The End Of S.P.E.W.?

Hogwarts, Seventh Corridor, Mar. 30

"Nathan! Wait up" Harry's voice rang from across the corridor.

Seeing his brother Nathan paused for a moment waiting for him to reach him before asking "Hey Harry, what's up?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't mind joining me and Hagrid when we go into the Forbidden Forest. I don't think he is that comfortable with me or what we're doing so I was hoping if came with us?"

With his brother having finally catched his breath NAthan continued on his walk while saying "Since when are you going into the forest, actually, WHY are you going into the forest? Do you have any idea what's in there?"

"It'll be fine with the three of us," Harry said confidently, causing Nathan to remember that Hermione did say that Calypso and his brother were using the forest to practice more dangerous magic.

"Wait, why do you even need Hagrid's help?"

"He's going to introduce me to the centaurs in the forest so I can ask them where to find unicorns for my final project this year," Harry replied.

"Alright I'll go," Nathan said with a grin on his face as he continued by saying "someone will need to make sure you stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, yeah"

Silence gathered around the two before Nathan asked "Are you able to go home on the easter holidays? Mum was asking about it 'cause she wants you to meet Calypso again. And Krum as well I guess, really she just wants to meet all of your friends."

Harry paused for a moment before saying "I'll go if you go but other than Krum, who, let's be honest, Karkaroff won't let leave, I don't have any other friends."

"Not like I can judge, other than Hermione and Ron I don't have anyone who actually understands me or looks past what they want to see." Nathan said, thinking about the 'boy-who-lived' fan clubs or his quidditch teammates among others.

Nodding in agreement for a moment Harry then said "Look at us, 'the Potter Brothers; one too famous for his own good and the other is far too scary'" in a loud commentator-like voice that sounded like a certain Triwizard Tournament judge which caused Nathan to laugh.

As the pair continued on their way Harry quickly came to a realization and asked "Speaking of friends, where is Ron, and for that manner Hermione?"

"Why would Ron be with me?" Nathan asked.

"You mean besides the fact he has been at your side since you made up after the first task? Or do you need me to make a list?" Harry said with a grin which was very similar to their father's.

"Ron's telling his brothers- the Twins - to clear Gryffindor common. We're actually on our way to get Hermione."

"Why?"

"You remember Dobby, right? Malfoy's house elf that I freed in my second year?" Nathan clarified.

"Yeah, actually I saw him a while back sometime after the first task"

"Really?" Nathan asked, confused why the elf would seek Harry in the first place but just continued on anyway."Well it turns out Dobby got a job at Hogwarts in my third year. Grandpa told me to find the kitchen if I was so hungry after I grabbed a lemon drop, so I did and there he was. I try to visit Dobby every week or so - the other elves don't seem to like him very much and it turns out Mr Crouch's elf, -you know, the one that stole my wand - is here and is a huge mess. Which then caused Hermione to try and start a movement about freeing house elves."

Sorting through Nathan's inane ramblings as well as his own thoughts and many questions, Harry asked "But… House elves LIKE working."

"I know but I think Hermione does or maybe she doesn't care and thinks they're been brainwashed? I have no idea, honestly. Wait, shouldn't you know this already? Hermione and Calypso were fighting about it even before the second task?"

"I know but I thought Hermione was trying to start some sort of house elf equality movement not try to free them all!" Harry exclaimed as the brothers entered a corridor line with food related paintings.

As the two finally reached a painting of a fruit ball Nathan waved Harry to stop before tickling a pear on the painting causing it to turn into a large green door handle which he pushed open.

Following Nathan inside Harry looked around and saw a large kitchen with easily over one hundred house elves each preparing the dinner for later that day.

Focusing on his brother he could see Nathan was talking to Dobby who was easily recognizable with the large amount of clothes the elf was wearing and the pair were talking about about Hermione who was a bit further away from them trying and failing to comfort a crying elf who Harry assumed to be Winky, Mr Crouch's old elf.

Walking past Nathan and Dobby and over to Hermione and Winky, Harry said in his most commanding voice "Winky, I, as a temporary student at Hogwarts and just as much as your master currently than Crouch was previously correct?"

"Wha-" Hermione tried to say before a house elf quickly interrupted her and said "Yes, Winky must listen to your orders Durmstrang Master"

Thinking for a moment while ignoring Hermione and a few elves that had grabbed a Hogwarts house elf uniform, which was a white toga with the Hogwarts crest on it, and gave it to Winky, Harry said "Dobby, I want to take Winky to the hardest place to clean or wherever is best suited for her and than help her complete her new job"

Dobby looked at Winky who was now wasn't crying and then to Nathan for a moment who nodded to the elf before Dobby said "Common Winky, let's go, your master has given his order. We should go clean the Gryffindor Common room, it's been hard doing it myself"

"Ok" Winky murmured while wiping off her tears.

As the two popped away the elves in the kitchen all paused for a moment before they all started jumping up and down and started to take plates of food to offer Harry all the while saying "Thank you" or "Winky has stopped crying and gotten back to work now!"

As the trio made their way through the celebrating elves with Harry and Nathan taking a few treats on their way out, following Hermione who had stormed out.

Having made their way through the elves the two brothers closed the door and turned around to a very angry Hermione but before she could even start talking Harry cut in and said "Before you say anything please keep in mind that I just made Winky happy and that you don't want to curse in front of a child, right?" while pointing to Nathan

"Hey"

"Are you seriously MAKING JOKES AFTER ORDERING THAT POOR CREATURE TO JUST SUCK IT UP AND GO BACK TO WORK?"

"Yes Hermione you don't understand-" Harry said before being cut off.

"UNDERSTAND WHAT HARRY POTTER? THAT YOU ORDERED WINKY TO-"

"ENOUGH HERMIONE" Shouted Nathan, the most unlikely voice to do so in this situation.

"Just listen to what Harry has to say" Nathan said, sounding quite tired of the whole thing,

"Do you know how house elves were made?"

"Made?" Hermione repeated.

"Yep, house elves were made by one of the god-mages of ancient Greece, Prometheus."

"Is this story meant to make what you did any better? All he did was make a race of slaves "

"Actually he didn't. When Prometheus realised what he had done he destroyed all of his research and guessed what happened to him" Harry said ready to turn whatever Hermione would say on her.

"He… he was tortured for not giving up his secrets"

"Yes. How do you know that but not he made house elves?"

"We learnt about ancient magic societies in our second year but didn't touch on ancient Greece until after Hermione was petrified." Nathan answered for her.

"Regardless for whatever reason house elves deem their purpose was to serve others and beyond that house elves don't make their own magic like we do. That's the whole reason they work for others in the first place. THey literally die if they don't." Harry said.

"But what about them being mistreated and Dobby isn't dead?" Hermione asked, at this point she was calming down but still had an accusatory tone when talking.

"House elves reflect their master. A crazy elf means a crazy master. I can guarantee you that a very, very small number of people would harm their elf and Dobby's master is Hogwarts, admittedly I don't know much about house elves master bond but Dobby isn't free in a conventional sense and even if he was why is he still working? Because he wants to." Harry said.

Noticing that Hermione was about to say something again Harry quickly said "I'll see you later" before leaving the two hearing Hermione ask his brother "Why did Dobby say it was hard to clean the Gryffindor rooms by himself?"