HP's Foreign Land

"I have to tell you something clearly." Lucius rubbed the space between his brows wearily. He and Narcissa had a pretty bad week-he was always rubbing the space between his brows this week, and he couldn't think of the culprit, but This Kreacher. "First of all, I will let you fulfill your wish and recommend you to the place you want to go to serve your Master Rigg."

The gloom was swept away, and Kreacher's eyes were filled with obvious joy. It looked at Lucius with twinkling eyes, and Lucius curled his lips.

"However," Lucius paused maliciously, "Master Rigg is not someone you can get close to if you want to. Sturluson is a big family, and big families usually have strict rules." Of course he would not Revealing that this was just his scaremongering, Lucius decided to embellish some of the facts in order to "thank you" for its "meaningful" week.

The last straw that broke Lucius was just yesterday, when he witnessed his house-elf being frightened—maybe, in fact he hadn't bothered to explore the mystery at the time—Kreacher and his chattering, usually The well-trained elves in the house huddled together, and every time Kreacher revealed his "mind" about the Malfoy family again, the elves screamed and pulled their ears, punishing themselves for listening to what they shouldn't have heard.In the chaos, all the service fell on Kreacher, which is how "bad week" came about.

Lucius had clearly told Narcissa that he couldn't handle the house elves of the Black family, damn it, he was eager to sing about Merlin, and he was glad he was a vain Malfoy and not born into the noble Black family!

Narcissa knew that her husband's patience had reached its limit, so she agreed with his decision and sent Kreacher away as soon as possible.

"If I were Black, I wouldn't be able to stand it either." Lucius finally said something he didn't quite like to admit to justice.

Narcissa was speechless.

Closer to home.

Mr. Malfoy, who is sure of vengeance, looks for an opportunity to scare Kreacher and give him a blow before Rommel.Kreacher was not as timid as Lucius expected, and stared straight at Lucius with his big bloodshot eyes. Looking at it from Lucius' perspective, the big pig's nose was ridiculously tilted to one side, its His eyes were full of confusion.

"Why should I take on a house-elf..." Mr. Malfoy muttered feebly. "Tini."

"Master!" The house-elf appeared in front of Lucius at an unprecedented speed, "Tini is willing to do everything for Master!" The obviously over-excited house-elf was at a loss because of the master's call, and Kreacher had already snatched it. One week performance opportunity.Lucius couldn't help but rubbed the center of his brows again, it's better to send the lizard skin away as soon as possible, all normal things will be derailed after it comes.

"Have something to drink, anything you want." Lucius said softly.

"Casual?" Tini bit his finger habitually, wondering, "Master...Master is never casual...Tini doesn't know casual..."

"That's your problem!" Lucius said sternly.

Tiny whimpered and knocked his forehead on the ground, the sound of bang bang bang kept ringing.

Lucius ordered, "Stop, stand up!"

Tiny got up tremblingly.

"Go and get something to drink, I won't blame you for whatever you take, go!"

Tiny crackled and disappeared.

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief.

"...Explain, the house-elf doesn't need an explanation, why would the vain Malfoy explain to a house-elf, oh, old Kreacher is too surprised..."

"You!" Lucius gritted his teeth. "Instead of standing here and whispering about you, you might as well think about your future!"

Kreacher still looked confused when he raised his face.

Lucius was very discouraged. At the same time, Tiny brought a glass of drink. Lucius stared at the liquid in the glass. Although he had been away from Hogwarts for many years, it did not prevent him from recognizing that this thing was Butterbeer is very popular with students.Lucius gave Tiny a sideways look, and the house-elf was shaking so hard he could barely control the tray.

"I don't blame you, put the things here." His face was expressionless, but his words were calm.

Tiny was flattered, and the cup was quickly transferred from his hand to the table.

Lucius ignored it, quickly picked it up and took a sip, the liquid went down the esophagus into the stomach, as boring as plain water.He suddenly missed the drink with the bright color of peacock blue, which tasted a little bit like Huhuocao toothpaste - Mr. Malfoy refused to admit that it actually tasted the same as that toothpaste.

Lucius calmed down.

"Have you ever heard of the Sturlusons?" he asked Kreacher.

"Kreacher is not a house-elf of Sturluson... Kreacher serves only noble Black..."

"Then you should get rid of your thoughts as soon as possible and go back to guard your Master Black!" Lucius has now learned to talk directly to his "heart", this guy is a typical duplicity.

Kreacher murmured even softer, and the use of vocabulary was very confusing. Lucius guessed for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He decided to give up this very shameless move.

"You probably still don't quite understand that Rigg is Strulusson, he is not Black, and the person he calls his father is not Sirius Black!"

Kreacher gasped, his breathing became even more disordered, his muttering was completely indistinct, the expression on his face was startled and frightened, and soon tears of sorrow began to flow.

It wasn't Black's statement that hit him hard, Kreacher could ignore Sirius' yelling - denying it through self-comfort, but this approach could not be repeated with Lucius Malfoy.

