A/N: TW: Inyuama says some homophobic things to Saiyaka and anti-Korean/ anti-Black things to Hermione.
Sunlight filtered through the window, casting a golden light onto the room. Hermione stirred, stretching and feeling the jet-lag weigh her limbs. Perhaps she shouldn't have stayed up to the small hours of the morning talking with Saiyaka, but it had been a year since they saw each other last and only letters exchanged between them. She was thrilled to be back in Japan after so long.
"I think we have Yokai Studies first," Saiyaka yawned lifting herself from her own futon. "Let's get some breakfast and matcha. Kaname-Sensei won't be happy if we fall asleep during his class."
Kaname was the last teacher any of the students, international or otherwise would want to displease. He was smart, and had a great understanding of his subject matter, which Hermione respected, but she would never use the word kind to describe him. Though, both Saiyaka and Hermione were the last to fall asleep in class if they could help it. Saiyaka was the top of her year and freaked out if she did anything less than perfect, and Hermione had been advanced two years at her school in Britain mid-year and still managed to be top student.
"Yare yare!" Saiyaka groaned trying to undo the matted braid on her shoulder.
"Here," Hermione offered taking the hairbrush. "Your hair is gorgeous, I'm so jealous!"
Saiyaka's dark brown hair fell to her hips in soft waves, and once she freed the ribbon from the one stubborn braid, it was easy to brush out and incredibly soft to the touch. Hermione arranged the baby-fine hair into Saiyaka's typical twin braids, tying each off with a yellow ribbon.
Hermione's hair was a medium brown and fell around her in frizzy curls to her waist. The bushy mass added to both her height and width like a bloody puffed out cat, and it was impossible to care for, and often brushing it somehow managed to make it worse. Though the length did stop it from going too far away from her head and she did like that she could hide nearly her whole torso behind the thick mass.
Saiyaka adjusted her round glasses and smiled at her "You'd be the only one. Thanks for the help."
"Ohayo, Saiya-chan, Hermi-chan!" a sweet voice called in the girls' common room.
Hermione turned to see the owner of the voice and something she had suspected about herself was confirmed.
Kaori towered over Hermione and stood with a confidence people like her and Saiyaka could only dream of. The fifteen-year-old girl had silky black hair that fell past her waist and was pulled out of her pale, heart-shaped face in two small twin tails. She smiled exposing the one 'flaw' she had, a pronounced canine she shared with her brother Hiro. She had beautiful dark brown eyes that sat on high cheek bones like large almonds. When Hermione first saw Kaori, she didn't know if she was jealous of Kaori or if she fancied her. Now she knew…
"S-senpai! Ohayo!" Hermione bowed.
"Ohayo, girls!" Anya skipped up to them and stood on tip-toe to kiss Kaori's cheek. "We ready for breakfast?"
"Wait up!" a voice called from the stairs.
"Miyuk-chan!" they all called.
Miyuki flew down the stairs, looking otherwise put together, her black fringe pinned out of her face with a pastel barrette, the rest of it falling perfectly straight passed her shoulders and wearing a 'plausible deniability' level of make-up on her already pretty face and her black eyes lit up at the site of Hermione and Anya.
"Took you long enough," Kaori smirked at her best friend.
"It takes time to be this cute," Miyuki stuck her tongue out.
There was a bout of laughter among the five girls as they slid on their white indoor shoes and walked to the dininghall.
"Hermi-chan!" Hiro waved her over when they entered.
"Hiro-kun!" Hermione rushed to his side, before awkwardly bowing. "Erm, ohayo!"
"Welcome back!" Hiro gave an equally awkward bow before sitting back down and leaving room for her. "How was your year?"
Hiro gave a crooked smile showing off a pronounced canine and Hermione felt her face flush. His face wasn't quite as round as she remembered, but he was just as beautiful. Hiro had almond shaped hazel eyes on high cheekbones that Hermione felt she could get lost in, untidy black hair that stuck up in all the right parts, pale olive skin, and had a build somewhere between stalky and skinny. When he stood to bow, she saw that he was nearly 20 centimetres taller than he was last summer, making him about a head-and-a-half taller than Hermione.
Wow, I have it bad… "Well, there's really nothing I left out of my letters." Nothing that wouldn't make you worry, at least. "Told Saiyaka about my unintended Aiko-neko impersonation during the fall and winter. But you already knew about that."
