The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 16 The Little Elves in the Castle

Do you think you can handle him?

"Dumbledore asked."

Snape did not answer immediately.

He calmed his breathing, and the conversation from earlier resurfaced in his mind.

"He's a different kind of adversary than the Dark Lord," Snape's voice was deeper than usual, "but I can handle him."

With his wand hidden in his long sleeve, Snape suddenly remembered those calm, dark eyes, just like they had been on that day more than a decade ago.

Can I really handle this?

He suddenly wasn't so sure anymore.

......

Lynch walked down the stone steps of the castle all the way to the underground corridor.

Torches were stuck in the walls on both sides of the corridor, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

By the light of the fire, he quickly found a huge still life painting of fruit.

Unlike typical paintings that hang high on the wall, this painting is very close to the ground; in fact, the bottom edge of its frame is practically flush with the ground.

Lynch stretched out a finger and gently scratched one of the pears in the painting.

The pear wriggled and chuckled, transforming into a giant green doorknob.

The entire painting has also been transformed into a door.

Lin Qi opened the door and went inside.

Inside was a large room with a very high ceiling, the same size as the Great Hall at Hogwarts, with four long tables in the center, just like in the Great Hall.

There were many gleaming copper pots and pans piled up beside the stone walls.

A large brick fireplace stood at the other end of the room, and several house-elves were gathered around it.

Hearing Lin Qi open the door and walk in, they immediately ran over from the fireplace and surrounded him.

Their faces were beaming as they bowed and curtsied to Lynch.

Lin Qi smiled warmly again: "I missed dinner and came to the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat."

"Of course, sir!"

"It was a house-elf who answered."

As he answered, the two house-elves hurriedly ran off.

Soon, the two house-elves returned carrying a large silver tray.

On the tray were a large glass of milk, a teapot, some snacks, and half a roast chicken.

Lin Qi sat down at the long table and began to eat.

The house-elves were still surrounding him, their faces beaming with smiles.

After eating some snacks and roast chicken, Lin Qi picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea, which was black tea.

After taking a sip of black tea, Lin Qi looked around at the house-elves.

"I am the wizard who lives in the stone house in the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore has agreed to let me become a teacher at Hogwarts, and I will continue to live in that stone house. Which of you is responsible for bringing my meals to my stone house on a regular basis?"

The house-elves looked at each other, and one of them suddenly vanished.

"Thortz is the one who delivers meals to the master! Thortz is always waiting in the Forbidden Forest! Pippa went to find him!"

The house-elf who initially responded to Lynch replied.

Totz?

Lin Qi frowned slightly when he didn't hear the familiar name he expected.

"Okay, I'll wait for him."

Lynch forked a piece of roasted chicken and ate it again.

"Pippa will be back soon! Very soon!"

The house-elf called out from the side.

He wasn't wrong, Pippa was indeed very fast.

Before Lin Qi could take more than a few bites, he heard a loud popping sound.

Two house-elves appeared in the room; one of them was the one that had just disappeared, which should be Pippa.

The other one was half a head taller than Pippa and looked a bit stronger. He was holding a silver plate with a smooth, shiny silver lid on top.

He must be Totz.

Totz placed the tray on the table, then peeked half his head out from behind the large silver lid, his big eyes full of surprise.

"Sir! Sir is here to see Totz! Totz has been waiting for so long and sir hasn't rung the bell! He thought sir didn't like Totz's cooking!"

Lin Qi looked at the silver plate he had placed on the table. Although it was covered at the moment, it was not hard to imagine that it contained his favorite vegetable stew and roast meat.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Lin Qi asked, "Do you bring me food like this every day?"

"Yes, sir! Your house is too far from the kitchen! Totz's magic can't reach you! Totz prepares the food every day and waits in the forest for you to ring the bell! Totz has a way of keeping it warm! You eat the best food!"

The house-elf in front of me spoke loudly, and when it talked about its way of keeping warm, it shook its head and was very happy.

The happy face gradually overlapped and confirmed a certain face in my mind.

"What's your relationship with Libo?" Lynch asked Totz.

"Libo is Totz's mother!"

"Where is she? I remember she used to work in the kitchens at Hogwarts."

"Mom is dead!"

The action of bringing the chicken to his mouth stopped, but only for a brief moment.

Lin Qi chewed on the chicken that should have been tender and juicy, but it felt like he was chewing on a piece of firewood.

He swallowed the chicken, then asked, "How did she die?"

