For any American readers: Happy Memorial Day! I still lay no claim to JKR's work. Read and Enjoy.
Dear House-Elves
December 16th, 1994
Fifth year
Three weeks ago Jo and Leili had convinced Luna to buy them two S.P.E.W badges from Hermione. Today she had brought them news from Ginny about how the house-elves had stopped cleaning the tower due to Hermione's knitting.
"They've stopped cleaning because she knits?" Leili chuckled, "Why?"
"She's been trying to set them free with knitted hats and scarves hidden around the tower," Luna explained.
"Clever Clogs," Jo snorted.
"It was very thoughtful of her," Luna said.
"'Twas; 'twas just thought without research," Leili mumbled, her hand over her eyes in mild embarrasment.
"How'd they get here, anyway?" Jo asked. The house-elves were interesting little beasties, but she didn't interact with them much; they seemed to operate on invisibility.
"They've been here since the founding of the castle," Luna said. "Helga Hufflepuff let them in and gave them good work conditions. It's considered to be the best decision she could have made at the time."
"D'you know if the house-elves like sweets?" Jo asked Luna. If any one would know, it would be her.
"I believe so."
Jo turned in her seat on the bench and poked Leili in the arm. Repeatedly. "Hey, heyheyhey, I have an idea. D'you have some parchment I could use?"
Leili turned and rummaged in her bag. She pulled out a self-inking quill she'd bought for just such occasions. Handing it to Jo, she continued rustling in her bag, "How big d'you need?"
"Couple inches. Regular length would be fine."
With a triumphant flourish, Leili pulled out a slightly shorter-than-standard piece and handed it over.
"Thank you!"
"No biggie. I've really got to clean out my bag. How do I ever find anything in here?" Leili murmured mostly to herself.
"Talent," Jo replied smartly as she scribbled out a letter to the house-elves. "Dear House-Elves who tend to blank House. Please mark your favourite sweets with a tick-mark. Please ensure that every elf makes a mark next to his or her favorite treat. This survey had been to sate the curiousity of the Ravenclaws, thank you very much for your co-operation. Sincerely, the Ravenclaws."
Jo spun the paper around for Luna to read. "You've forgotten the house," Luna said matter-of-factly.
"No, I haven't. I'm not done yet," Jo grinned. She reached out her wand and flicked it at the parchment, Geminio." In almost the space of a blink, the parchment had shuddered and duplicated itself three times. "Finite."
"Oooh, I gotcha. Now all you have to do is write in the house names, clever!" Leili said when she realized what Jo had done.
"Exactly!" Jo said, feeling a bit proud of herself for thinking of it before Leili. She proceeded to scribble in the four house names and gave two copies to Luna to place in the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Towers. She kept two, one to put in Hufflepuff's basement and the other to give to Marcus to put in Slytherin's dungeon.
"What made you think of this?" Leili asked.
"Well, if giving them clothes is insulting to them, then so will giving them money, so why not give them something that shows we appreciate them while at the same time not interfering with the way they work? Thus! Sweets!"
"And the Gemino spell?"
"I do pay attention in Charms, you know," Jo said, feigning dramatic affront.
"Did I say you didn't?" Leili asked in a tone of 'who me? Never!"
On the morning of the 18th, the girls collected the surveys from Luna and Marcus and were quite pleased to see several tickmarks beside the large-quantity candies, like Bertie-Botts, Nut Brittle, Droobles, Pepper Imps, Exploding Bon-Bons and more. It was going to be an expensive candy weekend, but if the house-elves liked it, then the girls wouldn't complain too much.
When they were done shopping at Honeydukes the girls packed up the candies in four baggies, one for each house. They made sure a bag made it into each house's common room by way of Luna, who gave a bag to Ginny and Marcus.