Chapter 10
Gorbrin had put in as much time as he had spare to finish his filigree brooch that had the appearance of snowflakes of different sizes superimposed over each other, set with tiny diamonds to sparkle like frost. It did not look like a goblin made piece for being entirely original and drawn directly from nature with little enough stylisation. Several of the others had also finished one of their two pieces and Professor Jorbal suggested an impromptu display. Most had been working on one of their pieces since the previous year, so they would have time to put in for the second piece through the spring term.
They set out their pieces in the great hall, ready to let the rest of the school examine on the morrow.
Erica had produced a silver and gold unicorn scuplture that wandered around, reared, and, being imbued with the essence of Severia bloom, made people feel good. Meliandra, being practical, had made measuring callipers that varied from micrometer size to foot rule size, that displayed the precise measurement of what they were being used on. Jazka made a clockwork phoenix that lit the fire; Mischa had made a nail paring tool that would shrink to be suitable for pekes or increase to the size of a large dog; Stacey had stuck to a clockwork musical box playing 'Cauldron full of Hot Strong Love' as a present for her mother; Pearl had made a timer to be set for various potions to hint when another stage was due, because she thought it was useful, not being a great potioneer able to tell by colour or feel. Gorbrin found it incomprehensible that you would need to be TOLD when to add the next ingredient but had helped Pearl out by giving her a good average time for each of the useful potions she included in the timer, and reflected that any user of it would never produce more than sadly average potions.
Since to Pearl average potions were not to be considered sad she rejoiced.
Hadrian had managed to go one better than Mischa in his veterinarian tools, coming up with a device that, once a dragon was sedated, would expand to fit the dragon's mouth simultaneously detecting and drilling any cavities and injecting them with the magical equivalent of dental filler.
Meliandra might be heard to mutter why anyone would want to make a dragon's teeth even better was beyond her; but that was Hadrian.
Albert had laboured long on his piece too and had come up with a mechanical calculator; that only by the application of goblin magic and the ability of part of it to exist somewhere else could it be made portable. Lydia, looking over the younger class's efforts early and in sheer nosiness was heard to murmur something about someone called Babbage and a differencing engine; and Albert glowed with pride because that was indeed how his calculator worked.
"And a nice piece of work it is too, MacMillan and likely, if you continue to refine upon it, to make your name one of arithmantic legend almost as great as Madam Wenlock's" said Lydia "Because you can use that, with a bit of tinkering, to produce prime numbers above what's easy to do longhand; and to work out high number factorials that might or might not be useful and – well, all sorts!"
Albert was delighted!
Lydia actually reckoned that Albert's piece was by far and away the most useful piece of all the exhibits.
Ming had gone for flamboyant. Ming had produced a device to automatically mix and fold into paper containers simple fireworks, and could be set to do any one of three different kinds of firework. He was planning to market it to the Weasley brothers who already had trouble keeping up with demand.
Hugin Corbin had made a knife that expanded into scissors; Jordan Christie had made a key that shaped itself to any lock and Silvester Crouch-Jones had made a cauldron-mounted boil alarm that screeched just before the liquid started boiling, in the hopes that it might save his skin if only Madam Hardbroom let him use it.
In the morning when the young metalworkers got ready to demonstrate their masterpieces to the rest of the school Pearl cried out in horror.
Her timing device had been smashed to smithereens.
The others gathered round and other members of the second bloodgroup started turning up. Mischa, already there had his big comforting arms around her; and in lieu of a boyfriend of her own Pearl sobbed into the half giant's chest.
"Who could be so MEAN?" cried Erica.
"Plenty I can think of would be so mean to any of us goblins" said Gorbrin grimly "But who could have it in for Pearl? She's a nice girl whose about as inoffensive as you can get without being wet!"
"Heard what you said, old man, but knew what you meant" said Ross, who had come to his bloodkin.
Gorbrin shrugged.
"Well, so many people you can't think of anything to dislike about don't have enough personality to be much" he said "Plenty of personality to Pearl, all decent. Clever too. This is sick."
"I say" said Mischa "I wonder if someone thought it was yours, Gorbrin, because of being potion-oriented?"
"Well that's silly" said Gorbrin "No true potioneer would use anything like that!"
"Yeah" said Albert "You know that; and I'm not a true potioneer though I've learned to be half good from you: and I know that. But someone who does it by rote might not realise that you do it by feel. Pearl didn't!"
