AN: I hope everyone has a fantastic time this holiday season! Best wishes to you all!
December blew in ruthlessly, chilling the corridors and licking any exposed skin. The dungeons were worse, the students could see their breath whenever they went down. Classes made up for the castle's lack of warmth, fires were going in every classroom except for Snape's, the one classroom that needed it the most. Care of Magical Creatures became harder to look forward to, the cold wind never failed to make Jade's eyes water. Hagrid was still taking care of Madam Maxime's horses and since that required them drinking single-malt whiskey, Hagrid's hut and the surrounding area smelled strong enough to make them all light-headed. Unfortunately, the Blast-Ended Skrewts were still around, many of them had died due to fighting but there were still ten left.
"I'm not sure whether they hibernate or not," Hagrid told the class. "Thought we'd jus' try an' see if they fancied a kip, we'll jus' settle 'em down in these boxes." The skrewts had grown to about six feet and no one was looking forward to getting the Skrewts into the large boxes Hagrid had filled with blankets and pillows. "We'll jus' lead 'em in here an' put the lids on, and we'll see what happens." Seemed simple enough but in reality, the skrewts did not look tired at all and they certainly didn't appreciate being forced into boxes and nailed in, no matter how comfy it looked. "Don' panic, now, don' panic!" Hagrid told his class as the skrewts began rampaging around the pumpkin patch, now littered with the smoldering wreckage of the boxes. Most students didn't listen though and a large majority of the class ran into Hagrid's cabin and shut themselves in. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Jade, were the only ones who remained outside trying to help Hagrid. It took the rest of the period, but together they managed to restrain and tie up nine of the skrewts. Many cuts and bruises later, they were down to their last one. "Don' frighten him, now," Hagrid told the boys as they used their wands to shoot jets of fiery sparks at the skrewt, which was advancing menacingly on them, its sting arched, quivering, over its back. "Jus' try an' slip the rope 'round his sting, so he won' hurt any o' the others!"
"Yeah, we wouldn't want that!" Ron shouted angrily as he and Harry backed into the wall of Hagrid's cabin, still holding the skrewt off with their sparks.
"Stupefy!" Jade cast at the skrewt who was only a foot or two away from Ron and Harry and it slumped to the ground, its sting falling with a heavy thud.
"Well, well, well… this does look like fun." A woman with tight blonde curls and point-ended glasses approached them. She was wearing a thick magenta cloak with a furry purple collar, and she wore a crocodile-skin handbag over her arm. Jade couldn't help it as her upper lip rose in disgust at her outlandish choice of wardrobe. Her lipstick was a very bright red and she licked her teeth as she looked at the five of them. Hagrid launched himself forward on top of the skrewt that was cornering Harry and Ron and flattened it; a blast of fire shot out of its end, withering the pumpkin plants nearby.
"Who're you?" Hagrid asked as he slipped a loop of rope around the skrewt's sting and tightened it.
"Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter," She beamed proudly. Jade looked the woman up and down again, this was the woman who wrote the article, false article, about Harry. Jade noticed a few gold teeth in the otherwise pearly white smile of hers.
"Thought Dumbledore said you weren' allowed inside the school anymore," Hagrid said as he started tugging the skrewt over to the others.
"What are these fascinating creatures called?" She asked, ignoring Hagrid's statement.
"Blast-Ended Skrewts,"
"Really?" Rita Skeeter asked over-excitedly. "I've never heard of them before. Where do they come from?"
"They're very interesting, aren't they?" Hermione spoke up after an awkward moment of silence. "Aren't they, Harry?"
"What? Oh yeah, ouch! Interesting," Harry mumbled quickly after Hermione stepped on his foot.
"Ah, you're here, Harry!" Rita Skeeter looked over Hagrid's shoulder. "So you like Care of Magical Creatures, do you? One of your favorite lessons?"
"Yes," Harry told her shortly, not interested in holding a conversation with her but Hagrid beamed down at him proudly.
"Lovely," Rita purred. "Really lovely. Been teaching long?" She asked Hagrid. Her eyes combed over each of them, they all had cuts and bruises, robes that were singed at the ends, and then she looked to the cabin windows and saw the rest of the class, pressed up against the glass and watching from the safety of inside.
