Chapter 289: Wizards, House-Elves, Hakimi, and Muggles
The House-Elves arrived swiftly. They didn't even need to pass through the Ministry of Magic building's security checks; upon receiving the notice, they Apparated directly inside the House-Elf Office.
Wizards weren't worried about this defense vulnerability because the House-Elves' inherent characteristic of natural dependency on humans filled wizards with complete trust in them.
This was the Game Rule: House-Elves must be dependent on humans, obey commands, and offer absolute loyalty. In turn, Wizards must give the House-Elves' loyalty their unreserved trust. Neither can exist without the other. This cooperative mechanism maintained harmony.
Freedom is not the desire of every single life form. Humans cannot impose their own understanding of life onto other creatures; that would only throw everything into chaos. For instance, consider the bacteria within the human body. Their numbers are nearly equal to the number of human cells (a 1:1 ratio). If these bacteria desired freedom, the human body would instantly disintegrate. Not to mention anything else, a revolt by the gut bacteria alone would be enough to cause even the world's most powerful wizard to suffer forty-nine days of diarrhea before finally kicking the bucket.
But Lockhart still took precautions. He arranged for the vengeful fairy to manage these House-Elves. As a favorite of the Earth, she naturally possessed the ability to control these natural creatures, provided they heeded the call of the Earth. Of course, the vengeful fairy also kept a backup plan: the Ghost Ship's ability to forcefully lock life into the River of Time. However, having lived with Lockhart for an extended period, her actions were much gentler, and she intended to give the House-Elves a chance, only resorting to force if necessary.
The three employees of the House-Elf Office did not know the vengeful fairy was a Dark Arts creature. While they might once have had the unique wizard's instinctual awareness of such creatures, the vengeful fairy, having linked her "sociality" with Lockhart through Bloodline Magic, was now exhibiting a very strong "biological nature." An ordinary wizard was no longer capable of distinguishing her life form.
Lockhart took her to the Ministry of Magic to register with Umbridge, granting her an identity and officially inducting her into the House-Elf Office. This was common at the Ministry; many powerful figures would recruit assistants to help manage affairs—Umbridge, Kingsley, and later Percy had all risen this way. Having power holders bring in practical workers was a special mechanism for injecting vitality into the Ministry.
Thus, after the old man in the office finished reading the 'Wartime Regulations' to the House-Elves, the vengeful fairy formally took over Lockhart's duties. She began to address the House-Elves and make arrangements for their future.
The House-Elves were very excited; they craved work, as this constituted their value. Their existence could only be secured and continued by integrating into noble and wealthy families or powerful organizations.
The three office employees also cooperated. The old man assisted by supplementing the Ministry's regulations, past practices, and the unwritten "common methods." The clear-eyed middle-aged man organized files, constantly retrieving materials from the countless cabinets for the vengeful fairy's reference. The plump woman, despite being unfamiliar with procedures and files, was well-versed in the Ministry's departments and had deep connections with many specific functionaries, knowing how to flexibly push tasks to completion.
Of course, she would sometimes sneak over to see what her idol was doing.
While helping to find files, she passed Lockhart's desk and noticed he was bent over, writing in a manuscript. A closer look at one of the drafts revealed the title: Black Arts Creatures Where to Find Them 2.
Wow! Her idol's new book!
Excitedly, she glanced at the manuscript.
In the wizarding world, any creature name containing (Spirit/Soul) or (Fairy/Immortal) is, without doubt, related to Nature. From the perspective of the knowledge system for Defense Against the Dark Arts, such magical creatures are the product of the magical interaction between Humans and Nature—for example, House-Elves, Brownies, and Garden Fairies.
(In contrast, creatures with Monster or God/Spirit in their names are entirely the product of human-to-human interaction, such as Dementors or the Genie of the Lamp).
In this chain, creatures closer to the Nature end possess more biologicality and are generally called Magical Creatures or Fantastic Beasts. Those closer to the Human end possess more magicality, and as they lean toward the extreme, they are often considered Dark forces and called Dark Arts Creatures.
Interestingly, in practical life, the Nature-leaning magical creatures naturally move toward humans, while the human-leaning Dark Arts Creatures naturally move toward Nature. This unique evolution contains the secrets of the flow of life force between wizards and nature. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, this knowledge is categorized under Dark Arts Creature Cultivation.