"He has a point" said Ming. "Actually he really DOES have a point; and that does argue against it being Zabini, who is one of the suspects that leaps to mind if you WERE the intended victim, brother mine."
"It is the only thing that makes sense" said Gorbrin slowly "For I CANNOT see that anyone could hate Pearl."
"What's to be done about it sir?" said Ming to a white-faced Professor Jorbal "We can all write affidavits that we saw it working before it was feloniously smashed; if you'll add your affidavit too. And if we all rally round and mend it for her, that could be presented and the affidavits as evidence of why it isn't any more all her own work."
Jorbal nodded.
"Yes; yes, a good idea, Mr Chang" he said "I – I'll go this very day to the examination board. I – would you go to Professor Dumbledore and tell him what has happened? In light of this I don't think it fair to show the rest off to the school."
"No sir; it seems rather callous" said Gorbrin "We'll just have a grand display after the OWLs, of both items, when it matters less what might happen to them. And Professor Dumbledore will know what to do."
Dumbledore was horrified.
"Jorbal, have you any idea who might have done this terrible thing?" he asked.
Jorbal shrugged.
"Miss Brocklehurst is a popular enough child; unless there's any jealousy issues over the wretched Ball as there may sometimes be, I cannot see that anyone would have it in for her. The pupils agree; they believe that someone thought it was Mr Malfoy-Tobak's work; a racist. Because of him being a known potioneer."
Dumbledore beckoned Gorbrin over.
"It has to be someone who ISN'T a potioneer – if I WAS the intended target sir" said Gorbrin not bothering to wait for questions. "Ming's a potioneer too; but if he's not universally popular, it's mostly his sister who wants to kill him a little bit and Mei's no mean creep, she's a marauder. I guess" he frowned "Ming HAS had his fair share of winding up the caterwauling – uh, Amos Leroy; and that's the only other suspect I can add. Because in something this serious it's not sneaking."
"Quite so, Mr Malfoy-Tobak" said Dumbledore "Adding to the shortlist of Crabbe and Zabini I presume?"
"I don't actually think Zabini would have done it – if I'm the target" said Gorbrin "He's a potioneer too."
"Of course he might find it hard to believe you really are a potioneer – and rely on goblin devices" said Dumbledore gently. Gorbrin looked surprised.
"Oh he may be a fool, but he isn't STUPID" he said.
"Alas, Gorbrin, you'd be surprised how stupid some clever men can be" said Dumbledore sadly.
"I guess we have to think who else MIGHT have been a target" said Gorbrin. "Mel? Not really. Erica? Unlikely. Jazka? Possibly, for reason of being a goblin. Mischa? Possibly, for someone who either reckons he has a grudge against Hagrid or someone who doesn't like half giants. Stacey? She's a half goblin; and someone might have a grudge against her dad; Kordach's not loved by a huge number of people. I guess you could say actually that Erica and me have Lucius against us for that matter; and Hadrian by association as being a Malfoy, but I can't think of anything else against him either. Unless you count his liking of things with too many teeth and claws. Albert? He's halfway to being a squib but the people who usually get niffy about a squib doing well are their supposedly more talented siblings, and Camilla's left. Ming I already mentioned. Hugin, I don't get on with really but there's no harm in him; Jordan's a nice lad and so is Silvester. I can see either of them IRRITATING someone; but not the extent of such vandalism."
"Lucidly summed up" said Dumbledore. "well I shall see if I can get any clues from the broken piece; I trust none of you have touched it."
"No sir; too shocked" said Gorbrin. "I suppose in some classes you might look for a jealous classmate; but I have to say, we've been a close knit class on the whole. If we'd had Hugin's twin I might have hesitated but Hugin's all right. Would Munin hit someone's work he thought was a rival to his twin's? I – no, sir, I don't think so. He's not the most convivial but he's not so mean."
"Thank you, Gorbrin; from someone who dislikes him I find that the best evidence to his innocence – as with your feelings about Zabini, though his past record means I SHALL investigate him" said Dumbledore. "Off you lot go and – oh, take the morning off and go into Hogsmeade and treat poor Pearl to butterbeer; she deserves something to cheer her up!"
Dumbledore assembled the school and informed them that the proposed display of OWL pieces from the metalworking class would not in fact now be going ahead.