"Told Hermione you'd be disappointed she no longer looked like a manga cat-girl!" Saiyaka teased.
After last summer, it was relieving to see Saiyaka so open and bold with her friends. She was so shy and timid, as well as angry, but now, she fit right back in with the group, and seemed to be growing into a bolder, but still kind, personality.
"I'm not," Hiro laughed, looking at Hermione. "I promise."
Calm the fuck down! Hermione chided herself when her heart thudded in her chest. This isn't an Shoujo manga! Though part of her hoped Saiyaka was right about Hiro liking her too.
She was torn. Hiro was sweet, funny, considerate and a great friend. Yes, she fancied him at first sight, but she did wonder how eleven months apart would affect them if they were to try it. Not only that, but Hiro was such a good person, and Hermione…well, she had somethings to figure out.
Hermione did fancy Hiro, but she also fancied Kaori, his sister. That had to be wrong, it felt wrong. Not that she thought anything would happen, Kaori had a girlfriend, Anya. Hermione would be thirteen in a matter of months, and she thought navigating this would be simpler. She had only known people who were either into boys or girls, was it bad if she liked both? And even if it was okay to be find other people attractive while in a relationship, was it fair to the other person? She'd spent a whole damn year trying to figure out if she was confused, but she still had no clue. She wished so desperately that she knew someone like her that she could talk to.
You're almost thirteen, figure this out yourself, you stupid piece of shit!
Though if she could get passed that, her infatuation with Hiro was still just that. Hiro was too good for her. Charismatic, smart, happy, sensitive, kind, and capable. Hermione was just a little idiot that was in constant need of rescue whose only talent lied in being literate and knowing where the library was located. She saw her reflection, she knew she didn't have a chance with him anyway.
"Are you glad to be back?" Hiro asked placing a from his brown piece of food from his plate onto hers with his chopsticks. "Tempura banana, you should try it."
I just got everything divided into thirds! Hermione thought looking at the fruit slices on her plate. The rice was separate in a bowl, and a small plate on the side stored steamed vegetables, which Hermione was in the process of sorting. Don't be a fucking freak! All the normal people are just eating!
That wasn't exactly true. At least Miyuki and Kaori were exchanging hushed giggles while Toshio and Sam exchanged smirks across from them. Was there something Hermione was missing in the gesture?
"Erm," she smiled. "Thanks."
Morning classes were fascinating, but Hermione managed to get through them without incident. Yokai studies reviewed Kappa and their importance in river eco-systems. Hermione loved the holistic view many of her subjects took, not only looking at the biology, behaviours and magical properties of creatures and plants, but also how they connect to the environment and the roles they played with and without human intervention. Britain lacked such holistic views.
"It makes me think of that Ohayo, Nihon! Article about the kappa we read last summer," Hermione mused. "Did that company ever face legal reprecussions?"
"No," Saiyaka sighed and adjusted her glasses before averting her gaze. "Neither did the wizard who killed the kappa. He was heralded as a hero while the company continues to pollute the damn river!"
"I'm so sorry," Hermione said.
"Me too," Saiyaka re-established eye-contact. "If there was any justice in this world the corporation dumping toxins in the river would be held responsible. It's the nineties! Can't people learn?"
"Do you know what happened to-?"
"A fine and a slap on the wrist in muggle court," Saiyaka seethed. "A kappa, a muggle worker, and countless animals, all dead because that company couldn't adhere to restrictions already set by muggle law!"
"Jesus!" Hermione gasped. "I can't believe the shit people with money can get away with!"
The two girls ranted about corrupt authorities in Japan and Britain wishing there was something that could be done about it. Hermione hoped the Mercury saw fit to write an article on the matter. A school paper wouldn't do much, but the awareness might incite the masses into action. Or more realistically, prompt people to inform those more capable of enacting change. They knew they were useless as minors. If Hermione looked back to February, the protest with her friends and following article did nothing to change the views of individual wizards, let alone any authority figures. As much as she wished it did.
"Hey, wait up!" Miyuki called after the girls.
Miyuki was followed by Kaori and Anya, and Hermione was once again confronted by the complex feelings the Yamato siblings made her feel. Jesus, Merlin, insert higher power martyr here, she's just standing there!
"S-senpai!" Hermione bowed, grateful for the bushy locks hiding her blush. You're pathetic.
