studiobondurri 196: Equal Rights and Luna
196: Equal Rights and Luna
196: Equal Rights and Luna
Hermione hadn't expected her House-Elf Rights Promotion Society to be rejected so outright. She couldn't understand why John would refuse such a good cause.
"Don't tell me you're like Ron, thinking house-elves enjoy being enslaved!" Hermione's voice unconsciously rose.
"No, Hermione," John shook his head and replied calmly, "But let me ask you this: Why are you so determined to help house-elves?"
"Why?"
Hermione froze for a moment before responding, "Isn't it obvious? We shouldn't stand by and watch them be enslaved like this. They should be paid for their work, not do it for free."
"Wrong."
John looked at her, his expression tinged with a faint exasperation at her naivety. "Do you know how wizards came to hold their current status?"
Before Hermione could respond, John continued, his tone carrying a faint chill. "Through slaughter. A great deal of slaughter."
As if on cue, a gust of cold wind seemed to sweep through, sending a shiver down Hermione's spine.
"At the beginning, wizards and many magical creatures didn't coexist peacefully. You should know about the goblin rebellions. House-elves were also among the losers of those wars."
"In those wars, countless wizards died. The house-elves were enslaved, and the pact prohibiting them from using wands was established."
John's words caused beads of sweat to form on Hermione's forehead as she began to grasp the weight of what he was saying.
"To the victor goes the spoils. The losers pay the price. House-elves seem pitiful because so many wizards once fell at their hands."
His brown eyes gleamed faintly, exuding a cold light, the persona of Johnny Silverhand was leaking. "Wizards are the beneficiaries. In the Muggle world, similar things have happened. It's not about species—it's about winning and losing."
Indeed, this has happened everywhere at some point.
"This is the wizarding world."
Perhaps there have been kind masters who freed their slaves, but as the saying goes, those who are not of our kind will always have different hearts.
After being enslaved for so long, house-elves are steeped in servility, thoroughly brainwashed by wizards.
But once the first house-elf rises in rebellion, others will gradually awaken.
When that happens, will they coexist peacefully with wizards and their own kind?
"Either domesticate them or drive them away," John said calmly. "The goblins in Gringotts also lost to the wizards, but do you think they've given up their ambitions?"
"They've never let go of their desire for control over the magical world."
The greedy glint of a goblin's eye flashed in Hermione's mind, leaving her momentarily dazed.
John's words were brutally realistic, stripped of fantasy. This wasn't a storybook; for John, this was a real world.
Perhaps, at some point in the past, he might have felt joy when seeing fictional outcasts liberated in a story.
But in reality, if cats and dogs capable of wielding guns were "freed," would they still be humanity's best friends?
House-elves are incredibly powerful. Even without a wand, Dobby had knocked Lucius Malfoy flying. Hogwarts' anti-Apparition spells are ineffective against them.
For John, the current house-elves are the best version of house-elves.
Grant them equal rights with wizards, and sooner or later, wizards will find themselves in another war against house-elves.
Hermione left, her steps somewhat unsteady as she departed.
John wasn't sure if she would continue to hold onto her beliefs, but regardless, he would still consider her a friend.
Entering the library, John sifted through a considerable number of books.
There were few resources on the subject of the mind, but he sat there, reading diligently.
After going through book after book on mental studies, John had formed a preliminary plan for treating the Longbottoms.
"Excessive trauma has caused them to shut themselves off."
He rubbed his chin, finding the Longbottoms' condition particularly tricky.
After all, it involved the Cruciatus Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses.
"Mental magic requires unlocking the door to their minds, which demands immense empathy. That means I have to be just like them."
John felt a headache coming on. Did this mean he would need someone to cast the Cruciatus Curse on him?
He had no masochistic tendencies, and even if the curse was used, it might not work. At the very least, he needed to achieve empathy.
It was akin to tuning a frequency—he had to align his own mind with that of the Longbottoms to be able to receive their "signal."
Luckily, John just gave it a quick glance before turning his attention back to the Snorkack, whispering to it in a low voice.
"Moo~"
The Snorkack, whether it understood or not, nodded solemnly as if it did.
After finalizing their plans, John bid farewell to Hagrid.
However, just as he walked out the door, he abruptly turned back.
Hagrid, who had just let out a sigh of relief, jumped in surprise.
"Oh, right, Madame Maxime likes tulip perfume. You could spray a little on the letter," John said casually.
Hagrid's face turned beet red, and John turned on his heel to leave.
Upon arriving at the Forbidden Forest, John immediately spotted Luna wandering dreamily as she stepped inside.
She was looking upward, as if searching for something.
"I was thinking, maybe the Crumple-Horned Snorkack might stay in trees," she said.
Her ethereal voice was as melodious as a song, calming anyone who heard it.
Hearing this, John found it amusing and replied in a mock-serious tone, "Really? I think I found a Crumple-Horned Snorkack in a tree once, too."
As his words trailed off, John noticed Luna staring at him.
He felt as though she had seen through his clumsy lie and quickly added, "It might also be in tree hollows, right?"
Luna nodded in agreement.
John beckoned her to follow, and the two of them walked deeper into the forest.
After some time and distance, they had ventured into a denser part of the forest.
"Shh."
John suddenly stopped, causing Luna, who was following closely behind, to accidentally bump into him.
"Ow.."
Clutching her head, Luna looked in the direction John was staring.
In that part of the forest, there was a very large tree.
It seemed like two trees intertwined, their trunks merging into one. On the trunk, there was a hollow.
"It's there," John whispered, lowering his voice.
Luna spotted a small head poking out of the hollow, struggling to emerge. The curved horns on its head seemed almost too big for it.
Her eyes widened, and John could clearly see an expression of astonishment on Luna's face.
It seemed like this was a first for her.
A slight movement in the bushes caused a rustling sound, startling the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. It quickly retreated into the hollow but soon peeked out again.
This time, it locked eyes with Luna.
The Snorkack couldn't hold back and let out a fart. With a loud pop, the entire creature vanished.
"Where did it go?" Luna asked, starting to look around when she felt something crawling over her shoulder.
She glanced down to see the Crumple-Horned Snorkack clinging to her robes with its tiny paws.
Gently, she cupped it in her hands and, in her ethereal, soft voice, said, "Hello, my name is Luna."
Her earnest self-introduction left the Snorkack stunned. It froze for a moment before finally letting out a soft "moo."
Luna laughed, her smile bright and radiant.
"Thank you, John," she said.
John felt as though she understood everything. Leaning against a tree, he silently watched her, a small smile playing on his lips.
He waved his hand dismissively.
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