Chapter 123 Malfoy's Hospitality
"Sir, this is your room." A House-elf respectfully led Aaron to the guest room. "The Master said you can order me to do anything you need at any time."
Aaron looked at the House-elf's protruding green eyes and then at the dirty, barely-clothes he was wearing, and couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Don't be so nervous. Can you tell me your name?"
"Dobby, my name is Dobby," the House-elf said excitedly, but perhaps a bit too excitedly, as tears and snot threatened to flow.
Aaron handed him a piece of paper. "You need to control your emotions. Our House-elves never cry."
"Yes, thank you, sir." The House-elf choked back a sob and wiped his nose with the tattered cloth he wore. "These days have truly been Dobby's happiest. Thank you very much, sir."
"Thank me?"
Aaron was a bit confused. It seemed he had just met this House-elf for the first time today; they had no prior interaction.
"Yes," Dobby said nervously but very firmly. "After young Master went on holiday, he was a little better to Dobby than before. He didn't punish Dobby for no reason.
This is all because you enlightened him at Hogwarts, sir, even though Master still treats Dobby the same as before."
Only then did Aaron remember that he had indeed reminded Draco to show more respect to those stronger than him, but that was months ago, and he hadn't thought much of it.
"You don't need to thank me. To be honest, I only said a word or two at the time."
"Just as Harry Potter said, you are a humble person," Dobbysaid, but the next moment he regretted it. He shouldn't have mentioned Harry Potter.
Sure enough, Aaron looked up, staring at him with a suspicious gaze, which made Dobby involuntarily take a step back.
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing, sir," Dobby's eyes darted around, and he quickly lowered his head.
"Harry Potter?" Aaron sat in the chair, crossed his legs, and slowly poured himself a glass of water. "I don't think I misheard, and I don't think a lowly House-elf from Malfoywould have any connection with the famous Harry Potter."
Dobby swallowed, wanting to explain, but unsure how to begin.
"Either it was Mr. Lucius's order, or you took matters into your own hands. But the latter is basically impossible, so it can only be the former.
So the question is, Malfoy doesn't like Harry Potter, but their House-elf's feelings towards Harry Potter seem to be quite the opposite.
I imagine the Malfoy father and son don't know this, do they?"
"Sir," Dobby looked at Aaron sorrowfully, pleading, "Please, please don't tell Master. It's all Dobby's fault; Dobbyinitiated contact with Harry Potter."
"What did you do?" Aaron frowned.
"Dobby intercepted Harry's letters, and also found a way to tell his family that underage Wizards cannot use magiccasually."
"Splendid. Doesn't your conscience hurt?" Aaron rolled his eyes speechlessly, sighing inwardly at how Malfoy truly knew how to play games!
Intercepting letters was one thing; that didn't have much impact on Harry, at most depriving him of a little comfort for his mind.
But telling his acrimonious aunt and uncle that Harrycouldn't use magic outside of school was tantamount to erasing their fear of magic.
The way that family used to bully Harry would be the same in the future, and it was even possible they would escalate their abuse.
Dobby touched his index fingers together, saying somewhat guiltily, "Dobby also made him promise not to return to Hogwarts, but that was Dobby's own intention, for Harry Potter's sake."
"What? Isn't this going too far?
He waited over ten years for the chance to go to Hogwarts, and you actually want him to go back to that miserable life of living under someone else's roof, in dire straits.
That would be better than killing him! At least it would be quicker than seeing no hope at all."
Dobby froze for a moment, his nose twitching slightly. He turned and began to bang his head against the table, specifically choosing a sharper spot.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of impact mixed with cries made Aaron wince, and he quickly pulled Dobby away.
"Honestly, I feel a bit of sympathy for you," Aaron sighed. "You must have suffered a lot of abuse at Malfoy."
Dobby nodded, but then, thinking that such a thought was disrespectful to his Master, he immediately had the urge to harm himself again.
"If you want to bang your head against a wall, please do it somewhere else. Don't do it in front of me, your guest. That's a bit impolite."
"Yes, sir," Dobby said, feeling wronged.
"Don't think I'm heartless.
How you carry out Malfoy's orders, whether good or bad, has nothing to do with me.
