Out With the Old Professors, In With the New

Ch. 13: At Your Service

Before Harry and Ron set off for their meeting with Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office, Harry stopped in the bathroom next to the Great Hall to clean up his wounds from his confrontation with Chunky and Skippy. Thus refreshed, the two friends made their way to their meeting, discussing the amazing display that Crabbe and Goyle had put on that morning. They arrived at the stone gargoyles that guarded the stairs to Dumbledore's office about five minutes early, so they loitered there until it was time for their appointment.

When the moment for their meeting had arrived, Harry said to Ron, "Well, should we just go on up, I wonder? I don't want to interrupt Dumbledore while he's meeting with Perky."

"I don't know," said Ron. "I guess we should go up, we can always wait outside if they're still busy."

That decided, Ron gave the password, and they climbed the stairs to the office. As the rotating stairs carried the pair upward, they caught the tail end of the Headmaster's remarks to Perky.

"...and I'm glad we could resolve all these problems, Perky. I think Professor Snape would be the perfect choice to work with you."

Harry grinned as he thought of the humorless Snape being assigned to work with the House Elves. He did not think that Snape would be at all pleased with this new responsibility. When they finally reached the top of the stairs, the door to the office was wide open, which they took as a sign that they should enter. They saw Dumbledore seated at his desk, and a contented-looking Perky standing before him.

"Hello gentlemen, right on time, come in, come in!" said Dumbledore with a broad smile. "I'm happy to say that Perky and I have reached an accord, and the House Elves are ready to let Hermione go."

Both boys expressed their thanks and delight, and Dumbledore continued. "Yes, all the details of the agreement we reached will be made clear to the entire school soon enough. I thought that you two would consent to accompany Perky to give Miss Granger the news that she is free to go."

"Oh yes, thank you sir!" exclaimed Ron, barely able to hold back his excitement, as Harry nodded enthusiastically beside him. "We'll go get her right away! And thank you too, Perky!"

"You are welcome, sirs, and Perky is sorry that we had to take your friend. She has been quite nice, and has come to see our point of view, so we is happy to let her go now. Everything will be fine for us elves now, thanks to wise Headmaster Dumbledore! Now, Perky will go, and you can come down to the kitchens to get Professor Granger." Perky then bowed to Dumbledore, and disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

As Harry and Ron made to leave, the Headmaster stopped them. "There's just one more thing before you go, boys," said Dumbledore. "As part of our agreement, Dobby will no longer be allowed to work for Hogwarts, the elves here are just too threatened by his freedom."

"Oh no, sir, you can't make Dobby leave!" Harry protested. "After all he's done for me, and for Hogwarts!"

"No Harry, we cannot, that would not be fair or kind to Dobby," agreed Dumbledore gravely. "I was thinking that you might have something to say regarding this matter. If he had a master here at Hogwarts, someone to whom he would willingly pledge his allegiance, then he would not have to leave."

"But who, sir?" asked Harry. "Dobby likes being free, I can't think of anyone he'd want to serve."

Dumbledore smiled, and said, "No, Harry? Think about it for a moment. Dobby has never truly been free and independent. When you liberated him from the Malfoys, he wandered aimlessly for a brief period, then came here to Hogwarts. Do you not know why? He told me that he wanted to work someplace where he could 'be of service to Harry Potter'. Has he not always come to your aid whenever you were in need? When you saved Dobby from his servitude to the Malfoys, it created a magical bond between you and him, in addition to his obvious fondness toward you. If you will offer to take Dobby on as your servant, you would be doing him a great kindness."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "But sir, I don't really want a servant tied to me like that. Couldn't he work for Hagrid, or maybe I could give him to the Weasleys or something?"

"No, Harry," said Dumbledore gravely, "I am convinced that Dobby will only be truly happy if you are his master. Please consider this carefully. A loyal and willing servant that you could trust without reservation would be a great comfort in the trials that are before you, Harry."

"Alright, Professor, I'll do it," said Harry reluctantly. "But I still want to give him time off and treat him well."

"Of course, Harry, I would expect no differently from you," replied the Headmaster with satisfaction. "I will call Dobby to me and inform him of your decision immediately. But now, I think you and Ron have someone you want to go collect, do you not?"

"That's right, thank you, sir!" said Harry.

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Professor Dumbledore!" said Ron, smiling, as the boys hurried out of Dumbledore's office.

As they headed toward the kitchens, Harry could not help but smile at the mixed look of joy and concern on Ron's face. "Hey Ron, why so quiet?" he asked. "This is great! We'll have Hermione back in no time."

