Elisabeth woke up early on Halloween, unsure of what had caused her
sudden return to conscienceness she sat up. And screamed. A small creature
stood on her bed, peering with tennis ball sized eyes at her. Actuall a
small creature with tennis ball sized eyes had been staring at her but her
screams caused it to topple over. Immediately Caroline and the other girls
in her dorm were at her side, asking what was the matter. She pointed a
shaky finger towards the dazed lump on the ground.
"Umm, Elisabeth?"
"What?"
"That's a house-elf."
"That," she looked at the lump, "is a house-elf?"
"Er-yeah."
"Oh. Sorry."
The other girls shook their heads and laughed, returning to their beds, leaving Elisabeth to pick up the shaking creature.
"Um, sorry. Er, what did you want?" This house-elf, although Elsiabeth did not realise it, was considerably older than most, nearing thirty and, ultimately, death.
"Dobby was told the the daughter of Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts. Dobby wanted to see for his self."
"Oh. Well. Here I am." Elisabeth said uncomfortably.
Dobby bowed deeply. "Dobby is pleased to be meeting you at last. Dobby knows you must be a great and powerful witch to be the daughter of Harry Potter."
"Thanks, well, if you wouldn't mind I have to get dressed now so..."
"Of course. Dobby bids you farewell, daughter of Harry Potter." The elf bowed again and disappeared.
"Weird." Elisabeth muttered under her breath as she got dressed. "Very weird."
She went downstairs to the common room, the only person there was Apacia.
"Hey Pashe, what's up?"
Apacia looked up and Elisabeth saw that she had been crying.
"What's the matter?"
"My mother wants to take custody of me."
"Well that's good right? I mean it means she wants to be with you."
"No!" Apacia let out a sob. "She wants TOTAL custody of me. She's going to take me away from my dad, and she doesn't even want me, she just wants to spite him."
Elisabeth, despite her fathers many shortcomings, had never known what it felt like to not be wanted. "So, come on, everybody knows how horrible she is, they'll never take custody away from Draco."
Apacia let out another sob. "They have no PROOF of how horrible she is though."
"Wait! Where does she work?"
"By day, she's a mild-mannered secretary at the department of mysteries, by night she's a "cocktail waitress" at East Berth in the Soho district in London."
Elisabeth grinned. "Give me half an hour." And she raced out of the common room before Apacia could say another word.
She ran to Hermione's office, across the corridor from the Transfiguration classroom. She assumed Hermione's sleeping quarters were there as well. She banged on the door.
"What? What is it? Oh, Elisabeth it's you, come in." hermione was still in her dressinggown and clearly not awake yet.
"I need to speak to my dad."
"What? Elisabeth, it's four o'clock in the morning."
"I need to speak to him now."
"It's against school policy." Hermione said tiredly.
"Ha! Last ditch attempt, and a bad one at that. Two pets is against policy and, if I'm not mistaken, so is bringing your husband into the school." Elisabeth had caught sight of Ron over Hermione's shoulder.
"Oh! You coniving little-" But she tossed a pinch of blue powder into her fire and called Harry.
"What in god's name...Elisabeth?"
"Ask her, I'm going back to bed."
Elisabeth smiled as hermione shut the door into her quarters.
"What do you want at four in the morning?"
"Pansy is asking for full custody of Apacia and she's going to get it if nobody can delve into her "bad side" Draco can't do it because he has to be at Ministry Headquarters in half an hour, and we can't find anyone else."
"Elisabeth, this could completely ruin my reputation."
"Oh, like you and Oliver and Fred and George haven't been spotted in many a red light district."
"How did you-"
"The walls have ears. Now are you going to do what I ask or am I going to have to beg a favour from Remus?"
Harry shook his head. "Most girls don't ask their fathers to do things like this."
"Well I have complete faith in the knwledge that you won't run of with Destiny and her red-headed companion Ginger."
"Okay, most girls would be embarassed to ask their fathers to do this."
"Do it for me." She batted her eyelashes.
Harry shook his head again.
"What if my mother was Pansy and she wanted custody of me? Wouldn't you want to do anything possible to get me back?"
Harry grimaced. "You're really set on this aren't you?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't want you to do it."
"In my day-"
"In your day people were so busy knocking each other up they didn't think about the consequences."
Harry sighed and hugged his daughter. "I'd say see you at Christmas but I'll probably be back here in a week anyway."
Elisabeth smiled as her father grumbled about children and so on and so forth and grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder and tossed it in and said "East Berth" and continued to grumble.
She ran back to the Ravenclaw common room and told Apacia that everything was taken care of. And it was. The hearing as set for ten thirty and at ten twenty-five Harry shoved a sheath of photos at Draco's lawyer and at eleven o'clock the Minister for Human Affairs looked disgustedly at Pansy and said with certain conviction that Draco was given custody of Apacia indefinately. Apacia arrived back at the school ten minutes before the Halloween feast, she told her friends that she had been slightly ill and had stayed in the hospital wing for most of the day, then she pulled Elisabeth aside and thanked her repeatedly for everything she had done. Elisabeth shrugged and said she should thank Harry. At precisely the same time Draco and Harry walked out of a Wasps' budget meeting and with tears in his eyes Draco thanked Harry. Harry shrugged and said he should thank Elisabeth.
