I own no characters, plot or anything that is actually legally owned by J K Rowling. I own nothing, which doesn't matter to me. Well, it does matter legally, but you know...
Dedicated to my real life Padfoot. You know who you are, for this was written for you, at your request. You are an amazing person.
Curiosity
Occupants of Hogwarts School only saw the dishes, plates, and utensils disappear, and did not see where they end up. The exact ending location of all of these dirty items was the huge basins of water in the Hogwarts School kitchens, where they could be easily cleaned by the house elves using magic. Over and over again, they would be dirtied and cleaned, the silverware serving the school for centuries.
It was a very logical cycle, to say the least, and worked well. They had enough space for all the large platters and bowls, and certainly had enough house elves to do the cleaning. The only fatal flaw was that not one of the house elves could handle the appearance of a giant squid in the water that held too many sharp knives.
(If you are wondering, efficient response time to the appearance of a giant squid is not required to get a job at Hogwarts. After all, the only giant squid that was ever known to be on school grounds was only rumored to exist, and those rumors were sparsely talked about. Why does one need defense against a creature that might not attack nor exist at all?)
All of the kitchen workers started to scold themselves for a failure that truly wasn't their fault.
"Oh, the plates are ruined!"
"How will Onti fix the mistakes Onti has made? How will he get this creature to disappear?"
"Everything is soiled! Everything!"
Their screams crammed up the whole kitchen, also disturbing a few unknowledgeable students who noticed strange noises near a painting of a bowl of fruit. Many of the house elves lost control, and threw themselves around the room in paroxysms of guilt.
House elves are funny creatures.
The giant squid tried to communicate, and was only successful in getting its message through to one of the panicked house elves, Dobby.
"How do you know Dobby's language?"
"I think your kind has the power to understand my words," It told him.
Dobby stopped thrashing around and took looked over the giant squid. In his life, he had laid eyes on many different magical species. He did not remember all of them, but at that moment he had considered the squid one of the most beautiful. Even in the soiled water with little bits of eaten food floating around, Dobby admired the giant squid's vibrant salmon color and distinct body shape. The way it looked there, floating in the water, was very foreign but exciting to him.
From there, a short question and answer session occurred between the two.
"How can you speak to Dobby through the water?"
"Telepathically, through our minds. There is no need to speak aloud."
"Why are you troubling Dobby and the other house elves?"
"I mean no harm to anyone here. I did not know what was in this part of the school."
"This is where Dobby works. This is where Dobby lives, now that he is free."
The giant squid's act of disappearing was too quick for Dobby to react, and he eventually did come to realize that it apparated in such haste because one of the professors had walked inside of the work area, wondering what all pandemonium was about.
This was just the first time they would see the giant squid of lore. In fact, they were plagued by unannounced visits every now and then. Most of the house elves despised it because they were afraid, but Dobby's spirits were always improved when it came. He was always intrigued by such a fascinating creature.