"Oh, I know!" said Ron earnestly. "I'm thrilled to get her back, I just hope they treated her well. I'm just wondering about what Perky said, that Hermione 'sees the elves point of view.'"

"Well, maybe she just understands them better now, since she spent some time with them," guessed Harry.

"I'm not so sure," said Ron. "You know Hermione, it takes a lot to get her to change her mind. I wonder what they did to her to convince her?" he added darkly.

He lapsed back into silence for a moment, so Harry said, "Everyone seems sure they would do nothing to harm her, Ron, don't worry."

"Yeah, that's true," replied Ron. "On the other hand, she might have been faking to throw the elves off their guard. If she starts up with that SPEW stuff when she gets out, no telling what they'll do to her this time."

Finally, they reached the entrance to the kitchens. Ron reached up and tickled the pear in the painting that guarded the door, and eagerly pulled on the handle when it appeared. He rushed through the doorway, followed by Harry, and immediately began to look around for Hermione.

The kitchens looked much as they did last time they had visited, except the elves were still cleaning up from breakfast. Tables identical to those in the Great Hall above were set with dirty dishes, goblets, and silverware, and elves were hurrying to and fro clearing everything away. Harry noticed that many House Elves were not participating, but sat or lay on small benches along one side of the room; these were presumably the servers who were still recovering from their confrontation with Crabbe and Goyle.

Ron craned his neck, looking all about the hall. "I don't see her anywhere, Harry," he said nervously.

At that moment, a House Elf approached them. Harry recognized him from the thrashing he had received earlier in the day. The elf bowed, and said, "Chunky welcomes Harry Potter and his friend. I is glad you were not harmed during the banquet this morning, Harry Potter!"

"Well, just by you and your friend," replied Harry resentfully. "What is it with you elves anyway? Every time one of you tries to help me, I end up bruised, bleeding, or with something broken."

Harry may have been mistaken, but he could have sworn he saw a fleeting grin on Chunky's face before he frowned and said, "Oh no, Harry Potter, we elves would never hurt a wizard on purpose! We was trying to keep you safe!"

"Yeah, sure," said Harry. "I'll probably be sore for the rest of the day. Anyway, where's Hermione? Professor Dumbledore told us you'd be letting her go."

Bowing again, Chunky said, "Yes, Harry Potter, Perky told me to come get you and bring you to her. Professor Hermione is back in our quarters. Come this way please, sirs."

The elf led Harry and Ron through a doorway at the back of the hall, and down a long corridor lined with doors. They looked around with interest. As they passed, a couple of the doors opened and elves came out, immediately bowing to the boys, and they saw that the rooms were storage areas for cooking supplies and equipment. After about a minute, Chunky stopped and opened a door, and said, "Here, sirs, your friend is inside. Chunky will go back to work now, sirs. It was nice to see you!"

"Hermione!" shouted Ron happily, and he rushed into the room followed by Harry. It looked about the same size as the other storage rooms the boys had glimpsed, but was furnished quite differently. The walls were covered in rich tapestries, and a cheerful blaze was burning in a beautiful marble fireplace.

"Ron! I'm so glad to see you!" they heard Hermione call. "You too, Harry! Um, you'll understand if I don't get up, won't you?"

Ron and Harry stared open-mouthed at the scene before them. Hermione was reclining in an ornate brass tub, filled with scented bubble bath, set before the beautiful fireplace. One elf stood on a stool next to the tub, holding open a copy of 'Hogwarts, a History' that she had evidently been reading. Another was pouring more hot water into Hermione's bath. Several elves stood around the tub holding trays of fruit and biscuits, and two others were playing soothing music on small harps.

"C'mon over and sit down!" said Hermione. "Get a couple of couches for them, will you, and some drinks," she commanded.

With quick bows, the elves squeaked, "Yes, Professor Hermione," and began rushing happily about to obey her orders.

"Unless you'd rather have a soak, that is. They can bring in a couple more tubs if you'd like," offered Hermione.

"No thanks," answered Harry with amusement, "I'll just sit down for a minute. I'd think you'd be anxious to get out of here after being kidnapped."

"Yeah, and what's this with you ordering these elves around?" asked Ron in chagrin. "Isn't this against the SPEW regulations or bylaws or whatever you made up? You'll have to put yourself up on charges, or excommunicate yourself or something!"

"Well, I've had time to consider the elves point of view," she answered. "Oh, and you can put the book away now, thank you," she said, addressing the elf holding her text, who bowed happily and put away the tome.

