Admittedly, judging from the brief display of "Chef's authority" just now, the Hogwarts kitchen has nearly fallen.
Hogwarts is different from other magical families. In this castle, besides the professors, every student has a certain say in commanding the house-elves, and the authorized head chef is naturally in the regular first position.
The goblin queen of Gringotts, the *Quibbler* village that has become the Demon King's territory, the large ship floating above Hogwarts...
In the past year, there have been far too many similar painful lessons.
With the previous examples in mind, Dumbledore simply couldn't feel comfortable letting Hermione create some sort of house-elf guard – he didn't want the girl to have another label of "Elf Queen" attached to her – at that point, the magical world might no longer have house-elves.
Perhaps there wouldn't be a house-elf rebellion, but they might turn into house-elf warriors or something.
"Let's keep the situation with the house-elves as it is for now..."
Dumbledore said in a calm tone, gazing into Hermione's lake-blue eyes.
"Personally, I think the interior of the castle is quite safe – after all, as far as I recall, there haven't been any instances of outside wizards or magical creatures breaking into the school, so this isn't a high priority."
"However, in light of Hermione's reminder, I think we can appropriately add some vigilance tasks."
Dumbledore blinked, carefully considering his words.
"Without affecting and adding new patrol plans, the Hogwarts house-elves, while performing their daily cleaning, cooking, or other tasks, will also be responsible for vigilance, expelling outsiders, or protecting students."
"If any problems are discovered in the process, then we will gradually raise the alert level, and you will be responsible for the arrangements."
"What do you think of that? Miss Granger."
"...Alright. It's a deal then."
Hermione pouted, reluctantly agreeing.
Ever since Grindelwald came to Hogwarts, Old Radish's rhetoric in balancing things has become increasingly refined.
If it were the past, Old Radish wouldn't have been so skilled at smoothing things over; this kind of negotiation skill should have been Old Potato's specialty, not the headmaster's – Dumbledore's dueling skills have improved too quickly.
"Very good, let's proceed with that for the time being."
Dumbledore looked at Hermione with a smile, and said.
"Miss Granger, you may return to the Hufflepuff dormitory to rest. Turn left when you exit the office, and the dormitory is right there. As for the following matters, such as introducing the background and the subsequent declaration plan, leave it to us old folks."
"Oh, then if..."
"If someone really breaks into Hogwarts – without inside help – then I will allow you to gradually strengthen the alert on a small scale according to your original ideas, whether it's transferring house-elves or strengthening the Student Disciplinary Committee."
Dumbledore said, his tone clearly indicating that the matter was settled.
After filling in the last patch, the small ahoge on Hermione's head drooped noticeably.
"Alright, I'll go back now –"
Anyway, the recruitment and interview stages went smoothly. Although she couldn't expand the results further, Hermione was quite satisfied overall. As for the house-elf issue, there would be plenty of opportunities to advance it later.
...
With Hermione's departure, the kitchen became quiet again.
"Albus, I think your promise just now was a bit too generous."
After a moment, Nicolas Flamel frowned, breaking the silence and speaking softly.
"House-elves aren't stupid trolls. After some training, the abilities they display might even be stronger than the same number of ordinary wizards... If there really is –"
"That's almost impossible, Mr. Flamel."
Nearly Headless Nick waved his hand casually, explaining with a smile.
"As everyone knows, Hogwarts has always been the safest place in the entire magical world, bar none."
"For centuries, there have been almost no instances of people sneaking into Hogwarts."
"This castle is not only protected by walls, but also by various kinds of magic. Stealth, flight, and Apparition are all unable to break into Hogwarts – and with the addition of ghost patrols, the safety has increased by more than one level. Not to mention, we now have three castle caretakers and three student disciplinary committee members."
"But..." Nicolas Flamel frowned, looking somewhat uneasy.
"Rest assured, Flamel, there won't be any problems."
Dumbledore said with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of relaxation.
"Following Miss Granger's suggestion, we have been strengthening the defensive magic in various locations of Hogwarts Castle since last year, supplementing and repairing some outdated and old protections – unless there is inside help, no one can silently break through the defenses and sneak into Hogwarts – what's blocking her now is her own shield."
"And even if, in the unlikely event that someone does sneak in tonight – I mean, if –"
Dumbledore said, winking mischievously, spreading his hands with a strange expression.
"Then letting Miss Granger strengthen the castle's alert and adding obstacles to the next alert upgrade is clearly a smarter move – this is rare in Hogwarts history, maybe once every few hundred years?"
"I see, that child is still too young..."
Nicolas Flamel raised his eyebrows, thoughtfully nodding gently.
"That's right. She understands it in her heart as well."
Dumbledore said happily, stroking his long silver-white beard in high spirits.
"In the long run, even if Miss Granger can transfer some house-elves to participate in patrol and alert, the number and scale will be quite limited – unless someone secretly breaks into Hogwarts Castle every week, but is that possible? Obviously not."
"Alright, we don't need to worry about this issue for now... Let's talk about serious matters first."
Dumbledore waved his hand casually, suddenly becoming serious, and said in a deep voice.
"Sir Nicholas, since you are a [World-21] rank, according to the O5 Council charter, you have the right to know most of the classified content. However, considering the limited time, I think it's best to resolve the ghost patrol matters first. If you have any doubts during this process, we can discuss them in detail after the charter is drafted – anyway, we have plenty of time tonight."
Unlike those participants with lower levels.
After learning the true identity of "Nearly Headless Nick," Dumbledore also agreed with Hermione's judgment that they did indeed need a professional magical person who could handle and make recommendations on political, legal, and social relationships.