"Some vile person has taken it upon his or herself to destroy the hard work of one of the entrants" said Dumbledore "In a piece of wilful malice. Professor Jorbal has fortunately got photographs of it completed and at every stage and with his sworn statement countersigned by the entire of the rest of the class it may be hoped that the examination board will be able to grade this pupil appropriately. It is of the calibre of someone tearing the written paper of an OWL candidate into shreds or disrupting a practical; either one of which acts would mean instant expulsion and the breaking of the wand. I am prepared to consider leniency if the culprit comes to me some time today; because I am prepared to accept that the person who has done this is stupid enough not to realise that these long pieces are actually tantamount to the practical portion of an exam. In the same way as it has been discussed that NEWT level potions should permit a term to be allowed to brew a potion of the potioneer's choice to permit the most talented to display their virtuosity. I leave it to your consciences if you know ANYTHING about the culprit; for laying information would go beyond sneaking. This is not naughtiness; it is criminal damage. And after this evening I shall be treating it as such and laying the matter in the hands of aurors."
"Professor, are we sure it was destroyed and didn't just fall apart for incompetent manufacture?" said Erasmus Bobbin, also in the fifth of Slytherin.
"Oh quite certain" said Dumbledore. "Why would you think it would fall apart?"
Bobbin shrugged.
"I'm assuming the work was by one of those lazy goblins" he said.
"Well Mr Bobbin, you assume wrongly" said Dumbledore mildly "And if you think someone did this to attack a goblin, then I hope whoever did it is ashamed of himself that he has destroyed the work of, if such minor things matter to him, a pure blood witch of good family. I will pursue the matter with utmost vigour as I would whoever had been the victim; but if that knowledge makes someone confess I would be the happier."
"And Bobbin just put himself on the suspect list" said Mimi, to herself.
Mimi worried about who might have done it and pulsed Gorbrin to find out whose work it had been and what it had been.
Gorbrin told her all about it including his own deliberations. Mimi nodded.
"Anyway, Zabini's got stuff on his mind right now" she said "I'm busy digging down to find out why he's racist; and so far as I can gather he got dumped a lot on inadequate servants when he was little, which isn't going to improve his world view. It took Lucius to stop you being wary of human wizards, didn't it?"
"Yes" said Gorbrin. "Anyway, though Zabini has a history of sabotage it's with spells to make trouble, not destruction. Mel caught him trying to put a hurling hex on my broom NOT trying to break or burn it. Totally different level. It's Crabbe who's managed to tear school property – admittedly by accident – and wanted to blame it on the goblins in the class. I wonder if it could be Bobbin? He's an odd sort of oik, tries to curry favour with the richest and most prominent but is willing to snigger over stories behind their back. His dad was the one who was caught for not passing out free wolfbane potion before your dad got a cure; and for trying to profit from it."
"Bit of an opportunist then; I suppose an opportunist might come in, try to guess whose is whose and smash up the wrong one for false logic; but…. Well, he's in the frame. It's a nasty business. No chance I suppose that Pearl's father stiffed someone, or someone thinks he did, and it's a revenge on him by hurting his little girl? Like Dimsie Burke?" said Mimi.
"Hadn't thought of that" said Gorbrin "She's upper sixth; when all that happened I was too young to take a lot of notice I guess! But of course it was your sister who saved her life; that does make a difference I suppose!"
Mimi nodded.
"Yes; I guess we just share information almost by osmosis!" she laughed. "Well, it's none of my business – except that I'm taking a professional interest in Zabini."
"Well best of luck with that!" said Gorbrin "If he'll come over I'll be one of the first to shake his hand; I've made up with Jack Murray and we're almost friends; I can afford to meet any man half way."
"Cheers our Gorbers!" said Mimi, neatly dodging the saponification spell Gorbrin hurled at her mouth for using the nickname he detested!
Hearing faint moans in a boy's loo, Mimi had no qualms in investigating.
Zabini was literally jinxed into a ball, and sported tiny tentacles and cactus spines.
Mimi deftly undid the rubber ball hex and the jellied furnunculous curse and the cactus curses, did a quick revellaspell and cast episkayo to deal with the bruises and contusions.
"Crumbs Zabini, who happened to you?" asked Mimi.
"Those wretched upper sixth goblin girls; they bounced me around the room telling me to confess to sabotaging Brocklehurst's work in mistake for Malfoy-Tobak's. And I'll be damned if I confess to something I didn't do!" he raged.
Mimi whistled.