Saiyaka looked at Hermione with wide eyes, and Hermione knew she made blundering spectacle of herself! Vicarious embarrassment coloured her cheeks pink and Hermione wished she could keep it together.
"I just wanted to let you girls know that the Mercury's first meeting of the month is tonight at six," Kaori said. "Oh, I already told Anya and Sam, but I'm the president now that Wateri-Senpai is in his career-training years."
"That's so cool," Hermione said meekly.
"So, captain of the girls' Quidditch team," Anya counted with a proud smile. "Captain of the girls' kendo club, top student, prefect president of the student council and president of the school paper? Remind me again what you can't do?"
"Get you out of my head," Kaori whispered taking Anya's hand.
"Gaaay!" Anya whispered.
All five girls giggled for a moment before proceeding with the conversation of clubs. Hermione was hit by a sudden thought. When she had been morphed into a cat-human hybrid, her reaction time improved, she froze less, if she had been that way when Riddle-Ginny pushed her down the stairs, she might not have needed to be rescued. She wasn't signing up to forever take on the form of a manga cat-girl, but she could do work to make herself more battle-ready. She never wanted to be rescued again. If she had it in her head to see Harry became the hero he was supposed to be, to worthwhile by any stretch of the imagination, she would have to step far outside her comfort zone.
"Kendo-club," Hermione said. "When's the next meeting? I want to join."
Miyuki, Kaori, Anya and Saiyaka exchanged nervous glances. Staring at her in utter surprise. Hermione knew she didn't look remotely athletic, and she hated the idea of volunteering to be hit with sticks, but it needed to be done. She needed to take back control in anyway she could. Too easy to play, useless, insufferable, frail, naive, stupid little girl...not anymore!
"You don't really look-" Miyuki started. "It's really intense."
"I know," Hermione nodded. "But I still want to."
Kaori shrugged and smiled. "We look forward to seeing you Wednesday!"
"I hate divination," Saiyaka gave an uncharacteristic grumble.
"I think I do too," Hermione agreed. "Omnyodo's fascinating in theory, but I'm not really getting anything."
"Maybe a Gaijin girl can't comprehend all of the intricacies of such a proud and ancient Japanese tradition!" Inyuama Rie teased flashing a smile.
Inyuama Rie was a very pretty girl with straight black hair falling to her elbows, pale skin and hateful black eyes. She and the tall boy with neatly arranged black hair, looking very much like her, Matou Shiro, were Hermione's least favourite part of last summer.
"Omnyodo only goes back to the seventh century, Inyuama-san," Saiyaka mumbled. "And it borrows methods from China."
"And if anyone wanted a mudblood degenerate's opinion-" Inyuama gave a fake smile. "Oh, wait, no one does!"
Inyuama and Matou sniggered together, and Saiyaka fiddled with her braid, looking down. Hermione's stomach churned looking at Saiyaka so put upon. She thought back to Malfoy's glee when muggle born students were threatened and saw the same glee in their eyes as they taunted Saiyaka for simply being who she was. Hermione's blood boiled.
"It's simply adorable that you think anyone gives a damn about some inbred toroi has to say, deku-sama," Hermione said with a false grin before bowing.
"Okasha, keep your gaijin girlfriend on a fucking leash!" Inyuama scowled.
"Is weaponizing homophobia the best you got?" Hermione scoffed. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there are several same-sex couples milling about the school, and no one seems to care."
Not no one, but outside of a vocal minority, people seemed to be tolerant of same-sex couples. In Hogwarts Hermione hadn't so much as seen a boy kiss another boy on the cheek, but of the couples she saw holding hands in Mahoukatoro's corridors and the letters she got from Hiro, talking about how Kaori and Anya were more or less accepted, it seemed Japanese wizards were by far more tolerant of same-sex couples than British wizards. Though also judging by Hiro's letters, and Saiyaka's treatment, it wasn't exactly homophobia free either. Hermione resolved to research same-sex couples' rights under different wizarding governments.
"At least no one with at least two brain cells to rub together!" Hermione hissed.
"Shut up, you bucktoothed bitch!" Inyuama cried.
"Oh, so original," Hermione spat. "Take you all day to come up with that one?"
Saiyaka kept her gaze downwards as Hermione noticed she had attracted attention of the four at the next table. They leaned together sniggering pointing. Oh, I fucked up! She turned her own gaze downward. What the hell was she doing? How could she let Inuyama get under her skin like that? Hermione didn't defend Saiyaka, she just made matters worse! How could she after years of not telling her father about the bullying she endured for the same reason? Hermione should have known better. Stupid piece of shit, what is wrong with you?
