"Those teeth of yours will only cause all sorts of oral diseases!" Hermione crossed her arms, and as a dentist's daughter, her counterattack was precise and professional.
"Don't underestimate them," Nios grinned, his shark-like teeth gleaming coldly. "They're very convenient when tearing prey!"
"Heh... Anyone who didn't know would think you were some kind of raw-meat-eating beast!" Hermione lifted her chin, her eyes full of disdain.
"Speaking of beasts..." Nios changed the subject, and the cartoon eyes on his eye patch narrowed mischievously. "At breakfast yesterday, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil looked like they hadn't gotten enough sleep. Could it be because you were gnawing on your bed too loudly last night?"
"You—!" Hermione's cheeks instantly turned bright red, like ripe tomatoes. "Watch out, you might bite your tongue!"
Pip, standing nearby, watched the two bicker, his withered fingers twisting the edge of his short robe, wanting to intervene but not daring to step forward.
The two "clashed" back and forth for several rounds, until Nios grabbed Hermione's hand as she tried to hit his head.
"Alright, alright, Miss Beaver, that's enough. Pip has something important to talk to me about; it's not good to drag it out." He gestured to the side.
"Pip?" Hermione finally turned her attention to the wrinkled little creature, with a hint of scrutiny. "Is it something new you... made?" She deliberately omitted the word "demon," cautiously glancing at the quiet corridor.
"Hello, esteemed Wizard," Pip immediately bowed deeply, his large ears almost touching the ground. "Humble Pip is a House-elf from the Hogwarts kitchen."
"House-elf...?" Hermione repeated the unfamiliar term, her gaze again turning suspiciously to Nios—Are you sure you didn't do this?
"Why are you looking at me?" Nios spread his hands innocently. "Although I don't know much about them either, House-elves are old residents of the Wizarding World, much older than my 'little hobbies.'"
Hermione was half-convinced but still turned to Pip, softening her voice as much as possible: "Hello, Pip. I'm Hermione Granger."
"Hello! Esteemed Miss Granger!" Pip's head was buried even lower, trembling with flattery.
Seeing Pip's timid, almost cowardly demeanor, Hermione frowned and once again questioned Nios with her eyes.
"I told you not to look at me!" Nios sounded a bit helpless. "This is my first close encounter too. Hey, Pip," he turned to the House-elf, "didn't you just say little pink caused trouble? Lead the way!"
Pip seemed to awaken from a dream, hastily straightening up: "Apologies! Mr. Chaos! Pip has wasted your precious time! Bad Pip! Bad Pip!" He then raised his fist and fiercely struck his own head again.
"Hey! Stop! Don't do that!" Hermione cried out in alarm, instinctively trying to stop him.
Pip's fist froze in mid-air, but tears streamed down his face: "Miss Granger stopped Pip... Pip can't punish himself... Mr. Chaos won't forgive bad Pip..." He cried heartbrokenly.
"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked Nios, both anxious and puzzled, looking at Pip who had fallen into desperate weeping.
"According to my speculation," Nios's voice was unruffled, "their ancestors were probably defeated by ancient Wizards, and then some kind of curse was forcibly etched into their bloodline. This thing prevents them from harming Wizards and makes serving Wizards the supreme glory, or perhaps, the only meaning of their existence."
Hermione gasped, looking at Pip in shock: "Isn't this slavery?!"
"You just realized that?" Nios chuckled, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Welcome to the Wizarding World of 1991, my dear Miss Granger. It's still stubbornly stuck in the Middle Ages here."
Hermione frowned deeply: "Why is it like this?"
"Heh... Why indeed?" Nios drew out his words, the eyes on his eye patch curving into a playful arc. "So hard to guess~"
Looking at Hermione's profile as she fell into deep thought, Nios sighed silently. No matter how smart and precocious, she was still just a child.
"Pip, lead the way." He decided to change his approach. "It seems I need to give our little Miss Know-it-all a lesson on Wizarding society."
Pip, as if greatly pardoned, quickly scurried forward on his short legs, leading the way. Hermione pursed her lips and quickly followed.
"Hermione," Nios asked as they walked, his voice returning to its usual calm, "do you know why the Muggle world abolished slavery?"
"Because... it's immoral?" Hermione answered tentatively.
"Morality is one reason," Nios nodded, "but the core driving force is efficiency. As Muggle technology developed, they discovered that employing free workers, even with wages, created far more value than slave labor. The extra costs could simply be passed on to consumers. A profitable business naturally eliminated slavery."
"Then what about Wizards? Why don't they abolish it?" Hermione pressed.
Instead of answering directly, Nios raised his voice to Pip, who was leading the way: "Pip! Are you human?"
Pip was startled by the sudden question and stumbled, almost falling. He turned around in terror: "Esteemed Mr. Chaos, Pip... Pip is not human, Pip is a House-elf." His voice was filled with confusion and unease.
