Nios scrutinized the peculiar creature before him with great interest.
A House-elf.
This was his first time seeing such a magical being.
They looked more like Goblins than Goblins, but that exceptionally clear gaze...
Sigh... Goblins were still more to his liking.
That cunning look, sharp fangs, and those slender fingers, perfect for counting money and for dirty work...
"Pip has some questions for you."
Dumbledore's gentle voice interrupted Nios's thoughts.
"No, no, no! Principal sir! Not questions, but requests!"
Pip was terrified by Dumbledore's choice of words, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind, his voice sharpening a few octaves.
"How dare lowly Pip 'question' the noble Wizard sir!"
Nios raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting from Dumbledore to the frightened House-elf: "Requests? It seems... we have no dealings?"
"Not at all, Mr. Chaos," Dumbledore chuckled softly, his gaze behind his half-moon spectacles knowing. "The smooth operation of this vast Hogwarts Castle relies heavily on the diligent efforts of Pip and his companions."
He slowly counted on his fingers: "Think about it, who silently delivers your luggage to your dormitories? Who prepares the lavish meals in the kitchen? And who, late every night, washes your robes?"
"It is precisely Pip and their meticulous care that allows all the Professors and young Wizards to focus on teaching and learning," Dumbledore's summary was filled with genuine praise.
These words, however, only made Pip more anxious. He frantically waved his scrawny arms: "No! Respected Principal sir! It is the House-elves who should be grateful! Grateful for Hogwarts's acceptance, granting us this supreme honor! To serve the great Castle, the respected Professors, and... and the future hopes of Britain, is the greatest happiness for House-elves!" His voice trembled with excitement, and his large ears flushed red.
Watching Pip's tearful gratitude and almost humble posture, a rare, strange feeling arose in Nios's heart.
For the first time, he wondered if setting Azazel up as a heartless, complaining sidekick had been... a bit hasty?
Perhaps the next demon could be designed to be gentler? At least the superficial work had to be in place.
He posed a question: "Since they handle so much work, why does Mr. Filch... still carry a bucket and personally clean those 'artworks' on the corridor walls?"
He was referring to the scene a few days ago where he saw Filch laboriously scrubbing away the twins' graffiti.
At the time, he had wondered why the caretaker didn't use magic, especially since the rule "no magic in the corridors" clearly didn't apply to staff.
Only after observing carefully did he confirm that Filch had no magical ability at all, though he didn't know why there would be a Squib in a magic school.
"Bad Pip! Bad Pip!!"
Pip seemed to have been poked in a sore spot and instantly collapsed, his bony fists raining down on his own head.
"I let Filch take over the cleaning work! Bad Pip!"
Nios watched the House-elf, who had suddenly started self-harming, and looked at Dumbledore in confusion.
"House-elves," Dumbledore's voice deepened, "are an ancient and powerful magical species. Their power can even penetrate Hogwarts's anti-Apparition wards. However..."
His gaze behind his spectacles showed pity: "They are bound by an ancient blood contract. That contract is like a heavy shackle, forcing them to obey their masters absolutely. Once a task fails, or they feel they have failed in their duty, a strong sense of guilt will drive them... to self-punish, to seek forgiveness."
Nios understood. This was like a blood curse, passed down through generations, forcibly imprinted by ancient Wizards after defeating a certain race.
As for Filch... Nios keenly noticed that Pip's words lacked the reverence for him that he showed for Wizards. Clearly, a Squib's status in the eyes of magical creatures was far from comparable to that of a true Wizard.
"Stop!" Nios ordered Pip to stop his self-harm, his tone a little helpless.
Hermione was still waiting in the library! "Tell me, what exactly do you want from me?"
Pip's ears drooped, and he carefully pulled out a fist-sized pink gelatinous object from the pocket of his short robe, holding it in both hands before Nios.
"This... this is the jelly Mr. Chaos lost in the school... You seemed to call it 'little pink'..."
Pip's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, "It... it caused us a little trouble..."
Nios was stunned. "Are you sure this is little pink? Where did you find it?" Nios suspiciously took the familiar gel, feeling its familiar texture on his fingertips.
little pink, apart from slowly proliferating after absorbing water, having a slight corrosive property, and being tough enough to choke people to death, was completely harmless.
And he clearly remembered cleaning it up every time he finished using it... Why did Pip have it? And why did it cause them trouble?
Pip nodded vigorously: "Absolutely true! After the opening feast, on the Gryffindor long table... and... and on the floor of the Transfiguration Class classroom..."
Nios: "..."
Case closed! This was indeed his fault.
He had been too emotional that night and forgot to clean up the little pink that Harry and the others had left on the table...
As for the Transfiguration Class classroom... who would pay attention to anything else when laughing at a friend?
"Cough..." Nios awkwardly rubbed his nose, the cartoon eyes on his eye mask also showing a bit of embarrassment. "It seems... this really is my problem."
"Then, I'll leave this matter to Mr. Chaos to handle," Dumbledore's tone was gentle but implied dismissal.
"Pip, please show Mr. Chaos the way."
"Yes! Principal sir! It's my honor!" Pip bowed and accepted the command.
The two said no more and quickly left the Principal's office.
At the corner of the corridor on the eighth floor,
Hermione stared at the gargoyle in the distance, anxiously biting her lip.
She watched Nios ascend with the gargoyle, wanting to follow but afraid of being discovered by him.
Just as she was in an internal struggle, the gargoyle statue slowly descended again.
Nios's figure appeared, and beside him was another strange creature!
Pip, as the head of the Hogwarts kitchen, had extremely excellent sensory abilities.
After all, the highest realm for House-elves was "silent influence," meaning they absolutely must not let those they serve detect their existence.
He immediately caught the burning gaze from the corner.
"Mr. Chaos!" Pip's high-pitched voice held a hint of alertness.
Nios had actually discovered the little tail behind him long ago and had intended to pretend not to know and continue this "hide-and-seek" game, but now that it had been pointed out, the fun was gone...
"Come out, Miss Beaver," his voice was playful as he lazily called towards the corner.
"I can hear your wood-gnawing from Diagon Alley."
Hermione, who had been about to shrink back, heard this and her face flushed instantly, half from anger, half from shame.
She stomped her foot, rushed out from her hiding place, and dashed in front of Nios, raising her hand without a word and delivering a crisp flick to his forehead!
"You're the beaver!" Her cheeks were crimson, and her brown curly hair seemed to frizz slightly with anger.
Nios grinned, revealing two rows of gleaming shark teeth: "Don't talk nonsense, at most I'm a shark!"