It was a good day, Elisabeth thought as she fell asleep in her dormitory. A very good day.
"Umm, Elisabeth?"
"What?"
"That's a house-elf."
"That," she looked at the lump, "is a house-elf?"
"Er-yeah."
"Oh. Sorry."
The other girls shook their heads and laughed, returning to their beds, leaving Elisabeth to pick up the shaking creature.
"Um, sorry. Er, what did you want?" This house-elf, although Elsiabeth did not realise it, was considerably older than most, nearing thirty and, ultimately, death.
"Dobby was told the the daughter of Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts. Dobby wanted to see for his self."
"Oh. Well. Here I am." Elisabeth said uncomfortably.
Dobby bowed deeply. "Dobby is pleased to be meeting you at last. Dobby knows you must be a great and powerful witch to be the daughter of Harry Potter."
"Thanks, well, if you wouldn't mind I have to get dressed now so..."
"Of course. Dobby bids you farewell, daughter of Harry Potter." The elf bowed again and disappeared.
"Weird." Elisabeth muttered under her breath as she got dressed. "Very weird."
She went downstairs to the common room, the only person there was Apacia.
"Hey Pashe, what's up?"
Apacia looked up and Elisabeth saw that she had been crying.
"What's the matter?"
"My mother wants to take custody of me."
"Well that's good right? I mean it means she wants to be with you."
"No!" Apacia let out a sob. "She wants TOTAL custody of me. She's going to take me away from my dad, and she doesn't even want me, she just wants to spite him."
Elisabeth, despite her fathers many shortcomings, had never known what it felt like to not be wanted. "So, come on, everybody knows how horrible she is, they'll never take custody away from Draco."
Apacia let out another sob. "They have no PROOF of how horrible she is though."
"Wait! Where does she work?"
"By day, she's a mild-mannered secretary at the department of mysteries, by night she's a "cocktail waitress" at East Berth in the Soho district in London."
Elisabeth grinned. "Give me half an hour." And she raced out of the common room before Apacia could say another word.
She ran to Hermione's office, across the corridor from the Transfiguration classroom. She assumed Hermione's sleeping quarters were there as well. She banged on the door.
"What? What is it? Oh, Elisabeth it's you, come in." hermione was still in her dressinggown and clearly not awake yet.
"I need to speak to my dad."
"What? Elisabeth, it's four o'clock in the morning."
"I need to speak to him now."
"It's against school policy." Hermione said tiredly.
"Ha! Last ditch attempt, and a bad one at that. Two pets is against policy and, if I'm not mistaken, so is bringing your husband into the school." Elisabeth had caught sight of Ron over Hermione's shoulder.
"Oh! You coniving little-" But she tossed a pinch of blue powder into her fire and called Harry.
"What in god's name...Elisabeth?"
"Ask her, I'm going back to bed."
Elisabeth smiled as hermione shut the door into her quarters.
"What do you want at four in the morning?"
"Pansy is asking for full custody of Apacia and she's going to get it if nobody can delve into her "bad side" Draco can't do it because he has to be at Ministry Headquarters in half an hour, and we can't find anyone else."
"Elisabeth, this could completely ruin my reputation."
"Oh, like you and Oliver and Fred and George haven't been spotted in many a red light district."
"How did you-"
"The walls have ears. Now are you going to do what I ask or am I going to have to beg a favour from Remus?"
Harry shook his head. "Most girls don't ask their fathers to do things like this."
"Well I have complete faith in the knwledge that you won't run of with Destiny and her red-headed companion Ginger."
"Okay, most girls would be embarassed to ask their fathers to do this."
"Do it for me." She batted her eyelashes.
Harry shook his head again.
"What if my mother was Pansy and she wanted custody of me? Wouldn't you want to do anything possible to get me back?"
Harry grimaced. "You're really set on this aren't you?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't want you to do it."
"In my day-"
"In your day people were so busy knocking each other up they didn't think about the consequences."
Harry sighed and hugged his daughter. "I'd say see you at Christmas but I'll probably be back here in a week anyway."
Elisabeth smiled as her father grumbled about children and so on and so forth and grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder and tossed it in and said "East Berth" and continued to grumble.
She ran back to the Ravenclaw common room and told Apacia that everything was taken care of. And it was. The hearing as set for ten thirty and at ten twenty-five Harry shoved a sheath of photos at Draco's lawyer and at eleven o'clock the Minister for Human Affairs looked disgustedly at Pansy and said with certain conviction that Draco was given custody of Apacia indefinately. Apacia arrived back at the school ten minutes before the Halloween feast, she told her friends that she had been slightly ill and had stayed in the hospital wing for most of the day, then she pulled Elisabeth aside and thanked her repeatedly for everything she had done. Elisabeth shrugged and said she should thank Harry. At precisely the same time Draco and Harry walked out of a Wasps' budget meeting and with tears in his eyes Draco thanked Harry. Harry shrugged and said he should thank Elisabeth.
It was a good day, Elisabeth thought as she fell asleep in her dormitory. A very good day.