Meeting the families

As the Hogwarts Express stopped at the bustling Diagon Alley station, Aurelius, Hermione, and Silvia gathered their belongings and prepared to disembark. Stepping out onto the platform, they were greeted by the familiar sights and sounds of the bustling wizarding hub.

However, before they could set off on their own, they were intercepted by their respective parents, who had come to meet them at the station. Hermione's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, greeted her with warm smiles and tight hugs, while Silvia's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wright, exchanged fond greetings with their daughter.

"Hmm, who might you dears be?" asked a curious Mrs. Granger after seeing that her little girl, who's always had difficulties making friends, appeared to have made two new friends her age.

"I'm Aurelius Galegold Evans Valriss Aulus. Just call me Aurelius or Galegold."

"Hi, I'm Silvia Wright. Nice to meet you."

"So how has your friendship treated you all, and what is your name?" asked Silvia's mother to the others and the bushy-haired girl.

"I'm Hermione Granger; as for our friendship. It's hard to say. It's somewhere between friendly professionals and actual friends."

The parents raise a single eyebrow collectively.

"She means we all met as friends but also function as professionals working in actual business ventures. Hermione focuses primarily on logistics and management; Silvia is a craftswoman in all but name, while I am an inventor and entrepreneur." I said, clearing up the confusion.

"You hear that, dear; our little girl is already a little businesswoman, even if it's in a magical school." Said the bemused Mr. Granger.

Hermione blushes while hiding her face.

"Quite the lofty goals to be an entrepreneur and inventor. I'd imagine it would be quite limited at your age and requires a lot of knowledge." Said Mr. Wright.

"Certainly, but I am a merchant and inventor at heart, sir. Most of my skills have developed to an acceptable level for the tasks, and I have no qualms about learning more should the situation necessitate it." I said with confidence.

"If that's true, then I can say you will go far." Said Mrs. Wright.

"There's no doubt in our minds that our son will get there." Said Ann.

"Hey, Moms," I said.

"Hello dear," said Martha.

"What's up, squirt?" said Ann.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wright and Mr. and Ms. Granger, these are my parents, Mrs. and Mrs. Aulus," I told them.

"Hello, I'm Ann, and this is Martha."

Martha smiles while placing a hand on their boy's head

"And who are these young ladies?" asked Ann

"These are my friends Hermione Granger and Silvia Wright." I use my whole hand to point towards the respective person as I said their name

"Hello," the two said simultaneously.

"Oh, where are our manners? My name is Johnathan Wright, and this is my wife Sarah Wright."

"And I'm Maria Granger, and this is my husband Oliver Granger."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all. If you ever feel so inclined, please get in touch with us by owl and we can schedule a meeting." My parents said.

"Wait, but we don't have a personal owl." Said Mr. Granger.

"Same for us as well." Said Mrs. Wright.

"Hmm, ah dear, can you please request a house elf from Hogwarts?" said Martha.

"Sammy, please come here," I said.

"Sammy has arrived quickly. How may Sammy help the young master?" said a house elf.

"Yes, please recall these two's magical signatures, and if they call for you, please answer them and aid them should they need it. And please remember my two mothers if they call you." I told the house elf.

"Certainly, Sammy would be happy to aid the young master and the two mistresses and young master's mothers." Said the excited house elf.

My face and the girls accompanying me all turn ridiculously red, understanding the implications of the elf's words.

The muggle parents didn't understand since the word had lost its more romantic nature in modern times, assuming they were all children, and because they did not know that Aurelius was to be the master of all the house elves. They did not know that many of the older meanings of words held true for the elves' speech. So, they assumed they used respectful titles for all students.

Aurelius's mothers laughed their arses off, understanding the elve's words in their complete capacity.

"Is there something curious about the little um, you said they were elves, yes? Not quite what I expected." Said Mrs. Granger.

"Yes, they're house elves; they aren't elves of what muggle entertainment would suggest. They are house elves. They are symbiotic creatures that rely on a source of an individual for magic that functions as their form of sustenance and housing, and in return, they provide services." I clarified to them.

"But they look so run down. Is that natural?" asked a concerned Mrs. Granger.

"Yes and no, house elves gain essentially all they need, but the thing is that they get precisely all they need, but that doesn't provide for growth, so they are getting what they need to sustain themselves, but not enough for physical growth. It is quite appalling treatment that, unfortunately, we can't alter." I said, somewhat downtrodden.

"But didn't it call you young master? Can't you dictate their care?" asked an upset Hermione.

"Not quite. I am the young master or the heir of Hogwarts. In other words, I have all the rights to do so in the future, but I have little authority over their treatment. I have authority over their actions but not their outright treatment. I told them to increase their magic intake so they don't get sickly, and I even attempted to give them uniforms instead of pillowcases." I said with a sigh.

"I take it that didn't end well," said Ann, knowing how house elves behave.

"Better than I expected, but worse than I hoped. They increased their intake by 5% and wouldn't budge on taking any more than that. As for the uniforms, they kept saying they were good house elves. I even told them it isn't a gift and not setting them free, but they were adamant." I informed them.

"Huh, why would that set them free, and why wouldn't they want their freedom?" said Mr. Granger, who said what was on all the muggle's minds.

"It's a custom in their culture. I have no clue when it came about. When given an article of clothing as a gift, it is deemed an official agreement to break the bond between the master and the house elf. Since both parties understand that, magic itself acknowledges it. As I stated before, they feed off the wizard's magic as sustenance. Effectively, it's the equivalent of kicking them on the streets with nothing but fifty pounds." Said Aurelius.

"That's awful. I was thinking that it might have been possible to free them, but if what you say is true. It's arguably the worst thing I could do for the poor things. Also, what you're saying makes it sound like magic is sentient." Said a perplexed Hermione.

"It's weird. It is semi-sentient to our knowledge but acts almost like an impartial judge that dictates its nature. Magicals like us are merely able to guide into doing specific tasks." I said like a lecturer.

"Huh, sounds much like how computers guide electricity to perform certain tasks." Said a curious Mr. Wright.

"That is a very apt description of the nature of magical's connection with magic." Said a pleasantly surprised Aurelius.

"Well, dears, this was certainly an enlightening talk, and we've established a means of communication, but I think it's time to go our separate ways." Said Mrs. Wright.

All the parents take a look at each other and nod.