Chapter 8 Runic Rooms and House Elf Negotiations

Well, that revelation gave us some idea, how to proceed with our little conundrum, who was the First Lord of The Treasury? I don't know two steps forward and one back. Blimey, was nothing with the magical world straight forward. We now knew the office to speak to, but no idea as to who the current office holder was, talk about frustrating.

Gabrielle came to my door and looked in, "sorry, I thought you'd like to join me for lunch, but it seems you're still busy..."

Kingsley smiled, "no! No, we're quite finished with our conversation; you're quite welcome to take your husband to lunch." He nodded to me, "I know you're probably as much in the dark as me about this, but if you have any ideas later, please let me know as soon as possible, I know you want to resolve all this before your confirmation before the Wizengamot."

Gabrielle and I made our way down to the staff canteen, and I filled her in on the conversation between myself and Kingsley and the reply I'd had from Draco Malfoy. "You should show the letter to Harry, see if he knows a way to speak to Draco about it. From what I understand from the conversations we had whilst I was lodging with him, there was some bad blood or something between the two of them when they were at school, and on the other matter you should speak to Hermione, she'd probably know who this, 'First Lord of the Treasury' is."

That weekend, Gabrielle and I spent the evening at Harry's, having a meal with Ginny, Teddy, and him. During that week, we had tentatively put together a scenario which would be concluded on the following Monday and we were telling Ginny about the plan that would restore Dobby to both Draco and Stinker's good graces and hopefully would gain a house elf for my family with connections to Harry's newest house elves.

Kreacher was absolutely loving his new position as head Potter elf and Winky was settling in very nicely into Harry's household, indeed she seemed to be positively glowing as she served us that night, although that could have been due to her pregnancy and this mage sight of mine.

The Sunday Gabrielle was taking a portkey to her parents' house in Dijon to be fussed over by her mother, I was initially going to go with her, but the previous evening at Harry's I had been looking very deeply into the magics around number 12, unknowing to everyone else and I had a project of my own to complete that day, so I begged off, saying I had some paperwork to complete for the morning.

Gabby left about eleven that morning and I made my way back upstairs to our bedroom. Gabby had been lamenting the fact that our house lacked a bath, the previous owner having had the bathroom converted to a shower room, and I intended to provide her with an en-suite bathroom today.

There was a blank section of wall in our bedroom where the ensuite could be 'built in' to the existing room. Using my wand as a scribing tool I carefully 'drew' the doorway on the wall and scribed runes around the doorway both inside and outside the frame, pushing magic into the runes as I did so. As the final rune was drawn, making the runic diagram complete I pushed magic into the whole structure and the room shook violently. There in front of me was a door where no door had existed before and if I had created it correctly would lead to our new bathroom, albeit without a bath yet, if I had failed then our neighbours would be very surprised at the doorway connecting their bedroom to ours.

Tentatively I opened the door; oops I think I must have put a little too much power into the runic structure as I was building it. I had intended a room about 7 foot by five, just enough for a toilet, sink and standard size bath such as we'd had back at home in Privet Drive. The room was easily the same size as our bedroom, nearly twelve foot square. I sat on the bed and contemplated the new room through the doorway, clearly I needed to rethink my plans, a normal sized bath in a room that size would be ridiculous. My mind went back to one of the days at Privet Drive when mum had been watching one of the 'makeover' programs she loved. In this particular program they had installed a large sunken Jacuzzi bath, mum had sniffed at the idea saying it was 'crude and vulgar', in a tone of voice that really meant it was crude and vulgar because we didn't have the same.

I really found myself liking the idea of a bath that Gabby and I could share quite interesting, but apart from the memory of that one program I had no other details regarding such a bath. I checked on the address of the local retail park and apparated myself there making sure to appear in such a way that I was unobserved by any cameras. I made my way to the bathroom section and looked at the models on display. As I was looking round at the largest model on display I was joined by a sales assistant obviously eager for the commission he might earn if I bought said item. Boy was he going to be disappointed in the end. I suppose I did feel a little sympathy for him in the end though, he was very helpful giving me a lot of technical information that would have been hard for me to find out on my own. Thanking him for his help, and promising to remember him when I needed to buy everything for my new bathroom extension I left the shop and apparated home.