And that also meant that Nick would become the eighth member to fully grasp all the content.
...
A moment later, the Deathday Party hall.
As the tower bells rang, the students had long been driven out of the party by the professors and returned to their dormitories to prepare for sleep, and the ghosts who came to attend the party also began to prepare to leave one after another, and the huge hall quickly became empty.
"What, Nick, you plan to have us stay at Hogwarts?!"
Sir Patrick exclaimed, his head tucked under his right arm, like a moving Quaffle.
"The Headless Hunt doesn't stay in one place for too long, we belong to the endless world, freedom, honor... these are our pursuits, and this is another reason why you can't join the Headless Hunt..."
"A weekly ghost feast, ten servings each time, with varying tastes."
Nearly Headless Nick said calmly, glancing at the quote Hermione had given him.
"Don't you understand? The Headless Hunt symbolizes freedom, and these things can't be obtained with just a few dishes..."
"Twice a week, twenty servings each time – only potion masters are qualified to try ghost dishes, which is equivalent to forty customized magical potions per week. If you don't think that's enough, then I'll ask someone else."
Sir Nicholas shrugged, pretending to turn around.
Although the "price" was still quite far from the bottom price Hermione had given, Nick knew the importance of keeping his cards close to his chest.
This was like recruiting soldiers, he had to reserve some room for future upgrades.
As the most special member of the O5 Council, Nick had the right to adjudicate all ghost affairs – recruiting and forming a ghost patrol team was just the beginning. If he wanted to increase his voice, he first had to prove his value.
There was no free lunch in the world, whether for him or other ghosts.
Nick, who had once served as First Secretary of State, knew this very well.
"Uh, wait a minute, Nick... Are you still holding a grudge against us for not letting you join the hunt team?"
Sir Patrick was stunned, looking at Nick, who was turning to leave, and shouted loudly.
"I haven't finished what I was saying! Hogwarts is indeed a charming place, it has the most audiences, the most vast and complex environment, and the children like to watch us perform – understand? It's not for the sake of appetite, we're here to bring some joy to the young wizards, and by the way, find a place to hone the skills of the hunt team..."
"This is a responsibility, Sir Patrick."
Nearly Headless Nick looked at the other party and said in a stiff tone.
"I don't think the Headless Hunt can calm down and complete the patrol work. This is an extremely irresponsible behavior towards the school and the students – perhaps those monks south of London are more suitable, they value promises."
"Those sluggish, stubborn, and dull guys? Ha!"
Sir Patrick laughed exaggeratedly, randomly stuffing his head back on his neck.
"It's not bragging, there are few ghosts who are more suitable for this job than us. The ghost patrol team – it's clearly tailor-made for us! Those guys who don't even have horses, are they just going to float around outside?"
"...What's wrong with that?" Nearly Headless Nick said with a straight face.
"Ha! Anyway, I've agreed first!"
Sir Patrick raised his eyebrows triumphantly and whistled at his teammates around him.
"Twice a week, twenty servings of ghost dishes each time – and in return, we serve as the ghost patrol team of Hogwarts, patrolling the surrounding area of the school and the castle area, providing timely warnings... This is too easy."
"Alright, I'll go tell Professor Dumbledore."
Nearly Headless Nick turned around in disappointment and said stiffly.
"Regarding the details, Professor Dumbledore will explain them after breakfast tomorrow. I'll go inform the other guests that the hunt team is joining and that the ghost patrol team has temporarily stopped recruiting –"
"Hey, you don't have to bother with that, I'll help you inform them."
Sir Patrick exchanged a knowing look with his teammates around him.
This was a good opportunity to declare sovereignty and attract attention. They had to dispel the thoughts of those potential competitors, otherwise, who knew if Nick would secretly talk to other ghosts and end up standing them up.
You had to know that the secret about ghost dishes was revealed just a few minutes ago.
"Magical food" that only potion masters had the opportunity to cook, any wizard understood the meaning of this.
...
"Twice a week, twenty servings each time?"
In the central kitchen of Hogwarts, Dumbledore looked at Nick with a strange expression.
Since the headmaster's office had special magical protections, ghosts could not enter that area, so Dumbledore did not leave the kitchen like Flamel, but continued to stay in the kitchen waiting for Nick to report the "ghost recruitment" results.
However, Dumbledore never expected that Sir Nicholas would be so ruthless in terms of "salary adjustment."
You had to know that the original price offered by Hermione was "two meals a day, ten servings per meal."
"Cough, this is normal... Miss Granger is too, um, too generous."
Under Dumbledore's surprised gaze, Nick coughed slightly uncomfortably.
As a descendant of a commoner family, the "Thomas Cromwell" who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Privy Seal, and First Secretary of State during the reign of Henry VIII, this kind of negotiation skill was simply imprinted in his bones, even if it had been sealed for many years, it was not unfamiliar.
Compared to the plight of that turbulent period, people in this era lived too well.
Mr. World cleared his throat and explained a few words casually, then quickly changed the subject.
"Let's not mention this for now, Professor Dumbledore, you seem to look unwell – is there something on your mind? If it's because of the ghost patrol team, that is, Sir Patrick's side, you don't need to worry. Their character is absolutely reliable!"
The ghost knight glanced at Dumbledore, the old man's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, as if he had something worrying him.
"No, I believe in your judgment, Hogwarts of course welcomes the joining of the Headless Hunt."
Dumbledore slowly shook his head and sighed.
"There's a problem on the other side, Sir Nicholas – just a few minutes ago, a not-so-good news came from the Hogwarts house-elves, a house-elf found an intruder from outside the school in the student dormitory."
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Hooray!