The Slave Trade

Aisha walked into the S.P.E.W office with six cups of coffee, handed them out and sat at her desk, her, Hermione, Freddie, Breeana, Tatyana and Breeana were discussing their latest plan,

"Thanks," said Hermione, taking the coffee from Aisha,

"So there are really slave trade centres?" asked Breeana,

"I'm afraid so." said Tatyana,

"You'd think that this would be bigger news, you'd think that someone would care." said Hermione,

"How do they live?" asked Aisha,

"Terribly." said Freddie.

"You've been to one?" asked Rupert,

"Yes." said Freddie, "Once,"

"What was it like?" asked Breeana,

"They were just auctioning these elves off to the highest bidder, they all looked so sad, so lonely, all they had was each other and they were losing each other one by one as the rich bought them." said Freddie,

"That's why we have to rescue them." said Hermione,

"Yes." said Tatyana,

"So what's the plan?" asked Aisha,

"Okay," said Hermione, "We go in and disperse; we go to a separate sale and pretend to be interested in buying elves, then., when the crowd picks up, we slip, unnoticed, into a hiding place, we wait until the salespeople have gone and we save the elves."

"Sounds good." said Aisha,

"Any questions?" asked Hermione,

"Yes," said Rupert,

"What is it?" Hermione asked him,

"What if they don't want to be rescued, they could apparate away if they want to but they haven't?" he asked,

"Well, Tatyana's checked the place out, Tatyana could you answer that question?" Hermione asked her,

"Of course," said Tatyana, "Around the center, there's a high, metal fence, theses fences have been charmed heavily so that no apparition, wizard or elf, can possibly be done within them."

"What are there other defences?" asked Breeana,

"Well, they have guards keeping surveillance twenty four seven to make sure that after closing hours and before opening hours, no-one gets in, they stand facing the outside of the gate so we should be able to sneak up behind them and knock them out when we free them." said Hermione,

"They're also stocked in dynamite." said Tatyana,

"Why?" asked Hermione,

"When I was there I had a brief chat with the owner, apparently it's a hobby, or mental problem of his to explode stuff, not the elves, un-alive things in secret, he has it kept there though." Tatyana explained,

"But they won't use it against us?" asked Rupert,

"No." said Tatyana,

"When do we move?" asked Freddie,

"Tomorrow afternoon," said Hermione, "Then we strike."

Hermione, Aisha, Breeana, Freddie, Rupert and Tatyana walked through a tall metal gate passed some guards; the gates guarded a square enclosure of tall metal fencing. Within this enclosure was a wide, brick building, the entrance to which was around the right corner, the six of them, followed the path, passed the motorbikes park around it and through the door to the house elf slave trade centre.

On the left of the cold, loveless building were men and women holding house elves on leashes, haggling with rich customers on the prices, on the right was the same. They stuck to the plan and dispersed among the centre, Hermione walked up to a booth with a witch behind it selling house elves, customers were holding handfuls of coins, and Hermione, trying not to be recognised with a headscarf and sunglasses, beat through the crowd to the front,

"Hello, like to make an offer?" asked the woman,

"Yes," said Hermione "Answers."

"To what?" asked the woman, confused, just looking at the house elves sent mixed emotions around Hermione, a bad concoction of sorrow, sadness, sympathy, pity, anger, hatred and rage.

"How do you sleep at night?" asked Hermione,

"In a bed," said the woman confused still,

"I mean knowing what you do every day, how do you sleep at night knowing that you are carting these defenceless creatures off like animals?" asked Hermione,

"With a wad of cash under my pillow." she said,

"You make me sick." said Hermione,

"Do you think I care, look missy, either buy an elf or get the hell out of my way, I've got customers to please." she said,

"Of course." said Hermione.

She made her way to a room in the back, she slipped in silently, she put her scarf and sunglasses into her beaded bag and looked up at the room full of beds, In these beds were house elves, they were either sleeping or to tired to move, a number of beds were empty, Hermione assumed that these belonged to that house elves that were out in the main center. Tears met her eyes and she walked into the adjacent room, this was filled with a bunch of empty crates, a man was standing behind them, he was a delivery man judging by his uniform,

"What are all of these?" asked Hermione,

"Well, they're the crates that the elves arrive in." said the man,

"They arrive in crates?" asked Hermione disgusted,

"Well yeah, we ship them over and sell the here." he said,

"That's awful." said Hermione,

"It's a living, what are you doing here anyway?" he asked,

"Oh, I was just…leaving." she said, walking away.

