#789 - Cut the grass and root it out? (Seeking monthly votes and recommendation tickets)

After capturing this house-elf, Anduin lost the mood to continue watching the Quidditch match, picking up the tightly bound creature and leaving. →\n[I hope readers remember our domain name here, Taiwan Novel Network → 𝔱𝔴𝔨𝔞𝔫.𝔠𝔬𝔪]

However, judging from the sounds coming from the stadium, the disturbance there should have subsided, and he could even hear the Gryffindor students cheering for Harry. Had he caught the Golden Snitch?

Anduin shook his head, not thinking much about it, just examining the house-elf he was carrying as he walked out.

For some reason, after getting closer, he felt that the elf looked somewhat familiar, but to Anduin, all house-elves looked pretty much the same, and he couldn't recall where he had seen the creature before.

He didn't have time to think much about it, just hurried back to his base and summoned Hogg.

"Ha! You bastard, I finally caught you."

As soon as Hogg saw the bound house-elf, he grinned and prepared to pounce on it for a bite.

But before he could make a move, he immediately received a flick on the forehead from Anduin.

"You idiot, the reason this guy has been able to roam free for so long isn't because of you?" Anduin punched Hogg hard in the back of the head.

Hogg almost drove Anduin to death. Ever since he discovered that a house-elf had broken into Hogwarts, he had handed the matter over to Hogg, who had confidently assured Anduin that he would complete the task.

And what was the result?

For two whole months, Hogg had been led around like an idiot. If he hadn't taken action himself, the elf would still be roaming freely around the campus.

"It's not my fault," Hogg said aggrievedly, clutching his head. "This house-elf is as nimble as a mouse. He runs as soon as he sees me. It's not easy to catch him..."

"Then why don't you try not letting him see you?" Anduin glared at Hogg upon hearing his excuse. "There's so much tactical equipment in the vault. It's not hard to find something that can provide invisibility, eliminate sound, and conceal scent."

Hogg tossed his head haughtily upon hearing this. "What's the fun in that? I, the great Hogg, will defeat him fair and square!"

Anduin rolled his eyes speechlessly, then flicked Hogg's forehead again without mercy, causing Hogg to yelp in pain.

"What are you waiting for? Wake him up quickly. I need to ask what the hell is going on."

A house-elf suddenly breaking into the school, and the negative energy that inexplicably infected the young wizards. Anduin didn't believe that there was no connection between the two.

But he didn't think the house-elf was responsible, because Anduin had sensed before that the elf was very clean, without any traces of negative energy.

"Alright!" Seeing that Anduin's anger had subsided, Hogg immediately scurried over to the unconscious house-elf like a lackey and slapped him hard on the head.

"Ah?"

The house-elf's cheeks stung from Hogg's slap. After opening his eyes, he looked around his surroundings in confusion. When he noticed the large dog in front of him, as well as Anduin, he suddenly trembled nervously.

"Speak! Who are you? And who sent you to infiltrate Hogwarts? What is your purpose?" Hogg roared fiercely, baring his teeth and acting like he had authority.

The house-elf was clearly startled and burst into tears, while repeatedly protesting.

"Please don't hurt Dobby! Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! It's better to be seriously injured and sent home than to stay here, sir. Dobby only hopes that Harry Potter will be slightly injured and then sent home!"

"Save Harry's life?" Hogg was shocked to hear this, then glared at the elf again. "What do you mean? Who wants to hurt Harry? And who is your master?"

"Dobby cannot betray his master! But Mr. Potter is in a very dangerous situation right now. It will be too late if he is not driven out of the school!" Dobby banged his head against the floor, as if just mentioning his master caused him great pain.

"Hmm? You say your name is Dobby?"

Anduin was suddenly stunned after hearing Dobby's name, and then interrupted Hogg's interrogation.

After understanding Dobby's name and looking at his somewhat familiar face, he finally recalled where he had seen the elf before.

More than ten years ago, when Anduin was still a student at Hogwarts, he had used Legilimency to probe Little Teverly's memory.

At that time, he had followed Teverly's perspective and saw Yulias visiting Malfoy Manor, and at that time, there was a house-elf named Dobby beside Lucius.

"Your master is Lucius? Is this related to him?" Anduin's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of ferocity bloomed in his pupils.

"You... how did you know?" Dobby couldn't help but be slightly stunned when he heard Anduin mention his master, and then his eyes filled with tears. "It's all Dobby's fault, Dobby deserves to die, it's Dobby who exposed his master."

While cursing himself, Dobby began to bang his head against the floor again.

"Master, his brain doesn't seem to be working very well?" Hogg looked at the self-abusing Dobby in confusion.

He was a little puzzled. He hadn't even started using any methods yet, so why did the elf start hurting himself?

"House-elves are used to obedience and are absolutely loyal to their masters. Once they cause behavior that is detrimental to their masters, they will consider themselves to have committed a crime."

Anduin was no stranger to house-elves. When he first met Qi Qi, she was also like this.

"Then what should we do now? With his physique, he probably can't withstand any torture, and looking at him now, we don't even need to do anything." Hogg looked at Dobby speechlessly. This kind of masochistic prisoner was really troublesome.

"Don't expect him to say too much." Anduin shook his head. "With the loyalty of house-elves, they won't reveal any of their master's secrets."

"Moreover, after the house-elf follows its master, its brain automatically binds to a confidentiality contract. There's no point in using Legilimency."

"Then didn't we just catch a burden?" Hogg curled his lips helplessly. So they couldn't get anything out of him at all. Then why did the master ask him to interrogate the elf just now?

"But from his few words, we can still gather a lot of information, after all, their brains aren't very bright."

Anduin replied indifferently, then grinned coldly.

