And so the days passed with Harry and the gang learning under Flamel. Harry was taught to expand the Stonescape; the forest served as a place for meditation and inner peace for Harry and allowed him to have privacy even when amongst his friends. The others learned magic in a way they had never seen before, their inner magic surging in strength from the new methods of enhancing it.
Amber had started taking to the elves quite well, Dobby being quite a common sight in Harry's room. Draco was quite happy his elf was liked so much by Harry's familiar, taking it a personal point of pride for the fact.
As the lessons continued, it wasn't long before Hermione approached the group about something that had been troubling her.
"Draco? Harry?" Hermione asked, looking a bit nervous.
"What is it, Granger?" Draco was quicker to respond, Harry's nose once again in a book.
"That elf creature that's been helping us all during this month. What is it?"
Harry's eyes flicked over his book, as Draco shifted. Both had discussed that Hermione would probably not be happy about it, but they had prepared for this moment. With a nod to Harry, Draco sat up in his seat and spoke, "They're called House Elves. They are creatures that are bound to magical families as servants, and assist wizards and witches with their lives."
Hermione's tone immediately got angry. "That's slavery! It's exploiting intelligent creatures! I knew that something felt off! I didn't know the Malfoys practiced actual slavery!"
Draco got angry quite quickly. "What do you mean, you felt something was off, Granger? In case you didn't realize, you're a guest in my home!"
"I only joined so I could stick with Harry, and make sure that nothing bad happened to him! I was warned that the Malfoys were a bad family, and you keeping slaves proves it! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!"
Harry had heard enough and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Hermione! STOP!"
The room went silent, with Ron, Neville, Crabbe and Goyle freezing in place where they were sitting.
"Hermione, this is another thing about wizarding culture that you aren't understanding. You aren't realizing we aren't in the mundane world anymore! Hermione, House Elves are symbiotic. They work for wizards in exchange for feeding off their magic. Like one of those creatures that sticks around sharks, Remora."
Hermione wasn't about to give up, turning on Harry. "Then it's the duty of a witch or wizard to help them survive! If a small amount of our magic keep elves alive, then we should give it to them!"
Harry was surprised at the outburst, before crossing his arms. "And what happens then, Hermione? Elves will die without magic, but if we just give it to them, why don't we just give everyone money and let them do whatever they want instead of work for it?"
Hermione frowned as she opened her mouth, but Harry cut her off.
"Hermione, what you don't understand is that magic is what witches and wizards are. In all the books I've read, it's always said the same thing. If a witch or wizard loses their magic, they will die. And by giving some of it to an elf, we are essentially killing ourselves."
Everyone in the room gasped at that, with Draco's being the loudest. Draco's eyes went wide; he had never once considered that House Elves taking some magic from witches and wizards was such a massive event.
"Magic is tangible. You can feel it, you can even see it if you have the talent. It's all around us all the time. But House Elves evolved years ago not to be a part of the magic in the world around them, but to consume it." Harry bent over to his bag, digging in it and taking out a book. Flipping through it, Hermione could see the title as he did so.
"House Elves and Magic; The Dangers of Parasites"
Harry flipped through the pages quickly, before bringing her attention to a single page. The bushy-haired bookworm quickly snatched the book from Harry's hands, and started to read.
"The House Elf is a descendant of a magical creature called a Gremlin. Described as a small creature that is a creation of untamed magic, Gremlins were known as pests to some and dangerous animals to others in olden times. To grow stronger, the gremlin would devour magic, and often leave entire portions of the world without magic's embrace.
It was only when Mother Magic was called upon in a ritual by ancient wizards that the Gremlins were changed; they were bound with pure magic and forced to make bonds for the magic they consumed. An unbound House Elf is a House Elf who is a threat, and even House Elves themselves know that this is something that goes against magic. Unbound House Elves are shunned by proper House Elves, and disliked because of their effect on the magic of the world around them.
Because of their need for magic, House Elves have developed a society built around reverence and aid to witches and wizards. Wizards give a portion of their magic (see chapter 4) to satiate and empower the House Elf. This gives them access to powerful magics of their own meant to assist their Master (see chapter 7), that are substantially stronger than the small amount of magic given through the bond.
Because of the House Elf's nature, the bond between a witch or wizard and a House Elf is broken upon them being given any form of recompense. The most common form of this is clothing, but currency is a far more egregious insult to the House Elf and has grown out of favor due to the high suicide rate of House Elves that have been given such.
