"So, Kretcher, now you have a chance to change the situation." Malfoy said in a bewitching tone, "Your unworthy master has transferred the ownership of this house to me." Malfoy said softly, then took out a piece of parchment filled with black writing from his arms and handed it to Kretcher.
"Kretcher can't believe it!" Kretcher took it with his trembling hands and slowly read it. As a house elf who prides himself on serving purebloods, literacy is also a compulsory subject, because their masters cannot always use language to command them.
"This is Master Black's handwriting! I can still feel the magic on the paper." Tears suddenly welled up in Kretcher's bloodshot eyes, "Master is a spendthrift! Oh, my poor mistress, if she knew that the rebellious Master Black had betrayed the glory of his ancestors, what would she say? How disappointing this is to Kretcher and the mistress!"
"Master sold his family's precious wealth in order to save his life! It's just shame, shame!" Kretcher said sharply. Years of loneliness had distorted his personality, making him difficult to communicate with.
"Quiet!" Malfoy reprimanded Kretcher, and the house elf immediately fell silent, daring not to scream again.
"I, as your new master, order you to clean this entire house immediately." Malfoy ordered sternly, no longer holding the idea that he could communicate normally with this house elf.
"Dobby, go and assist him." Malfoy added.
"Yes, sir." Dobby lowered his big head, almost touching the ground, and said respectfully.
Malfoy thought the two house elves might have something in common.
But he miscalculated this time.
"Master Malfoy is the best master I have ever seen. He has always been tolerant and even pays Dobby a salary!" Dobby walked side by side with Kretcher in the wide corridor, and the former proudly flaunted the benefits Malfoy gave him.
"Disgusting, get out, shame!" However, Dobby's behavior did not have even a little effect, but instead had the opposite effect. Kretcher looked at Dobby with disgust and said with disgust: "The shame of the house elf, what is this idea? Remuneration? Am I going to work with a kind who is trying to get remuneration in the future? Am I going to degenerate to this point in the future? Do you still have the consciousness of being a servant?"
"Dobby is not a servant, Dobby is a free elf!" Dobby retorted immediately.
"Ridiculous!" Kretcher's sharp and high-pitched voice ruthlessly mocked Dobby.
Then the two house elves went to complete their tasks arguing all the way.
"It's too dark here." Malfoy said, looking at the dim surroundings, then waved his wand, making a rustling sound, and then a row of old-fashioned gas lamps on the wall lit up, casting a swaying, unreal light, illuminating the peeling wallpaper and polished carpets in the long, gloomy hall. A cobweb-like chandelier flickered overhead, and some portraits that had blackened with age hung crookedly on the wall. The chandelier and the candlesticks on a wobbly table next to it were shaped like large snakes.
"It's much better now." Malfoy nodded with satisfaction, then said to Pansy: "Now it's not too late for you to regret it, I'll send you back."
"This, this place is not scary at all." Pansy tried her best to keep her voice from trembling, but those strange and eerie decorations always gave her a gloomy feeling, making her feel scared involuntarily.
The two walked slowly in the long passage, but even with the lights on, there were still small accidents.
"Ah!" Suddenly, Pansy screamed in panic, as if she had encountered something extremely terrifying, desperately kicking her little legs, as if something was stuck on them.
"Uh... what's grabbing your leg is just a Niffler's paw. If I'm not mistaken, this should be a dead thing." Malfoy glanced casually. The fluff on the paw had lost its toughness with the passage of time, and the long sharp nails also had a pale white front end.
"Are these people all crazy?" Pansy breathed a sigh of relief, then complained, "The paw of a beast is placed in the passage in front of the hall?"
"Next year's Care of Magical Creatures class may learn about this creature." Malfoy snapped his fingers, then stared at Pansy and said: "This is a rodent that is born obsessed with gold and jewelry, and has an extremely sensitive sense of smell when looking for treasure. I guess the Black family may be superstitious, putting the paws of this creature at home can make them rich."
"I think it's really inviting bad luck." Pansy stomped on the paw that almost tripped her.
"Maybe." Malfoy shook his head, then reminded: "Take a few more steps forward, if you are not careful, you may be tripped."
Only then did Pansy notice that there was an umbrella stand made of a giant's leg standing in front.
"This family's taste is really strange." Pansy frowned and said, then walked sideways, carefully bypassing the obstacle.
After that, nothing happened again. Pansy carefully avoided the various strange obstacles placed in the aisle. Malfoy also followed behind her, walking unhurriedly, looking at the various decorations that were everywhere but valuable, celebrity paintings, and various magic lamps that had been out of print for many years. Taking out any item from here, the history may be more than a hundred years old.
Just as Malfoy was judging these antiques with his eyes, Pansy's voice came from the front again.
"De, Draco, what, what are those?" With the help of the light above his head, Malfoy saw Pansy's shadow reflected on the wall. He saw her suddenly raise her arm and point to the wall in front of her, saying with a crying voice.
"Those are my most respected predecessors!" Kretcher stood on the dark stairs, his huge head suddenly protruding from the railing, and said proudly.
Directly in front of Pansy was a mottled wall, and a row of wrinkled heads gathered on the wainscot. She could clearly see that these were creatures like Dobby and Kretcher. These were the heads of house elves, all with the same ugly big noses.
A feeling of nausea suddenly rose from Pansy's stomach. It was the first time she had seen such a disgusting and terrifying scene. The somewhat decayed skulls were facing her, and all kinds of huge eyeballs were staring straight ahead, and the expressions on those faces were also full of strange smiles and satisfaction.
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