Percy Jackson and the Department of Mysteries [Book 5]

31) Guys, Please Take S.P.E.W. Siriusly

While we were cleaning up some of the mold off of everything a few days later, Harry confided in us, "I just think Sirius isn't happy I didn't get expelled. He's been shutting himself up in his mother's room with Buckbeak. I'd asked him if I could stay with him here if I did get expelled, and now he's just acting weird. I feel really bad about it now..."

"Don't you go feeling guilty!" Hermione said sternly, scrubbing the back of a shelf with her lips pursed. "You belong at Hogwarts and Sirius knows it. Personally, I think he's being selfish."

"That's a bit harsh, Hermione," I said, frowning slightly as I thought about Sirius' behavior for the past few days, "you wouldn't want to be stuck inside this house without company."

"He'll have company!" Hermione said. "It's headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it? He just got his hopes up that Harry would be coming to live here with him."

"I don't think that's true," Harry wrung out his cloth. "He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him if I could."

"He just didn't want to get his hopes up even more," Hermione said knowingly. "And he probably felt a bit guilty himself, because I think a part of him was really hoping you'd be expelled. Then you'd be outcasts together."

"Come off it!" Ron and Harry said, but I have to admit, I agreed with Hermione. I couldn't blame Sirius for his emotions, I'd have probably felt the same thing if I were wearing his shoes, and I even understood the feeling of wanting someone to be alone with.

Hermione shrugged at the boys, "Suit yourselves. But I sometimes think Ron's mum's right, and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry."

"So you think he's touched in the head?" Harry said angrily.

"No, Harry," I shook my head, understanding what Hermione was getting at. "She's saying he's been lonely for a long time."

Before Harry could say anything more, Mrs. Weasley walked into the room, "Still not finished?"

"I thought you might be here to tell us to have a break!" Ron said saltily. "D'you know how much mold we've got rid of since we arrived here?"

"You were so keen to help the Order," Mrs. Weasley said, "you can do your bit by making headquarters fit to live in."

"Hey, wait, I help the order," I said. "Why do I have to clean?"

"All you do is run around and vandalize buildings, then get chased by Aurors that aren't really chasing you anymore," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Fair point, I'll continue," I said.

"I feel like a house-elf," Ron grumbled as Mrs. Weasley left the room.

"Well, now that you understand what dreadful lives they lead, perhaps you'll be a bit more active in S.P.E.W.!" Hermione gave Ron a look. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to show people exactly how horrible it is to clean all the time — we could do a sponsored scrub of Gryffindor common room, all proceeds to S.P.E.W., it would raise awareness as well as funds —"

"Hermione, no one is going to pay to clean," I said. "And, again, house-elves generally like cleaning, so I don't think that's the best way to get your point across."

"But it's unfair that they have to clean so much, people need to learn how to appreciate them —"

"You're right, but making other people clean isn't going to make them appreciate house-elves."

Hermione sighed, then in a low voice so only I could hear, "Why doesn't anybody care about house-elves?"

"Hermione, people care," I said. "Sometimes it's just easier to notice the bad things." I looked up at her. "You're fighting for the right stuff, just in the wrong way. You should fight to give the house-elves a choice, because cleaning and serving is part of their culture. It's part of them, and sometimes it seems like you're fighting to take their culture away." I let out a breath. "Most people just let them be. Maybe, until you can figure out what exactly it is that you're fighting for, you can let them be, too."

"But people just treat them so harshly and they do so much for us," Hermione shook her head. "I can't just let that happen."

"Then don't," I said. "Fight the people, call them little bitches when they're being mean, and your problem is solved."

"Calling them that isn't going to change things, it's not enough," Hermione said.

"Sometimes all it takes is a word to start a revolution," I said. "Sometimes it takes a martyr. Either way, I don't think you're in the position to change the world right now — you don't have the means. But you can start somewhere, and if planting a seed of doubt in their heads with a word is what it takes to build a foundation, maybe that's what you should do."

"Thank you for the advice, Percy," Hermione said, still looking unsure with everything, but a little less unsure. "I'll try that."

Kadee made a audio of her singing We Dont Talk About Bruno and boy do I wish I could share it with you guys. It is possibly the best thing I have ever heard. It's my now favorite thing. I love it. I need it. I got permission to send an edited video of it to a friend and he said it was the best birthday present he got. It's amazing. Also, school was cancelled for today and tomorrow. Scary. Too many teachers out sick and not enough subs. AMI work was easy. I finished stuff for tomorrow so that I'll have no excuse not to write more chapters cause I've been procrastinating that. Also Kadee didn't freaking turn the shower off all the way it's bothering me I need to fix it.

Anyway, I hope you guys have had a fantastic Thursday, and I'll see you on Saturday CT.
Love ya!