The Forsaken Child

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

"Be careful, mate," James told his best friend as Sirius readied to leave for the Order meeting. Originally, the Potter parents were supposed to attend, but since Hermione was coming home with him, James and Lily would have to miss out. Sirius nodded and smiled.

"You too, mate. Keep the little lady safe," Sirius stated before he turned on his heel and disappeared with a sharp pop. Hermione cast one more look at Tom and Angela—the nice maid who had always came to get her when dinner was ready—over her shoulder. They smiled and waved back.

"Don't you worry, Hermione; we'll be fine," Tom reassured her. She smiled back reluctantly and looked back up at James. The man extended his elbow to her and grinned.

"Milady," he teased. Hermione rolled her eyes, clutched her trunk closer, and slipped her hand into the crock of his elbow. She tensed as she awaited the uncomfortable feeling of apparition, but she kept her eyes open and her back straight. She would be prepared for it this time. She swore to herself that she would get used to the feeling; that way when it came time for her to take the test, she would pass. The feeling wouldn't make her flinch.

James smiled down at the little girl. He found it adorable the way she set her chin definitely and gripped his arm tightly. He couldn't help but be reminded of Harry. He reacted the same way. He refused to show weakness in front of his dad; the boy was so stubborn. So much like Lily, but so much like him. Harry was the perfect mix between the two of them. He couldn't wait for her to meet Harry. With a quick pop, they were gone and standing in the light on the porch.

Hermione swallowed in nervousness as she stood on the white porch. She had never been to anyone's house before. She licked her lips and looked up at James. The man smiled kindly down at her and put his hand on the doorknob.

"You'll love them," he promised. "And they'll love you. Hell, Harry will probably hail you a hero when I tell him you threw spaghetti at Bellatrix."

"I didn't throw it at her!" Hermione protested. James quirked a brow. She flushed. "I threw it behind her…." She muttered. "Granted, I was hoping that she would slip on it."

"How'd you know she would?" James asked as he unlocked the door and held it open for her to go inside.

"She braced herself with her left foot each time she would fire a spell," Hermione clarified a she crossed the threshold. She hadn't gotten to see what the outside looked like because they had apparated onto the porch, but what she could see of the inside was gorgeous. Instantly, she could tell that some wealthy people lived here, but they were the kind of people who didn't flaunt it. James had fallen silent behind her; Hermione assumed that he was taking the information in. Instead, he was staring at her with wide eyes. She had pointed out something even he hadn't noticed. When they fought, his eyes were always on her hand so that he could track her movements before she cast a spell. Bellatrix had only one tell; it was a small twitch of her wrist. Hermione further blew his mind by adding: "I read somewhere that there are ice spells…next time you face her you could make her slip? Only if there aren't many surrounding you, of course."

"You have a very frightening mind, Miss. Hermione," James drawled, still a little surprised by the girl's deviousness that seemed to rival his own. But not, he acknowledged, Sirius' own devious flare. Hermione flushed and looked away from him. Before she could respond, a colorful blur shot across the room and attached itself to James' pant leg. Hermione blinked.

"Master! You've returned!" It was James turn to be embarrassed now, but Hermione wasn't paying attention to his face. She was wondering what on earth that thing was attached to his leg. Hermione could only guess that it was a she, because she wore a long patchwork dress made out of sheets and flour bags. Hermione's brows furrowed.

James lowered his hand down to Tinky's head and patted it as he said, "yes, I'm back." Tinky let go of his leg and looked over her shoulder at the new addition. James smiled at the little elf and said, "Tinky, this is Hermione. She'll be a guest at our house for tonight. And she'll probably have a lot of questions."

"It's is nice to meet friends of my master," Tinky greeted. She surprised both Hermione and James by hugging the little girl. Unlike with James, Tinky reached Hermione's stomach. The height difference only emphasized how thin and small Hermione was for her age; it broke James' heart that someone would treat a child so neglectfully. Tinky could feel the bones of the girl a lot better than she could on her young master and it worried her. She stepped back and looked up at the girl. "Tinky will feed you!" She promised as she let go of her. She turned back to her master and said cheerfully, "Tinky will go fix dinner now! Master Harry and Mistress Lily are in the living room, Master James. I believe Mistress Lily is nervous about meeting Mi—ss Hermione."

"Thank you, Tinky," James said slowly; he caught the way Tinky drew out Miss. He shrugged and passed it off as habit. She had gotten so used to saying Mistress that she must have almost said it by mistake.

Hermione gaped as Tinky disappeared with a pop. She furrowed her brows. She now wished she had read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them first. Though she didn't regret reading Hogwarts: A History, she was in the dark as to of what creature that was.

"Tinky is a House Elf," James explained as he beckoned her to follow him. Hermione moved to pull her trunk along behind her. "You can leave your trunk at the door. One of the House Elves will get it in a minute. It would be too heavy for you to pull up the stairs."

"Okay…" Hermione said cautiously as she let go of the handle. As she walked to follow James, she asked, "What exactly do House Elves do?"

"Well, a lot of things," James explained awkwardly. He could still remember Lily's reaction to them when they first got married. She had protested vehemently, but the rest of the Elves had convinced her that they loved working for the House of Potter. They adored their masters, so they didn't mind working. Lily was convinced further by Tinky's parents who informed them that even though they were free, they enjoyed working for the Potter family. "They do whatever the people in the household tell them too."

"Isn't that a bit like slavery?" Hermione asked.