"Mom collapsed suddenly while working!" Totz's voice paused briefly, then turned sorrowful. "It was an honorable death, dying on the job!"

"Yeah..."

Lynch wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Did he die at work...?" he muttered to himself.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the clueless little elf in front of him.

"Thortz, I will be teaching at Hogwarts and will continue to live in that stone house. As you said, it's a bit far from the castle. Would you be willing to be my personal elf? Just take care of me while I'm teaching there."

"Thortz agrees!" the house-elf exclaimed happily, but quickly hesitated. "But Thortz is a Hogwarts house-elf, and he needs Professor Dumbledore's order to become a house-elf!"

"Is that so? Please wait a moment."

Lin Qi sat at the table and closed his eyes.

The next instant, the crow flew off his shoulder and darted out of the kitchen door like an arrow.

The crows spread their wings and flew up the steps and corridors of the ancient castle.

After a few flaps of its wings and somersaults, the crow flew over an ugly, enormous stone monster statue and came to an oak door.

The crow folded its wings and made a soft "poof" sound. The crow then transformed into Lin Qi's figure and appeared in front of the wooden door.

He knocked on the door.

The wooden door opened automatically, and a buzzing voice came from inside: "Please come in!"

Lynch went inside and saw Dumbledore sitting behind the headmaster's desk, his deep blue eyes behind his crescent-shaped spectacles appearing exceptionally profound under the headmaster's office light.

"Good evening, Headmaster Dumbledore."

Lin Qi bowed slightly in greeting, his face still bearing a perfectly appropriate smile.

"Good evening, Mr. Lynch. Please have a seat." Dumbledore's voice remained gentle, with a slight hum at the end. He gestured for the chair opposite him. "Did something urgent happen that brought you here so suddenly?"

Lynch sat down following Dumbledore's gesture, his back ramrod straight.

"Nothing urgent has happened," Lynch said. "I just remembered something small that I need your approval for while I was eating in the kitchen."

He paused, then calmly met Dumbledore's gaze. "I intend to continue living in the stone house, using the castle office only for teaching. However, the two places are too far apart, and on holidays when I'm not at the castle, I still need assistance with my daily needs. Therefore, I made a request to the elf who has been serving me, hoping that he could become my personal elf during my teaching period. He told me that this requires your permission. So, I have come to request your consent."

Dumbledore gave a soft "Oh," his silver eyebrows slightly raised.

He didn't answer immediately, his fingertips slowly tapping on the table, sorting through the memories in his mind.

"I remember... the name of the little fairy in charge of you was... Torts." His voice was soft, his sharp eyes catching any subtle change in Lynch's face. "Before him, there was his mother... I think her name was... Libo?"

Lynch's expression remained unchanged, still smiling. "That's right, Totz and Libo, mother and son, their cooking skills are passed down from generation to generation. I really like one of their stews. You should try it sometime, Principal. It's incredibly delicious."

"Of course, Mr. Lynch," Dumbledore finally spoke, a gentle smile returning to his face. "It is one of my important responsibilities to ensure that every professor, especially those with heavy responsibilities, can work and live at Hogwarts without distractions. Thortz will report to you first thing tomorrow morning."

"Thank you for your understanding and support, Principal." Lin Qi stood up to take his leave, bowing slightly once more. "It's late, so I won't disturb your rest any longer. Good night."

Good night, Mr. Lynch.

Lin Qi walked out of the principal's office, his figure twisting like a phantom, and once again turned into a crow.

The crow spread its wings and flew away from the principal's office door.

Inside the headmaster's office, Dumbledore could see a corner outside the door through the reflection in the mirror on the wall.

As he watched the raven's black silhouette fly away like an arrow, Dumbledore touched his fingertips together and fell into deep thought once again.

......

In the kitchen, Lin Qi opened his eyes.

He looked at Totz.

At that moment, the house-elf, surrounded by its companions, was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

They seemed puzzled as to why the wizard suddenly stopped speaking halfway through his sentence, sat down, and closed his eyes.

His big eyes were full of doubt.

"Headmaster Dumbledore has agreed, and the official appointment will be announced tomorrow. From now on, you are my personal elf."

Lin Qi suddenly opened his eyes and spoke, which startled him.

His body trembled before he realized what Lin Qi had said.

He excitedly raised his hands, jumping for joy: "Thortz is a little elf now! Thortz has a better job! Mom will be so proud of me!"

The house-elves around gathered around and congratulated Tots.

Lynch sat at the table, watching Thors celebrate happily, when a dark shadow flew in from outside and landed on his shoulder.

