CHAPTER EIGHT

WINKY'S CONFESSION

Much for the excitement of getting married, Harry wasn't able to propose that night. (sorry guys. It was intentionally done but I promise, things will turn up better next time) He has no money from his unemployment so buying a quality ring would be impossible for him.

The following day, Harry was packing his things in his bedroom at the Weasleys', ready to settle in Hogwarts since he was going to be teacher. Harry didn't know what to expect. He hoped that the feeling of rush like the time when he taught the D.A. would be very much present. Still, he couldn't say, for now, how he would feel about this. Harry just whisked away the remainder of his things and went to the living room fireplace.

"Goodbye Harry, dear. It was really nice to have you live with us." Said Mrs. Weasley as she made breakfast for her children.

"Write to us, mate." Said Ron, drinking his coffee before he went to work with the twins.

"Yeah. Bye everyone" replied Harry and with the tickling warmth of the flames spread over his entire body, he vanished, arriving into the Defense Against the Dark Arts fireplace of Hogwarts.

Harry then carried his luggage and placed it by the side of the wall. The room still looked the same since he was here as a student. He walked out of the office and looked around the classroom. It was empty, with the sunlight filtering through the high windows, making spots of light on the desks and chairs. Harry strode through the center aisle, staring at the empty seats, reminiscing the times when he was here.

Suddenly, the door opened. Severus Snape stepped inside.

"Oh, its you." Said Snape with the same dislike in his voice when Harry was still a student.

"Hi." Was all Harry could say.

"I heard you were going to be teaching here, Potter. Well, I guess Dumbledore clearly still favors you since he chose you for this job, obviously ignoring my pleas to be professor in this subject."

"I, I'm sorry" Harry said. He didn't want to rekindle the flames of hatred between them on his first day. Snape then hurriedly opened the door and stepped outside, mumbling something while at it.

Harry then stepped out a few minutes later, planning to go outside to visit Hagrid. As he was walking, he say a tiny house elf walking by. This house elf was very familiar. It was Winky.

"Hey Winky" greeted Harry. "What have you been up to lately?"

"Hi sir, Winky just cleanings, sir." Said Winky, though in a fearful tone.

House elves were bound to their masters and since Harry now lives in Hogwarts, Winky was to consider him one of her masters from the family of Hogwarts on whom she was bound to serve. At that, Winky was forced to tell Harry something she would never tell anyone as to answer the question "What have you been up to lately" Harry, now one of her masters, asked.

"Sirs, " she started talking, crying. "Winky have been very naughty, Master. She has helpings to escape old master Crou….."

Harry heard but didn't notice what Winky said afterwards. Professor McGonagall just walked by.

"Profess… umm, Professor McGonagall!" shouted Harry.

"Oh, Harry!" said McGonagall, clearly delighted to see him.

"How are you?"

"Good, good. I'm still teaching Transfiguration here. I heard Professor Dumbledore appointed you professor."

"Yes. That's why I am here."

"Well, it was nice seeing you Harry but would you mind, classes are about to start and I need to be going now."

"Oh sure. Bye"

McGonagall strode off into the halls, towards the Transfiguration classroom. Harry immediately checked his class schedule and was relieved to see that he wasn't going to teach until next week. Harry then tucked in his schedule and walked into the halls, towards the staircase, and went out into the entrance hall. He walked out of the big doors and ran along the grass, towards the cabin of Hagrid.

As Harry ran, memories of sneaking through this very path when he was still a student came back into his mind. All he could do was smile as memories of him hiding under the invisibility cloak swam into his consciousness. Harry then found the cabin, still looking like it was years ago, and knocked. That was odd, no one was inside. Harry then went inside the castle, ready for lunch.

The Great Hall was noisy with students eating in their respective tables. Harry sat along with the other teachers as they ate. He was surprised to see Draco Malfoy in one of the tables, and Hagrid on the other side. He immediately sat beside Hagrid and talked.

"So," Harry started. "I went looking for you a while ago but you weren't in your cabin."

"Oh, I was err, goin' 'round the forest lookin' fer some of those thestrals. Its matin' season you see and they're getting err, all worked up on finding their mates." answered Hagrid.

"Say, what is Malfoy doing here?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Well when their family fortune err, say, were spent, he was left penniless, see. His dad's in Azkaban so no money came in even if he wanted to. Dumbledore took pity with the lad and gave him a job here."

"Job?"

"He teaches, umm, Divination. Codswallop if you ask me. Divination is just a lump of hippogriff poo."

"Divination?"

"Yeah. Firenze taught until around four years after he got the job and they can't find no one to fill the post. Malfoy didn't have a place to go, his mother abandoned him after their fortune was gone ye see, cruel woman, so Dumbledore hired the boy."

"Oh…." Harry eyed Malfoy as Malfoy eyed him. He saw Malfoy cast a dark expression at him, similar to Snape's.

An idea swam into his brain. Lucius would answer the rest of his inquiries in Azkaban only if he would tell him about his son. Draco Malfoy was now here and this would be a whole lot easier than he thought.

The day passed quickly and before Harry knew it, dinner was here. He barely ate as he made up thoughts on how to let Draco see his father in Azkaban.

Late into the night, Harry was in his office, trying to research for his first lesson. As he was trying spells to teach his students, he saw an old house elf cleaning the classroom outside his office. With that, he was reminded about his meeting with Winky.

Then it hit him. When Winky said "Winky have been very naughty, Master. She has helpings escape old master Crou….." she could be referring to…

Harry went outside pass the classroom and into the ground floor. She went towards a hall he rarely passed when he was a student and stood in front of a portrait of a bowl filled with fruit. He tickled the pear and the portrait swung open. He stepped in.

"Winky…" Harry called as he was now in the kitchen where most of the house elves spent their time.

"Yes sirs?" said a small voice and there by the sink was Winky, finishing some dishes.

"Did you help anyone escape before? Someone from the Room of Requirement?"

"Master must not be angry, sir." said Winky, leaving a plate by the sink. "but old master Crouch was screaming and Winky hads to helps sir. Winky had to burn her ears sir as punishment but Winky hads to help free old master. He was screaming out loud."

Harry didn't need to hear the rest of Winky's explanation. That was what Crouch was talking about in the letter. The bit about his name still having some power, it was his being an old master of Winky that enabled him to gain freedom. That was how he escaped. That was how he was able to go out of Hogwarts.

END OF CHAPTER EIGHT