"Don't fuck with me, busaiku!" Inyuama yelled this time, her face red.
They're not gawking at Saiyaka... Hermione was filled with a relief she didn't attract further attention to Saiyaka, and an evil vindictive pleasure that judgement had been turned on to Inyuama. She deserved it after how terribly she treated poor Saiyaka...and her. That vindicated feeling was tainted by the tears that sprang to her black eyes.. Did I go too far? No, she's a bitch!
"Girls!" Tosaka Sensei, a tall, thin moustachioed man, shouted from front of the class room.
Hermione took a deep breath before rising and bowing to the teacher. "My apologies, Sensei, classmates. I will waste no more of your time."
"I apologize for my part as well," Inuyama regained her composure and bowed as well. "I should have never let our gaijin student provoke me."
"Both of you have detention," Tosaka said. "Report here Saturday after one."
"Detention?!" Inyuama squeaked. "I-I've never had detention before, Sensei."
"A first time for everything, Inyuama-san," he said.
For the rest of the class, Inyuama and Matou whispered angrily, the latter shooting daggers at Hermione to punctuate every sentence. She wasn't sure what they were planning, but Hermione knew she was in for it. She just hoped she didn't drag Saiyaka into whatever they were planning.
"Hermi-chan! Saiyaka-chan!" Hiro waved them over.
"Hiro-kun!" Hermione greeted.
Hermione took the chair beside Hiro after bowing to Toshio and Sam opposite him speaking in hushed tones over a file-folder. Toshio adjusted his square glasses and Sam beamed.
"What are you so happy about, Anne of Greengables?" Hiro teased.
Sam rolled his brown eyes. "If I'm Anne of Greengables then Hermione is- what part of Britain are you from again?"
Hermione mused for a bit, once again trying to pin what region her father's accent came from. "I don't remember anything before Hogwarts, so I'll take anything generically British. Watson."
"Watson?" Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Not Sherlock?"
Hermione smiled and shrugged. "I'm side-kick material."
Hiro ran a hand through his messy black hair and smirked. "I'm not so sure about that."
A furious heat rose to Hermione's cheeks and she had to look away. What is wrong with you? Side-kick material! who says that shit aloud? "Did you two break the story of year?" she squeaked redirecting at Toshio and Sam.
"Of the century!" Toshio announced. "I got pictures of the house-elves gathering after dark."
"Really?" Saiyaka and Hermione both leaned in.
"Yeah," Toshio nodded. "I went to the kitchens and they didn't notice me, so I snapped a couple of pictures while I was down there."
"What were were you doing in the kitchens last night?" Kaori asked as she entered sitting opposite Hermione.
"That might be news worthy," Anya smirked sitting next to Kaori.
Toshio pushed his square glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Sam likes onigiri , so I thought I'd make some and bring it up for us before he got here."
Miyuki smiled sitting on Hiro's other side. "Jealous! Kaori never let's me bring food to our dorm!"
"It's against the rules!" Kaori admonished.
"Aww," Sam teased. "You broke the rules for me?"
"Shut up!" Toshio groaned. "Anyway, here are the pictures!"
"Sorry," Sam scratched his close cropped black curls and averted his gaze.
"So, erm, the pictures," Hiro nervously laughed. "Let's look at them!"
Hermione expected a make shift council or advocacy meeting with house-elves gathered in a circle and speaking seriously, but instead she got pictures of house-elves just being. One picture showed a tiny, house-elf laughing with their eyes shut in complete bliss while a larger brown-eyed house-elf accidentally threw make shift dice into a clay cup, looking rather embarrassed. The second was two very old house-elves, sitting on their knees at a make shift table playing what appeared to be go while yet another photograph showed a large number of house-elves in the far corner of the kitchen sitting in a circle, beating on pots and pans while singing or playing home-made flutes. They all looked so at peace. Hermione felt wrong looking into this part of their world, it was private, theirs and Toshio wanted to publish it? Why?
"Toshio-kun," Saiyaka asked in a quiet voice. "Why is this the story of the century?"