"They were well out of line" she said "And Arjelan's a prefect too and THAT makes it worse. If Dell was still here he'd have sat on them for want of proof; I know they feel protective to poor Pearl – the kid is in bits and I'm not surprised – but there's ways and ways to find stuff out!"
"I didn't DO it! I wouldn't tamper with someone's work; that's not on! Quidditch yes, but not WORK!"
"I know you didn't do it" said Mimi, calmly "And for what it's worth, Gorbrin told Dumbledore he was certain it wasn't you too."
Zabini stared.
"What? Why doesn't he suspect me?"
Mimi laughed.
"Because he reckoned no potioneer as good as you would assume a device to time making potions would be made by another potioneer like him."
"Oh. Is that what was smashed? Well of course Malfoy wouldn't make something like that, he don't need it. If he made anything for potioneering it would be something like a – a knife that chopped automatically to a given size, the mechanical sort of stuff. I'd have him down for either the ridiculously mundanely practical or something frivolous and decorative."
Mimi laughed.
"You'd have picked up on the filigree brooch with the shield charm embedded then; a gift for his muggle mother. The mundanely practical one is so complex he's spending more time on it and using new arithmantic research. Are you all right now?"
"Yes. Er, thanks, Snape"
"You're welcome; I don't like any kind of unfairness and injustice. Excuse me; I have a prefect and her crony to perform felonious magic on" said Mimi "And I guess at that they'd rather I jinxed them into balls than that I ratted them up to Lionel. Especially Arjelan; she's one of his three girlfriends and as he's now officially an auror that's NOT a good trait to have in one of your wives."
"Three? What does he think he is, Lucius?"
Mimi grinned.
"He IS a kind of secondhand Malfoy. He loves them all equally; and couldn't choose. Fair enough. Not like dad; see he adores Krait, but only loves mummy and Dione. They'd both had a hard deal you see and needed love big time; and it made mummy strong enough to be one of those who ended up with the zig-zag scar. But dad and Krait reckon they've been lucky to find each other so sharing is fair do's. He's not a bit of a tart like Lucius and Lionel you see"
Zabini laughed.
"And I bet you call Lucius a bit of a tart to his face!" he said.
"Oh yes; Draco calls him 'the bitch magnet' and gets his ears boxed for it" she said. "And we all disclaim any sympathy when Lucius claims to be henpecked; serve him right!" she gave a rueful grin "Lucius is just more honest about it than some men I guess; and he DOES at least consult his present wives before taking another."
"And Narcissa Black-Malfoy actually consented to a goblin wife?"
"Narcissa loves Tanjela" said Mimi "She loves Charlotte, the muggle, because Charlotte, ignored by Voldemort, saved Draco's life at the big battle; and it made her think. And she sees now past race. They are a powerful team because they have different outlooks. And now there's Finn too; and Neville Longbottom teasing Lucius that he needs a centaurette next as his, er, mane squeeze."
"Ow" groaned Zabini. "IS he likely to?"
"Not hardly" scoffed Mimi. "Can't guarantee he won't have a fifth wife; Lucius IS rather susceptible. But he hasn't picked them for being different race. It just happened that way. Anyway! I have to irritate Arjelan and Cholaka."
Mimi walked into the Gryffindor senior common room.
She had not bothered to go past the fat lady but just apported.
"Oy! Slytherin brat!" said Freya.
"I'm here about dishonour in the Gryffindor sixth; I can get it off my chest in here or I can bring it up in the prefects' common room in front of other houses" said Mimi calmly "Your choice, Tuthill."
"What is this?" said Freya, sharply, not liking the idea of a Slytherin calling a senior Gryffindor to book; and as Mimi was a marauder this would not be any trivial business.
"I think that people who beat on a suspect who's only one of a number of suspects and tell him to confess are despicable; and the one who wants to marry an auror should think long and hard, Arjelan, about what an auror would think of that" said Mimi coldly "Accepting that you're upset because your bloodkin was hurt by it, bear in mind it was probably aimed at MY bloodkin; and Gorbrin himself said he has good reason to think it ISN'T Zabini. And unless you've got something more compelling than that he doesn't like Goblins, that's no good reason to put anyone to torture. And actually, putting anyone to torture is pretty loathsome I think."
"Hey, we didn't put him to torture!" said Cholaka.
"Oh? What else do you call bouncing someone around the toilet walls and saying that you'll stop if he confesses?" said Mimi "And I episkayo'd his bruises; so don't tell me any different!"
Arjelan and Cholaka exchanged glances.