"I'll say!" said Ron. "You seem pretty comfortable down here, the elves really brainwashed you, didn't they?"

"Yes, well, when they first brought me down here, I was pretty scared," she explained. "I had just put on my robes and was coming out to talk to you, when suddenly four elves appeared and grabbed me, and said, 'You is coming with us, Bad Professor!'" She chuckled, and said, "Bad Professor! My word, I hope I'm never called that again!"

"So then what happened?" asked Harry, anxious to hear the full tale.

"Well, I didn't have my wand, it was on my nightstand, so there wasn't much I could do. Besides scream, of course. Next thing I knew, we all appeared in this room."

At that point, the House Elves brought three velvet-covered couches into the room and set them by the tub. Harry and Ron sat down, and the elves handed them goblets of pumpkin juice.

"Oh, try the biscuits, they're really excellent. They made them to order for me just now, they're my favorite, ginger!" said Hermione enthusiastically.

"Sure, thanks, but after the elves apparated you here, what happened then?" asked Harry, helping himself to some cookies.

"Harry," said Hermione severely, "everyone knows you can't..."

"Yeah, yeah, we know, you've told us a hundred times," said Ron in an exasperated tone, "you can't apparate or disapparate at Hogwarts. But after they zapped you here, however they did it, what happened then?"

"I'm getting to that, Ronald," she said. "Let's see, I asked them to let me go, and they said they could not, that I had to wait for Perky. After what seemed like a long time, this old elf appeared, and introduced himself. He said the elves did not appreciate my insulting their work by suggesting they get a day off! Well, I told him I did not mean to insult them, I just wanted them to be treated fairly."

Hermione paused for a moment, and took a sip of pumpkin juice before continuing. "Perky's really a very wise elf. He said to me, 'Professor Hermione, I knows how much you loves to read and study and work on your lessons, I has seen you in the library. Is all the students like that?' I laughed, and said I thought not, most of the students think studying is a chore. He said, 'We elves is like you. If someone told the students that they were not allowed to study anymore, many would be very happy, but you would be sad. We loves to work as much as you loves to learn, and even more so. If someone told us to stop working, most of us would be very sad, Professor Hermione.'"

"That made me think for a minute. I said, 'Well, that's just because you haven't gotten any proper time off.' Perky said, 'Professor Hermione, you will be our guest here for a while. While you is here, you will get to see us work. Please watch us, and see how happy it makes us to work. The more the work, and the harder it is, the happier we is.'"

"All the next day after I had been kidnapped, I watched the elves working in the kitchens. And I must say, they really are happy down here! Even when they finished their work, they were always looking for something to do, polishing kettles that already shined, sweeping and washing a spotless floor, just keeping everything perfect. That's when I noticed that poor Winky was sitting alone in a corner, still looking miserable."

"I asked Perky if anything could be done about her. He said, 'Well, why don't you ask her to do something for you, Professor, she'd like that.' I walked over to her and said, 'Um, Winky, the other elves are quite busy right now, could you get me a glass of water?'

"She looked a mess, I think she was still hitting the butterbeers rather heavily. Well, she looked up at me with her bleary eyes, and said, 'Miss, miss would like Winky to get her a drink? Really?' and I said, 'Uh, yes, if you don't mind.'

"You should have seen her, it was very sweet. She jumped to her feet, and said, 'No, no, Winky doesn't mind, no, not at all, Winky is going right now!' She staggered off, and it took her a couple tries to get me a drink without spilling the water all over herself, but she was so happy! She kept bowing, and saying, 'If miss wants anything else, call Winky, anytime!'"

"After that, I had a talk with Perky about her and all the other elves. I think I really understand them now. They live to serve and work. I still think they should be treated kindly of course, but they really are happier serving a master who keeps them busy. I just wish I had listened to Hagrid in the first place."

Ron swelled indignantly. "Listened to Hagrid!" he shouted. "I'm sorry, isn't there someone else who tried to tell you that the elves like to work? That they don't want vacations, or time off, or stuff like that?"

Hermione looked puzzled for a moment. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ron. I'm sure I don't remember anyone else saying anything about it."

As Ron paced about, swearing and muttering, Hermione glanced over at Harry and smiled and winked. Harry laughed, but Ron was too worked up to notice.

Ron waved his arms and continued his ranting. "Sure, listen to Hagrid, he knows best, don't listen to Ron, he's just a great prat, he doesn't know anything..."

Finally, Hermione let Ron off the hook. "Alright, Ron, you can stop brooding. You were right and I was wrong. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you in the first place. I only wanted to help those poor little elves, I didn't really take the time to understand their feelings."

