Violet Potter and the Basilisk Plague (Year Two)

Chapter Twenty: The Head Of The Hogwarts Elves

When Tiny had opened her eyes again, Violet, Victoria, Hagrid, and Professor Dumbledore (Dobby had informed the Headmaster about Tiny's situation before he disapparated back to Malfoy Manor) were all sitting around the giant dining table in Hagrid's hut. Since the supper hour up at the castle was already past, Professor Dumbledore had made sure that there was something available for each of them to eat and drink.

There was a very generous platter full of the best fish and chips in Hogsmeade, ordered from the Three Broomsticks Pub, which was currently under the ownership of a sassy blonde witch known to every Hogsmeade denizen simply as Madam Rosmerta. There was a large pitcher full of pumpkin juice, and even a very sumptuous looking jam roly-poly for dessert, though at the moment, no one was particularly interested in eating very much. Certainly not Violet or Tori until they knew for certain Tiny would make it.

Tiny quickly came to the realization that she was no longer anywhere near Walden MacNair's residence, and instead in a hut completely unfamiliar to her. Tiny squeaked out, sounding terrified, "Dobby? Where is Dobby disappeared to? Where is Tiny, why is Tiny left alone? Help! Help!"

Victoria and Violet and the others heard Tiny's cries of distress and hurried into the room where Tiny had been left to rest and recover from the Black of Nightshade poisoning. "Tiny, you're all right, we were all so worried about you, your friend Dobby brought you to us so that we could save you, and Hagrid did---" Tori gestured toward Hagrid. And she said to him, "Thank you so very much."

Hagrid said, "Oh, yeh know it was the least I could've done. I understand how much Tiny means to yeh, Victoria." And Tori then turned back to Tiny. "You know, we were all still right here at Hogwarts, you could've made up your mind to come straight back here to begin with, and we all might have figured something out already and I've decided I really don't care what MacNair or Professor Snape or anyone else might say. So, what in the name of Merlin and all Pendragons possessed you to poison yourself?"

And Tiny began to cry. "Tiny is such a bad little elf Victoria Miss, everyone has always said it before. And---MacNair, he told me that you would never accept me again, that it is too dangerous and that it is forbidden. Tiny didn't want Miss and her friends to get into any trouble. My family all said I had to forget about you and when I was given clothes and dismissed, they had to forget about me...Tiny is better off being dead than a disgrace---"

This time, before either Tori or Violet could say anything in response, it was Professor Dumbledore who spoke up. "Miss Potter, Miss Maynard, if you please, allow me to handle this." Dumbledore said to both girls, and then, the Headmaster said this to Tiny:

"Tiny. There is nothing, and I mean nothing disgraceful in anything you have done. What I can tell you is disgraceful is that so many among wizardkind, as in the non-magic world, would continue to look down on those minorities which they marginalize, even turn away completely from. They see others in need and scorn them, abuse and reject them. I have said it many times before and I shall say it again, that all among man, magic or not, who would continue on to mistreat those they have downtrodden shall pay the price and reap their bitter reward in the end, though it may not always seem like it in the beginning. However, allowing our hardships to get us down to wallowing in self-pity will not serve us or get us anywhere. And believe in me when I say, I do in fact, have a plan."

Both girls stared at the Headmaster, curious for him to go on, and Tiny then asked both squeakily and shakily, "Tiny does not understand...what is Dumbledore saying?"

"Later, my new house-elf friend. You shall find out in due time when we all venture up to the castle. But for now, we should all tuck into our supper before it gets cold." Dumbledore said as he magically summoned forth a steaming bowl of Scotch broth for Tiny from the Hogwarts kitchen.

***

What Professor Dumbledore had planned, was made clear when they had all returned to the castle and stood before a very brightly coloured painting of a bowl of fruit on what appeared to be another secret passageway, just across from yet another with Barnabas the Barmy guarding it---which had to be the entrance to the Hufflepuff House common-room.

Violet and Victoria had not exactly made any friends among the Hufflepuffs as of yet, though they did already hear their fair share about Cedric Diggory, who was the Seeker for the Hogwarts Hufflepuff Quidditch team and was voted most likely to become Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain in his sixth year, and, as his father Amos Diggory would proudly tell anyone, 'Cedric, he's my boy, and he's going to go professional once he's all finished with school!'

Cedric the Golden Boy. Really good-looking, really popular, and also (as just about everyone in Hufflepuff, especially the then fifth year class of Hufflepuffs would tell it) really nice.

Though Violet Potter didn't know it yet, her path, her brother's path, and Cedric's path were fated to intertwine together once both Potter twins reached their fourth year and Cedric his seventh---in so many ways both triumphant and tragic.

But for the present time, Professor Dumbledore explained to both Violet and Tori, who was carrying Tiny, "Pay attention to what I am about to do. We are about to step into a wondrous part of Hogwarts---wondrous not only because of each exquisite meal prepared here every day, but this is also a place where anyone of Tiny's kind is forever appreciated for all their tireless hard work and dedication. I only pray that perhaps someday, wizardkind will be able to do even more."

Dumbledore then reached out one hand and began to tickle the large pear sitting in the bowl in the painting. The pear let out a laugh before the door to the Hogwarts kitchen opened to them.

It was indeed a kitchen, but unlike any Violet had ever seen before. For one thing, there were mixing bowls, utensils, and ingredients for countless different foods being enchanted to very precisely measure themselves out and combine together to create every cake, tart, ice-cream, sherbet, and biscuit for that evening's pudding in a matter of a few seconds to a couple of minutes. There were also house-elves everywhere, busily scurrying about to prepare everything and send it magically to the Great Hall as quickly as possible.

Then, once they had all noticed that the Headmaster was standing in the kitchen, they all paused their work, each ready to obey and carry out any task that Professor Dumbledore requested of them. They were all rather small house-elves, except for one who was considerably older and wore a special woolen cap on top of his head which told everyone he was the Head Elf at Hogwarts. And his name was...

"If I may, I would like a few minutes to discuss an extremely important matter with Doctus, concerning a new house-elf." Professor Dumbledore announced. The elf named Doctus appeared at once, and stood looking right up at Professor Dumbledore. "A new elf, you say Headmaster Sir?