Wade flipped through Hermione's proposal and said, "I had a look. The short-term goal of your 'Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare' is… to ensure that house-elves receive fair wages and good working conditions."
The proposal laid out in detail how much compensation and leave various tasks performed by house-elves should earn.
"And your long-term goal," Wade turned to the next page, "is to liberate all house-elves from slavery, improve their legal status, allow them to use wands, and even advocate for appointing a house-elf to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?"
"That's right." Hermione nodded firmly. "Of course, I know that's a difficult goal, so we can start with the short-term ones! First, we need to ban the cruel abuse of house-elves by wizards!"
She paused, then looked at everyone and said, "I've discovered that many wizards still abuse and beat their house-elves. Wasn't Dobby treated like that in the Malfoy family?"
"But Hermione…" Padma asked in confusion, "This isn't the first time you've heard about that, right? Why this sudden… sudden concern?"
"Yes, that's true," Hermione frowned, "but I thought those were isolated cases! I mean, it's the Malfoys, right? I wasn't surprised they treated their elf that way. But then I heard Dobby was hired by Wade…"
She looked over at Wade with a mix of conflicted and complicated emotions on her face. "I heard about the working conditions you gave him. I thought that was normal. But I didn't expect…"
She took a deep breath and said angrily, "I didn't expect that no other house-elves are being treated that way! Not even at Hogwarts! Over a hundred elves work tirelessly day and night—no sick leave, no benefits, no proper treatment at all!"
Her tone was full of disappointment and disdain, as if to say—even Dumbledore isn't above reproach.
Everyone looked at each other.
Theo said, "But Hermione, maybe you don't fully understand… house-elves like serving wizards. It's in their nature."
"They don't need wages or freedom," Michael added. "To them, those things are an insult."
Wade raised a hand, and the others quieted down.
"Hermione, I think you're right. The enslavement of house-elves by wizards is a historical leftover, and most people are blind to their suffering," Wade said.
"It's very brave and noble of you to bring this up. Even if many people laugh at your ideas, history will prove you were right to fight for equality among races—your thinking is ahead of its time."
Everyone looked at Wade in surprise. Only Michael muttered to Padma beside him, "I bet there's a 'but' coming."
Hermione blushed at Wade's praise and smiled shyly and happily. "I just think… this is a serious case of social injustice. Wrongdoings should be corrected."
"But from your proposal, I only see an explanation of the current situation and the two goals of your organization." Wade put down the proposal, looked at Hermione, and gently asked, "What exactly do you plan to do?"
At this, Hermione's spirits lifted instantly. She unconsciously adopted Professor McGonagall's serious classroom demeanor and said earnestly:
"Of course I've thought this through!"
"First, we need to recruit members. Participants will pay two silver Sickles, and we'll use that money to print flyers."
"Then, I'll start by persuading the house-elves at Hogwarts. I'll help them realize that they're being enslaved, and that they should demand payment and vacation time from the school—it's what they deserve!"
"Next, we'll free the house-elves at Hogwarts. I looked it up—since we students are technically considered the 'masters' of Hogwarts too, if I give them clothes, they might be freed!"
Upon hearing this, everyone grew uneasy—why does every blow seem to be aimed straight at Hogwarts?
Especially that last move about freeing the elves… it sounds like it could actually work!
They exchanged uneasy glances. Then Harry quietly asked, "Hermione, if there are no house-elves at school, who's going to clean and cook for us?"
"We can do it ourselves! Or we can pool money to hire people to clean the common areas!" Hermione shot Harry a glare. "Harry, do you really think we have to depend on the oppression of house-elves just to live comfortably?"
"N-no." Harry replied weakly. "You know, back at the Dursleys', I was treated kind of like a house-elf myself."
"Exactly!" Hermione slapped the table and said loudly, "So you should understand even more clearly how badly this situation needs to change!"
"But immediately freeing all the house-elves is a bit too radical," Wade said. "Hermione, have you considered—what will the elves live on once they're free?"
He gave an example: "Dobby had a hard time finding a job at first. He almost ended up homeless. That was just one elf—imagine if over a hundred elves were suddenly freed at once… have you thought about what would happen to them?"
Hermione was stunned silent. After thinking for a while, she stammered, "The world is a big place… surely there'd be jobs somewhere? Dobby found work with you, didn't he?"
"Yes. But assuming all of them would easily find employers is wishful thinking. Without a home, elves might starve to death, or turn to crime, or even be killed by radical wizards—is that the outcome you want?" Wade asked.
Hermione didn't respond. Her lips pressed into a line, but the disagreement still clearly showed on her face.
"How about this," Wade said. "You believe they should be free and not enslaved. I think that releasing them blindly would make things worse. Most people believe house-elves like being enslaved… but all of these are just our opinions."
Hermione's eyes flickered. She looked up at Wade.
"That's still wizard arrogance, Hermione," Wade said pointedly. "If you truly want to help them, you should start by listening to what the house-elves themselves want—not deciding for them."
"I suggest you don't rush into recruiting members or trying to force wizards to change their minds. Instead, start with a survey to understand what the elves actually need."
"Don't ask them if they want freedom—that'll immediately upset most elves and sabotage your cause. Ask them questions like—"
"Do you feel tired from your daily work? Do you have time to rest? What happens when you make a mistake? Do you get enough food and a place to stay? Can you get treatment if you're injured?"
"Does being thanked by your master make you happy? If you received payment, what would you want to buy?"
"If given the chance to try a different kind of work, would you want a change? What's your favorite task? What do you dislike most? How do you feel about Dobby's current life?"
"If one day you had to leave Hogwarts, would your life improve? Would you want to change your current situation? If you were free to plan your own life, what would you choose to do?"
"Only by understanding the real thoughts of the house-elves can you create a practical and effective plan. Don't you think that makes sense, Hermione?" Wade asked.
Hermione looked into his gray eyes. The candlelight cast a dappled color in them, softening the wintry hue into a warm amber.
She was speechless for a moment, and shame brought a flush to her cheeks. But soon, the idealistic glow returned to her face.
"I understand now. I need real, reliable data—only then can I truly think from the house-elves' perspective!"
Immediately, she snapped into action. She pulled out a blank roll of parchment from her bag and began drafting a survey with intense focus and speed.
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