Fighting Back
(Hello, sorry it's so late and I hope you enjoy it!)
Equivalent of The Sorting Hat's New Song
Realization
Harry sat through the toa- Professor Umbridge's speech. It did not make a good impression on him. Hermione's lips curled in distaste.
"Oh yes, it was very illuminating. And you've just told us all what you're trying to do – interfere at Hogwarts! Hogwarts! No wonder the ministry has been denying V – voldemort's back of this is the best educator they can send!"
Over at the Ravenclaw table they could clearly hear Luna saying, "Poor Professor Umbridge. She's obviously a victim of the Rotfang Conspiracy."
Harry choked back a laugh at this. It seemed Luna did not like her either.
Harry was a little disappointed that Seamus did not believe him. After Dean and Seamus were asleep, Harry got Ron and Neville. Then he put up a silencing charm and called, "Dobby!"
"Dobby, do you know of a place where we can meet?"
"Dobby knows the perfect place, sir!" he said happily. "Dobby heard tell of it from the other house – elves when he came to Hogwarts, sir. It is known by us as the Come and Go room, Sir, or else as the Room of Requirement!"
"Why?" said Harry curiously.
"Because it is a room that a person can only enter," said Dobby seriously, "when they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs. Dobby has used it, sir," said the elf, dropping his voice and looking guilty, "When Winky has been very drunk. He has hidden her in the Room of Requirement and he has found antidotes to butterbeer there, and a nice elf – sized bed to settle her on while she sleeps it off, sir..."
"Wait, Dobby, how is Winky?"
"Winky is not well, sir. Dobby thinks that Winky only lives because of Hogwarts magic. Elves is needing magic to survive, sir, they is needing a master to survive -"
"Wait, you mean that if a house – elf isn't bonded, they die?"
"No, sir, not die, sir, they is fading away. House elves is made of magic sir, if they don't have enough magic, they just disappear into nothing. If they's heads gets chopped, sir, then they stay."
"Wait, they stay? You mean they're still alive?" It was Ron.
"No Mr Wheezy, oh kind giver of jumpers sir, they is being physical bodies. If they is running out of magic they is just fading away to nothing. You is calling it thin air."
"Really?"
Neville was silent. When he was smaller his Great – Uncle Alfie had thought he was a squib. He recalled once or twice when he had said, "You might as well be a house – elf, then we wouldn't have to look after you!" He had thought it was referring to the way that house – elves always seemed to take care of themselves, but now he realised with a sick feeling that his Uncle would rather he didn't exist than be a squib. He was distraught.
"Neville? Are you ok?"
Neville couldn't reply. He knew his Uncle hated squibs but he didn't know it was that extreme.
"Neville?"
"Excuse me," he said, and ran to the bathroom.