"House-Elf, huh..." Pabi said enviously, "My mom also wants to have a House-Elf, but unfortunately, we've never had the connections... I actually think the Malfoy family is really amazing, being able to let their kids bring a House-Elf to school..."
Harry chuckled and didn't respond.
No matter the purpose, gossiping about the master's house isn't something a qualified servant should do.
He's very clear about his own role.
"So, are you planning to leave?" Pabi asked.
"Oh, well, Professor Hao Ying personally asked me to stay." Harry shrugged, saying somewhat regretfully, "Miss Malfoy's orders are certainly important, but I can't disobey the professor's words."
"Come on, let's talk as we walk." He said to Pabi again.
The two of them walked towards Professor Hao Ying's cottage, Pabi hopping along and occasionally picking wildflowers by the roadside.
"By the way, Harry." Pabi picked a cluster of Silver Lotus, waving away the bumblebee resting on it, and asked Harry, "Do you like Sniff? You know, those little creatures we studied in class, I find them quite cute."
"Quite like them." Harry said, "These little guys can find treasures, and I really need their ability."
It's unavoidable, the Potter family has been poor for so long, coming here alone, relying on others for meals and lodging is something most people don't understand.
"Wow, seems like you're a little fortune hunter." Pabi shook the flowers in his hand, dividing half to give to Harry, "Here, take these—these flowers are for you..."
Harry took the cluster of Silver Lotus Pabi gave him, and a breeze blew by, carrying a faint fragrance.
By this time, they had reached the door of Professor Hao Ying's cottage.
"Go on in." Pabi said to Harry, "Everyone's probably getting impatient."
Sure enough, as soon as Harry walked in, he heard Gareth complaining about how late Harry was, and his stomach had started protesting long ago.
If Harry had been any later, he would have insisted they not wait for him.
"You're really someone who forgets friends when there's food." Harry plopped down beside Gareth, placing the cluster of Silver Lotus beside the table in front of him.
"Oh, Silver Lotus?" Gareth glanced at the still fresh flowers, "They smell nice... freshly picked? I don't remember you having this kind of hobby."
"You guess." Harry made a face at Gareth.
"I'm just a kid, I should guess!" Gareth rolled his eyes, "If you don't want to say, forget it, I don't care—what's the professor waiting for? Hurry and serve it up!"
No matter how he listened, Harry felt something odd about this sentence, but couldn't pinpoint what was strange.
After enjoying the exotic cuisine at Professor Hao Ying's cottage, Harry, with a full belly, accompanied Gareth back to the great hall.
By this time, Hogwarts' great hall had just started serving meals, and the students, without any reservations, were eagerly gobbling up the food in front of them.
"I think," Gareth rubbed his belly, smacking his lips as he sucked the meat floss from his teeth, "having a meal in Professor Hao Ying's cottage is way better than eating this slop in the great hall."
"You can't say that, how can you call it slop?" Harry replied without thinking, "Actually, British food has a lot of merits."
"Like what?" Gareth tilted his head and asked.
"Uh..." Harry thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.
"Alright, alright." Gareth chuckled and patted Harry's shoulder, "Stop trying to think of the merits of British food for now, you should get back to the Slytherin table, look—Miss Malfoy's face is colder than the Arctic glaciers!"
Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table and suddenly felt something was amiss.
Not good!
That was his first thought.
He quickly walked to Cassandra's side, standing behind her.
"Miss Malfoy." Harry called out a bit anxiously.
Cassandra wasn't eating, instead flipping through a book on magic spells.
Upon hearing Harry, she merely gave a light "hm" and raised her delicate chin slightly to the side.
Familiar with Cassandra, Harry knew she was "granting a seat".
He didn't refuse, and amidst the envious glances of the other male students, he sat beside Miss Malfoy.
Unlike the twentieth century, instead of everyone going to Gryffindor to eat with Harry, Harry had to stand behind Miss Malfoy or sit beside her during meals.
In other words, go to the Slytherin table.
Initially, the Slytherins had quite a few complaints behind the scenes about this, but after seeing it often, they didn't even bother discussing it in private anymore.
What's the big deal?
Offending Miss Malfoy over such a trivial matter was not worth it.
Cassandra hadn't spoken, quietly flipping through her book, occasionally jotting down reading insights and notes on it.
After half an hour, she glanced at the clock and finally spoke slowly.
"Seems like you had a nice chat with your good friend?"
"Uh-huh." Harry nodded, "Yes, I was just discussing the merits of British food with Gareth."
Saying that, Harry couldn't help but laugh.
"And the result?" Cassandra raised her eyebrow without looking up, naturally handing the book to Harry.
Harry reached out to take the book, which was his task for tonight—he needed to thoroughly read and understand what Cassandra had annotated.
"The result is, I thought for ages and couldn't come up with any." He said.
"Oh, just like you." Cassandra said indifferently.
Huh?
Harry was a bit perplexed, what's going on here?
"You know, I'm not talking about Weasley." Cassandra spoke again.
Now Harry was even more confused, except for Gareth, do I have another good friend at Hogwarts?
At this point, he wasn't very familiar with Sebastian and Omnius.
"Huh?" He could only vocalize his confusion.
"Hufflepuff's Swedding," Cassandra tilted her graceful head slightly, with a hint of mockery, "Isn't she your new good friend?"
"She and I are just regular classmates, Miss Malfoy." Harry quickly explained—he didn't even know why he was explaining, but his instinct as a trained killer told him he had to say it.
Not saying it could be deadly.
"Oh..."
Cassandra nodded as if she understood, glancing at his pocket.
Silver Lotus, the Flower God Flora's jealousy...
The mockery in her eyes grew stronger.
"Such pretty flowers, remember to put them in water with a vase when you return to the dormitory, so they don't wither too quickly." She said.
Harry straightforwardly, without overthinking.
"Got it, Miss Malfoy."
"Hm." Cassandra nodded, "Remember to thoroughly read tonight's book, if by this summer holiday of the school year, you still can't defeat me, then... I'll have to consider whether you're worth the Malfoy Clan's attention."
A chill ran through Harry's heart.
"Understood, Miss Malfoy."
Initially a bit relaxed, Cassandra's words instantly tensed Harry's nerves.
Indeed, if he can't prove he's worth nurturing, then... what if he's abandoned by the Malfoy Clan?
He's someone who knows gratitude well, understanding that a family as renowned as the Malfoys, he's not unwilling towards Cassandra's words, rather he feels it's right.
If he cannot display his value, then being abandoned seems only natural.
With more urgency in his heart, Harry resolved that the immediate priority is to diligently train magic spells, rather than spending time on food and play.
He's just an orphan with no support, he has nothing but magic.