"Well," Toshio said. "I, erm, I-Just look how much like us they are! Playing music? Dice? Go? Most people have never seen a house-elf, let alone one laugh. I thought you'd be in favour of this, Saiyaka? Once everyone see how-"
"The house-elves take advantage of their situation to party at night?" Kaori raised a challenging eyebrow. "That's how some of the students and staff here will see it. It won't humanize or endear them to everyone, and could make things worse."
"Not to mention how the house-elves we're trying to help might feel about it," Saiyaka adjusted her glasses. "They thought they were in private. You think you're helping them, but they might feel violated. If you did this to a wizard you'd face legal action, regardless of your intentions."
"I was going to black out their eyes," he admitted. "That's the same level of-"
"And ask their permission?" Saiyaka asked.
"That's fair," Toshio bowed his head. "I'll apologize to them tonight and ask their permission."
"Can I go with you, Toshio-kun?" Hermione clasped her hands and bowed her head. "I grew up around house-elves, I understand there'll be some cultural differences, but I could be of use."
"I'd like to go too," Saiyaka fiddled with a braid. "I've done plenty of research on Japanese house-elves, so I can fill Hermi-chan's gaps."
"I'll go too!" Hiro declared.
"Hiro," Kaori warned. "You'll get in trouble, and the elves might find four students landing on them overwhelming."
"Says the girl who volunteered as a distraction to catch the library bandit," Hiro teased.
"Miyuki and Anya talked me into it," she grumbled. "You're allowing Toshio-kun to apologize, and making no trouble. And I know nothing about this."
"Yes, Senpai," the four sang.
"Now, on to articles we can work on..."
Sayaika and Hermione walked back from the library, their arms full of books needed for an essay Kaname had given them on kappa due the next week. Saiyaka kept her eyes down and a pensive expression. Perhaps thinking about the approach she wanted to take with the house-elves. She remained quiet until they reached their dorm.
"Erm, Hermi-chan?" she asked setting her books down on her desk.
"Look, I'm really sorry" Hermione set her own stack of books down and bowed. "I didn't mean to draw attention to you during divination-I-I, erm, I just-"
"It's not that," she said in a small voice.
"What's up?"
Saiyaka went pink in the face as she looked up at her, fiddling with the yellow ribbon in her hair for a moment. The silence was deafening and Hermione thought back to every time she had angered her father where she was met with silence rather than yelling. Did she do something wrong? She wondered if maybe she shouldn't have volunteered, but she could be of use...hopefully. What if that wasn't it. She played over the first night and the whole day wondering where Saiyaka's mood turned. After divination, Sayaika still seemed normal, and if it wasn't that, which surprised Hermione, than what could it have been?
"I noticed this morning," Saiyaka inhaled sharply. "Erm, I-when we-I know you like Hiro, but I have to know..."
Hermione turned her thoughts from what she did wrong to how she might be able to fix it. She examined Saiyaka fiddling with the yellow ribbon on her braid once more. Her dark brown eyes were expertly hidden behind both her round-rimmed spectacles and her long, straight fringe. The rest of her face hidden by the braid she'd brought up to it. Was it fear? Shame? Both?
They stood in silence and Hermione wondered just what it was Saiyaka wanted to, had to, know.
"Saiya-chan," Hermione placed a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"
Saiyaka lifted her head and looked to the direction of the window. "Yes," she sighed. "I'm alright. We should get ready for tonight. Oh! Almost forgot. Accio Sake!"
A bottle of sake appeared in her hands and Hermione covered her mouth.
"For negotiations," she whispered with a wink. "Students aren't supposed to know about the teachers' cellar, but I won't tell if you won't."
Hermione felt a mischievous smirk break across her lips before offering her pinky. "It's a promise."
Saiyaka and Hermione met Hiro, Toshio and Sam at the entrance to the kitchens. Unlike in Hogwarts, the kitchen wasn't hidden behind an underground tunnel and painting that required a specific interaction to open. Instead Mahoukatoro's kitchens were merely a trip to the first floor down a corridor and through a sliding door metres away from the dining hall.
Despite the floating orbs of light high above them, no one and nothing seemed interested in catching them in the act. It felt as though more trust was extended to the students to behave independently. Or Hiro just knew enough ins and outs to keep them completely away from the usual patrols.
Toshio took a deep breath and knocked. That surprised Hermione, but she wondered if she should have done that back home instead of barging in. The door slid open, and they were greeted by an older pale house-elf, bowing to them. They each bowed in return, and judging by the expression in the elf's grey eyes, she was not expecting it either.