The most important thing about an unbound House Elf to be wary of is the fact they slowly succumb to a madness that will result in them taking their own life or simply fading out of existence. Because of successive generations growing accustomed to the magic of witches and wizards, House Elves are unable to take magic from any other source without poisoning themselves in a way that leads to their madness and death.
In the rare cases of a bonded witch or wizard having an incredible amount of magic, the House Elf will turn into a more regal form—"
Hermione's eyes watered the more she read, stopping at the start of the next section. "B-but..." Hermione stammered, as she looked at Harry.
"I keep telling you, Hermione. This isn't the mundane world. Their cultures and traditions are things we wouldn't have ever considered living in the mundane world. House Elves are magic, they breathe magic, they consume magic. They don't even need to eat. They live off the magic of witches and wizards, and not giving them that will kill them."
"But we should give them—"
Harry sighed. "Hermione. In a perfect world, everyone would get along. Everyone would have their needs met. But what would you say if your parents suddenly had to pay for someone else's living needs and received nothing in return?"
"T-that's different-"
"Why is that different, Hermione? Your parents work hard in their jobs. For someone to come and take money from your parents for no reason when they have done nothing to earn it would be mean to your parents, wouldn't it?"
Hermione sniffed, wiping her eyes but soon nodded.
"That's how House Elves work. They work for witches and wizards, and we give them our magic. And..." Harry pointed to a paragraph at the bottom of the page.
Hermione looked down, checking as her eyes glided over it.
"The work of the House Elf is a rare treat for the species. Thanks to the magic exuded by witches and wizards, cleaning and maintaining a magical home allows the House Elf to absorb magic from the remnants of the magical's presence. Due to this, it's akin to being rewarded with a bag of gold, or a large mansion after every single job they do. The House Elf works because they are rewarded for each and every job they do, whether the magical rewards them personally or not."
Hermione sniffed again, wiping her eyes. "I..."
"Things aren't always as they seem in the Wizarding World, Hermione. You keep forgetting that." Harry said softly, offering her the large book to read.
Hermione took the book and slumped into a chair, flipping back to the start and taking a deep breath. When she muttered under her breath, Harry looked over quizzically with a, "Pardon?"
Hermione looked up, giving a huff. "I said I'm sorry, okay! I'm sorry that I didn't read enough about them and made a hasty conclusion."
Draco smirked. "It's no problem, Granger. After all, you are a mu—ggleborn." Draco said, catching himself quickly when Harry's glare turned to him.
Harry sighed and returned to his own chair, sitting back down. It hadn't ended as badly as he had feared, but not the best either. The room soon grew silent as everyone went back to their tasks.
"Father says we can go to Diagon this evening." Draco said as he walked into the room where the others were practicing the exercises Flamel had taught them.
Harry almost fell over, currently in a rather difficult position. Catching himself, he corrected his posture and looked over. "Finally! Ron, you ready to get your leaf?"
Ron shrugged noncomitally, as Harry grinned. "I'm telling you, you're going to love whatever animagus form you get."
Ron gave another shrug, but gave a smirk, "Well, it'll be nice to join you lot at least. So who will be taking us?"
Draco crossed his arms. "Father says both he and Mother will be taking us this evening. Until then we're supposed to finish up any homework Flamel has given us and be prepared when the clock strikes four."
Ron shuddered. "I'm glad Flamel hasn't given us anything like homework yet. All he's done is tell us to do these exercises. I'd rather do exercises than write papers."
Hermione huffed. "You just don't like writing papers because you always put them off until the last moment."
"Well yeah, I have so many other things to do!" Ron protested causing a few chuckles from the group to be heard.
It didn't take long for them to get ready, and by the time they did the clock's chime could be heard from down the hallway. Hurrying to the foyer, Crabbe and Goyle took up the rear as Draco and Neville moved to the front.
"So, besides the leaf for Ron, what are we going to get? I want some more sugar Quills." Harry said.
Draco smirked, teasing, "I'm thinking of asking Father to stop by to get a practice Snitch. Just throwing the quaffle is fine, but I don't think Flint would be happy if you lost your edge, Potter."
"As if. I still won that bet, Malfoy." Harry grinned back, as Lucius stepped into the foyer and Narcissa by his side. "Alright, all of you. I will be going first, with Lady Malfoy last. Draco has informed me that you wish to stop by the apothecary, and then we will head to Quality Quidditch Supplies before going out to eat dinner."
