The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

"Thank you," Harry smiled.

"Weren't you celebrating? What are you doing here?" Roger asked sourly. "Didn't you eat and drink your fill at the victory celebration?"

Ron, completely oblivious to Roger's sour tone, said happily with a boastful air, "Oh, the celebration continues, everyone's going crazy with joy. We're here to call the house-elves to bring over some more food and drinks."

"You guys still have time to be happy?"

Hermione, standing to the side, was panting heavily with anger.

"If it weren't for this incident, I wouldn't have known that Hogwarts also had a group of house-elves!"

She found it hard to believe, as if her faith had collapsed.

"I mean, this is Hogwarts, the best magic school in the world, how can they tolerate such inhumane things!"

Everyone present looked at him with puzzled expressions.

"You're only finding out now?" Eddie couldn't help but ask. "Then who do you think is helping you carry your luggage, doing your laundry, and cleaning your dorm room?"

"I... I always thought it was all Hogwarts magic," Hermione said somewhat embarrassedly.

“I don’t know what you’re angry about.” Ron looked at her with great confusion. “House-elves love to work, and serving wizards is in their nature. My mother wanted one, but unfortunately we can’t keep one.”

Hermione retorted, "That's not right! You must be paid for your work!"

Ron pursed his lips. "You can't go against a creature's innate nature, even if it sounds a little strange."

Hermione disagreed with him. "I don't believe this is any kind of nature. This is the enslavement of a race by wizards, magical transformation, and it must be evil!"

"Why would you think that?" Scott said slowly. "Humans have tamed other animals for their own use since ancient times. Muggles also use cattle and horses to plow the land and carry goods, but no one pays those cattle and horses for their labor."

Hermione stared at Scott again, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“It’s different! House-elves possess the same intelligence as humans!” she said. “You should respect them and call them ‘he’ or ‘she’ instead of ‘it’!”

Scott shrugged. "To me, they're not human, that's enough."

"That's arrogance! Utter arrogance!" Hermione's face flushed red, her anger about to explode. "I can't understand how you could think such a thing!"

Scott wasn't angry with her, but calmly said, "Oxen and horses also have intelligence and are living beings, it's just that their intelligence is not as great as that of humans."

He looked up at Hermione.

"Those who possess intelligence equal to that of humans should be treated as equals. Those who lack intelligence equal to that of humans should be treated as livestock. Isn't that another form of arrogance?"

“This isn’t right…” Hermione said anxiously, “This isn’t right…”

However, she seemed to have been caught up in Scott's logic and was unable to refute him for the time being.

Scott continued his efforts.

"Since ancient times, human beings have been fighting against the cruel nature for survival. Animals are part of nature, and of course, so are magical animals."

"Whether the habits of modern house-elves are innate or tamed by wizards, they are the result of the ancient wizards' brutal struggles."

"Survival is this cruel."

"Human beings standing at the top of the food chain is the result of millions of years of evolutionary struggle."

"We cannot waste the fruits of victory that our predecessors fought and bled for, nor can we betray their efforts for humanity."

Hermione's eyes flickered upon hearing his words.

Scott knew she was actually a little lost.

"But that's not right," she said stubbornly, her voice much softer.

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Scott said. “Our disagreement is that you equate alien races with humans, but I don’t agree with that equation. Humans conquered them, which is the fruit of human struggle, and there’s nothing shameful about enjoying that victory.”

"Don't you have any compassion or empathy?" Hermione looked at Scott as if she were seeing him for the first time.

Scott shook his head. "I'm sorry, my compassion and empathy can be extended to any human being, whether they are wizards or Muggles. But non-human races are non-human, so why should we treat them as humans?"

“They themselves don’t want to be considered human,” Ron muttered. “The Ministry of Magic once tried to classify centaurs as human, but they refused. They firmly believe that they are animals.”

Scott shrugged at Hermione again.

“You’re just making excuses! Even animals are protected by law in the Muggle world these days!” Hermione seemed to snap out of Scott’s logic. “I just wanted to fight for the rights that house-elves deserve, what’s wrong with that!”

With red eyes, she suddenly stood up and ran out of the kitchen crying.

Chapter 402 The Last Week Before the Exam

After Hermione ran away crying, the atmosphere in the kitchen suddenly became a little awkward.

