Luke made his way to the basement.
....
"Pure breed."
As he uttered the password, the door to Slytherin's common room swung open.
Luke shook his head, ignoring the young snakes boasting about their families' power in the common room, and proceeded straight to his dormitory.
"I took a nap in the afternoon, and now I can't sleep at all."
Luke lay on his bed, his thoughts in turmoil.
His two dormmates, both addicted to the internet, were still immersed in their virtual world. Malfoy even wanted to persuade him to buy a few more units, which seemed to be a trend among noble wizards. However, Luke didn't have much interest in it, so he declined outright.
He had given Malfoy two units mainly out of boredom and not with the intention of selling them.
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