Wade was stunned.
After Winky was dismissed by her master, she was heartbroken and cried drunkenly, but did she try to go back? Later, when Barty Crouch Sr. and Jr. came and went at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, what was Winky doing? Did she ever try to help her former master, who had been put under the Imperius Curse?
And what about other house-elves who were banished or inadvertently granted freedom by their masters—would they try to return to their former masters, to resume employment?
Or... would they collapse to the ground, weeping bitterly... and then accept the fact and wander?
While Wade knew many house-elves, they all belonged to Hogwarts. Most of them were very content with their current lives; none spoke of yearning for freedom, nor had they ever been banished.
Including Zoe and Mackie... they only wanted the goodwill and respect of wizards, but they didn't desire freedom.
Professor Morrey, however, didn't dwell on this topic for too long. After prompting Wade, he continued, "After there was a successful precedent, many wizards became passionate about life alchemy."
"But it's not an easy task. Many people were killed by their own creations, and life alchemy gradually became a forbidden art. But what truly led to this magic being completely banned was the birth of another creature."
"In the fifteenth century, a wizard named Ekstasis built a castle on an island, then lured Muggle ships to it. He did incredibly horrible things to those Muggle sailors and crewmen."
"It's said that those who were later sent to investigate the place... all refused to talk about what they found there. And the least horrifying part was that the place had become a Dementor haven."
"And that place is Azkaban."
"Dementors feed on happiness; people merely approaching them feel depression and despair. They can also suck out human souls, turning people into walking husks like themselves. The only effective countermeasure against them is the Patronus Charm."
"This creature cannot be truly killed; even if it temporarily dies, it will regenerate from places of decay and darkness. They are beyond life and death."
"The 'immortality' that humans yearn for, Dementors have possessed since their birth."
"—So, in a sense, this kind of life alchemy can also be said to be extremely successful, just utterly useless to wizards."
Wade suddenly had a question. "Professor, wizards can use the Patronus Charm to defend against Dementors, but Muggles can't even see these creatures, let alone resist them..."
"Hmm, yes." Professor Morrey asked, "Are you worried these monsters will harm your parents? In the early eighteenth century, the Ministry of Magic made an agreement with the Dementors, allowing them to guard the prisoners of Azkaban, not permitting them to leave."
"Although I've always thought it was a foolish decision. But for now, it seems to be quite effective."
Wade shook his head and softly said, "No, I actually wanted to ask—during the Wizarding War back then, why didn't the Blood Purity Party and the Death Eaters use the power of the Dementors?"
Professor Morrey froze, then after a moment, said, "Because to Dementors, the magically infused souls of wizards are far more appealing than those of Muggles... and actually, very few wizards can cast a Patronus Charm..."
He paused, then said, "The story ends about here. I think you should understand—life alchemy is both marvelous and dangerous."
"It can allow wizards to create species that transcend their own level of life... Every act of life alchemy is an unrepeatable process. Just as there are no two identical humans, there are no two identical alchemical lives."
"Creating life, which is originally the authority of the gods, wizards can steal a small part of this authority."
"This temptation is unparalleled. Any alchemist with some ability will, sooner or later, walk down this path. No matter how much the Ministry of Magic prohibits it, there will always be wizards who try to explore the forbidden zone of life."
"I only hope that when you one day become interested in alchemical life, you remember what we discussed today, remember those failed examples, and also remember what I taught you—"
"Imagine boldly, verify carefully."
"On the path of alchemy, you can never be too cautious."
"Of course, what we're learning today is still the most basic part—how to imbue inanimate objects with thought..."
Professor Morrey's biological alchemy class lasted only three days, after which he gave Wade several books and a pile of alchemical materials, telling him to gradually understand things through practice.
After dinner, Steven invited Wade to play at his farm.
"If you have good friends, you can invite them too. My farm has many interesting small animals, very popular with children," Steven said.
Wade asked, "Won't it be too much trouble?"
"No. Some of the little ones really like children; they'll be very happy." Steven teased, "If you have a girl you like, this could be a great opportunity!"
Wade slowly said, "I'm only twelve; what romance are you talking about?"
"Good point." Professor Morrey nodded approvingly. "You should focus on your studies while at school, don't get distracted by these things. As for you—"
He suddenly glared at Steven, grumbling, "When are you going to get a girlfriend? Are you planning to spend your whole life with Occamies?"
Steven shrank his neck, muttering quietly, "You told me the same thing when I was in school... but all my classmates who dated at school got married right after graduation..."
"You graduated from Hogwarts twenty years ago! In all that time, if you hadn't stayed on the farm all day, you could have dated eight times! At the last banquet, wasn't the Shafiq girl smiling at you the whole time? Didn't you try to keep in touch with her?"
Steven paused for a moment, looking bewildered. "Someone from the Shafiq family was there last time?"
Professor Morrey glared, and Steven immediately fell silent.
At least, seeing that Wade was present, Professor Morrey didn't continue scolding his son.
After dinner, Steven tugged at Wade, pulling him upstairs to pack his luggage.
Upstairs, Steven said with a苦笑 (bitter smile), "Let's go quickly... otherwise, once my dad remembers, he'll definitely scold me again..."
Wade had no objections. He pulled out his pencil case and cast a silent charm. The pencil case unfolded, expanding to the size of a school bag. Wade stuffed his books, alchemical materials, and some personal items inside.
Then the school bag returned to the size of a pencil case.
This was the superior quality of Occamy skin. When Wade first acquired it, it looked like a mere caterpillar, but it could stretch to be incredibly large.
So Wade folded it seven times, both front and back, allowing it to take on different sizes—the smallest was a pencil case, the only form without an Undetectable Extension Charm applied; the largest was a wardrobe, with an even vaster internal space.
Another benefit of the Undetectable Extension Charm was that no matter how many items were placed inside, it felt as though they were in another space. The user always felt only the weight of the box itself.
This allowed him to carry it in his clothes pocket and move around freely.