"This is o'ny me second year," Hagrid explained.
"Lovely, I don't suppose you'd like to give an interview, would you? Share some of your experience with magical creatures? The Prophet does a zoological column every Wednesday, as I'm sure you know. We could feature these… Bang-Ended Scoots.
"Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid corrected her. "Um… yeah, why not?"
"Excellent!" Hagrid and Rita made arrangements for an interview later that week and when she was done, her focus shifted to Ron, Hermione, and Jade. "Harry, why don't you introduce me to your friends?"
"That's Hermione Granger, that's Ron Weasley, and that's-"
"Ron Weasley?" Rita interrupted him and took a step closer to Ron. "Ah, yes, should've known by the hair. How's your father, dear? Talk about work much?"
"No," Ron replied shortly. Rita nodded and then looked at Jade.
"A Slytherin who's friends with a group of Gryffindors," She commented thoughtfully. "Don't see that every day."
"I suppose," Jade said, not liking the way Rita Skeeter was staring at her.
"That's Jade Maddex," Harry said and Rita Skeeter made a squeaky sound in the back of her throat, the bell ringing from the castle to signal the end of class.
"Well, goodbye, Harry!" Rita Skeeter called merrily to him as they set off towards the castle. "Until Friday night, then, Hagrid!"
"She'll twist everything he says," Harry sighed as they began the trek back up to the castle.
"Just as long as he didn't import those skrewts illegally or anything," Hermione said, looking up at the castle anxiously.
"Maddex!" Draco called, a few steps behind them, and Jade nodded for the others to continue. "Who were you talking to back there?"
"Rita Skeeter," Jade told him.
"That's Rita Skeeter?" He chuckled. "I was picturing someone more-"
"She's exactly as I imagined her. She looks like she's always got a hidden agenda."
"What do you mean?"
"Just the way she looked at us… the way she said things. She wants to interview Hagrid." Jade told him as they entered the castle and made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.
"What for?" Draco scoffed.
"She said she wanted to know more about the Blast-Ended Skrewts."
"Who'd want to learn more about those things?"
"Exactly!"
The rest of the day passed uneventfully until Harry and Ron approached her after dinner, asking if she knew where Hermione was. She hadn't been at dinner and Jade helped them look in the library but the only person in there was Krum and the gang of girls that followed him around. Ron hovered behind the bookshelves for a while, debating with Harry whether he should ask for an autograph.
"I could probably get one for you," Jade told him and both of them spun around quickly. "What?"
"You think… you think he'll just give it to you?" Ron asked.
"I mean, I talk to him every night, that's gotta be worth something. Or better yet, wait here." Jade's eyes flickered from Krum to Ron and Harry who had ducked back behind the bookcase to watch her walk over to him. "Hey, Krum." Jade greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Jade." He closed his book and grinned up at her.
"Can I ask you for a favor?" She asked, noticing how the table of girls had gone silent and was now watching them.
"Sure." He chuckled.
"I have a friend," Jade explained as she turned and gestured towards where Ron and Harry were standing. "He's a big fan and he wanted an autograph but I thought, you must get people asking you for autographs all the time, so maybe, you could just, like, go over and introduce yourself?" Jade smiled sweetly at him and he looked from Ron to Jade and then smiled, jotting something down on the piece of parchment in front of him before rising from his seat.
"Sure." He repeated and Jade nodded, leading him over to Harry and Ron.
"You already know Harry." Harry nodded at Krum. "But this is Ron Weasley." Ron had gone red in the face as he grinned awkwardly.
"Hey."
"Hey." There was silence. Jade inwardly groaned, Ron needed to step up here, she wasn't going to carry their conversation for him.
"Brilliant work at the World Cup, mate," Ron said.
"Thanks."
"How did you get on the team if you're not done with school yet?" Ron asked, relaxing slightly.
"Well, it's my last year," Krum said. "Karkaroff wanted me to finish up school before all my focus was on Quidditch. The Bulgarian's team owner wanted to sign me early anyway."
"Oh, cool." The conversation was moving at a snail's pace.
