Chapter 6

ELVES

Facing front, Harry saw the Potions master hold up a beaker brimming with a pearlescent substance. "As part of the headmaster's efforts to harmonize the branches of magic, Professor Daine has come to demonstrate the liberating powers of Elixir Autarky—a libation from the swamps of—"

"Mississippi," Daine offered in her pleasant, lilting voice.

"Quite. I have concocted it to her specifications. She has promised to bring a subject to see if it works."

Snape performed a sarcastic little bow and swept from his lectern toward his office door.

"Oh, no," Ron breathed.

Harry darted him a chagrined look. Some luck. They'd picked the one lesson of the year Snape was turning over to another teacher. Since they hadn't begun mixing potions, their cauldrons were empty. What distraction could they create?

Once more, sobbing drifted from the back of the room. Snape stopped to stare. Swiveling, Harry saw Professor Daine strolling between the desks, leading a child by the hand. No, not a child. Winky.

As professor and elf passed, Wilhelm sneered and Draco snickered. Beside Harry, Hermione whispered, "Brilliant."

"You didn't tell me your subject wasn't human." As usual, Snape's soft voice could be heard across the room.

Turning, Daine smiled. "Elf or human, the principle is the same." She gave Winky's head a comforting pat. "She just needs a smaller amount."

Instead of opening his office door, Snape pressed his back against it. Silently, Harry cheered. The Potions master's curiosity about whether his mixture would work on an elf had won over his disdain for his fellow professor.

"Winky," Professor Daine began gently. "I explained the purpose of this elixir to you and what we hope it might accomplish. Do you still consent to participate in this experiment?"

Blankly, Winky stared around the room, clasping her thin arms across her chest. With consternation, Harry saw she was wearing the same skirt and blouse as when he'd first seen her at Hogwarts—over a year ago—except now, their blue color was barely recognizable through the food and filth that soiled them. Her unkempt hat sat crumpled on her head, precariously held in place by her tall, pointed ears. When at last the elf answered, it was in a barely perceptible squeak: "If you is wanting me to."

Daine bowed low to meet the elf eye-to-eye. "Who are you?" she asked in her friendly drawl.

"Winky."

"What are you?"

"A house elf."

Daine paused. "Why are you?"

"Winky lives to serve the Crouches. Mr. Barty. Mrs. Barty. Master Barty. The Crouches is needing Winky!" Suddenly the elf wailed. "But they is gone! They is all gone!"

"The Crouches are gone. Winky is here."

"Winky is nowhere. There is no why to Winky."

The elf buried her face in the professor's black robes. She abandoned herself to weeping so tragic, Harry felt pity swell his heart. After so long in the haven of Hogwarts, how could she still be mourning? He fought an urge to jump up and hug her. Then she let out a screech that set his teeth on edge.

Slowly, Professor Daine straightened, all the while patting Winky on the back. Gazing around the room, she asked, "Does anyone know the meaning of autarky?"

Not Harry. Glancing at Hermione, he saw her raise her hand. When no one else did, she dropped it. Four years of classmates' dirty looks had taught her the unpopularity of being a know-it-all. Too bad. Harry was just mouthing, "Go ahead," when Snape answered.

"Autarky. Independence, self-governance, self-sufficiency. In short, the antithesis of the house elf."

A belly laugh rumbled out of Goyle, though his befuddled expression said he hadn't understood half the words. At Snape's icy glare, he seemed to choke. In a low voice, the professor murmured, "A point from Slytherin."

Harry's jaw dropped.

Smiling, Daine lifted the beaker Snape had left on the lectern. "The very antithesis. And that's why we call this magic." She lowered the elixir to Winky's mouth. "Mind you, just a sip now."

Winky stuck her bright red tongue into the pearly goo. Her grimace said it tasted horrid. Obediently, she leaned forward for a quick gulp. In a split second, her head wobbled. She'd fallen asleep on her feet.

Professor Daine set the beaker down and drew her wand from her robes. With a graceful swish, she inscribed a circle of shadow around Winky's bowed head. The professor drew a deep breath that lifted her shoulders and began chanting in a voice lower and more resonant than Harry had heard her use before.

"Alone, deserted, Winky stands in a ring. Alone, deserted, a part of no thing."

