He thought that such words would make the elves feel relieved, but to his surprise, he found that their expressions were very stiff.
"You want him to betray his master?" Pancake Pan said in a very frightened tone.
Erwin suddenly realized that he had made a mistake. Obviously, in the mind of a house elf, betraying one's master is the most morally wrong thing to do.
This is very interesting. What determines the current status of house elves is not that they have no fighting power or are oppressed by wizards, but because of their thoughts.
"Just give it a try, forget it if it doesn't work." Erwin said lightly: "I'm a little curious, how did you capture him?"
All the house elves looked at Chef Cookie.
After listening to Cookie tell what happened, Erwin felt even more magical. A house elf version of a beauty trap?
There are unique individuals in every race, and Cookie is more intelligent than other house elves.
Judging from Dobby's performance, he should also be a unique individual.
"In this state, he can't use Apparition, right?" Erwin noticed the ancient chains and shackles on Dobby's body.
"Yes, sir, a house elf cannot apparate with anything heavier than his body. Moreover, these shackles are specially made. After wearing them, the house elf will basically be unable to use magic." Qu.
Qi replied.
Is there such a thing in Hogwarts? But it is understandable. After all, this castle has the need to manage house elves, so it should naturally be equipped with tools to control and restrain them.
After bidding farewell to the elves in the kitchen, Erwin took the unconscious Dobby into the underground secret room. He checked his physical condition and found that he had just fainted from a heavy blow to the head. Overall, there was nothing serious.
The vitality of house elves is still quite tenacious.
Now, all we have to do is wait for him to wake up.
Half an hour later, Dobby slowly opened his eyes, "Where am I?"
Erwin sat across from him and just drank the last glass of pumpkin juice at this time. The drink was brought out of the kitchen by him.
"Dobby the house elf, do you still know me?" Erwin asked, tilting his head.
Dobby's expression was blank.
It seems that this little guy has forgotten that he met Erwin during the Quidditch match.
"Are you a house elf loyal to the Malfoy family?" Erwin asked directly.
"Yes, they are Dobby's masters." The elf replied honestly.
He twisted around, the heavy shackles making him very uncomfortable.
"Don't worry too much. As long as you answer my questions truthfully, you will be free." Erwin said, "What order did Lucius Malfoy give you?"
"Dobby has no answer to that question."
"Then let me put the question another way. Is Lucius Malfoy planning against Hogwarts, and his ultimate target is Dumbledore? You only need to answer yes or no."
"Dobby has no answer to that question."
"You can just nod or shake your head."
"No." Dobby seemed stubborn.
Erwin showed no emotion, "So, is there anything you can reveal about the Malfoy family itself?"
Dobby still shook his head.
"Why can't you answer the above questions?" Erwin continued to ask.
"Because Master Lucius ordered Dobby not to reveal a word to outsiders." Dobby's expression flashed with sadness, "Dobby must obey his master's orders."
"Why do you follow the master's orders? What will be the consequences if you disobey the orders?"
"I will be severely punished by my master. I will be beaten, scolded, starved, and even executed..."
"But if you don't recognize him as your master, avoid him, or even... kill him, wouldn't you not have to face punishment?" Erwin said while observing the elf's reaction.
Dobby was stunned. He seemed to have never thought about this, but suddenly his thin body trembled, his wrinkled face squeezed into a ball, and he shouted hysterically, "Dobby must never violate this."
The will of the master! A house elf must never betray his master!"
This is not his normal reaction at all.
Erwin already understood somewhat, "What do you think?" he asked Riddle.
"Hereditary blood curse or soul contract? Let them abide by certain rules... I have not studied the origin of this servant race, and I can only make a guess." Riddle said.
In any case, it is completely unfeasible to let house elves gain independence through words alone. There is something deeper that governs their thinking.
"But you have actually disobeyed your master." After Dobby calmed down, Erwin suddenly said: "Have you ever tried to prevent Harry Potter from going to Hogwarts? This is what your master ordered you to do.
?”
Dobby shuddered, "This is Dobby's own decision. Dobby has punished himself severely."
"Your master probably doesn't know about this, right?"
Dobby was silent.
"So you are only punishing yourself for hiding something from the master, not for taking the initiative to contact Harry. Your master has not given an order in this regard. He has not explicitly ordered you not to contact Harry, right? As long as the master does not let the master
If you know, you are not violating his will or making a mistake."
"Pfft," Riddle sneered, "It's really a huge logical flaw."
Dobby looked shocked and looked over with disbelief. Erwin knew that his analysis was correct.
House elves must abide by the following rules:
House elves must obey their masters unconditionally.
House elves cannot use wands.
House elves cannot learn and use offensive magic.
House elves may not harm any human wizard in any way.
Although it is still unclear what exactly forces the elves to follow these codes, these regulations themselves have loopholes and cannot cover all situations.
And Dobby has discovered a loophole. As long as his master does not issue clear instructions on a certain aspect, he can act according to his own ideas, and he only needs to punish himself for the crime of concealment.
"Dobby has always longed for freedom." Faced with such a wise man, Dobby subconsciously confided, "As long as the master gives Dobby clothes, Dobby will be free, but the Malfoys are very careful and never let Dobby
Than chance to touch any clothing."
"Another one-sentence rule?" Erwin couldn't help but shake his head.
"Is there a specific definition of clothes?" he asked: "What style should it be? Are there any special requirements?"
Dobby looked confused, "House elves can wear anything, sir! Socks and scarves are all fine."
In other words, the definition of clothing should be expanded to include textiles.
"So, what are the requirements for the Giver? Do all members of the Malfoy family have the right to grant you freedom?"
"Yes, sir."
"The last question is about the form of gift. According to you, as long as the textile is transferred from the owner's hands to yours, it can be regarded as a gift?"
"That should be it." Dobby hesitated.
"I have always believed that these inhuman races are unreliable, and the facts prove that I am not wrong." Riddle said in a contemptuous tone. Of course, only Erwin could hear what he said.
Erwin ignored him, "In this case, it would be too easy for you to get free." He said to Dobby.