Head cannon goes off, a banner floats in the air. "I Do Not Own Harry Potter But I Do Play In The Forbidden Forest"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It's not right, no, not right at all," the elves told Hermione. One elf after the other showed disapproval or simply walked away while giving her a look of utter bewilderment as she tried to explain how they should be free. Some looked disgusted with the idea, others had a look that said they thought Hermione was the object of that disgust, still others had a look of pity as for a child not able to understand. She kept trying, though, being Hermione and therefore being right.
Finally, a very old elf she'd never seen before came to the kitchen, took her by the hand and gave her a sympathetic smile like one would a child striking out at an unfair world. "Come with me, if you would, Mistress," the grizzled elder elf said. As she took his gnarled old hand he apparated the both of them.
Hermione looked around at a large chamber with many doors leading of to who knew where. The old elf gently pulled her hand and guided her through a door, his bare feet softly slapping on the cool stone floor. When the door closed, the room lit with a light seeming to come from the very walls themselves.
"Only a few wizards have ever seen this room," the old one said. "Please, Mistress, let me show you."
"Don't call me Mistress," she said automatically. "I'm not your mistress and have no desire to be treated as such."
He looked up at her with big, sad eyes. "Please, you will understand."
At the far back of the room was a smaller alcove, well lit as the walls flared up in light at their approach. On a silver stand was a large book, pages of parchment looking very old in the mysterious light that seemed to seep up from the very floor they were standing on, not just the walls and ceiling.
"If Mistress would allow me to translate," he said in deference and got a look and saw her tightened lips. He turned a handful of pages and read out loud.
"This being the tenth day of the month of the Dog Moon of the Elder Stag year, seventieth Turn of Delrod the Fierce, I write these words for all our people. The wars we participated in destroyed Villages, Kingdoms, Cities, Fleets. We do foreswear ever to once again think of our people as so powerful that Men, Goblins and Elves by the thousands could die at our hands and we feel nothing for them. We also swear that, from this day forth, we shall not use our power over mind and earth to cause such pain as we have done, that we shall use our power only for the most desperate of causes, in defense of the innocent and the just. "From the days when we traveled with the ice with our servants to this land we came to rule, we thought we owned all, knew all, saw all. In our pride we destroyed and rebuilt only to destroy again, ages of wars and vengeance sought, vengeance brought upon those we thought not worthy or too weak to live. Then came the day when we warred upon ourselves, upon our own families, our own villages, upon all that lived. The death of our sacred community of family did we seek and perpetrate until few were left. "From this we learned, from this we taught our servants to watch over themselves, taught them to see and to learn. We now must endeavor to give all our lore to them that they may find a better way in the world that we set to ruin. We must serve them for all time though they know it not. We must watch over them to guide them that they do not set the world to ruin, that they do not watch the flowers wilt and have joy at the sight as have we.
"We shall make ourselves servants, humble and obedient to others, that our own pride may be suppressed; that we only show loyalty for those we serve, that we freely give of ourselves to others in the lowliest of manner with all our hearts as we watch over and guide them.
"From this day forth we shall serve, never to wish for or ask for release from our toils and duties, to truly be humble until the end of our days as we guide others. "Thus we protect all other races from our arrogance, serve all others with our bodies, put our minds to the meanest of tasks for the good and peace of all. May all of our days be ones of humility so filled with the peace of service above all else we never again wish to conquer and subdue others to our will. Thus do we elves swear for now and for ever. May it always be so."
The old elf gently closed the cover of the ancient book and turned to Hermione. "You are a good witch, we all know you care and it does our hearts good that you work to help us. But we have foresworn as I have read to you. We do not wish to be free but if one desires thus and is set to the world on their own, we do not judge them for anything but what is in their hearts. Please, Mistress, let us live as we have chosen."
He led her out of the room and through another hallway, a wondrous, sunny light all around with bright colors and happy elf children playing on the floor, giggling, laughing, tossing toys to one another. "You see," the old elf said, "we are happy as we are and the world is a better place for that. Now, I must take you back. When we return, all will be as it was before, I shall not talk of this again. We only ask you to respect our wishes, Mistress."
He turned to lead her toward the entrance, took her hand and with a familiar tug in her belly, they were back at the Hogwarts kitchen. All of the elves were standing and looking at her, smiling, then they all came close around to touch her hands, her arms, until each individual gave her a smile of understanding for themselves. She could only stand in the kitchen letting them touch her as she tried to put together what she had just seen.
Surely no witch or wizard knew of this, not even Dumbledore could have known, though he should have. She wanted to shout out to the world the noble sacrifice elves had made as they had all finally passed by her and given their touch. One last bow of the group and they all hustled off to their duties, leaving her to the old elf. He gave her a smile and held her hand in his a moment, patted it softly and turned to go about his business.
Professor McGonagall stood just outside the painting with the pear covering the entrance and smiled at Hermione. "Did Morden the Elder show you?" she asked with a soft look.
"Uh yes, he did," Hermione replied. "It's ... it's so much to take in all at once."
McGonagall put her arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Aye, that it is. It seems every generation they show, they need to show someone their innermost secret. You know, they once ruled all of Scotland, England too, in the days even before the Druids. It was they who showed men how to make marks, read the stars and how to make a calendar that survives to this very day that we might keep learning. You've been to Stonehenge?"
Hermione looked up in surprise. "Yes, of course. Mum and dad brought me there when I was nine. It was so impressive. The equinox was on Sunday and we all stood and watched the sun rise up between the stones. The elves? They did that?"
"Think of it more as a reflection on their teaching," McGonagall said. Sounding wistful she said, "Ach, so much is lost from those times. The very oldest runic writings go back to that time when we first learned how to learn. From their teachings we have become as we are now. Think of that when you are studying in the library, to whom we should be so very grateful. The important thing is that you come away from this experience with this precious gift they have given you." Hermione grunted. "It doesn't feel like a gift," she said. "More like I've just learned a lesson in how to be humble. I was so sure if I gave them freedom their lives would be the better for it. I wasn't wrong, I know I wasn't wrong about them. It's just not right how they are treated."
McGonagall eased into walking, her arm still around a distraught Hermione. "Yes, I agree that many wizards and witches mistreat the elves but that is the way they have chosen. When I tried to change the world in my younger days I also thought freedom was for all. Now, I only try to ensure elves are well cared for and treated with the respect due any sentient creature."
"You?" Hermione sputtered. "You? They showed you?"
"Yes, my dear," McGonagall said with a little hug from her arm. "I tried to free them in my time and was taken to see the Book of Delrod. It's such a special memory for me still. I'm happy it was you they chose, a studious and wise witch that can take the learning to heart. Now, would you like to come up to my office for some tea? I have a few other stories you might find enlightening, ones even Professor Binns would never imagine. Shall we?"
They walked down the hall and headed up a stair. McGonagall slowed and turned to Hermione to say, "I'm so proud of you for getting Goblins into Hogwarts. A perfect use of timing when sentiments were in your favor."
"I did it because it was right," Hermione countered.
"It was that, lass," the Headmistress said. "It was the right time and we are fortunate to have had the right person able to use her brain and all her skills to convince the Ministry and the Goblins to give it a trial run. You've shown a most unusual level of understanding others, though you deny it, perhaps even to yourself in some ways. You'll make a good Headmistress someday if that is what you choose. Consider that when you tire of the Magical Law Office."
END
Head Cannon goes off again, a banner floats to the ground. "Please Review"