House-elves

Sunday morning Harry asked Chris to come with him to the Hogwarts kitchen.

"I want to give Dobby this socks as a thank you gift but I don't want to go with Hermione. She always talks to the elves about their rights and they clearly don't like her." Harry explained on the way. "Also you know something weird happened in Potions two days ago."

"What happened?" Chris asked curiously.

"Karkaroff turned up during our Potions class." Harry answered. "Well, I know, they already knew each other very well."

"Karkaroff? You mean Durmstrang headmaster? How do you know he knows Snape?" Chris whispered.

"I heard them talking on the day of Yule Ball. They were talking like old friends." Harry whispered too. "As I was saying, Karkaroff wanted to talk to Snape, he said Snape's been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried. He showed Snape something on his arm, but I couldn't see what it was."

"He showed Snape something on his arm?" Chris repeated.

"I wrote to Sirius. He told me he had a doubt about Snape being a death eater. But because of the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, he dropped it."

"This is getting more and more complicated." Chris sighed.

"I know. Ron believed that Snape is death eater but Hermione trusts Dumbledore's judgment. What do you think?" Harry asked quietly.

"Honestly, I don't trust Ron's judgement." Chris replied as they reached the fruit bowl painting. "But I also think it's not as simple as we're making it."

The house-elves gave them a very cheery welcome, bowing and curtsying and bustling around making tea again. Dobby was ecstatic about their present.

"Harry Potter is too good to Dobby!" he squeaked, wiping large tears out of his enormous eyes.

"You saved my life with that gillyweed, Dobby, you really did," said Harry.

"Let's have our breakfast here." Chris suggested.

"Alright." Harry said.

And hurriedly all of the elves made place for them and gave them various breakfasts. They ate some then took most of it. Harry took it for Ron and Chris took for Creevey brothers. They were about to leave when Chris saw a familiar elf sitting near the fire.

"Isn't it Winky, Mr Crouch's house-elf?" Chris asked looking surprised.

"Yes miss," said Dobby quietly, his ears drooping slightly.

Harry looked over at the fireplace too. Winky was sitting on a stool near the fire, she had allowed herself to become so filthy that she was not immediately distinguishable from the smoke-blackened brick behind her. Her clothes were ragged and unwashed. She was clutching a bottle of butterbeer and swaying slightly on her stool, staring into the fire. As they watched her, she gave an enormous hiccup.

"Winky is getting through six bottles a day now," Dobby said.

"Well, it's not strong, that stuff," Harry said.

But Dobby shook his head. " 'Tis strong for a house-elf, sir," he said.

Winky hiccuped again. The elves who had brought food for them gave her disapproving looks as they returned to work.

"Winky is pining, Harry Potter and miss," Dobby whispered sadly. "Winky wants to go home. Winky still thinks Mr. Crouch is her master, and nothing Dobby says will persuade her that Professor Dumbledore is her master now."

"Hey, Winky," said Harry, walking over to her, and bending down, "you don't know what Mr. Crouch might be up to, do you? Because he's stopped turning up to judge the Triwizard Tournament."

Winky's eyes flickered. Her enormous pupils focused on Harry. She swayed slightly again and then said, "M — Master is stopped — hic — coming?"

"Yeah," said Chris bending down beside Harry, "we haven't seen him since the first task. The Daily Prophet's saying he's ill."

Winky swayed some more, staring blurrily at Chris and Harry.

"Master — hic — ill?"

Her bottom lip began to tremble.

"Master is needing his — hic — Winky!" whimpered the elf. "Master cannot — hic — manage — hic — all by himself..."

"He'll manage to do his housework, Winky," Chris said, feeling bad for the elf.

"Winky — hic — is not only — hic — doing housework for Mr. Crouch!" Winky squeaked indignantly, swaying worse than ever and slopping butterbeer down her already heavily stained blouse. "Master is — hic — trusting Winky with — hic — the most important — hic — the most secret —"

"What?" said Harry.

Chris looked carefully at Winky.

"What do mean Winky?" Chris asked.

But Winky shook her head very hard, spilling more butterbeer down herself.

"Winky keeps — hic — her master's secrets," she said mutinously, swaying very heavily now, frowning up at Harry and Chris with her eyes crossed. "You are — hic — nosing, you are."

"Winky must not talk like that to Harry Potter!" said Dobby angrily. "Harry Potter is brave and noble and Harry Potter is not nosy!"

"He is nosing — hic — into my master's — hic — private and secret — hic — Winky is a good house-elf — hic — Winky keeps her silence — hic — people trying to — hic — pry and poke — hic —"

Winky's eyelids drooped and suddenly, without warning, she slid off her stool into the hearth, snoring loudly. The empty bottle of butterbeer rolled away across the stone-flagged floor. Half a dozen house-elves came hurrying forward, looking disgusted. One of them picked up the bottle; the others covered Winky with a large checked tablecloth and tucked the ends in neatly, hiding her from view.

"We is sorry you had to see that, sir and miss!" squeaked a nearby elf, shaking his head and looking very ashamed. "We is hoping you will not judge us all by Winky, sir and miss!"

"It's alright." Chris said standing up. Her mind was working furiously over the things Winky just said. Then she looked around the house-elves who were standing there looking disgusted. "Can I ask you all something?" She said addressing the house-elves.

"Of course miss. Please don't ask for our permission. It's rather shameful for us." A elf said.

"Ok so I want to know if you all are faithful to Professor Dumbledore or not?" Chris asked and the house-elves looked horror struck.