After a while, the house-elves' excitement subsided.

Lynch began, "Earlier, you said you'd wait for me in the Forbidden Forest every day with a plate in hand, waiting for me to ring the bell. The Forbidden Forest is fraught with danger; weren't you afraid?"

Thors puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Thors isn't afraid!"

Lin Qi narrowed his eyes: "What things are chasing you?"

Perhaps recalling the chase he'd been subjected to, Totz, who had just been so proud, now wore a look of lingering fear: "Those huge spiders with so many long legs! And those guys with sharp fangs! They kept trying to catch Totz! But Totz was fast! Those bad guys couldn't catch him!"

In the latter half of his speech, it seemed that his speed gave him a lot of confidence, and he showed that proud expression again.

"Was your mother caught up with and killed by those bad guys?"

Lin Qi continued to ask.

Totz's answer momentarily stunned him.

"No! Mom is the best at hiding! Those bad guys can't find Mom!" Tots's expression changed, turning into an expression Lynch had only ever seen on a house-elf—an expression of longing.

"Professor Dumbledore said she was too old and died of natural causes! She collapsed after the soup was being prepared! My mother was amazing!"

After taking another sip of black tea, Lin Qi felt his throat was a little dry.

"stew?"

"Yes, sir! It's your favorite vegetable soup! Totz can make it too! My mother taught Totz!!"

Lin Qi put down his teacup, stood up, and walked outside.

Only one sentence remained in the air: "Come find me along the road tomorrow morning."

Totz looked at his back; he was still standing straight, but he felt something was different.

Lynch climbed the steps, passed through the castle gates, and walked out of Hogwarts Castle.

He remained silent, a crow perched on his shoulder, and quietly walked toward the Forbidden Forest.

Until we approached the edge of the forbidden forest.

Lynch stopped in his tracks.

He looked up at the sky above, where thick, dark clouds covered the entire sky, and apart from the castle behind him, there was no light in the world.

Lynch muttered to himself.

"To die while preparing dinner for me... that's hardly an honor..."

That face appeared in my mind again.

That face was unlike any other house-elves.

Two large ears droop down on either side of his cheeks, and his face sometimes carries a peculiar expression.

Lin Qi knew that expression was called longing.

It's an expression that comes from having high hopes for the future.

It was an expression that had never appeared on the faces of those who kept Pokémon at home before.

She has her own dreams.

She said, "Mr. Lynch, I want a free life..."

The house-elf who reached out to him in the darkness died while preparing his dinner.

Lin Qi suddenly clenched his teeth, his jaw grinding so hard it made a cracking sound.

I clenched my fist so tightly that the bones in my hand started to ache.

Lin Qi closed his eyes tightly, trying to control himself.

"I will make your dreams come true!"

He reopened his eyes, his gaze firm and sharp.

Lynch stood at the edge of the forbidden forest.

"Start by giving your child a safe road..."

He stretched out his hands, clasped them together, and uttered a series of incantations. Invisible ripples spread out from him instantly.

Then, he lightly pressed his palms forward and took a step.

As he moved forward, a strange power was released from his hands in front of him.

The mud and sand churned up, revealing a smooth and flat road surface. The flowers, grass, and trees seemed to grow legs, hopping and making way before taking root again by the roadside.

Soon, a path appeared beneath Lynch's feet, running straight through the dark Forbidden Forest, leading to the familiar white stone house.

Lin Qi stepped onto the stone floor tiles and turned to look at the path.

He crouched down and pressed his hands against the white stone bricks that marked the boundary of the stone house.

His gaze was fixed on the road ahead, and as he moved his hands, his will resonated with the stone bricks, causing the entire stone house to tremble slightly.

Lynch resolutely uttered the incantation.

"Make a pair!"

The Copying Charm is a simple spell that any wizard with a certain level of skill can use with ease.

As is well known, the difficulty of the copying spell varies depending on the item being copied.

Specifically, the higher the magical attributes contained within, the greater the magic power consumed in copying.

Lynch had studied the white stone bricks beneath his feet for a long time, and one of his conclusions was that they were a powerful and ancient magical artifact.

Therefore, when Lin Qi recited the incantation, his face instantly turned pale, and a huge amount of magic power poured out of his body in an instant. A sense of weakness gripped him from the inside out, causing his face to flush again.

The crow on Lynch's shoulder was jolted by the impact and flapped its wings in an attempt to fly off Lynch's shoulder, but it fell to the ground halfway there.

But Lin Qi didn't care about any of that; he just stared at the road in front of him.