"Anyway, I've got this for you." Krum held out the small piece of parchment and Ron grabbed it from him gently. "An autograph for Jade's friend." Krum grinned at her. "I've got to get back to studying." He waved, turning back to his books. Ron stared at the autograph in his hand and would probably stay standing there if Jade and Harry didn't take him out of the library.
"Wonder where she's got to," Jade mumbled as they went up to the Gryffindor Tower.
"Maybe she's up here… Balderdash," Harry said but as the portrait began swinging open there was the sound of feet racing up towards them and Jade turned to find Hermione panting in front of them
"Harry!" She gasped. "Harry, you've got to come! You've got to come, the most amazing thing's happened!" She seized Harry's arm and tried to drag him back down the stairs.
"What's the matter?" Harry asked, struggling to get down the stairs without tripping.
"I'll show you when we get there." Harry looked around at Ron; he looked back at Harry, intrigued.
"Okay." Harry agreed and Hermione finally let him go. "Hermione, where are we going?" She led them down six floors and started down the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall.
"You'll see, you'll see in a minute!" Hermione told them excitedly. She turned left at the bottom of the staircase and hurried toward a door. They found themselves in a broad stone corridor, brightly lit with torches, and decorated with paintings, multiple were paintings of food.
"Oh, hang on," Harry said slowly. "Wait a minute, Hermione."
"What?" She turned around to look at him, anticipation all over her face.
"I know what this is about," He nudged Ron and pointed to the painting just behind Hermione. It was a gigantic silver fruit bowl.
"Hermione!" Ron sighed. "You're trying to rope us into that spew stuff again!"
"No, no, I'm not!" She told them hastily. "And it's not spew, Ron-"
"Changed the name, have you?" Jade smirked, earning an annoyed glance from Hermione.
"What are we now, then? The House-Elf Liberation Front? I'm not barging into that kitchen and trying to make them stop work, I'm not doing it."
"I'm not asking you to!" Hermione hissed impatiently. "I came down here just now, to talk to them all, and I found… oh come on, Harry, I want to show you!" She seized his arm again, pulled him in front of the picture of the giant fruit bowl, stretched out her finger, and tickled the huge green pear. It began to squirm, chuckling, and suddenly turned into a large green door handle.
"Oh, that's brilliant." Jade giggled. "The pear's ticklish." She smiled but then apologized when she noticed they were all staring at her. Hermione grabbed the handle, pulled the door open, and pushed Harry inside before the rest followed quietly. The room had a high ceiling, large piles of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end. Something small rushed at Harry and wrapped around his midsection.
"Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!" It squeaked.
"D-Dobby?" Harry gasped.
"It is Dobby, sir, it is!" It squealed, Jade couldn't get a good look at it from behind Harry, all she saw were very big and floppy ears. "Dobby has been hoping and hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him, sir!" It released Harry and backed up a few paces. Jade realized they were under the Great Hall, down where the house-elves stayed, and Dobby was the name of a house-elf. He was beaming up at Harry and his enormous green eyes were shiny with tears. He looked familiar somehow, but Jade couldn't place where she'd seen him before. Jade had seen house-elves, they weren't uncommon, but Dobby was different. Jade had never seen a house-elf with clothes before and he was dressed… amusingly. He was wearing a tea cozy for a hat, on which he had pinned several bright badges; a tie patterned with horseshoes over a bare chest, a pair of what looked like children's athletic shorts, and mismatched socks. A solid black one and one covered in pink and orange stripes.
"Dobby, what're you doing here?" Harry said in amazement.
"Dobby has come to work at Hogwarts, sir!" Dobby squealed excitedly. "Professor Dumbledore gave Dobby and Winky jobs, sir!"
"Winky? She's here too?"
"Yes, sir, yes!" Dobby took Harry by the hand and pulled him off into the kitchen. At least a hundred little elves were standing around the kitchen, smiling, bowing, and curtsying as Dobby led Harry past them. Jade had been having fun pretending she was royalty and curtsying back to the house-elves until Hermione angrily cleared her throat and Jade sighed as she caught up with her.
"Buzzkill," Jade whispered. They were all wearing the same uniform, a tea towel stamped with the Hogwarts crest that was tied like a toga. Dobby stopped in front of a large brick oven stove.