Nios hummed, signaling him to continue leading the way.
"Even if they're not human, it's still wrong!" Hermione immediately retorted, with a student-like sense of justice. "They have intelligence! They have feelings! They shouldn't be treated this way!" She turned to Pip, her voice incredibly gentle, "Pip, tell me, do you want freedom? Real freedom?"
"Freedom?" The word struck Pip like a thunderbolt. The color drained from his face instantly, and immense fear enveloped him. He dropped to his knees with a thud, crawling to Hermione's feet on all fours, his withered hands clutching desperately at the hem of her robe, while his other hand began frantically beating his own head, tears and snot streaming down his face:
"Miss Granger! Has Pip done something to displease you?! Bad Pip! Bad Pip! Pip can change! Please! Please don't send Pip away! Pip is a good elf! Pip works very hard! Pip doesn't want to leave Hogwarts! Mr. Chaos! Please! Please ask Miss Granger for Pip!"
He cried out incoherently, as if "freedom" was a more terrifying verdict than death. Although a young Wizard had no right to expel a House-elf, Nios's relationship with the Principal... Pip had no doubt that he had that ability.
Hermione was completely stunned by Pip's violent reaction. She tried to bend down and help him up, but he clung to her robe so tightly she couldn't break free. She could only look at Nios helplessly.
"Stop! Pip!" Nios's voice was not loud, but it carried the force of a command.
Pip's crying and self-abuse stopped abruptly, as if a pause button had been pressed.
"Get up! Stand straight!" Nios continued to command.
Pip trembled, obediently stood up, and stood with his head bowed in front of them, his shoulders still twitching slightly.
"Do you know why Miss Granger wants to give you freedom?" Nios asked.
"Pi... Pip doesn't know..." Pip's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, filled with bewilderment and fear.
"Just now in the Principal's office, Headmaster Dumbledore personally entrusted me with a task. My Hogwarts admission letter was also delivered to me by him personally."
Nios's voice was calm, yet it struck Pip and Hermione's hearts like a heavy hammer. Hermione's eyes widened in shock, finally understanding what Nios had just been doing. Pip trembled even more violently.
"Even those pure-bloods in Slytherin, with their noses in the air, become silent when my 'origin' is mentioned."
Nios paused, his gaze seeming to pierce Pip's bowed head. "Do you think I am the same as those ordinary young Wizards in this Castle?"
Pip's head dropped even lower, large tears silently hitting the floor. He dared not answer.
"Dear Pip, why haven't I and my friends received special treatment from you? Why is the food we eat still the same as other young Wizards?"
Hermione looked at Pip's desperate expression, her heart aching. She quietly reached out a finger and gently hooked Nios's sleeve, wanting to stop him from pressing further, yet understanding that this storm had started because of her, and Nios was helping her "clean up."
Nios seemed to feel the faint tug on his sleeve: "Alright, I won't make it difficult for you. From now on, the meals for me and my friends can be the same as other young Wizards... But!"
Pip suddenly looked up, a faint glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes.
"They must be made by your own hands. Can you do that?" Nios looked into Pip's eyes.
Pip was stunned. As the kitchen supervisor, he hadn't personally cooked for young Wizards in many years, usually handling complex tasks like ingredient procurement and staff scheduling.
But at this moment, this request sounded like heavenly music to him! This meant that Mr. Chaos had no intention of expelling him, and even gave him an opportunity for "atonement" and "loyalty"!
"Yes! Pip can!" He almost shrieked, so excited he was incoherent. "Thank you! Mr. Chaos! Thank you for your kindness! Pip swears! From now on, your and your friends' meals, Pip will personally make! Make them the best! Never let you down!"
He bowed deeply, his body almost bent at a ninety-degree angle, his voice filled with the gratitude of someone who had narrowly escaped disaster.
"Alright, lead the way. Solving little pink's problem is important." Nios waved his hand.
Pip immediately straightened his back and continued forward with light steps, as if his earlier breakdown had never happened.
Hermione silently walked beside Nios, looking at the small figure ahead, which seemed to have regained its "vitality," her heart a mix of emotions.
"Do you understand?" Nios's voice came from beside her, very soft, yet clearly reaching her ears.
"Mm..." Hermione responded softly, her voice a little muffled.
She looked at Pip's joyful back, elated at the "opportunity to serve," then recalled the terrifying storm about "freedom" just now, and felt a heavy chill press upon her heart.
Nios's voice sounded again, with a coldness that saw through everything:
"Muggle slaves can be freed by a single benevolent thought from their master. But Wizard 'slaves'..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Pip, "Their souls and minds have long been rusted and imprisoned by that ancient curse, so much so that the very words 'freedom' have become their deepest nightmare."