Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0597 Recognise

'Remember to stay calm.'

Could it be that Professor Watson knows whose room this is? But why did he specifically urge them to stay calm? Even if this was Professor Dumbledore's new office, there was no need to solemnly urge them like this. Of course, for Harry, if this office belonged to Snape, that would indeed be shocking enough!

Finally, the brass doorknob finished turning, accompanied by a creaking sound. The tightly closed door slowly opened, and a short figure stepped into the office with an agile pace, then casually closed the door behind.

'A house elf?'

Harry blinked in disbelief. The mysterious person who entered the office with such ease was not one of Hogwarts' professors or staff, but a house elf, dressed in clothes that seemed several centuries out of date. Hermione shot Professor Watson a questioning glance and found that even he appeared momentarily taken aback by this unexpected development.

As Harry studied the peculiar elf more closely, he quickly discerned several unusual characteristics that set it apart from its kind.

Firstly, though the style of its clothes appeared quite vintage, they were impeccably tailored and well-coordinated, a far cry from the random, mismatched rags that Dobby wore. It perfectly aligned with wizarding fashion sensibilities, and moreover, the clothes it wore were also very clean without a single wrinkle or stain to ruin its appearance.

But even more remarkable than the elf's clothing elegance was its bearing and demeanor. In Harry's experience, nearly every house elf he had encountered showed a servile, flattering manner, their expressions showed either open or suppressed terror and fawning in the presence of wizards. Even Dobby was not entirely free from this deep-seated behavioral pattern. But this elf was completely different.

The elf seemed to be in a good mood. It kept its back straight as it walked towards the desk, not only smiling, but also humming a lighthearted, unfamiliar tune. In its hands, it carefully held an exquisitely crafted golden cup that glinted in the flickering candlelight.

"Professor Watson, it seems..." Hermione began, but her words trailed off as she observed the elf's peculiar behavior with rising bewilderment.

While Harry and Ron remained engrossed on the elf's every movement, Hermione had already focused in on the most crucial detail. The elf walked directly to the desk without sparing so much as a sidelong glance at the three of them standing few feet away. It was as if, to the elf's eyes, they simply did not exist.

Hermione found this guess too bizarre to face. She instinctively turned to Professor Watson, seeking clarification, only to see him staring at something with a solemn expression. Following his gaze, Hermione discovered that Professor Watson was looking at the golden cup in the elf's hand.

Inside and out, this elf exuded an air of being off.

As the elf drew near, a startled Ron stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to distance himself from the unsettling thing. Yet the elf paid no mind to the commotion, its blissful smile never wavered as it gently placed the golden cup filled with a shimmering purple liquid on the corner of the desk.

Its eyes skimmed around the room, surveying its surroundings with an evaluative gaze, before it walked to the window and carefully inspected the sill for any sign of dust or grime running a finger along the surface.

"It can't see us, can it?" Ron asked, looking at Professor Watson. If one still hadn't realized this point by now, that would be too stupid. "Is this some kind of spell you've cast to conceal our presence?"

Professor Watson offered no response to Ron's inquiry, seemingly lost in contemplation as he crouched down to examine the golden cup more closely, and his eyes narrowed in intense concentration.

"Dobby is knowing every elf in the castle, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby whispered and his voice was barely audible even in the oppressive silence of the room. "But Dobby has never been seeing this elf before..."

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but the words died in his throat as the blood drained from his face and his expression morphed into one of horror. Beside him, Ron and Hermione had matching expressions of disbelief at the scene unfolding before them.

This elf, whose owner was unknown still lightly hummed a cheerful tune. After confirming that the cleanliness of the room was satisfactory, it walked back to the desk from the windowsill. But as it did so, it passed directly through the body of Professor Watson, who was still engrossed in his examination of the Golden Cup.

What was even more shocking was that the elf began to tidy the messy surface of the desk, picking up and rearranging the various books and papers scattered on its surface - the very same objects that Harry, Ron and Hermione had been unable to touch or interact with in any way.

"It's a ghost!" Harry blurted out, his voice strangled with a combination of fear and awe. The scene of the elf passing through Professor Watson was really too shocking.

Besides a ghost, Harry couldn't think of any other possibility!

"Could it be..." Ron gasped, the blood draining from his face until it was ashen as freshly fallen snow. His fingers trembled uncontrollably as a terrible realization appeared in his mind. "Could it be that we've somehow stumbled into the world of the dead? Maybe that's why we can't touch anything in this room, and why the elf can't perceive our presence..."

Ever since they had first set foot in this weird room, a persistent sense of uneasiness had been tormenting Harry and the others' nerves subconsciously. Ron's scary guess only plunged them deeper into the abyss of existential dread. Even Hermione who was normally rational in the face of the unknown, felt a pulsing fear in her heart, feeling that all the ordinary objects around her were emitting an eerie aura.

The three of them subconsciously drew closer to Professor Watson. In this office, Professor Watson was the only one who could bring them a sense of security.

