On the morning of October 30th, when Jane Yu went to the Great Hall for breakfast, she found it had been completely redecorated overnight.
Huge silk banners in four colors hung on the walls, each representing one of Hogwarts' Houses. Behind the staff table, the Hogwarts crest was displayed, featuring the lion, eagle, badger, and snake encircling a large letter "H."
The entire castle was immersed in excitement and joy.
Though Jane suspected that much of the enthusiasm stemmed from the fact that classes would end early that afternoon.
For fourth years, that particular class happened to be Snape's Potions lesson.
Thus, the joy of the Gryffindors practically overflowed from the castle; everyone was brimming with energy and radiance.
The Slytherins were no exception. Her roommate Daphne had gotten up early to do her makeup, and the boys had neatly tied their ties, casting disdainful looks at the casually dressed Gryffindors as if they were bugs.
"I heard Warrington is signing up for the Triwizard Tournament," Daphne, ever the gossip, quickly shared the news. "Yu, do you know him? The Chaser who joined our Quidditch team last year—"
Jane searched her memory and soon recalled his appearance.
He was a tall, burly boy who had gone head-to-head with the Gryffindor team on the pitch last year—in the most literal sense.
"Cassius Warrington?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "He's alright, plays pretty aggressively... Best of luck to him."
"Best of luck," Blaise said lazily, poking at the fried egg on his plate. "Though I doubt he has much of a chance... If one of us could become a champion, old Slytherin himself might come back to life."
"And instead of worrying about a competition we can't even enter," he added pointedly, "we should focus on the group project due after Halloween."
Everyone who heard this visibly deflated, even Jane lost her appetite.
Her group's essay appendix was already longer than the main text.
Perhaps the only one who could remain composed amidst the Triwizard Tournament excitement was Hermione.
She was fervently promoting her S.P.E.W. badges and gave a speech during their group project meeting that day:
"The ones who change your bed linens, light your fires, clean your classrooms, and cook your meals are a group of unpaid, enslaved house-elves!"
Susan Bones looked at her in astonishment, tugging on her long braid.
"But we Hufflepuffs live close to the kitchens... I've been there, and they seem happy with their work. They think they have the best jobs—"
Hermione shot to her feet, insisting that Susan take her to the kitchens and passionately arguing:
"That's because they've been brainwashed! Yu, will you come with me?"
Jane gladly agreed; the kitchens were a far better destination than discussing Appendix Ten of their essay.
She followed Susan, the four of them heading downwards, passing the Hufflepuff common room and walking through a stone corridor.
Susan stopped in front of a painting of a large bowl of fruit and lightly tickled the green pear with her finger.
They stepped into a room as large as the Great Hall, filled with pots, pans, and hundreds of house-elves busily working.
Upon seeing the four of them, the house-elves all bowed in unison, but six or seven of them let out sharp cries.
They hastily grabbed a checkered tablecloth and draped it over something on a small stool, carefully tucking in the corners.
"We can't let the young masters and mistresses see this!" the elves wailed, covering their faces in shame. "Shiny is a bad elf! We hope you won't judge us all because of her!"
Shiny? What was she doing here?
Jane was puzzled. Ever since hearing that she had been freed by Crouch, she hadn't heard any news about her.
She stepped forward and pulled off the tablecloth, revealing Shiny, fast asleep with tear-streaked cheeks.
When Jane shook her awake, Shiny opened her eyes, her lips trembling before she burst into tears:
"Shiny is a bad elf now, Miss Jane, Shiny has been cast out—"
"Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed. "Listen to me, Shiny, you've been freed! You have every right to find a new job!"
Shiny stopped crying, sat up abruptly, and glared at Hermione, her voice shrill and piercing:
"Freedom! What a disgrace! Shiny has served the Crouch family since birth—my mother, my grandmother... What would they say if they knew Shiny had been freed? Shiny is ashamed of her freedom!"
Hermione's face showed bewilderment, and she was about to argue when a snap of fingers interrupted her.
"Miss Jane! And her esteemed friends!" Dobby appeared with a pop, beaming with joy, tears of happiness glistening in his eyes. "Dobby was looking for you in your dormitory, but you weren't there!"
"Did you come here with Shiny?" Jane asked.
Dobby puffed out his chest, his clean and tidy uniform radiating pride.
"Yes, Miss! Dobby has found you a potential employee!"
"Dobby visited Shiny and found that she had also been freed, so Dobby brought her to you!"
At the mention of "freed," Shiny flung herself off the stool, wailing in despair.
"Master Crouch—he was a good wizard—he was right to dismiss bad Shiny—"
"Shiny has fallen, cast out, unable to find work—bad Shiny! Bad Shiny!"
Jane studied her and quickly realized that not every house-elf was like Dobby, liberated in thought and yearning for freedom.
Shiny's situation clearly showed she still regarded Crouch as her master and felt ashamed of her freedom.
In her current state, she wasn't suited for the competitive environment of the Hog's Head Inn.
But here at Hogwarts, she could help Jane get to and from classes quickly with Apparition.
"I can offer you a job," Jane decided.
The Hogwarts house-elves let out startled gasps.
Dobby was overjoyed, tugging at his ears, while Shiny's mood seemed to improve slightly, though she continued to sob.
"Thank you... Miss Jane... You are a kind witch... But Shiny cannot let go of Master Crouch, he—"
"We're not master and servant," Jane replied. "You need a job, and I need services. This is a modern employment relationship."
Shiny stopped crying, looking at her in disbelief.
"As for wages—" Jane pondered the payment system.
But Shiny let out a shriek, looking utterly horrified.
"Shiny may be a bad elf, but Shiny hasn't fallen so low as to accept wages!"
"Why not?" Hermione finally found her voice. "You have every right to be paid—"
Shiny glared at her with disdain, and the other house-elves in the Hogwarts kitchen also looked at Hermione with strange eyes, as if she carried some dangerous virus.
"This job doesn't come with wages," Jane corrected. "Only points, which you can use to exchange for items—clothes... shoes..."
After many interactions with Dobby and Kreacher, Jane had discovered numerous loopholes in the rules house-elves adhered to.
She decided to exploit one.
Upon hearing this, the other eavesdropping Hogwarts house-elves let out cries of surprise, their emotions ranging from astonishment to envy.
Shiny seemed puzzled by this new concept of points. She lowered her head in thought, tugging at her ears with both hands.
"Points... points... Shiny cannot accept wages... but points are not wages..."
She suddenly looked enlightened, bowed deeply to Jane, and said shrilly:
"Shiny is willing to serve Miss Jane!"
Hermione looked at Jane with admiration in her eyes.
So this is the world of geniuses?
What an innovative naming system for wages!
She truly was the strongest liberator of house-elves!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!