The children all chattered quickly, as Lucius stepped towards the floo. Soon enough, they were all heading through, but not before Draco whispered to Harry, "Finally, Potter! Seems you're respecting me enough to call me by my Family name, not my first name." Draco was so giddy, that Harry didn't have the heart to say he had no idea what he meant. Heading into the floo, the group soon were at the Leaky Cauldron.
The outing was simple enough, with the visit to the Apothecary going as well as could be expected. Ron left with the leaf under his tongue, with Harry purchasing an extra— just in case— that was stored in a stasis-charmed vial.
The trip to Quality Quidditch Supplies was the most fun, where Harry, Ron, and Draco all hurried to look at the brand-new Nimbus 2001 which was being displayed in the front window. Neville, still apprehensive about flying, stayed behind with Hermione as Narcissa quizzed them on Flamel's tutoring lessons. In the back of the shop, Crabbe and Goyle were looking over a set of weighted Beater's clubs, obviously fascinated by their weight.
The large group soon headed to Fortescue's, moving to have a light dinner with ice cream for the group of friends. However, their day would soon be interrupted by a blinding flash.
"Oh, goodness. Such a lucky day." A rather flighty voice said as Harry's eyes blinked, trying to recover from the bright flash. "Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, as well as all of their little friends."
Lucius sat up, Harry noticing the man's demeanor immediately switch to his "pureblood Lord" persona. "Rita. A pleasure. What brings you here this evening?" Harry could detect the ice in the man's voice, ice that could freeze even molten lava.
"Oh, Lord Malfoy! I was just investigating rumors that Harry Potter had been seen in Diagon Alley. So many people wish to know more about Wizarding Britain's most famous hero!"
"Ma'am, I'm not that much of a hero. My mother and father were the ones who faced down Voldemort. I was simply a baby then." The usage of the name sent shivers down everyone's spines, as Rita began furiously scribbling something onto a notepad she was carrying. The mousy blonde woman looked like the cat that ate the canary, making Harry's inner fox start to feel nervous.
"Oh, but that night must have been horrible. The way you speak, do you remember something about it?"
"Now see here, Miss Skeeter. We came here for a simple meal with Heir Potter's friends. We will not be cornered, and you certainly will not force the boy to do an interview!" Narcissa spoke up, moving up and standing in front of the reporter.
There was another bright flash, as Harry saw the cameraman take another picture. Rita stared back at Narcissa with a smile. "But don't you agree that the peoples of Magical Britain deserve to know more about our beloved Boy Who Lived?"
Harry was getting a bit uncomfortable, noticing a crowd was forming outside. Fortescue hurried over to the door as the crowd grew larger and larger, tapping the door with his wand and causing the Open sign to change to "Closed".
Lucius stood up. "I believe it's time to return home, children."
Ron immediately spoke up, having been devouring a large sundae. Some bits of ice cream flicked from his lips as he dropped his spoon and stood up, swallowing. "Back off, lady! Harry doesn't need to tell you anything, and you can't just come barging in and ruining people's ice cream with your dumb questions!"
Another flash caught everyone by surprise as Harry had to blink once more. Ron rubbed his eyes as Narcissa was immediately incensed. "You dare come in here uninvited and now start taking pictures of children without parental permission? I'll have you on trial before the Wizengamot!"
Rita paled for a second, before quickly waving to her cameraman. "I do believe that we have enough for now, Bozo. Go ahead and remove that last picture, and we'll be on our way."
Harry heard Neville snort behind him at the name of the cameraman, as Fortescue opened the door as Rita and "Bozo" quickly left the parlor.
"I'm very sorry, Lord Malfoy. Normally she doesn't bother people having dinner here." Fortescue said from where he had retreated behind his counter. Lucius' gaze immediately silenced Fortescue's comment before gesturing to the kids. Ron quickly shoveled as much ice cream into his mouth as he could, Lucius heading to the door.
"Mister Potter! Mister Potter!"
Lucius stamped his cane, silencing the crowd that had formed as the metal cane bottom rapped hard against the cobblestone street. "That is enough! Heir Potter and his friends are under my protection for the day. Disperse, or I shall call the Aurors."
The crowd broke out into surprised mutters, several of them looking slighted, but many of them started to disperse. Harry thought he saw a flicker of magic in the crowd that reminded him of the people he saw on Easter, but the flicker was gone as soon as he noticed it.
-Author's Notes-
If you're interested in helping proofread and getting the chapters early, send me a message!
Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling, not me.