"Irasshaimase!" she greeted.
The elf stood confused before standing aside to let them in. Back home the reception no matter what time of day was to be inundate with house-elves that were either eager to please or playing the part very well. This time the fifty or so house-elves simply stopped what they were doing, rose if they were sitting, and bowed. Hermione entered the large kitchen with a stone stove in the centre of the room, open windows and rich wood panelling. Three counters sat along the further walls with pots and pans hanging over head while clean dishes sat drying beside a sink. Like the library, the kitchen was smaller than Hogwarts's, but had more character-or so thought the girl who grew up knowing the other one.
The elves stared at them for a moment in silence, Toshio clutched his file-folder to his chest, unsure how he wanted to go about addressing his outing the night before last. Saiyaka wasn't fairing much better, despite her readings as she searched for the right way to introduce themselves. Hermione nearly forgot that she was there because she was supposed to have an understanding of house-elves growing up in Hogwarts. How presumptuous was that? Japanese and British wizards were different, so too would the elves be! She clasped her hands together, digging her nails deep into her flesh as she tried to figure out how to regain control of the situation. She wanted nothing more than to shrink under the many pairs of large, expectant eyes.
"Hermi-chan," Hiro whispered in her ear and resting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she squeaked, before biting her lip. "We-erm-" Hermione inhaled sharply before bowing. "We would like to speak with all of you about a mistake one of us made. Once we've explained ourselves anyone who is still interested in speaking with us-erm-we have questions. It's not an order, and completely optional, however, we four would be grateful for any time you can give us."
Hermione didn't dare raise her head, still feeling their eyes on her. She wondered if the silence meant she'd somehow offended them, there was nuance to the approach Hermione knew she lacked.
"We also brought a bottle of sake," Saiyaka present the dark bottle. "An offering!"
The old elf that answered the door laughed at this. "The children bring us a bottle of sake we made as an offering!"
Shit!
"Kiki!" hissed a male elf.
"They want to try and give us offerings," Kiki said, "Kiki is old enough to remember when elves were offered rice, sake, and tofu as offerings like yokai."
"Kiki!" he spat. "It isn't elves' place!"
Toshio dropped to his knees, and the others followed suit. Hermione wasn't sure how they would take it, but hoped Toshio knew what he was doing.
However, it was Saiyaka that spoke. "I didn't think through the offering, and I apologize."
"We should have thought more about it," Hermione said in Elvish, hoping that would help. "We would greatly appreciate any amount of time you can offer you. We ask as people who want to do right by you, not as your masters."
The older elves broke out into murmurs, speaking so quietly, Hermione could not make them out. They knelt there for what felt like hours before Kiki approached the lot of them, with the elf she was arguing with, and the older male elf that played go in one of Toshio's photographs.
"The elves will hear you children out," Kiki said. "Misguided as your attempts were, you seem sincere. Learning the language elves speak back in the homeland was a nice touch."
"I'm a gaijin," Hermione explained. "I was taught as a child by a British house-elf named Libby."
"Either way," Kiki smirked. "Kiki amused-"
"Kiki!" cried the old male house elf.
"The elves will hear you out," she finished.
The elves gathered in a circle, inviting them to join them on the floor. Some of them looked rather uncomfortable and it was hard to tell if it was propriety or contempt that caused it. Maybe fear, Hermione wasn't, but Hiro, Toshio, and Saiyaka were students of the school and technically their masters. Centuries of indoctrination, intimidation and abuse left their mark, many elves would never be candid about their motives or feelings.
"I snuck into the kitchen last night to get a snack, and I took these," Toshio's hands shook as he took the file folder and opened it.
Voices broke into anger and panic, a number of large eyes stared daggers into Toshio. Toshio crumpled under the weight of their stares, his dark olive face draining of colour before he squinted his eyes shut and clapped his hands together. "Gomennasai!" he cried before kowtowing before the circle.
The apology perplexed some, while others were still uneasy.
"Nami can explain!" cried a timid female elf as her eyes locked with a picture of her teaching a younger elf how to play the flute.
"There's no need to explain," Hermione bowing her head. "We were the ones in the wrong and we came to ask forgiveness."
Saiyaka followed suit. "Toshio only wanted to prove that you were just like us. Many Japanese wizards feel they are above you and we wanted to prove them wrong."
