Here is the next chapter. I can't write badly for the house elves speaking so just imagine them speaking in their own way when you read this. Please enjoy it and read and review love Hannah xxx
"The crazy bearded one is not here now so I would suggest we change things now while we can. Too long have we sat in the darkness but no longer! What say you? Will you join me in fixing things here for once and for all?" she asked gesturing around the kitchen as everyone in it seemed to perk up instantly.
"You really mean it Ivy? Yes, YES, YES!" they all shouted together loudly. When Albus Dumbledore had become the headmaster of the school he'd changed everything claiming he was moving with the times but in doing so he'd wrecked everything. Classes and even old holidays of tradition were stopped. They didn't celebrate Valentines, Festival of Lights, Samhain or Yule any longer because Dumbledore had said it wasn't appropriate to do so any longer. He was attempting to erase history and now that he wasn't here they were going to take advantage of his absence and start to serve the traditional foods eaten at this time. It was very important to house elves to celebrate these magical occasions each year to replenish their love and internal magical supply.
Since Dumbledore had refused to continue doing them twenty five house elves had died and that was twenty five too many in their opinion. He was gone now and they would just change. If it was ever mentioned they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. They'd still be serving everything normal except for these four occasions when different foods would be served. Also they wished to diversify as they now had many students who were not English but living there. They had students with French, Indian, Italian and Polish backgrounds and families and intended to try and cater for them too. It really wouldn't be too hard to include two of three different traditional meals from these countries as well as the normal fare. They'd have to see how it went.
Ivy the head house elf went to Madam Pomfrey to talk. "Madam Poppy. We need to know if the children have any allergies. We will be changing some of the foods we make and don't want to include things which might make someone sick!" she said as Poppy smiled at their genuine care for others.
"You are too sweet Ivy. Always thinking of others. Every child is tested for allergies and hardly any children have any. Some though are allergic to nuts and others banana's. I will tell you who in just a moment but first here you are!" she said conjuring a couple of shiny blue platters which she spelled to prohibit those with allergies from taking the food on them.
"Place all foods containing banana or nuts onto these. They have been spelled so no one with an allergy to these may take them by accident. I can see the ways of old are returning and I am indeed delighted. I have so missed the festival of lights!" she said as Ivy smiled and hugged her exclaiming in joy. Poppy was always so affectionate with the elves as well as her personal elf as she saw how much they benefited from it. A happy healthy elf was a great working elf and she knew it too. Once the new platters were charmed and ready to go Ivy left again. They would begin tonight with adding new foods to the tables in the great hall on top of the ordinary food they made.
"Cassie, Rodo come here! You two specialise in making Italian foods so you can make two Italian dishes for tonight and then one Italian desert. We will handle the rest!" Ivy ordered as the two summoned elves beamed brightly at her. They went and got the ingredients ready and set about making Spaghetti Bolognese, Carbonara and Panacotta. It was a small start but some of the elves working there had come from families who dined differently such as Indian, Spanish, French, Polish and Tunisian. It was going to be very interesting to see how tonight went. Tonight would judge whether it had been a success or not. If a lot more people ate the Italian food they'd make more of it or if they didn't they just continue to make the same amount.
Cardie, Anise, Cinder and Sookie had all served Indian families previously so Ivy instructed them to focus on cooking Indian things only. It did make the work they did in the kitchens more efficient with every elf now focused on what they did best. She was surprised she'd never thought to do this before now. Either way it was happening now and it was wonderful. A whole team of elves were reassigned to clean the dorms and the rooms of the staff and not cook so they could focus on that.
One elf in particular was assigned the difficult task of cleaning Mr Filch who always looked filthy and set out to find him. He was cleaning up the floor upstairs moaning about how useless and disgusting the children were when he was stunned by Lulu the elf assigned to him. Mrs Norris freaked out charging at the elf and knocking her down as she tried to bite and claw at her. Lulu was bleeding; very sore indeed and panicking threw her arms out to defend herself her magic chucking Mrs Norris down the stairs where she did not land on her feet and essentially was no more. Mrs Norris had always been a nuisance and had often hurt students but no one had ever believed them when they told them what happened. She wasn't there to hurt students any longer.
Turning back to the now unconscious Argus Filch she gagged almost vomiting at the smell of extreme body odour on him. It was as though he'd not showered in weeks. She shaved his face and bathed him all over pegging her nose to stop from getting sick. The water turned black and had to be changed four times before he was actually clean. She mended his clothing and gave him a pepper up potion before leaving him where he was and reviving him as she faded out of view. He woke up feeling great and continued with his work as though nothing could happen even if he was confused as to why he now smelt good. Mrs Norris who had died was taken and placed in the school furnace where she was turned to ashes and then spread on the outskirts of the forbidden forest as the elves thought Mr Filch would have liked that.
Her death had been accidental and wouldn't have occurred if she hadn't violently attacked first. Dumbledore had been told she was a danger and laughed at every single person who ever told him that calling them crazy. She was just a cat after all but that didn't mean she wasn't very clever and vindictive. Lulu went to Poppy who was stunned at her injuries and healed her slowly with precision.
"I swear to you Lulu I have told Albus numerous times how dangerous that cat is but he won't see reason! I will have words with him about this later. Where is she now!?" she asked as Lulu cried.
"She's dead ma'am. I threw her away from me and she fell down the stairs. They scattered her ashes by the entrance to the forest as they thought Mr Filch would like that the most. I am so sorry ma'am Poppy. It was an accident!" she cried as her wound stung where Poppy had to place the healing ointment.
"There, there Lulu. It's alright. It was an accident after all and I am sorry to say I am relieved. I know I should not say that but I am. She hurt and scratched so many students in her time here that it is a relief I won't need to treat terrified first years anymore. To be honest I have always thought she was an animagus or something strange but I never said that because I thought people might find it weird if I did. You may go now Lulu but no more work for the next two days. You need to heal so go to sleep and rest. Tell Ivy ok!" she said hugging the scared elf and smiling. The poor thing suffered from shock and besides which the rest would do her the world of good. The trick with elves was to use manners with them and show them kindness. This way they performed much better and you could get way more from them then you would otherwise. A lot of purebloods had elves that didn't work so well because they weren't shown love or kindness.
This is something which Draco had changed as soon as his father passed away. He gathered all of the Malfoy elves and told them all to do whatever job suited them the most in their own time and as they liked. He told them he appreciated all they did for him and was so thankful for them. He then told them he wasn't his father and if they needed anything they need only ask him for it. Suffice it to say they were changed elves after that and Malfoy Manor looked lighter than it had in years. When Albus had stopped doing everything Armando Dippett had done all of his staff were dismayed. He had stopped traditional things like worshiping the light of magic in thanks of mother magic from whom people believed you were blessed with magic.
Because he had done this everyone was then free to start hating muggleborn students and question where they even got their magic from. It was his inaction that caused people such as Tom Riddle to suggest they had stolen their magic. He had decided to stop these traditions because it was the turn of the century and people were starting to want new things. Either way they didn't want to get rid of the traditional things they just wanted more new things. He didn't understand and so chose to get rid of everything of meaning insisting they celebrate Halloween and Christmas instead of Samhain and Yule. They would usually have to ask him if they wished to change something in the school but as he wasn't here there was no one to ask so they were just doing it. He would be in for a huge shock when he returned that's one sure thing. Things were changing in Hogwarts and for the better too.
