Hogwarts Competition
Ravenclaw
Assignment #8
Oneirology: Dreams - Halloween Edition
Task 9 Ghosts - Write about someone dealing with unfinished business or tying up loose ends.
1056 words
The sun was just beginning to touch the waters when Winky first made her way to Shell Cottage. The house was empty, but that was okay. Her purpose in being there had little enough to do with wizards. She had another destination in mind.
"HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF" said the stone. It wasn't a bad memorial by any means; on the contrary, Winky was quite certain that he would be honoured to be so well remembered by the great Harry Potter. Well remembered, even if by the greatest wizard of the age as Dobby had once described The Man Who Lived Twice, was not sufficient to truly let his spirit rest, however. That was why Winky was there.
Darker hues were beginning to touch the sky when Winky began to lay out supplies for the elvish ritual. That was fine; she still had time. Nonetheless, she began to work more quickly. Grain lay to the north of the headstone, representing one of the most simple, yet crucial tools for an elf in the kitchen. To the east was a single Comice pear, the sweetest and shiniest that she could find, to represent the sweetness of life that could always be found renewed at the beginning of a new day. In contrast, a wrinkled, old lemon stood to the west. Every elf knew that life's bitter moments tasted most foul with the coming of night; that was the reason the dead and dying ritual to release spirits always happened under the cover of darkness. Finally, to the south was a single slice of treacle tart. The only food in the ritual to be formed by Elvish hands rather than nature, the southern food item could be any dish for which the elf in question was particularly known. Its presence was there to reassure the elf that the lessons he taught to others would not be forgotten, even if his name was eventually cast from memory.
Winky took a deep breath. Each of those items were correct and good. Things you would find at any Death Night service. But Dobby had not been, and never would be an ordinary elf. The stone proclaimed for the world to see that he was a free elf, and he had made something of that claim. He had helped make the world a better place, and Winky wanted to honour that part of him as well. Beside the grain, she placed a sock she'd found in his quarters at Hogwarts. Unlike his other items of clothing, this one had stains on it…. It was the sock Harry Potter had used to free him, and without it, Dobby's influence would have been stopped in its tracks.
The other items were more tricky. She'd thought of using one of his many hats from Gryffindor Tower as a representation of how happy cleaning the booby-trapped place had made him, but that was a skill not unlike those represented by the traditional methods. Instead, Winky placed an item that, to her knowledge, Dobby had never particularly used. It was the butcher's knife that she had taken with her into battle to protect the school. Dobby always had been proud of how he'd helped Light wizards using unconventional means, and without him, Winky doubted that she would have been willing to enter battle for a home she was not bound to. Similarly, the item she placed before the lemon was connected more to her than to him. Dobby had always been such an optimistic and happy elf; truly, it was his defining characteristic for as long as Winky was privileged to know him. No trial brought him down though he feared for those he cared for. Beside the lemon, she placed a half-full bottle of Butterbeer (the last that she had drank), as she was certain that caring for her during her alcoholism was the closest he came to an unpleasant duty. It was also a reminder to herself to not let his efforts be in vain.
Finally, she placed the last item. Alongside the treacle, she placed a small, so small, onesie whose feet were coloured to look like mismatched socks. She had time yet to make another before the babe arrived, and this was Winky's best opportunity to tell her mate that his most lasting mark on the world would arrive in a few short months.
Hands on her belly as the first star showed itself to the world, Winky began to chant words that had been passed on throughout the generations,
You who served cheerfully,
I honour you.
You who served wholeheartedly,
I honour you.
You who served in the sweet and bitter times,
I honour you.
Winky knew that some elves would look at his history with the Malfoys and say Dobby did not deserve this. She didn't care.
I honour you and remember.
A thousand memories of their short time together flashed before her.
I honour you and hold fast to the gifts you've given me.
A fluttering beneath her hand serves as an unforgettable reminder of the most precious gift.
I honour you and vow to pass on those gifts to those who come after.
Her hands fist instinctively. If she accomplishes nothing else, Dobby's child will know of him and all that he gave to make a brighter world.
I honour you.
I honour you.
I honour you.
We honour you.
I honour you.
"I honour you," Harry Potter's voice joined with hers, and Winky had no idea how long he's been there, watching this foreign ritual to release the dead of their earthly duties.
"Sorry, Winky. I noticed you weren't there for supper tonight, and Kreacher told me where you were. I can head back to Bill's place if you need more time, but it's cold. Wear this?" Harry Potter held out an elf-sized jumper that looked to be just large enough to fit over Winky's protruding abdomen. Ever since he learned that she was carrying Dobby's unborn child, the man had done all he could to help, even taking her on once duties at Hogwarts became too much. Putting on the jumper, Winky assured him that she'd come shortly. Truly, the ritual was now completed, and above her were a million twinkling stars. Softly caressing Dobby's name on the stone, Winky whispered goodbye.