"We – I say, Snape, we didn't think about it being torture" said Arjelan "We were so angry for Pearl!"
"And that's fair enough; picking on one of the three main suspects is not, just because you caught him alone because he's a bit down right now – and it's none of your business why either" said Mimi.
"Why are you sticking up for him? He's tried to bully you!" said Cholaka.
"I'm hard enough not to give a toss; and he's a fellow Slytherin and an innocent party. That might be a rare occurrence but I consider Gorbrin's reasons for discounting him valid."
"What are they?"
"He's a potioneer. Y'think he'd reckon that thing of Pearl's would be built by Gorbrin?"
"Oh. I see" said Arjelan, herself a potioneer of note. She looked at Cholaka "We owe the racist little swipe an apology."
"Thank you; that's big" said Mimi "I think he's back in the common room; I'll ask him to meet you outside."
Zabini looked up as Mimi approached.
"Arjelan and Cholaka want to say something to you; I'll come along if you like" said Mimi.
"What, they've convinced you to believe them?" Zabini sneered.
"No, actually; I screeched at them about conduct unbecoming" said Mimi. "Are you a man to listen or are you going to sulk like a toddler?"
Zabini scowled and came with her.
"We owe you an apology, Zabini" said Arjelan.
"We were out of line" said Cholaka "And offer in mitigation that we were upset for Pearl; she's a part of our set. We acted in unseemly and Gryffindorish haste."
"And quite deserving of the Slytherin-bestowed epithet of being beef witted" said Arjelan "And we should have gotten some facts right before we leaped to conclusions. And we were out of line whether you'd done it or not, actually" she added.
Zabini nodded.
"All right" he said "I accept the apology. I still don't like goblins."
"We still don't like racists" said Cholaka "But it's better to get our ongoing war fought on a level playing field."
"Crumbs, Gan Gorjak, mix a few more metaphors, why don't you?" said Mimi "You Gryffs ought to be had up for the cold blooded murder of the English tongue; anyone would take you for a Weasley!"
"Only more Brummigan" said Zabini. The goblin girls were both from Birmingham.
"Could be worse" said Mimi "If they were from Newcastle you couldn't tell if they were apologising or trying to hire your body."
"Oy, Slytherin swipe!" said Cholaka.
Mimi grinned.
The irrelevancies had cleared the air quite nicely; and they were able to nod to the Gryffindor seniors and let them go on their way.
"Did you threaten them to make them apologise?" asked Zabini.
"No Zabini; I didn't have to. I pointed out that they were torturing you and they volunteered to apologise off their own bat" said Mimi "Because they really are decent types. They have a group, a bit like the marauders, that is as close as kin; and Pearl is one of the babies of the group because they don't have a permanently rolling group like we do. To them it's like it's been done to a little sister. They over-reacted massively. Wouldn't Blaise over react if someone hurt you badly?"
"Not hardly! He'd be more likely to laugh!"
Mimi gasped.
"Darryl, that's horrible!" she said. "Who's there to stand by you if your own BROTHER won't?"
"He's not much of a brother; why should he be? I was born just after he started Hogwarts. We don't even KNOW each other."
"Huh, that's no excuse; my sister Lily was born right after I got to Hogwarts, and Charis arrived this September and Krait had Merope last year and we had an owl last week that Dione had safely birthed Humphrey; and her Remus was born after I started school. And I haven't met Humphrey and Charis yet, but I'm looking forward to it, and Remus and Lily and Merope are darlings and I love to spend holiday time with them!"
"Crumbs when does your dad find time to teach?" said Zabini. Mimi giggled.
"It does sound a bit excessive, doesn't it?" she said "Even though they DO use potions to spread them out a bit. Krait wanted a long family; Remus was a failed batch of potion Dione cooked up, but not loved any the less for that, and mummy just loves having babies that are born free. I love having lots of brothers and sisters!"
"Well lucky you and whoop-de-do" said Zabini
"Oh well if you want to just do jealous snippy that's your loss; screw you" said Mimi.
"Sorry" it was a mutter.
"Accepted" said Mimi.
Cholaka and Arjelan were not the only ones to suspect Zabini; and Crabbe for that matter, but the two had worked together in the past.
Zabini found himself at best ignored and at worst spat at and jinxed by sundry children especially Ravenclaws.
He glowered, put up shield spells and tried to ignore it.