"Winky, sir!" Dobby announced. Winky was sitting on a stool by the fire. She was wearing a skirt and blouse with a matching blue hat, which had holes in it for her bat-like ears.
"Hello, Winky," Harry greeted the small house-elf cautiously. Winky's bottom lip quivered and then she burst into tears. Jade jumped slightly at the volume coming from this tiny house-elf's lungs.
"Oh dear," Hermione quickly knelt in front of Winky and tried to soothe her but they didn't know why she had started bawling in the first place. "Winky, don't cry, please don't." Winky only cried louder. Dobby, on the other hand, beamed up at Harry.
"Would Harry Potter like a cup of tea?" He asked loudly over Winky's sobs.
"Um, yeah, okay," Harry agreed, casting a worried glance at Winky and Hermione. Instantly, six house-elves came up behind him, bearing a large silver tray laden with a teapot, cups for all of them, a milk jug, and a large plate of biscuits.
"Good service!" Ron said, impressed. Hermione frowned at him, but the elves all looked delighted, they bowed low and left.
"How long have you been here, Dobby?" Harry asked as Dobby handed around the tea.
"Only a week, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir. You see, sir, it is very difficult for a house-elf who has been dismissed to get a new position, sir, very difficult indeed-" Jade jumped again as Winky howled louder. "But Dobby hasn't found work, sir, because Dobby wants paying now!"
"Good for you, Dobby!" Hermione smiled as she rubbed Winky's back, bringing the cries down to a less annoying level.
"Thank you, miss!" Dobby smiled. "But most wizards doesn't want a house-elf who wants paying, miss. 'That's not the point of a house-elf,' they says, and they slammed the door in Dobby's face! Dobby likes work, but he wants to wear clothes and he wants to be paid, Harry Potter. Dobby likes being free!" The other house-elves had started edging away from Dobby, as though they didn't want to be seen with him. "And then, Harry Potter, Dobby goes to visit Winky, and finds out Winky has been freed too, sir!" Jade rolled her eyes as Winky fell off of her stool and began pounding her small fists into the stone floor, all the while, screaming.
"Hermione, I don't think you're helping!" Jade yelled over her wailing. Hermione dropped next to her and tried to comfort Winky again.
"And then Dobby had the idea, Harry Potter, sir! 'Why doesn't Dobby and Winky find work together?' Dobby says. 'Where is there enough work for two house-elves?' says Winky. And Dobby thinks, and it comes to him, sir! Hogwarts! So Dobby and Winky came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir, and Professor Dumbledore took us on! And Professor Dumbledore says he will pay Dobby, sir, if Dobby wants paying! And so Dobby is a free elf, sir, and Dobby gets a Galleon a week and one day off a month!"
"That's not very much!" Hermione protested over Winky's shouts.
"Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week, and weekends off," Dobby explained but then shivered, as if the thought of more money and more time off were a scary thought. "But Dobby beat him down, miss. Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he isn't wanting too much, miss, he likes work better."
"And how much is Professor Dumbledore paying you, Winky?" Hermione asked Winky kindly. Winky finally stopped crying but when she sat up, she was glaring at Hermione with her large brown eyes.
"Winky is a disgraced elf, but Winky is not yet getting paid!" She squeaked. "Winky is not sunk so low as that! Winky is properly ashamed of being freed!"
"Ashamed?" Hermione asked with a furrowed brow. "But, Winky, come on! It's Mr. Crouch who should be ashamed, not you! You didn't do anything wrong, he was really horrible to you-" Winky clapped her hands over her ears before Hermione could say another word.
"You is not insulting my master, miss! You is not insulting Mr. Crouch! Mr. Crouch is a good wizard, miss! Mr. Crouch is right to sack bad Winky!"
"Winky is having trouble adjusting, Harry Potter," Dobby told Harry. "Winky forgets she is not bound to Mr. Crouch anymore. She is allowed to speak her mind now, but she won't do it."
"Can't house-elves speak their minds about their masters, then?" Harry asked.