Ron gaped at Hermione for a moment, then recovered. In a condescending tone, he said, "Oh, well, I'm glad you finally realize that I know what I'm talking about. You see, when you've been raised in the wizarding world like I have, you develop a certain, I don't know, wisdom, that you can't get from looking at books."

Harry and Hermione both laughed, and Hermione said, "OK, Ron, you've made your point. I'll try not to go off like that again without listening to you and your words of wisdom."

Ron smiled, and said, "Well, that's settled then. What do you say we get out of here and head up to the Common Room? Everybody will be thrilled you're free."

"Alright then," said Hermione, "Just turn around, will you, and I'll get dressed."

Hermione snapped her fingers, and House Elves raced over with several plush towels and her freshly-laundered robes.

Harry, facing the other way to give her some privacy, said, "Hermione, wait until you hear what happened at breakfast today."

"Oh, I heard," she replied. "The House Elves told me all about Crabbe and Goyle's... Ron! You turn around too!" she yelled.

"Oh, c'mon Hermione, we haven't seen each other in a couple of days," Ron pleaded.

"No, I don't want you peeking at me with Harry here, Ron!" she said shyly.

"Sorry, I'll go back up to the Common Room if you two want," said Harry, feeling like he was intruding again.

"Don't be silly Harry, Ron can just control himself for a change," chided Hermione.

"As you wish, Professor Granger," said Ron in a mock-serious tone, and he and Harry laughed.

When Hermione had dried herself off and finished dressing, she said, "Alright, I'm ready to go." The two boys turned to see her dressed in her usual school robes. "Oh, just one more thing. Winky!" she called.

Dobby's friend hurried into the room. Harry was happy to see that she looked much better than she had last time he had seen her. She appeared clear-eyed and happy, and she was wearing a clean pink towel as a toga, instead of the soiled, stained dress Harry was used to seeing.

"Yes, ma'am, what does you need?" she asked happily.

"Nothing right now, Winky. But I'm ready to leave. I'm going up to Gryffindor Tower to see my friends for a while. Meet me up there, then, if you'd like, you can go and clean up my classroom. The chalkboards need scrubbing, and I think the floors could use a good mopping, too."

"Yes, ma'am, Winky will get on it! When you return to your classroom, those floors will be shining!" she said happily, and then disappeared.

"Hermione, why's Winky going to clean up your classroom?" asked Ron.

Hermione blushed and stammered for a moment. "Uh, well, um, she and I spent a lot of time together after that first morning. When Perky came back today, he told us that Dumbledore had agreed that no free elves could work in the kitchens anymore. Winky was so sad, and said, 'Winky must go, no one wants her to be their servant,' and she began to cry. Well, I felt so sorry for her, and I said, 'Don't cry, Winky, I think you'd make a great servant'".

"Uh oh, I think I know where this is going," said Ron.

"Yes, well, after I said that, Winky said, 'You would take Winky for your servant, Miss Hermione?' I said, 'Yes, I can't think of an elf I'd rather have as my servant, Winky.' I was only trying to be nice, you understand. Then Perky smiled, and said, 'It is done!' and Winky started jumping up and down, shrieking, 'Winky is serving Miss Hermione! Winky is serving Miss Hermione!'"

She shook her head, and continued. "I tried to tell them that it had been a mistake, that I really didn't want a House Elf bound to me. Perky said, 'Of course. Miss can give Winky clothes if she wants to free her.' You should have seen the look of terror on her face. I couldn't very well put her through that again, not after what that horrible Mr. Crouch did to her. I guess I've got a House Elf now."

"Well, that's rich!" said Ron huffily. "After all that SPEW nonsense, you not only don't free them, you end up with an elf of your very own! Now Fred and George have elves, and you, and Harry has Dobby, I'm the only one without one!"

"Harry, you've taken in Dobby!" exclaimed Hermione, happily hugging him. "That's wonderful of you!"

"Sure, now instead of SPEW, you can have meetings of the Society of House Elf Owners!" said Ron.

"You're forgetting something, aren't you Ron?" asked Hermione slyly. "If you play your cards right, Winky might just end up working for you, too, someday."

"Hey, that's right!" said Ron. "I guess I better keep you then, Hermione. I'd hate to lose out on the chance to have a House Elf waiting on me."

"Gee, thanks Ron, that makes me feel so special," said Hermione sarcastically. "We'll just have to see if you can behave yourself first. Well, let's go on upstairs, I can't wait to see everybody."

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