"Pinky," I said, casually walking up to my roommate. "Do you think we'll ever get to see any of the students? In person, I mean. Not just a glance as we're grabbing the laundry out of their hampers at night."
The small house-elf gasped. "Carrie must not speak to the students," she said. "It's against the rules!"
I nodded. "I know, I know," I said. "But I just wondered… Never mind."
"What did Carrie wonder?" Pinky moved closer, wonder in her eyes.
"I just wondered if any of them realized we were even here," I said. "We cook for them, clean for them, wash their clothes for them, and never get noticed at all." I sighed. "I don't know. I just wonder sometimes. It's silly."
Pinky smiled at me. "Carrie isn't silly at all," she said. "A lot of house-elves wonder when students will notice them. But they never do." She laughed. "Humans, both muggle and wizard, are too busy with themselves to notice anything house-elves do for them."
"I'm not too busy," I said, smiling slightly. "And I'm noticeably human."
She nodded. "But, Carrie is also a house-elf," Pinky said. "Carrie works in the kitchens with house-elves, lives among them, and doesn't complain about her work. Carrie is much like Pinky. House-elf."
I laughed. "I suppose you're right, Pinky."
It wasn't a very busy day, considering the exams that were going on, so I decided to have a little fun. Telling Pinky that I wasn't feeling well, and was going to sleep most of the day, I made a human-enough looking lump on my bunk, and snuck up into the castle.
Here I was, an honorary house-elf, loose in the castle. What would Pinky do if she knew? I laughed to myself and continued down the hall.
Almost immediately, Dumbledore came swooshing down the hallway. He strutted up to me, a kind twinkle in his eye.
"And what are we doing out of the kitchen, little house-elf," he asked, his eyes smiling. "Venturing out on our own?"
I nodded. "I just thought, since the students will be in exams all day, I might explore a little," I said. "I hope you don't mind, sir."
Dumbledore chuckled to himself. "As long as you aren't disturbing anything you shouldn't, I see no problems." He put his arm around my shoulder, as he would have done to any of the students. "You've been working here for a while, haven't you, Carrie?"
"Yes, sir," I said. "I work hard to prove myself among the house-elves, but I enjoy the work."
"Wouldn't you like to be outside, though," he asked. "Maybe have some wizard friends, a wand of your own, attending classes?"
I thought for a moment. "I have thought about that for a long time," I said honestly. "But I don't think I would fit in well with the other students." Looking down at my feet, I softened my speech. "I don't even know if I can do magic."
"Well," Dumbledore said, lifting my chin so he could see into my eyes. "Sixteen isn't too old to try." He smiled at me. "Tomorrow, you will dress in muggle clothes, take this bag of galleons, and go buy your own wand." He dropped a small bag of coins into my hand. "We will see how magical you truly are, Carina."
As suddenly as he had descended upon me, the magical headmaster had disappeared around a corner. I was shocked, not at his generosity, but at his offer of lessons in magic.
I found myself walking straight into the kitchen, without even trying to hide myself from Pinky.
"What is Carrie doing out in the castle," she almost screamed in terror. "What if Carrie had been seen?"
"Dumbledore saw me," I said excitedly. "He has offered me a wand of my own! I'm going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get it." I held out the bag of galleons to her. "See? He gave me money of my own to buy it with."
Pinky was so excited. "Carrie will be a real witch now," she squealed with excitement. Then, realization hit her like a sack of old potatoes. "But… Carrie will have to leave the kitchens, won't she?"
"I… I hadn't thought of that," I said. The thought shook me to my core. I had been working in the kitchens with the house elves since I was eleven years old. My mother had dropped me on the doorstep of Hogwarts, hoping that Dumbledore could make something of me. Instead, he gave me a job and a way to be self-sufficient. "I suppose I will."
"Carrie… will be like the students then… Pinky will lose her friend." Pinky wailed as if she had lost one of her arms. "Carrie must not leave the kitchens! Pinky cannot live without Carrie!"
I pulled Pinky into my arms and held her back from mauling me. "Pinky, I won't end up like the students," I said. "I'll always remember that I came from the kitchens. And besides, I don't even know if I'll be any good at magic."
Pinky calmed down a bit. "Why would Carrie not be good at magic? She is a witch."
"I know," I said. "But if I'm not, I'll be back here in a flash. Promise." I smiled at the house-elf. "And even if I'm amazing at magic, I'll come to visit at night."
"Pinky will hold Carrie to her promise," she said, almost menacingly. "Carrie is Pinky's best friend. If Carrie leaves Hogwarts, Pinky will follow. Wherever she goes."
The loyalty of a house-elf can be quite amazing.