"Oh no, sir, no," Dobby's friendly smile vanished. " 'Tis part of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. We keeps their secrets and our silence, sir. We upholds the family's honor, and we never speaks ill of them… though Professor Dumbledore told Dobby he does not insist upon this. Professor Dumbledore said we is free to… to…" Dobby looked nervous and he waved Harry closer. Harry bent down and whispered something in his ear. Dobby popped back a moment later and gave a frightened sort of giggle. "But Dobby is not wanting to, Harry Potter," he said, talking normally again, and shaking his head so that his ears flapped. "Dobby likes Professor Dumbledore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets and our silence for him."
"But you can say what you like about the Malfoys now?" Harry asked him, grinning. Jade coughed into her tea, causing some of it to fall on her clothes and to splash back on her face. Jade put her tea down and covered her mouth until the tickle had left her throat. A house-elf approached her quickly and offered her a rag.
"Thank you," Jade said hoarsely and wiped off her face. "I'm sorry." A memory had come back to her then, it was the end of her second year and Mr. Malfoy looked livid walking into McGonagall's office, at his side was a small, dirty, bandage-wrapped house-elf. That's why Dobby looked familiar, she didn't know why she didn't connect the dots sooner. A slightly fearful look came into Dobby's large eyes.
"Dobby, Dobby could," He said quietly and then squared his small shoulders. "Dobby could tell Harry Potter that his old masters were… were… bad Dark wizards!" Dobby stood for a moment, quivering all over.
"Past tense." Jade clarified and they all looked at her. But Dobby didn't respond, he rushed over to the table and began banging his head on it.
"Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!" He shrieked. Harry seized Dobby by the back of his tie and pulled him away from the table. "Thank you, Harry Potter, thank you," Dobby said breathlessly, rubbing his head.
"You just need a bit of practice," Harry said.
"Practice?" Winky squealed furiously. "You is ought to be ashamed of yourself, Dobby, talking that way about your masters!"
"They isn't my masters anymore, Winky! Dobby doesn't care what they think anymore!"
"Oh, you is a bad elf, Dobby!" Winky began crying again. "My poor Mr. Crouch, what is he doing without Winky? He is needing me, he is needing my help! I is looking after the Crouches all my life, and my mother is doing it before me, and my grandmother is doing it before her, oh what is they saying if they knew Winky was freed? Oh the shame, the shame!" She buried her face in her skirt again and bawled.
"Winky," Hermione said sternly, apparently giving up the coddling approach, "I'm quite sure Mr. Crouch is getting along perfectly well without you. We've seen him, you know."
"You is seeing my master?" Winky asked. "You is seeing him here at Hogwarts?"
"Yes," said Hermione, "he and Mr. Bagman are judges in the Triwizard Tournament."
"Mr. Bagman comes too?" Winky asked, though none of them understood why she looked angry. "Mr. Bagman is a bad wizard! A very bad wizard! My master isn't liking him, oh no, not at all!"
"Bagman bad?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes," Winky said, nodding her head furiously. "My master is telling Winky some things! But Winky is not saying. Winky, Winky keeps her master's secrets." She dissolved into tears again. "Poor master, poor master, no Winky to help him no more!" Thankfully, they had finished their tea and Dobby chatted happily as he took them back to the door they came from.
"Dobby is going to buy a sweater next, Harry Potter!" He said happily, pointing at his bare chest.
"Tell you what, Dobby," Ron said. "I'll give you the one my mum knits me this Christmas, I always get one from her. You don't mind maroon, do you?" Dobby shook his head quickly. "We might have to shrink it a bit to fit you," Ron told him, "but it'll go well with your tea cozy." As they turned to leave, house-elves followed behind them closely, offering snacks to take back with them. Jade grabbed cream cake as Ron loaded his pockets with treats. Hermione frowned at the sight of the elves bowing and curtsying and was the first to leave.
"Thanks a lot!" Ron said through a mouth full of cake.
"See you later, Dobby!" Harry said goodbye and waved to the other house-elves who had all clustered around the door to say good night.
"Dobby was honored to see Harry Potter again, and meet his friends." Dobby smiled at the three of them as they crossed the barrier out of the house-elves quarters. "Harry Potter . . . can Dobby come and see you sometimes, sir?"
" 'Course you can," Harry chuckled and Dobby smiled widely.