Glancing sidelong, Harry saw Snape gazing intently at witch and elf.

Professor Daine continued. "Winky was good. She did what she should. Winky stayed true. She has the right to pursue—" Flourishing her wand, Daine showered the elf with silver sparks that infused the circle with light. Again her voice rang out, "Happiness!"

Winky trembled. Harry felt a cheerful quiver deep inside him. In softer tones, the professor led the elf into a singsong exchange. With each round, the circle grew brighter. Instead of rotten eggs, the scent of orange blossoms drifted through the air.

"Who was good?"

"Winky was good."

"Who forsook Winky?"

"Mr. Barty forsook Winky."

"Who did what she should?"

"Winky did what she should."

"Who was bad?"

"Master Barty was bad."

"Who stayed true?"

"Winky stayed true." Whimpering, the elf hung her head.

Quietly, Daine said, "Leaving nowhere, opening your eyes to somewhere, can be hard. Will you give up one heartache, only to find another? If you love again, will you be betrayed?"

Tears dribbled from under Winky's lashes. The circle of light dimmed.

"Winky must bind herself to her own house. And it's a grander, a lighter, an airier house than any she's ever seen. This house will never kick her out. This house is hers forever—the house of Winky."

"The house of Winky?" the elf repeated doubtfully.

"Yes'm. With this house behind her, Winky can range far and wide. Nothing can daunt Winky."

"Even an elf . . . has the right to pursue . . . happiness?"

"Yes'm, indeed."

Listening to Ariel Daine, Harry felt blissful expectations welling up inside him. Golden light filled the dungeon, and the walls sparkled. The air smelled of a spring garden opening under the sun. He sensed great joy just around the corner. Anything was possible.

Eager to share his exhilaration, Harry glanced at Ron and found him grinning. On his other side, Hermione held her hands over her mouth, struggling to contain herself. Harry darted wondering looks all around the room and found his classmates doing the same. When he met Draco's eyes, the Slytherin almost smiled. Wilhelm alone kept a bored sneer. Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle giggled uncontrollably.

Apart from everyone, Snape stood stiff as a statue. What little color he possessed had drained from his narrow cheeks. Only his eyes looked alive. Instead of cold, they seemed filled with a dark turbulence.

Professor Daine twirled her wand around Winky's head, sheathing her from head to toe in a rainbow of light. The elf rose on tiptoes as high as she could. Then she shimmied. The rainbow cylinder shattered, glittered, then vanished.

Opening her eyes, Winky squealed, "Even an elf has the right to pursue happiness!"

Hermione burst into applause. All around the dungeon, schoolmates joined her. Even some of the Slytherins nodded their approval. Professor Snape whirled away, yanked open his office door, and slammed it behind him.

Frowning, Harry glanced at Professor Daine. As he watched her smile fade, a knot of resentment formed in his stomach. They'd all just witnessed a wonderful thing. How typical of Snape to act superior to it. His crassness knew no bounds.

Daine exhaled slowly, then quickly returned her attention to the elf. "What's the purpose of your life?"

Winky blinked her enormous round eyes as if she'd never seen the world before. "Pursuing happiness."

"And how're you going to do that?"

Winky jumped up and down, tittering and clapping her hands. "By being the bestest, busiest, workingest house elf Headmaster Dumbledore has ever seen!"

Hermione groaned. Glancing at her, Harry saw her shake her head, then pick up her quill as Professor Daine began listing points to remember about liberating potions.

"Elixir Autarky is a particularly tricky one," she added. "We were lucky to have a Potions master of Professor Snape's skill and precision to concoct it."

Snape didn't hear her compliment. He remained absent for the rest of the session.

As they left the dungeon, Harry noticed that almost everyone retained at least a faint smile of good will. Then Wilhelm elbowed him aside on his way up the steps.

Ron shrugged, then smiled at Hermione. "What did you think of class? Now that's what I call House Elf Liberation."

She pursed her lips. "Maybe. I don't know. I wonder what Dobby will say."

Dobby. Harry sucked in a sharp breath. He'd forgotten all about their trusty agent. When Snape burst into his office, had the little elf already completed his mission? They had to wait until midnight to find out.

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