Phew...

Bryan straightened up and let out a soft sigh of relief.

Previously, when destroying that exquisite locket of Slytherin, Dumbledore had once taken out a book recording Hufflepuff's Cup. The golden cup in the picture in the book had the same kind of real magical runes at the base of the cup as Gryffindor's sword, Slytherin's locket, and Ravenclaw's diadem. However, the one in front of him did not.

Bryan did not doubt the authenticity of the cup before him. It was just that at this point in time, the four founders had not yet made any alterations to their respective legacies that could almost represent their identities.

"This is not some sort of ghostly world, and the elf in front of us is not a ghost either," Bryan said softly, his thoughts shifting away from the cup. "You can understand it as us being under the influence of an illusion spell in this room. This office is showing us a past event."

Professor Watson's words were like a balm to the ragged nerves of the young wizards, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief at this revelation. An illusion spell, no matter how scary, was infinitely preferable to being trapped in than some terrifying netherworld inhabited by the dead.

"Professor Watson, I'm so sorry," Hermione stammered, her cheeks flushing with guilt and embarrassment. She felt that the three of them, along with Dobby and Freodom, falling under an illusion spell was her responsibility, and she even implicated Professor Watson. "It's all my fault that we've blundered into this mess and dragged you along with us. Do you have a way to break the illusion spell in the room?"

"We can try," Bryan said calmly, staring into the void. The magic left over for thousands of years is not flawless. A glimmer flashed in his light purple eyes, as if he had already seen through the illusion. "But I think it's best we don't hurry to attempt it. The original owner of this office obviously wants to show us something valuable. Leaving now would undoubtedly be a waste of this fateful encounter."

'A fateful encounter?'

Ron smacked his lips at Professor Watson's words. Secretly, he thought that there was nothing fateful about their current predicament, which seemed more like a waking nightmare than any sort of chance encounter with destiny. But Professor Watson had slipped into lecture mode, and his thirst for knowledge clearly overrode any leaning to a hasty retreat. So, Ron could only swallow his objections with a resigned shrug.

Hermione, on the other hand, seemed energized by the prospect of unraveling this new mystery. If Professor Watson did not consider their safety to be in immediate jeopardy, she was more than willing to let her curiosity off the leash. After all, they had practically been handed a front-row seat to an untold chapter in Hogwarts' history. It would be positively wrong not to take advantage of such an opportunity!

'And who exactly was the owner of this office?'

Hermione couldn't help pondering this question. And the house elf in front of them, busily tidying up the desk with incomparably bright eyes, made Hermione even more curious.

This elf exuded an air of freedom, not at all like the elves in the kitchen and outside who took pleasure in being enslaved. How did this elf's employer achieve all this?

Hermione observed the elf with full concentration, wanting to figure out the secret of this elf whose behavior was natural but bizarre for a house elf. However,

Click!

Without warning, the handle of the office door was turned again!

The person who walked in was a lady. This middle-aged lady had a slightly plump figure, but the gentleness revealed in her face possessed a peculiar power that could soothe people's palpitations. Moreover, her red eyes were as bright as stars. Even Professor Dumbledore with his piercing blue eyes or Professor Watson with his light purple eyes containing magic could not compare!

This middle-aged witch did not appear alone. Behind her followed another witch who looked much younger but whose expression appeared very tired.

The moment they saw this younger witch, Harry and Ron's eyes instantly flickered.

Up until now, the most outstanding and alluring women Harry had seen were the group of Veela at the Quidditch World Cup finals. However, compared to the appearance and temperament of the young witch in front of him, Harry felt that group of Veela were simply vulgar to the extreme!

But...

Harry furrowed his brows. He stared at the two witches who walked in, feeling a sense of familiarity at first glance, as if he had seen them before.

"Who are they?" Ron asked Hermione in a low voice. Professor Watson's earlier words had already revealed some information. The office they were in probably belonged to a former Hogwarts staff member, and they should be very famous. Like Harry, Ron also felt a sense of familiarity. He turned to look at Hermione, and upon seeing her, Ron's eyebrows immediately shot up!

Beside him, Hermione's brown eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets. Her wide-open mouth looked funny, but at the same time, it showed her current shock!

"What's the matter? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost!" Ron asked nervously. But he didn't need Hermione to answer, because the following conversation was enough to make him fully understand the reason for Hermione's expression of surprise and fear, and also made his own mood sink into almost the same state!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Good afternoon, Kiki," the middle-aged witch who entered the office first said with a smile and her voice was very gentle. "I was just looking for you, Kiki. I thought of a few new dishes that I plan to add to the children's daily menu. But before that, perhaps you could give me some advice..."

"Good afternoon, Lady Hufflepuff, Lady Ravenclaw," the house elf called Kiki stood by the chair and bowed slightly, saying politely, "It would be my very great pleasure to serve you, Lady Hufflepuff. Truly, you do me too much honor."

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