Kreacher didn't respect Sirius from the bottom of his heart, but Lucius Malfoy was different. Perhaps Malfoy was slightly inferior to the noble Black, but in Kreacher's heart, the husband of Miss Sissy that Lucius second respected, It is a pure blood worthy of its high respect.In short, Kreacher's respect for Malfoy was more genuine than it was for Sirius, who, as Sirius had decided, had been thoroughly brainwashed by the stereotypes of the family.

"It seems that you understand." Lucius was a little surprised, but compared to its words and deeds this week, he felt that it was reasonable. Apart from its crazy behavior and slovenly appearance, he was willing to praise its loyalty. "Maybe you tried to find out. If that's the case, you must know what kind of wizard family Sturluson is."

Kreacher stopped all the murmurs, arched his back, choked up facing the carpet, his bullfrog-like voice was really not pleasant, and it particularly spoiled the atmosphere.

I am used to seeing its aggressiveness and listening to its chatter, this fragile performance made Lucius and the house elf hiding in the room waiting to be called at any time were not used to it.

"The house-elf in the Sturluson family is different from the family-style service commonly used by British wizards. They like one-way service, that is, every family member will have a house-elf who is close to him. The personal house-elf only It needs to serve a master and other wizards recognized by the master. It only needs to be loyal to its master. It can refuse to serve anyone other than the master and the wizards recognized by the master, or misinterpret it by itself. Order, even if the other party is also a Sturluson." Lucius smiled playfully. "The last point must be familiar to you. You don't do little things about obedience and infidelity, do you?"

Considering that Black is now in charge, Lucius is very confident in his guess, otherwise Kreacher would not be here.

"Old Kreacher has served the noble Blake all his life. Old Kreacher is an excellent house elf. Kreacher has always served his mistress. Kreacher..."

"All right, all right, you don't need to rush to promise me about your ability, it's useless." Lucius said leisurely. "I'll take you to see the head of Sturluson's family, and he will decide whether you will stay or not. Also, Rigg already has an excellent house-elf around him."

Kreacher suddenly raised his head, no confusion and tears could be seen on his face, only stubborn persistence remained in his eyes.

"Kreacher wants to serve Master Rigg!"

Lucius sent Kreacher away, but the goal of disowning him was not achieved after all. As a result, the lizard skin was even more motivated than before.Lucius must admit that house-elves are frustrating creatures, and you can't try your best to taste them the kind of victory you hope for.

Lucius took a sip of the butter beer, and the thoughtful Tiny warmed the glass before serving it, and it tasted just right.This is a house-elf, Lucius praised.

Turning his head, he saw Tiny looking at him without blinking, looking a little silly.

Lucius frowned in disgust, "What's going on?"

Tiny looked around like a thief, and then stared expectantly at his big eyes that protruded like tennis balls: "Tini... Can Tiny be Master Lucius' personal house-elf?" Stulu The loyal and performance-hungry Tiny is galvanized by the house-elf management practiced by the Pine family.

Since Dobby left, Lucius has never experienced any "adventurous spirit" from the house elves, and Tiny overturned Lucius' cognition today.Thinking back carefully, Dobby's adventurous spirit is generally directly manifested in actions, and Tiny only dared to test it verbally. In other words, it is far from being "Dobby's second".

Lucius heaved a sigh of relief, and sternly rejected Tiny's proposal. Tiny disappeared crying, and nine out of ten went to the kitchen to find tools to punish himself.

Get rid of the lizard skin tomorrow!Lucius dropped the glass angrily, attributing all the anomalies to Kreacher's contagious nervousness.

There is a faint smell of smoke in the air. If you smell it carefully, you will find that this smell is very unique. It is mixed with the sweet aroma of wine and the aroma of nuts. It is clear but not thin, mellow but not strong. A smoking light cigar on a matchbox.

The temperature in the house is very comfortable, the firewood is burning warmly in the fireplace, the swaying shadows cast by the flames are spread on the solid-colored carpet in front of the fireplace, and the crackling sound of wood echoes in the furnace cavity. At this time, no one cares about the occasional disharmony Note.

Lucius was sitting on the sofa in Rommel's office, tracing the pattern on the cane with his fingers.

"That's how it is."

A glass of gin appeared quietly on the tea table in front of the sofa. Lucius let go of the cane with one hand, picked it up and took a sip. It was his favorite brand.

With his back to him, Rommel was still rummaging in front of the cabinet, as if he didn't hear the embarrassment in his words, and he was not in a hurry to express his opinion.

"My house elf knew you were coming and prepared it for you." Rommel seemed to have found something, closed the cabinet door and threw it on the table, walked around the desk and sat down across from Lucius. "I don't like sweet gin very much." Rommel prefers spicy gin that tastes richer and stronger.

Lucius took another sip, put down his glass and adjusted his sitting position. The other person's expression told him it was time to talk about business.

"There is no precedent for this in our family." Rommel leaned back on the back of the sofa, and an extra cup of tea immediately appeared in front of him.