A clamour of voices rose from the house-elves, some panicked, some contemplative and others furious. Kiki and the old male house elf remained stoic among the younger elves. Hermione always thought Japanese culture was patriarchal, but it seemed Kiki held the most sway among the elves, she simply rose her hand and the elves fell silent.
"Your apologies seem sincere," Kiki observed. "But regardless of your motives,you invaded our privacy and intended on circulating the pictures. Kiki appreciates your apologies, but no one here is under any obligation to forgive you."
"But Toshio meant well," Sam argued before Saiyaka stayed him.
"We're not entitled to forgiveness," Saiyaka said. "Thank you for hearing us out."
Hiro ran a hand through his hair and placed his hand over Hermione's before bowing his head. "I'm afraid we have one more thing to ask..."
Hermione's stomach knotted as she remembered asking Libby what she would do if she weren't enslaved. She knew Hiro was going to ask permission like they planned, she should have prepared for this. She thought she had, that was why she was there, and now her abolitionist desires conflicted with her-admittedly petty-desire not to be judged by them. It wasn't just that, she didn't want to hurt them. It was a fine line that even after all these years Hermione didn't understand as much as she liked to think she did at times.
Hiro gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and Hermione inhaled deeply. She felt the weight of fifty pairs of eyes and wanted to shrink into the floor. She noticed it wasn't just the elves staring at her, but her friends as well. You volunteered for this, you stupid piece of shit!
"Please understand that this is a request and you are under no obligation to agree with us," Hermione bowed.
"You're gaijin, girl," Kiki said. "Magical contract doesn't extend to you. You can ask whatever without fear of binding us to it. Even if you're speaking on their behalf."
God, I love loopholes! Hermione sighed with relief. "Our goal is to prove you feel things just as deeply as wizards do and that there is no place for wizard or human supremacy in our world. To do that we would like permission to interview any volunteers about their lives. We'll be completely respectful and you'll remain anonymous. We originally meant to ask for permissions to use the pictures if we censored them, but we understand now that might be risky."
This time the old male elf beside Kiki spoke up, his dark eyes almost swimming as his mouth twisted with apprehension. "Everyone here but Kiki and Rami are too young to know the horrors of crying for freedom. You're scaring some and giving others hope that will do nothing but destroy them. We're nothing but a cause for you'll abandon once things get hard. We've fought for our own freedom a hundred years ago, and we lost almost everything."
"With all due respect, Ojisan," said a much younger elf with his nearly black eyes. "Su-I've been saying all this time that we need to change! Obassan agrees with me! And this-" they gestured to Hiro, Saiyaka, Sam and Hermione "Proves attitudes have changed. We have a chance now, Oj-"
"Kiki," the old elf glared at her. "You know what-"
"And our grandchild does too. We didn't lose everything, Rami!" she hissed.
Once more, Hermione felt that they were intruding on the elves' privacy. This seemed to be a family drama that the five of them had no business hearing. That trauma was theirs to process.
Hermione turned her thoughts to Rami's claims of "horrors". She never read about Elvish revolts before, and wondered if the topic was similarly hidden back home, or if only Japanese elves thought to try it. No, that would be unlikely. History is written by the victors, that's why the Goblin revolts are covered, but white-washed.
"Suni," Rami hissed. "You and your friends are too young to understand what-"
"Suni and Kiki volunteer to be interviewed if we're anonymous," Kiki said.
"As do Koko and Heswi!" a pair of elves, one male, one female, about Suni's age volunteered.
"Kiki, you don't-"
"Unlike Suni Kiki has lived through a revolt," Kiki snarled. "Kiki knows exactly what Kiki is doing!"
They had six volunteers in total. Hermione and Saiyaka did the interviewing together, with surprising guidance from Kiki, who Hermione had been certain hated them. After a few hours they had six accounts of 'a-day-in-the-life' stories, and Kiki provided a brief history of elves in Japan and movements, both movements that won and lost, in magical Asia started by Elves themselves. Rami's words that they were 'nothing but a cause to them' resonated with Hermione, though she saw elves as equal, she never learned about or even imagined their own agency in their fight for freedom. It made sense, but Hermione never thought about it.
"Thank you," the five of them bowed to Kiki and the other elves before wishing them a good night. Hermione and Saiyaka immediately went to bed with the resolve to put together the accounts the next day. She hoped something would come of it rather than falling on deaf ears.