"What is you saying, miss?" Another house-elf said. "He is our master, miss. We is ready to die for our master."

"Great, then I think you'll understand how important this is." Chris said with a business-like tone. "I think.. or you can say I believe that the secret Winky is keeping can harm Professor Dumbledore."

The house-elves gasped. Dobby looked scared.

"Yes you heard me just right. It can be something really dangerous.." Chris continued. "So I want you all to persuade her. Convince her that she needs to be loyal to Dumbledore and tell the secret."

"But how miss?" Dobby asked quietly.

"I'm not asking any of you to hurt her, Dobby, but I need to know the secret, it can be something harmful to Hogwarts." Chris said softening her tone a bit. "I know she's you friend and that's why it's your duty to make sure that no one thinks Winky is a bad elf."

"We is doing it, miss." Said an old elf with determined voice. "We is learning her secret."

"Good. Also don't tell anyone about this except me, Harry and Dumbledore." Chris said looking at them. "Good bye then."

"Do you really think Mr Crouch's secret can harm Dumbledore and Hogwarts?" Harry asked quietly as they walked back towards the Gryffindor tower.

"Nope." Chris said cooly.

"Then?" Harry asked looking surprised.

"I just need to use those words to convince those elves." Chris replied. "Or else they wouldn't be so determined to do it."

"You're a genius." Harry grinned.

"It's common sense Harry." Chris smirked.

_________________________________________________

Next week the Care of Magical Creatures class was a treat for Chris. Hagrid, who had told them last lesson that they had finished with unicorns, was waiting for them outside his cabin with a fresh supply of open crates at his feet. Inside it there was a number of fluffy black creatures with long snouts. Their front paws were curiously flat, like spades, and they were blinking up at the class, looking politely puzzled at all the attention.

"These're nifflers," said Hagrid, when the class had gathered around. "Yeh find 'em down mines mostly. They like sparkly stuff. . . . There yeh go, look."

One of the nifflers had suddenly leapt up and attempted to bite Danielle's watch off her wrist. She shrieked and jumped backward. Chris chuckled and saw almost everyone was giving her weird looks.

"Useful little treasure detectors," said Hagrid happily. "Thought we'd have some fun with 'em today. See over there?" He pointed at the large patch of freshly turned earth. "I've buried some gold coins. I've got a prize fer whoever picks the niffler that digs up most. Jus' take off all yer valuables, an' choose a niffler, an' get ready ter set 'em loose."

Chris, Ginny and Colin took off their watches and picked nifflers one by one. Chris couldn't had to work much as almost instantly the nifflers tried jump on her hands. But she picked only one, which seems very happy to get selected. It put its long snout in Chris's ear and sniffed enthusiastically. It was really quite cuddly.

"They're so cute." Ginny said as her niffler hugged her neck while sniffing.

"Hey don't mess with my hair." Jason said, as his niffler started to rub his head, the moment he picked it up.

Chris laughed. It was really funny to watch people like that. The nifflers dived in and out of the patch of earth as though it were water, each scurrying back to the student who had released it and spitting gold into their hands. Unfortunately that was going to be the actual plan.

"Hey that's my niffler." Alex shouted as his niffler brought the coin back to Chris.

"Sorry about that." Chris said smiling and gave back his coin.

Next came another niffler, a Slytherin girl shrieked and Chris again passed her the coin. This happened three-four times. At last, Chris ordered the nifflers to go back to the students who picked them, as they came close to her again. After ordering few more of them, finally they went back to other students. Actually Chris's niffler was particularly efficient; it had soon filled her lap with coins. Few students gave her many suspicious looks, which she ignored. Ginny's lap was full of coins too.

"Well, let's check how yeh've done! And don't take any gold with yeh, they're leprechaun gold. It vanishes af'er some'ime." said Hagrid. "I on'y buried a hundred coins. Count yer coins!"

It turned out half of the coins was occupied by Chris, Ginny and Colin. But Chris's niffler had been most successful, so Hagrid gave her an enormous slab of Honeydukes chocolate for a prize. The bell rang across the grounds and they set off for their next class. Ginny pulled Colin with her to walk a little ahead of Chris as Jason came behind them. Chris smiled at him and he smiled back.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Of course, that was soo fun. Why?" Chris looked surprised.

"Nothing. You should clean up a bit before your next class. There is mud all over your robes." Jason suggested.

"Oh yes. I should." Chris replied. "What about you? No need to clean up?"

"Actually I've Herbology next so no point of cleaning right now." He answered. "What do you've?"

"Charms."

"Alright. See you later."

After taking a shower Chris went to the Charms class.

"Wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, get into pairs." Professor Flitwik said.

Ginny paired up with Luna and Colin with Chris. Chris again noticed few weird looks from students and realized many students were trying to avoid her. Again Chris didn't bother and focused on the cheering charms. By the end of the class they all were overcoming huge sort of giggles. Luna was still clutching her stomach when they entered the Great Hall for lunch.

"It was a great day." Ginny said still smiling and eating.

"True." Luna replied. "Cheering charms are really useful, don't you think?"

They were laughing, talking and enjoying their food when Harry, Ron and Hermione came in. Chris noticed, Harry was particularly looking angry because of something and Hermione and Ron were whispering to him. Ginny waved at them and they fell silent. All three of them sat beside Ginny and Colin. Hermione and Ron gave awkward glances towards Chris. Harry wasn't looking at her.

"Everything alright, Guys?" Chris asked.

"Erm..." Hermione looked at Ron and Harry.