"I think you understand that every family has a set of customs to follow. Although our family has some unsatisfactory omissions in the strategy of managing the house-elves, as outsiders talk about, the employment of servants is always the same. The orthodox way, we don't use foreign elves."

"I understand." Lucius' expression was unnatural. "The way of the Sturlusons is very similar to a particular case at Hogwarts."

Rommel returned this reluctant statement with a slight smile, "And I'm an old-fashioned pedant, I value the utility of money, and I appreciate both kindness and power when I am hired. I pay the house-elves salaries, allow them to take vacations, and relatively Yes, they must be absolutely loyal to me. Every house-elf is valuable to our family, and we set their prices according to the current value system, just like the Ministry of Magic pays every employee. In other words It is said that the house elves currently working in our house are our wealth, giving them money allows them to support themselves, and at the same time reminds them who they belong to, and their task is to allow us to live comfortably.”

Lucius changed his sitting position. He didn't come to listen to Sturluson's elf management method.

Of course Rommel knew this, he leaned over to pick up the teacup and took a sip slowly.These words were not addressed to Lucius, but to the one in the dark.

The Sturlusons had no shortage of house-elves, and he could see no reason to let a foreign house-elf take care of his son.

There was a slight collision sound, and in the blink of an eye, Rommel saw Lucius' tense face. It seemed that the elf was making some kind of effort, and Rommel put down his teacup calmly.

"I didn't understand one thing about what you said just now." Rommel's words immediately attracted the attention of Lucius, or rather, the house elf, and the sound of collision disappeared.

Lucius withdrew his revealing expression, "Please tell me."

"My son's name is Strulusson, and he's not Blake."

Lucius nodded, completely agreeing with this statement.

"Then why should I trust this house-elf to obey my son's orders?"

Lucius froze for a moment, and suddenly realized that this was a blind spot in his thinking.

"From your point of view, it keeps saying that it wants to take care of Master Rigg. The problem is that there is no Master Rigg from the Black family here, but there are Master Rigg from the Sturluson family." Rommel pointed out sharply. "What on earth does a house-elf, who is absolutely loyal to the noble Black, lead me to believe that he will give himself up to the Sturlusons?"

After a long while, Lucius said without the slightest emotion: "Did you hear that?" Then he ignored it and tried to change the subject when he turned to Rommel.

The sound of collision sounded again, this time it was very intense, clearer than the crackling sound of firewood, accompanied by the strange friction sound of blunt objects scraping, the piercing scream of objects touching, the unnatural vibration of the tabletop, the hem of the framed map on the wall High up and down... These movements are fleeting, sometimes far away, and sometimes seem to be close at hand.

Lucius frowned anxiously.

The crystal paperweight jumped up from the desk, and then was slammed back by an invisible slap. It stopped abruptly a second before it hit the desk and made a sound, like a goose feather, and gently fell back to its original position. And rigorously moved the direction.

Lucius exhaled.

Rommel said: "It's all right."

Two old elves appeared in front of them, one on the left and one on the right. If it weren't for the obedient nature of the house elves to curb their willful actions, Lucius dared to swear to Merlin that they would definitely grab each other in front of them ears and nose.

Another thing Lucius didn't expect was that Kreacher knew how to dress himself up, not that he suddenly became handsome.It washed its feet clean, its long black and yellow nails were trimmed short and flat, and the rags around its crotch were a little whitish, and it was no longer as disgusting as before.

Lucius guessed it might have washed its face, too.

But these gratifying changes - let's say gratifying - are completely incomparable with the calm Dodoma next to him.The only thing that comforted Lucius was that although Kreacher described it as wretched, he didn't have the slightest bit of inferiority complex. His appearance was not as good as Dodoma's, but his mental outlook was very vigorous. It can be said that he was too vigorous.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, Kreacher undoubtedly became the representative of the British house elves at this time. Lucius disliked Kreacher, but he didn't want it to lose face to the British team.

Rommel looked at Kreacher calmly, and Kreacher, who was engrossed in competing with Dodoma, had no time to whisper about it, and coincidentally concealed its biggest flaw.

Rommel is a decisive person, "Leave aside the loyal and unfaithful, if you can't even get close to Rigg, no matter how loyal you are, it's useless."

Kreacher stared cautiously at Dodoma, and then looked at Rommel. The latter's sharp eyes made him tremble, but he did not hesitate.

"Kreacher wants to serve Master Rigg!"

"The house elves who enter the Sturluson's house to work can only do the most common chores before they are officially appointed as personal servants. Only the best elves will be selected and appointed as personal servants." Rommel Blind to the wonderful intensity of emotion released in its eyes. "Well, as long as you can pass the examination, I will consider letting you go to Rieg."

"Kreacher is the house-elf of the noble Black family, and Kreacher is the house-elf of the mistress..."

Lucius rolled his eyes, now that it's going to retreat?

"Kreacher only serves Master Rigg!"

Rommel raised a thick eyebrow, "Does that mean you agree?"

"Kreacher wants to serve Master Rigg!"

Rommel grinned, "Dodoma, I leave it to you!"

"Dodoma obeys, master."