"I suppose in a way it is," James acknowledged, "but the House Elves don't know any other way. We've offered Tinky freedom since her parents were also free elves, but she declined rather powerfully. We couldn't get her to stop crying for a week."

"So…they don't want to be free?" Hermione asked slowly. "But they don't know any other way of life. Isn't that like…an animal being born into captivity? He's happy only because he's never known what fresh air felt like?"

"Consider your analogy, Hermione." James pointed out as he stopped in the archway of the living room. He could see his wife's vibrant red hair and his eldest son's messy do. The conversation had caught their attention. Harry was blatantly listening. He was leaning over the couch slightly, not putting his full weight against the back. Lily was looking over at them with an arched brow. He knew the conversation must sound familiar to her for they had had it many times early in their relationship. "If an animal born in captivity is released into the wild, can it survive?" Hermione frowned.

"No, not unless it's taken into another zoo or a home."

"Exactly. House Elves only know servitude. They don't know any other way of life. I know it seems barbaric, Hermione, but it really isn't. Tinky and the other House Elves enjoy working here. We aren't cruel masters. We give them days off; we give them rooms where most owners wouldn't. We treat them like they are one of the family because they are."

"A family member that wears rags," Hermione deadpanned, arching an eyebrow at the man. James sighed; he felt both exasperated and amused. Much of the girl's arguments were similar to Lily's.

"It's considered an insult to offer a House Elf clothing. I learned that lesson the hard way. When I was about five, I thought Tinky would want clothes. She looked cold, so I offered her my jacket. Tinky lost it, sobbing and begging me not to make her put it on. I was baffled. She only calmed down after I said I thought she looked cold. She was the one who explained it to me," James told. Hermione sighed.

"There will be things," Lily called from the couch, "that you will have to learn to accept now that you are in the Wizarding World. This strange thing is one of them. House Elves don't want to be free, but you can make it easier for them by being kind."

"Is that really all I can do?" Hermione asked as she and James walked forward.

"I'm afraid so. It was hard for me to swallow as well," Lily explained. "I'm Lily," she introduced herself as Hermione came closer. She stuck her hand out for the little girl to shake. Hermione reached forward and took the kind woman's hand.

"I'm Hermione. Thank you for taking me in for the night."

"You're very welcome, Hermione. It's always nice to have guests," Lily waved off her thanks. She tried to discreetly check the girl for injuries. She sat back again, satisfied when she found none. Hermione sat on the couch next to Harry; she looked over at the boy nervously out of the corner of her eye. She wondered if it would be mean, like all the other boys at the orphanage. He looked over at her. She was instantly struck over how bright his green eyes were. She thought of her own greenish-brown and mentally sighed. Mrs. Sterling called her eyes hazel, but the other children had their own less flattering names for her eyes. Harry smiled warmly at her, causing her to blush. Lily and James looked at each other from over the children's heads and smiled.

For a moment, they were both struck at how similar both children looked and were unnerved by it. Before they could ponder on it for long, a squeaky voice called out from the kitchen:

"Masters, Mistress, and guest, dinner is ready!" Tinky called.

"Come on," Harry encouraged her as he hopped down from the couch, "you're gonna love Tinky's cooking." Hermione smiled timidly at him and followed the Potter family into the dining room.

XXX

"Do you play Quidditch?" Harry asked once they had settled down at the table. Hermione paused her goblet inches from her mouth and looked at him curiously.

"Play what now?" She questioned as she set the goblet back down. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught James' grin and Lily's eye roll.

"I guess that's a no," Harry muttered.

"Really, dear, don't bore the poor girl with Quidditch." Harry gaped at his mother. His aghast expression almost made Hermione giggle. He looked at his mother like she had just delivered the worst news possible.

"For shame, Lily!" James gasped dramatically. "Quidditch is the most interesting thing in the world!" He declared. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"You said that about television too, James," Lily pointed out as she speared a piece of chicken breast onto her fork, "After a while, that argument stops holding weight." She added as she popped the piece into her mouth.

As Hermione sat watching the family sending playful barbs back and forth at one another, she felt a sharp stab of pain and longing. It was something she had often felt when she sat watching other children getting picked by well-intentioned parents. She looked back down at her plate and quietly went back to eating.

As she chewed, she thought of Bellatrix and her statement about keeping her. Even though it was twisted, Hermione had felt a sharp stab of want then. Disgust threatened to rob her of her already dwindled appetite. Bellatrix scared her, but Hermione's heart had still jumped when she had asked Lucius that. "Someone wants me!" Her heart had cried even if just for a moment. Hermione frowned. Apparently, she had been wrong when she thought that Mrs. Sterling's fleeting moments of attention was enough to sustain her.

"Hermione?" James called, worried. The girl seemed to be eating almost mechanically, tasting nothing. At the call of her name, she blinked and looked up. "You alright?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter. I was just lost in thought," she forced a smile onto her lips. Lily and James shared a look.

"You don't have to worry about Tom and his staff, Hermione. Tom promised he would contact me if anything went down," James tried to reassure her. He didn't know that he had missed the true source of her worries by miles. Still, Hermione smiled and play that he had succeeded.

Their interaction was watched by more than just humans. Tinky, the tiny House Elf, stood by the archway. Her bulbous grey eyes missed nothing. It was no secret that house elves were different from their masters and mistresses, but many didn't know that they could sense things their masters could not. An ancient magic let House Elves know who they served. They could recognize bloodline by their magic. Tinky knew, just as she knew every House Elf in the house would know soon enough, that young Hermione was a Potter.

The only thing she fought with…was whether or not to tell the family and young Miss. Hermione.