I spent the next two hours with paper and pencil working out a new runic diagram and structure that I would need to construct to complete the new and improved bathroom I would be building.

I went into the new room and once again began drawing runes upon the floor and walls with my wand, first to take shape was the new toilet, originally I had planned this to be on the back wall, next to a sink, the bath along the side wall; now I placed it at the front of the room, with its own door and dividing wall. The bath was at the back and to one side of the room fitting into the corner of the room taking up most of the room, within a raised plinth so that it was sunk into the new raised floor, with a largish area in front of it to get undressed before, and dry yourself after your bath. All in all, I was impressed with my days work and looked forward to Gabby's reaction when she got home.

The meeting that morning with Draco Malfoy was looming quickly, not what the sort of thing I was looking forward to; a meeting with a pureblood snob. Gabby had been very pleased about the addition I had made to the house and showed me most of the night how grateful she was, so I was not at my best for this meeting and really had no idea how I was going to deal with Malfoy.

There was a buzz from the intercom on my desk and my secretary informed me that Malfoy had arrived and was waiting in the outer office. Oh great! Here I go again. I told her to send him in and stood to greet him, as he stepped into the office the small figure of a house elf dressed in the usual kaleidoscopic colour scheme they seemed to favour hiding behind him. I held out my hand for him to shake.

"Lord Malfoy. Draco, if I may be so bold, welcome you to the Ministry as Social Services Minister, please take a seat. Am I to assume the elf with you is the one you spoke about named Stinker, I believe?" He nodded at me as I shook his hand. "Pleased to make your acquaintance Stinker, if both you and Lord Malfoy would take a seat!" I waved my wand and two chairs appeared in front of the desk, appropriately sized for my guests. With an anxious glance at her master and a reassuring nod Stinker sat nervously in the chair provided for her and Malfoy sat in his.

"I must admit to curiosity why a wizarding lord of whom I can find no trace of in any of the history or genealogy books I have looked through would be interested in the kit of a former elf of the Malfoy family, a pureblood family for many generations!"

Oh! It was going to be one of those conversations was it; he was trying to establish some sort of superiority over me from the start. "I see, you doubt my credentials, how did you research out my family and title may I ask?"

"Debrett's, of course, wizarding edition updated 2000!"

"Ah! You need to check the update charm on your book," I waved my wand and the latest version of the aforementioned book appeared on my desk. "Please feel free to check me in here."

I waited patiently whilst Draco read the relevant section in the book:

'Dursley, Dudley; Muggleborn Lord; elevated to nobility by Wizarding Court of Charlemagne 14 April 2005. First cousin to Lord Harry Potter –see Potter…'

"You're a muggleborn, I understood Potter's cousin was a complete muggle, unless you're some other cousin of his, but I was only aware he had the one!"

"That's right, I am the self-same cousin you've heard of; due to a strange mix of circumstances I'm able to do magic and am now a Wizarding Lord."

"I'd like to hear that story someday, where we you educated if I may be so bold as to ask?"

"I was educated by Hogwarts and have 12 N.E.W.T.s at E or O grades."

"Blimey, not even Granger managed that and she was the smartest in our year, but when did you attend Hogwarts to manage all those N.E.W.T.s, you haven't had time to do 7 years of studies since we left Hogwarts and have been working at the Ministry as long as I've heard you have been?"

"A slight misunderstanding on your part, I was not educated at Hogwarts; I was educated BY Hogwarts, the castle itself, as a thank you I suppose for my help in installing computers and the internet and upgrading the wards of the castle in the process."

"So you're the reason that Hogwarts was dragged into the 21st century. I've even got one of those computer thingies at the manor, not that I use it that often, but this email stuff is a damn sight faster than an owl and no ruddy feathers all over the place."

"That was me, I was trying to get computers installed in the school and Hogwarts itself put in the connections, which somehow updated the wards, and the school fed the information for the education into my brain in gratitude. I took and passed all the exams."

