The year began with a bit more of a flurry than most. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had managed to make news for the gossipers again, this time by flying a car from London to Hogwarts, rather than taking the train. Eric couldn't help but be disappointed in Ron. Harry had a tendency to blunder into things, but Ron always seemed to be a little more level-headed, and he was Arthur Weasley's son. Really, he should have known better. Still, a part of him knew that he was just being jealous because he didn't think of it first.
The first classes of the year were their usual review, until they got to the Dark Arts. Rather than starting on second-year material, their new professor seemed to be determined to find out how well his students knew about him, rather than his subject. Still, he did send out a swarm of Cornish Pixies, only to demonstrate that he didn't know the exact spell for collecting the little blights. Unfortunately for every secret in Hogwarts, Eric did.
As a result, Eric was back in his old basement room, surrounded by his old laboratory, with a blue pixie held firmly in his grip. He couldn't be more amazed when he opened the secret door, for his room was exactly as he left it, and there wasn't any sign that it had been abandoned, or that it had been used in any way since he last left it. He wasn't alone for long, however, as the movement in the old lab came to the attention of his faithful attendant Willy. The house-elf was overjoyed to finally see his charge, though more than a little upset that he seemed to be up to mischief again.
Eric tried his best to reassure his old ally. "I may have a need for him, for one task or another. I do need your help, though. I need to know the best place in the area where a Cornish Pixie can be safely released. In the meantime, I need this fellow cared for and kept in good health."
Willy seemed more than happy to be of use again. "Oh, master Eric, Willy will do his best. Just promise Willy that Eric won't get into any more trouble!"
"That's the idea, Willy. Now: we'll need a cage that can hold him." Eric barely completed the thought before Willy waved his hand towards a bundle of old sticks, which instantly re-arranged themselves into a tightly bound cage. The pixie protested the incarceration, but couldn't complain about the surroundings.
"Don't you worry, master Eric, Willy will make sure that he's fed and cared for. Does Eric wish to know if he turns sickly?"
"Yes, Willy. If he does, we may need to release him early. I don't want any harm to come to him at all." Looking back at the pixie, he could tell that the little blighter knew what he was saying. "Ok, pixie, when I talk to you, I'm calling you Blue. Do you understand?" The bulbous-eyed face grinned and nodded in agreement.
"Now, I've taken you from the classroom because I expect to need your abilities. I promise that you'll be well cared for, and that I'll release you as soon as you perform one deed for me. I also promise that if you double-cross me, you'll be sorry. Do you understand?" Again, the pixie nodded.
"Well, that's it, Willy. We have a pixie good for one special task. I'll have to be sure that it's a good one. Take good care of him, and I'll be seeing you around." Eric noted Willy's wishful expression as he got ready to leave. "You know, any time I'm just studying alone, you're welcome to say hello."
"Oh, master Eric, you're just too good to Willy!" The elf's immense eyes welled up with tears. Eric knew that he was probably opening himself up for an inconvenience, but Willy had been a faithful servant for as long as he could remember, and his personal caretaker before that. Eric owed him more than he could properly repay, so he'd have to make due with civility.