"First, hand him over to Qi Qi to lock up, and we'll go ask the people who know everything."

"Oh? You mean Lucius?" Hogg's eyes lit up. "That old thing isn't a house-elf. I don't believe he can keep his mouth shut."

"To dare to lay a hand on Harry and Ginny, he's gotten too bold." Anduin's eyes were full of ruthlessness, but he quickly turned his head. "But before that, I have to see one more person. After you settle Dobby down, go and call Draco for me."

"That young master of the Malfoy family?" Hogg looked at Anduin in confusion. "What? Are you going to ask for his opinion before you move against Lucius?"

"Draco is a good seed, and I don't want to give up on him easily." Anduin recalled the child's performance in the past two months. "So I want to first determine his position. If he and Lucius are really on the same side, maybe I'll change my attitude towards the Malfoy family."

"What if his views are the same as Lucius'? People from these pure-blood families probably won't change their minds so easily," Hogg said with some suspicion.

"Then cut the weeds and eliminate the roots!" Anduin smiled coldly. "I don't want to keep a potential threat by my side."

"You mean... kill?" Hogg tentatively raised his dog paw and slashed it across his neck.

"Hmm!" Anduin nodded indifferently. "If it really comes to that, remember to do the job neatly. Don't arouse Dumbledore's suspicion, and don't do it at school. It's best to put the blame on Voldemort."

"Don't worry! I definitely won't make the same mistake I made today!" Hogg patted his chest, then picked up Dobby and passed through the Room of Requirement, without raising any questions about the order to kill a young wizard.

...

That night, Draco walked towards the Tactical Training Studies office under Hogg's guidance.

During this time, he couldn't help but ask curiously and a little nervously, "Why does the professor suddenly want to see me? And it's just me alone. I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"

Hearing this, Hogg turned his head and showed Draco a strange smile. "Hehe, don't overthink it. The master is just concerned about you. He's actually been watching your performance during this time."

"Oh? Really?" Draco's heart immediately warmed upon hearing Hogg say this.

He had always regarded Anduin as his idol. In his eyes, the other party was much greater than that showoff Lockhart. Not only was he strong, but he was also a meritorious figure in the wizarding world.

Draco himself cherished the opportunity to learn from Anduin because he admired the other party's deeds.

So what is the professor preparing to do with me later? Is he going to reward me? Or does he want to give me some private tutoring? Maybe Harry and the others were able to enter the dungeon early because they were favored by the professor...

But before Draco could indulge in his fantasies for too long, they arrived in front of the professor's office. After opening the door, he found that Anduin was not sitting at his desk processing official business as usual, but was sitting relaxed on the sofa behind the reception table, with some snacks and drinks on the table.

"Good evening, Draco, come and sit down." Anduin pointed to the sofa next to him and greeted him in a gentle tone.

"Uh, yes, Professor!" Draco was a little flattered by Anduin's invitation.

"Don't be nervous." Anduin saw that Draco was a little restrained. "I'm not looking for you today for official business, nor is it related to studying. I just want to have a chat with you."

"Thank you, Professor!"

This was the first time Draco had heard Anduin speak to him so softly. He excitedly grabbed a handful of candy and stuffed it into his mouth, then his throat became dry from the sweetness, and he quickly poured himself a glass of drink.

"How is it? During these two months, I've seen you often going to dungeons with Harry, Neville, and Hermione. Are you getting along well with them?"

Anduin seemed to be kindly asking about Draco's recent situation, while silently mobilizing his magic and unfolding Legilimency.

"Uh, it's alright." Draco didn't think much about it when he heard this, and honestly replied, "They're much stronger than I imagined. It's easy to find a tacit understanding with them. It's just that the new dungeon is really too difficult. We've been working on it for a month without any progress."

"Don't you feel awkward mixing with them as a Slytherin?" Anduin put on a curious look. "When I was in school, the Gryffindor people weren't very friendly to me."

"It was a little uncomfortable at first." Draco scratched his head awkwardly. He knew that Anduin was also from Slytherin, and thought that the other party was blaming him.

"But after getting along for a long time, I found that there doesn't seem to be any difference between students from different houses. Everyone mostly regards themselves as companions in the Tactical Club, and among us, the strongest spellcaster is actually Hermione, that Muggle!"

"It's a little unbelievable." Draco looked at Anduin in confusion when he said this. "Professor, do you think there really is such a big gap between Muggles and pure-blood wizards? My father always thinks that Muggles are inferior, but after getting along with them, I don't feel that there is any difference between the two sides."

"This is related to the education he received since he was a child and the era he lived in. They were too influenced by Voldemort back then, so it's normal for their ideas to be a little extreme."

Then Anduin smiled slightly. "Look, I'm also a wizard of Muggle origin. Do you think there's any difference between me and other pure-blood wizards?"

Draco looked at the other party in surprise. He had known for a long time that Anduin was of Muggle origin, but in the pure-blood wizard family circle, there had always been rumors that Anduin was actually a pure-blood wizard.

It should be said that those pure-blood families were unwilling to admit that a wizard of Muggle origin could achieve such outstanding achievements.

Draco's father, Lucius, had said a lot about such rumors, and he actually agreed with such statements in his heart, but he didn't expect Anduin to admit this so readily now.

Shouldn't having pure-blood lineage be an honor? Why does it feel like Professor Wilson doesn't care at all?

"The dignity and honor of a wizard are determined by strength and knowledge, not by so-called bloodlines. I've told you this a lot before, right?" Anduin saw the entanglement in Draco's heart and reiterated the words he had taught them before.

"Yes, Professor." Draco nodded. He worked so hard because he agreed with this point. From the results, his gains were indeed much greater than those of other so-called pure-blood wizards.