Draco was just on the verge of saying something when there was a knock at my door and Harry came strolling in. "Morning, Draco, Dudley, I apologise for my lateness, I needed to get something from Tinworth for this meeting." He looked at the house elf seated next to Draco, "and you must be Stinker, I believe."

With a look at Draco, who gave a nod, the elf replied, "yes, sir, I is being Stinker!"

Harry sat down next to me, "I suppose why you are wondering why Dudley and I called you here this morning, and why the interest in Stinker's kit. My house elf, Kreacher is dying and I am informed that he is too ill to father a kit to carry on service to my house. I would be honoured if Stinker who is Kreacher's granddaughter would consent to her kit becoming the elf for House Potter."

Stinker looked at Draco and swallowed hard, "Lord Potter, my kit is the offspring of Dobby, a house elf who was disgraced himself by being freed by Master Lucius, It would be dishonour to give birth to kit and allow it to serve another family."

"I understand, what you are saying Stinker, what if I could prove to you that Dobby was not disgraced and indeed died a hero, and is honoured for his part in bringing down the Dark Lord Voldemort?"

Both Draco and Stinker looked at me and Harry in surprise at this revelation and Stinker nodded eagerly to hear the news.

"Very well, some of what I am going to tell you is known history and some is confidential. I will ask you to use your discretion about what you tell to others; in our second year, Lucius Malfoy planted a cursed object onto Ginny Weasley during an altercation in Flourish and Blotts, this was a diary that was a horcrux for Lord Voldemort. The diary proceeded to possess Ginny Weasley and all the incidents of that year, the petrifications and the painted warnings on the walls were done by her whilst under the influence of the horcrux. Prior to the term of starting my second year at Hogwarts I was warned by a house elf that I should not return to the school as plans were underfoot, he couldn't tell me what the plans were, but was adamant that I not attend. He tried several times to convince me to go home, even charming the bludger during a quidditch match to attack me. Towards the end of the year I discovered the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets by talking to one of the ghosts and rescued Ginny destroying the horcrux in the process. Lucius came to the school to gloat at the supposed death of a student only to find Dumbledore had returned and the diary destroyed; from Dobby who was making gestures to me, we ascertained that it was your father who had planted the diary. I returned the diary to your father, wrapped in one of my socks, and your father tossed the sock away where it was caught by Dobby which freed him. Technically if you want to be pedantic about the affair you could say that I bought Dobby from Lucius for the price of one sock, which was used by Dobby to claim his freedom."

There was a gasp at this revelation from both Draco and Stinker, who looked eagerly for the story to continue.

"Dobby eventually took service at Hogwarts, where although he was working for the school, he kept a special eye on me, even as if he was my elf. He helped Kreacher in our seventh year in the recovery of information about another of Voldemort's horcruxes, and saved my life and the life of many others who were being held captive in Malfoy Manor, he died in that rescue, and I buried him in Tinworth where he took us after the rescue." He then showed a photo of Dobby's grave to Draco and Stinker. "That grave is in the front lawn of a wizarding family, but they have proudly kept it there to honour Dobby and the sacrifice he made for me."

"Merlin's Balls, Potter, I never knew my father was behind that incident with the Chamber of Secrets that year, how did he get this horcrux thingy?"

"It was entrusted to him by Voldemort to keep safe, not knowing what it was, your father in an attempt to rid himself of some connection to the Dark Lord, he planted it on Ginny Weasley. I am sure if he had known it was a horcrux he would have guarded it better."

"So, the Dark Lord made a horcrux, that's why he didn't die in 1981, when he tried to kill you?"

"He made more than one, he made several, all of which Hermione, Ron and I destroyed in what was technically our seventh year at Hogwarts; that's why he died for good when I defeated him that duel."

"Knowing that he would stoop to such evil things as horcruxes makes me glad that I was never able to complete the task he gave me to make me a full death eater in his service, I was such a naïve little prat."

"I know, Draco, you were unable to kill Dumbledore and Snape killed him in your stead, something he had promised Dumbledore he would do, in order to save you from yourself and complete servitude to Voldemort."

"How do you know about that?"