And the key to this so-called "Cultivation" lies in this "Evolution of Life Force."
The plump woman didn't quite understand. After all, this was only Lockhart's first draft, focusing more on the construction of magical theory. He would only consider readability and the barrier to entry when revising the manuscript. He simply recorded his thoughts when he encountered certain people or events.
For instance, looking at the scene of the Wizard, Dark Arts Creature, and House-Elves communicating before him.
He didn't stay in the House-Elf Office for long. He left the other staff members there to assist the vengeful fairy and departed the Ministry of Magic.
He had an idea regarding the unique relationship between House-Elves and Wizards, and the link between Bloodline Magic and the concept of 'Home' seemed to find a fascinating entry point in 'Hakimi.'
(Hakimi, a popular internet term originally a mispronunciation of the Japanese word for "honey" but now widely used to refer to cute pets, especially cats).
He needed to conduct some tests.
Lockhart first returned to the Ghost Ship, then went to the second floor and found that the sixth door now displayed the name: House-Elf Office. He opened the door and could see the vengeful fairy directing the office staff and the House-Elves.
Without lingering, he moved some items previously stored in the Fairy Tale Book to his room. He opened the fourth door to the Hakimi breeding base and grabbed a Hakimi, then opened the first door and returned to Hogwarts.
He opened the Fairy Tale Book to the final pages, looking at the stories that were emerging there. These were stories full of life force because more independent wills were participating in them, making them quite exciting.
The Fairy Tale now contained quite a few characters: Bella was one, and Madam Mary (who was influencing and interfering) was also there. The Werewolves sent by Lyall were also included. Then there were the Dark Wizards and Muggle Mercenaries captured by Crabbe and his associates—some of whom were only unwillingly caught up by fate and had done no real evil, and whom Lockhart had thrown out after clearing some of their memories. The rest were villains who deserved execution no matter where they were placed. He felt no moral burden in inviting these people to participate in his magical research.
He gently tapped the Fairy Tale Book with his wand, and one of the Muggle Mercenaries was isolated into a separate story scene. With the application of Memory Magic, the Fairy Tale Book quickly constructed a realistic environment based on the man's memories.
"Go," Lockhart gently patted the Hakimi beside him, signaling it to enter the Fairy Tale Book and participate in the scene. He then summoned Madam Mary, manipulating the power of Time to speed up the Muggle Mercenary and Hakimi's progress through the fairy tale adventure.
He continuously sensed the subtle magical changes between them. He opened his notebook, placed it next to the Fairy Tale Book, and recorded line after line of content.
Normal Daily State: When both the Muggle and Hakimi have no emotional fluctuation, their magical change is 0.
Daily Life State 1: The Muggle searches for food to feed the Hakimi. The Hakimi shows emotional changes, and magic emerges. The 'Sociality' magic generated between it and the Muggle is rich in vitality.
Magical Adventure State: The Hakimi is trained by the Muggle, learns to steal, and acquires money. The Muggle's emotion fluctuates, and magic emerges again. [THOUGHT]:Based on the consideration of Bloodline Magic, when life forms gather under the state of 'Home,' their inherent magical power will influence each other.
Inside the Fairy Tale Book
Manhattan, wealthy district, late night.
"Damn it, run!" The Muggle held a backpack in one hand and grabbed the Hakimi in the other, sprinting towards a dark alley, evading the woman with a shotgun who had stepped out of the house.
"Meow~~" The Hakimi's eyes glowed with a faint, fierce light in the darkness.
"Quiet! Not yet!" The Muggle gently soothed the Hakimi. He licked his lips, his gaze greedily lingering on the woman's alluring figure in her thin nightgown. Then, he looked at the money spilling out of the backpack at his feet and suddenly felt he wanted more than just money.
His eyes darted around. He leaned down and quietly asked the Hakimi, "Can you get her gun?"
The Hakimi nodded.
"Brilliant!"
They waited patiently until the woman, having searched everywhere and failed to find them, went back inside the house. Only then did they emerge from the dark corner.
"Master's happiness depends on you!" The Muggle gently set the Hakimi down on the ground, watching with anticipation as it quickly scaled the drainpipe to the second-floor window and slipped inside.