"WE keep TELLING them we don't suspect another potioneer" said Ming Chang loudly in public to Zabini; Gorbrin was with him. "But some people are too stupid to count their fingers and toes let alone facts."
"The problem is, you've a record of racism; and the only reason we could think of anyone's work being destroyed is that someone thought I'd need a silly – er, an aide memoir to brew with" said Gorbrin. "As poor Pearl does and I guess it's useful to those that can't feel."
"You already dug the hole with a word like 'silly' you Malfoy lout, I suggest you shut up and jump in it" said Ming.
"Well I know it isn't silly for Pearl; but it would be for me….. putting spade away" said Gorbrin "It's the time and effort she's put into it that makes us all feel sick to the stomach."
"Like I told Snape; I wouldn't touch someone else's work" said Zabini "Parkinson was happy to interfere with schoolwork but I never had anything to do with that. I might give someone a wrong equation if they were too lazy to look it up for themselves; but that's it. I'm not one that made another boy's cauldron explode; Brocklehurst should look in her own house perhaps."
"Well the one you're thinking of IS on the highly suspicious list" said Ming "Together with an outspoken racist and a couple of brothers who lie low enough after their oldest brother got expelled for really despicable behaviour; but I think they're too shrewd to open themselves to expulsion. Especially the younger one. And Mr Outspoken did rather open himself to suspicion. I don't like you Zabini; but I think that treating anyone like they're guilty without any more than vague, uninformed suspicion is pretty damn childish; and I think you're innocent of this anyway. So do all the Marauders; and so too do the other group now."
Lilith was one of those listening and she had to grin that Ming used the word 'childish' since Michelle Makepeace had declared it had to be Zabini as everyone knew what he was like.
Mimi came up to Zabini.
"Look here" she said "I think the best way you can scotch all this crap is to ask Pearl Brocklehurst to the Ball; she hasn't got a full time boyfriend. Then everyone will see there's peace between you and her, 'cos if she thought you'd trashed up her work she'd never go with you."
Zabini gave her a twisted smile.
"Oh, there will be those that say she is nice enough to forgive me because I thought it was someone else's" he said "And those who say I can make like I didn't destroy her work because supposedly I didn't know it was hers or – you know what I mean!"
"Actually I do, even if you did sound rather like a Gryffindor in that turbulently incomprehensible period" said Mimi.
"There's no need to be that insulting!" said Zabini. "I suppose I ought to go with one of Malfoy's sisters."
"That would be a possibility" said Mimi. "If you can bring yourself to dance with a goblin."
"Frankly the idea makes me shudder; their long fingers give me the heeby jeebies" said Zabini.
"Well perhaps it's better not looking like you're trying not to shudder" said Mimi.
"Have YOU got a partner yet?" asked Zabini abruptly.
"No; I haven't been looking" said Mimi "I've been a bit busy sodding around worrying about your worries."
"Well, how about you going with me then? You said you can be taller; I don't want to break my back."
Mimi shimmered into her human-animagus form; five feet tall, still petite but within human range, her head remaining the exact same size, and therefore now in proportion with her new body. She was shapelier too for the humanity of the form; elves were never particularly curvy. Her dark hair falling in ringlets past her shoulders now framed a face that looked more natural; and her high cheekbones and large dark almond shaped eyes gazed into his from only slightly below his own face, enabling Zabini to appreciate its proportions better and to realise what a piquant and gamine little face it was; and yet filled too with a serene beauty.
Zabini gasped.
"You should keep it like that!" he said in a low tone "It – It suits you."
Mimi grinned.
"I get a less silly voice too" she said in a much deeper timbre. "It feels amazingly more natural, actually; and I do half wonder if, when the high sidhe cursed the house elves – and incidentally there own low sidhe servants – with the obedience curse they might not have tampered a little with the form. Unless that's something they already did. Bigger than pixies and so on to be actually useful; small enough to literally look down on. I guess I am mildly racist; against the High Sidhe. They've done a fair bit of mischief. I'd try not to judge an individual; and actually one of my adopted brothers is High Sidhe, though I tend to forget that."
"Well I guess I'm glad you're not Miss Perfect" said Zabini rudely and took himself off.
"Crumbs!" said Mimi to herself "I rather think I'm playing with fire!"
She did however make a note to collect such elves as she trusted utterly not to blurt anything out and use Lilith's twenty-three factorial calculations to draw out a complete genetic picture of them; and see if she could see any tinkering that had been done in the past to force a different form on them!