Scott's three roommates and Luna all stopped eating and turned to look at him.

Harry and Ron also awkwardly stood up from their seats.

“Oh, don’t mind it,” Ron said awkwardly. “Hermione always has some weird ideas.”

“Yes…yes.” Harry also seemed a little awkward.

Scott, however, remained remarkably calm.

He shook his head. "To be honest, her thinking isn't that strange. Kindness and compassion are good things."

Ron and Harry both looked at him with veiled, strange expressions when they heard this.

Scott smiled. "Although we have different views, we've just been discussing it. I don't accept her ideas, nor do I intend to force her to accept mine."

“Well… that’s good.” Harry forced a smile. “I’ll talk to Hermione about it. Besides, she’s only a little angry right now.”

"Come on, she's always trying to cram her own ideas into everyone's head," Ron muttered under his breath.

Although his voice was very soft, everyone present could hear it.

Hearing him say that, Harry was almost unable to maintain his smile.

He nudged Ron with his elbow. "Let's hurry back and continue the celebration. Everyone's waiting for us, oh, and there's food!"

He turned and ran to the stove, said something to the group of house-elves hiding there, then quickly ran back to say goodbye, and pulled Ron away.

"Congratulations again on winning the championship." Scott paused in his wave. "Oh, by the way..."

Harry and Ron stopped again.

Scott looked into Harry's eyes. "Harry, have you learned it? I mean, the spell Sirius taught you?"

Judging from Harry's current appearance, he guessed that the boy was no longer frequently troubled by the nightmares that Voldemort had given him.

“Oh, I must say, that’s really difficult.” Harry nodded and smiled genuinely. “But there has been some progress.”

Scott said, "Congratulations, you'll have an easier time once you learn it."

"Thank you!"

After the two left the kitchen, Scott continued eating.

“Oh, Scott, were all the things you said during your debate with ‘Little McGonagall’ true?” Eddie asked him.

"What do you say?"

“I have no idea. Of course, maybe you’re just trying to confuse her.”

Scott shrugged and said nothing more.

All he said was actually a response to Hermione's immediate accusations.

As for whether what he said made sense, he didn't think much about it himself.

Milton, who was standing nearby, said, "To be honest, house-elves are indeed a bit pitiful, but I've never felt there's anything wrong with it."

Roger said, "I think as long as we don't deliberately mistreat them, we should respect their own will."

“You’re right.” Milton thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Luna, who was sitting next to Scott, put down her knife and fork.

"Are you full?" Scott asked.

Luna nodded.

"I'm stuffed."

Her gaze was unfocused, as if she were lost in thought again.

After a while, she spoke again, “I don’t have any house-elves in my house.”

The statement was rather abrupt and unrelated, so Scott simply hummed in agreement.

“They are very happy at Hogwarts,” Luna added.

Her gaze shifted to the group of house-elves who were bustling about again.

"It will be very difficult to change their mindset," she said casually.

Scott hummed in agreement again.

“What if their mindset really changes?” Luna suddenly turned to Scott and asked, “What if they ask for wages and holidays themselves?”

“Then give them to them,” Scott said nonchalantly. “Those goblins also control Gringotts and are doing quite well in the wizarding world.”

“Oh.” Luna nodded.

Scott asked her with some curiosity, "What do you think? If Hermione invited you to work together to improve the rights of house-elves, would you agree?"

Luna tilted her head and thought for a moment, then nodded and shook her head.

Eddie, who had been listening to the two talking, couldn't help but ask Luna, "What does nodding and shaking your head mean?"

Luna glanced at him but did not answer.

Her eyes began to glaze over again.

“Let me guess,” Scott said. “Nodding means you can agree to her, and shaking your head means you feel you can’t do anything about it.”

Luna refocused her gaze and nodded.

“What do you mean?” Eddie asked again.

“The hardest part of this is not fighting for the rights of this group, but their own awakening of their minds,” Scott said. “If we can’t change their deep-rooted beliefs, no matter how much else we do, it will be useless.”

Luna nodded again.

Scott added, "This is something that can be done, and it might even make the wizarding world more prosperous. But it could also lead to worse consequences, such as them becoming enemies of wizards after awakening."