Chapter Five

It was morning once again at Malfoy Manor. Ginny had not moved from her spot on the floor. At some point she had fallen asleep right there. She was still sound asleep when a soft nudging made her come around. Ginny opened her eyes and found herself staring at Lucius' little house elf, Solly who was kneeling down next to her.

"Miss?" Came the small voice. Ginny sat up and looked around.

"Solly," She said, a bit surprised but pleased none the less. "What are you doing here?"

"Solly has made Miss breakfast." He said. Ginny looked over at the table and saw another lot of delicious-looking food. Her stomach ached from hunger but she made no attempt to move any closer. Solly looked down as if contemplating something. Then he spoke again.

"Miss must eat something," He said kindly and then leaned in to whisper. "Master Lucius is not yet awake. If master asks, Solly didn't see anything."

This made Ginny smile. She got to her feet. Solly offered his tiny hand to Ginny and led her to the table. She sat down and breathed in all the wonderful aromas. Everything looked so good she hardly knew where to begin. She settled on a plate full of waffles (her favorite) and covered them in strawberries and syrup. Solly remained by her side as if standing guard. When she was quite full, Ginny poured herself a cup of tea and sipped it slowly. She looked over at Solly.

"Solly, may I ask you something?"

Solly nodded.

"There has been a revolution of sorts on the outside," She began slowly. "House elves are free now. Did you know?"

Solly paused for a moment and then nodded again. Ginny looked puzzled.

"If you know that, why do you stay here?" She asked. Solly looked up at her.

"Master Lucius needs Solly. Master Lucius is all alone now."

"I know." Said Ginny quietly. "But the way he treats you- don't you find it perfectly horrid!?"

"At times, indeed, Solly does. But it was not always so."

Ginny gave him a quizzical look, hoping he would elaborate, but he didn't.

"Sometimes the ones who are cruelest to us are the ones who need our kindness the most."

Ginny looked at him with a newfound respect. There was wisdom behind those large saucer-like blue eyes.

"Thank you, Solly." Said Ginny. "For Everything." Solly gave a dignified bow.

"You're welcome, Miss."

"Please, call me Ginny."

"You're welcome, Miss Ginny." Said Solly.

Ginny laughed. Then she remembered their precarious situation.

"Solly," She began. "Please be careful."

Solly smiled.

"Solly can take care of himself. Solly has been outwitting Master Lucius since before Miss Ginny was born."

Ginny watched in amazement as Solly proceeded to make the breakfast dishes disappear with a snap of his fingers. He gave a sly wink and snapped his fingers once more. And Ginny was alone once again. She stared after Solly thinking how remarkable his loyalty to Lucius was. Perhaps it was a trait that witches and wizards could never fully understand. Hermione aside, most still viewed house elves as a lower form of life. But to dedicate your whole life to serving others- to take the good with the bad and still stand by them- well, it was more than most humans could manage.