"I was there, the only reason you were able to cast the Expelliarmus on Dumbledore was because as we arrived on the tower on broomsticks, me hidden, Dumbledore immobilised me, giving you that needed few seconds to disarm him. He was already dying by that point, the damage to his hand was caused by a curse on another of the horcruxes and he would have died soon from it anyway. Snape had agreed with Dumbledore to kill him so not binding you to the Dark Lord, and he also made an unbreakable vow with your mother to protect you."

"So he was telling me the truth about that the night I got caught by Filch outside Slughorn's party, I assumed he was just trying to knuckle in on the action to further ingratiate himself to the Dark Lord; hang on though, how do you know all this?"

"Some of it, Snape revealed to me in memories he gave me to view at his death, and some from talking to him at Hogwarts recently."

"You mean, he's a ghost at the castle, I never knew that, what does he do, terrorise the Gryffindors?"

"No, he's the Professor for Defence Against The Dark Arts; has been since the year after we left, you'd never believe it, but he is a very popular teacher."

"Blimey, if that doesn't beat all, Severus Snape finally a popular teacher with other houses. I never thought that would happen."

"Anyway, we seem to have drifted off the subject slightly, I would like to ask if Stinker would consent to allow her kit, the offspring of Dobby, to whom I owe a life debt to become the house elf for House Potter, she is the only living descendent of my current elf, Kreacher, and it would mean a lot to both him and myself to see his family continue to serve mine."

Stinker looked at Draco with tears in her eyes, "can I be having the kit, Master, it would be an honour for a house elf to serve in the house of a master who owed a life debt to the its father!"

"If that is what you want, Stinker, I have no objection to it."

"Thank you master!" she placed her hands over her abdomen and to my mage sight there was a slight green glow. "Lord Potter, kit will be borned in about 6 weeks, then will need three months to grow to age where can leave mother to serve your Noble house."

Harry gave a small bow to Stinker, who blushed at this gesture, "Thank you, you do me and my house a great honour."

Draco looked at both Harry and I, well I'm glad that all has been resolved satisfactorily, unless there is anything else I can help you with, I will make my way home and I look forward to better future between us."

"Not unless you know who the First Lord of the Treasury is, no." said Harry jokingly.

"What do you want to know that for, that's Muggle Politics, what relevance has that to our society, what would you need with the British Prime Minister anyway?"

"Are you saying that the Prime Minister is the First Lord of the Treasury, how on earth do you know that?"

"Honestly, Potter, for someone muggle raised, you are awfully ignorant of their society, the British Prime Minister was called the First Lord of the Treasury until recently when the term fell out of favour; it still says 'First Lord of the Treasury' on the letterbox of his London residence. As for how I know, I read it somewhere; I think it for something in History of Magic class."

"Thanks for that piece of information, Draco; you have saved me a lot of research for when I go before the Wizengamot in August."

"Well, glad to be of service, I hope this is the start of a better future between us."

"You know if you had been a bit more tolerant towards muggles and muggleborns when we first met, we may have been friends even dorm-mates."

"Yeah! I can really see that, the Boy Who Lived in Slytherin, that's a real good one."

"The sorting hat said I'd do really well in any of the Hogwarts houses, but thought I'd do well in Slytherin, after all I could talk Parseltongue, and had grown particularly sneaky at hiding my grades from my relatives. It was partly your attitude in Madam Malkin's that day and Ron Weasley's attitude to Slytherins that made me beg the hat not to put me in that house.

"Bloody hell, Potter, you really know how to end the day on a talking point, I look forward to our next conversation, wonder what I'll learn then?" He held out his hand to be shaken and left the office to return home.

Harry and I looked at each other, a smile on our faces that both our problems had been solved in the space of one morning. It certainly had been an interesting day.

Authors Note: I want to thank those readers who have favorited this story and my first two in this series and left me reviews, this has been an encouragement to me through difficult times, first with illness that led to a stay in hospital, and the ongoing treatment from that visit, this combined with moving house and breaking my laptop in the move, my own fault, which contained all my notes on this story has made this chapter and the rest of the story to progress very slowly. As well as that this chapter just would not flow right, this must be the fifth or sixth version of this chapter that I have written before I was completely satisfied with it. The rest of the story will follow as fast as I am able.