Hogwarts: The Secret Society - BOOK 5 (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

5: I Will Not Stick Up For Filthy Half-Breeds

We sat down on the lush grass a safe bit away from the Whomping Willow. I leaned against him, my head resting on his shoulder. It felt like the whole ordeal with Greyback had happened at another time, in another life. I felt safe, secure when Josh was with me. It was as if my troubles couldn't harm me.

'So... I heard you have a detention already,' said Josh, grinning.

'Evil cow...' I muttered, picking at the grass and throwing it in annoyance.

Josh laughed and I smiled. I had missed him so much and I hadn't even been sure I would see him again. Now that he was there, it felt better. Everything felt like it was where it was meant to be.

'So, what happened?' he asked, suddenly serious.

'Well...' I said, 'I... I...'

Why was I finding it so hard to tell him? Then I realized... I had been millimetres from eating a child, I had almost turned into what I feared the most. I was seconds from becoming a monster, becoming something I could never face.

'It doesn't matter,' he said soothingly, 'You don't have to tell me.'

I buried my head in his shoulder and he kissed my head. We sat like that for the rest of lunch and I felt at peace. I knew Josh would always be there for me, I knew he would never abandon me, never hurt me.

We went to our classes after that then I hung out in the common room with Nico. Hermione came up to us, holding a box filled with badges. The badges had the letters S.P.E.W on them and I frowned up at her.

'Would you like to join the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare?' she asked, smiling, 'It costs two Sickles.'

'Hermione, leave them alone,' yelled Ron.

I had heard all about S.P.E.W. She had started it last year but I had never been around to hear about it. She had been trying to trick house elves into freeing themselves which I thought was kind of wrong, though she meant well. House elves enjoyed their work, and while their circumstances could have been better, her way of helping them was all wrong. I had thought she had moved past that stage but now it seemed it was my turn to be pestered into joining.

'Molly, you should join!' Hermione ignored him, 'I mean, it's the same kind of nonsense as werewolf segregation, isn't it? It all stems from this horrible thing wizards have of thinking themselves superior to other creatures...'

My brow furrowed as I considered what she said. The same as werewolf segregation? I saw it as a huge difference, you couldn't really compare them. The differences were huge, nothing could be seen as the same apart from wizards thinking they are superior.

'I get where you're coming from and I respect what you're doing, but that's not really true, is it?' I said quietly.

'I'm sorry? What do you mean?' Hermione looked taken aback and confused.

'It's not the same as werewolf segregation,' I sighed, 'For starters, house elves are actually considered 'Beings'. Werewolves are not. Not even in human form are they completely regarded as beings, and they are regularly shunted between the Beast and Beings division because nobody wants them. Werewolves are a highly stigmatized, highly profiled, and severely oppressed group of people. House elves are oppressed and are often abused and treated horribly. They deserve to be free. But they are not vilified simply for existing, and their right to live is not constantly in danger. House elves have no rights of their own and are looked on by wizarding societies as mere servants; they are often made patsies for the crimes of wizards. They are not privileged under the thumb of wizards, by any stretch of the imagination. But the Ministry, while not protecting them as they should, does not seek to destroy them for simply existing. It does not pass laws declaring them the most dangerous class of Beast and it does not demand that they be registered and regulated as it does of werewolves. In the event of an attack, a house elf would face a trial, while a werewolf would face the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures and be 'put down'. House elves even have representation within the Ministry! There is an Office for House Elf Relocation, and a Special Advisor for Elf Legislation serves in the Minister of Magic's support staff. Werewolves have a Werewolf Support Division which was shut down and was also the only service available to them from the Beings division, and then the Werewolf Registry and Werewolf Capture Unit, both in the Beast division.'