Your benevolent contact with Harry Potter, which is out of place with Malfoy, also has nothing to do with me.
I simply don't want to see a House-elf harming himself in front of me; then I'd have to go to the trouble of stopping him," Aaron explained. "But you can rest assured, I won't tell Malfoy what you've done."
"Thank you, sir, you are a kind person," Dobby said, slowly backing out of the room. "Call me if you need anything."
"Understood."
After Dobby left, Aaron placed Abey on the table and then surveyed the room.
The room was on the third floor of the Castle, with excellent lighting. Through the window, he could see the garden and fountain below.
The interior furnishings were also good: a desk, a mirror, a bathroom, a bedroom—everything one could need, and each item exuded luxury, far beyond what an ordinary hotel could offer.
"Oh, I almost forgot to say," Aaron said, looking at Abey with a serious expression. "Outside is not like home, nor like Hogwarts. You need to rein it in.
Don't show your wings, and be a little more polite. Most importantly, control your appetite."
Abey nodded, seemingly understanding, but it wasn't until lunchtime that he truly grasped Aaron's meaning.
At the dining table, Mr. Lucius and Mrs. Narcissa were overly enthusiastic, constantly having Dobby bring out dishes, filling the table with all sorts of food.
"We didn't know what you liked to eat, so we prepared a little extra," Narcissa said with a smile.
"Uh... I'm not that picky.
Also, Uncle and Auntie, you've prepared too much," Aaronsaid, a little embarrassed.
He now understood how Abey felt the first time he ate. Back then, Gines had also prepared a huge table of dishes, but his own skin was clearly not as thick as Abey's, who could accept it with a clear conscience, completely treating himself as one of the family.
"Not at all.
Aaron, you are a guest at Malfoy Manor, and it's only right for us to be good hosts," Draco said, then put a chicken leg on Abey's plate. "This little guy must be starving too."
Abey's face immediately lit up, and he slurped. Just as his claw reached out, Aaron tapped it.
"mind your manners," Aaron whispered his meaning in Dragon Language, but to the three Malfoy family members, it sounded only like heavy breathing.
Abey reacted, reluctantly suppressing his urge to eat. Although he eyed the food on the table covetously, he still waited quietly for his Master to feed him.
"Aaron, your cat seems a bit unusual!" Lucius looked curiously at Abey, who was lying on the table, feeling that this was no ordinary cat.
"Abey is professionally trained; he's a bit more well-behaved than average pets," Aaron explained, giving Draco a look, signaling him not to reveal Abey's identity.
Draco gave an awkward laugh and began to eat on his own.
"By the way, Aaron, there's something I hope you can help me with." After eating his fill, Draco said hesitantly.
"Tell me."
Draco pointed to the Nimbus 2001 placed in the corner. "Didn't you used to be a Seeker? I'd like to ask you to help me train."
"Huh?" Aaron glanced at Draco. "You want to be a Seeker?"
"Yes, the Seeker is the soul of the team.
Harry Potter is Gryffindor's Seeker, so my position on the house team can't possibly be lower than his!
I'm quite adept at using a magic broom, but since I haven't had professional training, I can only ask you for help."
"I can certainly help you with that, but..." Aaron's gaze shifted to Lucius and Narcissa. "But Uncle and Auntie need to agree and be mentally prepared.
My training methods might be a bit strict, and you could get hurt if you're not careful."
Narcissa looked a little worried at his words, but Lucius was unconcerned. "Injuries in Quidditch are very common. Draco has chosen to join the team, so he's mentally prepared.
Besides, I don't think a Malfoy child would be that delicate."
"Since Uncle Lucius said so, I can't refuse," Aaron said half-jokingly. "Consider it payment for these two days of accommodation and food."
"Great!" Draco was overjoyed. "Do you need me to prepare a magic broom for you? We have a few spare Nimbus 2001s."
"No need, I have this," Aaron said, taking a dark blue blanket from his bag.
Upon seeing it, Lucius's eye twitched. "Is that a flying carpet? I remember the Ministry of Magic banned the use of those a long time ago."
"I'm only using it on private property; the Ministry of Magicshouldn't have jurisdiction, right?" Aaron said with a shy smile. The Ministry of Magic had banned many things, but they still had to turn a blind eye to people of different statuses.