The hours went on by, not a sound was being made throughout the center, the owner was just locking up and leaving, the crate room was silent too, until a human leg kicked one open from the inside, Tatyana stood up and stepped out of the crate, this happened five more times with Hermione, Freddie, Breeana, Aisha and Rupert also kicking their crates open and standing.

"I think we found a good hiding place in the end." said Rupert, a house elf stood up next to him,

"Who's that?" asked Aisha, the elf was male, he had bat-like ears, large, sparkling, blue eyes and wore a pillowcase,

"This is Dalis." said Rupert,

"And why is he here?" asked Breeana,

"Oh, this is the elf I bought." said Rupert,

"Master is so kind." said Dalis,

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, kind, why did you buy an elf?" asked Hermione,

"Well who better to help us than someone who knows the ropes?" Rupert argued,

"I've been here before."| said Tatyana,

"Not just here." said Rupert,

"He's so cute." said Breeana,

"It would help having help around the office," said Hermione,

"You're kidding me." said Aisha,

"I'm alright with it." said Freddie,

"Dalis is happy to serve." he said,

"Well, you wouldn't be serving, you'd be getting paid." said Tatyana.

"Of course." said Hermione,

"Dalis accepts his masters demands for free." he said,

"We'll fix him later." said Rupert,

"Okay," said Hermione, "Let's get going."

They walked into the room full of beds,

"Get up, get up, get up!" yelled Hermione, the house elves awoke,

"What is this?" asked one of them,

"You're going free." said Tatyana,

"Yay." said one of them,

"But we mustn't leave." said another one,

"But, we've received a higher order to move you all." Freddie lied,

"Yes, we'll keep you safe, come with us." said Hermione, the elves did so and they led them into the main centre, the booths were closed and it was empty, they walked up to the door, "Alohomora." said Hermione on the door, it unlocked and Hermione opened it, "Stay here." she said, she walked out of the door and went around the corner, she saw the two guards at the gate, she stuck to the wall and aimed her wand at one of them, "Petrificus Totalus." she whispered and the guard went rigid and fell, the other guard went to help him and Hermione said, "Petrificus Totalus." and he tumbled onto the guard. She walked back into the center, "Come on, the coast is clear." said Hermione.

The five humans and the house elves left the centre and ran for the gate,

"Alohomora." said Aisha, but the locked did nothing,

"That won't work." said Tatyana,

"Maybe this will." said Hermione,

"What?" asked Tatyana,

"Clear it." said Hermione, she went and sat on one of the motorbikes and rammed the handle, the house elves moved back out of the way, Hermione drove the motorcycle right into the gate and it came off of it's hinges, she drove over it and skidded around, the house elves all ran out with the S.P.E.W office team,

"Come on then." said Rupert,

"I'm not coming," said Hermione, "Not yet."

"Why not?" asked Freddie,

"I have one last thing to do here first she said. She drove the motorcycle back within the gates and skidded around again, the house elves and humans had dissapparated.

Hermione walked into the centre and found another room, one filled with cardboard boxes; Hermione looked in them and saw that they were filled with sticks of dynamite,

"That's just lovely." she said to herself. She spent a while planting the dynamite throughout the slave trade centre and setting it up, she set up a trip wire outside in the front of the building and was all ready.

Hermione sat on the bike and turned her top half to look at the centre,

"This place is disgusting," she said as though giving a speech, "the whole idea of this is DISGUSTING," she yelled, "Well I'll tell you something, I'm saying no to all of this and this is my way of showing it." said Hermione.

She rammed the engine and turned around, she speeded the motorcycle and ran over the trip wire, and there it was: bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. The explosion went off in rows, although her back was turned as she sped off, she knew that the explosion behind her was big and fiery, the heat reached her as she drove over the gate, she skidded around and Hermione saw the slave trade centre as the smoking pile of rubble that she had reduced it to. Hermione smiled, happy with herself and dissapparated leaving the bike with no driver.