Lucius Malfoy had never set foot in a Hogwarts kitchen before.
As a pure Slytherin, he only needs to know how to use house elves.
But this does not mean that he knows nothing about the kitchen, a flustered and humble elf, full of wet hot water mist and pungent spices.
Oh, and of course there’s that annoying sound of plates clattering and pots and spoons crossing.
Even in Malfoy Manor, the kitchen has always been the place Lucius hated the most. Just as his father often said when he was alive, a gentleman should not spend even half a second or a long time on the stove or kitchen knife.
The only people in the kitchen were the house elves and the woman.
However, as he entered the Hogwarts kitchen, Lucius Malfoy found that everything seemed completely different from what he had imagined.
The interior space of the Hogwarts kitchen is at least three or four times larger than it looks from the outside.
The kitchen worktops are like mirror reflections, arranged to both sides and into the distance along the main channel in the middle.
Unlike the noisy and noisy environment that Lucius had previously imagined, hundreds of house elves were in their respective positions, skillfully and dexterously manipulating the kitchen utensils.
Ingredients of various colors, shapes, and types seem to be floating in an invisible river, passing between the workstations of various house elves.
Except for the occasional few house elves wearing tall white hats who gave orders to the surroundings, most of the house elves completed their work quietly and conscientiously.
There was no atmosphere of stagnation or confusion. Perhaps they were informed of his arrival in advance. As Lucius Malfoy moved forward, not even a single house elf put down what he was doing and looked up at him. He felt as if he had stepped into
A factory of precision gears that mesh closely and rotate continuously, or the accounting site of Gringotts Wizarding Bank...
This silence and assembly line work brought Lucius Malfoy as much oppression as when he returned to Hogwarts Castle for the first time after becoming a Death Eater.
Obviously, these mechanical and cold changes cannot be brought about by the dying old wizard.
Compared to the numb and humble elves outside, some frightening and unsettling forces are brewing among the house elves in this kitchen.
Although Lucius Malfoy didn't know what that meant, he knew that this was definitely not the training place for domestic slaves imagined by the Ministry of Magic and the Hogwarts School Board.
Combined with the information he had previously known about the "Descendant of the Demon King", the elf guarding the door with a strange smile on his face revealed the ongoing exchange of fire between black and white wizards in the distance...
Lucius knows very well that even if this is not the most important secret hidden in Hogwarts, it is not public content that ordinary wizards can understand and touch - he does not think that Gellert Grindelwald
Descendants in the magical world will be harmless, silly and cute children. Her Highness the Witch just blocked Hagrid's last magic blast with her bare hands dozens of minutes ago.
In the magical world, a wizard's talent for destruction is only more powerful than her talent for protection...
From the moment he stepped into the kitchen, he could only have one answer today, and the only difference was just in "degree".
"Miss Elena Kaslana, I heard... you have something to ask me about?"
Lucius stopped, looked at the "Magic Throne" floating in mid-air in front of him, and asked softly.
However, the silver-haired little witch sitting upright in mid-air did not answer him immediately, but continued to order the house elf next to her unhurriedly.
The conversation between the two was not deliberately lowered, and Lucius Malfoy could easily hear the conversation between Elena and the elf at a distance from Lucius Malfoy.
"...Well, yes. Hogwarts can extend invitations to the outside world, and we can take in any homeless elves..."
"Character issues are not a big deal. As long as you meet the fertility conditions, there is room for negotiation..."
"Yes, of course I will arrange more work for you...the current workload will not be reduced at all."
Elena gave a few words of comfort. She knew very well the source of the house elves' uneasiness - they were worried that the increase in the number of elves in Hogwarts would mean less work for them.
As a "prophet" who comes from decades later and has rich experience in finance, capital and national enterprises, Elena has never worried about labor surplus. She has too many ways to satisfy the house elves' strong desire to work.
This racial trait that takes overtime as a pleasure and increases the workload as a reward is simply the greatest blessing in the magical world.
After a while, the house elf Burleigh left peacefully carrying a bunch of new "work indicators", but Lucius, not far away, began to feel a little uneasy.
Some extremely bad thoughts kept floating in his mind, and he began to worry whether his previous preparations and awareness had deviated from the track.
Compared to the cruel and sinister Dark Lord, this Demon King Princess seems to be interpreting what is scary in another way.
"Oh, hello Mr. Malfoy. Welcome to the Hogwarts kitchen."
Just when Lucius Malfoy was distracted, the girl's soft voice sounded in his ears.
Elena turned around, folded her hands on her lower abdomen, looked at the middle-aged wizard in the distance who was thinking about something, and said with an elegant chuckle.
"I'm very sorry. As you can see, Professor Dumbledore left in such a hurry. In addition, there are many visitors to Hogwarts today, and there are too many things piled up together——"
Snapped.
Before Mr. Malfoy could subconsciously respond politely, Elena gently raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.
The next moment, several tables filled with words and numbers swung out of her hand silently and floated towards Lucius Malfoy.
"This is a list of the damaged tableware in the Hogwarts Great Hall at noon today. Below is their market price and depreciated price. The next few pages are the statistical appendix of the list of corresponding wizards."
As Elena spoke, she motioned to Lucius Malfoy to quickly open it and check it, while she muttered it in a tone as if she were the head of the house.
"As you know, the school has recently updated a lot of courses, and its finances are somewhat tight."
"Actually, I don't necessarily ask the parents of Slytherin House to compensate, but it is still considered school property. As the youngest and shrewd member of the Hogwarts School Board, Mr. Malfoy, you definitely know how to deal with this kind of thing.
Condition……"
"Oh, you see, I marked everyone's names at the back——"
Elena whispered meaningfully, a light blue magic flame flashed across her fingertips, and she tapped lightly in mid-air.
"A list of all the adult wizards who at some point suddenly broke a cup or plate, or accidentally scratched a dinner plate, or seemed to have a sudden physical illness, are currently in Hogwarts Castle. What do you think of this list?
Should the list wait until Professor Dumbledore comes back, or should you help negotiate and communicate and see if everyone is willing to take some time to chat about the past together..."